The Tasty Pilgrim

The starting point of my Camino lies in the small town of St. Jean Pied de Port at the French foot of the Pyrenees mountains. From there I will walk to Santiago along the Camino Frances. Here is the only mountain pass that pilgrims could use to get to the cloister of Roncevalles on the Spanish side, where they would find food and shelter. Last time I took the train from Amsterdam to Bayonne and then the small mountain train to St Jean Pied de Port. More than ten hours in an overcrowded train is not very comfortable. This year I decided to book a flight to Biarritz. Much faster and more comfortable. For a few days it looked bleak, because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, causing a giant cloud of dust particles keeping aeroplanes on the ground for safety reasons. Fortunately the sky has been declared safe again, so by the time that I get to the airport on Thursday 29 April , air travel will have resumed to normal. I will be picked up by car and share the ride to St Jean with a few other pilgrims. Caroline is a very enterprising French young lady who runs Bourricot Express, picks up passengers from airports and runs a service to bring you backpack to your next destination along the Way. Sometimes pilgrims strain their ankle or have blisters that make walking painful, especially carrying a load on their backs. Creative idea to make a living this way, isn’t it ?  I am so fortunate that I booked a flight and decided against the train. In France the train personnel are on strike now and trains do not run on schedule any more. Moreover, flying is cheaper then taking the train, weird really !

Getting there, but THERE is not St. Jean really.

THERE is the tiny hamlet of Rabanal del Camino. At Rabanal del Camino the English Confraternity of St James owns a refugio, a refuge offering pilgrims a night to stay. It is run by volunteers. Second half of May I will serve there as a voluntario for two weeks with two others. Rabanal del Camino lies about half way the Camino Frances. The Confraternity owns the former Parish house next to the church. It has been renovated and it can accommodate forty pilgrims. It is my intention to walk the Way and write about the places where I stay commenting on the hospitality shown and the quality of food, playing Aimery as it were. Practice what you Preach is a sage proverb. During my two weeks serving pilgrims running the refugio in Rabanal del Camino, I will do my utmost to turn their stay into a remarkable experience. The house is called Gaucelmo and it even has a lovely rose garden. Staying the night at this refugio is not free, it is run on donativo, donations by pilgrims. In the month of February I was in London for a day’s training how to be a voluntario. It entails a lot of responsibilities from keeping the place spotlessly clean to sorting out the daily finances. It is like running a hotel with forty beds. No, the TV series Fauwlty Towers is not what I have in mind. Although I am sure that we will have some hilarious moments as well. Walking the Camino I will at least stay overnight in about thirty places. How to judge them ? I have created a simple yardstick to measure them. Hospitable, spotlessly clean, safe, atmosphere, kind voluntarios, very personal treatment, location, characteristic building, joyous, tastiest cuisine are the target words. These are the ten most important aspects for any refugio. It is my goal to establish Gaucelmo among the top ten places along the Camino. But it will never be the ultimate one. Although breakfast is offered, we do not serve dinner. Since cooking is one of my hobbies, I will entertain my two friends with a great lunch. After all I am famous among friends for my delicious shooting and fishing lunches. This way I will do justice to my title THE TASTY PILGRIM.

GETTING THERE also refers to Santiago, but pilgrims discover that the real meaning of the Camino is not getting there. The real meaning lies in following the Camino itself.