It was time to set off in the rain (again!), though it was warm enough. The Pyrenees were getting closer, but it was hard to imagine I would see much of them, given the amount of rain we had experienced lately...
After about three hours the sun came out though. Took a slight detour to see this restored Chapelle de Caubin. Next town was Arthez de-Bearn, and near the church there was seating from where you got a wonderful view of the Pyrenees. Next I took a slight 'shortcut', along the previous route of the GR, a more direct route to the gite of Cambarrat, where I was spending the night.
And what a wonderful place it was to stay, in a gite attached to the family home of Nicolas and Isabelle and their children. The whole house has been built using old materials that Nicolas collected up, so although it looks 'old' and as if it has been on its site for generations, it is actually fairly new. The weather decided to pack-it-in yet again in the afternoon, so there wasn't much delight in outdoor exploration. At one point I had my feet up on the bed, and L&D were 'visiting'. Isabelle came in and accused me of being "La Regne" (queen), with my courtiers paying tribute:- it was a label I was to hear again from my friends on the journey ahead! However, then Isabelle took us into the kitchen, where she hand-drew her 'stamp' in our credentials, and explained its meaning to us. She is very artistic and involved in designing Basque materials. Later she took the three of us 'foreigners' over to where the computers were, and her teenagers graciously made way for us to check our e-mails. The meal was delicious and afterwards Nicolas came in to play his banjo for a while. We felt so very welcome in this place.
When I was preparing to walk the route from Le-Puy-en-Velay to SJPP, I found there wasn't much info in English, and I hope this blog might fill the gap a little.... In 2008 I walked from Le Puy to Santiago. In 2012 I walked from Cluny to Conques, then spent three weeks in Spain, re-walking two sections of the Camino Frances. Please feel free to contact me if you wish.
Hunkered In
-
The sky keeps changing colors, the wind roars all night and morning.
Sometime overnight it pulled the chicken-hut door off its hinges and
smashed it to k...
Beachscape
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I haven't blogged for a while, but here is a new poem.
*Beachscape*
*Surprising that I never knew before*
*the bright curve of this bay,*
*the way the wash...
Taranaki-born, long-time Manawatu resident and primary teacher; inveterate traveler, Camino walker, occasional cyclist, lover of sea and bush walks; getting into genealogy more; collapsed catholic; lapsed musician looking forward to doing more again in retirement
from the poem "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver.....
" I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
This quote is taken from notion900 on the Pilgrimage to Santiago forum: "Please know that although some people seem to imagine it as some appalling ordeal, the camino is a very health-giving thing - if you do simple things like healthy food, plenty of water, moisturise your feet and get plenty of sleep. Being out in nature for 5 weeks is just so life-giving: I finished the camino absolutely glowing with health and vitality. I hope you have a wonderful time."
'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.' Goethe
"Glowing... this is the thing about pictures of people on the Camino. This light within... As if the Camino washed the soul and cleared the eyes." Claire Bangasser in a comment on Johnnie Walker's blog
After about three hours the sun came out though. Took a slight detour to see this restored Chapelle de Caubin.
Next town was Arthez de-Bearn, and near the church there was seating from where you got a wonderful view of the Pyrenees. 
Next I took a slight 'shortcut', along the previous route of the GR, a more direct route to the gite of Cambarrat, where I was spending the night. 
And what a wonderful place it was to stay, in a gite attached to the family home of Nicolas and Isabelle and their children. The whole house has been built using old materials that Nicolas collected up, so although it looks 'old' and as if it has been on its site for generations, it is actually fairly new.
The weather decided to pack-it-in yet again in the afternoon, so there wasn't much delight in outdoor exploration. At one point I had my feet up on the bed, and L&D were 'visiting'. Isabelle came in and accused me of being "La Regne" (queen), with my courtiers paying tribute:- it was a label I was to hear again from my friends on the journey ahead! However, then Isabelle took us into the kitchen, where she hand-drew her 'stamp' in our credentials, and explained its meaning to us. She is very artistic and involved in designing Basque materials. Later she took the three of us 'foreigners' over to where the computers were, and her teenagers graciously made way for us to check our e-mails.
The meal was delicious and afterwards Nicolas came in to play his banjo for a while. We felt so very welcome in this place.
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