Day 7 : Malbouzon to Nasbinals

Day: 7, Miles Today: 7.63, Miles To Date: 69.44

1 week completed. Many more to go.

Today completes my first week on the Camino. I feel like my legs & body are 50% of the way to Camino ready. I’m happy with that after 1 week. I’ll continue with medium length days for another week. Then I’ll think of ramping up to 12-15 mile days. (20-25 KM for those of us on those side of the planet. )

Walking in an ancient land

It is so interesting to walk in a place where almost everything is so ancient. Many buildings, churches, and even stone walls are 800+ years old. Here is a very old arched bridge. I’ve stopped looking up exact ages. Just call it very old. 

And here is a detail of the cross at the center of the bridge. 

Friends on the Way

As I mentioned before, the friends you make on the Camino are one of the best parts of the Way. Here I am on the trail with. Jerry, Agnes, and Jeremy. We all stayed at the Gite Chez Annie last night. 

Food, Glorious Food  

I haven’t talked enough about all the fabulous food on the Camino in France. Let’s start with breakfast, which is normally just coffee and a slice of bread with butter and honey or jam. But this isn’t a loaf of American white bread. It’s an incredible fresh baguette. And the butter is amazing. I don’t even miss my eggs and breakfast burritos. 

A Gite is like a hostel, or the equivalent of an alburgue in Spain. When I reserve one, I always get Demi-Pension (DP), also known as 1/2 board. That includes the room, dinner, and breakfast, all for about $45. What a deal!

And so many of the meals are amazing. (I’ll try not to overuse that word, but it’s appropriate so often here.) 

Last night we had braised beef cheek in the most incredible sauce. I used my bread to dip up every last drop of sauce. That happens at many meals. 

This afternoon, when I got to town, I stopped into the first open restaurant I found. I was ready for a simple sandwich. But what a surprise. I ran into Will and Carol from 2 days ago and they convinced me to try the Rognons with mushroom’s and cream sauce. That’s kidneys, which is not something I normally eat. But it was so delicious. I again left my plate and the serving dish completely clean. 

I was so stuffed from lunch, that I decided to have a salad for dinner. I ended up at the same place and dined with Michelle and Agnes, a lovely French couple doing a different Camino route through France. But off course, it wasn’t a simple salad. It was topped with pear and seared duck breast. That’s eating light in France.

 

Camino Life: 2 Caminos & Navigation

I hope to add a little note most days about life in general on the Camino. It really is like living in another world from what I’m used to. 

The term “Camino” is a generic word used to describe many many paths, mostly ancient, leading to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

Last year, 499,239 people ended up at Santiago officially. But because so many more people walk parts of the trail and don’t go all the way to Santiago, the number of pilgrims is significantly higher.

The Camino Francés (French Way) starts at the border of France and Spain, hence the name. It’s 99% in Spain. It has been the most popular Camino route since the 11th century and remains so to this day. Last year, 236,378 people got to Santiago via the French Way. That’s  almost 50% of all Camino pilgrims  It’s very very crowded. If you google Camino, most of the information you see relates to the Camino Frances. 

The second half of my trip will be on the Camino Frances. 

But the first half of my Camino is all in France on the Chemin du Puy, also know as the Via Podiendis or the GR65. It couldn’t be more different from the Frances. I’ve walked many miles so far where I don’t see more than 1 other pilgrim until I get to town. The accommodations are also smaller and more intimate. Tonight I’m in a room with 12 beds but only 3 people here. 

Finally, let’s talk about navigation. The GR65 is a part of the Grand Rondenee. Essentially, the GR’s are walking trails through France maintained by the National government. There are also state and local trails as well. Walking is a very big past time in France. 

The GR65 is marked by signs with a red and white stripe. I expected a nice big sign. But no. The sign is smaller than my hand if painted and the size of a business card if printed. The teeny tiny sign is somewhere at most intersections. But you have to search for it. It might be on a rock, a telephone pole, a stop sign pole, a fence post, a tree…. And it might be mixed in with many other trail symbols. 

To make sure you don’t go the wrong way, the other paths/roads at an intersection will have a red and white X. Hidden somewhere. Probably. Could you see the one below without the arrow? I’m really worried about how to find my way in a rainstorm  

So far, I’ve taken no wrong turns after the 1st mile. Knock on wood.

Buen Camino!