Aurelian surprised us this morning at the Gite by offering fried eggs along with the usual breakfast. We were out of the Gite by 8 am and explored the small walled town. We still didn’t have tonight’s accommodation booked but we had a plan. By 9 am we found ourselves in the only open bar we could find, a hot spot for the locals. Every new entrant greeted everyone else already there. A couple came in with a boxer sized grey dog and took a seat at a table. I couldn’t figure out why the dog never took his eyes off the waitress. Before long I had the answer – she presented him with a bowl of what looked like leftover ham. He too must be a regular.
We sat, the Marks with coffee, me with Orangina, and used our phones to find accommodation. Once beds were secured, Mark K called for a cab to get us there. We ended up in Larceveau, 45 km further down the trail, the nearest gite available. We figured after 26 straight days of walking, we deserved a rest day.
Our cab driver, Marina, would have been in her early 20’s. Mark K expected a man because when he phoned for the cab, the man who answered said he had just been in the bar we were in and had noticed the three pelerins. We speculate that he, the man from the phone, is Marina’s husband. She phoned him early on while driving and in the conversation, a baby could be heard fussing and crying in the background. This, we figure, was a chance for her to have a break away from the little one. Mark D said it felt weird going for a 40 minute drive after barely being in a car for almost a month.
Larceveau is firmly planted in the growing foothills of the Pyrenees. Hills are steep, lush, and green. Think “Sound of Music”. A low cloud mist hung over the hills and drizzle fell all day here.
We arrived at 10:30 am and had to fill in time until we could enter the Gite at 3 pm. The only place open was a patisserie busy with locals picking up their daily bread and chocolatines. There were no tables so we grabbed some sweet treats and left. The church had a large open-air roofed entrance area where we spent our time. Mark K got comfy and even pulled out his sleeping quilt to stay warm. We spent the hours constructively booking accommodations for Saint Jean Pied de Port, Roncesvalles, and Zubiri. Pamplona will come after those towns, but there is more choice there. There is only one gite in Roncesvalles and few alternatives. We were relieved to secure the next three nights.
At 2:45 pm we walked up to the Gite. The host was not pleased to see us early but we were happy to sit and wait outside. He warmed up to us when Mark K gave him the New Balance shoes he had worn for only two days. Both Marks are back in their old shoes. The weather is looking good for the next week so old shoes should do the trick. My new shoes seem to be agreeing with my feet. Only 80 km to Pamplona with one big mountain pass between.
Benjamin and Emmanuelle, friends, are both from France. They stayed in Larceveau for four nights at Gite Hego Alde Maison doing day hikes in the area. Their experience of the Chemin Le Puy was like that of the Gite hosts, they would return each evening for a communal meal with a whole new group of pelerins full of stories from the trail.