Morning in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Do I look frazzled? Break after 2 hour walk. The stone monument over my shoulder marks where the four French ” Ways” converge. From there all ways go to St Jean and from there to Santiago Spain. This is called the Stele Gibralter. Les Chemin (The Ways) of Tours, Vezelay, Le Puy and Arles meet.
It does not really show but that is a one kilometer uphill climb.
If you ever come here do not purchase a plan from the French National Network called orange.fr. It sucks bigly. I can do this blog but I have no access to Internet, text or email. Terrible. In Spain I can get Vodaphone which is great.
Right now I am sitting in Basque country. It is magnifique. I can view the Pyrenees in the background with the quilt work of the greens and golds and brown coloured rolling hills of the Pyrenees foothills. And while we had a hard rain this afternoon it is now sunny and warm.
The countryside is dotted with small Basque villages and hamlets. They have more of a Spanish feel than French. Bright white stucco walls with red tiled roofs. The face of the homes are soft and not at all like the sharp and dramatic roof lines you see in the French design.
I have another book coming out in November. It is called ” The Caminoman.” The last part of that book is set exactly where I am sitting now. Without getting emotional I can tell you that this place and St. Jean Pied de Port was the end of my journey in 2018 but with the loss of my wife, it also marked the beginning of a new life for me and for that I have only God to thank. Katie knows exactly what I am talking about.
Tomorrow I am finished. Tonight I am sleeping in a tent because the part time French pilgrims have taken all the rooms. As a pilgrim I know I an not allowed to swear but shyte I am pissed off. Oops that is twice that I swear so I have to have 60 minutes of self flagellation for me but right after my dinner of Metamucil. Gee I hope they have strawberry flavour tonight.
One more post tomorrow and that will be it. For Katie, US Margaret and Munich Margaret I do not have email. I would love to send a message but I cannot. Maybe tomorrow. Love to all of you.
That is a French private school.
Magnifique!
This is another great Canadian band. They started as a backup band to Ronnie Hawkins in Toronto in the 1960s then as a backup band to Bob Dylan. They struck out on their own as The Band. This is one of their most famous songs.