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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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