Setting Off on the Camino del Norte

12:08 PM

The Camino del Norte starts in Irun, just across the border between France and Spain. We—Thomas and I—start in Bayonne, France.

The route is about 1,000 km long and runs along the northern coast of Spain to Santiago de Compostela, and then we’ll add Finisterre and Muxía as a kind of cooldown loop.

We’re traveling by train, and since there are strikes again in public transport in the Netherlands, we have to be in Rotterdam a day earlier—otherwise we’d miss the train to Paris.

Aimee and Anna take us to Rotterdam Central Station. It’s raining a bit and it’s somewhat chilly. Wave wave, bye!, see you later, until Santiago 🥳

Beep beep, the alarm goes off. It’s a 15-minute walk to the station. Everything goes smoothly and in no time we’re already back on the TGV to Bayonne—our final stop by train, but also the starting point of our long-distance journey.

4:03 PM

Right on time the train rolls into Bayonne and the weather is beautiful. We already have to change clothes and adjust to the weather conditions.

4:25 PM

Looking for the first stamp in Bayonne Cathedral, but no luck. At the very last moment we spoke to someone behind a gate, who advised us to come back tomorrow. So we continue without a stamp to an overnight place 3 km further on. Just loosening up the legs after sitting for 8 hours.