Today St. Jean Pied de Port....tomorrow we start!

Hi Everyone!

Today we arrived by shuttle from Biarritz (beautiful French surf town) that Mariah drove us to from the Paris airport yesterday. She was a trooper on our 8 1/2 hour car ride!!

 Tomorrow is the big day day that the Grannies on Camino begin their Pilgrimage to Santiago. We begin our walk on a beautiful cobblestone street that takes us through the ancient gates of the city and out into the beautiful green hills and eventually the Pyranees Mountain Range. This will be one of the more strenuous days according to reports.....but ...we have had the "pilgrim blessing" in the cathedral tonight along with 30+ pilgrims from around the world. We are feeling blessed, confident and very thrilled about our journey! The blessing in the cathedral was a moving experience as 30 + pilgrims from around the world gathered on the steps of the alter. The priest put Mariah and I on the top step of the alter and started with Mariah asking each Pilgrim where they were from.... U.S.,Brazil, Korea,Mexico, Ireland, France, Spain, Australia, Holland,Canada to name the countries we can remember represented. Mariah and I were the only U.S. Citizens.

Earlier in the day we went to the Pilgrim Office and officially signed in and got our Pilgrims Passport and the 1st stamp in it from this charming village of St Jean Pied de Port! We also picked out our special scallop sea shell that you attach to yourbackpack  indicating you are a pilgrim... locals look out for the pilgrims and feel it an honor to assist them.... That's good news! As we left the Pilgrim Office we heard our 1st wish for good journey.... "Buen Camino!".... The official greeting used along Pilgrim Path. 

 

We are in the lobby taking advantage of strong WiFi signal . It is a quaint hotel w/ amazing views!...what I have described in this blog should be followed up with photos that depict today's events if all goes well on my pilot blog adventure... On a learning curve! 

Buen Camino!

Mary ( now an official pilgrim)