New podcast: De Saint-Jacques à Compostelle (French)

[MichaelC]

The fifth most popular podcast this week in France is De Saint-Jacques à Compostelle by the actor Hervé Pauchon. He just started walking from Paris yesterday (March 22), and promises to post something each day.

I just stumbled on this randomly (I was looking for a new French series), and don't know the actor, and haven't even started listening - this is a blind recommendation - but guaranteed I am going to start tonight!

from the intro

Le 21 mars 2022, je vais partir de la tour Saint-Jacques à Paris, pour marcher jusqu'à Compostelle. 1500km avec un sac à dos, et un micro pour raconter l'aventure et poser une question aux marcheurs et aux sédentaires, quel est votre but? Marié, père de 5 enfants, 30 ans de radio, différents rôle au théâtre, au cinéma et à la télévision, je ne sais plus quel est mon but. Je vais partir à sa recherche. Après le chemin de Stevenson pour mes 40 ans, le Mont Blanc pour mes 50 ans, je vise Compostelle pour mes 60 ans.

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rough translation

On March 22, 2022 I am going to depart from the Saint-Jacques Tower in Paris, to walk to Compostelle. 1500km with a backpack, and a microphone to recount the adventure and to pose a question to the walkers and to the sedentary: what is your purpose? Married, father of 5 children, 30 years in radio, different roles in the theater, movies, and television - I no longer know what my purpose is. I am going to leave in search of it. After the Chemin de Stevenson for my 40th birthday, and Mont Blanc for my 50th, I aim for Compostelle for my 60th.

 

[MichaelC]

update - I am enjoying this podcast immensely. So far each episode has been short, ten to twelve minutes, and refreshingly honest (his kids don't understand why he's doing this, and his wife thinks it's an ego-trip ... that part made me laugh). Hervé stops along the way and does brief interviews with the people he meets - a woman in her garden, the worker at a church, former pilgrims, and others. He learns early on that pilgrims use the informal tu, not the formal vous.

The French is accessible at an intermediate level, though some of the people he meets are harder to understand. This tracks my experiences walking in France; there were some regional dialects that were challenging.

There's a nice diversity of perspectives, from the slightly religious, to those who walk for pleasure, to the guy who believes the Camino is an ancient Druid path.

I hope others here listen in so we can share notes!

 

[MichaelC]

Two week update - our pilgrim has just entered Tours, and has encountered his first other pilgrim. So far this has felt more like a very pleasant walk through rural France with very interesting conversations from the folks he meets along the way. I'm curious how the podcast will evolve once he enters the more popular sections of the Camino in Spain.