arrived at the gite in uzan only to find i was their sole visitor and there was no possibility of food. luckily i had some bread and tea. i soaked in my first bath in a month. quel luxe supreme! here i was in the middle of nowhere in moo country with the perfume of manure thick in the air...but i had an internet connection! yes virginia, there is a santa claus!
rain. big rain. wrath of god biblical deluge and the whole rang-a-dang-dang. so much so that i found myself procrastinating this morning and finally had to kick myself out the door. the first half hour was plain silly as i hopscotched my way across fields, lifting my legs high to avoid the flooded weeds. when finally i conceded that it was a losing battle, i felt nothing less than liberated. whether mud holes or ankle-deep puddles, i was now free to plow through dead centre and raise my head to enjoy my surroundings. so what's a couple of pruny wet feet? it's a lovely day in the countryside.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
hike day 20: miramont-sensacq
pulled up to the small village of miramont-sensacq where the only other pilgrim was a rather unpleasant fellow so i headed over to the local pub where a dozen burly farmers gave me the once-over. upon stepping inside, i asked whether they knew who had won the euro cup. instant ice-breaker, and especially so when they placed my accent. i was their long-lost "petite cousine" quebecoise!
well into the conversation, they asked what sort of daily rituals i did to prepare for the day's hike. told them i stretched first thing in the morning at which they insisted i show them right there and then. before long, i had them trying to stuff their toes into their mouths to emulate one of the stretches! one of the guys remarked on the similarities to yoga and proceeded to demonstrate some weird contorted semi-hand stand. with all the weight on his hands and his bum half way in the air, his ears looked as though they would jettison to opposite corners of the bar!
another guy mentioned he attends "laughter class" twice monthly and suggested we try one of his exercises. imagine a dozen macho farmers and i improv'ing mowing the lawn on the bar, over the chairs, buzzing around like inmates from one flew over the cuckoo's nest. what a little magic dust won't get you and all this thanks to another pilgrim's unpleasant demeanor. you just never know what lies around the corner...
well into the conversation, they asked what sort of daily rituals i did to prepare for the day's hike. told them i stretched first thing in the morning at which they insisted i show them right there and then. before long, i had them trying to stuff their toes into their mouths to emulate one of the stretches! one of the guys remarked on the similarities to yoga and proceeded to demonstrate some weird contorted semi-hand stand. with all the weight on his hands and his bum half way in the air, his ears looked as though they would jettison to opposite corners of the bar!
another guy mentioned he attends "laughter class" twice monthly and suggested we try one of his exercises. imagine a dozen macho farmers and i improv'ing mowing the lawn on the bar, over the chairs, buzzing around like inmates from one flew over the cuckoo's nest. what a little magic dust won't get you and all this thanks to another pilgrim's unpleasant demeanor. you just never know what lies around the corner...
hike day 19: maison labarbe
muchhhhhhh better today. though a few layers of skin have burned away from the allergic fever, the swelling has mostly receded thanks to anti-histamines and there has been no further evidence of the little critters whose name shall not be named! am crossing my fingers this is the one and only time we cross paths this trip.
today was a 39 km day. the first half was a breeze, particularly when i climbed over the crest of a hill only to discover the pyrenees stretched out on the horizon as far as the eye could see. though the heat has returned, i could see clear as a bell each and every rocky, snow-capped peak. what a sensational view!
today was a 39 km day. the first half was a breeze, particularly when i climbed over the crest of a hill only to discover the pyrenees stretched out on the horizon as far as the eye could see. though the heat has returned, i could see clear as a bell each and every rocky, snow-capped peak. what a sensational view!
a blackberry story
sadly, though i can see the blackberry bushes showing signs of bearing fruit, i will be long gone by the time they are ripe enough to eat. however, i have found a worthy substitute in the many plum trees frequently found all along the route. barely bigger than a cherry, each fruit is the tastiest, juiciest and crunchies little breakfast morsel you could possibly hope for. ask and le chemin saint jacques shall provide!
hike day 18: eauze
dined last night with 3 french women whose faces have become familiar over the past few days. lovely women, all of them in their 60´s. over some yummy eats and grappa, they revealed that although they have known each other some 3 decades, the bond between them really crystallized when all three lost a son through various accidents, all around the same time. wowww, rough. can´t even imagine. my heart went out to them.
the heat has subsided and what with overcast skies and a good breeze, today was perfect hiking weather. really couldn't ask for better.
called it a day at maison labarbe, a gorgeous country inn dead centre of gascogne vineyard country. as it turns out, it was a duck farm specializing in the production of duck pate, confit de canard and other duck fine products. for dinner, they served the most mouth-watering - you guessed it - roast duck with duck-infused cassoulet and scrumptious local roast potatoes prepared in duck drippings. of course, the requisite platter of fromage followed, capped by ice cream, everything served with local wine from the gers region. ain't this the life?
the heat has subsided and what with overcast skies and a good breeze, today was perfect hiking weather. really couldn't ask for better.
called it a day at maison labarbe, a gorgeous country inn dead centre of gascogne vineyard country. as it turns out, it was a duck farm specializing in the production of duck pate, confit de canard and other duck fine products. for dinner, they served the most mouth-watering - you guessed it - roast duck with duck-infused cassoulet and scrumptious local roast potatoes prepared in duck drippings. of course, the requisite platter of fromage followed, capped by ice cream, everything served with local wine from the gers region. ain't this the life?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
putain de punaises!
bedbugs. ughhhhhhhh. dozens of bites, very painful and swollen, evidently another allergic reaction similar to last year. sleepless night, felt them crawling all over me every second. switched beds three times, submitted my clother to a meticulous inspection at 3 am but the place was infested. disgusting.
hit the road early as i couldn't sleep anyway and got my mind off what i certainly knew to be hitchhikers in my knapsack. the day was saved in a big way when i ran into christophe, sebastien and laurent - from toulouse, lemans and montpelier respectively - a couple of super sweet guys with whom i laughed my way to eauze, some 35 km later. when we reached the city, i set all my belongings out on the lawn and laundered everything in sight. hope that does the trick.
had a grrr8 communal dinner with an international crowd. the camino's a little like life that way. one minute up, then next down but the very next back up again. tiens, c'est comme ca, n'est-ce pas?
hit the road early as i couldn't sleep anyway and got my mind off what i certainly knew to be hitchhikers in my knapsack. the day was saved in a big way when i ran into christophe, sebastien and laurent - from toulouse, lemans and montpelier respectively - a couple of super sweet guys with whom i laughed my way to eauze, some 35 km later. when we reached the city, i set all my belongings out on the lawn and laundered everything in sight. hope that does the trick.
had a grrr8 communal dinner with an international crowd. the camino's a little like life that way. one minute up, then next down but the very next back up again. tiens, c'est comme ca, n'est-ce pas?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
what's in a name?
first, i strolled through Chier (To Poo), then i hit Montcuq (MyAss) and now i have secured a spot for the night in Condom. ce qu'ils sont vulgaires, ces francais!! (clin d'oeuil, marie-claude!!)
hike day 16: lectoure
after hearing that la romieu must not be missed, i left the ancient vicarage of lectoure at dawn in anticipation of a hot 35 km day. every 10 minutes like clockwork, the sound of a gunshot echoed across the valley, instantly followed by flocks of swallows noisily taking flight. with all the gunshots reverberating across the countryside, one would have thought these hunting grounds. but no, it was nothing more than the tried and true method of pest control, one step up from the old scarecrow routine.
listed among unesco's world heritage sites, le romieu was settled in 1062 by a couple of monks who had just returned from a pilgrimage to rome (thus the name "la romieu"). the jaw-dropping cathedral with its octogonal tower was completed mid-xiv century and is surrounded by gorgeous grounds.
also, ancient folklore would have it that a young girl saved the village from certain starvation after a severe storm wiped out the local crops in the xiv century. as a huge cat-lover, she was pressed by the villagers to sacrifice all her precious felines as an emergency food supply (eeee-yewww!!) unbeknownst to her neighbours, she hid her favourite male and female inside her home where they had dozens of kittens. a few years later, the village was visited by plague-carrying rats, upon which angeline cut loose her army of cats to oust them. thus the village was once again saved by angeline and her cats. it is said as she grew older, angeline's features became very feline-like with pointy ears and chin and a hairy face! to this day, locals hold the many strays in high regard, feeding them and keeping them off the bbq spit!
listed among unesco's world heritage sites, le romieu was settled in 1062 by a couple of monks who had just returned from a pilgrimage to rome (thus the name "la romieu"). the jaw-dropping cathedral with its octogonal tower was completed mid-xiv century and is surrounded by gorgeous grounds.
also, ancient folklore would have it that a young girl saved the village from certain starvation after a severe storm wiped out the local crops in the xiv century. as a huge cat-lover, she was pressed by the villagers to sacrifice all her precious felines as an emergency food supply (eeee-yewww!!) unbeknownst to her neighbours, she hid her favourite male and female inside her home where they had dozens of kittens. a few years later, the village was visited by plague-carrying rats, upon which angeline cut loose her army of cats to oust them. thus the village was once again saved by angeline and her cats. it is said as she grew older, angeline's features became very feline-like with pointy ears and chin and a hairy face! to this day, locals hold the many strays in high regard, feeding them and keeping them off the bbq spit!
au royaume des tournesols
no doubt about it, i have landed smack in sunflower country. crops litter the countryside as far as the eye can see. right on the verge of blossoming, they already heed the magnetic draw of the sun, unanymously standing at attention as if patiently awaiting orders before springing to life. i wonder if i will still be in france by the time entire hillsides of mature sunflowers rotate their faces in unison from east to west in adoration of the sun's every whim. (is that laying it a little thick?!!) hmmm, what happens when the day is overcast or rainy? (way to throw a wrench in the works, h!!)
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