Step 3: Pains and Aches, Castles and Beers
A beer near the end of a day's walk in the Village of Sarzay, 5:50pm, Saturday the 6th of May. 31 km walked.
Where shall I begin with this chapter of the blog? It has been a week, a long week at that.
29th of April
After leaving Nevers, we followed the northerly route, which for some part followed the river before branching off to follow the Canal de Berry. Sunday was our chosen rest day as nothing was open on a Sunday and so nothing would be missed if we did not walk to far. An hour out of the town of Nevers, we pitched out tents in a field opposite that of one filled with sheep and goats, Shepherded by a big fluffy dog. We spent the evening listening to the soft bleating of the sheep and goats and the ring from their bells which were around their necks. We did not walk much that day, 14 kilometres upon the route of The Way, and 10 kilometres ontop of that for Enoch and myself who walked to Decathlon and back with out our backpacks. Before turning in for the night, we played a round of Monopoly Deal.
Sunday, 30th of April
We slept in and didn't depart our campsite till around 10:30am. That day was our rest day, and so we planned to only walk 10 kilometers or so. I shot on ahead of them while they still were packing up. Stopping in the Hamlet of Le Guétin by the Canal Latéral à la Loire, about 4 km from where we camped the evening before, I waited there, hoping to find a Bakery to buy bread. I had only a few apples, some cheese, and a piece of tale bread left in my pack. Once the others caught up, we rested for a while and Rose brought us all ice cream, as the day was quite warm. We then ate lunch, which for me consisted of stale bread, cheese, and a little meat. Again, I shot on ahead, fallowing along the river of L'Allier and the disused Canal. After walking for another hour, I arrived in the village of Apremont-sur-Allier. It is situated on the banks of the L'Allier River and is part of the 'The most beautiful villages of France' association, and indeed was quite a beautiful village. Here is a Wikipedia link to information about the village: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apremont-sur-Allier
We rested there for a few hours. I had my solar panel out, sitting in the sun to charge my battery pack, before I left my things with the others and walked around the village. There was a public toilet which we all used. Toilet paper seemed to be a rare thing in French toilets, and so one had to carry it with you if you wished to use some.
There was a bar which did not sell food, only drinks, and so I ordered a hot chocolate and sat in the shade to drink it. Being a long weekend, everyone was out enjoying the holiday. The little village was a tourist trap and was full of sight seers. There was a small shop, or house thing, open for pottery classes, and one could purchase small pottery cups and bowls. We eventually moved on to look for a camping spot for the evening. The small village was bordered on one side by wood, while the other was river edge. We contemplated on camping behind the cemetery as there was a field that was disused and had long grass. However, Osgar rose the issue of how dewy the grass would be in the morning, and so we continued. After walking for another 19 minutes before leaving the road and into the woods, where we pitched our tents for the evening. In all, we walked about 14 kilometers that day.
Monday the 1st of May, 27 kilometers walked
That morning, we awoke to the sound of woodpeckers somewhere in the wood. We would end up walking 27 kilometers that day. After packing up, I shot on ahead once more, along the road. While walking up the length of road, I passed a guy picking snow drops, he spoke very little English, and said that it was traditional to pick them in France, and he gave me a flower as a gift. At this point Enoch had caught up with me and soon overtook. I was needing some bread, as I was out, and so hoped to find one in the next village of Grossouvre. However, France was celebrating Labor Day, and so everything was shut. I could see by the map that there was a direct road which would take me to the village, and the Way was going to go through the village but would take a long path in getting to there. So I left the Way, and my brother Osgar called out after me, stating that I was going the wrong way. I called back, stating that I would meet them in the next village. He obviously could not hear me, as when I arrived, I ended up waiting there for half an hour before Enoch appeared without a backpack, declaring that I went the wrong way and that the others were waiting for my return. I told him that the Way went through the village, but took a long time getting there. I showed him the map before he would agree and headed back to gather Rose and Osgar.
I met a man by the name of Bastion as I waited for the others to arrive. I had been eating my lunch, and he was walking past, so I greeted him in French and he came over. He returned my greeting before asking something in French, of which I did not understand. When I said that I only spoke English, he asked me where I was from and I said, nouveau Zelandia. He then proceeded to clutch his heart and state that we were brothers at heart, he then sat down, and we talked for close to half an hour. He shook my hand, mine being very cold and his were warm. I would have offered him something to eat, but I barely had anything to eat myself. We talked about the state of people and how they interact, especially after Covid. He was saying that half of the people in France, have become cold and bitter. While the other half have only continued to work and not interact, too busy with Money being on their minds.
One of the examples he gave was that people would drive around in their cars alone with no other passengers, and yet they would wear a mask. He was saying fear has driven them to not ask questions. They are not stupid. They are only fearful, he is correct in saying so, for they are not stupid. No one is stupid. Everyone's actions have been fully rationalized in their own minds, and they are simply doing what they believe is right. I do not blame them for that. If they want to wear masks within a car alone, let them do that.
We went on to talk about the future, and he was saying that good times were about to come. I probably came across as a wet blanket, for I said that there were bad times coming. Hardships have to come first, and he agreed with me. He then went on to say that that coldest part of the day is just before dawn, and then the sun comes up, and it is warm and pleasant. He went on to say that when a problem is solved. The problem is at its trickiest just before the problem is solved. That calamity, just before the solution, is at its greatest, and then the solution come along and the problem disappears. The problem is merely a past illusion. I listened and found what he had to say interesting. He then bid me farewell and went upon his way.
Eventually the others did arrive, and we continued on our path, following the dried up remains of an old Canal, though after following it for a couple of kilometers, it became maintained. We walked for another hour before arriving in the village of Sancoins, where we stopped by the back wall of the cemetery to take lunch and dry our tents and sleeping bags. I went on a hunt to see if anything was open, in hopes of buying bread, but everything was shut.
We spent two hours there before continuing on, following the Canal for another 7.3 kilometers, where we left it and ate dinner. Rose's ankle was paining her greatly by this point, but we wished to walk another 6 kilometers, where we would reconnect with the Canal. We ended up a kilometer away from the Canal, and pitched our tents on the edge of a farm track for the evening. We all crawled into Rose's tent to watch The Hunchback of Notre-Dame on my phone. It was a grand evening.
Tuesday the 2nd of May, 23 kilometers walked
In the morning, I shot on ahead. The frogs from the nearby pond were quite noisy during the night, and wild pigs came visiting in the night. I needed food. The reason why I shot on ahead was that I wished to arrive at the bakery in the village of Charenton-du-Cher, which was 17 kilometers away from where we had camped for the night. I arrived around 12pm and brought bread, a chocolate croissant, and a pastry that had goats cheese in it, before sitting down by a picnic table to await upon the others. They did not arrive till around 1:30, and by that point, the bakery had closed and would reopen at 2:30. We had an hour, and so out came all our gear to dry in the sun.
A woman came by and said something to Rose, and after a couple of sentences in French and hand gestures, she continued on her way. On inquiry, Rose thinks the woman was concerned that we were planning on camping there for the night, and Rose told her that we were only drying out tents, and would continue onwards later.
As the clock ticked time away, and the church bell rang the hours by, another woman approached us. She seemed to be in her 60s, and asked in very limited English where we were staying. We said in tents. She then asked where did we shower, to which we replied by saying that we do not. She then invited us round to her house to use her shower. Last week it was water given to us when we most needed it, and now this week, we were given showers when we most needed it! I think that's amazing! Such good people in this world.
We had showers, and she gave us tea and coffee, and some biscuits before sending us back upon our way. We popped into the bakery before continuing for another hour. Rose's Ankle was even sorer than before, and we called it quits after only walking 23 kilometers that day. We pitched our tents by the side of the Canal and sleep soon took us.
Our days progress in Purple, 23 km walked
Wednesday the 3rd of May, 17 kilometers walked
We continued in the morning, and planned to get to a town only 6 kilometers away to buy some painkillers for Rose's Ankle. Rose planned to stay with our packs as we walked from the Church to the supermarket, which was 3 kilometers away. When we arrived at the church, a funeral was taking place for a war veteran, so we sat a little ways up the street from it before setting off. We were away close to three hours before returning. We hopped that the rest that Rose received did her Ankle good, but only found that, if anything, had only worsened. We continued on for another 2 hours before pitching our tents for the evening.
Our days progress in Purple, 17 km walked
Thursday the 4th of May, 5.5 kilometers walked
In the morning, it became clear that Rose wasn't going to walk very far that day. So after walking five and a half kilometers, we stopped by the Cemetery outside the village of Loye-sur-Arnon. For the rest of that day, we laid in the sun, charging battery packs and hopped that Rose's ankle would improve. Come late afternoon, I decided to explore the village. There was a brewery as well as a café, and a church which was locked.
I popped into the Café to buy a hot chocolate, only to find that they did not sell hot chocolates. I felt as if I had to buy something for I had walked in, and they wanted to know what I wanted, and so ended up buying a coffee, only then to find that they only dealt in cash. The only cash that I had on me was 60 cents. I told them I would come back with more cash, but they told me to sit down and enjoy the coffee, and that it was free, so I did. I drank it up and left, feeling a little ashamed of myself for not being able to pay for it and that they were quite adamant that I didn't need to. As evening approached, Osgar and I popped into the small Brewery and brought a single bottle of beer. We had seen from their website that they made a stout, however when we inquired, they had none left in stocks. So we settled for a light beer that had been tripled distilled and left to age in a barrel for six months. Once getting back to the cemetery, we opened it and shared it between ourselves. Rose did not partake in our small bottle. We then proceeded to pitch our tents for the evening. It looked like it would rain, and so we tried to secure our tents as best as we could for the night.
Our days progress in Purple, 5.5 km walked
Friday the 5th of May, 'Saying Goodbye'
We got on the road by 8am. Rose's ankle was still quite sore, and so she looked into staying at a Gîte for a couple of nights and then bus to where ever we got to a couple of days later. She looked into getting a bus to Bourges, however the bus had already left from the village of Loye-sur-Arnon. So it was decided that we would walk to the next village of Le Châtelet, where she would stay three nights and rest her ankle before bussing to the village of Gargilesse-Dampierre where she would catch up with us. The village of Le Châtelet was still 16 kilometers away, and the route took us through farm land and fords. The weather had finally turned for the worse, and as we packed up camp in the morning, it began to lightly rain, and would do so till around 1pm. I shot on ahead, as I had wanted to get to a bakery to buy more bread, as I had only a heel of a loaf left. However, once I got to the village at around 1:30, I found that the bakery was not in business and was under renovation. The supermarket which was in the town wouldn't open till 2:30pm, and so I sat in the sun, which poked its face out from the clouds from time to time till the others arrived around 3pm. Rose had been going quite slowly due to her swollen ankle. We then all walked onto the supermarket where we found a laundromat outside, and so we all played a load on while we brought what was needed from the supermarket. While we waited for the laundry to do its thing, Enoch had brought ice cream for all. I placed my solar panel out to catch the rays of sun that came through the clouds. Rose had booked herself in to a Gîte in the Village of Le Châtelet, and while we waited for the laundry, a fellow pilgrim passed by while on her way to the supermarket. She, too, was staying in the same Gîte as Rose, and soon they were talking together like old friends. For Enoch, Osgar and I, we still had to walk 16 or so Kilometers before being able to pitch our tents for the evening. And so once the laundry was done, we bid Rose and our fellow pilgrim goodbye.
Saying goodbye to Rose and fellow pilgrim.
The weather slowly improved and by the time we got west of the village of Châteaumeillant, the skies had cleared. We pitched our tents around 9:35 in the evening on top of a hill by a war memorial, overlooking the village of Néret. As we pitched our tents, someone playing the saxophone wafted up from the direction of the village. The air was cool, and the stars began to appear in the sky.
Our days progress in Purple
Saturday the 6th of May, 31 km walked
We were back upon the road by 8am. The king of England would be crowned today. I kept an eye on the ceremony as we walked. By midday, we arrived in the town of La Châtre. We stopped at a McDonald's to buy coffee and hot chocolates. I sat watching the ceremony as Enoch and Osgar went next door to the grocery store. At 4 minutes past 1pm, the king received his crown. We continued onwards after that. We walked for another hour before stopping on a farm track to dry our gear in the sun and eat some lunch. After that we walked another hour before arriving in the village of Sarzay where there was a 14th century castle. We stopped at a local restaurant and brought a pint of Gothic Blonde Beer and sat watching a reenactment of people in armor outside the walls of the castle.
It was 6 in the evening, and we had to continue on, as we hopped to pitch camp another 7.8 kilometers away. It was 9pm by the time we did pitch our tents, and that night it began to rain, along with lightning and thunder. In all, we walked 31 kilometers that day. We had 26 kilometers to go till Gargilesse-Dampierre where we hoped to meet up with Rose.
Our days progress in Purple, 31 km walked
Sunday the 7th of May, 30 km walked
I slept terribly during the night. It had rained more than once, quite heavily as well. 2 kilometers away was the village of Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre which had a bakery and café. I packed down my tent and began walking. The evening before, Enoch and Osgar had not wanted to tent where I had chosen, due to the length of grass, and so had walked back up the farm track where we had come. So when I set off in the morning, they hadn't appeared yet, but by the time I had arrived in the village, they had caught up with me before we all brought chocolate croissants. I then went and brought a coffee from the local Café. The lady behind the counter could speak English quite well and was impressed that we were from New Zealand, and asked if we were walking to Santiago de Compostela, to which I replied with Yes. She wished us good luck upon the road before we continued.
I have noticed that the French seem to lack the skill to produce good coffee. While they may be experts in wine, the same cannot be said for their coffee. Interestingly, the Arabic word for coffee translates to "wine of the bean." I recently had a fascinating conversation with a New Zealand coffee grower who is the only commercial coffee grower in the country. He made me a cup of experimental coffee using beans that had fermented on the bush due to wet weather conditions. As he sorted the beans, we discussed the flavor notes within them, similar to a wine tasting. We talked about the sourness, bitterness, and acidity of the beans.
In contrast, French coffee lacks flavor and is typically made with poor quality milk. They use UHT milk that has been cooked and preserved, giving it a sweet taste due to the caramelized sugars in the milk. This affects the taste of the coffee, which always seems to also require two sticks of sugar to mask its blandness. A well-roasted coffee bean should not require sugar as the natural sugars in the bean should caramelize, not burn, during the roasting process. The result is a coffee that has a natural sweetness. While I am not a coffee expert, I can tell that the French coffee falls short in comparison to New Zealand coffee.
We walked for another hour and a half before arriving at a hairpin bend in the river of La Bouzanne where the there were ruins of an old castle, Château-fort de Cluis-Dessous, remains of times gone by, 14th century. We stopped there and climbed about the ruins, exploring the secret passages and rooms that lay underneath. We continued on to the village of Cluis, which was less than a kilometer away. Enoch and Osgar were ahead of me, and as they turned the corner into the village, that was the last I saw of them till catching them at the village of Gargilesse-Dampierre around 5:30 that evening. When I arrived in the village of Cluis, I went to the church, which was open. Inside the side door, there was a table with pamphlets and other things with information of the local village, and there was also a stamp to stamp your pilgrim's passport! I had expected to see Enoch and Osgar there, but they were not. So I waited for 5 minutes before walking around the village and then headed back to the church and waited some more. They still did not appear. I continued onwards and left the village, heading southwest. After walking ten minutes upon the path, I came to a five-hundred meter long viaduct. It was a spectacular structure which allowed the crossing of the Auzon, located 40 m above the apron.
Work was completed in 1889 for the railway line that linked Argenton sur Creuse and La Châtre. The viaduct reaches a length of 500 meters with its 20 arches of 25 meters each. The line closed in 1952 and the was track dismantled two years later in 1954. Today it remains a testimony - still very solid and well maintained - of the know-how of the
railway engineers. It is also a place of passage for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela and more occasionally a sought-after site for bungee jumping enthusiasts. The municipality of Cluis has owned it since 1972.
I took the above information off of the website http://www.petit-patrimoine.com/fiche-petit-patrimoine.php?id_pp=36056_1
I continued on for another kilometer before it began to bucket down with rain. I quickly pulled my backpack off and pulled on my waterproof trench coat before placing my backpacks rain cover on and continuing. The next Hamlet was over two kilometers away. After ten minutes, the rain receded and the sun came out, and I tried to harvest the said sunlight into my battery pack, but failed miserably. I hopped that Enoch and Osgar would appear, but they did not, and after walking for another 3 hours, stopped in the Village of Pommiers to eat a late lunch. I walked up to the church to find it locked, and so sat on a park bench and ate my bread, cheese, and salami. The sun was out, and so I laid my solar panel out to capture the precious sunlight. There was a small bus stop building which I had to quickly move my things into and finish my meal, as heavy rain moved in and soaked everything over once more. I continued on. I had 5.7 kilometers to walk, which took me over an hour before arriving in Gargilesse-Dampierre. Being Sunday, there had been a market on in the village. So when I got there, they had only begun to pack up for the day.
I found Enoch and Osgar sitting up by the church of Église Saint-Laurent et Notre-Dame. They had been there for 40 minutes. We had finally arrived at where the northerly and southerly routes from Vézelay merge, and in doing so, we met 6 pilgrims who had come via the northerly route. There was a pilgrim who walked 38 km today, along the northerly route from the village of Velles, all the way to Gargilesse-Dampierre.
We spent a few hours in a bar to charge our devices before leaving around 8:30 to walk another 5 kilometers, before camping in an over grown lane which was bordered on both sides by stone walls and fields. In total, we walked 30 kilometers. The skies are now clear and hopefully tomorrow will be sunny and dryer than today. Rose made contact, letting us know that she would try and get to the village of Crozant tomorrow, 14 kilometers south of where we are now.
Our days progress in Purple, 30 km walked
And that completes our southern route from Vézelay, the two routes as seen below and what path we took. Over 270 km long.
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