We are staying tonight in the simple but very comfortable Gite Les Menhirs - the 'we' is Domi, me, Martine, Guy, and Yvon. The gite owner Jean-Luc has invited us upstairs into his home. We are sitting in his cosy salon (complete with log fire and Athena the highland terrier), and will have dinner around his table tonight. It's very cold outside, but we are cosy and warm inside. We will have dinner around Jean-luc's table tonight.
When I last wrote, we had just returned from dinner with Yvon, a lovely Frenchman we have seen each day on The Way - he was staying at Brigitte's chambre d'hôte too. Like us, Yvon is a 'serial offender' when it comes to walking caminos, so plenty to talk about. I find Yvon easier to understand than most, so I could pick up more words than usual and, of course, Domi translates the rest.
Guy and Martine had stopped 5 kms before us yesterday. We imagined they would have a long walk today and arrive some time after us this afternoon, but were not really surprised to see them before then. As Domi and I came down the mountain after about an hour's pretty tough hiking this morning, we came to a small village and ran straight into Guy and Martine walking along the road, Guy with GPS happily in hand! We walked together for the rest of the day - and managed to stay on The Way!
We were high in the mountains for much of the day and it was fresh, crisp and beautiful - maximum around 5 degrees. But The Way had another gift for us today. In the early afternoon, about 8 kms from our destination, we descended into the most beautiful forest. We all literally stopped in our tracks. It was magical to be there. We could see the sky high above the tree tops. The clouds moved quickly today and each time a cloud passed across the sun, the colours of the forest changed. My photos can't capture the beauty but might give some idea.
Domi and I spent quite a while just standing ankle deep in leaves, looking up and around us and enjoying this special place. It was entirely unexpected - and extraordinary.
Another wonderful day on The Way.
J X
