Day 1 - St Jean Pied De Port to Orisson

Day 1 - St Jean Pied de Port to Orisson

Cloudy with showers

It was a wet beginning of the El Camino with showers on and off.

It was an interesting night. You would think that you would sleep like a log after a long long day of travel. Instead you drift in and out getting woken up by various people snoring, turning in their noisy sleeping bag, going to the bathroom and coming back, needing to zip up the sleeping bag again. It is amazing how little noise is enough to wake you when you are not really sleeping. 

Six o'clock and people were ready to go. Some of them were really ready and out the door they went. Unfortunately, other were not so ready and lots of rumbling ensured. We are going a shorter distance this first day only 8 km to Orisson so we don't have to rush past the nice scenery up over the Pyrenees. We could sleep in but no luck, might as well get up when we are already awake.

The first day was as advertised. Up the steep hill immediately out of town. Eight kilometres in almost three hours. We could do better if not for the hill. It is good however to get the steepest climb out of the way early.

We were last to leave our albergue at the end of the town and thought that we were really late. Surely enough there are tons of people in front of and behind us. I don't think we will ever be walking by ourselves.

The rolling hills are spectacular but it is hard to enjoy it when your view is blocked by the hood of the raincoat. Can't wait till tomorrow and hope it doesn't rain.

Orisson is a nice place half way up the mountain. We arrived fairly early and watched people come and go with regularity, most of them going directly to Roncelvalles whereas we choose to do that in two days. Pilgrim meal is roasted chicken with generous portions of soup, wine and everything. I will take French chef any day. We had to have a brief introduction of ourselves and found ours happened to be a Canadian table.