pilgrim introduction

[brumbrum]

Hola! Hello, I'm Brumbrum, male 55, I live in the southwest of Finland.I plan to walk the Camino Frances starting in march 08. Since I made the decision, booked the flight etc, early october last year, I've been reading these pages and I wish to express my gratitude to everyone for their contributions. The information has been vital in helping me plan my first Camino. As I have a lot of experience of hiking in the wilderness of northern scandinavia it's interesting to plan a completely different kind of journey. The main question being what to leave in and what to leave out, as the pack is supposed to weigh about half of what is normal in Lapland.
Luckily we have had a mild vinter so far so the conditions for training has been fairly good. Of course a bit of hiking in a sleetstorm only strenghtens your determination. I guess the weather can't be much worse down in Spain in springtime.

Brumbrum

 

[ivar]

Welcome to the forum Brumbrum!

It sounds like you are ready for your walk. I am happy to hear that the forum is useful in your planning.

Buen camino!
Ivar

 

[Arlene]

Hi Brumbrum,
I'll be starting my camino in March as well, around the 27th or 28th from Roncesvalles. I agree with you; this site has provided a wealth of information that has really help in my planning. Well, buen camino to you. Maybe we'll meet along the way.
Arlene

 

[Arn]

Brumbrum,

Welcome...you are now officially a member of the Class of 2008!

Your experience and insight will be of great value as you make your Camino. I hope to see you somewhere along the Way.

Buen Camino,

Arn

 

[Ken Jones]

Hola, Hello, Bonjour.
We are Ken and Liliane Jones from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We are doing the comino with another couple Diane and Marcel Paquette from Quebec. We will start our walk from Bayonne, France to St. Jean Pied de Port then across Spain. We will arrive in Bayonne on April the 18th, 2008. We are retired couples and have been training for the walk for the past year. I am glad that we have found this site and will be posting some questions and look forward to your replies. Our first question is, are there hostels that we can stay from Bayonne to St. Jean Pied de Port? We would like to know the distance between the above two destinations. This is our first time walking the comino. We intend to walk to Finnisterre. After our walk we will be spending three weeks in Portugal.

Ken & Liliane

 

[Arn]

Ken and Liliane...welcome to the Class of 2008,

It looks as though we will have nearly a platoon of peregrinos starting from SJPP at the same time...how great is that!

You're entirely correct that there's a lot of "solid" info on this forum from folks that have made either many Caminos, or walked the Milky Way but once, realizing it's been a life changing experience.

May I commend to you the Class of 2008 thread which offers good info on those starting at the same time as you. In addition, there are threads that cover everything from bed bugs to the best Vinotinto to be found.

Buen Camino,

Arn

 

[vinotinto]

Our first question is, are there hostels that we can stay from Bayonne to St. Jean Pied de Port? We would like to know the distance between the above two destinations.

I had planned to start in Bordeaux when I walked the Camino in the summer of 07. However, when I got there I found that my guidebook was less than adequate for that region - no maps or specific guidelines (and as an inexperienced walker, I needed that security blanket). So after spending a couple days in Bordeaux exploring and shopping (there's a lot of pilgrim history there - indeed, I got my credencial and first stamp in the tourist office by the train station), I hopped a train to Bayonne and spent the night there in a hotel before continuing on to St. Jean. It's a nice town, and it had a large sporting goods store where I found a nice zip-up poncho and some bicycling gloves (I walked, but I figured the gloves would protect my hands in case I fell, and help me keep a good grip on my trekking poles).

The next day at the Bayonne train station I met my first pilgrims - two young guys from Austria. We talked while riding the train to St. Jean. It seems they ended up sleeping outside during their night in Bayonne. I can't remember if it was due to their austere budget, or because they arrived in town late. But either way, you'll want to find out more about hostel-type accomodations (or even albergues) in Bayonne. And if you arrive in Bayonne and decide not to stay, St. Jean is not far by train...and it certainly has albergues, hotels, and rooms for rent to pilgrims.

One thing: If you plan to walk all the way from St. Jean to Roncesvalles, you should start before 10AM (as recommended by my guidebook and the folks in the pilgrim office at St. Jean) - otherwise you risk darkness during the last portion of the stage, especially if you are slow. :arrow:

 

[Arn]

vinotinto wrote:the gloves would protect my hands in case I fell

Always looking ahead is our Vinotinto. I'm sure the gloves protected his hands as he made his way back to the albergue following an evening trying to live up to his name.

I've found gloves especially helpful when twisting the cap off a cerveza that doesn't have a twist off cap. :lol:

Buen Camino,
Arn