Today my journey on the Camino Del Norte started. I should say ‘our’ journey began because my good friend Mark Keating is joining me. He and I booked flights from Lisbon to Bilbao on Iberian Airlines at noon, but somehow my booking was cancelled. The lack of a check-in email tipped me off. I booked another flight leaving at 8am so all is well. It just means I would have a few hours in Bilbao to purchase hiking poles for Mark and I, and to arrange our transport to our starting point in Irun, Spain.
Irun is a small port and beach city on the northern Spanish coast, dating back to the Roman Empire. It was the hub of communications between what is now Europe and Spain. It is still a busy port divided from France by the Bidasoa River.
We stayed at the Albergue De Peregrinos Jakobi, a Donativo, meaning pilgrims are asked to pay what they can afford, usually 15 Euros. There are no reservations and you can only stay one night. The doors open at 4 pm and lock at 10 pm. The lodgings are meager – bunk beds, but that is all we required. Jesus was the volunteer who registered us. We used Google Translate to communicate, as he spoke no English and we have limited Spanish. He was my first portrait of the journey.