I walked gingerly to and from breakfast. I made a command decision to walk the paved highway as long as it had a shoulder rather than the adjacent Chemin trail that oftentimes wander afield on rocky paths. I began the final stage at 9:20AM.
Getting warmed up this way helped with stretching out my back and hips. After three miles, I felt like my old self and rejoined the official Chemin. No Tylenol needed.
I am glad that I did because the highway bypasses the narrow valleys and its hills that create the natural texture and beauty of the land.
The first hamlet that I came to was Gamarte (Basque spelling). Look how some of its buildings fits into the foreground of the photo below. The photo does not do justice to how green the fields were. They had a shimmering glow in this light.
One can never mistaken that Gamarte was in farming country. I walked past some gigantic John Deere equipment. I think that the tires were at least my height.
Inside what I think was an open air gathering place, I saw this triptych. I didn’t know what the designs meant. I did recognize the Basque flag in the bottom right corner of the left panel. This was the first display of the Basque flag in the past two days while in Basque land. On my Camino this past spring, seven days were spent in the Spanish Basque province. The Basque flag was everywhere. When I get home, I’ll need to do research on how the Basque in France and Spain differ politically.
However, they do have their language in common. Throughout the French Basque province, Basque is used along with French. The same in Spain. As I left the hamlet, someone had painted over the French version of the hamlet’s name. Some activists were expressing their views.
The sign was clear that I was closing in on SJPP. Less than two hours away. I was excited but also walked with a heavy heart that this adventure was coming to a close.
The Église de Madeleine is the final landmark before SJPP. Built in the 12th Century, it was a rest stop for pilgrims and an excellent example of a Basque styled church. The bell tower and the entryway are certainly different from the Romanesque, and Gothic churches encountered on the Chemin.
One more slight uphill and then down to the Porte St Jacques. Two years ago, I walked through the Porte from the opposite direction. I thought then that one day, I will walk through it at end of my Chemin. Here I was 456 miles and 31 days after setting off from Le Puy at 2PM.
To put the distance in perspective, my friends, Neil Sullivan and Mike Sremba, drove from LA to San Francisco during our colleges’ spring break. The car distance to San Francisco was 380 miles. If someone said to me then, “You’ll walk from here to San Francisco one day,” I would have had a good laugh. You never know where one’s life journey will take one. (Bethlehem, PA to Columbus,OH is about 456 miles in car miles.)
Past the gate and about 200 meters away was the SJPP pilgrim office. I had my credential duly stamped and made my way to SJPP’s main street passing by a shop with hiking gear. The cape is a popular item though the bottom of your pants can get wet. Only rain pants will suffice.
I had a delicious green salad with grilled squid at Café Ttipia as I did two years ago. I lingered sipping my final beer of the Chemin by the stream that runs through SJPP. My hotel did not open until 4PM.
I will post an Epilogue in a few days summarizing the highlights and offering some reflections.
Thanks to all who “walked” with me on the Chemin St Jacques.
