Phase 1 is complete!
It's been well over a week since I last posted and the only reason for my tardiness is that I've been very busy enjoying this adventure. I'll provide you with a 'quick' recap of what's happened so far.
Jake and I began our Camino in Bourg-Argental and over five days, we covered close to 100 km hiking through the beautiful French countryside to Le Puy en Velay. One of my goals was to introduce Jake to the true gîte (hostel) environment. The one with several bunkbeds in one room with all the associated human noises and smells. I wanted him to enjoy the communal dinner with several people of various nationalities around the table, breaking bread and drinking wine together. I failed. Miserably. In every gite we stayed in, we had either our own private rooms or it was just us in a one room. In fact, twice we had the entire place to ourselves, no other pilgrims, no owner. Way too much luxury for true pilgrims! And then, the first day that I was on my own after he went his own way, I was in a gîte with four other people in the room, with a snorer. And Jake missed out on this. Such is life!
This route was very quiet compared to other Caminos I have done. Throughout the five days, we met three other pilgrims and saw about four others. At our first gîte we met Sara and Daniel, siblings who started their journey a few years ago from their hometown in northern Austria. Both teachers, they take two or three weeks each year in the summer to continue their journey to Santiago, Spain. We walked with them a few times over the first few days and thoroughly enjoyed their company. They are wonderful young people who have very interesting stories about their adventures. We hope to keep in touch with them.
The first three days of our trek were a bit challenging. Decent climbs and descents coupled with a bit of jet lag and hot temperatures (+30C/86F) put our bodies to the test. But we were in no rush so we took breaks when required and enjoyed our time. A couple of cool streams enticed me to soak my feet which always brings me great pleasure. On one morning, we had to take a path that was partially overgrown with plants and shrubbery brushing against our legs. At our first break, I checked myself for ticks and sure enough, one had already embedded itself in my calf. I carefully removed it with tweezers and can now say that I've survived my first encounter with these pesky arachnids.
Other excitement - we were hit by a line of severe thunderstorms about 2.5 back from our gîte one day and had to take refuge in a forest. The other options were walking through open fields or hiding under a single tree along the path. After about an hour and a half and during a very brief ‘lull’ in the lightning flashes, we briskly hiked to our destination and made it safe, sound and wet.
On one of our last days, we arrived in town looking for the municipal gite where had a reservation only to discover that it was now occupied by Ukrainian refugees and no longer available to pilgrims. A trip to the local tourist office and a very helpful young man resulted in us staying in a private gite with very hospitable owners and a delicious supper.
We walked into Le Puy five days after we began phase 1 of our adventures. We met my good friend Karen from Windsor with whom I walked for a while on my first Camino. It was great to see her and spend time reminiscing and talking about the old and upcoming adventures. The three of us attended the Pilgrim's mass in the morning and in a very unique fashion, walked through a grate that opened up from the floor and down steps to the street. I then said goodbye to Jake as he headed to Spain to do the GR11 by himself. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to be able to spend over a week with him wandering through the French countryside. I feel truly blessed and will continue to look for further opportunities to spend quality time with both my lads.
I spent the day walking with Karen which was very enjoyable. We had a late start because of the mass and the heat of the day came quickly however we managed a decent 17 km before making our way to Saint-Privat-d'Allier. It was nice to return to the same path where I started my Camino last year and to walk it with Karen for one day was an added bonus. With no bus or train service available the next morning, I hitchhiked back to Le Puy where I caught a train back to Lyon.
Clément graciously offered me a place to stay for a couple of days and I gladly accepted so I could have a bit more time with him, sample more of Lucie's great food at her restaurant, and get some planning done for the next phase of my adventure. I'm grateful for his friendship (and cooking) and for the time we got to spend together. I'm waiting for him to come to Canada so I can show him our hospitality.
Long post! I'll try to do this more often so I don't take up so much space. 😁 Weak WiFi and technical difficulties means that I will post pictures on the blog later. New country under my belt today! More to follow....
