scruffy1
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Holy Year from Pamplona 2010, SJPP 2011, Lisbon 2012, Le Puy 2013, Vezelay (partial watch this space!) 2014; 2015 Toulouse-Puenta la Reina (Arles)
I am very glad to have totally enjoying walked about half the Le Puy Chemin this Spring and wish to pass on some important guidelines.
The sense of shared mission, fellowship, and camaraderie in France is exactly similar to that of the Camino Frances. However, there are some very profound differences between the two which I propose to outline.
1) The stages from Le Puy until Figeac are much more challenging than anything you may find in Spain-Route Napoleon isperhaps more difficult but it may be accomplished in a day and a half.
2) The French gite is usually more spacious, cleaner, offers a more tempting dinner and is more expensive. They gite owners actually prefer one to reserve in order to plan your dinner.
3) Many many stages pass through nature, tiny villages, even small towns with nary a café/bar, restaurant, or grocery to be found-the Spanish custom of stopping for coffee, a pleasant prepared sandwich, a cool beer in the warmer hours does not hold in France if you yourself have not prepared!
4) Mondays!! Everything is usually shut tight, café/bars, boulangerie, pain depots, supermarkets, and stores. If you leave out early Sunday morning you may find everything closed Sunday evening and all day Monday, starving until Tuesday morning - you have been warned!
5) The French Confraternity/Chemin authority is truly concerned for the pilgrim. They have insured a good stiff climb every morning but every morning to allow the pilgrim to validate that his/her cardio-respiratory systems are working well-likewise every evening when one is tired and only thinking about miam miam there will usually be a good steep slippery and/or rocky descent down the gite – they are also most considerate of the pilgrim and have no hesitation to send one and kilometer and a half down a crevasse across a swift flowing stream by means of a non to steady rock bridge improvised by previous pilgrims clambering/scrambling up the other side all in order to save a far less 600 meters on the road-so use your initiative and intuition on these matters and use that map
6) Lastly for now, in rainy and wet weather, water runoff will behave like electricity and will seek and find the easiest way down a slope – meaning the Camino! Stretches labeled "maybe somewhat boggy" by Ms Raju are absolutely and totally swamps!
7) Cele Valley? Don't think twice - Do It!
The sense of shared mission, fellowship, and camaraderie in France is exactly similar to that of the Camino Frances. However, there are some very profound differences between the two which I propose to outline.
1) The stages from Le Puy until Figeac are much more challenging than anything you may find in Spain-Route Napoleon isperhaps more difficult but it may be accomplished in a day and a half.
2) The French gite is usually more spacious, cleaner, offers a more tempting dinner and is more expensive. They gite owners actually prefer one to reserve in order to plan your dinner.
3) Many many stages pass through nature, tiny villages, even small towns with nary a café/bar, restaurant, or grocery to be found-the Spanish custom of stopping for coffee, a pleasant prepared sandwich, a cool beer in the warmer hours does not hold in France if you yourself have not prepared!
4) Mondays!! Everything is usually shut tight, café/bars, boulangerie, pain depots, supermarkets, and stores. If you leave out early Sunday morning you may find everything closed Sunday evening and all day Monday, starving until Tuesday morning - you have been warned!
5) The French Confraternity/Chemin authority is truly concerned for the pilgrim. They have insured a good stiff climb every morning but every morning to allow the pilgrim to validate that his/her cardio-respiratory systems are working well-likewise every evening when one is tired and only thinking about miam miam there will usually be a good steep slippery and/or rocky descent down the gite – they are also most considerate of the pilgrim and have no hesitation to send one and kilometer and a half down a crevasse across a swift flowing stream by means of a non to steady rock bridge improvised by previous pilgrims clambering/scrambling up the other side all in order to save a far less 600 meters on the road-so use your initiative and intuition on these matters and use that map
6) Lastly for now, in rainy and wet weather, water runoff will behave like electricity and will seek and find the easiest way down a slope – meaning the Camino! Stretches labeled "maybe somewhat boggy" by Ms Raju are absolutely and totally swamps!
7) Cele Valley? Don't think twice - Do It!
