Le Puy Way:
Le-Puy-en-Velay to Saint Jean Pied de Port
First day. Lost...
On April 1, 2017, we arrived in the town of Le-Puy-en-Velay. We would begin the route, also known as Via Podiensis or GR65. This route starts in Le-Puy-en-Velay, in the Upper Loire, and goes all the way to Saint Jean Pied de Port, where the French Way begins. Since we had already done the French Way, we decided that, once we arrived in Saint Jean Pied de Port, we would go to Zamora to do the Sanabrês Way to Santiago de Compostela, for the fifth time.
We stayed in the city for 2 days to acclimatize and prepare for our hike. On the third day, we left very early in the morning, in the light rain and very cold, heading towards St. Private d'Allier. We followed the red and white signs until, at a crossroads, we saw the sign to the right and started walking. We knew that the city was about 5 km away. But we never got to the city. We suspected that we had made a mistake. We remembered that at the crossroads, on the opposite side to where we had entered, there was a sign. We didn't go and check it out. We followed what we thought was the obvious thing to do. Overconfidence led us to make this mistake.
After walking for a long time, we arrived at a ghost town. We didn't find anyone and we saw a sign that said it wasn't St. Private d'Allier. All the houses were locked, there was no sign of residents and no shops. There was no cell phone signal. We went to a small road and wondered what to do. On the first day of walking, we were lost in France, in some random place...
Suddenly, we saw a car coming down the little road. It was our only hope. The driver stopped and told us that St. Private d'Allier was 5 km away in the opposite direction from where we had come. We hitched a ride and drove back a few kilometres to our destination. Finally, we arrived at the gîte, or guesthouse, and met two Frenchmen from Paris, with whom we had dinner. It was very cold, but the place was well heated. The next morning we would leave for Sauges.
When we woke up, an allergy had taken over Vera's face and arms. Well, that's a whole other story. Europe has a lot of "bed bug" infestations, which are nothing more than our "bedbugs". In Vera's case, just one bite was enough to trigger a very strong allergy throughout her body. It wasn't the first time. It had happened on another trip and on the train from Lisbon to Hendaye (France). That's why we always carry a good supply of anti-allergy medication, on doctor's recommendation. In France, sometimes it's necessary to leave backpacks outside the hostels, as a precaution and to avoid contamination. It's an endemic problem that occurs in unspecified places, even in large hotel chains in big cities or on public transport.
The road to Saugues was up and down. It was very cold and there was a light rain. At a certain point, we met Kersting, a German woman who became our walking companion that day and the next. When we arrived in Saugues, another Frenchman from Paris, Phillipe, was looking for a place to stay. With a recommendation we had already received, the four of us went to a guesthouse owned by a couple who prepared a wonderful dinner with wild mushrooms. After all, we were right in the region where these mushrooms were grown, and this couple harvested, dried and sold them. And so, we spent another pleasant evening, warming ourselves by a roaring fire and drinking a good glass of wine.
The next day, we went to Le Sauvage, a place that, as the name suggests, is wild, full of mysteries and many stories.
The Beast of Gévaudan and the Dutch “beast”.
The region where Le Sauvage is located, the former province of Gévaudan, is a place full of nature and mystery. Going back in time, from 1764 to 1767, it is said that a mysterious creature tormented the people of this place. It was possibly a huge wolf with a very long tail. This creature was called the Beast of Gévaudan. Despite the constant attacks by wolves on local flocks, at the time, no attack on humans had been seen until a young girl was killed. From then on, attacks on humans began to occur, resulting in many fatalities. It is said that the beast attacked and tore out the throats of its victims. Thus, the hunt for the Beast of Gévaudan began. Two creatures were killed. The first was "stuffed" and taken to Versailles. The second, it is said that while the shooter was praying with his group, the beast appeared, but did nothing. The beast was later killed by a silver bullet blessed by a priest.
And it was to these parts that we walked. In the middle of nowhere, we arrived at a large building. There was a hotel and a gîte there. We stayed at the gîte and discovered the history of the place. This is a region of farms where the Aubrac cattle breed had practically become extinct. The farmers in the region got together and managed to recover the breed. They created a cooperative of more than thirty farmers in the region who raise dairy and beef cattle, and produce and supply all types of food.
On this day, there were about ten of us in the gîte. We and Kersting, the German, were the only foreigners. The others were French, who made a point of telling us everything about the place. After a delicious dinner, served with the appropriate explanations about the origin of all the food they served, wine and cheeses produced in the region, we were honored by three of the French who sang, in Portuguese, “Mas que nada” by Jorge Bem Jor. And, of course, it turned into a party!
The region where Le Sauvage is located is very rocky. That is why most of the buildings are made of stone. It is arid and has nothing but farms. The towns are very small and sometimes without any residents. And those who think that walking beyond the recommended distance in the famous guidebook “Miam Miam Dodo” are in for a treat. Let me clarify: “Miam Miam” refers to food and “Dodo” refers to a place to sleep.
And that was the case with a Dutchman. He was walking with us and when he got to Le Sauvage, he said it was still early and that he would walk a little further. We later discovered that the next gîte was closed and there was no transport around. The "idiot" had to lay out his sleeping bag in the middle of nowhere, in the freezing cold, hungry, and spend the night outside. He almost froze.
In the following days, we walked on a terrain with lots of rocks, roots and very uneven terrain, which was a real torture for our feet. We went to St Alban sur Limangnole, Aumont-Aubrac, Nasbinals, St Cheli d'Aubrac. Our circle of friends grew. We met more French people, who like to walk on their short vacations. And, believe me, we became “famous”. After all, we hadn't yet met Brazilians who travel thousands of kilometers every year just to walk in places that tourists wouldn't even dream of visiting...
The happy French people...
We continue to make new friends. We exchange information about new paths and about life. All with the same passion: traveling by walking.
We were collecting life stories, such as that of a Japanese man who was over 70 years old. When he met us, he said that he had heard of “Brazilians”. He said that when he retired, he started learning French and decided to walk through the French countryside to get to know the country’s culture. Phillipe, the Frenchman we met on the second day of our walk, had also recently retired and decided to walk through places he had never been before. But the most interesting thing was that he said that when he was young he liked to walk in Spain, because the people were more welcoming and cheerful. He also said that the French people were more reserved. A few days later, he made a “mea culpa”, admitting that he himself did not know his people.
So, we continued on our way to St. Côme d'Olt, Espalion, Golinhac, Conques. We passed through farms, small roads and incredible villages. Despite the ups and downs, we had fun with our friends on the road and with the locals we met. In Golinhac, we met Claude who would be traveling for 5 months with her two donkeys. We stayed in a bungalow with a beautiful view of a suggestive place called Bellevue.
Between meetings and farewells, because few people would go to Saint Jean Pied de Port, we headed to Conques, known as one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Conques is a historic and intriguing town, with a dark past dating back to the time of the Inquisition. It is said that a 12-13 year-old Christian girl was burned alive at the stake, but the flames went out. She was then beheaded. She became the martyr Saint-Foy. Her relics are kept in the enormous abbey, which dates back to the year 1000. The town combines a medieval atmosphere, the persistent scent of wisteria, which blooms in spring, and the coming and going of tourists impressed by the beauty of the place. A true “natural amphitheatre”, with a breathtaking landscape for those who arrive on foot.
Delicious cuisine in the French countryside...
For those who love gastronomy, this region is fantastic. It is the region of mushrooms, Aligot, Aubrac cheese and regional blue cheeses, such as Roquefort. It is also the region of foie gras, truffles, sausages, good wines and Armagnac.
Although we are not fans of foie gras, due to its cruel origin, we saw many farms raising geese. As many gîtes offer the possibility of using the kitchen, and with the ease of buying all these products, there was no shortage of delicious dinners.
The only problem was the weekends. Everything closed on Sundays, around noon, while we were still walking. And on Mondays, all the markets and bakeries were closed. So we had to keep ourselves supplied for two days, which made our backpacks very heavy and the walks much more tiring.
One Sunday in Conques, we tried to stock up on food, but even though it was a tourist town, the shops closed at noon. We improvised something to eat and the next day we only had bread, water and dried fruit.
We went to Livinhac, on a very tough path. Right from the start, the trail was almost a climb and without many signs. The sun was very hot and we met Delphine, a chef from Marseille, who had gotten lost. Almost reaching our destination, as if in a mirage, we came across a lady serving kefir, with sparkling water, delicious and refreshing to those passing by. There we met Maryam, an Iranian, and Kat, an American who were walking together. Later we met Phil, also American, and Nels, a German who was always hungry. We formed a group. With the exception of Nels, we still keep in touch with the others. We are always exchanging information about routes to take and routes already taken.
Finally, when we arrived in Livinhac, each of us went to our guesthouse. We arrived at our gîte and found a note on the door explaining which room was ours. We got in without any problems. Most of the time, the doors were left unlocked. We found chocolate bombs, croissants and beers as a welcome gift, which was our salvation. We were starving and had no more bread or water.
Christine, our hostess, arrived around six in the evening. We chatted and said we were going out for dinner. She called the only restaurant in town and the pizzeria to see if they were open. They were closed. It was that damn Monday. Christine called another gîte to see if they would serve dinner, but they said dinner was only for guests. But Christine fixed the situation. That day we had dinner with the couple, Gilbert and Christine. It was one of the best dinners we had ever had. Great food, lively conversation, lots of cheeses and wines from the region. We were very grateful. The next day, after a delicious breakfast, we left with fruit and croissants, provided by the couple. In addition to a pleasant evening, we made new friends!
Saint Anthony the Abbot or Merlin in disguise?
The days went by happily. Little by little we entered the Lot Valley region, where the river of the same name flows. And so we passed through Figeac, La Casagnole, Limogne-en-Quercy, Mas de Vers, Cahors.
Cahors is the busiest town in the region. The 14th-century Valentre Bridge is the most visited. But it is the hundreds of wineries in the region, which produce Vin de Cahors, mainly Malbec, that are the most recommended grapes. And they are, indeed, very good.
On Easter Sunday we arrived in Les Cabanes. We were invited to attend mass and were very honored to have our feet washed by the local priest, Jean-Jacques Kerveillant.
The next day we went to Lauzerte, a medieval village located high on a mountain. The view is beautiful, but the climb was difficult. Since the gîtes were already full, we stayed with Pauline, a French musician, in a house that was still under renovation. We had dinner there and in the morning we went to Moisac, a very pleasant little town.
From there, we continued along a canal, passing through Pomevic to St. Antoine, a small village with just over 200 inhabitants. It was a fun meeting point with some “gringos”, and we even had an improvised dinner, since the place had no shops. It was a real mix of “Tower of Babel” and “Babette’s Feast”.
The name of this village is a tribute to Saint Anthony the Abbot, who looked more like “Merlin”. And who knows, maybe in addition to being a saint he was also a magician? Legend has it that he lived far from everything, in the Egyptian desert, and strengthened his body, defeating the devil with his faith. Like him, our faith makes us follow our dreams, not only on our journeys, but throughout our lives. Faith and focus! This is our motto to overcome difficulties, live our dreams and be happy.
And in one of life's coincidences, we met a Swiss man, Claude, who worked with Helinho in the same company in Brazil many years ago. When we say that the world is small, it is absolutely true.
The Three Musketeers, who were four...
We continued on to the historic section of Lectoure, La Romieu, Condom. We left with the temperature almost zero degrees and later the heat was intense as we passed through plantations and without shade.
Lectoure is a small medieval town with just over three thousand inhabitants. La Romieu is much smaller, but very pretty.
Although the highlight of La Romieu is the Collegiate Church, built in the 14th century, the city's most popular attraction are its cat sculptures. It is said that in 1342, a severe famine forced people to eat their cats. Some were saved. The following year, these cats saved the population from a plague of rats that were devouring the crops.
Continuing on our way, leaving La Romieu the next day, we went to Condom. That's right! Taking advantage of the name of the city, the same as condom in English, one of its mayors opened a contraceptive museum, which remained open until 2005. Too bad it no longer exists.
We were in the Gascony region. For those who know “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas, you will remember that D'Artagnan, who was from the region, met the musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis in Paris. That's right, the three musketeers, who were four, became five, six or however many you want. That's because no one can resist a photo next to the sculpture of the musketeers, which is located in the city's central square. And why would we resist?
Well, there we said goodbye to Josephine, who was returning home to Lyon. And we continued on to Larresingle, where one of the smallest fortifications in France is located. In addition to visiting this fortification, we were very well received by Martina, and her faithful dog friend Gandalf, in her home. That day we had dinner with an authentic Cassoulet and a dessert that we will never forget... homemade yogurt, with plum sauce marinated in Armagnac and on top of it all, a little more of everything. Wonderful! We were in the Armagnac region, 27 km from Eauze, where at the entrance to the city we saw a sign that said: Ville d'Éauze – capitale del' Armagnac.
From Eauze we went to Nogaro. The route was peaceful, passing through vineyards and the Greenwich Meridian. When we got there, we met up with Phillipe, the Frenchman from Paris, after many days of walking. He was happy and excited, having already completed 24 days of the route.
Talking to other people who were staying with us and with Christian and Dominique, the owners of the hotel and gîte, Phillipe, who called us “globetrotters”, told us a little about our travels and adventures. The result was that, even though we had booked a place in the gîte, we were given the best suite in the hotel and were treated to a sumptuous dinner. It was quite an evening. We were treated with great luxury.
The next day, after a great breakfast, and back to being hikers, we headed to Aire-Sur-l'Adour, in the rain. But on the way from Aire-Surl'Adour to Pimbo, the unexpected happened. We saw three military fighters intercepting a small plane.
We heard the deafening noise. We watched and filmed the action. We continued walking through an open field. After some time, a military helicopter passed by us. It went ahead and came back in our direction. It did this operation three times. It seemed like they were checking us. Then they realized that we were just two harmless walkers. They left, but left this crazy story to tell.
Busy days followed. From Pimbo to Uzan we saw 5 or 6 wild boars chasing a small deer. Well, encountering wild boars is not at all interesting, but this time they were interested in the small deer and we went unnoticed. We saw some very strange things on this walk. At least we had never seen a mobile bidet. That's right, in Maslacq's gîte, the bidet was under the sink. To use it, you had to pull it out and then return it to the same place.
Finishing Le Puy...
From Navarrenx to Aroue we faced a terrible gale. Suddenly, it got dark. It became night. Branches fell from the trees, leaves flew from all sides and we could barely walk because of the wind. At one point, we entered a thicket to take a shortcut to our accommodation.
We arrived when the storm broke. A little later, two Swedish women arrived, soaked and frightened by the hail, thunder and lightning. Nels, the hungry German, also arrived, equally soaked and frightened. The place was cold and the owners of the house invited everyone to stay in a room with a warm fireplace. They served us some wine and we spent a long time chatting.
The next day, we left while it was still raining. We took a shortcut to get back on the trail. At one point we met an Australian couple who were returning. They said they had walked for two hours and that there was absolutely nothing in the direction we were going.
We were surprised because everything indicated that this was the right path. And we followed it. Later on, we realized the mistake they had made. The couple had gone around the mountain, due to a mistake at one of the intersections. Those of us who have been through this before were alert and followed the correct path.
We continued on to Ostabat. We had managed to find two places to stay, although the gîte was full because of the holiday. Dinner was a feast, with Basque music, wine and lots of laughter. On the thirty-second day we arrived in Saint Jean Pied de Port. The journey was very rainy and cold, but it was still beautiful. The green of the forests and the little white houses with red doors and windows of the French Basque Country are charming.
Once in Saint Jean we decided that we would cross the Pyrenees once again. The next day, we slowly crossed the city's exit gate and climbed up among a group of pilgrims, beginning the French Way.
The difference is that we already knew the difficulties we would encounter on this climb. But we enjoyed the whole journey. This time, the weather was beautiful. And we arrived in Roncesvalles. Then, we went to Pamplona. From there, we took the train to Zamora and took the Sanabrés Way, avoiding the crowds of people on the French Way.