Last night’s dinner was reminiscent of dinner experiences on the Camino Del Norte in 2024 – nine people around a table, sharing and getting to know each other, enjoying the food and hospitality of our host. Olivier prepared a purée soup of greens, a main course of local green lentils with sausage, wine served with old cheese, and a chocolate cake for dessert. He was an interesting character who had spent a year of his youth working on a tobacco farm near London, Ontario. Last winter he studied Vedic medicine in India.
Agnes is from the north of France and stayed in the same Gite as us in Le Puy two nights earlier. She recently retired from a career in environmental protection. Her plan was ambitious – she was going to walk the Chemin Le Puy to Saint Jean Pied de Port, walk north to the Camino Del Norte, walk it to Oviedo, switch to the Camino Primitivo, and finish in Santiago de Compostela. She had until the end of June to complete the almost 1700 km journey, when her husband would join her for a well deserved holiday in Morocco. Agnes explained to us that many towns in France had upside down name signs as a protest to something the government was doing. The French can be very creative protestors.
The guide books told us this, the second day of walking, would be our most challenging. We walked 24 km and climbed the equivalent of 150 flights of steps. It was not as challenging as the first few days of the Camino Del Norte, but tough enough. The temperature was low and the wind was strong, but it didn’t rain.
Jules is from Paris. He had just quit his job and was walking for 10 days, from Le Puy to Figeac.
We found a bar at 10 am for coffee and happened upon a Donativo cafe around 12:30 pm. A Donativo simply means you pay what you can. A kind man opens up his house to pilgrims (pelerins in French). He offers coffee, tea, or chocolat chau (hot chocolate) for a donation. Stepping out of the cold wind and sitting down to warm drink with other weary strangers was a highlight of the day.
Florence is from a neighbouring region of France, out for a week of walking with her friend Bernadette. We met them at the Donativo cafe near Saugues.
Bernadette is from a neighbouring region of France, out for a week of walking with her friend Florence. We met them at the Donativo cafe near Saugues.
We finished our day in the town of Saugues at Auberge Chez Virginie, a restaurant bar with a few rooms upstairs. For dinner Virginie served us charcuterie of local meats, tripe or chicken, old cheese, and chocolate pudding. It did not disappoint.
Faces are becoming familiar and our routines are developing. We are feeling good.