Our little communal gite was very comfortable and we're impressed by this facility offered to pilgrims by little towns.
We slept upstairs and there was a little kitchenette downstairs. Of course, to cook in a kitchenette you need food, and funnily enough food (both supplies for cooking and lunch or morning tea along the way) is not easy to access in the tiny villages the Camino passes through. This may in part be due to the lateness of the season and the fact that what little shops there are seem to be closed. Today we walked the whole 21kms of our stage without finding anything to eat, and we've just got back from an additional 8kms walk to pick up supplies for this evening and tomorrow. Again, there is no shop or bar in the village we are staying.
It really was a beautiful day for walking and the countryside was sparkling after the rain.
This is looking back at the village we stayed last night.
All along this Cluny way we've been struck by the Charolais cattle which seem extremely peaceable and content. In this lovely morning, a Charolais haiku was inspired (note: 'vache' means cow!)
Blonde vache against a
light blue sky. Placidly
dwell in fields renewed.
The early part of the day was quite hilly and we passed through three little villages, one of which had a particularly lovely church with unusual stained glass windows.
A simple and seemingly very old stone font.
And then more glorious paths and vistas.
Again we were struck by the many signs of being on the Way.
Later in the day, there were some longer straight stretches which always evoke something of the seeming endlessness of the journey.
Closer to hand, we noticed ... (Geoff, this is for you, and congratulations to you and Annemarie for finishing your long pilgrimage yesterday in St Jean Pied de Port).
This way is for pilgrims, dangerous for other vehicles.
Tonight we are in another tiny village, in another communal gite (by ourselves). This is part of an old abbey church set up by the Cluny Benedictines, and it is amazing to be staying amidst such history.
Bon chemin,
Sarah and Neil
What a beautiful day. I'm struck by the fact that you had to walk so far to get supplies, and that there was no where for coffee or tea in the village. The things a pelerin must put up with! Although I remember a village on the way to Finisterre where the albergue was on the edge of town and the supermarket was a long walk in the opposite direction. I'm glad you were able to find something to prepare in that kitchenette.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm obsessed by food, mostly because I'm hungry. And, of course, an army, even an army of two pilgrims, marches on its stomach.
Bon chemin!
Ken