After breakfast, we  boarded our bus for Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port,  the town  in France from which  many Camino walkers begin their arduous journey.  Centuries ago, it was declared that remains found 500 miles away in Compostela, Spain, were those of the apostle James the Greater. For many centuries, pilgrims have walked the trail for religious reasons, but now we met walkers from several continents whose reasons for walking the Camino were as varied as they were.

After an orientation walk, we hiked  to the top  of a 17th century citadel, from which locals could check the road below between France and Spain for possible approaching enemies. Our goal was to climb to the top of the  high hill with its many twists and turns in order to get a great view of the Basque countryside below. Some of our group  members gave up before reaching the top. I persevered, although going up  to the top of the hill was somewhat challenging for me. In order to go back down, I required Nick’s assistance the entire way.

That experience was followed by a two mile walk on level ground through woodlands.  At the  first Rick Steves group meeting, each of us chooses a “buddy” to check on during group situations. As our group walked along a woodland path,  I chatted with my buddy, Linda. While we walked, we discovered that although I am from Connecticut and she is from Ohio,  we had much in common. We continued walking to the Hotel Loizo, where lunch was served. The Basques typically  have their main meal at midday. The appetizer  of our meal was  chorizo prepared with mild paprika. The main course options were peppers stuffed with cod, beef stew, or duck confit. We chose the duck. Our dessert was something like caramelized  French toast, served with vanilla ice cream. So delicious!

It was time to board the bus to our next destination, our first town in Spain, Pamplona. The arrival in each new town begins with an orientation walk, and this was no exception. We happened upon a festival in which  costumed characters were marching through town, to the delighted cheers of the locals.

It was time for pintxos. An eatery was offering  a free pintxo and a glass of wine for each member of our group. In order to place your order, you have to work your way through the locals to the counter and point to something you might like. Nick chose  spinach and cheese in pastry and I, something like shrimp tempura. They were both wonderful. One of our companions refused to eat her pintxo when she learned that it was a pork cheek, and she offered it to Nick. If you know Nick, you know that he doesn’t turn down opportunities to taste food, and the same generally applies to me when we travel. The pork cheek reminded me of short ribs, and it was the tastiest of our pintxos that evening.

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