Europe 2005

EUROPE 2005

We arrived in Madrid after a long flight from Mexico City. Straight away changed to an Air Nostrum flight to Marseilles in France. Air Nostrum is the regional airline for Iberia. The aircraft was a small Canadian made plane but quite comfortable and it didn’t fly too high so we could see the Spanish countryside. Well I did as Leah fell asleep!! Also a nice meal which she missed out on.

Marseilles airport is a fair way out of town to the west. We had to get a bus to our train station in order to get to Le Puy. Choices of train – a bit limited. Slower cheap trains had all departed so we were stuck with the TGV (to Lyon). Booked on one and then proceeded to miss it by less than 1 minute. I couldn’t believe it – by the time we walked from the ticket office to the platform they had closed the doors and the b …… train was off. Great start to France. But there was another TGV leaving 1 hour later so we re booked on that. Euro zone costs – a real wake up call. EU 100 for the train fare!!.

But the TGV WAS fantastic. It went very fast but you never actually felt as if you were doing anything more than just cruising. So into Lyon Par Duex station quick smart where we change for another train to St Etienne. St Etienne was a big town and from there we got a nice ¾ empty rail car to Le Puy. Now that was a nice trip – through the French countryside. We followed a river part of the way which gave excellent scenery.

Le Puy en Velay. The town of history. A period piece. Scenery to burn. The starting point of our pilgrimage. It was all of that. The old centre with its narrow streets, cathedrals, squares, olde worlde shops and the like – well they were quite stunning. And it had the almost obligatory chapel on a rock and a statue of Christ on another high point. We arrived late and I got into trouble as I did not have a place worked out for us to stay at. I had expected to arrive much earlier and use the time to tap tourist info. But it was closed so I made use of my impeccable French (sic) to check out on youth hostels. Yay. There was one in town – right in the old section close to the cathedral, but up a hill. Anyway it was OK – we shared a room with a dutch couple who were also walking the Route. We had a cheap dinner in town and followed with an early night.

Next day off to the Cathedral to book in as pilgrims. The cathedral was great and we checked in at the sacristry where a nun looked after us. Well should I say Bruno a French guy from Nevers translated for us. He was a wonderful find – we caught up with him along the way and were invited to his home in Nevers. We were tempted but it was out of the way. So after a bit of tooing and froing we got our passports and first stamps and a DODO book sort of showing the route and listing all the gites. We also “acquired” a map of France. Well Leah did in her usual style. No more need be said. We stayed and watched the service for a little while but then went out to get some lunch and buy some dinner. Who should we then meet at the internet café but Marc and Michelle; he a Belgium and she an American. They were off all the way to Santiago having started in Veselay. An interesting story – he intended to propose to her on the steps of Santiago cathedral once they got there. They slept in the cathedral annex in Le Puy which we regretted missing, not the least because it was free, and they got a meal. They talked to us about jet lag and tried really hard to get us to stay an extra night, but we were resolute in our determination to press on.

So off we went – just as it started to rain. Which didn’t last thank goodness. The camino is actually called the Chemin Podiensis in France. It is marked on hiking trails as GR (Grand Randonee) 65 and you have to follow red and white marks. No amarillo fleches in France which is a bit of a pity.

As now seems usual on our marathon walks, we had a steep uphill to begin. They always find me out on the first day. It is probably just breaking back into it. But the way out of Le Puy took us past some historic sites. An old fort cum castle on a bit of a ridge, an old tower on another high point. They seemed to love all the high ground in the early Middle Ages.

After the first few kilometers it wasn’t too bad and we had a straight run into Montbonnet.

Montbonnet was a small old town with no shops and only a small pub cum café which sold a modest variety of eats. We took a room at the local gite and had a meal there. It was pretty good and we caught up with the dutch couple we met back in Le Puy. But the price EU 48.00 for room and food – phew. A bit higher than we were used to on the Spanish camino.

It’s probably best that I deal with our walk as a series of highlights. It would be a bit boring to do things on a day by day basis. So here goes …..

For me first – Highlights

1) Chapel of St Roque and Look out – we got to this really small village which had a lookout on a rocky tor. I climbed up to a small chapel perched on the side of the hill. I mean it was really small. About 30 feet long and probably no more than 10 feet wide. The pews were lined up against the wall and the Altar looked like a tiny lectern. There was a visitors book there though so I entered up my remarks and my compulsory drawing of a Kiwi. Then up to the lookout which had been there since the 13th century. What views across the valleys and watersheds. It was easy to imagine a couple of soldiers with swords and spears keeping watch there.

2) Walk out of Monistrol d’Allier - a steep climb straight after lunch up past a chapel
dedicated to Mary Magdelene . The chapel was cut into a rocky cliff. The climb
seemed to on for miles and miles.

3) Aumont Aubrac – Leah had a couple of blisters so we stopped there for a couple of nights in a nice Gite. Big room with 20 Beds which we shared with an irish lass and our French friends who were traveling with a donkey. It carried all their gear whilst they walked in comfort. We and our irish lassie (Norah) had the room to ourselves on the second night. Marc and Michelle caught up with us here – they stayed in the monastery. We had already paid at the gite or we would have changed. Also met up with two Austrian priests (Thomas and Louis) who were going all the way to Santiago. Having started in eastern Austria what’s more. Thomas, the older and more senior of the two, had this huge fund of compellingly rude jokes which he proceeded to regale us with at dinner in broken english. They were filthy but very funny particularly as they sort of came out in a fractured way. We didn’t know quite what to make of it – after all they were priests and aren’t those guys supposed to be modest and reserved in their demeanour. Maybe it is a new trend ie the priest as a man of the people. Which brings to mind Jacob, a bearded Belgium who was limping the chemin. He had the biggest blisters (including one that was infected) we had ever seen and a doctor had told him to stop. So by way of compromise he arranged to get his pack sent on ahead each day so that he could walk?? unemcumbered.

4) Espalion – a town I really liked. We had great lodgings in this nice gite near the centre of town. Importantly the town had a decent supermarket and we could do our own cooking. Bliss. The old centre was excellent with the usual cathedral and 800m year old bridge. I love the way they built them back in the old days. A nice arch with a keystone, cobbles and a clear sense of history. There were old platforms by the river where people used to beat the leather after dyeing or something. Met Oliver and Erich, two Frenchmen here. Oliver had something to do with computer journalism. He gave me a couple of tips regarding anti virus software (not Nortons or Macafee!!) but blowed if I can remember what they are.

5) Estaing – another historic town close to Espalion. I am glad we did not miss this. We met up with MandM again and managed to go with them and book into the monastery. Two bedrooms with about 6 beds in each. Supposedly pilgrims only but I wondered about the French family that came in later. The good thing about this place was that dinner and breakfast were included and you paid by donation. We felt morally obliged to go to mass but didn’t stay for the singing. Actually the priests were very hospitable – I mean we had wine with our meal and as much to eat as one could within a prescribed period of time. We helped wash up. The acid test was morning when donations were called for. I think only Oliver and us put any money in the box. Pretty poor really as the others ended up being freeloaders. Even M-M. Estaing had a fine castle overlooking a bend on the river. It had some old bridges and nice historic walking tours. We ambled around all the back streets and I went down to the south end of town to check out the gite. It looked OK but I think that we had the better deal with the monestary.

6) Conques – a real period piece of a village. We arrived late on a Saturday and were lucky to find a bed in a small communal gite. We had the chance to go into the monestary but for some reason we turned that down. And then missed out later as it was on a first come first served basis. Conques itself is a real middle ages town complete with the obligatory cathedral. The Cathedral is dedicated to St Abbe de Foy a young lass who was matyred at 13 years of age for not renouncing her faith. She was canonized years later and a whole religious panoply developed around her. They had a museum in Conques which had some objets d’art dedicated to the saint. We saw photos of a gold mask crafted in the 12th century. It was a superb piece. They also had jewellery donated by various bishops and the like over the years. The cathedral was being set up for a TV show on Sunday so we couldn’t see inside too well. But the front arch over the door featured this amazing tympanan. Which is a religious carving in stone. This one which is quite unique and really well preserved shows what happens to all the goody two shoes (who go to heaven) and the bad guys (who end up in hell). I liked the depiction of hell. Horrible monsters with huge mouths into which the no goods are being pushed, devils burning others, yet others being led away thru’ the gates of hell. The whole thing is a play on the seven deadly sins (greed, pride, laziness, anger, lust ….) and I guess an attempt to show the peasants what would happen to them if they did not do as they were told. The artistry was supreme and we were doubly lucky as we were there when a guide was explaining the symbology to a group and we had a friend who translated for us. Conques was set in a narrow valley – a natural strong point and it had town gates, some of which have survived. Huge crowd in town and we were lucky to get a feed. Leah went down to the local camping ground and got the bare essentials at the camp store.

7) Livinhac l’Haut – we weren’t supposed to stay here but we missed a turn somewhere and ended up following this group of Frenchwomen around our destination to Livinhac. It was a small town with a gite run by the mayor, who also had the only pub in town. He was a bit of a hard case and tried to diddle me of my change for my beer. All these small places posed problems in terms of getting something to eat. Shops were all small and usually closed after 5.00pm particularly on a weekend.

8) Figeac – we decided to stop In Figeac and resume on the Podiensis at some other time. Figeac was a nice town and most importantly it had a railway station which would take us either north or south. We stayed at a small hostel up a hill in the north of the town. Not a bad place – we shared a room with two others but missed the chance to stay at a seminary. MandM overnighted there and we just missed them the next day. Figeac had a nice old cathedral and a monestary set on a small hill in the south of the town. Nice walk there thru’ cobbled streets. A more modern place than others we had stayed in so not too much to tell.

9) Lot department – we spent a few days walking thru’ the valley of the Lot. And across a sort of plateau. Really beautiful countryside and would have been even better if we had gone thru a couple of months later. All the sunflowers would have been in bloom and the grapes would have ripened. The fields were all well tended and there were little copses here and there. Lots of contented looking cows (why wouldn’t they be with all that grass around) and the villages had vege gardens so no wonder the shops were somewhat lacking in supplies.

In summary we covered 255km along the way to St Jean. We have a date to finish the remaining 500km at some stage in the future. Can’t wait as it takes us thru southern France. The walk is a little tougher than the Spanish camino and the gites (refugios in Spain) are more expensive. But we missed a couple of monasteries so could have saved a bit with a bit more local knowledge.


Date Town Kilometres (cumulo)
28 - 29/6 Le Puy 0
29/6 Montbonnet 16.7
30/6 Saugues 44.0
1/7 St Albans 73.5
2/7 Aumont-Aubrac 88.0
4/7 Nasbinal 115.8
5/7 St Chely d’Aubrac 131.8
6/7 Espalion 155.8
7/7 Estaing 168.8
8/7 Senergues 194.2
9/7 Conques 203.3
10/7 Livinhac L’Haut 227.3
11/7 Figeac 255.8


So now what? Our ultimate goal is to get to Barcelona as we have a flight to Athens at some stage. We were now about three weeks ahead of our timetable so decided to divert to Rocamadour.

Rocamadour is another period piece about 150km north of Figeac. We got there by train and then lo and behold a nice lady gave us a lift into town from the station. We were so surprised at her offer we nearly gave it a miss. I mean Leah kept asking, “how much, what price?”, but it was for free!! So she drove us to Rocamadour and then to a gite about 7km away in the country. The gite was interesting – we had a small A framed room which may have been the chicken coop in the old days. There was another room close by which doubled as a kitchen. Quite a nice set up.

Walk back into town. Rocamadour (which means Rock of Adour) is quite surreal. It is a village perched on the side of a steep river valley. The houses, plus chapels, plus churches and cathedrals are built into the hill from about half way up right to the top of the valley. There is a chateau cum castle overlooking the town. Over to one side there is another area which was the old hospital – in pilgrims terms a place for travelers and the like. The name Rock of Adour derives from an old hermit who was supposed to have lived there back in the 11th Century. He was thought of as a remarkably holy man so a whole monestary and village was set up in his honour. The town also became important as a link in the pilgrims route to Santiago. Pilgrims came to be blessed at the Rock of Adour.





We walked down the cliff and into town with the churches etc towering above us. The town was packed with tourists and all the old houses and shops were fronts for either tacky souvenir places or cafes. No supermarkets at all so we had trouble finding something for dinner. I can’t remember what we did but we ended up with food somehow.

Anyway we trudged up the stairs to the chapel and cathedral complex. It was pretty steep going up and you had amazing views over the valley below. The chapel complex had been converted to a bit of a museum (I think that there were a lot of religious objets d’art in silver) and the cathedral had some great stained glass windows and a couple of wooden carvings of the Passion which were very good. I also have it in mind that we saw an ossuary but can’t clearly focus where or what.