The next morning I awoke to clear blue skies and a much sunnier attitude.

I nestled in my comfy bed as long as possible, then showered, packed and got ready for breakfast in town. My real Airbnb host, Melanie, arrived promptly at 9:00 and we drove to the cafe where Maria, my “saved me from the rain” host, served me a breakfast of bread, butter, jam and hot cocoa. I was to discover that’s pretty standard morning fare here in France as well as in Spain.

As it turns out, Melanie and Maria are friends. They worked out the miscommunications, so after my morning meal we retrieved my pack from Maria’s beautiful home and headed to Melanie’s.

What a magical space! Only a tiny portion of the huge place has been
restored. The rest is pretty much as it has been for decades! Centuries? When we first stepped inside the large barn-like doors, I was looking at an immense and original 300-year-old stone-slabbed floor. Melanie had brought in some old artifacts, the most recent being a giant wine press. She’s a California native and moved to SJPP when she married. She and her husband had a working sheep ranch for a number of years and the home has been in his family since its beginning.

My cozy room was on the ground floor with a lovely country view from my window. It put me in the mood to get out there and see more!

I wasn’t disappointed! I was in for a great day. I assumed I would be on my own, so I planned to walk the 15 minutes into town and spend the day exploring the city. As it turned out, Melanie enjoys entertaining her guests, so we figured out a plan to work around her one appointment and I got to see some beautiful surrounding countryside, grazing sheep, picturesque bridges, and as an added treat, I got a personal tour of a fully restored centuries-old house and barn. The owner is from New York and, like Melanie, moved to France when she got married. She did an amazing job of overseeing the restoration and furnishing the house in country chic. It was simply lovely!

It’s interesting. All homes have the same general architectural style. This is Basque country, and with the exception of very few approved trim colors, they require even new homes to be built in a style similar to the ancient buildings—with the characteristic corner stones, shutters and trim. I personally liked the idea and felt it added to the charm of the area.

Next, we went back to Saint Jean Pied de Port, parked, and explored on foot. We hiked up to the Citadel—in existence since the 1600s—which is at the top of the old ramparts, then back down and along the raised walkway inside the wall of the old city.

Peering over the outside of the wall we were looking onto a city street below; on the inside we were looking down at long, narrow backyards and gardens, and outdoor seating areas for a few of the restaurants in the city proper.

Shortly after we returned, Melanie’s second guest arrived. Ian is from New Zealand and planned to do the Camino by bike. That evening the three of us enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner in town—Ian’s treat! We raced home in time to catch a remarkable sunset from the balcony. Afterward Melanie gave us a full tour and a bit of history about her massive and fascinating old home and barn.

I went to bed that night feeling rested, as ready as I was going to be, yet a bit nervous about the adventure ahead.

That didn’t prevent me from sleeping like a log!