The Way, My Way - St-Jean-de-Pied-de-Port (21 October 2024)

 

A local door knocker.  Loved it.

I had seen a film called The Way, My Way a month or so before coming to Europe.  The film is based on a memoir by an older film maker who completed the Camino de Santiago.  He commenced his journey in St-Jean-de-Pied-de-Port which is a small town close to the border with Spain and nestled in the foothills of the Atlantic Pyrenees. 

 

The early morning cloud melted away as we took the “eco” route to St-Jean-de-Pied-de-Port.  This meant  going on country roads barely wide enough to accommodate a ute let alone have two largish vehicles pass each other.  It took us about an hour and a quarter or so to cover around 60 kilometres. 

Le marché

 I had learnt that there was a market on Monday the day we visited the town.  It was in full swing when we got there with most of the decent vegetables having been snapped up by the locals.  I was looking for some veal at the boucher as I wanted to cook a local dish called Axoa de Veau but there was none.  The dish features the local chilli pepper Piment d’Esplette.  However, I was able to get a jar of the stew to take back to the apartment for heating plus a few vegetables.  We could have got more brebis cheese but I think we already had enough.  I tasted some of it and it was great. 

The river looks wider than it is

 

By the time we had finished our shopping it was time for a coffee. After that we explored a little bit of the town trying to figure out the route the pilgrims take.  There were several “Ports” which they could go through.  A little more exploring revealed the street that the pilgrims/hikers take.  It is very cute and lined with a number of accommodation options.  There are also a couple shops selling equipment for the pilgrims that they may need. 

Trampers requisites

 

Lunch beckoned and we found a nice little place where we had one of the better meals we have had on the trip.  It was simple and my trout was cooked to perfection. 

 

No medieval town is complete without a chateau or fortress dominating part of the skyline.  We wandered up the cobbled path to a viewpoint below the chateau  which provided a panoramic view of the Pyrenees including the pass which the Camino walkers have to climb over. 

Camino walkers

 

I had remarked that I had not seen any Camino walkers but by the time we left the town there were a number wandering around it with their packs on their backs presumably looking for accommodation or to add last minute things to it. 

Looking down the street in the direction of the Camino

The street with much of the accommodation

 

I decided I had had enough of dodging fast moving vans on the narrow “eco” roads and opted to follow the main road back to Bayonne.  For about three quarters of the journey it was a good decision.  We even found an artisanal boulanger where we got a baguette on which to have the wonderful pâté which I had bought at the market.  

 

If Bev was doing the walk she would leave through this Porte

Entry to the old part of town