Month: September 2024

Althez was a dump. A larger town yet another French town that is deader than a French corpse. I just don’t get it. Guide book says to be prepared for closures Sunday and Monday yet is doesn’t matter. This is a Tuesday night. It is a good thing the gite offers a diner and breakfast as part of the fee or I would be deader than a Canadian corpse. And to make matters worse part of the French horde showed up. At diner one woman nattered on and on for over one and a half hours. All in French. When I tried to say something in my shattered French they looked at me as if I was deader than a French corpse. Or they would shrug their shoulders at me and say huh? Huh? Huh? I gave up out of sheer frustration. You feel alone as no one can understand you. But I do have a good friend to accompany me. Have I introduced it to you? Here is a picture of it. Its name is Tongerlo:

It is a dependable compani0n. Never complains and always there to make you feel better. Never talks back. A smooth customer. Eh bai?

Yet during the day walking I feel like a million bucks. So happy. The countryside is spectacular.

I feel like I am in heaven. I sometimes lay back on the grass with my legs up on the bank. I look up to the heavens and say,Lord, my thanks. I feel so darn happy that I just want to scream. And He says Johnnie yes I know exactly  what you mean. I do.

I do.

Another good Canadian band. They say this is Canada’s band but I don’t agree with that. But this is a good song by the Tragically Hip. New Orleans Is Sinking:

 

 

 

 

 

30 kilometers today.

Beautiful sunrise.

I will never, ever have a baguette again in my life.

How I miss processed cheese slices. And a chien chaude. But the burgers here are the best I have ever had. Better than Bin 4.

I am craving eggs. I hate drinking coffee out of a cereal bowl.

Today ends my 4th week here. I haven’t watched TV in over 5 weeks. I have no idea of what is happening to the nation in permanent erection mode, as my Japanese friend would say. I have no idea what Tru-dough is doing, nor do I care. That is one good thing about doing a Camino. It blocks out the world around you. Your only concern is what is around the next bend or over the next hill. Your life boils down to basic necessities like ” do I have clean underwear tomorrow or damn my socks smell.”

Damn, the French horde from last night has arrived where I was staying last night.  Oops sorry. Pilgrims are not allowed to swear. That means another 30 minutes of self flagellation. Damn, I mean darn.

And that is why I did 30. To get away from the French horde. Over 30 of them. 1 kilometer per….

A lot of smokers here. They are allowed to smoke on the patios. How civilized. The only problem I have with that is it makes me want to smoke again. Don’t worry Katie, I will just sit downwind of them and inhale.

The clam shell is the official symbol of the Camino. All Caminos.

This place is for sale. Comes with dogs!

This song is from another great Canadian artist. It tells the story of how the trans Canada railroad was built. I am not sure if you can say trans here referring to a railroad with out being labelled transphobic in a woke Canada. Nevertheless:

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the Pyrenees in the background. Lourdes is to the left side. I will be going there when this ends.

The walk today was great. Alone with myself without the herd of French pilgrims. Nice. The weather now is fabulous (baby). Low humidity and temps in the low 20s. Fabulous (baby). Eh Dot! Lol. Here I am walking along some country road in nowhere France listening to my tunes and rockin in a free world.

I have met or come across two French Canadian women in this trek. Both are super unfriendly toward me. They will not give me the time of day. It is as if they are saying: “what are you doing here Anglo? This way (chemin) is only the French way.” I was a little put off last night as one of the French Canadian gals was there yet she said nothing to me to make me feel comfortable in a sea of Francos. Why are they so anal? I just do not get it.

Landscape and homes are taking on more of a Spanish vibe. We are getting into Basque country. Basque is not just Spain. There is a French component as well. You see posters of bull avoidance shows as they do not kill them anymore; men wearing the traditional Basque red with black berets. Neat. I have about 110 kilometers to go but I am going to take my time. Probably be there Saturday, maybe Sunday.

Another great Canadian band. Lighthouse. This song was a huge hit when I lived in Honolulu during my halcyon sailing days in 1973.

 

Decided to take two short days rather than do another 30 plus day. Then I forgot that it is Sunday and everything is closed. Everything.

The wifi here is very bad and sooo slow. I cannot upload any pictures anymore as it takes too long.

Walk today was non eventful. Flat farming country. Corn everywhere

Also walking toward the Pyrenees. They are getting higher and higher and more majestic with every kilometer passed. Passing down fields of corn with the stalks so high it seems as if I am walking down a corn tunnel.

Still lots of Pilgrims. I never see them on the trail just at end of the day. Weird. I am in a gite run by volunteers. Very clean and they have a dinner so we will see. The place is packed but all French. I am the only foreigner here and it gets very lonely cause nobody here speaks English. I thought there would be either more foreigners or very few pilgrims on this Camino. I was wrong on both counts.These people are part timers so it pisses me off because all of the gites are full. I mean it is their country so who am I to say anything. But it is not an international Camino. It is a French Camino.  And there lies the problem here. There is no disputing that the countryside here is stunning and beautiful and the villages are quaint and historic but there is little to no social interaction among the pilgrims except for that among the French pilgrims themselves and they are not open to foreigners. In that sense Chemin Le Puy is not a true or a welcoming Camino. It lacks the true Camino spirit. I am glad I did it but I would not recommend it to any potential pilgrim.

From Le Puy to Conque things were great but after Conque things deteriorated significantly. No support infrastructure whatsoever exists. “Ferme” has to be the most popular French word in their vocabulary.

I never thought I would say this but I am starting to miss blunt and subtle as a ball pene hammer Honorario. Wow.

Another short day tomorrow. On the day after I am going to walk 30 plus to see if I can get away from the crowd I seem to be attached to. No fun.

No pics or video cause the network here sucks. I have had major phone problems since entering France and joining their Orange.fr network.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully there is a shop open somewhere.

Me and my buddy, the mad Spaniard! Beautiful country.

Another great Canadian artist.

27 kilometer walk today. Some pictures:

The mad Spaniard in a beautiful tree tunnel.

The shadow strikes again. Jerry knows what I am talking about here.

The shadow taking a picture of the mad Spaniard looking at some weird plant. Anyone out there know what plant it is? I am perplexed. I thought it was tobacco.

Bad wifi today. That happens a lot here. You have to go out and find good wifi. Oh and the exceptional asshole has met his match today. This guy is from New Zealand. He is an older gent who knows it all. He wrote the book on Grumpy old men. I tried to start a conversation with him at our gite. It went something like this:

Howzit going?

What do you mean howzit going?

Well how are you?

What do you think after 33 kilometers?

33 kilometers? Where did you start this morning?

Nogros.

So did we but it is only 27 kilometers.

It is 33.

Well my Spanish friend’s fit said we did 27.

His watch is wrong.

Ok. I see you bought a beer here. Is it good?

What do you think? Beer is beer.

Yes but here at the gite it could be warm.

Beer is beer.

Ok so how is your Camino going?

Why do you want to know?

Well you know, and this is just my opinion, but I have found the Camino after Cohar tougher than the first part. At the start you climbed one hill in the morning and went down one hill at the end. In between you walked along a ridge.

He shook his head. You are wrong.

I said in my opinion.

I don’t really care what your opinion is because you are wrong.

Ok asshole. I thought. You are an extraordinary asshole. I thought again.

I wonder if he had met David, the exceptional asshole from North Dakota

I will give this ass a wide berth.

Good Canadian band: The Northern Pikes:

I can’t upload any more pictures because the wifi is too slow. Sorry.

Oh I forgot. The Pyrenees came into view this morning.