It was time to begin. Suitcases downstairs at Hotel Bristol for the transport company to haul off to St. Privat by 8:00 a.m. And you just had better have those suitcases down by the time you are told. Eating breakfast, we saw the transport van arrive at 8:00 a.m. sharp, throw the bags into the van, and depart in minutes. Rain pants, rain jacket, warm polypropelene fluff, light gloves stowed in a HEAVY-DUTY PLASTIC GARBAGE BAG inside the backpack. If it rains, you’ll be very happy that everything is nice and dry. If you sweat profusely, you’ll be very happy that everything is nice and dry. ex-Marine also keeps his wallet inside another zip-lock small plastic Baggie. One experience, sweating out everything in his wallet, was enough. Euros drying all over the room.

Scallop shells on our backpacks, suitcases picked up, map with instructions in a clear plastic hung around my neck, including the all-important name of the hotel in St. Privat D’Allier, we left the Hotel Bristol for Place du Plot, the official starting point. Many pilgrims visit the Notre-Dame Cathedral for 7:00 a.m. mass before starting this long journey to receive a special blessing. I considered ourselves “blessed” from yesterday’s visit and left town for today’s 22 km/13.6 mile walk.

Pilgrim information at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Le Puy en Velay, France
It was nice and sunny but rain was expected to move in and stay for the next few days. A fast stop at a Pilgrim statue marked with the ubiquitous GR 65 (Grand Randonnee) symbol, white and red blazes…

scallop shell on backpack, I was ready for Way of St. James pilgrimage trail in France 

Sheila on route, sticks in hand, map dangling, France
Beautiful views of Le Puy behind us…and bright red poppies all along the trail…View image…hiking through France in the Spring is always a brilliant sight with thousands of poppies blooming in the countryside…

Le Puy in the distance, France
The maps and trip notes to get us where we’re going seemed unnecessary with such a well-marked trail. Already, the walk reminded me of our Appalachian Trail, or at least everything I’ve ever read about the Trail. Not scenery-wise but in the comaraderie of the people out walking. Everyone “bonjours” (hello, in French) and wants to know where you are from and how far you are going. At the little Chapel of St. Roche, the patron of pilgrims, we stopped to smooze with one man from Belgium walking the entire pilgrimage route. He started walking from Brussels around mid-April and anticipates another three months to finish. Talk about being in great shape. The Chapel was built in 1230 …View image…and was extremely quaint inside. Another person was riding his bicycle on the route and he was pushing his bike faster uphill than we could walk.

St. Roch, was a pilgrim saint from Montpellier. After a pilgrimage to Rome, he devoted his life to caring for plague victims. Legend has confused him with Saint Jacques at times and there would be many representations of him along the route as well as chapels and churches.

through walker on the GR at Chapel of St. Roche, France 

quaint inside of Chapel St. Roche, France
The trip notes were a little confusing to start off with…”the path will lead to Lic….” And then you walk past a very beautiful old stone farmhouse…View image… with the name “Lic” on it. That’s Lic. One farmhouse was the entire town and here we had our eyeballs peeled for a town.

From Lic, past a goat farm…producing “fromage de chevre” (obviously goat cheese, even to a person with my limited French)…great sign…

happy goats in France
great goats….

goats working on their fromage production in France
I’ve mentioned a of my favorite things while hiking in France….poppies…always food and wine…but another is the Cuckoo Bird. (No Cuckoo Birds around Chicago.) Coo-ckoo…Coo-ckoo, every day without fail…and yes, the bird is right…we probably are Coo-ckoo…that’s what my feet are telling me.

another old church on the Way of  St. James, France
Across fields on stony paths. Up through a beautiful forest, worried that we took the wrong turn because one hiker in front of us took off like a jet and he was the last person we saw for the next 1-1/2 hours. Unsure of this path and concerned that we might have had to backtrack for miles, we started hauling butt. (There’s nothing like stress to get your adrenalin going.) The forest finally ended and there was Chier (a town on our route notes) in front of us. According to my topographical map, St. Privat D’Allier would be next. The skies were darkening and a strong breeze was blowing. About 15 minutes before St. Privat, a very narrow steep forest path led downhill through rocks, a light rain started and St. Privat d’Allier (pop: 414) was ahead.

Our hotel, the little La Vieille Auberge was completely full of walkers. There was always a possibility to plan shorter day walks and stay at one of the many gites d’etapes on the way. (Gites are typically inexpensive accommodations all over France – some dorms, others bed and breakfast.) SIX HOURS AND 20 MINUTES of walking today and tomorrow is an 18 km, rugged with lots of climbing. It took trail mix, cookies and two Aleve to get us here today. What will it take for tomorrow?

But first, dinner…surprisingly good. This area of France is known for its very tiny, grey-black lentils and that’s what our appetizer/starter was. A delicious lentil salad, followed by the entree: chicken scallop, green beans, cooked barley and baked tomato.

If you’ve never been given a choice of Fromage Blanc or Fromage Sec in France, an explanation. “Fromage Blanc” (white cheese) is a loose, creamy consistency served in a little dish (not my favorite). “Fromage Sec” (dry cheese) is cheese as we typically know it…a selection of harder cheeses. After our Fromage Sec, a Peach Melba and lots of wine…for medicinal reasons, of course. Wine plus a few over-the-counter pain killers definitely helped the shooting pains radiating through my feet….

St. Privat D’Allier, France