Day 26: Sorges to Perigeux

Perigeux! Finally. I had dreams of Perigeux as well but unlike Limoges they were not nightmares.

Perigeux – two thirds finished. 600 kilometers completed or, for those piedometer freaks out there, that equates to about 660,000 steps. 300 kilometers to go, or 330,000  steps.

I can’t believe it!

Looking back there has been a multitude of experiences and many, many people I have met:

Robert from Leavan Belgium – encyclopedia man;

The girls from Maastricht. Violin and guitar players – great;

The nuns of the Vezelay Abbaye:when they sang they were like angels from heaven;

Humberta and the Dutch family at the L’Esprit le Chemin. Dutch torture;

Peter from Belgium – cue ball without a hat;

Jean Pierre from Paris- therapist;

Michael and Stepheny from Paris – the vapourizer;

Angelina fron Uzbekistan – an angel;

Boules man and wife at Premery- in love forever;

Crazy Dutchman at Premery- where is my cruise ship;

Bistro owners at Premery – Basquing in the sun;

Philip and Antonia from Dachau Germany – bonding;

Gunter from Dusseldorf; a 10 beer a day man;

Berry, the flying Dutchman

The Von Trappe Family from Normandy

Frederick, Dauphine and Bruno from Paris – wonderful charactures from Paris

Pascal, from Strasbourg

Samuel the philosophical Frenchman trapped in a Hell’s Angel’s body

Fabian at the Dognon – not Favio Dave – Fabian;

Yannick from Denmark – happy with his girlfriend here;

Michel from Belgium – the organic farmer;

Laurent- as in Saint Laurent;

Guy, the anorexic Pilgrim

Gill, the model mathematician – curses the gods of the Pilgrims

Bridgitte, the woman from Lyon -awesome!

 

As I am sure there are many more to come.

Another nice thing about this trip is that I haven’t watched television since leaving Canada 15 July. Doesn’t really matter as there is nothing on anyway.

 

Day 25: Thiviers to Sorges

Thiviers is quite the place. Coming into town on the road it does not look that interesting. But get to the church via the big hill – is there any other kind – and one enters another era. Yes the centre ville is anchored by the eglise and a  small but beautiful square buttressed by quaint streets alleyways and paths. And no cobblestones, which are awful on the feet, especially in heels – or so they tell me.

For once the ville’s core is vibrant with shoppers and looky louies like moi. I sat at a corner cafe and had 3 grande cafes. It was grand. In some cases you have to be careful as a grande cafe means a large cup but with a petite dose of cafe as in demi-tasse.

Interesting that a woman pilgrim stayed at the shelter with me. Her name was Bridgitte and she came from Lyon. Her family was in the wine business. And she travelled alone. That took guts. Her English was as good as my French so we got along just fine. We chatted at dinner for about 2 hours. She and a girlfriend had backpacked in America for almost a year. Visited California, the east coast and even Quebec – in January and February- brrrrrr. She was headed for Limoge though. In her 50,s I would say. Great.

I left Thiviers about 0630 am. As I was heading out of town they were setting up for the village market. In some respects I wish I could have stayed.

I arrived at Sorges around 10. The Pelerins were all full, which confuses me as I haven,t met any other pilgrims for awhile. And again what frustrates one to no end is the lack of response from these sites. They want a day’s notice but never answer your emails and ignore your phone calls. A waste of time. I got here and it started to rain so I booked into an Auberge. I can afford to treat myself once in awhile. Again I had to laugh at the French mileage markers. At Thivier the road sign said Perigeux 37 kilometers. I then did 10 kilometers and the road sign said Perigeux, 33 kilometers. So do not trust French distance road markers. The datums are much more accurate.

Sorges is the truffle ( Truffe ) capital of the world or so they say! I did see a boar cross the road earlier this morning so perhaps they are right about Sorges.

————————————————————————

Why do this? Someone asked. Why this walk, this pilgrimage, this Camino? I don’t have an answer for that question. People do this for a variety of reasons: religious, spiritual, forgiveness, a life crisis, physical challenge, atonement, absolution, penance, clear the head or out of sheer boredom. Everyone you meet here will have an answer. Some will not answer you at all, saying it comes from the heart, from within, while others will tell you their life story when asked about their mtivation behind this excursion. For me? None of the above really. My good friend Ted who did the Camino a few years ago tweaked my interest in it. Ted lost his wife quite awhile ago to cancer as well. But unlike my wife his wife died a lot younger than Marijke did. I can’t speak for Ted but for me this journey has provided me with a distraction from the grief. A focus in which to see if life really is worth continuing. From what I have seen and experienced so far there is beauty all around us with a spirit of giving, a selflessness that deserves our attention and our recognition that life really is worth living to the fullest that one can possibly achieve.

I find that when I am alone with thought, walking and attuned to my surroundings, experiencing an “ah ha “ moment or some epiphany of recognition, that I can reach a level of happiness, of sheer joy and acknowledgement that there has to be some presence, spiritual or otherwise, watching over us, protecting us and guiding us through this journey.  We are not alone. There has been only one other time in my life when I have experienced a similar high. And that was when I was sailing. At the age of 22 / 23 I had the fortunate opportuniity to sail to the island of Saipan from Honolulu Hawaii. As you can imagine, alone at night, with nothing but the stars to accompany you and the dancing, glittering phosphorescence of the sea for entertainment that your mind wanders with a myriad of thought. Things become clearer, enlightened and not complicated by the day to day nuances, distractions of living. One is at once at peace with oneself and with the world at large. One is happy. And that is how I feel right now with this walk, each and every day.

Like Michel and Yannick I was confused about my life’s direction when I was sailing. But I was fortunate to have had a mentor in Mr Ted Culp. I met Ted and his wife in the sailing community at Waikiki. He was a lot older than me at 49 years but he treated me as an equal and like his son. There were many hot Hawaiian afternoon get togethers over some Oly,s where he would share his life’s experiences with me. As a US Navy WW 2 veteran he had much to share. Ted convinced me to consider a Navy career once I had sown my restless ways.

Ted gave a great deal of himself to others. He volunteered his time for over 5 years at St Jude’s Hospital for Children in Memphis Tennessee. Ted was from the Bremerton Washington area. He passed on in May 2011 at the age of 87. Ted would have been able to see the logic in a Camino. He died 37 years after I joined the Royal Canadian Navy. And it pisses me off when people apologize to me for thinking I may be an American after finding out I am a Canadian. Some of the best people I have ever met are Americans.

Ted is the inspiration for the Ted Culp character in my book KUROFUNE: The Black Ships. I was very fortunate to have met Ted and Laverne. I can only hope that Michel and Yannick have a similar experience as I had and sort out their own lives. I am sure they will.

This song is a reflection of an easier time in my own life:

 

https://youtu.be/a9PpsPZ_4Gk

The Kinks were one of the most under-rated band ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 24: La Coquille to Thiviers

Thiviers? The Fois Gras capital of the world. I thought they banned Fois Gras. I mean, you can,t eat seal meat but Fois Gras is alright. Foowee. What is Fois Gras anyway? Some sort of pate?

Well I researched this so you don,t have to: Fois Gras: some sort of duck or goose liver specialty. They force feed these ducks or geese until they are ready to explode, then kill them, cut out their livers and voila – fois gras.  I am told that a huge fart preceedes the slaughter, somwhat like a sonic boom. It,s a Noisy place this Thiviers.  So, an exotic name for something that really sounds disgusting. I believe that they are trying to ban this delicacy due to animal cruelty. PETA no doubt.

Anyway, rain today. I am glad that weather forecasters in France are just as bad as in Canada. Called for sunny skies, cool temps with sunny breaks. What did we get? Rain. Got up at 6 am and was out the door by 630. Used my tent groundsheet as a poncho. Worked great. Dry, but decided I would only  go as far as Thiviers, 18.5 kilometers. Drab, dreary weather but a welcome break from the heat. 18 klicks went by pretty quickley and I wasn,t even tired.

Kind of miss the company of Gill. Had a few laughs with him. He would go on and on about some god of the pilrgims, cursing and swearing at him or her for making our lives miserable in this heat. I pleaded with him to stop as one becomes very superstitious on these walks. I was worried that the gods of the pilgrims would rain fire and brimstone upon us – or just another gruelling hill to climb – if he kept up his blasphemy. Sure enough. Another hill. ” Sacre Bleu” he would cry out. ” You stupid god of the pilgrims; You come down here and try to walk in this heat. I dare you; you god of the pilgrims, you think you are so smart” in his broken French accent: I just had to laugh. In this heat and with Gill,s rant we were cursed and doomed.

Alors I am doing this from the local bibliothèques using a French language keyboard so I cannot upload any photos or a song. Again, the Pelerin said they had WiFi but they did not. So I had to go out and find somewhere to do this. I hate to fall behind because it takes sooo long to catch up with my stupid IPad, which I am going to throw into the Saanich Inlet when I get home. It sucks bigly.

Oh, I found wifi so I can upload some photos:

U

Gill ranting away dans le arb tunelle.

Just to prove I really am here. That is Guy. I call him the anorexic pilgrim. He is about 6 ft 3 inches and weighs about 145 lbs. But he likes his beer.

Great song to walk to. Collective Soul – Seven Year Itch.

Awesome guitar solo.

Shakey jay……out. Have a nice day. It is PIlsner time Brad. See ya!

Day 23: Flavignac to La Coquille

Well we are back in the heat again. 32 C today. Did 29.8 kilometers. Had to stop a few times in the afternoon due to the heat, little shade and no breeze to speak of. Drank a petite etang in water and had 2 Oranginas. Damn, oops sorry. Pilgrims are not supposed to swear. Darn it all anyway but it was hot and those oranginas are the sweet nectar of the gods.

Landscape is changing. Still going upwards, many hills but the vegetation is not as lush as it was. They need rain here badly. Everything has that parched look about it. Dry! Supposed to rain Saturday. Not good for Pilgrims. I hate rain when I am walking. Everything gets wet and it takes days to dry out. I may take a rest day Saturday.

Big screw-up, er sorry, big cock-up, er sorry again, big problem with accommodation here in La Coquille. I made a reservation, confirmed but when I arrived there was no room at the inn. I was really pissed-er, sorry again. Damn. Pilgrims are not supposed to swear. I found alternate accommodations in what I would call a bread foundry or forge. It was hotter than hades. I got a room for the night – 25 euros with a dinner. Wow, I wonder if it is bread dinner with bread pudding for dessert. It is going to be hard to sleep in 40C heat in that foundry. Maybe I,ll make bread in my dreams. And the room was a dump.  Then again, according to the Pilgrims’s Guide 101 ( I read it so you don’t have to ) Pilgrims are not supposed to complain – just suffer. Okay, it was a clean dump – an oxymoronic Pilgrim’s room. Soon, self flagellation classes will be held for all Pilgrims.

I have to tell you about Flavignac. I stayed there last night. They had a fete (fair) that started about 1900. It was great. There was a band too that played awesome music. Sitting there having a few beers, eating great BBQ, by a petite etang, watching the sun go down in wonderful temperatures was like heaven on earth. I have some pictures. They speak for themselves:

Beautiful, magical evening after a hard day’s walk. Love it.

Well Gill, my walking companion, finished today. He left for Limoge, then Paris when we arrived in La Coquille. Hitch-hiking back. Gill is a model now for art schools and artists themselves. At 64, quite a switch of gears in life, especially given he is a mathematician. Wow. Gill is a tad idiosyncratic, has some weird quirks but is a great guy nonetheless. He spoke pretty good English so we had some interesting conversations about music, books and life in general. It is amazing some of the characters you meet on this walk. The other interesting fact is that there are very few women here. I wonder if that is a reflection on us males, as in, are we screwed up or what? I mean think about it:

” Honey?”

” Yes dear.”

”I think I would like to go to France and walk 900 kilometers in 30 plus C heat. What do you think?”

” Fine dear, now go and take out the trash!”

It has been a week now since Berry the Dutchman finished, 10 days since the Von Trappiste family left. Man oh man time goes by. I miss their company as well.

By the way, if the heat doesn’t get ya here the wasps (bees) will. It is unbelievable here. Can’t eat or drink on the terrace without these wasps annoying you.

I was thinking about Delores O’Riordan while walking today. She was the lead singer for the Cranberries, who died suddenly in London at the age of 47. Here is her most famous tune:

And I felt like a Zombie after my walk today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 22: Limoges to Flavignac

Just as I thought, we had bit of a problem getting out of Limoges. Marked path was not well marked and we got lost for about 45 minutes. Not nice for a pilgrim. Finally, we found our way out of the maze and reconnected with the way or path. Then Gil decided we could take a more direct route. So we did and we ended up doing a few more kilometers than we had to to get to Flavignac, 29.8 kilometers. Again, once we were out of Limoges, we came across gorgeous scenery and – you know what I am going to say – lots of hills. Arrived at 1300 so we had to wait an hour before the “Marie” or City Hall opened. We found some shade or shadow, as the French call it, across the street, parked ourselves under some trees and fell asleep. Got up at 1400, got the key to the Refuge, showered and here I am – doing this at the local biblioteque.

Few pics:

I call this God,s tree. A massive oak.

A different looking church from what we have seen. All of the churches have been open. It is nice to rest inside as it is very cool

It was 34 C today. Tres chiaud for walking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice.

I can tell that we are getting further and further south as the light is changing. Getting very bright during the day.

Extremely tired today so shorter than normal. Gil will be company for one more day – to Coquille – then I will be on my own again. I am sure that I will meet up with someone again. Maybe Yannick and his girlfriend.

Here is an oldie but one song I have always liked – by the Rascals.

Have a nice day.