Tag: France
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Walking out of Paris
From Chartres I took the 5 a.m. train to the train station Gare Montparnasse in Paris. from there I took the subway to Cite, walked across the Seine River to the Tower Saint Jacques. The tower, or tour in French, is what’s remains of a church, Saint Jacques. It’s the start of my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compestello, Spain. In English he is Saint James, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, in French he is Saint Jacques. And in Spanish Santiago. Hope that makes sense.
From the tower I walked left, along the Seine River, southeast ward. There was a detour around the train station Gare Lyon and a big port. This was through a love quiet neighborhood where I stopped to have an espresso and pastry filled with cheese. And picked up some candy for the walk. After 14 miles I arrived at my destination of Montgeron, where I found a room in an apartment building on booking .com.
It was great fun to walk right out of Paris into charming villages.
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Boots on the pilgrim path!
After landing in Paris yesterday, I took a train directly to Chartres, France. My first goal was to see the famous cathedral here and Friday the chairs are removed from the floor so people can walk the labyrinth there. Also, I went to the Rectory to purchase fit 10 Euros, a Credential, which qualifies me as a pilgrim, or pelerine in French. Then I walked to the Pilgrim House run by the Sisters of St. Paul. Here I have two nights on a modern private room with a lovely clean bathroom, for only 21 Euros, about $22. Plus breakfast and dinner for $20 more. Looking forward to walking the labyrinth today!
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Walking from Esperyac To Conques, France
Our last day of walking the pilgrim path was into Conques. Glorious weather and countryside with cows. There was a farmer and his black and white herding dog miving a small herd of about 20 water buffalo, with calves, along the lower valley. These produce the fabulous mozzarella cheese.
This is a walk through hamlets enclosed in old fortresses, with stops for espresso and greeting the older locals with Bonjour! Finally we saw the sign, 30 minutes to Conques. Susana said, sí, de puede! Which means yes, we can, in Spanish. Although the sign was a bit deceptive in that the last 30 minutes was a at least 50 minutes down a very steep hill on a rocky path. But she knew she could do it!
Conques, which in French means the pilgrim shell, appears suddenly along a hillside. Streets are the original cobblestone from medieval times. And the buildings are straight out of a fairy tale. Like all streets and villages we have walked through, all is immaculate. Tourists and tourist buses pour in, filling the small village with people and offering a market for the arts and crafts of the region. We check into the Abbey St. Foy, built to house pilgrims over a thousand years ago, and it serves the same purpose today as it has through the ages.
We showered, washed our hiking clothes by hand, and explored the town a bit.
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Walking across France on the El Camino.
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Walking most all day in France.
It is hot and humid during the day with pleasant evenings for outside dining. Fabulous food!
Having fun re-living my adventure walking on France.
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Crossed the Rhone River, France
Warm memories of warm walking up to the Massif mountain region on the pilgrim path across France to Spain. Compiling my sketchbook diary.
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