Column by Hsieh Hsing-Yin: Unveiling the Starting Point of the Pilgrimage! How to Get Your Passport at the SJPP Pilgrim Office and What You Must Do Before Embarking on the French Way

After a 12-hour-and-30-minute flight from Taipei, the group landed at Istanbul International Airport at 5:00 a.m. local time on May 5th. After transiting and connecting flights, they arrived in Bordeaux, France, at 10:10 a.m. Members from various locations—including Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Hualien in Taiwan, as well as Japan, France, and the United States—were finally reunited.

They were then taken by tour bus to Château Estate, a famous French winery in Léognan, a renowned wine-producing region of Bordeaux, for lunch. The main course was duck breast. The taste was impeccable, the presentation stunning—each dish, from appetizer to dessert, was a tribute to French culinary excellence. Every drop of wine sparkled like a ruby, rich and inviting.

In a corner on the second floor of the winery, a large barrel overflowed with red wine corks. Each cork varied in size, shape, and design, labeled with its region, vintage, and name. The moment a bottle was opened, the cork transformed into a piece of installation art.

An entire barrel full of corks, brimming with stories. (Photo credit: Hsieh Hsing-Yin)

It wasn’t until the final day of the pilgrimage, upon arriving in Porto, Portugal, that they learned Portugal is actually the world’s largest producer of cork, supplying about half of global cork demand. Cork products come in all forms—wallets, handbags, slippers, coasters, notebooks, eyeglass cases, hats, and more.

The tour leader said, “This meal at the winery will be the best one on your pilgrimage.” In terms of refinement, this was certainly true. Yet during the actual pilgrimage, after walking until utterly exhausted, a hot boiled octopus eaten bite after bite, or a chilled freshly squeezed orange juice downed in one gulp, also tasted incredibly good.

But what made the winery irreplaceable was that every indoor and outdoor space was photogenic. When we arrived, it was pouring rain, but by the end of the meal, the sky had cleared—offering us beautiful photos under different lighting conditions.

After lunch, they traveled 235 kilometers to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (SJPP), France—the traditional starting point of the Camino Francés, one of the most popular routes on the Way of St. James. Taking a tour bus spared them the physical and spiritual ordeal of hiking across the Pyrenees. On that rainy afternoon, they walked through the city gate of SJPP, climbed a small slope, and entered the Pilgrim Office, where they purchased their official pilgrim passports and the scallop shells symbolizing pilgrims.

SJPP, in French, means “Saint John at the Foot of the Mountain.” This charming small town lies on the border between France and Spain. They stayed only briefly, leaving with regret for not being able to admire it longer. Boarding the bus again, they headed 28 kilometers away to the Iglesia de San Salvador de Ibañeta.

Historically, this site has served as a lighthouse for pilgrims, with both bell sounds and lights. The weather in the Pyrenees is unpredictable—sometimes foggy, sometimes snowy—or perhaps just a perfect day for crossing the mountains, or simply a day when one needs rest. For over a thousand years, this place has protected pilgrims. Though damaged by wars throughout history, the sturdy A-shaped roof and deep red stone bricks we see today were rebuilt by later generations. The bell tower beside the church and the towering cross reaching into the sky harmonize with the blue sky and green fields, creating a vast and serene beauty.

From San Salvador Church, they followed the yellow scallop shell markers for the first and second kilometers of the pilgrimage, heading toward Roncesvalles Monastery and the Monument to Roland (Monumento a Roldán).

Without having time to fully grasp the historical context of the monastery and monument, the warm-up walk of Day Two ended, and they quickly boarded the tour bus again, heading 50 kilometers to the Occidental Pamplona Hotel, where they dined and slept.

From that day forward, the yellow scallop shell would accompany them all the way to the end of the pilgrimage.