Sept 6 to Saugues 19km

It was quite a pleasant day for hiking - a few showers in the early morning and early afternoon, but cool throughout the trek. 

Okay I've put the pleasantries out of the way to let you know that, except for the weather the trek was hell! Yes, it must have been designed by the devil himself or by the church as a penance to all sinners. And lets face it we all have sinned! There was a gradual 500m elevation gain, but the terrain was filled with large rocks and large tree roots protruding from the earth. And after the rain it made conditions even worse. Yes, we did it, but it was a French couple about our age that showed us the way. They were pulling a cart rather than wearing backpacks and therefore they had to go a modified route. They encouraged us to go the alternate route and avoid further challenges. God, please forgive us for we are weak! And thanks for sending a saviour.

Saugues is a pretty little town, with a folklore todo with bad wolves. Of course the folklore was used over the years to scare their children and ensure they made it home before dark. The myth gained popularity and which attracts tourists to the town. Its a farming community and the smell is in the air. The gite we stayed in was once a farm, and its more lucrative for them to run a B&B, mainly dorm rooms, but we managed to get our own room. Besides breakfast they serve a wonderfully and hardy dinner, but we chose to go into town for dinner.

The town of Saugues with many carvings around town

Our host Brigitte who served a great meal and helped booking the next day's lodging.

Sept 5 to Saint Privat D'Allier 24km

Up at 6:30am, organized our packs and ready for a long trek. I felt good, lots of energy and eager to reach our destination 24km away. Well, all my excitement kinda died at the 12km mark. The hills were a killer, and by the 17km mark I questioned my sanity. I understand this is a common feeling on the camino - the point where one thinks about calling a taxi to reach their destination. There was a lot of self-talk, "yes I can, yes I can. Do you want people to think you're a wimp?" Of course I had to show Julie that I too was worthy of great admiration by meeting our day's goal. And I could never let her claim superiority over me, even if she is a better trekker. Well at the 17km we were saved. We reached Montbonnet, and a bar serving a fantastic tomato and mozzarella cheese salad. It was a stop that was re-energizing.

Well, we made our destination, and about one minute from our hotel there was a fierce rain storm and thunder. Of course I had no idea where the hotel was and I scrambled like a mad-man trying to get the pack covers and umbrellas. Had I known the hotel was so close we would not have gotten so wet. But it was comforting to be inside a warm room watching the rain, and there were many trekkers undercover in bars waiting for the rain to subside.

Sept 4 Le Puy en Velay

Today we met some very nice and friendly French people.

This was a travel day with a 4.5 hour train ride to Le Puy. The train ride to Lyon was uneventful and no one talking. Many people on their smartphone and the only sounds were from a very young child, who was having a pretend conversation on his mother's smartphone. However on the connecting train to Le Puy we had a pleasant conversation with two french ladies, about our age, who were also on a trekking adventure. One of them knew a little english and with my little french we had many laughs, especially when they discovered, as a foreigner, I was able to get a senior's discount on our train tickets, yet a French traveller was hassled by the train conductor because he lacked the proper paperwork for a senior's discount. This interaction with the conductor started our conversation with the two ladies and made the last two hours go quickly. It was a pleasant encounter and we met the ladies again in town and again at our hotel. 

We had another pleasant encounter with the Ibis hotel staff. I was having difficulty making reservations for tomorrow's accommodations. The female staff spoke very little english, but she understood my anxiety trying to communicate on the phone. She understood enough to complete my booking. That put us in a great mood, and off we went to explore the town.

Le Puy is not a big town and its cathedral and statue of the Virgin Mary on the hilltop attracts many tourists.  And it is the starting point for trekking GR65 (Chemin de Le Puy) and there were many hikers like us enjoying the restaurants and cafes. Being a small town it was surprising to see so many unique fashion shops. Local business must be good.

"Je dors a poings fermes" is a French phrase meaning, 

Julie was just so excited that we got a room with a cat picture on the door. It must be good karma. 

Many beautiful building on route to the town centre.he wa

The cathedral and statue in the distance.

This cat was checking out the action below her.

The cathedral in the background 

Sept 3 Around Paris

Day 2 and still not adjusted to the time change. Julie was up at 3am and me at 5am. We exited the hotel at 8:30am and our preferred restaurants were not yet open and neither was SFR telecom to purchase a SIM card. Julie did not want to waste any time, and therefore off we went for a walk until the right restaurants were open. When breakfast was done and SIM card purchased, off we went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Some of the things in Paris were the the same and some different from 7 years ago. The long lineups were the same but many things changed because of the terrorist attacks. At Notre Dame, the gypsies were gone and no one was trying to rob or scam us. At the Eiffel Tower there was fencing all around the tower, and everyone had to go through a security check, even if you weren't going up the tower. But the African vendors were still around the tower trying to sell trinkets to tourists. 

The walk today was approximately 25km, and we visited many shops along the way. Unfortunately, because we start our trek in two days, there's not a lot we can purchase, unless it can be consumed within two days. We came back to the hotel at 4:30pm and had a quick nap and out again in the evening. Lots of people coming home from work and markets were full of shoppers, as were restaurants and cafes. 

Lots of boat traffic on the Siene River

Julie was excited meeting her first French cat

This cat owned this neighbourhood and expected respect from the dog.

There are many cafes near important monuments. Notre Dame in the background.

This sculpture is at a ministry building, the government (guarding angel) protecting families. 

Fall is in the air as leaves drop from the trees

Hard to believe Eiffel lived to a good age of 91.

Sept 2 Paris arrival

We left Vancouver 9am Saturday and arrived in Paris at 10am Sunday. There were 2 prior stops, Calgary and Halifax. Not advisable, but the price was so good, 25% cheaper than other airlines. Hence we were quite tired when we arrived at Le Gare de Lyon train station, but there were no problems getting to our Hotel Ibis. We had a quick lunch and then a short nap. In the evening we took a walk along the canal near Plaza de la Bastille. This is a locked waterway and there many people along the banks enjoying the sunshine, many with a bagette, cheese and wine. Ah, la doce vita! Along the way back to our hotel we stopped for cheese, bread and rose wine. When in France, do as the French do!

The Bastille monument in the background.

Lots of green space to have a picnic.

We had to wait for this boat to go through to cross over the canal.