September 26 - October 2

Learning to Walk, Day 31 | September 27

I would happily have stayed a few nights in Gite Au Plaisir d’Etape, last night’s gite. I haven’t stayed anywhere that I would review negatively, but some gites really stand out and this one, owned by Corinne and Philippe is one of them. So welcoming, a beautiful gite, warm and friendly hosts, and I had a single room. And a real towel and real bedding, a welcome change from my pack towel and sleep sack (which is actually great, but it’s not real bedding!)

I spent about an hour in Larresingle, about 6 km into today’s walk. It is the smallest fortified village in France and one of the few remaining in this part of France with its walls intact. Straight out of a medieval storybook. Walls all around, surrounded by a moat (dry), castle and church in the center, a bit of open space, and houses and shops built against the interior of the wall.

Next stop was a very, very old church, L’Eglise Routges the oldest in the area, 11th century. Very small, and guarded by the black cat who lives in it. He was not unfriendly, but he did startle me. I don’t think the church has electricity—there were just big candles around—so it was dim inside and all of a sudden there was a very loud “meow!!” And there was the cat sitting on a chair. It must live there because there was a bowl for it on the wall of the entry porch.

Tonight I am in Montreal du Gers, and frankly there’s not a lot here! Another big cavernous 13th century church, but I did not find it as inspiring as others. Tomorrow I go to Eauze, where I will finally spend two nights in one place with a day of no walking in between.

Learning to Walk, Day 32 | September 28

Not too long of a walk today, and nice to share it with a friend from British Columbia. We walk at a similar pace, and while I don’t at all mind walking alone, it was nice to have company, especially since as we struggled through the rain and got soaked! Unlike the light rain of the other day, this got quite heavy. There was a gite at about the 9 km point that also has a cafe for pilgrims. In the middle of nowhere and VERY welcome. They had enough sheltered tables for all of us who took refuge. I had tea and an early lunch as we watched the storm. By the time we finished eating, the rain had stopped and we only had a few drops for the rest of the day.

I’m in Eauze, in a wonderful gite, Chez Nadine, with my own room and en-suite everything for two glorious nights. I’m not even setting an alarm in the morning. As Nadine said, “if you sleep til ten it’s because you need it.” I also have a mild cold and am trying to keep it from progressing. I guess it’s unavoidable with so much shared accommodation.

More tomorrow. I hope to have the energy to do some catching up. That’s my plan, but I made that plan pre-cold, so we’ll see.

Saying prayers for folks in Florida. I was touched by how concerned our gite owners were about the storm. I asked if they knew people in Florida, and they said, “no, but it is going to be a catastrophe so we are worried.” They even turned on CNN as we finished dinner. First TV news I’ve seen in over a month.

Learning to Walk, Day 33 - 34 | September 29-30

Sometimes learning to walk is learning when to stop, or you won’t be able to keep walking! My feet and the rest of my body said, “Enough!” So I have had two rest days, and feel so much better. I think I already wrote about how wonderful the Gite Chez Nadine was, where I stayed the last two nights in Eauze. Nadine and Francis are wonderful hosts and they have created such a beautiful, spacious gite. Nadine is an amazing cook. We had five course meals both nights! They began with a touch of Armagnac with champagne, and finished with Armagnac, and in between were two or three appetizers (called entrees here, which is confusing for an American), then the main course, then dessert. Last night’s meal included a perfectly boiled egg on top of salad from her hens, then delicious mussels, then steak with pate on top, then the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever had. And there was something before the egg and salad that I can’t remember. Gite owners are such generous, hospitable folks. I think most of them probably don’t do much more than break even, and they really care about pilgrims/walkers.

Here are some photos from the church in Nogaro, Collegiale St. Nicholas, where we had a couple of hours before catching the bus. It dates back to the 11th century. It’s beautiful and has a very important old fresco that is one of the earliest to depict pilgrims, and tells the story of the martyrdom of St. Laurent. And you’ll have to google that story, because I haven’t! Looking at how immense this church is, it just amazes me that they had architects and builders that could do this a thousand years ago without any modern technology.

Aire sur L’Adour is a lovely town, obviously doing better than some of the other towns we’ve been through. Not sure what the pink umbrellas are about, but they catch your eye. And there are more of the stunning French clouds. The Cathedral of St. Jean-Baptiste was founded in the 11th century, destroyed twice and rebuilt in the 19th century. My guidebook says it has a historic organ, but I don’t know any more about it than that.

I’m staying in a very unique gite tonight, the Chapel of the Ursulines. Chapel of a former Ursuline convent build in the late 19th century, abandoned in the early 20th century, fell into great disrepair, was bought privately and restored. It is a wonderful environment. And there is a massage therapist giving twenty minute massages for a donation. Heaven.

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I am not going to be able to walk the entire way to St. Jacques/Santiago as I had originally planned. And that’s okay. The guide books and Facebook groups where people tell you it takes 30-35 days for each route are based on walking at least 25 – 30 km a day, sometimes more, and I have discovered that I simply cannot do that. And I don’t want to. I want to take time to pause and look around, to go into all the churches I pass, to explore the villages and towns I stay in a bit. People who are walking longer days are either in MUCH better physical condition than I am, younger, or are walking such long days that all they can do is walk, shower, do laundry, eat and go to bed. I’m not interested in that! My feet start complaining before I reach 20 km, and I want to be able to enjoy the trip. So I will have to skip some parts. I hope today’s bus ride will be the last I need to take in France. I am really enjoying walking in France and want to finish walking the Chemin. I really want to be able to walk over the Pyrenees, but it all depends on the weather when I get there. The path over is closed at the moment because there were bad storms the last couple of days and some very bad falls on the slippery paths down. The path over is called the Napoleon route. It closes for the season at the end of October. So if the weather cooperates, I will be able to take it. If not, I’ll take the Valcarlos route, which is the one used in the winter and in bad weather. It goes through the valley, and while there is some climbing, it does not have the same climb as going up and over. While I very much want to take the Napoleon route, have that experience and see the spectacular views, I will of course listen to the authorities and take the Valcarlos if the weather is bad or iffy. After six weeks or so of walking, with all the climbs and descents involved in the Chemin, I should be in good shape for the climb so I hope the weather cooperates.

Once I get to Spain I will figure out what portions I need to skip over. There are some walks through industrial areas as you enter the big cities, and I will look for busses at those points. And many people skip the Meseta, which I understand is 180 km. Others say, “No! Why would you skip the Meseta!” It is walking for days across a flat plain through fields, and I have discovered that the long, flat stretches of walking are my least favorite. If I skip the Meseta I might have time to walk most of the rest of it. Other people rent a bike and cycle across the Meseta, returning it at the end of it. That’s a possibility. I don’t need to decide any of this yet!

Here is a photo from the end of dinner last night that I shared on FB, but don’t think I shared here. Armagnac. Last night’s dinner was so interesting, even though I was really suffering with my cold. There were five retired doctors around the table, two retired business executives (the seven of them were decades-long friends and traveling together), a retired nurse and her husband, a retired environmentalist, a psychologist and a pastor. We pretty much had the bases covered: could care for body, mind, soul, the earth and take care of business. And of course our wonderful hosts who built the gite themselves and are wonderful cooks. We could have created our own complete society!

Armagnac is really good when you have a cold.

Learning to Walk, Day 35 - 36 | October 1 - 2

The days and places are blurring together. We are in a part of the walk with few villages and towns, and lots and lots of farmland. The big WOW yesterday was when I realized that all of a sudden I could see the Pyrenees!!

I am having a lot of foot trouble which is very frustrating having come this far. The boots I bought a week or so ago solved some problems, but I think they are causing different ones. And I decided to try walking without my liner toe socks for the last few km yesterday, thinking they might be the problem, and promptly got my first bad blister. I hate to be this close to the Pyrenees and not be able to finish this part of the walk!! I’m taking the transport van again tomorrow for another rest day, then will try walking again the day after. If I’m still having trouble, I’ll find the next town big enough for a podiatrist. It is definitely a lesson in learning one’s limits. But disappointing.