août – nov. 2016

Camino de Santiago

Une aventure de 81 jours par Mme En savoir plus

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Début du voyage
13 août 2016
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Jour 1
samedi 13 août 2016 à 19:21
☀️ 26 °C
Altitude: 123 m
France Montbré 49.18078, 4.0409849°10’51” N 4°2’28” E
1
Day 1: Reims - Rilly-la-Montange
13 août 2016, France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Distance: 10km (a slow start)
Weather: 28C, sunny
Mood: Emotional to start, now quite calm and lazy
No. of Pelgrims encountered: 0
State of body: 🙂
Highlight of the day: Receiving the lovely symbolic necklace from Marc at the Reims cathedral
Lesson of the day: start earlier, afternoon is too hotEn savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah DijkIk sap dat het emotioneel was. Het is ook niet niks. Zoveel dagen op sjauw en als ik het goed gezien heb 2400 km?
13/08/2016Répondre
Ja... Dat zag ik ook al paps, maar m'n planner zegt echt 2000km. Is misschien een andere route... Hoop ik!
13/08/2016Répondre
Stoer joh! Ik ben benieuwd hoe het gaat zijn, de tocht.
14/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 2
dimanche 14 août 2016 à 19:49
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: 62 m
France Épernay 49.05449, 3.9565149°3’16” N 3°57’23” E
1
Day 2: Rilly-la-Montagne - Epernay
14 août 2016, France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Distance: 21km (+ 4 extra off-route)
Weather: 28C, sunny
Mood: Cool and a little exited
No. of Pelgrims encountered: 0
State of body: No blisters... Yet! Starting to feel a tad tired though.
Highlight of the day: Receiving a bottle of water (after I had desperately asked for one) Diving (OK, maybe more like falling off the slippery slope) into the cold water in the Lake at the campsite.
Lesson of the day: Don't expect a boulangerie to be open during the summer holiday and don't expect all roads to be open either (needed to do some trespassing at a building site...)En savoir plus
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Goed gedaan lieve dochter, de kop is eraf! Mam
14/08/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah DijkZondag wasdag?
14/08/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah Dijktot morgen Pien slaap zacht!
14/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 3
lundi 15 août 2016 à 19:32
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 195 m
France Montmort-Lucy 48.9254, 3.8075748°55’31” N 3°48’27” E
Day 3: Epernay - Montmort
15 août 2016, France ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Distance: 25km
Weather: 26C, sunny
Mood: Missing the spontaneous meetings with lovely people (sofar most are bit moody and oblivious to pilgrims)
No. of Pilgrims encountered: 0....
State of body: First tiny blister and collar bone sore from backpack (it's still feeling rather heavy)
Highlight of the day: Long hot shower at my first hotel stop
Lesson of the day: Don't try to outsmart the prescribed route (my little detour left my legs covered in scratches)En savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah DijkEen pelgrim toegewenst xxx
16/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 4
mardi 16 août 2016 à 21:58
🌙 24 °C
Altitude: 157 m
France Sézanne 48.72074, 3.7035848°43’15” N 3°42’13” E
Day 4: Montmort - Sezanne
16 août 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 24 °C
Distance: 31km
Weather: 29C, felt like 34!
Mood: Good, bit more social
Blisters: 3 (2 new!)

The "unwinding" road

Time for something different today. My day started with 5 kilometers along a grassy straight path through farmlands with absolutely nothing else around. The Beatles song The long and winding Road came into my mind, though this road was anything but windy and I realised that the hiker-me is different from the everyday-me. Usually I love shortcuts, the quickest way to get somewhere in the most efficient manner, but the hiker-me likes the bends in the road, the corner that may bring something interesting to see and the turn the guidebook describes is coming up soon. It keeps the journey interesting and straight roads are just a bit... boring. But I manned up, counted steps and marched on and finally I saw the end of the road (see pictures below) and the funny thing was that the road on the other side was pretty much the same, long and un-winding. In fact, most of the long route today was like that! It's almost like this camino gives you what you don't desire, so you can meditate on it. Let's see how unwindy the roads are tomorrow.

Oh and, I did meet some really lovely Scottish people who offered to heat my food and I sat with them for most of the evening, hence why this post is later than usual!En savoir plus
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Sharon van den BiggelaarDoe je goed Jorien. Leuk om te lezen ook! X
16/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 5
mercredi 17 août 2016 à 20:35
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 65 m
France Anglure 48.58255, 3.8087148°34’57” N 3°48’31” E
2
Day 5: Sezanne - Algure
17 août 2016, France ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Distance: 22.5KM (111.5/1888.5)
Weather: 29C, too hot to hike
Mood: A little tired...
Blisters: 5 (2 new!) It is starting to become uncomfortable

Finding the pilgrim in me

First of all we would like to apologise for the outrageous spelling error in yesterday's entry. All has been corrected now.

The roads remain long and straight and too be frank, rather boring. Farmland after farmland and a few wildflowers, a tiny bit of hill or there and that sums it up. I think this is finally starting yo awaken the pilgrim in me. The repetition and the long stretches of road create a rhythm that put my busy mind at ease. I'm starting to feel like the walking at times is almost automatic.
And then at times it feels like the opposite of automatic, the blisters have come, despite all my amazing prevention efforts and they hurt. The backpack is too heavy, especially after yesterday's shopping spree (I wanted to eat everything in the super, asked yesterday after surviving 32 km on one baguette and a Snelle Jelle) and I slept too short. I think a bit of suffering is almost a natural part of being a pilgrim. And because of that, I need to find a rhythm, keep going, counting and remembering that I don't want to give up!En savoir plus
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Nachtje lekker slapen en morgen fit weer op! You can do it, mam xxx
17/08/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah Dijkje diner ziet er voortreffelijk uit, zet "m op met de voeten het is beroerd maar het ontvangst daar is bizonder?
17/08/2016Répondre
Heb me dat allemaal zelf opgegeten?
18/08/2016Répondre
Voyageur Nou, niet helemaal, pasta was een beetje teveel. Weet je wel hoeveel calorieën een pelgrim op een dag verbrandt?!
18/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 6
jeudi 18 août 2016 à 17:31
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 75 m
France Méry-sur-Seine 48.50997, 3.8834248°30’36” N 3°53’0” E
1
Day 6: Anglure - Mery-sur-Seine
18 août 2016, France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Distance: 11.5KM (123/1877)
Weather: 25C, wet!
Mood: Good! Short and pretty walk
Blisters: 5 (bought lots of things to treat them)

Here comes the rain...

After five days of relentless heat, I genuinely thought that I would love a fresh and rainy day, so when madame told me it was really raining quite a bit I smiled and said I would be fine and rain was "bon". Well, I was wrong. When you are walking for hours on a day, rain is never good, maybe a 5 min interval, but not a 2 hour intense one! First of all, my jacket isn't 100% waterproof, secondly you cannot sit anywhere and put your painful feet up to rest.... I hadn't quite thought about that yet. Luckily, I was saved, by my neighbour Martin's favourite place to have a break. I found an actual bus stop. A non-smelly, completely covered (it was more like a little house) space, where I could rest a bit and dry out my coat. I never saw a bus, and I won't tell you about the state of the toilet at the back, but I was grateful regardless.... And even now, I am at the campsite typing from inside my tent, which is kind of cozy, but really wish it will be dry when I have to pack up tomorrow and head to Troyes.

P.s. Sorry, I can't help myself with the Beatles references 😀En savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah DijkGO WITH YOUR FLOW
18/08/2016Répondre
Ha lieve Jorien !! Wat ben jij n topper !! Respect.dank voor super mooie kleerhangers !! Blij blij.knuffel van Bay en Toosje
19/08/2016Répondre
i love this winding road
21/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 7
vendredi 19 août 2016 à 20:55
⛅ 20 °C
Altitude: 100 m
France FACULTÉ DE LETTRES ET SCIENCES HUMAINES 48.29888, 4.0859248°17’56” N 4°5’9” E
1 1
Day 7: Mery-sur-Seine - Troyes
19 août 2016, France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Distance: 30KM (153/1847)
Weather: 25C, sun and clouds
Mood: Feeling strong
Blisters: 5 (the only thing stopping me from walking more)

I can't believe it's already day 7!

No deep thoughts today, just the exciting news that I met two fellow pilgrims yesterday night (Dutch even) and it was great to share pilgrim stories and receive some greasy cotton wool and Gewohl cream to treat my feet and prevent more blisters. The walking was much easier today than my last 30k and I'm now sleeping in the old seminarie of Troyes (pic three).
I'm starting to feel stronger, so let hope those blisters will sure soon (so I can walk even more in a day...)En savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah DijkGoed gedaan Pien, het weer ziet er wat somber uit, mooie kathedraal, vanbinnen zeker. Wellicht werkt het inspirerend!
19/08/2016Répondre
Buurvrouw Betje,
20/08/2016Répondre
Liesbeth SmitGeweldig, hoor. Iedere dag een blaar minder. Stoer hoor al 7 dagen op pad. Een elfde deel is binnen.
20/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 8
samedi 20 août 2016 à 18:25
⛅ 23 °C
Altitude: 224 m
France Sommeval 48.16838, 3.9671348°10’6” N 3°58’2” E
1 1
Day 8: Troyes - Sommeval
20 août 2016, France ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Distance: 23.3KM (176.3/1823. 7)
Weather: 18-24C, cloudy with patchy rain and sunny spells
Mood: Started out a bit down, ending on a high
Blisters: 4 (recovery mode)

When blue turns yellow

It was one of those days where everything was bound to go wrong. Packing up took ages, despite me waking up spectacularly early and my feet felt painful and heavy from the very first step as if I hadn't given them any rest. Of course I took a few wrong turns, the hot chocolate I made was pretty much disgusting and after that it started to rain, so when I felt one of my blisters pop within less then 3k I thought I was going to give up early today. I thought, well clearly after each good day comes a bad one.
And then it struck me that I was initiating this negative chain of events by negative thoughts and energy and what if I decided to make this my best day yet?
When a woman offered me lunch after I sat down in the grass at about 15k, without really needing to, I started to believe a little in the magic of the camino. After lunch my feet felt light and I walked the next 9.5k within 2 hours. I arrived at a little pilgrim gite which the community of Sommeval keeps clean and ready for free. I decided to stay the night (even though I'd set my mind om reaching a campsite 8.5k further along) and within 30 minutes it started to bucket down with rain. Today was as it was meant to be and it felt a little bit magical...En savoir plus
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Ach!
21/08/2016Répondre
!!!
21/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 9
dimanche 21 août 2016 à 19:25
☁️ 20 °C
Altitude: 107 m
France Ervy-le-Châtel 48.04054, 3.9186548°2’26” N 3°55’7” E
2 1 1 2
Day 9: Sommeval - Ervy-le-Chatel
21 août 2016, France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Distance: 20KM (196.3/1803. 7)
Weather: 18-24C, cloudy and windy (honestly!)
Mood: Relaxed and confident
Blisters: 3.5 (number 4 is pretty much gone)

Easy day, the feet are definitely getting better which is really great. I'm planning on walking to Vezelay in the next three days, with around 30k each day, so need to rest up (and have foot baths in my cooler bag :-))En savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah Dijk Ons Maaike had mee kunnen lopen voor de brocante. Aan d
21/08/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah DijkAan de foto's te, zien was deze route leuker om te lopen. Rust goed uit voor de volgende etappe. De hartige hap ziet er heerlijk uit. Wij hadden een achteraf een heerlijke salade met gerookte forel. Een recept van de lidl. Echt goed. Voor vannacht slaap zacht!
21/08/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah Dijk Eigen idee c.q. ontwerp?
21/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 10
lundi 22 août 2016 à 22:28
🌙 20 °C
Altitude: 130 m
France Chablis 47.812, 3.8070647°48’43” N 3°48’25” E
1 1
Day 10: Ervy-le-Chatel - Chablis
22 août 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
Distance: 35.4KM (231.7/1768.3) I found a shortcut, which saves me 2k though...
Weather: 27C, mostly sunny
Mood: Relaxed and a little tipsy...
Blisters: 3 (!)

Apologies for not publishing this yesterday I'm case anyone worried about me. I arrived in Chablis around 5.30, caught a lift to town with the local policeman (no, he didn't think I was a criminal, I just asked 🙂) and then... Well, I basically tried to make friends with next doors dog (not the one the pic) and ended up staying for dinner and a lot of rose. Of course they were English (Yorkshire) and I didn't get to bed till 22.30, which is very late for pilgrim-me. So, another good day and night, making the big miles and new friends and most importantly... the feet really seem to be getting better!En savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah Dijk Die heeft niet alleen te maken gehad met gesloten boulangers!
23/08/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah Dijk Dat is overduidelijk !
23/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 11
mardi 23 août 2016 à 18:51
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 104 m
France Accolay 47.66236, 3.705247°39’44” N 3°42’19” E
Day 11: Chablis - Accolay
23 août 2016, France ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Distance: 26KM (257.7/1742.3)
Weather: 33C hothothot
Mood: Hot but happy and a little fatigued.
Blisters: 3

Things that make me happy
- spotting wildlife (red squirrels, baby deer, otters)
- dragonflies, following me as if they are playing tag
- a cyclist who stops to offer me water
- free wine and dinner from fellow campers
- footpaths in Little icy cold streams
- free local pastry from the boulangerie
- Reading before bedtime all snug in my tiny tent
- Meeting fellow pilgrims

Things that make me not so happy
- Blisters
- Rain
- Uneven gravel roads (see pic)
- Closed boulangeries (but you knew that already)
- Barley being able to walk when I swop my shoes for flip-flops
- inaccurate directions

Life of a pilgrim is simple...En savoir plus
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Jour 12
mercredi 24 août 2016 à 18:25
☀️ 34 °C
Altitude: 139 m
France Asquins 47.48323, 3.7585547°28’60” N 3°45’31” E
Day 12: Accolay - Asquins
24 août 2016, France ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
Distance: 27.5KM (285. 2/1714.8)
Weather: 32C hot and humid
Mood: Pretty relaxed. I can actually still walk once I put off my shoes. This is a new thing 🙂
Blisters: 1 (though I have a few sore areas, probably due to callouses)

The point of a hill

I really don't mind a little climbing, I actually welcome it as its a change to the routine of walking, you use different muscles, and it actually brings me into a but of a hard working flow and most importantly, you get a great view as your reward.
However, today I had quite a number of hills to climb that seemed completely pointless to me. I would be walking in the middle of a dense forest and I'd be climbing fiercely with my heavy pack on my back and once I reached the top there was... even more dense forest. No clearing, no view, just a waste of some good energy.
I suggest they just dug out these paths and create cool valleys, sorry, but without a view... What's the point?!

I intended to reach vezelay today, but it was just too bloody hot to climb that hill (in one of the pics you can see the hill that is Vezelay in the background). I think I may have even a been a but overheated and low on salt, so I found myself a nice bath house (I kid you not) and cooled down my feet and ate nuts. Tomorrow I will see vezelay in the morning light and this is where I should start encountering more pilgrims... We shall see!En savoir plus
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Jour 14
vendredi 26 août 2016 à 11:22
☁️ 11 °C
Altitude: 304 m
France Anthien 47.32112, 3.7320947°19’16” N 3°43’56” E
Day 13: Asquins - Chemin
26 août 2016, France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Distance: 27.5KM (312.7/1698.9)
Weather: 33C hot and humid
Mood: Pretty good and strong
Blisters: 1 (new one, feet are a little sore)

Company

Today I had company on the way for the first time. First a dog started following me and ended up walking with me for 10 km! I got in touch with his owner and found out later that he does this more often, he just really likes walking.
Later I met Lisel (70,DE) with whom I walked the last few K to the great pilgrim auberge in Chemin, which is run by a lovely Dutch couple.
I enjoyed the company for a change and I heard Spain is really busy, so I'll have to get myself prepared me thinks. We chatted till bedtime, so had no time to write my update.En savoir plus
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Jour 15
samedi 27 août 2016 à 20:38
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 210 m
France Corbigny Railway Station 47.25368, 3.6776847°15’13” N 3°40’40” E
Day 14 & 15: Chemin - Chaumot + Rest!
27 août 2016, France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Distance: 14.6KM (327.3/1684.3)
Weather: 34C hot and humid
Mood: ultra relaxed
Blisters: 1

After a short walk yesterday with my friend Lisel, I had a lovely relaxing evening and rest day with Marc who came to visit me. So nice to feel like a normal human being again, even for a short time 🙂En savoir plus
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Jour 16
dimanche 28 août 2016 à 21:25
🌙 23 °C
Altitude: 151 m
France Ruisseau de la Loubière 46.71846, 2.4901746°43’6” N 2°29’25” E
Day 16: Chaumot - st-Amand-Montrond
28 août 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
Distance: 16.6KM + 140.3 by car (343.9/1526.4)
Weather: 28C warm and humid
Mood: rested and emotional
Blisters: 1

The big decision

It was a hard one to make, but I think an important one to keep my mind at ease during the next phases of my camino. Today, I realised that I would need to walk an average of 26.3km a day for the next 64 days and that would be without any rest days. To be frank, even though my body is able my feet are just not op to that number and need the rest now and then.
That's why I made the hard decision to cut out a piece of 140k, tot being the average down to 25.4k with the luxury of 4 rest days, which seems a lot more achievable. I found it a little hard as it feels like cheating and I don't like saying I walled from Reims but not really all the way.... But then, who cares, it's my way and I can always walk the missing miles later, like many people do. There are no hard rules and I should just do what feels right. Well, no longer feeling the pressure of having to do many 30+ days that's are just too hard on my feet feels like a relief. And.. As we drove through the landscape we decided that it was a pretty boring part anyway 🙂
Marc has left now, which makes me feel a little sad and alone, but it's all part of my way and even that feels good in a twisted "way".En savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah DijkIk vind het goeie beslissing en je hebt gelijk het is jou weg die je gaat en die kilometers veranderen daar niets aan. Ik hoopte al dat je dat zou gaan doen. Prima gedaan en dat je je daarover en het vertrek van Marc wat aangedaan voelt begrijpelijk en er niets mis mee!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
28/08/2016Répondre
Hannah DijkGoed hoor Jorien, prima beslissing, goed over nagedacht! Tot woensdag? xxx
28/08/2016Répondre
Sharon van den BiggelaarPowerwoman! Goed hoor Jorien. X
28/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 17
lundi 29 août 2016 à 17:45
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 185 m
France Le Châtelet 46.6435, 2.2789546°38’37” N 2°16’44” E
3
Day 17: St-Amand-Montrond - Le Chatelet
29 août 2016, France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Distance: 27.9 (371.8/1498.5)
Weather: 23C, cloudy and a tiny bit of rain
Mood: neutral pilgrim mode
Blisters: 1

All is good. Uneventful day with good mileage. Now it's time for dinner in my Chambre d'hote for the night 🙂En savoir plus
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Hidde Hannah DijkMarc was hete iT was very K
29/08/2016Répondre
Well done so far Jo! And I am sure it was
30/08/2016Répondre
Nice to have Marc visit (hit send a bit early!). Maria
30/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 18
mardi 30 août 2016 à 21:32
🌙 19 °C
Altitude: 213 m
France La Châtre 46.58171, 1.9890246°34’54” N 1°59’20” E
Day 18: Le Chatelet - La Chatre
30 août 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Distance: 31.2 (403/1467.3)
Weather: 25C, intermittent clouds and sun
Mood: Social, relaxed with tired feet
Blisters: 1
Staying at: Le Presbyterie

Intending to post a little story tomorrow. My nights are either too social or too tired...En savoir plus
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Maaike VeenbrinkHet lukt me eindelijk om te reageren 😊...inlogproblemen! Bijzondere trip so far! Xx
31/08/2016Répondre
VoyageurThanks zus x
31/08/2016Répondre
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Jour 19
mercredi 31 août 2016 à 21:30
🌙 20 °C
Altitude: 182 m
France Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre 46.5927, 1.8000246°35’34” N 1°48’0” E
Day 19: Le Chatre - Neuvy-St-Sepulchre
31 août 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
Distance: 18.6 (421.6/1448.7)
Weather: 27C, sunny and at times cloudy
Mood: ultra social
Blisters: 0 (I DIYed some insoles that seem to work)
Staying at: Camping Municipal Les Frênes

A walk with company again! Yesterday I met a Dutch (Richard, 24) and a Belgian (Jonas, 22) guy and we walked together all day. A lovely change to the solitaire walks and with a lot more breaks than I'm used to. Walking together, I have decided, in the right company, is much easier than alone.
In the evening I met my parents at a campsite and after a beer and a dive in the pool, we all ate together. It was another great, social night, which will become part of my treasured memories of the camino.En savoir plus
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Maaike VeenbrinkNice! Leuk dat je ons pap en mam getroffen hebt! Xx
01/09/2016Répondre
1 j’aime
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Jour 20
jeudi 1 septembre 2016 à 21:32
🌙 20 °C
Altitude: 127 m
France Ruisseau de Gargilesse 46.5071, 1.5836746°30’26” N 1°35’1” E
Day 20: Neuvy-St-Selpulchre - La Chaume
1 septembre 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
Distance: 24.4 (446.0/1424.3)
Weather: 30C, sunny and a bit hot
Mood: Fit and slow
Blisters: 0
Staying at: Camping Municipal La Chaumerette
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Jour 21
vendredi 2 septembre 2016 à 20:46
🌙 23 °C
Altitude: 246 m
France Crozant 46.38817, 1.620146°23’17” N 1°37’12” E
3 1 1
Day 21: La Chaumerette - Crozant
2 septembre 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
Distance: 18.8 (464.8/1405.5)
Weather: 30C, sunny and a bit hot
Mood: Relaxed
Blisters: 1 (but feet no longer feel tired)
Staying at: Camping Municipal La Fontbonne

Letting go...

A number of people have told me that the camino is very much about letting go and today I realised I am starting to experience this.
A few days of walking with the "jeunes" I met I learned a different way of walking. Naturally, despite my good intentions I had started planning my days and had felt rather pressured by the heat. If I would get up really early, I could get to the next place early and before the real heat, which to be fair never materialised. This led to a constant monitoring of my speed and at some point even controlling my break lengths. I know... It sounds a bit obsessive now, but the heat had scared me a little when I started to feel nauseous one afternoon.
I felt I was battling the heat.
However, these two young guys taught me to just go with the flow of the day, take longer breaks and enjoy the little interactions with the locals (yesterday we met a Belgian sculpturer who showed us his work).
Today I realise I am learning to let go (a little) of control through planning and timing and it feels great!En savoir plus
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Alicia Hunt Nettle soup?
02/09/2016Répondre
Voyageur Close! Wild mint tea 🙂
02/09/2016Répondre
Sharon van den BiggelaarGreat insight!
02/09/2016Répondre
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Jour 22
samedi 3 septembre 2016 à 21:55
🌙 19 °C
Altitude: 357 m
France La Souterraine 46.2337, 1.4948646°14’1” N 1°29’41” E
Day 22: Crozant - La Souterraine
3 septembre 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Distance: 24.5 (489.3/1381)
Weather: 28C, sunny and a bit hot
Mood: Relaxed
Blisters: 1
Staying at: Claudine Montcuit gîte

The walks are starting to become routine (in a nice way) and also my morning and evening rituals. I'm surprised how easily I adapt to this simple, but physically intense life. Today Richard and I were reunited with Jonas and it was so nice to see a familiar face. He's going back home tomorrow, while we continue our camino. A nice evening at one of my favourite places to stay sofar, camping in the garden of the "tres gentil" mme Montcuit.En savoir plus
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Jour 23
dimanche 4 septembre 2016 à 21:22
☁️ 19 °C
Altitude: 365 m
France Marsac (Creuse) Railway Station 46.09473, 1.5858246°5’41” N 1°35’9” E
Day 23: La Souterraine - Marsac
4 septembre 2016, France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Distance: 26.1 (515.4/1354.9)
Weather: 25C, overcast
Mood: Relaxed
Blisters: 0
Staying at: Chez Bernie gîte

Changes

Today was my last day walking with Richard and that means I'm back on my own again tomorrow. I wonder if I will walk differently compared with before my encounter with the boys. Will I be less hastened and more in the moment?
Tomorrow I have my first big climb of the camino, with 300 metres incline over 5km. Will it be hard or will I be just as relaxed as I've been the past few days?
Also the civilization of the past week or so will end, no bakeries and supermarkets on the entire stretch and so I'll have to use my rations.
I think these will be good changes, back to stillness, new psychical challenges and a bit more into the wild... Bonne nuit!

Oh and yes... It's quite a milestone 500k! I'm rather proud xEn savoir plus
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Jour 24
lundi 5 septembre 2016 à 20:04
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 331 m
France Montfayon 45.87933, 1.4864445°52’46” N 1°29’11” E
2 2 1
Day 24: Marsac - Le Chatenet-en-D.
5 septembre 2016, France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Distance: 38k (incl. 4.5k shortcut) (553.4/1316.9)
Weather: 25C, overcast
Mood: Tired but satisfied
Blisters: 0
Staying at: a field

Why make it hard?

I'd been going over my planning for the next few days a number of times when Richard asked me: "Why do you make it so hard for yourself?" The constant pressure to hit a certain daily mileage seemed a bad thing to him.
I read the same thing on a santiago website, to not pressure yourself too much on time so you can enjoy the camino to its fullest.
But of course I have my own view, I like the physical challenge and I'm not even sure why. Probably because I want it to be hard and I want to feel like I've really achieved something at the end of the day. I mentioned this earlier, it seems like a certain level of suffering is imperative to the camino.
Somehow this challenge keeps me going and prevents my camino from becoming routine and even a bit boring. And so today, I hit a new high on my daily mileage (33.5km) and it feels good.
I just hope it still feels good tomorrow...

In case you're wondering what that misty picture is of... Well that was the summit of my first climb, bit unlucky with the weather. It wasn't that hard though and I enjoyed walking alone again. Enough thoughts to keep this busy mind company!En savoir plus
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Moge mijn berichtje een boost zijn voor de tocht van vandaag! Ik heb gelezen dat je terug alleen loopt, geniet van de stilte en het onbekende. En laat het onverwachte maar gebeuren... Er komt nog veel meer als een ontmoeting met '2 jeunes' op jouw Camino, lieve lieve groet, Jonas
06/09/2016Répondre
VoyageurBedankt voor je bericht Jonas. Ik heb gisteren zowaar wildgekampeerd. Nog steeds best spannend, maar toch weer wat makkelijker 🙂
06/09/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah Dijk Dat vind ik heel bijzonder en uitnodigend!
07/09/2016Répondre
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Jour 25
mardi 6 septembre 2016 à 21:52
🌙 23 °C
Altitude: 254 m
France Limoges 45.82866, 1.2656945°49’43” N 1°15’56” E
Day 25: Chatenet-en-D. - Limoges
6 septembre 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
Distance: 28.6k (582/1288.3)
Weather: 27C, periods of sun and clouds
Mood: Tired but satisfied
Blisters: 0
Staying at: Soeurs Franciscaines

The landscape today was beautiful and the Cathedral of Limoges is just stunning (Which makes the Limousin my favourite part of this journey yet). As my mum said, Limoges is another milestone, which I am proud to reach. I was going to post a little story, but I met a couple from Bornerbroek (very near to where my dad was born).En savoir plus
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Alicia HuntI've been here :)
06/09/2016Répondre
Hidde Hannah DijkDat is heel bijzonder ik wilde dat ik daar bij geweest was met die Tukkers
07/09/2016Répondre
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Jour 26
mercredi 7 septembre 2016 à 21:01
🌙 25 °C
Altitude: 348 m
France Flavignac 45.70151, 1.0950945°42’5” N 1°5’42” E
Day 26: Limoges - Flavignac
7 septembre 2016, France ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
Distance: 28. 4k (610.4/1259.9)
Weather: 32C, Very sunny and hot
Mood: I so got that 28k!
Blisters: 0
Staying at: Camping Saint-Fortunat (I have not paid yet...)

I am sitting at the lake of Saint Fortune as the night falls. A few last day trippers are making their way home, but I am still here with no plans, but a bottle of wine and the expectation of a starry night. It's so peaceful now that most people are gone and the screams of children playing have made way for crickets, birds and the quiet sounds of the lake. I am content, I am peaceful, I am grateful and yes, maybe I am a little under the influence...
Maybe it's a little more comfortable if I put my right leg down... Ouch maybe it's not, there are loads of nettles here!
It's so nice when you have no other worries on your mind but where you'll sleep and what you'll eat. This is when I feel I can really enjoyed the small things (that really are big) in life. And... Isn't there a Dutch things about the small things that make you happy in the end?En savoir plus
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