St. Jean Pied de Port, France (Camino de Santiago)

We packed and headed to the train station for an 8:30am train departure to St. Jean but the trestle bridge over a river collapsed a few days prior to our arrival so buses were arranged…another transportation blip. Arriving in the small village we found the pilgrims office and got our pilgrims passports and a shell for our packs to identify us as pilgrims. St. Jean is a lovely cobblestone street in a rather idyllic setting, a perfect start for the walk. The four of were also referred to a hostel just out of town which sat alone on a grass covered hill with spectacular views over the French farmland. We shared dinner with two Italians and two Germans who also were ready to begin the journey. It was a lovely dinner with lots of wine as we watched the French presidential elections and the defeat of Sarkozy. Our dinner companions opinion was that the French government had protected and catered to the upper class, that they were doing just fine in these economic times but the poor and middle class population had suffered so the people elected the Socialist candidate. The French people were just fed up. Journal:I feel as though I am starting to pull inward in self introspection. I had a strange mental image of me standing next myself with a puzzled look as I try to figure out who this person is and what is this life he has lived.”