[Gocamino] Travel-Madrid to St Jean Pied

[HMe347 at aol.com]

True, there is nothing "magical" about SJPP, but I think that it should not  
be missed by those who have the extra time to start in France and the stamina  
for crossing the Pyrenees.  After all, it is on the Route Napoleon, a good  
place to meet other pilgrims (as is Roncevalles), and has some charming,  
historic architecture including a famous arch that marks where pilgrims came  
through the town.  If you bypass SJPP you will miss a wonderful place  to start the 
Camino. That is perhaps why so many people go there - not  because of Jack 
Hitt's reference to it.  By the way, I met Belgians,  Brazilians, Germans and 
others there, so it is not just English speakers who  start there.
Howard Mendes, NYC