France August 27 St. Privat d'Allier

Breakfast was at 7:30, which included home-made cheese and jams. It was delightful and a good start to the day. Little did we know that we would need the energy from the hardy breakfast. Mario was very proud of himself having no problems on the first day with way-finding. However, today was a different story, and much to our surprise we ended going NW instead of SW. We followed all the markers, but discovered later that they were the markings for a different trail(GR40). Two people helped us with the directions to find our way back to GR65, Chemin de St. Jacques. We probably ended up traveling an additional 10 km today. Oh well, lesson learned. It would be more helpful to read the guide book in advance, and not when your lost. St. Privat d'Allier is a quaint little town on a hillside – one petite grocery store but four pubs all within one block of each-other.

See Pictures to/of St. Privat d'Allier

France August 26 Montbonnet

The trek starting at Le Puy (Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle) has a religious significance as it was the way of St. James to Santiago de Compostelle, and therefore each morning there is a special mass for the pilgrims. This was how we started the morning and by 8:30am we were on our way. We left the valley (Velay) region and spent most of the day ascending the mountain. Unfortunately as we neared the summit the more clouds and we got caught in a down-pour just as we arrived to Montbonnet. And to our bad luck the Gite (B&B) we had planned to stay at was closed for six days, but we managed to find a nice guest house nearby. It appears to be an old stable/barn converted to the main eating area for the guests, and I'm not sure what the building that houses the bedrooms used to be, but the owners have done a fantastic job restoring. And it was a delightful evening spent with four other guests and the two owners who prepared a 5-course dinner. It was formidable! The dinner started with an appretif, a special prepared salad, sausage and lentils, goat, lamb and cow cheeses, and flan for desert. And of course wine served with the meal. Most of the ingredients used were from local farmers and prepared by the owner, and the wine was provided by a relative who owners a local winery.The trek starting at Le Puy (Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle) has a religious significance as it was the way of St. James to Santiago de Compostelle, and therefore each morning there is a special mass for the pilgrims. This was how we started the morning and by 8:30am we were on our way. We left the valley (Velay) region and spent most of the day ascending the mountain. Unfortunately as we neared the summit the more clouds and we got caught in a down-pour just as we arrived to Montbonnet. And to our bad luck the Gite (B&B) we had planned to stay at was closed for six days, but we managed to find a nice guest house nearby. It appears to be an old stable/barn converted to the main eating area for the guests, and I'm not sure what the building that houses the bedrooms used to be, but the owners have done a fantastic job restoring. And it was a delightful evening spent with four other guests and the two owners who prepared a 5-course dinner. It was formidable! The dinner started with an appretif, a special prepared salad, sausage and lentils, goat, lamb and cow cheeses, and flan for desert. And of course wine served with the meal. Most of the ingredients used were from local farmers and prepared by the owner, and the wine was provided by a relative who owners a local winery.

See Pictures to/of Montbonnet

France August 25 Le Puy en Velay

Mario had trouble pronouncing the name of this town, which was a challenge when buying tickets at the train station. The French language is very difficult to learn and often we get the pronunciation wrong because some letters are silent. Regardless we are getting by, and we did make it to Le Puy. When the train arrived there was a hoard of hikers that left the train in search of their accommodations for the night before starting the trek.

Le Puy is a very beautiful town and worth a stay longer than one day, but we were determined to start our trek asap. In the evening all the bars and restaurants put out their tables and chairs, with some taking over a street so no cars can pass. This appears to be typical of the French culture, and there are so many different aromas coming from the restaurants and bakeries.

The visit to the cathedral was a challenge because it is perched on top of a hill and it was all up hill on cobble stones, and many steps to climb. The cathedral was nice because of its unique design and location, but the inside was not as spectacular as some other churches we've been to. There were about four artist sitting outside on the steps using parts of the cathedral in their sketch. 

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France August 22-25 Paris

Mario's dream to visit France has finally come true. The many horror stories stopped us from going for many years. We were told that the people were not friendly to English speaking tourists, but that has not been our experience. We have found everyone we've met very friendly and helpful, and many Parisians speak English. Paris is an amazing city, and our first visit was to the Eiffel Tower. There was about a 45 minute wait to take the elevator to the first level and then a 30 minute wait to take a different elevator to the top. What an amazing structure and the view from the top was spectacular. Paris, I'm told has a population of 9 million people, who love to eat out, and no wonder, there are so many. cafes and restaurants within central Paris. And amongst the cafes are sprinkled many middle eastern fast food and lots of pastry shops. It is written, that man can not live on bread alone, but in Paris that is not the case. There are small bakeries everywhere and bread is the choice of many. We are sure enjoying the bread, cheeses and wine.

Eating and drinking are a big part of the visit, but Paris is blessed with the most beautiful monuments. The Eiffel Tower is their jewel, but there are so many more monuments within the centre – Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Notre Dame, Grand Palais, Palais du Luxembourg, and many more. 

See Pictures of Paris