Vauvert

Day 2: Saint-Gilles-Vauvert, 18 kms
Total kms walked: 40 kms/ 92 kms
Kms left to Montpellier: 52 kms

We left our little hotel in Saint-Gilles at 8am, bought a baguette and picnic foods at one of the tiny town's two boulangeries, and headed out on our walk. Today we planned 21 kilometers to the town of Vauvert; but again, our vision of walking through quaint French villages was chucked out the window. At the Tourism Office in Saint-Gilles, we asked about cute villages to stop in to have coffees or lunch, en route to Vauvert. The nice man just shrugged and said, "The walk is just for nature. No towns." But Matt had noticed that the walk led through farms- vineyards, to be exact. So he asked if wineries were on the Via Tolosana, and the man said "of course" - we asked if the wineries did degustación, or tastings, and the man again said "of course." We helpfully pointed out that a winery could be a rest stop, so he dialed the Chateau Beaubois Winery, and booked us an 11am tasting- just in time for a picnic lunch afterwards.

The walk was much more lovely than we expected- it led several kilometers alongside an irrigation canal and the vineyards. And after three hours of walking, just when we needed a break, Chateau Beaubois appeared. We were surprised to discover that the tasting was free- this never happens in France- and the proprietor was happy to let us taste multiple wines (she joined us for a few). We settled on a bottle of rosé to accompany our picnic lunch.

After purchasing the wine, we asked the proprietor where might be an acceptable place for two sweaty pilgrims to have a picnic. Imagine our glee when she not only showed us to a lovely outdoor picnic area, complete with a sun canopy and a sink, but also with clean, stocked toilets. And even an adorable puppy! The Camino provides, indeed.

We had a lovely, wine-filled picnic, then headed out for the final two hour walk to Vauvert.

We arrived in Vauvert at 3pm, and discovered a little French village that was once adorable, but now was...not so much. Vauvert has a lovely square, a medieval quarter, and heritage Louis XIV architecture, but these places were either utterly derelict, or peopled with the types who are good 'n' drunk by 10am. Our little guesthouse was lovely, however. A young owner had purchased one of the decaying medieval homes and renovated it with an industrial chic aesthetic- think reclaimed wood and minimalist furniture. I loved it, especially the medieval Roman-style bath in the garden that he upgraded to a plunge pool.

Dinner, however, was not so memorable. For reasons we never understood, almost every restaurant in Vauvert was closed (it's THURSDAY!). We finally gave up trying to find French cuisine, and headed to the only open restaurant- a Vietnamese café. I love Vietnamese food, and it has a lot of French influence from the colonial era... but the best thing I can say about that meal is it didn't give us e. coli. And today I learned: It is indeed possible to have a bad meal in France. Mon dieu.

Tomorrow we walk to Saturargues!Read more