What
do you know, a national train strike to spice up my Camino experience! When I
arrived at the Bayonne train station (Gare de Bayonne) at 9:30 am, there was a
tiny crowd of people gathering next to a posted schedule with 3 train staff at
hand to talk to people (one at a time). The sale office was closed and I was
clueless as to what was going on. I wanted to buy a ticket for the 11:07 am
departure to St. Jean Pied de Port and needed help. I tried to buy the ticket from
the machine but it prompted me to ask a staff for help. So, I got the attention
of a staff who could speak some English and she informed me about the strike.
She said that there would be no trains operating to St. Jean Pied de Port BUT a
bus is operating that route and that I could buy a ticket for the 11:07 am
departure. Phew! She asked if I had a credit card and I replied affirmatively
only to discover that my card wouldn’t work on the machine because it doesn’t
have a chip on it. She asked if I had exact change for 9,80€ (or 10€) but I
didn’t. So, she very kindly called out to the crowd if anyone was going to St.
Jean Pied de Port too and could buy a ticket for me with their credit card and
I would pay them back. A man walked up to the machine and said that he could help –
he was planning to buy 2 tickets originally but could purchase 3 instead. Nick, from Canada, was the kind man who helped me out. The staff proceeded to guide him through the purchase on the machine and I paid Nick in cash
later. I’m just so amazed at the help I’ve received on the way. I’m really
thankful to God for being there for me.
Above: Nick and Amanda
I
learned that the national train strike started on Wednesday, the day I took the
TGV train from Paris to Bayonne. Thankfully, the route between Paris and
Bayonne was not part of the strike deal and so it was not affected. It all made
sense now to me as I had seen people standing near the doors and in between
cars on the train ride to Bayonne and I’d wondered why they didn’t have an
assigned seat. I realized now that they’d hopped onto the train to try to get as
close as they could to their destinations since the other trains were not in service.
Truth be told, I
missed Eugenie while waiting at the train station and on the ride to St.
Jean Pied de Port. It's funny how quickly I could have developed a bond with her. I’m really grateful for her generosity and lively spirit. She lit a
candle for me at the Cathedral and prayed for my pilgrimage. She also asked me
to visit her the next time I’m in France. It’s so heart-warming to run into
kind people like her.
As
St. Jean Pied de Port is where I will start the walk, I feel some apprehension
now that I’m finally here. At the same time, I'm grateful to have arrived. While
walking around the medieval town, I chanced upon the Notre Dame du Bout du Pont
church. It is the French Basque country’s second-largest Gothic building after
the Bayonne Cathedral. I loved the silence inside the church and paused to
thank God for bringing me here safely to start the walk. It helps to keep my
eyes focused on the prize and not get too bogged down by the noise around me.
Above left: St. Jean Pied de Port train station
Above: Historic Rue de la Citadelle
Above right: The gate of Notre-Dame (tall vertical tower) separates the Rue de la Citadelle from the bridge crossing the river Nive to Rue d'Espagne
Above left: The pink sandstone facade of the church of Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont
Above right: The gate of Notre-Dame has statues of St. John the Baptist and the Virgin and Child to protect the travelers below
With
that, I will sign off for today. Bonne journée and God bless!
Previous post: Bayonne (June 12, 2014)
Next post: Day 1 - St. Jean Pied de Port to Valcarlos (June 14, 2014)
Previous post: Bayonne (June 12, 2014)
Next post: Day 1 - St. Jean Pied de Port to Valcarlos (June 14, 2014)
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