Pre dinner drinks

One of the joys of travelling is - of course - the people you meet. And travelling solo means that you get to spend a lot of time people watching (and secretly analysing).

At the B&B I am staying at there are two American couples who are travelling together. Every evening, before going out to dinner, they set up their little 'bar' and have their pre dinner drinks. Very civilized, I must say. They are well prepared; a bottle of Gordon's Gin, a bottle of Johnny Walker, a bottle of J&B whisky (all bought duty free on the flight over from the States), and to add some local flavour a bottle of red wine. All before a dinner with which they will no doubt have more local wine. And why not?

Jean-François, the owner of the B&B is amazed at how much the two couples are drinking each day, as am I. The house dog and cat have seen it all before and take it in their stride.

Day -1: Bike set up,tested and packed

Rain on and off the whole day. By remarkable coincidence, each time I went for a ride to test the bike or to buy some bits and pieces, it rained. At least that means I got to test the wet weather gear I suppose!

The bike is now set up with seat and handlebars adjusted. I spent a ridiculous amount of time (some might justifiably say that I wasted the time) to get the bike speedometer (which I had brought with me and foolishly expected to work since it was brand new) working, including finding a shop that sold the special battery it turned out I didn't need. Of course some of that time was spent waiting for the shops to open after lunch at 14:30. Being close to Spain here clearly means working on Spanish time.

At least it gave me a little time to explore the town and get used to my new bike, which was a little bonus

The easiest bit actually turned out to be packing the panniers which easily swallowed all my stuff. It helped that I had done a test pack before leaving home of course.

Rain!

This morning when I woke up I noticed that the sounds of the river were somehow different. Then I realised what it was - heavy rain! Then came the thunder just to confirm it. It may well be an interesting start to the Camino tomorrow...

Day -2: Tours to St. Jean Pied de Port

It's taken me two trains and a bus to get to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, the starting point of my bicycle journey. The double-deck TGV is a novelty; the upper deck in First Class is an island of serenity, giving me a bit of quiet time to reflect on the journey I am about to embark on. Oddly, First Class is essentially the same price as Second Class and while I've never really understood why that is, I've never let that stop me going First Class!

A bit of luxury before setting off on the Camino de Santiago by bike, why not? From here on it's going to be days spent riding a bicycle, and nights spent in dormitories. Well, once I have set off that is; I've treated myself to two nights of luxury in a nice B&B at the start, while I prepare myself and the bike for the trip.

The waiting room in the station at Bordeaux is an impressively wood-panelled space with an enormous fireplace with a carved wooden mantelpiece. The parquetry floor is in very good condition considering how many feet must have walked on it over the decades. The ceiling must be 15m high. Am I the only person who notices all this? Everyone else seems to be going about their business without so much as a glance at their surroundings.

A couple of hours later and I have arrived in Bayonne. At the station people with backpacks are everywhere. Looks like there's a wide variety of countries, ages, and languages. I may not be the only one here for the Camino after all.

The train I've booked to take me to St. Jean Pied de Port turns out to be a bus. The driver looks at the shopping bags I am carrying and asks - in a sing-song southern French accent - whether I am sure I want to go to St. Jean? When he opens the baggage hold to reveal nothing but backpacks I understand the implied comment: "You're going on the Camino with those bags? "

On the drive to St. Jean I look at the mountains in the distance. I'm going to have to ride over them soon and suddenly they appear very high and it's a bit daunting. Actually, it's very daunting.

The bus arrives in St. Jean, frustratingly driving almost past my B&B on the way to the railway station, where we are dropped off (we are, after all, a "train"). So I get to walk 1 1/2 km carrying my shopping bags while the backpackers I am walking alongside must be wondering what I am going to do with those bags on the trip.

My home for the next two days is a charming old place right on the river, the sounds of which I will go to sleep with.

Maison Donamaria, my home for the next two days

My shopping bags somehow look out of place amongst all those backpacks!

Practicing in France

What to do when you're riding around the countryside in France but to take a picture of yourself? I couldn't resist when I saw the road sign.

My rear view mirror is now on the "correct" side for the first time (I'd been using it upside-down on the other side in Australia).

All packed and ready to go

Everyone says 'less is more' when backpacking or cycling. Ten percent of your body weight is the goal if you're carrying it on your back they say. That would mean less than 7kg in my case! Luckily I have a bike to carry the weight and 'all' I have to do is pedal. Actually, apart from what I'm wearing all this weighs just over 10kg, so that's not too bad.

We'll see how much I come back with.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step

Well, not quite a thousand miles - 'only' 800 km, and not quite a 'step' since I'll be travelling by bicycle. But you get the idea. Four and half years since the last post; about time I actually embarked on a journey!