Day 7 July 13 2015 - St. Entienne De-Baigorry to St. Jean Pied de Port
This is our final day of the trip. Paved road finally gave way to the muddy path elegantly hugging the mountain ridge. Cows scattered around. Some lazily lying there, blocking the path. I always love to walk on the open ridge, totally exposed to elements, totally free, and with totally unobstructed views. We reached the highest point, Munhoa, a small plateau with breathtaking views of 360 degrees. The path continued on the ridge line. The church tower at St. Jean Pied de Port appeared on the horizon. The walk was winding, easy going and never without a view. Occasionally, we looked back and could spot a tiny moving dot on the path just walked. It’s maybe another walker, maybe a horse, who knows. But we had a feeling of content in this peaceful, open place. The sun came out, the sky turned picture blue. I took a picture of a lonely tree stubbornly erecting towards the sky on the long slanting ridge line. Now the downhill path became very gentle, cutting through farm lands, then tiny villages. We were approaching the famed pilgrim town.
St. Jean Pied de Port is a bustling town. With its ancient bridge, elegant archway, narrow cobble stone streets, and its magnificent citadel, one can easily sense the exuberance in the air. But at the same time, you can also feel the spirit of the pilgrims, which really differentiates it from other ancient towns. One can witnesses the display of a variety of characters, from middle aged man with tattered cloth and dusty backpack, to grown women in high end hiking outfits, to rowdy college kids holding ice cream cones. Among the mix were the devoted hearts, the curious eyes, and the lost souls. There was a crazy drunkard on the bridge garbling at onlookers, a Korean family of four with two young children clutching to their hiking poles and searching bewilderingly, and enthusiastic Japanese young couple asking everyone for directions (I know couple of words of Korean and Japanese). One may see a pile of backpack, hiking poles, and boots left unattended in front of an old wooden door by some careless hikers. Oh, is that so? Maybe it is actually a greeting to the tired pilgrims that they have just found a resting place behind that open door.
It is here that GR10 intersects with Way of St. James. It is from here pilgrims embark on their journey to Santiago de Compostela. In recent years, these ancient routes, are experiencing a modern day renaissance. Somehow, modern way of life drove some of us out of the skyscraper offices or the suburban homes in search of something that we may not be able to clearly define…