help - international phone prefix for the pilgrim's office in saint jean - a bit urgent...

[myslinky]

hey there,

i am flying to pamplona this morning arriving in 18:00.

i'm trying to figure out the weather on the route napoleon,
cause if it's too foggy to go there i am not sure i will go through the trouble of getting to SJ. maybe i'll just start at pamplona.
so i'm trying to call the pilgrim office in SJ - i have to number but apparently not the prefix :-(

would appreciate any info, and, also, any insights as to weather i should try for the route napoleon anyway, no matter the condition, and decide there, on the spot.
thank you so much !
yoav.

[HuskyNerd]

The pilgrim office's number is 05 59 37 05 09 and the prefix for France is 33. Buen camino!

[myslinky]

Thank you for your reply.
I have actually managed to et through to them in the meantime.
Were very kind but not very helpful. Today was snow they say, dint know about Friday or Saturday. What do you say? Should I risk it, or start from Pamplona?

[HuskyNerd]

I personally would choose to start at Roncesvalles if I were you. Knowing there's snow on Route Napoleon makes it a "no go." Just too cold, perilous, and the average pilgrims simply doesn't have the gear to make it safely. Starting at Roncesvalles gives you a wonderful experience unlike anything else on the Camino -- a great pilgrim experience at a monastery dedicated to pilgrim life and lots of history all around. The two days to Pamplona are very nice -- lots of forests (and, well, one huge factory), but definitely worth the walk. I'd definitely choose Roncesvalles.

[myslinky]

sounds like you have the right idea.

just got an email from the office inSJ, they say route napoleon is a definite no go.
so, i will take a deep breath, pass on valcarlos, and start at roncesvalles.

it's just that i have been planing SJ for such a long time - it's hard to change plans.
no prolem getting the certificate at roncesvalles, right?
any way, thank you so much for your swift reply- it made a difference to me :-)

[HuskyNerd]

Since you can't do Route Napoleon you have three great choices as your starting point:

1) St. Jean (to Roncevalles via Valcarlos)
2) Roncesvalles
3) Pamplona

They're all great choices with no particular drawbacks, except perhaps the cost of the van from Pamplona. I love SJPP and am intentionally starting there in May because it's the convergence of several of the French routes and its tradition in Camino literature (Coelho, Kerkeling, and many others). It's a delightful and scenic French Basque village that even French non-pilgrims visit for enjoyment.

Roncesvalles is seen by Spaniards as the traditional starting-point since it's the Camino town furthest east that's still in Spain. It's also a great town and starting there sacrifices only a visit to SJPP, a long climb, and potential great views (which aren't open to you given snow and which are often obscured anyway due to rain and fog). You can get your credentiale in Roncesvalles, no problem, at the monastery. There's a nice church service at 7:00 pm for pilgrims which is a great way to start a camino, and the albergue is memorable there, with its stone walls and giant chandelier (actually I choose one of the little hotels in Roncesvalles for a good night's sleep).

A start in Pamplona sacrifices both SJPP and Roncesvalles as well as three nice days in great Basque countryside, but it saves the cost of travel to two remote places that don't have bus or easily accessible (from Spain) train service.

They're all great choices and you can't go wrong. Best of all, you're practically on the Camino! Your adventure is about to begin!