Getting to the Camino Starting Line (Toronto, London, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port)
Christina P. Kantzavelos
Toronto, Canada
We took a quick two-day detour in Toronto, Canada for my cousin's wedding, where I was able to take inventory of my backpack's contents for the next six weeks. Oh yeah, my cousin’s wedding was big/fat/Greek/simply awesome. I have the best family.
It may seem like a lot, but this only weighs 20 pounds
London, UK
Missed our flight from London to Biarritz, France. You know.. Traffic, getting bullseyed in security, lackadaisical Ryan Air staff. Anyway, it was a nuisance of a set back, but not the worst. Leaving on tomorrow’s flight instead, and made the most of it by taking some time to explore the adorably nearby quaint but chilly town of Bishops Storeford.
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port aka THE STARTING LINE!
We finally arrived in St. Jean! We were lucky to find a van transport service from the Biarritz airport to the pilgrim office (€18), which was great, plus we got a ton of information from the driver and met some fellow peregrinos (including my forever friend, Ana). Luckily, the pilgrim office is open until 10 PM, so we made it in time. Everyone there is really nice and informative. We were able to get out pilgrim’s passport for €2 and shells were by donation only. After that, we had dinner at a local restaurant with our new found fiends using the restaurant's pilgrim's menu (€10), which had GF options. The cuisine was great as was the company. We then settled in at our hotel, Ramuncho (€80 with breakfast). It was clean and comfortable, just what we needed. I should also mention that St. Jean is a gorgeous town, but it is too foggy and rainy to see anything. Ah, the pilgrimage begins tomorrow!