July 11, a LOT of information

So as mentioned in my previous blog from July 10th, I had had a fabulous sleep in my treehouse/tent waking up refreshed and ready to go. Before our dinner in the village I had accumulated a wealth of knowledge both by observing my surroundings and in discussions with people in the campground. The campground was similar in size to the Flin Flon Campground with washroom, charging stations for cell phones and showers and the camper trailers in France seemed miniature to those which we have in North America. https://www.chezfannyetjeremy.fr

One minivan had a tent attachment on the roof of the vehicle which seemed practical since I personally prefer sleeping off the ground. One woman had erected a tiny tent on the ground close to the showers which seemed to be the width and length of her body mostly collapsed except for a rod holding the head of the tent up, but she seemed quite comfortable and happy with it. It occurred to me that without mosquitoes there is not the same urgency for protection from insects as in Canada and with beautiful weather and little risk of rain a tent is only required for privacy rather than respite from insects. I had a wonderful conversation with two lovely people whom I had been meeting periodically along the route since Saugues. Marie and her husband had been walking on Le Chemin with a little wagon instead of backpacks that they pulled behind them with all of their provisions, including a tent and gas stove. It seemed incredible to me that they were able to pull the wagon through the rugged mountain trails but indeed they did and were experienced trekkers. As we discussed the trail with me marveling at their achievements, I had mentioned how difficult it was for me personally to both ascend and descend the steep trails, but that between the two, descending was my most recent worry since we had been doing a lot of it during the last few days and my toes were reacting to the pummeling. My big toe in particular had taken a pounding and was really throbbing by the end of that day's journey. Marie gave me the greatest advice which I carried over the next seven weeks of walking. She told me that I needed to walk on my toes when climbing and then on my heels when descending. Of course it made complete sense as soon as I heard it and it was a game changer! I am forever grateful. After leaving their campsite, I walked a few yards to our tent area and then had a wonderful conversation with my new tent-mate Sandrine about foot care. As a police officer and avid hiker she had a lot of information to share on the subject. One product she insisted on my trying was a cream by NOK - Sports Akileine for anti-chafing and blister prevention. It seemed to work great and I purchased some a few days later. In the morning before leaving the campsite I made sure to treat my feet to the cream before heading off. I was glad that I did since it would be a long 9 hour walk to Espalion.

This was the last little building that I saw as I climbed the hill out of St. Cely d'Aubrac. I marveled at the craftsmanship of the stonework and loved seeing the shells near the roof which is the symbol of the Camino. They were starting to appear more and more often now. By the way, the photo above is actually a slide show so click on the arrow inside the photo on the right to see more photos.

Just behind me, from where I took the photo of the house, was the town cemetary. I love cemetaries and enjoy reflecting on the lives lived in the town as well as seeing how people honour their deceased loved ones. My sister-in-law is married to a Bernier so the name caught my eye but the dried flower centerpiece intrigued me. Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there even though it delayed me by about twenty minutes which meant that my fellow pilgrims were quite literally kilometres ahead of me by the time I left town and once again I walked in solitude for some time.

Rounding the corner through a little village some time later I came upon my first hospitaliero for pilgrims in France. Outside of a small open stone building with a sign that read Lou comi Saint Jacques I was greeted by chickens, a few stray cats and a table with coffee, hot water, tea bags and orange juice. It was absolutely lovely. I rested for a bit, had a small cup of coffee, took the quick video seen below and left a euro as a donation/thankyou on the table beside the coffee. I was about to leave when I heard a familiar clackety clack coming around the corner. Who should appear but Marie and her huband pulling their little wagon. We hugged each other in greeting and enjoyed our beautiful welcoming surroundings. Marie took me back into the little shelter with the sign, coffee, water and cats and explained to me that this building had been the village outdoor bread oven. It was obvious to me once she opened the wooden oven door by the back wall and explained to me how the villagers would use it. I enjoy history. In Manitoba, outside of the capital city of Winnipeg there is a wonderful interactive fort called Lower Fort Garry which has a very similar outdoor oven. I loved making the connection. We wished each other well and I headed on my way while they took a few minutes of rest at this lovely place. I don't believe I ever saw them again. It is the way of the Camino where you can meet a fellow pilgrim quite regularly then simply never connect again.

I meandered through small farms and villages into forests always mindful of what my feet were walking over, attentive to rocks or tree roots that might trip me up but along the route there were beautiful views to enjoy like the rock wall seen below. I could imagine both templar knights or thieves surprising pilgrims as they walked around the corner of this high walled path.

I came upon information about the LOT Valley that I had been travelling through. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lot_(department) Lot is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region of southern France. It's home to dramatic clifftop villages such as Rocamadour, known for the Cité Réligieuse complex of religious buildings. To the northeast, the Padirac Cave has underground lakes and unusual rock formations. South, the Pech Merle Cave features prehistoric rock art. Cahors is a town known for its red wine and the Pont Valentré, a medieval bridge. ― Google

NOTE: a few weeks later I learned from a cousin who had walked the Camino with her husband that they had taken a detour to Rocamadour as well as visited the Padirac Cave which were both fabulous. I wish I could have seen those places. I had been so close to so many wonderful places and even walked past important symbols of the walk not having notices them, such as the Gevaudan in Saugues. Even though you see so many wonderful things on the Camino it is easy to also miss a lot either by happenstance or intention and I think all pilgrims have to make their peace with that. I had been so busy with putting my job, family and projects in order before leaving Canada for two months to walk the Camino that I honestly did little research (other than supplies, body care, transportation and technology) on what I might want to see on the walk. Looking back now, I'm personally glad that I did it that way for my first Camino. I simply let my walk proceed organically from day to day but I would love to return to see these amazing sites.

Sweet Chestnut Trees - Castanea Sativa

When walking through a forest I noticed very distinct trees and sure enough discovered that they had some significance to the livelihood of the local people... they were Sweet Chestnut Trees.

For some reason I was compelled to stop, read the literature close by and simply admire these beautiful trees. All around me were pompom type pods on the ground, which were the chestnuts. What fun! Below I have included two informative videos about Sweet Chestnuts. The fellow in the second video mentions in that they might have been planted by the Romans which makes complete sense since there is a distinct Roman presence in the area having just climbed over the Roman bridge the day before when I arrived at St. Chely D'Aubrac. https://youtu.be/FZbAXxWQ4bw https://youtu.be/-_3xEoEZQhQ

Leaving my magical chestnut tree I continued through the forest and eventually started approaching a few hikers ahead of me. This is what I wrote in my message home that night to my family.

NOTES HOME: I had meant to take the 'variant' route (which is easier and faster) from St. Chely to Espalion but met some interesting people along the way and continued on the regular path which was classified in Miam Miam Dodo as 'medium' difficult (which I translate to difficult) and 6 kilometres classified as 'easy' (which I classify as easy as well). In my experience 'Difficult' in Miam Miam Do Do meant hazardess for my ability level and took it seriously when I saw the designation. As I was walking through the forest I heard 2 young girls (probably 25 yrs old) that were walking behind me and I was sure I heard a bit of English. JOY! Sure enough one was a Canadian from Vancouver who was walking with her friend from Norway. We chatted only for a few seconds as they passed me for the gal from Vancouver was on a mission to get to Espalion to find cake! Oh Canada... so cute. I met another tall slim woman whom I walked with longer and whom I found to be really interesting. She is 50 (yrs), an American now living in New York City. She has worked on film, lived and filmed in the Antarctic, lived for a decade in Oklahoma (I think)...then walked the Camino pretty much the same time as Julian where she met and fell in love with a French Canadian. Around that time she had decided to make a career change. Her grandmother had taught her how to sew. She has started making her own clothes line. She made her own hiking clothes . There were perfect. I told her about the trouble I had finding a pair of pants that comfortably fit my middle aged body for the trip. Every detail of her pants, from the colour, to the fabric, to the size and intension of each pocket was so well thought out. She had tried for several years to immigrate to Canada but was unsuccessful so she was back on the Camino for a second time to reflect on her direction in life.

My legs are tired and I can feel every muscle but nothing is hurt (injured). I'm really proud of this ole body of mine that it hasn't succumbed to the challenges of the Camino. I'm pretty proud at how great my backpack is and how well I carry it. Think I am finally loosing a bit of weight. If 1500km of walking doesn't do it then nothing will!

I'm pretty sure that the clothing designer also recounted a horrific story that she had with bedbugs, where she woke up one morning a week earlier with over hundred bites over her body requiring her to seek immediate medical attention. I had heard little of bedbugs before this conversation and I took note.

I as able to meet up with Andree Ann (Quebec), Jean Luc and I think Fanny in Saint Come d'Olt which would be the last pit stop before Espalion. Poor Andree Ann was having serious problems with her feet. Even by day two of walking she had started to get blisters and by this point she could barely walk and made the decision to take a cab to Espalion which was smart. She abandoned her runners and purchased a new pair in the village that eventually worked well for her although she would be finishing her hike in a day or two in any case.

I said goodbye to my dear Andree Ann and I believe that was the last time that I would see her. Interesting how close you become to people after only a few days of walking. I had met Andree Ann on July 5th and although it was only the 11th, we had shared a few grand adventures together and I as well as many other on the route enjoyed her exuberant personality.

Exquisite Espalion

view from my bedroom window

Gite au Fils de l'Eau - Espalion https://gite-espalion-aufildeleau.fr/

https://youtu.be/Oe8CNhaScIk

I arrived a little after my other walking buddies to this gorgeous 4 story very old stone building. In most gites in France the first thing you do is drop off you backpack and ask about the gite's protocal. In this case backpacks were given a designated place to reside not far from your walking shoes and sticks. To me there was always a leap of faith 'abandonning' my poor backpack in a lobby. I remember thinking, what if someone mistakes it for their own and it disappears? Perhaps it happens on the Camino but I neither heard of nor experienced such problems. Also I never saw another backpack like my own. It's colour and design seemed different than all the others and now as I reflect on it, every backpack seemed uniquely designed for each hiker. I think it must be the case since each hiker would pack the bag in their own way adding their own special touch to this special item.

After having my Camino Credential stamped the owner of the gite told me that I could use the washer and dryer that evening and until you experience washing your clothes each evening by hand for a week nothing can prepare you for the joy of being able to deeply clean and dry your clothes within a few hours. I had a shower, put on my one dress that I had purchased in Paris for my cruise on the Seine (you'll have to return to July 3rd to learn about that sad story) and went in search of a grocerie store because we were going to have another communal dinner.

Very close to the Gite, which I was grateful for since after walking for 9 hrs I was not interested in looking further than a block or so, I came across a lovely little shop with a variety of vegetable dishes. As a Polish Canadian, when I need to bring food to a table there seems to be only one quantity.. 20 people and over. Anyways there was a young man running the shop that reminded me very much of one of my nephews. It was closing time so I pretty much bought out his potatoe, squash and carrots. I also asked him if he knew where I could buy a bottle of wine... then things got a little...interesting.

I asked the fellow where I could buy a bottle of wine and he became very animated. He said wait! I live 2 minutes away I have a bottle of wine and will get it for you. I tried to say that it wasn't necessary but he insisted and was gone like a shot. So there I was guarding his store and sure enough he returned in 2 minutes with a bottle of wine. I paid him for the food and the wine not knowing whether I was over paying or not but it was what it was. Next and odder still he asks for a selfy which I agree to because, again he reminds me of my nephew. I am a little better now but am no of the 'selfy' generation so I remember seeing it chuckling to myself. Here was a middle-aged woman in a really bad 'here-we-are' pose with a young guy in his 'young sultry -selfy' pose in a little shop in Espalion. I thanked him again for helping me out and the next thing I know he gives me a hug and almost bursts into tears. I ask him if he is OK and he replies that he is happy to help a woman. Who knows, maybe I reminded him of his mom, in any case that was an odd experience.

I returned back to the gite with my food and wine and started to help with the preparation of the food. There were two new people who were coordinating the preparation of the food for the dinner.

NOTES HOME: I was just helping to prepare the food. We started talking about lessons we were learning (on the Camino). I mentioned that personally I learned to take the Camino one second/rock at a time. I continued with 'I am the type....je suis le type, I was going to continue with... that plans things 5 or 6 years ahead of time. I didn't get past the word 'type' when the woman gave me a stern 'NO', un type est pour un homme, tu dois dire..'J'a nana. At first I thought she was saying anana (pineapple) and that it was a slang expression. I guess if someone is 'a peach' maybe they could be 'a pineapple'? But she clarified that 'nana' is the female version of 'type'. Anyways I backed away from the conversation a little after that because I knew that I could easily do another faux pas considering how tired I was. We did have an interesting discussion on accents. To my ear, Fanny from Parish pronounced Pain (bread) as Pah, while the Qubecois accent for bread seemed to me to be 'Peh'. We had a delicious meal with wonderful wines and I was happy to go to bed with all of my clothes washed and dried ready for the morning.

I was going to let this photo slip into oblivion but it might give some of you who aren't in marathan form the courage to consider the Camino, (and you will see that indeed by the end of 1500kms I did loose that weight). That is me in the dress on the left, at the head of the table is Andree Ann, Jean Luc, Fanny, new woman, and across from me the lovely Sandrine.

Video of fellow walking to Espalion - what happens when you get lost https://youtu.be/PhbkLbP8ni0