Paris...Here's Lisa

Monday, May 14, 2012

11:59 AM France, 3:04:31 AM Arizona

Saturday and Sunday were filled to the brim with walking and subway riding around Paris.  It really started Friday afternoon when Lisa showed up about an hour after I did.  As soon as I reached the hotel it was time to get into the shower.   The last one was at Kevin’s house prior to leaving on Wednesday.  We settled into the room then headed out to find Lisa’s friends Tina and Camille.  Our first experience on riding the Metro was a hoot because we ended up going the wrong way having to get off and backtrack.  We made few mistakes after that and soon became pros at getting around on the Paris underground.  We may have thought once about using the bus system but it was just a thought.  We found Lisa’s friends hotel but, her friends had already headed to a café not far from the hotel.  We found them basking in the sun Tina with wine, and Camille with Corona in hand.  These would soon be their signature beverages as we transferred from Café to Café.

From there on it was sigh seeing, wine, Corona, eating, sharing, and laughing for the next two days.  Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Left bank, Latin Quarter, Moulin Rouge, gardens, wine, food, beer, and lots of walking, talking, and laughing.  We found out of the way cafés for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or just sitting and enjoying a wine and/or beer.  Did I mention wine and beer, lots of wine and beer?  I think we may have caused a shortage of wine and beer in the city of Paris.   Well probably not.  There is not much we did not see in the few days we were there.  Time to leave came too quickly when the alarm rang this morning at 6 AM.   We had packed last night so it was up, load the bike and off to the train station.  Lisa took the Metro while I road my bike.  Luckily I had scooped out the station the first day so finding the miniature elevator needed to get to the track level was a piece of cake.   Lisa arrived at the photo booth, our predetermined meeting place, shortly after me.  We knew the photo booth since I had used it on the first day so I could get my Sr. rail pass.

Both of us have Scallop shells on our backpacks, the symbol of the Camino, which began to draw others headed in that direction; lots of others.  As we looked around the station, we began to spot pilgrim after pilgrim looking at the train schedule board waiting for it to tell them the platform number for the train, which will take them on their adventure.  Bikes in boxes began to show up which mean I would not be the only one traveling on the train with a bike.  I begin to worry that there will not be enough room for my bike even though I have a reservation, two in fact.  In order for Lisa and me to ride in the same car I had to purchase two bike reservations.  We boarded the longest train I have yet to ride in my travels and of course noting was marked to indicate where the bike car was.  So I just climbed on board and off we went.  About an hour into the ride, the conductor informed me I was in the wrong car.  I acted very surprised and upset.  “OH NO!”   The very nice conductor told me it was no problem just change at the first stop three hours later.  This is an express train with only two stops.  In Bordeaux Lisa and I change to the correct car and our reserved seats.  We are now off to Bayonne where we will change to a local train that will take us to St Jean Pied de Port.

At Bayonne we wait for our train to arrive by having a beer but, first I run across the street to an ATM machine for some money.  For some reason upon my return to the station, I check out the platform and see a two-car train sitting there.  In addition, I have spotted several of the bike box people putting their bikes together at the other end of the platform.  There are no reservations on this train so it is first come, first serve. “Is this the train to St. Jean?” I ask. The train attendant answers in the affirmative so I rush to get my bike on board since both cars are still empty.  Then run inside gulp down my beer, get Lisa and we have our pick of seats.    While waiting for the train to leave we meet Natasha who decided to travel the Camino three weeks ago after seeing “The Way.”  The fellows with the bikes pile in and the train begins to fill up.  We leave the station and enjoy a slow ride through some beautiful countryside following a river for most of the way.  We arrive at St Jean, around 4 PM, which turns out to be quite the busy place.  After reaching the town, it is time to look for the Camino office to get our “Credencial del Peregrino” and first stamp.  Volunteers, who are previous Peregrine’s that come to St. Jean to help new Peregrines get rooms and directions, run the office.

At our request, they direct Lisa to a Refugio and me to a campground.  We agree that after checking in we will meet for dinner and look for a grocery store to do some food shopping for our travels tomorrow.  The place we eat at is Chez Edouard, which, we quickly learn, has a real jamoka for an owner.  He chases off some people who just want to sit and have a drink.  “No manga no sit!” he yells.  The people who run this café are the most unfriendly we have seen in any place we have eaten.  We make our plans for tomorrow deciding which route we will take and what time we will meet.  Lisa will make me an egg sandwich for breakfast since I have no propane to cook with which I have forgotten to pick up in Salisbury.  I return to the campground and again for the second time go through my panniers in order to distribute the weight.  Now I find that I have no patch kit for my bike, and no wool cap for sleeping.  The sun is still up at 10 PM so I use the wool cap to block out the light.  I cannot believe the stuff I’ve left at home and was still over weight at the airport.  My friend Gary, who walked the Camino several years ago, told me that when traveling the Camino things you will needl show up, and things you do not need will go away.  Well things went away before I even got here.

Tomorrow we will begin the trek up the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles via the road less traveled.   We have decided to take two days rather than one to achieve this hopefully find Lisa’s bike waiting for us.  Lisa has rented a bike from a company in Portugal who has promised to have the bike waiting at La Posada, a hotel, in Roncesvalles.  Lisa will walk the next two days, which has us both worried about how her foot will handle this, while I will be pushing my bike until we get hers.  Once we have retrieved her bike it will be off through Spain to Santiago de Compostela.  Our first stop will be Valcarlos near the Spanish, French boarder.

Buen Camino!