Recapping our arrival to begin the now-interrupted pilgrimage

Hello, everyone.

This is just a few bits about the flight over and finding the albergue.

We had a flight from our town to DFW, then from DFW to Madrid, then from Madrid to BIQ in France. This last is the airport for Biarritz, a beach town, Bayonne, and Anglet. From here, people often go to St. Jean Pied-de-Port to begin walking the Camino Frances. Our way was a different direction this time.

We caught the bus from the airport to Hendaye, then walked from the bus stop across the bridge to Irun in Spain.

This is not the much-photographed bridge with the colorful Spanish arms displayed at the midpoint. That one was closed. Apparently they are resurfacing it. This bridge was perfectly fine and we had a sidewalk to walk on.

We crossed over and began walking. Eventually we found ourselves near a church of Our Lady. This was interesting, but was not anywhere near the albergue in Irun. We bumped into so other pilgrims. Eventually a couple of us found the albergue, and, being possessed of great kindness, went back over near the church where we and another person were wandering and led us to the albergue.

Before we got that far, though, we saw the river nature walk.

The river is apparently tidal and brackish here. We saw boats, oysters (?), fish and swans. Also local folks strolling.

This artistic word was close to a map of the city.

The trick we had missed about finding the albergue, apparently, was in not turning left on a huge road that crossed over the many, many train tracks of the railroad station. (I had seen the sign and thought it was a highway. Perhaps it is--but it's the turn to take.) After crossing over that, one turns right down hill--involves some steps--and then goes around the block to the other side and the albergue is about halfway up toward the huge street that one has just left.

Probably we wandered around for about 5 kilometers or so. This, we discovered the next day, was nothing. But that can wait.