Back on the Chemin!

In French it is called the Chemin de Saint Jacques, in Spanish the Camino de Santiago de Compostella, or, for many, simply Compostelle, a collection of trails ending at the great Cathedral in Santiago in far northwest Spain. Pilgrims, or peregrinos in Spanish and pellerin in French, greet each other with Buen Camino or Bon Chemin! Or, as I am wont to say, Happy Trails! If you are struggling up a long hill, the French may say, Courage!

I have a flight to Paris the 15th of August. I’ll meet several trail friends in Le Puy en Velay and plan to walk the entire GR65 to St Jean Pied de Port, arriving there at the end of September. I will take you along with me. With about 6 weeks to go, I am keeping my fingers crossed, getting medical needs attended to (grrrrr) and squirreling away cash. I’m going over my gear to see if I have everything needed. I’m trying to decide if I’m taking my sleeping bag (I think no) and my rain pants (undecided). I’m perusing airline ticket booking sites trying to find the right flights, not as simple as it used to be.

This is in Moissac, a little over half-way from Le Puy, and as far as I’ve been. The remaining 20 days will be less mountainous than the first 20 days were, and there aren’t so many famous villages; the “Plus Beaux Villages de France”. But there will be plenty of adventure and great companionship. I’m reading posts by two Americans currently on the trail, eager to see how the pilgrim support infrastructure – lodging (gites d’etape) and cafe-bars and boulangeries have recovered from the pandemic shutdowns.

Until then, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. But in the meantime, feel free to call me “Rober(t)” pronounced without the t. When I call ahead for a place to stay, I say, “Bonjour, je m’appelle Rober, je suis un pelerin du Texas. Avez-vous un lit pour ce soir?”