Our Walk Along the Via Podiensis (GR 65)

Crossing the Pyrenees on the Camino  Via Podiensis and Camino Frances Pilgrimage Today was again about perspective – we embarked on a familiar path, yet everything looked different. Armed with the knowledge that the walk to Orisson only takes about 3 hours, we slept in and had a late breakfast. We shared the meal with a couple from New Zealand who were very excited to begin their Camino, but who were going by way of Valcarlos. Perhaps we will see them again in Roncesvalles. As we did on another pilgrimage along the Camino Frances we walked St. Jean Pied de Port  through the city walls, down the street, and out the other end to begin the climb up the Pyrenees Mountains around 8 AM. The town was relatively empty, most of the pilgrims having already set out on their new adventures.   When we set out onto the Camino Frances was in bright sunny weather, which was a stark contrast to last fall, when we set off in darkness. The climb out of town was familiar, but...

Joining the Camino Frances Via Podiensis GR65 Pilgrimage Well, today on the Via Podiesis we connected the dots by arriving back at the place where we began the Camino Frances a year ago, and where we first heard of the beauty of the Le Puy Way. As always, coming to the end of an adventure was bittersweet, although we still had two days left. We shared a breakfast in our gite with the many many flies and our fellow hikers, and then headed out into the countryside for the final run into Saint Jean Pied de Port. As we left Ostabat there was a beautiful pink sunrise, although the day was generally overcast. Basque Countryside We left the road and walked along a forested track for a bit. The countryside looked magical cloaked in mist, with the white and red Basque houses, and the flocks of grazing sheep. The sound of bells on grazing animals in the mist, whether they are on sheep, horses, or cows, is something I will always associate with the Pyrenees. Although there wer...