July 5, 2019 ... And it begins

https://youtu.be/pzC65T32ZL4 Composed by Mark Kolt

Waking up the morning of July 5th, I felt rested, confident, calm and determined. I knew it was going to be hot that day so wore my lightest clothes, a sleeveless top and capri pants. I made my way to the dining room with my backpack, ate a light breakfast of bread and coffee and left the residence at 6:30am heading to the Cathedral for my first 7:00am Pilgrim's Mass, my first stamp on my credential and then my first official step towards Santiago.

The Cathedral is a particularly serene place. Pilgrims, locals and Religieuse enjoy the pilgrim mass each day. For me it was a perfect start to this incredible journey. I celebrated Mass beside the same nun that had registered me into the Seminary the night before. I felt a little uncomfortable being beside a woman dressed from head to toe in a black habit and whimple while I was breezily comfortable in my sleeveless lululemon top and pink capris (why I chose pink I'll never know) but it was a done deal at that point. I tried not to dwell on it and listened to the familiar rhythym of the service and enjoyed my beautiful surroundings in La Cathedrale de la Notre Dame du Puy. Containing architecture from every period from the 5th to 15th Centuries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Puy_Cathedral I could feel the weight of history swirling around me in whispers and scents.

Following Mass, all Pilgrims gathered around the Bishop where he informally greeted everyone asking each of us where we were from. There were about fifteen of us. Person #1 was from France, Person #2 was from Belgium, person #3 was from France again, person #4 was from Canada! How wonderful! I'll have a walking partner and maybe a friend on the Camino. Listening to countless videos and podcasts I had heard that that was the way of the Camino. You meet people and sometimes have an instant connection. As the Bishop went through the group he came to me and I cheerfully exclaimed that 'I was also from Canada!' whereby the first Canadian countered with 'ah! but I am from Quebec!' Well, I have to tell you I was immediately annoyed. The Bishop joked that apparently there is still a little competition in Canada between the French and English. We all chuckled (well I pretended to chuckle), then received a blessing from the Bishop as well as a little shell medallion which is the symbol of the Camino and proceeded to the rectory to receive my first stamp on my Credential. A Credential is a passport type document to indicate that you are a Pilgrim allowing you to stay in Gites or Albergues along the route at minimal cost. It is also a much treasured physical record of where you visited along your journey.

Leaving the Sacristy with my Credential safely tucked away, I was excited to head back into the Sanctuary where in front of the Altar is a stairway which in essence exits the Cathedral through the mountain that it rests upon guiding you in the direction of Santiago.

So with my new backpack, new Tilly Hat, new walking sticks, snacks of trail mix and dried apricots from Le Puy's pharmacy I left the cool subdued light of the church and entered the brilliant sunny day that would climb to 30c. I had dallied a little before leaving and so found myself near the back of the pack. I really hadn't studied how to exit the town because I simply thought that it wouldn't be necessary to know in advance which is a little ridiculous when you realize that Le Puy has a population of over 26,000 people which is five times larger than my town of Flin Flon. One thing that I chose to do prior to this trip was to purchase the Miam Miam Dodo app on my phone rather than haul the heavy book around with me on the trek. I had also purchased a SIM Card with data and both of these tools became invaluable. I soon was able to catch up to some young hikers who were fumbling around with their guidebooks and they seemed to have a pretty good idea of where they were going. Fortunately I was able to confirm this by checking my location on my Miam Miam Do Do app and sure enough I could see the path directing me to St. Privat D'Allier over 20km ahead where I would spend my first night on the Camino as well as a little blue dot on the digital map, which was me, walking towards the outskirts of town. All was well! The sun beat down but I have little to no trouble with heat and with my 1 1/2 litre hydration bladder I was able to sip water whenever I felt like it. By the way, it's worth mentioning that I LOVE my hydration bladder (some call it a Camel Back). I think it is in the top five of my most valued possessions during the two months that I walked.

The exit from the Cathedral in front of the Altar

Leaving the Cathedrale de Notre Dame - Le Puy en Velay

Leaving Le Puy en Velay

Along the way I passed my first GR65 Chemin de St. Jacques sign with the distinct white and red marker which I would be keeping an eye out for constantly over the next month until I reached St. Jean Pied du Port. I walked through little villages with farmyards along the path. A beautiful rooster reminded me of my mom who had loved roosters.

Click arrow in photo to see slide show

After a few hours of walking, le chemin actually became a footpath. This surprised me. I was expecting country lanes or cultured paths but I would learn that many times along the Camino in France in particular the route would be rugged and not for the faint of heart. The sun beat down but I happily and quite easily walked along the trail at my own pace for those first few hours. At some points I would see other hikers resting along the trail, enjoying a light lunch or having a snooze. At one point I thought that I would take a break myself. Before leaving Canada I had read up on as much as I could on what strategies to employ on the first few days of the Camino. I learned that it would take my body a good week to get used to things and that the third day would be the hardest. I knew that I should take periodic breaks of five or ten minutes throughout the day, loosen my shoe laces or better yet take my feet out of my shoes and let them breathe and stretch. I read about everything I could about the perfect socks. Not too thick, not too thin, double socks, they should breathe. I had even purchased a pair of skin-type plastic feeling socks that were supposed to prevent blisters but they absolutely did not feel comfortable at all and were abandoned in Flin Flon a month earlier. I heard that I had to be attentive to 'hot spots' on your feet, although in all honesty I didn't know what that meant. (It means parts of your feet that are starting to become raw through rubbing and becoming sore). As I walked, I constantly analyzed how my body felt with every step. How are you doing feet? Good job shoulders! Love you back pack! Knees are A-Ok! All systems GO. No matter how much you prepare for this experience in all honesty everything is new and in my opinion nothing really prepares you for walking eight hours a day other than doing it. They say that the first part of the Camino is about 'the body', the second part ' the mind' and the third part 'the soul'. I have to agree. Before my trip I salivated over other Pilgrim stories. My son was the first person in our community to walk the Camino and he was the first one to share the importance of carrying healthy snacks along the way. Two women from my town had recently walked the Camino and came to my house with their backpacks and shared all of their wisdom about everything from which bandages to bring along, which water proof bags to purchase for your possessions, what clothes to bring and essentially share stories of grand adventures. This was invaluable. Along the way I did take a break in some tall grass or hay along a farmer's field. Shaded by a large tree I dutifully removed my shoes and socks, stretched my toes and gave them a quick examin and enjoyed some fruit and nuts with water.

Hills in the distance. First thought ...'gosh do I need to climb those? assuming yes!

While having dinner at the Seminary the previous night there was a woman a little older than myself with whom I had tried to strike up a conversation and it went nowhere. After mass I tried again to make eye contact and she simply was not interested in connecting with me in the least. I really don't mind being by myself so I just let it be. Throughout the day I would see her periodically. Once I saw her in a small town that we went through, I saw her resting having lunch on the side of the path, I saw her chatting with a person or two along the road and after a while it felt as if we were avoiding each other. It was odd. After a few hours of walking we met up again close to the town of Montbonnet which is more or less two thirds of the way between Le Puy and St. Privat D'Allier. On the outskirts of town was a small chapel that we all ended up entering when we arrived primarily to get out of the heat. I had noticed this same woman walking slowly in front of me for about half an hour. We had already walked about 14 kms which was starting to feel long for a first day and there were 5 more kilometers to go. I had planned to stop for lunch in Montbonnet on the advice of my son who had decided not to do so, much to his regret. Nevertheless, even though I was so close to town I was happy to enjoy the coolness of the church. When entering the chapel who would I meet but none other than the same woman who had avoided me all day. This time when I saw her though she didn't look hauty, she looked exhausted and worried. I could see that she only had an ounce or two of water left in her bottle. It occurred to me that she had run out of water. I greeted her and then simply asked her if she needed water. She looked stunned and at first said that she would be fine. I looked her in the eyes and said in my unsophisticated french, 'let me give you water. I have enough'. (In all honesty it was the first time that I had used my hydration bladder for a full day and wasn't competely sure on how to empty it of some of its contents to help her out but I felt pretty determined to try). Her mood transformed into disbelief and sincere appreciation. It was indeed a blessing of camaradie in my first Camino chapel. We never saw each other again but it was a wonderful moment. When I arrived in Montbonnet I stopped at a roadside cafe for a delicious meal of lentils (regional specialty) and salad. It was delicious.

Lunch at Monbonnet Chapel when arriving at Montbonnet

I honestly don't remember much about the walk between Montbonnet and St. Privat d'Allier other than the fact that the last six kilometers was exhausting. I had not reserved a bed in a hostel in St. Privat d'Allier before leaving Le Puy because I really had no idea whether I would even get there. I wasn't familiar enough with my Miam Miam Do Do App to know how to call the hostel ( or gite as they are called in France), nor was I comfortable speaking in french on the phone. I had heard along the grapevine that there was a preferred place to stay but I decided not to worry about it until I got there. When arriving into St. Privat I was fairly exhausted. I tried to get a bed at one gite that seemed popular but it was full. A second gite proved the same. I finally found a bed at a hostel called Kompost L. It was a little 'rugged' but quite literally beggars can't be choosers and I was able to find the owner and secure a bed. Unfortunately I was so tired that I forgot to pull out my Credential for the manager to stamp when paying for the room. I assumed that I would have another chance in the morning but it was not to be. After showing the manager my actual Passport and paying for the bed I was brought to the back of the building where we had to climb a flight of outdoor stairs to get to the mudroom where you left your shoes and walking sticks, then passed through the kitchen, dining and sitting room and then the bedrooms with two bunk beds where both bottom bunks were occupied with sleeping bags. So, at 58 years of age I syc'd myself into the fact that I would have to sleep on the top bunk and more importantly wondered whether I was actually able to drag myself up to a top bunk especially in light of the fact that I could barely drag myself up the flight of stairs moments earlier. It was about 5:30pm by that time. I had walked for 9 hours and had survived. I checked my toes and not one blister so far. I pulled out my new tiny sleeping bag, which was another of my loved possessions on my Camino and placed it on the top bunk. I organized by belongings and tried to imagine what routine I would need to keep track of my belongings. I took a shower, realized that the cute Lulu Lemon tank top that I started the day in had been a big mistake when I noticed that my arms and shoulders were burnt to a crip (it was never worn again), changed clothes, washed the clothes that I had worn and soon met my roommates Illenyi and Eszter Balzs from Budapest. They were a lovely couple. The husband graciously offered me a bottom bunk which I gratefully accepted. Too tired to find supper in the town I nibbled on a few of my nuts while sharing a wonderful conversation the best we could with my room mates. I tried to find the manager again to have my Credential stamped but she was nowhere to be found and I was too shy to ask further. Grabbed some tea and bread from the kitchen and was in bed by 8pm. Day ONE was a success.

https://youtu.be/vztqG4Y7RNM

https://www.plotaroute.com/route/979419?units=km

NOTES HOME:

Phew, well I actually got further than I thought I would. I am spending the night in a gite in St. Privat D'Allier. I clocked around 24km. I started at 8am (mass and blessing for the pilgrims was at 7am and we left shortly after) and ended up here at 5pm. Slow and steady wins the race I guess. There were some beautiful parts to the day. I was relieved that my body could take it. Am fumbling through cultural traditions and happy that Julian and Brandon paved the way for me. The sisters (all young by the way) prepared a wonderful dinner of stewed lentils ( a specialty of Le Puy) green beans and hamburger cooked in between a halved large tomato. I can't wait to try that for you dad, it was delicious! Rice, spaghetti. The etiquette is very particular, you must serve everyone before you serve yourself. This morning there was a big urn of coffee... yay... but as I fumbled around looking for a mug they ended up giving me a big transparent glass bowl. That's when I remembered Brandon's experience with that (when he was visiting his cousins in Toulouse). I ended up having a Julian-type experience or rather a reverse experience! On the of the women who I think is about 70 and seemed to think I was a little uncooth ran out of water on the trail. I was able to help her out and she was quite grateful. Going back to the blessing in Le Puy, the bishop was great. During the blessing after mass he asked us where we were all from. There were mostly people from Francing walking as far as Conque but there were people from other countries as well. Before he got to me there was another woman from Canada, when it was my turn I said that I was also from Canada. The other Canadian piped up with 'but I am from Quebec' then I mentioned that I was from Manitoba. The Bishop made a bit of a joke about it. I stopped in Montbonnet for lunch. This is a lentil salad. It is delicious! Cooked lentils then prepared as a salad with red onions, balsamic dressing not sure of the spices... There is really clear signage...so you just go where it tells you. But there were a few 'cow pathers'. Anyways my difficult time was from Montbonnet to St. Privat D'Allier. I climbed up the hill I think you talk about Julian. It was tough because of the pebbles but where I really struggled was the next part... down the mountain! It was like trying to get down a little path with switchbacks the length of 4 sipple hills. The trek down was hard on my shoulders and toes...I kept bracing myself from tumbling down the mountain!... and trying to keep my toes away from my boot. That last trek down the mountain was very narrow but super rocky... I think it took me about an hour. Glad that is over. Apparently it's going to be super hot tomorrow (it was about 30c today) will see how far I get.