France September 25-26 Our last two days in Paris

So little time and so much to see! Hard to believe the holiday is coming to an end, and there was just not enough time to do everything we wanted in Paris. And there are so many other cities worth visiting in France. This has be an amazing experience!

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France September 24 Paris at Night

The Eiffel Tower at night is a totally new experience compared to the daytime. The lights are amazing as are the crowds of people coming for the night experience. On the lawns there are people sitting enjoying the view and vendors selling champagne to make the evening more enjoyable. And the restaurants are filled. The French love to go out to cafes, bars and restaurants, usually in groups, and even alone or with your spouse it is a great time to people-watch. We especially enjoyed watching the fashions go by.

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France September 23 Arriving back to Paris

The train from Avignon to Paris was fast, taking almost 3hrs, and we experienced our first attempted pick pocket. There were lots of warnings in tourist guides, but we felt very safe when we first arrived on August 22^nd and used the metro, and the experience was the same in every village we visited throughout our trek. However today when arriving in Paris we used the bus that was much easier to reach our hotel. But I can see how the bus is a better place for pick pocketing to occur, especially when the bus is crowded, which was the case today. We have always been on the alert taking care of our backpack and other belongings. In this case we were standing up and our packs were against the window. However, Julie's purse was in front and Mario's wallet in his front pocket. The first warning came from the bus, which posted an alert of pick pocketing on it's electronic display. Also, we were standing in the back door that was very congested, but I (Mario) could sense the presence of a man who, on first glance did not stand out from the crowd. The man was well dressed in his mid to late-50s, however there were some clues. He was dressed nicely, except his pants were too long,

He was not wearing his suit jacket and was holding in his hand rather than on his arm. No one else on the bus was holding onto their jacket. Also, he carried a black leather bag with the strap across his shoulder. The bag had a flap cover, but the bag was more of a purse rather than a business briefcase. The flap cover would make it easier and quicker to slip stolen material into. Lastly, even though we were in a crowded area, there was room to avoid physical contact, therefore when he came close to us the clues were confirmed. I saw him reach with his fingers under his coat ready to lift the flap on my pocket shorts. That's when I told him to get his hands out of my pants. He quickly protested, and stayed mute until the next bus stop where he got off. This is a reminder to stay alert in all major congested areas. Also, I wear a money belt and only keep enough cash for the day in my wallet, therefore if my wallet is stolen, the loss is minimal.

Did you loose a ring?

This is another scam to watch for. A women approaches and supposedly finds a ring on the ground and makes a big fuss and to show her generosity she gives you the ring as good luck. She then walks away, but returns immediately to ask for money for a pop. Should you give her money and walk away with the ring, a man soon appears looking for his ring. You give the ring to the man and you're out some money. Pretty slick, but not for travel-savvy people. This scam was attempted twice on us. The first time I gave the ring back to the lady, and the second time, as the women bent down to supposedly pick up the ring, I told her not to bother. I then told her male partner, as he approached that his scam didn't work.

Please note, these scams were attempted by gypsies, which is a sure signal to be alter. The gypsies are easy to spot because of their darker skin.

France September 20-22 Avignon and Villeneuve lez Avignon

Avignon is known as the city of the popes with five hundred years of history. It is truly a fascinating city to visit, with a mixture of old and new. Avignon is a relatively large city surrounded by a medieval wall and within the walls are the historical monuments, commercial businesses, residents, university and parks. Avignon became the centre of the Christian world in the 14^th century attracting Europe's best architects and artists. There's no shortage of places to enjoy the local cuisine, and there is plenty of variety. Last night we enjoyed dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was a welcome change. We spent our last day visiting the town of Villeneuve lez Avignon that is located across the river from Avignon. It also has a historical significance, being the home of the cardinals in the 14^th century.

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France September 18-19 Carcassone

The weather has changed – getting colder and wetter, but the forecast is looking good for the next three days. Regardless of the weather, it was a fun city to visit. The old town, which is a medieval fortress has been well preserved. The town is surrounded by a stone wall and inside is the castle and cathedral, and the original resident and commercial buildings – many of which house restaurants, cafes and shops. In keeping with the medieval theme we saw two attractions housing a house of horror (most likely medieval torture).  No, we did not visit the attractions.

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France September 16-17 Toulouse

It was fun doing the trek, but it's better (according to Mario) to be a tourist. Toulouse is one of three towns we've picked to spend our last 10 days in France, and it has not been a disappointment. The hotel is perfect – close to the train station and to the centre of town. Lots of things to see, and being Friday/Saturday the streets are packed. We've spent so much time in small villages it seems strange to be in a big city. This is a university town, and no surprise meeting so many young people on the streets, stores and restaurants. We're feeling our age around these youngsters. Toulouse is a great city to visit, with many cathedrals, churches, museums and old bridges. Like most European cities, religion has shaped Toulouse's history and culture. However, Toulouse is shaping to be a major tourist destination. It is updating its city centre. The older building are well maintained and Toulouse is getting a make-over, with updated pedestrian walkways and high-end shops.

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France September 15 Cahors

We knew this would be a sad day because it would conclude the hiking portion of our French holiday. Today's trek was relatively easy, but we were always concerned about being on the wrong trail, since there were many trails crossing ours (GR65). The town of Cahors is well hidden, which could not be seen from a distance. We finally arrived, and found the welcome station for pilgrims coming into town. What a welcome relief! They provide cold drinks, cookies and helped us find accommodations. Cahors is a large town, with an interesting old town. We celebrated our hiking achievement with an evening out.

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France September 14 Poudally

What luck. Marie called ahead and booked our stay at Poudally Gite. It was almost fully booked by a hiking group from Toulouse, but there was a couple of beds open. Unfortunately we had some bad luck today following a rest stop at the village of Variare. We followed the normal white and red markers, but unfortunately for the wrong trail. We were 6.6 km out of our way and the fortune of meeting a farmer who drove us back to the village to resume the correct trail. This is the second time we've made this mistake, and I would recommend for anyone not to use the British guide book, but the French one (Miam Miam Dodo) which provides a lot more detail. We reached the Poudally gite at about 5pm, well before the hiking group's return, which provided us time to shower and enjoy a cold drink. The highlight of the day, was the dinner. Elsa, the host and cook, provide the most delicious dinner – an appetizer soft cheese, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, soft bread, cooled in a sealed jar; main course was roast duck with potatoes and green beans with a fig-based compote; followed by a nut cake and creamy sauce. This was the best dinner ever. The hiking group had their own apres dinner drinks to liven things up.

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France September 13 Limogne

This was a very interesting stop at a 16^th century home converted into a guest house (gite). Marie was a most gracious host who bought the home about 10 years ago, and being a pilgrim herself, converted the home into a gite. The interesting part is Marie's life, which is private, but also the home itself and some of it's history. The home is large (as can be seen in the pictures) and she has kept things in their original stated. The interesting piece is about the former owner who committed suicide. He was a lawyer who had a bit of bad luck. His law firm fired him and his wife left him with his son and the furniture from the home. Having little income he could not support his two mistresses. Apparently one of his mistresses is still alive living in Limogne. I thought I would see spirits of the man, but no such luck.

See Pictures to/of Limogne

France September 12 Cajarc

Today's terrain was much the same as the day before, but the trek was short (12km). We found a hotel on the outskirts of Cajarc and decided to explore the town. It's location is quite unique, located in a circle of chalk cliffs.

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France September 11 Puy Clavel

Grealou was the intended destination but we found a very nice gite about 1.5 km before. We traveled about 22 km today with the terrain being fairly constant with only a few small hills to climb, and most of the trek was through forested farmlands. The trek is much easier than our first few weeks and the number of villages along the route are fewer, hence finding accommodations is a little more difficult and the gites are not always in the town. While in Figeac we reserved a room in a newly opened gite (4 months old). The gite is in a forested area overlooking the distant mountains and the hosts were well experienced – having worked in the hospitality business for many years in various Spanish speaking countries. The husband and wife alternated the cooking and cleaning duties, and tonight the husband prepared the meal. I think they are vegetarians – much to Julie's delight. It was a beautifully prepared meal and we met people from France. We talked to Elsa who had spent a few months working in the Yukon taking care of 200 sled dogs and is eager to come back to Canada. The gite had two young cats and there was always one on Julie's lap most of the evening.

See Pictures to/of Puy Clavel

France September 9-10 Figeac

We were not looking forward to today's trek because of the 29km to cover. The trail scenery was beautiful, with many rolling hills and sprinkles of villages embedded. The views were spectacular and so romantic. However the rolling hills meant that we will be walking up as well as walking down – with 30 lbs on our backs. There were a total of three hills, and three hills too many. It was 31degrees and we ran out of water by 20 kms. Thank goodness we found a fresh supply of water before making our decent to Figeac. It took a total of 9 hours to reach our destination. We were hot and tired, and ready to take the first hotel, which we did. Unfortunately we were too tired to explore the town, and therefore decided to stay an extra day. This would allow us to recover from today's beating on our feet, and also to celebrate Julie's birthday. That evening before bed, we gave each other foot messages.

Happy birthday Julie! And what a way to spend your birthday in a medieval town. Figeac came about when an abby was built in the 9^th century and after the 12^th century Figeac became a prosperous economic centre for France. And its amazing to see how buildings have grown as the population of the town grew. Single story buildings became multiple stories, with a different design used for the additional levels. This was truly an amazing town to visit.

See Pictures to/of Figeac 

France September 8 Decazeville

We left Conques early and the trek was a challenge. The descent through the village streets was slow because of the fog that made the cobble stones wet and slippery. According to the tourist office assistant (from Ontario) the town during the winter is a nightmare because of the black ice. We started our accent up the mountain soon after leaving town and the rock surface caused more difficulty for our trek. Our accent was slow because of the slippery rocks and as soon as we came to a road we detoured to the road rather than the path. The distance by road was a little longer, but much safer. And, as the sun rose the views of Conques were spectacular – with the fog lifting and the sun shining on the village. Decazeville, even though is a bigger town, it is not as beautiful as the other villages we've passed. Hence, unless something spectacular happens, there's not much to write about this town.

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France September 7 Conques

Today was mostly uphill climbing and through forests, across a few streams and through more farm lands. The descent to Conques was steep and rocky, which always scares Julie, but we made it – slow and steady. The Conques town is build on a hillside and the buildings are medieval looking. The town's Abby/church and museums are the focal point, which attracts many tourists. And the Abby is truly amazing. We went to the pilgrim mass and experienced the superior quality of the acoustics. There were hymns and a priest playing the piano. The sound was beautiful, especially surrounded by architecture hundreds of years old.

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France September 6 Golinhac

The morning was very cold – I'm sure less than 10 degrees, but the fog lifted and the the sun shone for the rest of the day. We traveled through the forest region for most of the 16km to Golinhac. A small but pretty little village. It was such a joy to find accommodations in such a small town, and we enjoyed the afternoon in the sun. The church is right next to our hotel and as we strolled to the entrance we could hear a women inside singing a prayer. We left her alone in prayer and came back later to visit the church. The one thing common to all the churches we've seen to-date is the stained-glass glass windows and their artistic design being different.

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France September 4 Estaing

The trek today was cut short due to rain. We decided to stop after 11km in Estaing, and as you can tell from the photos that is truly a magical village. Nestled on a river and hillside, this is beautiful setting for the village. There is a Chateau perched at the top of the village, and across is the village church. The church is small but the interior is beautiful. Unfortunately the chateau was closed, as are many other services and stores on Monday. This makes shopping a challenge, and food for the trail must be planned well in advance.

See Pictures to/of Estaing

France September 4 Espalion

Today's trek was only going to be 16km to St. Combes, but we could not find accommodations, hence we went on to Espalion, another 6km. But they were the most gruesome 6km – a steep climb up the first 3km and a steep descent, and it rained for about 20 minutes which made the trail muddy and slippery. This was not a happy day, but we did find a hotel room in Espalion and a restaurant to enjoy an enormous dinner – they don't believe in small portions! However the highlight of the day was meeting Jacques at the morning coffee stop. He's a local farmer and entrepreneur who set up a shelter area for hikers to stop, rest and enjoy a cup of coffee and friendly conversation.

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France September 3 St. Chelay

This was a day filled with mostly descending however the trails were hazardous, with many streams to cross without a bridge, and rocky terrain that made it dangerous going downhill. But it was a shorter distance today, covering 17km. An interesting observation in the past few days are the houses using shale as shingles for their roof. The older homes, which are over 100 years old still have the original shale which are twice as thick as the ones used on new homes. It is amazing that the roofs are still intact given the weight of the shingles.

See Pictures to/of St. Chelay

France September 2 Nasbinals

This was a long day with over 27 km to cover. The morning started overcast and cool, but by 11am the sun started to come out, which made the trek uncomfortable. We must of consumed about a liter of water each. There were a few stops but not enough for the heat of the day, and in some stretches of the trail there was no shade and therefore we kept trekking on. When we reached Nasbinals, we found a boutique hotel. It was a treat from some of the hotels we've stayed at to-date. The backyard had a beautiful garden and many cool areas to relax our tired bodies. There was a little pond and to our surprise out jumped a pretty big frog.

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France September 1 Aumont Aubrac

The night was filled with thunder and lightening, but there were blue skies in the morning, which made for a cool walk. What's the point of going up hill only to go down again? That was the extent of the day – up and down, up and down, etc. We reached the mountain village of Aubrac, which is very beautiful. This is also a popular stopping area for tourists traveling by car.

Across from our hotel was a play area filled during the day with young adults playing a game I'm going to call “ball”...like bocci. The concept is the same expect the play is a little more aggressive, like curling where rocks are constantly being knocked out of play. Also, the game is played with stainless steel balls, which makes for a different sound when balls are hit. At night the play area is filled with even more players of all ages playing under lights.

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France August 31 St Alban

We left Chanaleilles at 7:45am, the earliest so far on the trek. We wanted an early start to ensure we found accommodations. The air was cold with the temperature at about 10 degrees as the sun was rising. Most of the morning was spent walking in the forest, and no wonder children would be scared of wolf stories. The trees were thick and tall, making for a dark and scaring setting. We've been traveling through the farm district since the start of the trek, with cows, cattle, horses and sheep always in distant fields. This was the first day that the cattle and horses were on our path. The animals were huge and it was very scary not knowing what they would do as we clapped our hands to clear them from the path. The clapping and yelling seemed to work, except for one large horse who stared us down as we walked around it.

We arrived at St. Alban at about 1pm and easily found our hotel. The village is relatively new, with new roads and municipal buildings. The oldest buildings probably being the castle and church, which have been restored. They are the few buildings made of the traditional stone.

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France August 30 Chanaleilles

Chanaleilles was not our intended destination but it appears that accommodations are much more difficult to book as we proceed south. Unfortunately in this village there is no market to buy anything, but there are two bars, therefore finding food and wine are not a concern. The trip today continued through the farm region and it was a much easier trek than prior days. Even though we stopped walking earlier than planned, the weather is sunny and warm, and the local bar is a wonderful place to spend lunch time. They also run the Gite (guest house) which we'll stay for the night.

Today is the third day since Mario shaved off his mustache and he is very apprehensive since he's had it for about 43 years. Julie is saying he looks younger, but Mario is feeling naked without it. He's not sure whether he'll grow it back. He is looking for feedback from friends.

See Pictures to/of Chanaleilles

France August 29 Saugues

The trek today was very difficult, with a 450m elevation gain. It was challenging, but we traveled in shade of the forest most of the morning and took more breaks than other days. The morning air was cool and pleasant while making the ascent, and along the way we could smell the mint fragrance of the plants along the path. We reached the mountain summit and traveled through a few farming villages before reaching our final destination. The single disappointment is the lack of cafes along the way to enjoy a coffee and pastry. This treat appears to be only available in larger villages. Finding accommodations was a challenge today, and the recommendation of our guest house host to book in advance, which we tried but discovered that popular destinations were already booked. Looks like bookings are needed at least two days in advance.

This village has an interesting folklore that attracts many tourists. Apparently many years ago a gigantic wolf killed and ate 160 village people. There are tours and exhibits surrounding the giant wolf, but apparently they will not let child participate in fear that it would scare them for many years. Who knows how much is true, but it's a great story. I'll have to do some research to authenticate the folklore.

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France August 28 Monistrol-d'Allier

Today we left St. Privat d'Allier and it was the most beautiful sight as the sun was rising and the fog laying low over the valley. The morning air was chilly but it took less than 10 minutes before the jackets came off. The first stop was at Rochegude with a tiny chapel dedicated to St James perched on top of a rocky belvedere. The trek today was very difficult with a steep descent over a very rocky area. The distance to Monistrol-d'Allier was only 7km but it took almost 3.5 hours. We found a nice hotel in Monistrol that overlooks a beautiful flowing river. We had lunch by the river watching people in their kayaks. Julie was delighted by the meeting of a few very friendly cats, and one residing in our hotel. This was beautiful stop for the night. A tourist menu was being served in the hotel, which we booked – with the resident cat at our table. Creams and sauces are part of the menus to-date, and not a surprise since the region has many dairy farms. It has been a delicious experience.

See Pictures to/of Monistrol-d'Allier