17-04-2009 om 00:00 geschreven door Scali  

Hi,

This is my first message from France and the first time i managed to find a computer since the middle of France is quite deserted

Everything is very fine with me and i have now already 11 walking days in my legs, with an average of almost 30km a day and 20km the last
two days because i had to take it more slowly due to a small injurie at my heel. But today i feel back in shape again and thanks to some good
friends (Kevin, Thomas & Hervé) from Belgium who drove all the way to join me for 2 walking days i could give enough stuff with them to make my backpack less heavy...this was putting too much pressure on my legs with probably the small injury as a result of that..Now i lightened up my backpack for as much as 4kg! It's a though decission to decide which stuff to leave in their car, but i have to manage with less clothes and other things, otherwise te wheight could get me in bigger trouble over a longer period.

So, lets write something about the first days of my very inspiring journey where i met already quite much interesting people and stayed at nice and variated locations to spend the night..it's fun to be surprised every evening where to sleep..the weather has been very good so far...lot's of sunny days and only two half a days walking in the rain..this is very good especially because there could still be snowstorms in the first half of april in this region..it's a nice spring now and i'm very hopefull for the next 60days


4april
It has been a kind of official departure for me, since my parents were so nice to rent a holliday chalet in the vicinity of Vézelay for a few days. Vézelay is my official departure location to start walking to Santiago de Compostella as i mentioned already before. I decided to postpone my departure for 1 day (so start on the 5th of april) and we visited a very beautiful town (Noyers) of Medieval Ages which is classified as one of France's most beautiful towns. In the evening we went already to Vézelay to subscribe me officially so i'm an already famous pelgrim know in Vézelay  ..i got my fist two stamps to prove at the end in Santiago that i did the whole way from Vézelay. I asked if i could get a pelgrim blessing which is the ritual people do before starting their very long hiking jouney, but i would have to go to the mess the next morning at 8am for this..i didn't manage to be on time in the cathedral next morning..bad start..

5april (Vézelay-Varzy 30km)
My brother and the family dog joined me for the first walking day of 30km, which was a very suny day so putting enough sunscreen was already a necessary task to not put me into troubles for the next days. We officialy started at the portaal of cathedral of Vézelay..the town with its very large cathedral lies on a hill (+-350m) which makes an impressive view from far distances in the lower lying surroundings. In the middel of the trip the dog had to be "depannaged" because of the heat and he was not into long distance walking that day. So i finished the first official etappe with my brother in 'Varzy' and after a last evening meal with the whole family, i said goodbye to them and found a camping space in the garden of the pastor's house...as a fresh pelgrim this is the best way of starting my journey ofcourse in the right spirit. Since i brought my tent with me, i have a lot more freedom to look for places to sleep. Sleeping places like gîtes, hôtels, youth hostels,particular houses,... are quite common on the official track to Compostella, but it takes a bigger part of my finances ofcourse

6april (Varzy-Prémery 40km)
The 2nd etappe was almost 40km but with very beautiful nature and i most admit the time flies bye even when you're walking alone..spending so much time alone was one of the reasons which scared me off a little bit the last month at home, but it's wonderfull how fast i got used to me, myself and Pascal It brings you in peace and i have had no badfeeling moments untill now...there seems to happen always at the right time something which brings you back in the right good mood..every day at least 4-5people stop me to start a conversation which always starts with the sentence "So, you're heading to Compostella..." and then the conversation can get quite long...

In the evening i asked to an old man in his garden to who belonged the grass field next to his house, but he didn't know...so i walked furher and 2minutes later his wife ride after me in her car to stop me and invited me to camp in their garden..this kind of hospitality happens almost all the time, it seems people love to invite pelgrims going to Compostella...gives a good&special feeling! I spent the whole evening in their house drinking pastis, wine and being overloaded with good food..how much generousity!

7april (Prémery-Nevers 40km)
Sleeping good in a tent is not a certainity..so i'm getting used to wake up a lot during the night...i thought all the birds would be sleeping, but it seems some have to work night shifts , but luckily after some effort in the morning getting out of the tent, i'm always fit enough to start the next walking day..this day it's raining, but before i thought slipping away out the garden, i was invited to join for breakfast  by the generous hostsand then i headed to Nevers..Quite a big city where i spent the night in a monastery due to the rain..the sisters gave me a nice sleeping place and a good breakfast next morning..it was a very long walking day (almost 40km) and that feels in your legs...

the landscape until today (15april) is very green and slightly ondulating, which reminds me somewhat of the Voerstreek in Belgium...i love it and it will change starting today with more relief and rockier sights towards Limoges 

15-04-2009 om 00:00 geschreven door Scali