I arrived in the Paris airport at 9:30 a.m. and headed to the train station to wait for the train to St Jean Pied de Port which was scheduled to arrive at 1:45 p.m. While waiting I met a Slovakian girl named Jana who was also from Toronto not to far away from where I live. She was an interesting girl and we laughed and conversed about a lot of things. We kept each other company until our trains arrived and parted our separate ways.
The train ride was about 6 hours. I kept dozing off because my biological clock was still trying to adjust to the different time zone (France is 6 hours ahead). I tried reading a book entitled “100 years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez which is apparently an outstanding novel that won the nobel prize but because I was very tired, my mind wasn’t able to fully engage.
Beside me on the train was a woman with her infant son. He was very cute and adorable. He kept looking at me and smiling so I asked if I could take a picture.
I arrived in St Jean at 9:20 p.m. It was already dark outside and it was raining. On the street I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful French couple who went out of their way to personally take me to the pilgrim’s office where I needed to register. I was very appreciative of their kindness.
When I saw the office and the other pilgrims registering I felt a sense of excitement. This marked the beginning of a terrific journey. I lined up to receive my passport, maps, and other necessary information. Afterward, I checked into my room to drop my things off and took a stroll down the street to explore and admire my new surroundings. I didn’t stay out too late because I had a long day ahead of me the next day.
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