T-Minus One (Arrival at the Beginning)

Dan and I had a great breakfast and a leisurely morning getting caught up before we headed to the train station in Lyon. It was an uneventful yet beautiful ride through varying landscapes. A refreshing looking river beckoned us and we both commented on how we are prepared to go for a dip much more often than our last Camino. We arrived in Le Puy-en-Velay and as we started to walk up through the steep, narrow, winding streets, our hearts quickened…from the excitement and from the exertion! Although our souls are eager to walk, our bodies may yet take more convincing. As with last time, I'm expecting that after about four days my body will accept that I'm going to do this walking thing for a while so it should begin to adapt instead of rebel.

We checked into our gîte then headed out for a walkabout in the area around the cathedral. Both hungry, we found a small café and had a beverage and a delicious quiche. More walking in the afternoon and then a carb-loaded meal to prepare for our 24 km hike through the mountains tomorrow.

In the evening we met up with my good friend Kate from Vancouver and her new Camino friend Olivia from Paris. In early spring, Kate booked her ticket to arrive in France in Aug. Dan decided on our Aug arrival date in late Jun with no knowledge of Kate's plan. We arrived in Le Puy on the same day. Quite the coincidence! The three of us will be walking at least part of this Camino together.

We are very excited to begin our journey tomorrow morning after a special pilgrim's mass. We are ready for adventure!

By the way, wifi will be spurious on this journey so my posts and pictures may be delayed.

This should be the last train station we use for at least a month.

Right off the bat we had a good hill challenge that this picture does not adequately depict, but trust me, our legs let us know.

Looking back down the hill.

I just love these old stone roads.

After the climb, a well-deserved refreshment and food was appreciated at the cathedral café.

There was a laser light show on the front of the cathedral tonight.