Tag Via Podiensis

French Camino: A Day of Distractions

Reg Spittle 1 Comment
  • Our hotel building dates to 1740.
  • We were the only guests at the isolated La Prade Hotel.
  • Church number one was locked.
  • My favorite church of the day.
  • A room for Sunday school?
  • Church 3, filled with art, exuded warmth.
  • Whose shoes? We were stumped.

The air was crisp this morning as we departed our hotel and walked through the tiny village of Miramont-Sensacq. An hour later, we hoped for distractions from the cornfields, pavement, and the onset of heat that would fall just short of 90.

We were in luck, sort of.

Churches continue to be one of my favorite features of the French Camino and we visited three today. Outside the first church, a young guy was packing up his camp that featured his hammock. He would catch up with us later, and we shared a few steps while he described his intention to walk all the way—solo—to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. A French native, he had started in Le Puy just a few days after us. His would be a 1,000-mile camping journey.

The surprise return of cattle country and new calves, amongst the cornfields, also refreshed part of the day. But another rerun—hills—reminded us over and over that the Via Podiensis was not finished issuing challenges.

In sum, it was an up-and-down day.

We are trying not to wish away the remaining seven days of this trek.

Yes, we are tired, but we remain aware this is an experience of a lifetime.

French Camino: Alas! A Zero Day

Reg Spittle 2 Comments
  • We went off trail to another church.
  • Great pasta in a Condom alleyway.
  • For several days, it was mostly vineyards.
  • Surprise…Hot fudge sundaes!
  • A tiny village had this bullring.
  • Lots of corn lately.

Our journey across France took a day off today after 12 straight days of changing countryside, dwindling fellow trekkers, and mostly scorching heat. A sprinkle of rain offered a day of relative cool while the trail led us over miles and miles of hot pavement on farm roads and, lately, through vineyards and corn fields. Yesterday marked a day when we saw just four other trekkers, quite the contrast from the pilgrim stampede of five weeks ago.

Although there have been some trying afternoons, our pause gives us time to relish what we have experienced while walking more than 400 miles and climbing more than 44,000 feet on the Via Podiensis. I will never forget the relief I felt yesterday at a rustic pitstop, chugging ice-cold water while sitting on a plastic chair on railroad tracks—in a rare sliver of shade.

Nine more days and a little more than 100 miles remain as we look forward to walking into St Jean Pied du Port in the Pyrenees, where fresh pilgrims will be arriving for their Camino Frances across Spain. I expect it will rekindle our treasured memories of our first Camino 10 years ago.