Charlie: I meant to say this before but didn’t and it relates to the next post.
We took the bus from Pamplona to Roncesvalles in an hour and then took three days to walk back to Pamplona. This seems like a strange thing to do and makes you think about why you are walking the Camino at all.
Actually it is kind of hard to say really. It’s just something you want to do and you want to walk the whole way even if you have to do things like this.
We didn’t however start in St. Jean France. Roncesvalles seemed okay and a logical place to start but Burquette just 3 km farther along would not seem right.
All this is hard to explain.
Yes, St. Jean Pied de Port is the traditional starting point, but the hike over the Pyrennes is tough. Roncesvalles is famous from the Chancon de Roland, and so feels like a natural starting point. But the real starting points are places in France, like Vezeley in Burgundy or Arles in Provence. These trails converge at Puenta de la Reina — a very special place. Of course, almost nobody does the walk starting at one of the classic starting points in France — that would double the length of the trip!
Henry Shapiro
PS When we did the Camino by car, we also stayed in a 4 star hotel in Estella — Moira likes her creature comforts. Can’t say I blame her.