The journey - Paris and Bayonne

Paris was a city of contrasts with the strang plot that was the bus station next to a high end shopping centre and swanky restaurants.

I sat next to a nice German pilgrim when was off to do the northern route and the overnight journey was long but fine and in the morning we arrived in Bayonne. A lovely historical town with an open bakery so I could buy a piece of quiche to eat in front of the cathedral.

There was no train to St Jean Pied de Porte till 3 but a Bulgarian pilgrim got a lift to the village of Cambo and took me along and from there we hitched a short lift with two French men - one of them shook his head slowly and sadly when he learnt I was English.

St Jean has a massive citadel which we climbed to see and then after a glass of good red wine I slept like a baby.