Day 2 - getting there

And, yes, just in case you're wondering, I did do a lot of thinking about what it says that, at this stage of my life, I'd rather hang out in quiet with dead people than be surrounded by raging hormonal teenagers... guess it's a good thing I'm taking a break from pediatrics, right?
Anyway, on to today...
Paris to Bayonne

What started out as a mild, overcast day in Paris quickly morphed into a rainy, cold day the further south I went.
I had a major meltdown before ever getting out of the hotel and to the train station... believing I'd lost all my Euros - which lead to a complete unpacking and reorganization of the entire contents - once said Euros were found. (Come on, who doesn't put all their money in with their socks?)
Tears and prayers worked wonders to get my head back on straight- as did an odd combination of telling myself to both buck up and stop being so hard on myself - hey, I'll use whatever modality works to get me through this.
Forget blisters and pain, I've suspected for awhile now that head games might be the biggest obstacle of my journey!
As I hoisted my pack to head out, the phrase "Pick up your cross and follow me" came to mind very clearly.
Immediately, I knew the crosses I picked up this morning were my judgmental attitude, loneliness and my possessions!
Not that any of these things are bad, in and of themselves.
My ability to judge quickly and accurately was instrumental in the ER, assessing the dangers to a child and the same trait has helped me make life choices that I can live with, without regret. My loneliness and feeling outside of the mainstream has helped me recognize those who are marginalized, in many ways, to cherish connections and to keep reaching out; possessions have helped me create a home that feels warm and expresses who I am. The dark side, however, of all these traits weighed heavily this morning - and will continue to be companions as I travel toward Santiago. Maybe they don't need to be laid down as much as moderated - but, for now, I've picked them up as durected and they'll be in my thoughts as I walk the Way.
Bayonne to St Jean Pied de Port
In the course of two days, I've regressed through the annals of transportation history - from planes to trains to

bus and, finally, to foot!
The legendary Camino camaraderie began on the train to Bayonne - where backpacks, hiking poles and looking both tired and excited are dead giveaways of those on pilgrimage.
My seat mate on the train was a young Korean artist (Sculptor) traveling to walk the Camino "because she works all the time and needed a break". Hunj Yu spoke of her family back home and how they didn't understand why she needed to do this pilgrimage - which was alright with her since she can't explain it either - sounds familiar!
The train from Bayonne to St. Jean was cancelled due to a mudslide last week taking out the track, so we continued our journey by bus.
The mood was initially jovial and felt like a bus headed to Adult Summer camp.
Animated conversations in German, Spanish, French, Korean, Dutch and English echoed through the seats. Images of the Tower of Babel going mobile came to mind.
As the weather worsened and we headed deeper into valleys, surrounded by towering mountains, things got quieter.
My seat mate on the bus was a charming- and classically handsome - Spaniard with grey hair.
He spoke not a word of English and I realized that my Spanish pronounciation is not recognizable to anyone but the Rosetta Stone lady - and she clearly was being nice cause I was paying her!
Through a combination of charm(his) and international charades (both of us), I learned Paulo was hungry, tired, that he was anxious about walking but he's done it before and feels called to do it again and that he farted and he was sorry about that... in other words, about the same number of things I understand from many of the dates/conversations I've had with other guys in the past several years.
As we left the bus, he took my hands in his, and said something while, very intently, looking in my eyes... fantasies of living in Spain with the love of my life were interrupted by a person behind us, asking me if I understod what he'd just said. "He just said you have the light of Jesus in your eyes and he knows you're going to see the Saint in Santiago and finish your journey.
OK, so it was better than the dates I've had lately! (And, yes, there's that cross of loneliness traveling in tandem with me!)

Signs for the Camino are all around St Jean, a town that, even in the rain and cold, looks like its out of a fairy tale.

I registered at the Pilgrims office, got my first 'stamp' in my pilgrims passport and a scallop shell for my backpack - it's official.

I'm a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago!

The pass through the Pyrenees (the Napolean route) is closed due to danger/snows.

I'm due to spend another day in St Jean adjusting to the time changes and altitude, so I'll see what the weather brings on the 5th when I'm due to start out.

It sounds as if the reservation I have in Orission will be honored and it is possible to get there without danger. After the night there, I would be driven to Arneguy, on the Valcarlos route, to continue the pilgrimage on the safer side the next day.

Tomorrow will be a day to explore - and check into my first albergue.

Heading out to try to find some dinner. The cold pizza and warm water for breakfast and a smoothie for lunch might not tide me over until morning!

I'm well, excited and truly outside my comfort level every minute.

So far, so good!

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