Camino Day 43 dimanche 16/5/10 - Continuing the practice of putting one foot in front of the other

Last night we searched out and found the supermarket after having a drink in a bar where everyone (including the woman behind the bar) was English. We were still feeling odd about our conversations with the people in the bar as we wandered around the town trying to find the store. We are not used to people apart from ourselves talking in English and listening to their stories about living in France left us a little phased – quite a bit of “us and them” seems to exist in the conversations they have about their French neighbours, even when it is quite clear that they have committed themselves to living here and that they do have many French friends as well as their English circle… As I said, it was odd.

When we did find the supermarket we discovered that we would be passing it on our way out of town in the morning.

It was the combination of the shopping and the beer that left us short for today. We did expect to be able to find a bank (our guide lists places with “commerce” and we thought we would be OK) but things move on, change and services get lost as populations dwindle and wealth declines.

Alison and I discussed the evidence of personal rituals in a pilgrim’s behaviour. Rene has been on his walk for about as long as we have (he started in early April, too) and he is basically on his own so he has eaten many solitary meals while we have shared our time together fully.

His solitary experience shows in the methodical process of eating breakfast with all of his little containers and dishes/cup close by. The regular order of his eating, the way he puts things out and gathers them together to wash and store away. Similar traits in how he goes about cleaning, changing and packing.

Of course, we are in the groove, too, but we know that when one of us goes to have a shower or go to the loo the other is there to take care of things. On your own it is much harder. So it is good when you connect with others and find individuals and groups of pilgrims you know you can trust. It makes the time you spend walking with them comfortable interludes.

We have witnessed Rene relax into a good friendship with Yves and Bernard, which is really good as Yves will only go with Bernard for another week at the most then he will go home to Condom. Bernard have virtually no languages (apart from his native German) and so Rene, who speaks passable French, German and English as well as Dutch (and is learning Italian) will continue on with him.


Our walk was very pretty, as you can see from the pictures. We had a coffee in the small bar of a very nice restaurant that had a spectacular view across the landscape. We will have to come back and spend time here. The couple who lived in the 19th century house next door stamped our Pilgrim Passports as Alison said, and were very interested in our other stamps and our walk in general. The man has been stamping peoples credencials for a long time and they both have been pilgrims on the Camino, too.

The deep valley below Chalus had been stripped bare and was being worked on, presumably to turn it into landscaped gardens and the like down by the river but when we walked past it looked more like a quarry than a pretty valley. The town itself had a couple of interesting buildings and the hotel, which has a veranda and windows looking out across the valley, looked good.
Patrick and Robert had the refuge there to themselves and looked comfortable but this was hardly any distance to walk and we needed to move on. We walked out of the town and stopped in a deserted campsite above it where we found a bench to sit and eat our lunch. It had a good view over the town and beyond it into the valley. We thought that the campsite would be a good place to stop at and camp (if it really does open up for the season).

Eventually, we entered Billanges and started our search for the Gites we were planning to stay at tonight. There were little signs (little figures, tiles and so on) dotted all around the village pointing us gradually to the right place. The woman who runs the place was a leading ceramicist in Limoges and continues to do consultancy for the bigger and more specialist companies but she is here, in this little village, doing her own thing. She has a set of buildings (an old farm house and out buildings) stretching deep behind the street with gardens and patches for herbs, vegetables etc. then, if you walk down a grassy pathway between her and her neighbour’s properties you emerge on another street (the one we walked in on) with a large 19th century building across the road which is also hers.

Food tonight was a real mixture but with at least two large potato dishes, stir fries, salads and rice; lots to eat and drink and good company; lots of fuel for tomorrow.

Check out place markers 105, 115-118 too.

Camino Day 43 dimanche 16/5/10 - Benevent l’Abbay to Billanges

Waited for most of the other four to wake up and make a move before I got up.

Interesting to watch other people’s morning rituals and their order of doing things.

Patrick and Robert (the two French men) were up and off before I was down stairs (tea in a mug from Ian before breakfast!). Ian and I tidied up after Yves, Bernard and Rene left... Posted cards to mum and dad and set off on the road to Marsac (wine? If so, where are the vineyards?) then the chemin over hill and dale (very beautiful), got a coffee at a stop at St Goussard but then nothing – which was bad because at St Goussard discovered that we didn’t have enough cash to pay for tonight and no banks or cash machines ....

Also got a stamp at St Goussard from the neighbour of the bar/restaurant we stopped at; they were a really sweet elderly French couple. Made Chalus for lunch but stopped first to talk to Patrick and Robert and to admire their refugio there. Got to Billanges around 4.30 and followed signs through the village to Francoise’s gite.

We are in a very cold room in the main house, the others are in a warmer separate building a short walk away. We have just eaten a very large (slightly odd) meal and now trying to sleep – though wood being chopped in room below... still don’t know how payment will work out... also mum called today to tell us dad is doing well and may come home on Wednesday, which is a relief.

For most of France we walked through woodlands that were being well managed and used efficiently with piles of logs waiting to be collected everywhere.

I am going to put up just a few of the pictures from today's walk. The Way was lovely...

The coffee stop restaurant is to the right and their view was much better than this but you will have to go and have a meal to really appreciate it...

Just too many images, I am just picking a tiny selection

Yes the tree was blocking our path... and yes, we missed it and walked another Km before turning around!

simple beauty

The stony paths were a bit harsh on me but were worth the pain.

We were sure it would be pretty by this time next year...

This was part of our view from our lunch spot. Young horses were trotting around in this large field, too and the village was just tucked into the trees a bit further to the left.

even the roads were good to walk on

Got this one right, too.

Our entrance into Billanges