Pilgrim Passports and Scallop Shells

Our night of loud snoring and brightly lit bathroom stops finally came to an end at 5:45 a.m.  When the bus rolled into Bayonne, we found Nolan asleep on the floor under the seats. The rest of us had spent the night contorting our bodies into various odd shapes in an effort to get any kind of rest that we could.  Fortunately our arrival coincided with the opening of the local boulangerie, and we restored our energy with pains au chocolat.

Our next bus ride took us to St. John Pied de Port, the starting point for our walk. As the bus wound its way through the hilly countryside on narrow roads,  three of us admired the beauty of the Basque region and its mountains and quaint red and white houses. Nolan spent his ride staring into a plastic bag - getting progressively more car sick with every curve in the road.  When we finally arrived at our destination, we were excited to find exactly what we had anticipated  - an ancient walled city, gorgeous scenery, and lots of friendly residents wishing us a "Buen Camino!"  Two years ago, we watched "The Way" on a family movie night and were inspired to do this pilgrimage.  It's hard to believe that the dream is becoming reality. 

We entered the city through the ancient stone wall and climbed the steep cobblestone street to the Pilgrims' Office where we were greeted by hospitable hosts who registered us as pilgrims and gave us Pilgrim Passports and tickets for beds for the night in the pilgrim hostel.  

Our pilgrim status means that we are entitled to stay in pilgrim hostels along the way for the next 500 miles.  Sadly, it doesn't guarantee a bed in this busy season (particularly since someone ditched her sleeping pad in Paris), but it is a passport to sleep sheltered somewhere every night - seems like the least I could guarantee my kids for  putting up with this wacky idea for their summer vacation.

With Pilgrim status now official, we set out to get ready for the actual walk ahead.  We began by choosing scallop shells to hang from our packs, symbolizing The Way of St. James.

We then toured the town and found a grocery store to stock up on snacks for tomorrow's hike through the Pyrenees into Spain.  

Exhausted from all of our travel and anxious to get this show on the road, we were in bed by 8:00 with plans to be up before sunrise to begin paving our own way. The adventure begins!