May 6 Uhart-Mixe to St. Jean Pied de Port 30km

Anne-Marie (Auberge de Pelerins)

Our good natured host guided us to the start of our walk and with a friendly wave and "un bon route" we were off. A warm breeze and a steep climb was our 7am warm-up for this our last day on Le Chemin Le Puy. As usual I was the trail tortoise, as all the other pelerins kept busting past us but I just keep reminding myself that although I may be slow, at least I'm always going forward.

Before long that warm breeze became quite a strong wind which actually made the day quite comfortable. Well except for the hills that is. Our elevation guide was quite deceptive as it showed that we had a very flat day. This was not the case as we went up and down all day. Granted the hills weren't that high but a hill is a hill is a hill. We walked about six hours and then took a great rest and snack at St. Jean de Vieux which left us about an hour to go.

Coming into St. Jean Pied de Port was so different this time but no less exciting. Two years ago when John, Dayton and I got off the train from Bayonne we were anxious excited pilgrims wondering what was in store for us. It was early morning and almost everything except the pilgrim's office was closed. This time we walked in from the opposite direction through the ancient portal and right away we were on the same street as the pilgrim's office; a street that was bustling with bright-eyed, eager pilgrims and lots of charming shops and gites. St. Jean Pied de Port is over-whelmed with pilgrims this weekend and most of the gites were 'competo' (full). Luckily we had reservations at the Auberge de Pelerins and the first person who enthusiastically greeted us was Ann Marie, one of our friends from the first part of our Chemin Le Puy last October. It was so great to see her. Ann Marie arrived in St. Jean at the end of October last year and has stayed ever since. With an amazing instance of serendipity, she is working at the gite where we are staying.

Dayton just went out and bought the new Miam Miam Dodo Dodo book for Spain and looked up where we will be volunteering in Estella. Our albergue is the first one listed for that town and advertises full dinner and breakfast donativo for 32 pilgrims. Time to put our cooking to the test.

Now tomorrow and Saturday we face the Pyrenees. We are dedicating our climb over the Pyrenees to our friend Alicia who is facing a personal medical mountain to climb. We will dedicate every single huffing-puffing, breathtaking step to her and know that our climb is, in the grand scheme of things, so minor. A toi, Alicia.

May 5 Navarrenx to Uhart-Mixe

Welcome To Basque Country - Fries !!!

On a clear day you can see forever. Today was a clear day and forever in the distance were the Pyrenees; so impressive and massive. They completely dominated the entire horizon.

Our Sports Bar gite last night may not have offered an evening meal but it sure offered generous hospitality. Dayton and I waited until the socially acceptable hour of 7:30pm before going out for dinner. We decided to just pick up a pizza and eat it at the tables on the patio of the Sports Bar. Not wanting to appear cheap or take advantage, I went in to order a couple of red wines. The host brought them to our table and said they were gratis from him. After devouring our vegetarian pizza, Dayton went into the bar again, ordered another wine and tipped very gratefully. Ten minutes later our delightfully friendly proprietor brought us out two delicious creme caramel with some liquer drizzled through it. Wonderful and tasty.

We got started fairly early this morning, no petit dejeuner, and left went out under the arch of the huge bastion. After a couple of hours a sign welcomed us to Basque country and not long afterwards we arrive at an Accueil Pelerins - a welcome rest stop for pilgrims. Lo and happy behold, drinks and fries were available. Although it was just before 11am, we had already walked four hours and I figured that a plate of fries was well deserved despite the early hour. They were great and carried me through the next several hours. It was a long confusing way into Uhart Mixe but once again we have scored a great place. It's connected to a restaurant/bar so we can have a glass of rosé (Yes, rosé - my new afternoon delight). Our laundry is done and we just have to rest until our evening meal.

The evening meal, Basque cuisine, was unbelievably sumptuous and wonderful. Catering to the vegetarian was a wonderful vegetable soup, then a platter of salad just for me featuring beets, grated carrots, rice, tomatoes and I was also served a huge, huge bowl of a Basque tomato and peppers stew. My salad should have served six people. The carnivores had the tomato and pepper stew but with sausage in it and it was covered in huge slabs of a country ham. From the groans of culinary ecstasy that were being invoked, I think it was very good. Dessert was fresh fruit, cheese and a chocolate custard pudding served with some sort of liquer. I couldn't identify or translate the name of this after dinner drink but it was watermelon pink, on ice and demanded two extra-strength Advil to deal with its aftermath. Had to have it as we didn't want to insult our lovely hostess Antoinette who I think hired on the entire Uhart-Mixe community to prepare this bon repas. The chance of losing weight walking thirty kilometres a day is getting slim to absolutely none. It's more likely that we won't be able to get our pants done up.

Tomorrow we go to St. Jean Pied de Port - well over 30kms and so far we have been unable to make reservations there. Apparently this upcoming weekend has a huge holiday so everything is booked. We have faith that poor pilgrims will not be left homeless. And then this weekend we tackle the Pyrenees!

BTW - Antoinette got us a reservation at Auberge de Pelerins for tomorrow. Yeah

May 4 Arthez to Navarrenz 32km

Abbaye de Sauverlade

Time flies when you're having fun and it stands still when your feet hurt. I feel like I've spent a straight month is spiked heels. Today was a long hot day but we were able to get an early start as we could get our own petit dejeuner at 6am. It took us almost 40 minutes to get out of town as Arthez is just one street stretching about three kilometres long, as the town is situated along a high ridge. The sun and the heat took over very early and there were lots of climbs to challenge us.

Just before midday, we got to an ancient well preserved abbey. There was a very sacred small chapel gracing one end of the abbey and an Amstel Biere sign at the other end which we took as a sign from above and heeded its call. We stopped to enjoy a snack and soda and to re-meet some of the other pilgrims; a couple of German guys, Marcel and Rolf (the latter whom we'd met at our gite in Moissac the first night.

The heat and the hills took their toll on everyone but none more so than one poor pilgrim who collapsed half way up the last steep climb. Fortunately, there were other pilgrims nearby to offer assistance. When we came across the group, the fallen pilgrim was covered by an emergency blanket and an ambulance was on its way. Once the EMTs arrived and the pilgrim was in expert hands, everyone wordlessly pulled out their water bottles, took several refreshing gulps and continued on their way. An important reminder to stay hydrated even before you realize you're thirsty.

Two more hours and we were in Navarrenz in a chambre d'hote over a sports bar. It is actually better than it sounds as we have our own room and bathroom which is an indulgent luxury on a camino. It does have it's drawbacks as it separates us from the other pilgrims who bravely stay in the communal gites sharing 6 to 8 to a room and often only one bath and shower for all. Guess we'll just deal with the joyful guilt of being on our own.

Arzacq to Arthez de Bearn

Venison Cassoulet

This was a fairly unremarkable day other than the fact that my feet did not feel so tortured. The rain that has been teasing us all week showed up just long enough for us to deal with the hassle of digging out and putting on our ponchos. Dayton and I stopped into a little epicerie with a pilgrim welcome centre to have our lunch and, it turned out, to sit out the rain.

By blind good luck the variant route that Dayton had mapped out for the afternoon took us right by our gite ( which we never would have found if we'd taken the regular route). Our gite was an apartment at the back of a house and dinner was another superlative experience. Our host keeps five adorable sad-eyed hound dogs which he uses for hunting. The bounty of his hunting was offered for dinner - an amazing rich deer stew or cassoulet. Of course, it was not amazing to this vegetarian, nor was the fresh homemade smelly pate, but all the others devoured it. The repas also had plates and plates of fresh crudities, potatoes, celeriac salad, tabouleh and the de rigeur bread and wine. Oh, and all of this was preceded by our hosts version of an aperitif - whiskey neat or some anise tasting liquor. Bon appetit and bon nuit!

Mon May 2 Air sur l'Ardour to Arzacq de Arr (something)

Jean-Marie et Marie-Therese - Grenoble, France

Arzacq -Arraziquet (not even the French people can pronounce or spell this town's name)

As lovely, easy and euphoric as yesterday was, today was as tedious and tough. It started out promising with an overcast sky but a lovely walk around a lake with the hovering mist just dancing over the water and fishrods set into the banks of the river by the early morning fishermen. We had about thirty kilometres along easy terrain but it was a lot of road walking and my boots were just pinching my toes the entire day. Should have been faithful to my old boots.
As the clouds burned off and the sun got hotter so did the feet. Wearily and oh so gratefully, we got to our gite in mid afternoon. The next four days are all over 30kms so it's looking a little scary for me and my tender toes.

We walked a lot with a lovely couple from Grenoble. Marie-Therese is a very fast intense walker and just as intense helping me with my French. Like a drill sargeant she made me repeat things over and over again. Teaching languages was her pre-retirement job. And she must have been good. At one point this morning, Marie Therese suddenly stopped, threw her arms out open wide and joyously exclaimed ¨just think; three weeks ago today I was in hospital¨. She has been battling cancer for three years and now her she is walking the camino to Ronceveaux - and we can't keep up with her. What an inspiration!

Sunday, May 1 Maison LaBarbe to Air sur L'Adour

Festival - Aire sur L'Adour

As we left our Gite Maison LaBarbe, we walked out into the glory of a sunlit Sunday morning coming down. The sense of serenity and quiet peacefulness was almost tangible. Appropriately we immediately came across an ancient church, very basic and simple. The interior with its rough hewn wooden benches was as simple and unadorned as the exterior.

For most of the morning Dayton and I had the vast landscape of the vineyards to ourselves, one side rows and rows of meticulously aligned mature vines, their trunks all knarly stumps and on the other side fields of nez young growth, their trunks all slender and green. We alternated walking along the vineyards with equally lovely paths through the woods and later along an old taind track.

When we walked into Air sur l'Ardour we were surpised to be greeted with a big festive scene with everyone out partying and enjoying their natioanl holiday. there was a midway with rides for the kids and chip wagons! Yay!

Our gite was just as pleasant a surprise. When we did the hospitalero course everyone one of the exercies was to plan the perfect gite. I think our host, Andre, at the Gite Saint Jacques here has done it. He had an amazing house built into the hillside, beautiful gardens and rooms and he has thought of everything a pilgrim could possibly need. Plus he dispenses care for sore feet and legs. Most pilgrims make this town a stop because they are over 30 kms the next day with no stops anywhere.

Sat. April 30 Manciet to Maison LaBarbe

Market - Nogaro

What a glorious day. After as plentiful a petit dejeuner (yogurt, bread, rusks, jam, hard-boiled eggs, apples, cereal, and tea and coffee) as our evening meal, we hefted our packs and were once again walking by 7:45am. We started with some road walking but then the rest of the day alternated between walking along the edges of vineyards and quiet shaded forest paths. We had the opportunity to cut 5 or 6km off our walk by taking a variant along the road but who would opt for the rush of traffic over the quiet woods. I was feeling very blessed and thankful to be sharing this lovely day and this lovely walk with Dayton - even though he was his usual 100m ahead. We do pretty well together at the best of times but even better on a Camino.

We borke up our walk in a little town of Nogaro where there was a Farmer's Market. It was a really bustling Saturday morning with everone out shopping and visiting. We also learned that Nogaro annually hosts a very unusual bull fighting event in which the matador is in greater peril than the bull. the matador tries to prove his talents and machismo by staying inside a center circle while the bull charges at him and he tries to pull a flag off the charging bull without moving his feet.

Nogaro also is home of a large Motorcross racetrack so as we left town the tranquility of the countryside was devastated by the distant roar of the engines.

The gite at Maison LaBarbe is really just an old isolated farm house but we had a great afternoon drinking beer in the garden and visiting with the incoming pilgrims. Dayton also spent the time trying to plan out our next couple of days as Sunday, May 1st is a national holdiay so everything is closed and then Mondays all shops are closed as well. Have to get reservations and demi-pensionnes booked. We had another great meal; vegetarian ratouille and pasta for me and duck for the others. This is foie gras country!