I thought today was the first day of autumn. I don’t think the France’s south central region had received the memo. A cool morning quickly morphed into another hot afternoon (reaching 89F). I also miscalculated the distance and made one wrong turn. So, the walk was and felt long.
This morning’s breakfast is what one would expect in France — juice (local producer), bread with butter and jam along with café. Robert said that his favorite day of the week is Saturday at breakfast when he dips his buttered toast with jam into his cup of café au lait and eats it. I thought about that because what’s the difference when one takes a bite of toast with butter and jam and then sips coffee. Another case of you say crisps and we say chips?
Yesterday, I included an image of a stone hut. Here is another one in the middle of a field. This region has preserved countless numbers of these huts as a reminder of how their ancestors lived in the past.
Until the photos of gîte, I have included images of the local scenery. French pharmacies are just that, no extras are stocked like snack foods or drinks. Note the space between shelves and the bright look.
In small villages, the grocery store operates like a country store in rural America.
The eye chart is similar to the kinds of humorous ones we have at home.
I have seen just a handful of thrift stores on this walk. The one below was indeed comprehensive.
The heat came with vengeance at noon. Like the Aubrac, this area has suffered a drought since March. You can see how dry the area is. Other than the trees, the ground is brown. After the town of Varaire, the walk became routine. I used the time to listen to a Dan Brown novel. I would say that this part of the stage was the least attractive segment of this Chemin so far.
I finally reached the gîte — about 800 meters south of the GR-65. Although I had a private room, I was required to follow gîte procedures. No boots or poles in rooms. I could not bring my suitcase to my room. I had to put what I needed into a plastic box and carry it to my room. I had not experienced these procedures on any Camino to date. On the 88 temple walk, boots and poles remained outside everywhere.
Dinner call was 7 PM. I like this starting time rather than 8 or 8:30 in Spain. Our first course was pumpkin soup. It is autumn now and ripened pumpkins can be seen in gardens. I forgot to take a photo. Chalk it up to a senior moment or was I overcome by the tastiness of the soup. Thumbs up.
The main consisted of roasted pork served in a large Dutch oven. We also were served the French equivalent of mac and cheese, a zucchini pizza, and curried beans. Again, thumbs up.
We ended with chocolate mousse presented in a glass jar. Rich, thick, and fluffy. A final thumbs up.
This meal could have appealed to vegetarians and meat eaters alike. I would venture that everyone enjoyed themselves. Time to box my things up for tomorrow morning.
Before lights out, the moon over Mas de Vers.
