6-17-10 Angles to Boissezon day 74

6-17-10 Angles to Boissezon day 74
the morning came with someone making very loud noises as they climbed out of their bunk bed...so six am I was awake.(catching the theme here?).. I got my stuff together and made coffee and ate breakfast... eventually the german girls showed up to return the mattresses... I left them with coffee and because I walk slow and been up for an hour I wanted to get going... I knew I would see everyone soon enough as they would pass me and we were all going to the same pilgrim's gite in the eve... today there was no rain, it was still a grey day... in mostly woods... the first to pass was after an hour, the french couple... then two hour later the germans and mrs G.... but ironically throughout the day I would keep running into everyone as they took long breaks...so it really felt like the tortoise and the hare race...

I got to talk a bit to the german nurse from Freiburg, she is a mother of two adult daughters... Mrs E, and she is a nurse and naturopath who is trying to go from nurse in the OR to being a referral resource person for post hospital care clients...she is also trying to figure out how to create more space in her life so she can take longer trips...she has a daughter in austraila and would like to explore the country for several months... at first i thought she was very serious but as i got to know her a little I saw her big soft spot...For me hanging out with german woman helps me identify what i have gotten from that culture,.what part of my personality is the way it is because it is german..often in america some of the traits that make me different have been pointed to as faults..is i find it empowering to know that there is actually a cultural component to it.. i was too young at the time to know this and america can be so monolethically monocultural that i need to remind people there that the things that make me different arent because i am crazy but because i was just brought up in very different places...i also walked along side Ms Ulm for a while...at this point we are like we known each other for a long time...conversation flowing more and more freely...mostly we share travel stories...and examine our personal reasons for slogging through the french landscape... the big unanswered question is.. 'why are we doing this anyway?' ...its a good question to ask..especially on days where it is less than thrilling to get lost, foot sore or wet.. but today would be a better walking day for me...Mrs G the french woman had gone down the wrong trail early and had to double back...but she too soon would pass me... this loosing the trail markings and going off in the wrong direction, seems to happen pretty frequently to all pilgrims... and ironically one person will get totally lost and four others, not at all...but it seems to happen to all of us eventually... it's definitely a common theme of pilgrimage... I eventually I did get foot sore and it was a bit of a gruel at the end....with a steep down hill and loose sharp rocks... I came in with the two germans from Freiburg...we were about to pass one of the first houses of the village when I thought I recognized the drying boots outside ...sure enough it was our gite...it was large enough so that the french couple could get a room on the upstairs and the germans and me had the down stairs room...we took turns showering and laundry..there was a great huge wash line outside and later when it started raining again... heaters to hang our things near...we had come in so early that we had time to slowly explore the town...Mrs G came with us...she had also gotten a room upstairs... she would be heading out the following day and return back to her life and work so this was our last night together..she was fairly quiet person and seemed on the surface cool...but she had a wicked dry sense of humor...and was flexible when conversation switched temporarily to german...since the others spoke to her in french and I could speak english with her... so as a team we went and climbed towards the church...we had to walk through a small artist community and met a character who gave us the church key and told us which art studios to visit later...

so first the small dimly lite church... the german girls harmonized a nice melody with the only lyric being hallalulia...and it filled the church's space wonderfully...they also knew a couple of the french verses to the St Jacques pilgrims song...which they sang for us... afterwards we meandered back down..checking out some of the small open galleries and studios and to return the giant church key...i did not discover any hidden Picasso's but I did marvel at the charming atmosphere of ancient villages buildings in which these artists got to work...definitely an inspirational setting...we also stopped at the local restaurant and had a coffee...and ordered our evening meals...as pilgrims we could get a special price for take away dinner...so at 7.15 we would return to pick it up...i returned to the room...since I had been foot sore and rested my feet a bit... then an hour later I got small provisions for the next days walk. Finally we get to pick up dinner... we were amused to see it look almost like airplane tray food...but it did taste good...and we got an almost two liter bottle of wine to split between the five of us as part of the dinner price... we all enjoyed the food immensely... and the wine of course as well... this was also our farewell dinner with Mrs G..funny how quickly one can get attached to people...we were sad to see her go... unfortunately for her, this ten day holiday she'd walked through had been mostly grey and rainy...it seems like most everyone is upset with the weather...dark cool rainy days in june in the south of france. It is unheard of, apparently... I on the other hand had already gotten too much sun this year... and although I dont like wet feet at all, after so many years in seattle I dont question rain anymore I just deal with it...but yes, I too could use a day of sun..for getting up at six..we all stayed up kind of late.. and went to bed after eleven...



notes 6-18-10
rainy looking but not bad day..woke too early thank you manu and eva...period temper.. get going by 8ish...french man lurker...only 16kms today wet feet from grass ..early sore feet ….period pee break help from viola ...we walked together talked about men..gender..t..arrived castres around noon but hour walk in..coffee break long blabbed more... then tourist info..acted subterfuge viola let me be the tourist......but eventually gave us map and showed us where what was..no answer so we walked over... auspicous cercumstance man drove by handed us key..he was the gite owner...friendly man gave us tour... cherries...shower ..crappy laundry...then walk to internet... cathedral...chinese dinner more blah...back to room...french couple here..but no room mates...mantras.map orientation... bed...