Tag: water

Day Three and Four

This is dedicated to Gary, my cousin,s husband from Toronto. He has been fighting cancer for a very long time.

I am a bit out of sync due to heat and poor wifi.

Stayed in Guipy over night sécond day. Beautiful. Owned by a Dutch couple. All of the campers were Dutch too,except moi and my new found friend Jean, a frenchman from France!! Great guy. Pläce had a pool, which was heaven. Sat outside for dinner – hot but with a breeze – heavenly. Unfortunately for me I was sitting beside an arrogant Dutchman who proceed to tell me how much he and much of Europe hate Trump and all Americans – sad. Oh well, if there is one commonality in this world it is this – assholes. He is the second one I have met so far on this trip. More to come I am sure. Hot, hot, hot

Oh yeah, the Dutch owner of the site tried to rip me off. I caught him out though. What a prick – oh how I love that word. Funny that the only real jerks I have come across so far have been Dutch. Sorry Marijke. But then again they are all from the north in Holland, not the south where my dear wife was born and raised

Day Three  – Guipy to Pemery.

Started at 6am. Cool. Most of this trip was beside paved roads. Not good in this heat. Met my Belgian friend, a pilgrim, in St Sauverien, a village at the top of a large hill. Of course! Most of the villages I have come across are at the top of a large hill-of course they are. That was about 7 km out.  Nothing open. Not a single store, cafe, had been open in any of the villages. My neighbour Gord told me that this area of France was exceptional for its cuisine. That may be true but I haven,t been able to find out as every friggin cafe, magazin, HAS BEEN FRIGGIN CLOSED. Maybe in Premery I will find something open. My friend Jean told me this is due to poor economics. Villagers have given up, so have closed shop and moved away. Most Frenchmen from France prefer their holidays abroad. That is sad because this region is heaven on earth – heavenly!

Then it got hot,really really hot. It became a walk of surviving. Not enjoyable at all. No profound thought at all unless of course falling into Niagara Falls was profound. Ah that cool fresh torrent of water cascading over the furnace that encased my very being! So nice. I had to settle jumping into a stream and immersing myself into its coolness. Aw,the small things in life we take for granted. Same with fruit. I had been saving an orange for a very special break. With 7 km to go it was now time for this heavenly treat – every segment was  sweet nector of the Gods. So, so refreshing.

Under this grouling heat, the countryside was parched for moisture. Hills and valleys screaming for rain and none forthcoming for sometime. Longest heatwave on record – of course it is – come to France they said.

Last two km took me 2 hours. Finally made it to Premery. Hard to describe this place as I am too tired. Found a bistro open – hooray – went in and quaffed two Oranginas, a large carafe of ice water and a great fruit salad. I felt nauseous and could hardly eat the salad but I got through it. Found my campsite and collapsed. Site has a swimming pond, so I immersed myself after a short nap – heavenly.

By the way. It hit 42 C in this region. I have to change my tactics. Walking in a furnace is too dangerous, pilgrim or not, I am not ready to meet my creator as yet.

Day 4: This day is dedicated to my nephew Gerry, a Cancersurvivor.

Premer to Guigney. Decided to stay in Premery and recharge. Too hot to walk so autobus to my next destination it is. Not good I know but that is why God invented the internal combustion engine. He felt sorry for pilgrims. He looked down and said – enough is enough – the car was born and he was happy. My first profound thought I think.

ICampsite is good, not great but good. No extras here. Funny but I have been getting along with everyone – even with my shattered French. People everywhere are nice – especially in the country. No ANTIFA, no BLM, no Pride, no politics – just peaceful contemplation. Hey my second profundity. Besides, it is too hot. Even the fish know that. Kids are in the pond having a great time in this heat. Same with me as I really am a kid at heart. A few pics coming. Tomorrow: Nevers – where St Bernadette de Soubirous (suburu) is entombed. More on that later.

 

Go West Young Man…4

…Every evening, after work, I would go out into the mist and go for a walk. My sister’s place was in the west end, a favourable part of the city because of its funkiness, its weirdness and its gayness. Unbeknownst to me this was the gay part of town. I guess I must have suspected it, especially the time that I inadvertently walked down from my sister’s apartment to the beaches area at the English sounding bay. There, just off the roadway, between the sand of the beach and the black blacktop of the avenue stood an old Victorian era styled bath changing rooms, for this was once a popular bathing and picnicking area. It was deserted now except for the whispers and the secrets of past encounters or the glorious and better days of a very distant memory.

The building was quite ornate, of mortar and concrete, with tunnels and porticos abound. On the one side there was the business of the avenue while on the other a concrete gangway adorned with a wrought iron railing and baluster separating the beach from the street scenes. Leaning against this railing I looked out into the blackness of the night sky, over the waters of the bay, which resembled a purplish but dark sheen of wavering velvet, or silken sheets. I could see lights far off into the distant shore and make out the synchronicity of the various green, red and amber lighted aids to navigation. Looking over this dark scene I wondered how they ever managed to enjoy swimming in the frigid water or to picnic in the pouring rain.  It is beyond my understanding. Perhaps these wet coasters were masochists as well. Vitamin D deficiency can play havoc on one’s disposition and mental well being or so I am told.

Standing there, looking out over the water, I sensed that I was not alone and was being watched. Turning back suddenly and with my back to the bay I could faintly see various shapes of various sizes mingling about in the tunnels and porticos of the bathhouse. It suddenly dawned on me that this was a gay hangout and a place for gays to hook-up. I got the hell out of there. I made a mental note not to pass this way again, at least not after dark. Unlike today, gay activity in this particular city was not unlike the city’s drug culture in that it was better left unsaid and to rest and fester in the darkest corners and recesses of the underbelly of what was considered then to be the acceptable norms of society…