Today we got to the Basque Country, so are now in the foothills of the Pyrenees. For the two earlier days it was relatively level, except entering and leaving the villages, but we would walk for hours (miles) on tractor roads through nothing but fields of corn, for as far as we could see. Walking 25-28 Kms a day and seeing nothing but corn fields – left us a maize’d.
Tonite we are in a Gite, with a group of 18 Older French. This Gite is known for its dinner, but what would you expect from the Basque. Last night we went to a Pilgrim service at the church, followed by a social after. We met the young priest(speaks English) again told us learn French. We have decided the French think the Chimen of St. Jacques is only French, so they don’t consider anybody else. Over the last two days we have not had wifi but it has been our usual comedy of errors. The errors are ours, if the French visit the U.S. Very few, if anybody would speak French to them, so I don’t want to insult them for not speaking English, I wouldn’t speak French to them. The difference is I would find another way to communicate. We have two guides and ask locals, but for the most part you have to take the info with question. 5kms is probably going to be 10 Kms., level will be a lot of climbing.
We came out of a period of walking through the woods today, and there was a small bar. We stopped for a beer, and the owner was an interesting personality, picture a Basque used pâté’ salesman. Yes, he did sell us a packaged foie gras. Thankfully, he was out of encyclopedias to sell us. At one dinner In a Gite we met a bicyclist from Provence, who was in the French Coast Guard but was assigned to our Coast Guard in North Carolina. Several days ago we met another Pilgrim, whose wife gave up at Conques, and we again met him on the route today. There are so many interesting people and stories along the Way.