Camino de Santiago Day Three: Arudy - Laruns: Know What You Eat

We walked out of Arudy along a quiet street next to the Ossau river, then  a short stretch along the busy main road and finally picked up a dirt track almost all the way to Bielle, which was the capital of the Ossau valleu in ancient times.

It's a remarkably well-preserved viilage where I first noticed the typical 'barn door' entrances of older houses that is a tradition in the region. A keystone above the door carried either the family crescent or a religious motif meant to protect the home and its inhabitants. I took a series of  photos of these doors here and in Larudy, hope I can turn them into a poster or something later.

We had a quick packed lunch in a small park replete with antique fountain in Bielle before continuing.

We followed a very quiet secondary tarred road running through open farmland. Twice we came across Pyrenees Shepherd dogs guarding sheep in fields. While they look extremely cuddly they kicked up a massive fuss when we gave them any attention. A sign we'd seen in Mitagad the previous day cautioned walkers not to look at 'Patou', or bother them at all. They have a job to do!

Once in Laruns we looked up the Albergue L'Embaradere, only to be told we could only check in at five. Strange, since the place was deserted anyway. So we sat down at a sweet-looking creperie on the town square for an hour or two before returning.

The accommodation was in a smallish room stuffed with three bunk beds, our first encounter with Camino-style living. I hadn't slept like this since my long-gone days in the Army. Oh well. This is the Camino, not a package holiday.

So we washed up and walked to a nearby restaurant, Le Arrègalet, that looked like it served local fare.

Adeline can't wait for the restaurant to open...

Here's how the ordering went. 

The owner-chef, who looks totally like Gerard Depardieu, comes round to take our order. Adeline looks at the menu, which is all in French. She decides on "La Dios" something-something.

He looks at her doubtfully. 

"You know what 'La Dios' is?"

She doesn't of course.

He points vaguely to his head.

"Pig's cheek, nose, ear".

She had it anyway, and loved it. My trout with mushrooms was the best I'd ever eaten.

The Camino is being good to these two foodies.


All the photos of the Camino are on Flickr..

Camino de Santiago Day Two: Asson to Arudy:

The Asson town church bell awoke us around six, shortly before sunrise. It was still raining. With no bistro or boulangerie in the immediate area we settled for bowls of Futurelife we'd brought from home for breakfast. We did the morning packing ritual, which we'd perfected during 25 years of backpack hiking back home. No worries there.

When we poked our noses out the door at eight, lo and behold, the sun had broken through! So we set off cheerfully on a few kilometers of farm roads until we got to the village of Bruges where we paused on the town square to buy a baguette, a tin of anchovies and two tangerines.

By now it had heated up enough for us to pack away our jackets and fish out the suntan lotion from our backpacks. Mitaget was the next town on the list, a pretty, historic town that apparently was an important pilgrim town nine hundred years ago. As we walk along I spend a lot of time imagining how it must've been for those brave enough to make the trek to Santiago back in the 12th century. Just think of all the stories tied up in that history! I'm surprised no Hollywood director has yet made a big budget epic drama against the background of the Camino of the time. 

We make a point of going inside each church we pass, and it was no different in Mitaget. I love the musty smell of the older churches, love examining the worn floor tiles for markings. The folks of years gone by were fond of leaving graffiti in churches behind....

We paused for lunch just before the road started climbing steeply towards the town of Saint Colome, and we caught a glimpse of the first snow-capped peaks. We were now entering the Ossau valley that will take us into Spain. Between here and the border at Portalet lay 1500m of uphill! We were now tackling the first of those metres.

We reached Arudy around 6pm, after a relatively easy 15km walk. We seem to fill the day with walking, no matter the distance. There's just so much along the way to take in, it's a shame to rush by. 

After last night's hunger games and mattress-on-the-floor bed we were in the mood for something comfy so booked into the Hotel France on the town square. Rugby fever permeated the town, and everywhere blue and yellow banners were spurring the local team on.

We settled in the largely empty bar for beers, had an average dinner at the hotel, and off to bed. A nice, easy day of pleasant walking.

(See all the Camino photos here...)

Camino de Santiago Day One: Lourdes to Asson: Wet, wet, wet.

Before today I had various romantic visions for our departure on the Camino de Santiago from Lourdes - a quiet moment, a taste of holy water, a last peek into the splendid cathedral to wish us well on our way. Au contraire, there myself and Adeline stood in the pouring rain like drenched rats as a passing Frenchman cracked a joke about us looking like hunch-backs in our bright red ponchos. We were surrounded by a milling crowd of plastic covered wheel chairs and umbrella wielding nuns, while we desperately tried to take the obligatory selfie, me hoping my iPhone is water-proof. To the uninitiated this must've all seemed very Monty Python.

 

And then we were off.

That's the Lourdes cathedral in die background.

 

Actually, walking while it rains cats and dogs is quite enjoyable if you're geared well, so we took it in our stride. After following the river for a kilometer or two we switched to a lush forested path. A small deer darted shyly among the trees, and every now and than we'd stop to look at a lizard or insect that looked strange to our South African eyes. It was great to be solitary and surrounded by nature.

 

After about 15km of walking along largely deserted farm roads we reached Betharram, the first main town on our route. We lunched at a hotel restaurant where we briefly noticed the only other pilgrims for the day. Next we set off for a steep climb on a path leading 200m up a forested hill to a small, intriguing cemetery with three full-size crosses towering overhead.

 

All along the way and at the top we saw beautifully designed religious shrines, I wish I knew the history behind them. Was it the legacy of a rich aristocrat from the previous century? It certainly looked that way...

 

We'd estimated the road to Asson where we're staying over to be about 20km but the farm roads stretched into a distance of 29km according to my gps - quite a distance, but still immensely enjoyable for the first day on Camino. We arrived in Asson around six, hunted for the parish refuge, were taken to an upstairs, bare basics room. We were looking forward to having a celebratory dinner at a cosy little French bistro, but were rather abruptly told all shops and restaurants in town close at five. A quick scouting walk around the village confirmed that - all we could find was a croissant vending machine (where else in the world do you find that??) but after punching in a Euro, turns out it was empty.

 

Which meant our minimalistic dinner before we nodded off for the day consisted of an energy bar for each of us and two sachets of cuppacino that kind souls back home had donated to us. Such are the blessings of friends...

All the photos of the Camino are on Flickr..

 

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