6 May - St Jean Pied de Porte to Val Carlos

6 May - Great first day on the Camino
Today we started our Camino journey in sunshine, matching our spirits.   We walked from St Jean Pied (the foot of the Pyrenees) in France to Val Carlos, Spain.  We recorded about 8 mies of hiking.  This was not a long day in distance, but a big shift from France to Spain.  We asked the desk clerk this morning as we  departed from France "Do they speak Spanish in Val Carlos?"   The answer was yes, they do speak Spanish.   We asked "Do they also speak French?   The answer was "Yes, but not nearly as well as we do in St Jean Pied here in France".   This was no surprise.
The day turned out to be a spectacular first day on the Camino.   Here are some Photos of our day.

























It's 8:30 am and we have left our large bags in the hotel lobby for Camino Ways to carry to our next hotel in Val Carlos.   So we are able to hike with very light day packs while Camino Ways does the heavy lifting.

Lisa, Judi and Chris are ready to roll.  It's a nice 45 degree morning and will warm up very soon.  We are departing our lodging at Central Hotel thru the market.

Chris gets her Pilgrim's passports stamped at the local Tourist Information Office

So we five begin our first day on the Camino

We look to the right and see the famous "Old Bridge" where we see our hotel and and lunch stop from yesterday.  We say a quick goodbye.

We depart on the famous cobblestones that start the Camino in St Jean Pied and stop for a quick photo at Port D'Espania (Spanish Gate) on the old wall of the city.

Chris, Lisa, Judi and Jon Lynn strike a "Camino pose" as we depart St Jean Pied.

We head West toward the Pyrenees

Sheep along the way.

We follow the Camino signs along the highway to Val Carlos. Jon Lynn stops at a poplar tree on a country road.

Crossing a bridge

Following a country road

thru beautiful scenery.

We take a quick water break

We are approaching the Pyrenees. 

The path is mostly asphalt.   We are thinking about lunch.

And we arrive at the village of Arnequy, a modern Oasis and a great lunch stop.

 

After lunch, we continue on, following the river.

We begin a climb uphill.  By 3:30 pm we reach the Spanish village of Val Carlos.

And our lodging for the evening, Hotel Etxezuria Valcarlos

Here we are at the end of Day 1 in Val Carlos, dark glasses and all!

We are escorted to our beautiful apartment by the owner, Salvador (like in Salvador Dali)

We freshen up for a walk into town

Beautiful countryside and vineyards on our walk into town

We stop for a view of the surrounding hillsides.  This was the encampment of Charlemagne and his soldiers as they departed Spain following the battle of Roland in the 9th Century.

Here is a mural depicting a pilgrim with the St James Cross on the same fields as Charlemagne's Army, depicting the important history of the region.

Here is a pilgrim with the St James cross and the scallop shell on his shoulder next to the image of early Valcarlos, the site of a witch burning in the early history of this town.  

We return to our lodging for a some local wine and cheese before dinner.   We shared a wonderful day together.  We also selected a Pilgrim Beautitude for this first the day on the Camino.   Blessed are you Pilgrim, if your knapsack is emptying of things and your heart does not know where to hang up so many feelings and emotions.   More tomorrow.   For now, Buen Camino!