St. Jean Pied de Port (meaning…St. John at the foot of the pass), is an old, old town in Basque Country, a region with its own language, cultures and ethnicity and that straddles parts of France and Spain. Just up the hill from where I’m staying, there is a stone citadel that was used in the wars between a France and Spain. I explored the outside of that this morning, and also visited a small museum that once housed bishops during the Great Schism and was later used as a military prison in the 18th century.

I had lunch (ham, cheese, bread and wine…very French!) at an outdoor cafe. After a nap (still getting over jet lag!), I headed down the street to experience a “Pilgrim’s Mass” at Église paroissiale de l’Assomption de la Vierge where a blessing was offered for all setting out on their journey. The songs and prayers were in Euskara (the Basque language), but “Amen” and “Alleluia” are the same in every language. When they called all “erromes” (pilgrims) forward to give the blessing, I was the only non-European there. Most were from Spain, France and Italy.

After a quick meal, I’m now headed to bed and will walk the uphill climb to Orisson in the morning!