Jul. 5 (Sat.) 33 km From Pau to Oloron
8 AM. Lively voice can be heard through the window. Morning market is already open in front of our hotel. I didn't notice yesterday that
the building next to our hotel is also a market. Shops of every kind pleased me, a traveler even if I have nothing special to buy. Bought two pieces of bread. I feel at ease if I have at least two pieces of
bread in my backpack.
Take a train bound for Irun from Lourdes at 9:15 AM, get off at Pau. Took 40 minutes, 35 FF. Bought a local map at PAU Station (12 FF).
From Lourdes To Oloron,Saint-jean-pied-de-port
Take a rest for a while on the bench in the station, as it rains. Go ahead!
Which way should I follow to go to Oloron? This is a very important thing. I decided to ask girls of this place. "That way. Go strait." They said to me
"Good luck！” when we separate. I should proceed in this rain. I asked again the
way to an old man with a dog. He also said "Go strait..." I found a road sign "OLORON 33" Very far ... but I must walk ...・
First 5 km was no problem. But after that I feel heavy weight onto my shoulders. 33 km ... very far ... OK, let's think of the coming 5 km only, and repeat
this six times.
I entered the town of GAN. Bought two pieces of bread and coke (16 FF) at a bakery shop at the entrance of the town. I witnessed a police car arranging the
traffic.
What's this? ... A loud voice from the square of the town, a lot of people ...
I saw several ten bicycles coming towards here in
acceleration when I was eating bread in a small park. Cycling tournament. There are no special problem
until now. Drinkin coke, I thoght I was fine.
After
10 km, I saw a long long upgoing slope.
THe rain sometimes stops, and rains again.
Not a
nice weather. I began singing favorite songs such as Song of Do-Re-Mi, Diary of Karatachi. The backpack cuts into my shoulders when I pass on this upgoing road. Painful and trying. But such a
thing was evident from the beginning. Wasn't it that I came here to experience this test? Not for pleasure.
3:30 PM. I found a sign PAU 19 km, OLORON 13 km . How happy! No more words than this.
I
walked 19 km. I always use a car in Japan, walk seldom, harldy climb mountains, nor going on a hiking. I am far from playing golf for these three years.
But I couldn't be too happy for 19 km, as I am going to walk through 900 km ...
It was like the hell from now. There are no sidewalk. Deep grass
near the road. Cars pass away one after another on this road. Dangerous. Indeed at the risk of my life.
I was
forced to enter that deep grass wet by the rain every time a car passes. My shoes and socks got wet.
Cars go
by, blinking headlights and sounding its horn loudly, maybe as they think I am dangrous.
Please imagine an expressway without a sidewalk. This continued as1long as 10 km.
It
rains. I'm afraid of the cars. I hope a sidewalk set up. I cannot walk as fast as I want to. Time passes while I cannot make my way ahead.
I take a rest more and more often. I feel pain when I shoulder my backpack again after rest. Dizzy and thirsty.
There aren't even one shop in these 10 km.
Suddenly I heard a sound of horn from the back. The driver sais something. "Get on my car, as I'm going to Oloron. There remains at least 4 km." I, however,
explained him politely that I couldn't accept it.
How
many times I thought of myself traveling on that car...
I found a policeman and asked him. "Pretty soon" he asnwered. The town of Oloron got into my eyes! It still rains. Brabo! Survived! 7 PM. How long did I walk today.
But I
must search for a hotel from now. Really dizzy ... any place is OK if it is a hotel. I asked at information desk. They introduced me a hotel (De la paix) in front of the station which charges 150
FF.
I found the owner was a kind-hearted lady after walking there difficultly.
This lady does not speak English but she speakes Spanish. So we spoke Spanish. I received the room key and entered the room. I felt relieved when I saw red bed cover.
Very
grateful. Be able to have a rest. I really felt this happiness. I cannot walk even one step any more.
I
entered into the bed. Warm, glad, happy. One bed and a bit of food are enough for me. 8 PM. Went to buy something to eat, though I was not very willing to walk. But all the shops are closed as it
is a Saturday evening. Few people on the street.
Returned to the station again and entered a cafe near the crossroads. Coffee (5 FF).
Madame here also speaks Spanish. Maybe because this is a border town to Spain. I ordered ham sandwich and cheese sandwich and a big bottle of Pepsi (33 FF). I
brought back to my hotel, but I fell into sleep before eating them.
47693
steps (33.4 km) today
Jul. 6 (Sun.) Oloron
8 AM The alarm clock rang. Blue sky can be seen over the window. Yesterday was a test walk before beginning pilgrimage in Spain. However, I shall not walk too much before beginning pilgrimage. The pilgrimage starts from Saint-jean-pied-de-port, a French city at the foot of the Pyrenees.
This hotel is comfortable. The town is quiet and plenty of green. 10 AM go to church to have pilgrimage stamp. This is also a big problem.
Yesterday also, there was nobay in the church in GAN. The Father may reside in another house. Collecting pilgrimage stamps as well as walking on pilgrimage itself was
my purpose, but it turned out that I might fairly a lot of time to do so.
I went to the Notre Dam Church in the center of the town, but no one was present. I asked a man cleaning the church, he pointed
another church on the top of hill saying that Father lives there.
The way to the top of hill is not easy to walk. Hearing there will be mass at 11 AM, I waited for half an hour or so. I listened to mass wishing a safe
journey.
After that, I asked Father to stamp. Also asked for his signature and to write some words. After that I went to the city but I have completely forgotten. Today is Sunday. All the banks and shops are closed. I can't change money. Now I have no more than 400 FF. Only 100 FF remains because I should pay 300 FF for hotel. Tomorrow morning I need 35 FF to go to Pau by train. Today's dinner would also become bread only.
Change money tomorrow in Pau. There was a world map for pilgrims in the Santa Maria Church on the street.
Visitors press a pin on the map. Only Thailand is pressed as for Asia. So I pressed a red pin onto KYOTO, at the center of
Japan.
I have throatache and cough. Maybe I caught cold. Took a medicine. The amount in my hands now is only 50 FF, I would be the same as a penniless if I cannot change money. All the stores are closed. I am always worried about meals. Returned to hotel after having bought cakes (6FF) at an autovendor in the railway station in front of it.
11977 steps (8.4 km) today.
Jul. 7 (Mon.) From Oloron to Saint-jean-pied-de-port
Got up at 7 AM. Breakfast in the hotel (28FF). French bread and cafe au lait. Coffee in France is dense.
8:23 AM get on a train bound for Pau. My feeling is not very light.
Because I should return to Pau by train in fifty minutes along the way I walked yesterday with such difficulty the day before yesterday.
Though I am not willing to go back to Pau, there is no other options as there is no route from this town to Saint-jean-pied-de-port. Now I have 20 FF only. Now I feel low, but I believe I can change money at the town of Pau.
According to the timetable, Departure from Oloron at 8:23 AM, arrival at Pau at 9:10 AM. Transfer at Pau. Departure from Pau at 9:47 AM, arrive at Bayonne at 10:56 AM.
Departure from Bayonne at 11:19 AM, Arrival at Saint-jean-pied-de-port at 12:20. There are only 30 minutes of transit time at Pau station. I have no money to buy ticket forward if I fail changing money here.
I asked where was the bank at the station. "Get on the cable car, get off at the top, and go strait." This free cable car helped me very much.
Exchanged 120 US dollars. Rushed back to the station, and bought ticket to Bayonne (80FF). Another ticket from Bayonne to Saint-jean-pied-de-port 35 FF.
This line runs in the mountains, a river of pure water can be seen at right hand side of the train.
Boats float on the river. I enjoyed myself with a good landscape during this one hour trip by train.
Arrived at Saint-jean-pied-de-port. Ten minutes' walk from the station to the center of city.
I went to the information desk to get a map. Pilgrims can stay cheap here, they told me. So I headed there walking five minutes or so along a sloping road paved with stones after going through a gate of the town wall.
Arriving at that place, I met an old man of sixty-several years old, asked a plenty of questions about my pilgrimage.
He took me to another house next seven doors or so, in spite of my expectation that I can stay here.
This time an old lady came out. She says she has been doing this work for more than fourty years. "I remember one Japanese named Dr.Imada came here on a horse twenty years ago" she said. But also she didn't allow me to stay in her house... She marked on my map, saying "This pension accepts pilgrims cheaper than others."
So I went to the two star hotel "ITZALPEA" along the main street with the book of introduction. But the hotel didn't give me any discount from the price 200 FF as is displayed at the front desk, although I showed the book of introduction.
If so, I would have searched for others... but don't mind it.
The city of Saint-jean-pied-de-port at the foot of Pyrenees is the city where pilgrims stayed before crossing over the Ibaneta Pass of the Pyrenees.
I took a walk around the Notre Dame Cathedral on a river flowing through the center of the town.
I missed again pilgrimage stamp as there were no Fathers in this cathedral as well.
I saw much more tourists in this small town than in yesterday's Oloron.
The sky is blue today, and the sun of early summer is brilliant. Became sweaty.
I have no appetite after returning to hotel. I think I have fevor. Took medicine. I hope the fevor will soon disapear. There is no one to help me now. Whom I can rely on is myself only. A pilgrimage of distance of 900 km will begin from tomorrow, I should enter Spain crossing over the Pyrenees. Coffee au lait (14FF) at the rastaurant on the ground floor of the hotel. I have no apetite. at all.
I'm most afraid of illness. 8 PM. I wore many cloths I brought, put on the quilt from the head, make myself as if in a Sauna bath, let myself sweat heavily (this is the thing I often do when I catch cold in Japan).
Fever went down a little, I think.
This room is noisy as a voice can be heard from the room. There are no windows. And the inside can be seen from the coridor as the door is made of transparent glass. So one should hang a curtain onto it. The room rate of 200 FF is too expensive for this room.
I fell my camera when I was walking in the town. The cap of the lens is broken as a result of this. Then the shutter-stopper wouldn't work if one does not close the cap. My god! Camera is one of the important items... How can I manage my trip, if I am doing such a failure in the first one week.
This town is located 10 km to the border between France and Spain. Tomorrow I will enter Spain. I shall use out the French telephone card calling my wife before tomorrow. And take good care of my health. On one can help me, I can rely on myself only. So refrain from overworking. Two postcards 5FF, a small bell with the town's name 15FF, a local map to Pamplona 12 FF. 9577 steps (6.7 km) today.
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