Jour 11 - Saint Jean Pied-de-Port--the final sprint

I left early the next morning in a light rain after a restful stay.  I followed a couple of pilgrim walkers for  a short while but soon lost them.

 From time to time I spotted other walkers, but concentrated on the lovely green landscape around me.  I admired the Basque architecture--the whitewashed houses and their dark red, brown, dark green or black shutters and the stonework on the corners of the houses--the newer ones often having cinder-block instead of stone left unpainted, or painted around to resemble stone.

  One highlight was passing by this little historic pilgrim refuge, still in use for those needing shelter.

  I continued on through some wooded areas,

  but a large portion of the way was paved. I passed this little wayside cross, then through more scenic countryside and farmland before reaching a little "pause-café" where a number of us stopped for a coffee break and to use the dry toilets made available for us.

Briefly the weather cleared, but started raining again, and I stopped at the Hotel Mendy in Saint Jean Le Vieux for a lovely lunch.

And  then not long afterward, there is was-- Saint Jean Pied-de-Port!

  I dropped my pack off at the Pilgrim Office as it was still too early for my gîte to open, and had a look around the town. 

It was a touristy place and a bit much after spending days in the countryside.

Jour 10 - Larceveau

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” 

Psalm 91:11

Never a dull moment. Yesterday evening after arriving in Saint-Palais and dropping off my backpack at my gite I walked into the town for a beer. After checking out several possible eating arrangements I ran into an automat pizza machine. I was chuckling over it when a French couple came up and joined me. I couldn't resist and decided to try it out. I selected my pizza ("basque" since I was in the Basque country), put in my money, and 3 minutes later it popped out of the slot, piping hot and in a box! The amazing thing was that it wasn't half bad!

And out it comes!

If that weren't enough, this morning when I showed up for breakfast there was a group of people eating with me who do historical reenactments. They were there for the weekend of Jours du Patrimoine reenacting some Napoleanic battle!

 

The rest of my day was normal enough.  I had  a lovely walk without rain. It was mostly overcast, windy, and some serious mud in the wooded areas and those without drainage. The steep stoney climb to the Chapelle de Soyartz was awarded amply with a fantastic panoramic view.

the steep climb

Chapelle de Soyartz

Preceding that had been a recently installed sculpture entitled "le reflet de ciel" by Christian Lapie (2013), which was quite dramatic. Along the way was also the hamlet of Harambeltz with it's 1000 year-old chapel. I passed through Ostabat, a village with deep roots into pilgrimage history, once boasting a pilgrim population of some 5000 each night.

"le reflet de ciel" by Christian Lapie

Before had been the Stèle de Gibraltar where 3 of the French routes to Santiago come together. 

 

the chapel at Harambeltz

 

a muddy path into Ostabat

lunch at Ostabat--I ate with a guy from Lyon

And then finally Larceveau where I would spend the night at the Hotel Espellet, which would save me a few extra kilometers the next day.

dinner at the Hotel Espellet

Jour 9 : Saint Palais

“And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.”   Judges 18:6

Well it started out well--a lovely coolish morning. I was planning two shortcuts, and then a walk on an unmarked path to St. Palais that I had printed instructions for.  Unfortunately, I got lost on my second raccourci to St. Palais, never did find the unmarked trail that goes there, but did make it! 

 

The first shortcut went fine

 

as seen through the keyhole!

After this sign there was not a single trail marker

I'll try and figure out what I did wrong tonight, but I think I missed a turn and went too far north. It only started raining 4 km out of St. Palais, but now I know why it is so GREEN around here. I am running into lots of pilgrims from the Vezelay route trying to figure out how to get to Ostabat.

entering St. Palais

Saint Mary Magdalene Church

The local public library.  I seem to spot these pretty readily.

I am staying at a former monastery, "Les Franciscains." 

Saint-Palais, or Donapalu in Basque, in situated in the heart of what was once the Realm of Navarre, and has been its capital since 1521. It is named after Saint Pelagius of Cordoba [Spain], martyred for his Christian faith in the 10th century by refusing to convert to Islam and/or for rejecting the advances of a Moorish caliph to whom he had been held captive.  He was later canonized.

The town is on the Vezelay and Paris/Tours pilgrimage routes to St. Jacques de Compostelle, and just a few kilometers from the Le Puy Route which is why I was taking the unmarked route to join it.