This is an entry I'm making days later. In the Pyrennes the WIFI connections weren't strong enough to let me post, which is why I'm doing this now.
Exhausting travel to get here. 3 flights, 3 buses, 25 hours of travel. Upon arrival it took me an hour and a half to find my lodging. I read the directions as 33 feet from the rail station, but ' must mean meters. Anyway, no one in town had heard of it. When I finally found it no one was home and I was locked out. Off to the pilgrim office with my pack that weighed a ton. The man there was so helpful. All worked out in the end and I had a good night's sleep without dinner. I left my anti bed bug sheet there. Too bulky and I wanted to lighten the load.
The next morning I eagerly started up over the Pyrennes into Spain. Stunning views of the mountains. Most of the hike was above the cloud cover. It was a difficult but spectacular hike. I met so many people, and we were all so happy to be there. Most of us succeeded on pure adrenaline since most of us were jet lagged. Arriving in Roncesvalle was like I imagine finishing a marathon. Luckily, the hostel there was clean, modern and very well run.
Although that first day's hike is considered the most difficult of the Camino, the 2nd day was brutal. The jet lag and muscle exhaustion from the previous day caught up with me. The 1st half mile was so hard and I thought I was going to be sick. That, of course, passed and I went on to complete a long hike.
The photo has nothing to do with St. Jean. It's of a fountain at my hostel on Azofra. This app cannot access my photo library and won't post without a photo. I think I mentioned that before.