Passport

[MrsMac]

Hello, I walked the Camino Frances 4 years ago and now I'm going back to walk the Le Puy route and then if we still have the energy to ride Camino Del Norte to Santiago. We are Aussies with very little French and we have loads of questions. Has anyone done a similar journey to this who would be happy to chat and pass on advice? Also, can a passport be obtained in Le Puy before we leave?

Thanks in anticipation!

 

[ChloeRose]

Hey Mac! I walked Le Puy exactly one year ago today It's definitely doable without any French, but I would suggest learning a couple basics before you head out. You'll want to get the Miam Miam Dodo guide book, which is in French but uses really easy symbols to categorize accommodations and shops along the way.

You can get a Camino Passport at the Cathedral in Le Puy. They have a Camino shop where you can buy your shell and other accessories before heading out!

I built this website to help English-speaking pilgrims navigate the route, because there isn't much online outside this forum: solocamino.com

Buen Camino!

 

[Davie Blisters]

Hey Mac! I walked Le Puy exactly one year ago today It's definitely doable without any French, but I would suggest learning a couple basics before you head out. You'll want to get the Miam Miam Dodo guide book, which is in French but uses really easy symbols to categorize accommodations and shops along the way.

You can get a Camino Passport at the Cathedral in Le Puy. They have a Camino shop where you can buy your shell and other accessories before heading out!

I built this website to help English-speaking pilgrims navigate the route, because there isn't much online outside this forum: solocamino.com

Buen Camino!

Brilliant!!!
Just back from the Portuguese & Salvador. The Le Puy route has been on my mind for next June/July, followed by the Norte. This now gives me he background info I have been chasing.
Thank you so much!
Davie

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Camino Frances is a walk with other pilgrims. The Chemin de St. Jacques is a walk with the French. You can get around with just English, but you will be pretty isolated in the culture and among fellow pilgrims. Still, it is a great experience. Find translators as you walk. Have your host call ahead for your next night's lodging, or you may have to wander town in the afternoon when you are tired and hungry. Most "stuff" is closed Sunday and Monday, so plan accordingly. The Miam Miam Dodo lists virtually all accommodations, so buy one at the Le Puy cathedral when you get your credential. MMD lets you know which places will have some English spoken. Do no be afraid to use any French that you know. It is not Paris. They will be very welcoming of bad French; they are used to it, and they have nothing better to do with their time than help you out!

 

[ChloeRose]

The Camino Frances is a walk with other pilgrims. The Chemin de St. Jacques is a walk with the French.

Great way to put it! Most hikers along Le Puy are French vacationers. I got some weird culture shock when we hit St. Jean and suddenly everyone was Irish and North American

 

[Thornley]

You might be surprised how many other nationalities walk the GR 65
We have just walked to Moissac and came across Nz! Oz, Belgium , Germany , Canada, Swiss , Italy and Spanish residents.
French were at least 60percent.
You will get through with the basic french as help comes from everywhere.
Just the basic courtesies such as Bonjour before anything else is said will get you a long way.
It will be a much harder walk than the Camino Frances , plan your time away.
Good luck,

 

[Kitsambler]

My detailed blog covers the Le Puy route as well as sections further east; see the link in my signature block.

 

[Deleted member 36903]

Hi @MrsMac, I haven't walked the Le Puy Chemin de St Jacques yet and hope to do so at some point, but have travelled extensively in France. I very much agree with what @falcon269 says about trying out your French no matter how limited, your efforts will be recognised for the courtesy you show, and on that subject (forgive me if you already know this), the French really do expect basic greetings such as 'Bonjour madame/Monsieur' to be observed before launching into requests in a shop for instance. It is a welcome custom because it places the importance of human interaction first before moving into the business part of the conversation. I envy you your journey. Bon chemin!

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Hey Mac! I walked Le Puy exactly one year ago today It's definitely doable without any French, but I would suggest learning a couple basics before you head out. You'll want to get the Miam Miam Dodo guide book, which is in French but uses really easy symbols to categorize accommodations and shops along the way.

You can get a Camino Passport at the Cathedral in Le Puy. They have a Camino shop where you can buy your shell and other accessories before heading out!

I built this website to help English-speaking pilgrims navigate the route, because there isn't much online outside this forum: solocamino.com

Buen Camino!

Nice job Chloe !

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

Welcome to the forum MrsMac !!!!!!!!

 

[Trevor Ockenden]

My partner and I walked from Le Puy to Cahore last northern Autumn and we loved it.

My French was limited to what I had learned using Duolingo on my smart phone and this coupled with the wonderful hospitality and friendliness of the French enriched our Chemin hugely.

Bon Chemin

 

[TimH]

Hello, I walked the Camino Frances 4 years ago and now I'm going back to walk the Le Puy route and then if we still have the energy to ride Camino Del Norte to Santiago. We are Aussies with very little French and we have loads of questions. Has anyone done a similar journey to this who would be happy to chat and pass on advice? Also, can a passport be obtained in Le Puy before we leave?

Thanks in anticipation!

Hi Mrs Mac
We are from Sydney and walked the Le Puy walk in April May this year then did the first week of the Camino Norte. We speak no functional French but it was fine. While we thought the Frances was a fantastic walk, the Le Puy route was even better. Two things that we found invaluable were the recent English guidebook for the route from Pilgrim Publications ( Guide to the Via Podiensis) which you can get as an ebook and an app called iPhiGenie which gives you detailed topographic maps of The whole of France, with the GR65 marked on it and a cursor to show your position. Not only does this latter app mean you can never get lost ( we came across a number of pilgrims who had got very lost on the route) but it also enables you to find routes to accommodation off the GR etc. When we showed other pilgrims iPhiGenie just about every one of them went and bought it.

 

[ncdcamino]

Hi TimH ,
Is this app available for android devices?
Thanks ncdcamino

 

[expmrw]

Hello, I walked the Camino Frances 4 years ago and now I'm going back to walk the Le Puy route and then if we still have the energy to ride Camino Del Norte to Santiago. We are Aussies with very little French and we have loads of questions. Has anyone done a similar journey to this who would be happy to chat and pass on advice? Also, can a passport be obtained in Le Puy before we leave?

Thanks in anticipation!

I have walked the St Jacques twice. I found that most of the French we met were happy to practice their English. The walk is beautiful, but tougher, I believe, than the Frances in Spain. There is an Irish lodging in Moissac ( a lovely town). We found that even the smallest town with no mention in the Miam will have tried to welcome the walkers often with flasks of coffee and tubs of biscuits left out to help yourself. If you go to the cathedral service you will be invited to take a prayer from a box to deliver to the cathedral in Santiago. It is called the St Jacques in France. Be careful though, in many places it is signed in BOTH directions as many walk'' le retour'' Bon Courage
Buen Camino

 

[Moominmamma]

That's all good to hear as my friend and I are walking from Como in Italy to Santiago (sadly in stages as my little one is only 4). So far we've walked all of Switzerland and then last year cycled from Basel to south of Chalon on a tandem. Tomorrow we start the next stage by tandem to Le Puy and then we're going to do the rest on foot again, perhaps with some family. Thanks for the info - I shall definitely look at the blogs and get Miam Mian Dodo. I speak a little French and Italian and my friend also speaks German so hopefully we'll manage.

I also read an interesting and detailed blog from last year about the Le Puy route but I can't remember the link I'm afraid.

 

[BlackRocker57]

Hi Mrs Mac
We are from Sydney and walked the Le Puy walk in April May this year then did the first week of the Camino Norte. We speak no functional French but it was fine. While we thought the Frances was a fantastic walk, the Le Puy route was even better. Two things that we found invaluable were the recent English guidebook for the route from Pilgrim Publications ( Guide to the Via Podiensis) which you can get as an ebook and an app called iPhiGenie which gives you detailed topographic maps of The whole of France, with the GR65 marked on it and a cursor to show your position. Not only does this latter app mean you can never get lost ( we came across a number of pilgrims who had got very lost on the route) but it also enables you to find routes to accommodation off the GR etc. When we showed other pilgrims iPhiGenie just about every one of them went and bought it.

Great to know that someone else is a big fan of this excellent app!

Gotta love iPhiGéNie ... I have been using it for three years [and for three treks on the GR65] ... is the best and I would recommend unreservedly to everyone walking this path and other paths in France, Spain, Italy, Norway and the other European countries that it covers ...

the cursor showing your exact position is a godsend

Quite aside from its practicality on-piste, iPhiGéNie is also very useful as a planning resource ... I use it to plot the location of all our proposed stopping points [gites, chambres d’hôtes, etc] ... don’t leave home without it!

 

[BlackRocker57]

Hi TimH ,
Is this app available for android devices?
Thanks ncdcamino

iPhiGéNie is definitely available for android ... you can download the basic app via the equivalent «app store». There are in-app purchases available to access the more advanced features ... currently I pay $17 for a yearly subscription to VMax ... worth every centime