Our traditional route to start the Camino has been: jet to Madrid (MAD)- train to Pamplona – bus to St Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP).
Our Camino 2023 route is: jet to Paris (CDG) – TGV to Bayonne/Barritz – local train to SJPDP.
We have several reasons for making this change. First, before we decided to do another Camino, our original destination was Provence France, requiring the leasing of a Eurodrive auto in Paris for use to, from and getting around in Provence. Second, we dislike the 90 minute, motion-sickness-inducing bus ride from Pamplona to SJPDP. Third, we love to travel on European trains, especially the TGV.
So… our planning is complete, backpacks are packed and in a few minutes, our friend, Caren, will give us a ride to the airport to begin Camino 2023.
The 7hr 45 min flight to Paris was uneventful. However, the plane was fully packed, which eliminated any chance for being comfortable enough to sleep. Customs clearance at CDG was smooth, punctual and automated. We breathed a sigh of relief when we found our backpacks waiting for us in baggage claim, as soon as we cleared customs.
Without leaving CDG Terminal 2, we followed the signage to the adjacent RER terminal. After less than a 10 minute walk, we easily bought two tickets (17€ ea) without having to wait in line and boarded the next train which had just arrived. It left for Paris central 7 minutes later. After a 22 minute ride we exited at Denfert Rochereau, connected with the metro, then two exits later, disembarked at Gare Montparnasse.
Our only glitch for yesterday/todays’s very long and potentially glitchful journey came at the very end. While still in the Metro for Gare Montparnesse, Jim entered our hotel, Hotel de Paris Montparnesse, into his Google Maps App expecting to have a nice footpath plotted from our location to our hotel. Well, our T-Mobile signal was so weak that all we got was a silly little spinning wheel. Jim, frustrated, asked a nearby fruit stand owner for help, who, in turn, struggled using his phone to get directions, finally settling for directions to a Montparnesse Tour ( “Tower” in French).
So, we walked to the “Tour” but hit a dead end when the pleasantly helpful concierge said there was no hotel in the Tour and had never heard of our hotel. We finally went into our “battle mode”, Linda agreeing to station herself at a strategic location on a wall adjacent to the Tour to establish a a base, while carefully guarding our two large backpacks and two smaller carry-ons. Jim, now unburdened by various packs, set out to find our hotel.
Just when it appeared that no French person or any other person inhabiting the Montparnesse area had the slightest idea where our hotel was, Jim spotted a bus driver puffing on some kind of combustible during his break, his bus all locked up to interested riders. Using his best, remaining command of the local language, Jim asked the critical question. The driver, rubbing his chin said he wasn’t sure, but… and Jim inserted, “and it’s a trois étoiles” (3 stars) … which gave the driver the confidence to point in a specific direction from where we were standing, he thought!
Jim thanked him, again in immaculate French politesse and headed in that direction. Miraculously, a half block from where Linda was perched, we located our hotel. Totally wiped out at this point, we checked in to our hotel and crashed for a bit.
Jimandi 