At Gaineko Etxea

Diary week. 5 July 4
Had tried unsuccessfully to make a booking at Arroue but should have done it before the weekend. I did the maths and decided to carry on to Arroue despite the fact it was a smallish gite and quite a few people I talked to already had reservations or were planning on stopping there. I walked for a short while with young Pierre-Benoit who told me he never makes bookings on the theory that no one would want him to have no where to sleep..apparently this has worked for him so far..he is a young engineering student who is carrying his violin as he plans to carry on to Ireland and play in pubs. He looked a bit like Ton with his long legs and curly blonde hair. Then I walked with Swiss Marco who was also reservationless. We arrived to find a list on the door announcing that there were 3 beds "disponsible" and that some one would be around at 5.30 or so to collect the money. We were a little worried that the last 3 beds might be assigned to some one else over the phone but as I couldn't get any phone reception and Marco's phone card didn't seem to work in the phone box, we have simply added our names to the list and moved in.
Later...that seemed to work..they seem to have cupboards and a fridge full of food for pelerins to buy and it is also possible to order baguettes and pain au chocolate to be delivered fresh in the early morning.

Tuesday 5 July. Arroue to Ostabat..a funny days walking as it was very hard to tell from MMDD just how far it was as there were so many variants and the don't mark distances on the variantes. What I thought would be about 25 k seemed much less..not a bad thing as the last hour or so was pretty hot. We are now well into Basque country..every placename has a Basque variant..usually full of Xs. It has also gotten hillier over the last day or so. 
I was told a few days ago that there might be difficulties with bookings in Ostabat as several trails all merged here but that doesn't seem to be the case..in fact Regula and I are so far alone in a 9 bed dortoir.

Navarrenx

Diary week 5 1 July
Last night's municipal gite at AA was not very inspiring ..like a motel packed full of beds that you could hardly squeeze between...but they sagged in just the right places and temperatures had cooled down so I had another good sleep. Wifi only worked if you were close to the reception so I spent much of the evening perched on the stairs catching up with emails. After feeling part of a small group for the last week or so it felt strange to see so many new people...and not French either. For the first time I heard Spanish ...and there seem to be a lot of Swiss people on the Chemin now.

This morning my blisters were healed enough to wear my boots again and after several short 20 k days my muscles are a lot better too. Another nice easy day with lots of cornfields and tiny villages..all very tidy and prosperous looking. As I arrived at a church this morning where lots of pelerins had stoppef for a rest someone said in French .."good..the whole family has arrived now!". Sadly arrived to late to hear Regula who likes to sing in empty churches..they have wonderful accoustics.
sometimes she even sings in English ..but nothing I recognize.  Arrived at the Gite municipal in Pomps about 1.30...a converted sports hall. I am in a room that has been converted from a changing room.  Off it is a shower room..nozzles sprouting from the wall and water puddles on the floor along with 2 beds.  No one wanted to sleep there! As we gathered in the kitchen I  met Craig from Texas who Margaret had told me to watch out for. Long talks that afternoon, dinner outside. Slept badly as no curtain so room was too light and there were sounds of water pipes everytime someone used the loos next door.

Saturday 2 July Pomps to Maslaq. Left early before breakfast and stopped 2 hours later at a marche along the way to buy cherries and pain au chocolate. Can now see the Pyranees towering off in the distance.Craig caught up with me along the way and we walked a couple more hours to Maslancq before stopping at a picnic table for an early lunch then he headed off for another's couple of hours to Souvlade and I stopped at gite. As I always do I checked the bed for the black marks that tbe bedbug pamphlets describe as being bug droppings. There were so many that I assumed that they couldn't be. I had a shower,  did some washing and had a rest before discovering my first bedbug. I squashed it between my fingers and found blood ..don't know whether it was mine or the previous occupent's. After finding another couple I dragged the mattress and my bedding outside into the sun and then visited the epicerie to see of they sold "quelquefois pour les punaise de lit" but they didn't so I tried to ring the woman in charge but didn't get much joy there either so rang and made a booking at Souvelade, 8 kilometers away.I decided that I wouldn't be able to sleep, imagining them crawling over me through the night.  I left just before 6 in the evening and had a very quick walk, arrived about 7.40ish.The sun was still very hot and I needed myi umbrella. Lovely walk through the woods beside a river. Souvelade felt cleaner and gave me my own room with views of the abbey.

Sunday 3 July. Souvelade to Navarrenx.Left with Craig and chatted all the way..only 14 k because of my previous nights walk, and didn't get lost once. Had to wait until 12 for bar to give admittance to municipal gite but it looks ok.

at Navarranx

Cant find wifi so am on french keyboard.. last few days have been lovely apart from a close encounter with a bed bug that lead to me walking an additional 8 k last night to escape.. no bites thqt I know of so far

Photos

One month on the road

Diary week 4 Sunday 26 June. Lamothe to Manciet. At. Lamothe I had a whole dormitory to myself and it looks as though I will again here at Manciet. I left a little later than I really should have this morning but was enjoying taking full advantage of having free wifi for more than a few minutes and reading NZ newspapers on my phone. For the first time I had delicious bircher muesli for breakfast along with wholemeal bread. Much of the walking this morning was _along shady country lanes..just as well as the heat was oppressive by the time I arrived in Manciet. I passed through Euze at about 10 and found a super spar supermarket open where I was able to find some band aids for my blisters and a pain au chocolate ..will have to go cold turkey on those when I get home...so yummy! Just outside the Euze cathedral there was an outdoor market settting up.I bought some apricots and cherries: life is easier since I stopped trying to calculate everything in NZ prices. I walked today in sports sandals (now held _together with string ) and socks to protect me from the sun and give my new blisters time to recover. I got to Manciet about 1.30 and am having a very quiet and cool afternoon indoors reading.Of all the equipment that I brought along my Android phone...bought very cheaply only weeks before I left has been the winner. It came with a free kindle App and I was able to download many free classics to it. I am currently reading Wilkie Collin's "The _Woman in White"...a bit _melodramatic but lots of fun..just the thing for a long hot afternoon in a tiny village with nothing else to do in the fierce heat. I was also able to download Alison Raju's guidebook as an ebook very cheaply and have been very grateful to have it sometimes when the track is not well marked. I use the note App to keep my diary and cut and paste it into the blogger App when I find wifi. The camera is only 3 pixels but it does sometimes (when the wifi is srong enough) allow me to post photos. I downloaded a sound recording App and have been trying to record some of tge birdsong and other sounds of the chemin. The news and weather App quickly downloads a week of weather forecasts using the GPS function to work out where I am when I have wifi and is then available for offline reading.It also downloads NZ news headlines for offline viewing. Initially I wondered what the point of the Email App was as it seemed more user friendly to simply go directly to my email using the web browser but have found it very useful as it also allows offline viewing off email. Internet hasn't been as easy to find in France ad ot was in Spain 7 years ago..and when you do find it you then have to do battle with French keyboards..very offputting. Wifi (pronounced weefee here ) is getting easier to find and pops up in unexpected places. I have rarely had Wifi for more than very short periods but it has been great being able to read newspapers from home and blogs.Language has been a bigger barrier than in Spain..I can now get by during the day but am lacking conversationally in the evenings..if only I had taken the time to study "le rugby". The Android certainly fills a gap then..and of course I also use it as a phone..it would be very difficult to rely on public phones to book accomodation and phone home. Now if I could just get past the next level of Angry Birds...

I am staying at the gite Chez Matthieu beside the church but wouldn't recommend it unless you can find nothing better. Lots of uncomfortable folding beds jammed into small rooms with thin translucent walls, no cooking fascilities and only one bathroom...would be appalling if it was full. There were 5 of us at dinner and conversation centred around "le chaleur" the heat and how we should all leave at. 6 in the morning to avoid the worst. Just checked Miam miam and tomorrow's gite doesn't open till 3..will have to hope for a shady tree somewhere close.

Monday 27 June. Manciet to
Maison Labarbe.
Another shortish 19 k day because of predicted 37C. Left Manciet at about 6.15 am and arrived at Nogaru 2 hours later. Had a pain au chocolate sitting in front of the church and then headed off again forgetting my stick and had to go back for it after a few hundred metres or so. Walked for another hour and s half or so before heat really began to set in for the day.Pack heavier than usual because of need to carry extra water. Found a shady corner of a corn field and set up camp until about 2.30. Shade kept shifting and I had to keep avoiding the stinging nettles. Read one of the Anne of Green Gables books on my phone. Miscalculated a little and found I still had several kilometers to go in the heat. Hot tar and gravel embed themselves onto the soles of my sandals.Sweat dripping onto my eyes ...thank goodness for my umbrella although it could do to be a bit bigger and more opaque. The combined layers of sweat and dust from the very dry tracks make me feel like well fried Wienish schnitzel.  Arrived to find noone here and note on door wishing me a good installation.One good thing about the heat is that even in the early evening my washing dries in only an hour or so. Am the only person staying in gite so ate my four course dinner in solitary splendour ...salad , roast duck and haricot beans, cheese, icecream trumpet. Then popped and drained blisters ....should have done, ir the other day really. Hot sleepless night ...tried opening the window but it is hotter outside than in. Temps expected to drop to 29C on Tues.

Tuesday 28 Juin : Maison Labarbe to Aire sur L'Ardour. As I was alone in the gite I wad able to leave by 6.30. Walked through corn fields dodging the irrigation sprinklers. Only saw 4 other walkers today...one a Basque man with such a thick accent it would have been hard to understand him if there hadn't been lots of hand action describing the heat of the last few days. Not too bad today..grey and threatening rain but never really.I should be able to see the Pyranees by now but perhaps it is juzt too overcast. Arrived at Andre and Odile's gite only minutes before it opened and was wecomed with a cold drink and chocolate! Had stopped at a giant Carrefours supermarket on my way in. Andre and Odile are lovely..he has treated my worst blister..he is of the mercurochrome and cotten threaded through the blister school so will be interesting to see how it goes... a bit gory but my wee band aids were certainly not working. They have also rung ahead for me to Miramont Sensacq as I kept getting an answer phone and wasn't sure what to do. In the meantime Regula and Marie Helene and Vanessa (swiss) have arrived..nice to see a familiar face or two.

Wednesday 29 June Aire sur L'Ardour to Miramont Sendacq. A long hot sleepless night, much of it spent listening to audio book on my phone. Left early without breakfast and soon met up with Fleming from Denmark who speaks excellent English ...had my first real conversation in a week or so. We were walking through corn fields and were joined by 3 others.Somewhere along the way we all must have bern too busy talking as we missed a turning. We suddenly realised it had been some time since we saw a marker.I would probably have turned back at that point but the consensus was to go on so we did until we eventually found s little village where we asked an old lady. We just had to backtrack a little and then keep straight along the road for an hour or so.Arrived at Miramont about 1.30ish..very nice welcoming people showed us around and will cook us a meal tonight for a donation. Lots of familiar faces here. Was able to grab a bottom bunk, a power outlet for my phone, a shower and an afternoon sleep..life is good!
Later had very good shared meal cooked by hosts for donation. We sat around outside and Adrian played the Pan pipes and there was some half hearted singing of the Pelerin song Ultreia. The night was a bit cooler and I managed to get some sleep for first time in several days.

Thursday 30 June. Miramont Sensacq to Arzacq Arraziguet.Today I have been walling for a month and only have one week left. We all left about 7.30 and had relatively short 16 k walk but a few ups and downs. More corn and sunflower fields and sheep and cows. Arrived at A just a few minutes after office closed for morning so did a quick trip to boulangerie and fruit and vege shop then back for lunch.Am hoping that wifi id available as promised by MMDD.

Dinner

Graham keeps asking what the food is like so while there are only 3 of us for dinner and I have wifi I thought I would take some photos . Tonight isn't totally typical as our host is a large jolly german man who looks a bit like santa claus. It was delicious though!

Saturday 25 June at Lamothe

The first weeks walking were a bit of a shock..so many people walking..but mostly just short distances. I had to carefully book ahead ever night especially for the 2 holiday weekends and a few times had to walk further than I hoped because the gites I wanted were all "complet". Now things are very different. As I had been told, the number of walkers dropped away quite _dramatically after Conques and there are always spare beds.I still book ahead though as often the gite managers don't turn up until late..8 pm last night and especially in some of the municipal gites the names of the people in each room are posted on the door and sometimes a "complet" sign put out anyway even though there are still lots of spare beds.With fewer people walking there is a higher chance that I will have already met some of the people I am about to share with.Last night at Condom we had a particularly lovely bunch of pelerins and we made a combined shared dinner.It was lots of fun..one of the Swiss girls was celebrating as she had just passed the 2000k mark..only another 1000 to go from here to Santiago.

Today I decided to do a big 27 k day. Just about everyone else was planning a short 18 k day to Montreal as the temperature was predicted to br 31. However as I checked the weather forecast on my tiny phone in the bar, I could see it it was predicted to get even hotter ..37C for the next 2 days so thought I would save 2 short days for that.
It wasn't too bad..I left Condom early but of managed to put in a few extra ks getting lost trying to leave, and managed to get to Montreal via vinyards and fields of sunflowers and wheat by 12ish meaning I was able to buy some food before everything closed for the weekend (which lasts until Monday afternoon in most villages here).The afternoon wasn't too bad as quite a bit of the track followed an old railway track and was shaded. I remembered Margaret's "doucement, doucement" advice and had lots of short stops. I carried an umbrella which really helped with the heat but is seen as a bit eccentric here...I have had cars stop to ask me if it is raining...and as well had soaked a neck cooler. I arrived at Lamothe at about 3.30 ..apparently because of the heat almost no one else is walking so there is only one other couple staying.
Sadly have discovered 2 blisters and a heat rash..my first after amost 4 weeks of walking ..
bummer!..but at least will only walk 18k to Manciet tomorrow so may be able to wear sports sandals.