This is where I slept for the first time on the Camino Frances. Orisson is only about 8km to 10km from St Jean, but on my first day it felt a lot longer.
Problem 1. I was quite unfit and a bit over-weight
Problem 2. I did not sleep well the night before, as I had traveled on the train overnight from Paris.
Problem 3. My rucksack weighted 14kg – crazy man…
Problem 3 is what causes the most problems for pilgrims on the Camino. It is difficult to pack lightly, but that will be another full post at a later date.
It had been a long time since I had slept in a room with anyone else, never mind someone that I did not know. I found on that first night I had no problems sleeping, I was so physically tired that I dropped off quickly. However that brings to mind the times the ear plugs are required, and I have just made a note of that for another full post.
Orisson is a great place to stay for the night. It now costs €30 for the night – this is their website. The price includes a great evening meal and breakfast. The night I stayed there, there was about six different nationalities around the table, with many different languages been spoken – I only speak English to my dismay sometimes. But most people speak some English – way better than my French, German, Czech, or Spanish for that matter.
I woke the next morning at about 6am – disgusted by the noise people were making getting ready to start walking. This was the norm on the Camino and my disgust lessened as time wore on.
I took my morning coffee out onto the terrace that you can see on the right of the photo. There was no noise, it was sunny, and I looked down on wispy clouds in the valleys below, if there was a God he had been here. It is the way to do morning.
I walked. And Walked. Up hill. Then Down.
Ah, the Camino is hard on the body in the beginning.
But it gets better.
Related posts:
- Orisson to Roncesvalles – Day 2 on the Camino
- St Jean Pied de Port to Orisson
- St Jean Pied de Port
- Camino Newsletter
