This is the view from the bridge that crosses the Neve River in St. Jean. This is where the Camino route begins in St. Jean. You can see a bridge in the background of this picture. About a block beyond that bridge is the wooden bridge where Martin Sheen started his Camino in The Way.
The wooden bridge is an alternate starting point that allows you to visit the pilgrim church before heading out of town.
This is the pilgrim church , the Church of Notre Dame in St. Jean.
This is the choir that was singing in the Church of Notre Dame, the pilgrim church, when I stopped by on Saturday night. I was planning to pay my respects and say a quick prayer before dinner, but I stayed for almost an hour. This choir could flat out sing! It was in French so I have no idea what they were singing but the amazing acoustics in this medieval church and their powerful melodic voices sent shivers up my spine. What an unexpected treat. Some would say Camino magic.
Wooden kneelers in the pews at the pilgrim church.
I attended the 8:30 AM pilgrim mass Sunday morning. The French Catholics take their religion seriously. They have wooden kneelers with no cushions. Kneel on those for a few minutes and you start to feel some real pain. I have a hard enough time concentrating on the Mass and what the priest is saying and doing. Occasionally, I do a grocery list in my head. I am sure I am not the only one who does this. Once you start kneeing on those torture chamber wooden kneelers your ability to focus on or pay attention to what the priest is saying and doing goes right out the stained glass window. You can’t think of anything other than the searing pain in your knees. Thank goodness we did not spend a great deal of time on our knees during this Mass.
The French Catholics sing the whole Mass. You are expected to sing if you attend Mass and these people can really belt out an ecclesiastical tune. Again, it was in French so I have no idea what they were singing, but the whole congregation really got into it and I gave them two thumbs up for effort and execution.
The woman next to me spent the entire Mass honking into a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth. I was praying that the French Catholics do not do the “Peace be with you” handshake. Unfortunately this prayer was not answered. They not only shake hands but they do that Gallic peck on each cheek. What’s up with that? So I wound up not only shaking Typhoid Mary’s hand but also getting kissed on the cheek, on both sides. I am already starting to feel like I am coming down with a cold.
Anna’s Candle
As most of you know, my sister Anna is fighting for her life against cancer. After Mass was over I lit this candle for her and said a prayer for her. If you have a spare prayer and you want to put it to good use, please send it Anna’s way.
After Mass the priest offered to stamp our credencials.
This is my credential. You can get it at the pilgrim office in St. Jean or you can join an organization like the American Pilgrims on the Camino and they will send you one. You need a credential to stay at the alburgues or hostels on the Camino. When you get to Santiago you present your credential full of stamps, or sellos, to the pilgrim office to get your Compostela, or certificate of completion. You need to get at least one stamp from every place you stay from St. Jean to Sarria, the first 700 kilometers of the Camino, and at least two stamps to document each day’s journey on the last 100 kilometers of the Camino from Sarria to Santiago.
I now have three stamps or cellos in my credencial.
The first stamp I got from the American Pilgrims on the Camino Front Range Chapter at their St. James Day picnic this July.
The second stamp I got this morning from the priest at the Church of Notre Dame.
The third stamp I got this afternoon from the pilgrim office in St. Jean
As I was walking around town this afternoon I spied a French bookstore. You all know how much I like books and my eye was inexorably drawn to this book. A French cookbook containing the best French recipes for cooking on a Weber kettle. Are you kidding me? The French, who pride themselves on their other worldly cuisine. The French, who successfully petitioned the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (“UNESCO”) to designate French cuisine a “world intangible heritage”, whatever that means. The French, who so contemptuously look down their Gallic noses at us Americans and our food, and often times for good reason. McDonalds, and that says it all.
These same Frenchmen and/or Frenchwomen are writing and publishing a cookbook to help introduce France to the joys of cooking on a Weber kettle. I thought it was a spoof cookbook until I thumbed through the pages and found recipes for foie gras, escargot 🐌 and a chocolate soufflé all cooked on a Weber kettle. Every day in France brings a new surprise. What will the French think of next?
It is wash day at Chez Hansen. I could not figure out how to operate the washing machines at the laundromat. The instructions were in French and I don’t speak French. So I washed all my clothes in the sink and hung them up to dry. While the clothes dried I was going to go out to get a bite to eat. As I was thumbing through my guide book looking for a restaurant recommendation I suddenly realized that I had washed ALL my clothes, and I mean ALL my clothes. It was either go out to lunch buck naked or work on this blog post while my clothes dry. I decided to let the clothes dry.
The dinner last night was so good I did the same thing tonight, And I treated myself to dessert.
Basque cake 🍰. This is two thin layers of white sponge cake with an almond cream filling. It was delicious.
Tomorrow I pack my backpack 🎒, put the extra clothes in the suitcase and take it to the young man who is going to transport it to Santiago and store it, and get food for the walk on Tuesday.
I hope everyone had a restful Sunday.
Goodnight from St. Jean Pied de Port.
AbeAndMarkontheCamino 