Where did That Week go?

Well I can’t believe I’ve been here for a week already. I haven’t posted because I’ve been too busy immersing myself into French life.

I’ve been staying with Camino buddy Colleen, visiting country markets, gorging on French cheese, wine, bread and other local produce.

She lives in a beautiful cottage surrounded by a very pretty garden in an ideal setting with views of the valley in all directions.

For the last three days, we have been road tripping along both the Vezelay and the Le Puy Caminos. We visited heaps of pilgrim sites, churches and towns. We walked on each Camino a bit and even met up with Carlo, a dear and special friend of mine from home. We had lunch together today and it was so surreal sitting in a restaurant in a medieval town atop a hill, sipping on Mohitos and chatting as if we were at home.

I find myself looking for the pilgrim shells, a sign of the Camino, and getting excited when I step over the brass plates on the footpath. It is comforting to know the Camino is still here underfoot.

However, I always thought I would like to walk a French Camino, but it is so expensive here and it doesn’t have the feel of Spain. The countryside is absolutely beautiful but it doesn’t call me. I long to return to the mountains of the Sanabres or perhaps another Spanish route.

A week has gone by and I need to move on. With time to fill, I have decided to go to Portugal again. The rail strikes are so restricting and as I don’t have to be in Paris until the 9th, I’ve decided to spend some time in Lisbon where life is much cheaper. We have had a huge storm here tonight and I’m hoping it’s over before I climb aboard a metal train to Bordeaux and then board a metal box to fly to Lisbon on Tuesday. The lightening tonight was so spectacular but scary!