Day 6: Borce to Confranc Estación

Leaving Borce

Misty hills

Fort fu Portalet - an infamous prison

Deep, green lake

Leaving the river - climbing

Crossing into Spain

Camino Sign in Spain

Col du Somport

Somport Ski Lodges

Walking down the pass in Spain

Flowers on the route

Marion
So far we have been so lucky with our accommodation, it has been really good and we have had super food. The weather has also been good to us, only a bit of rain in the beginning ideal walking weather not to cold or to hot. We do need to start off with a fleece and after a short time take it off, have to say our spats are wonderful as they keep all the dust and bits and pieces off our socks.
The scenery was magnificent mountains all around us. Could see quite a bit of snow on the mountain top.
Although it was a tremendous day and I thoroughly enjoyed it, at the same time I found it my most difficult day so far. It was all uphill to the Col du Somport. We walked on the road which I found very hard going and it wound round and round all the way up to the top. Lots of huge trucks coming and going to and from Spain. One had to be aware the whole time, sometimes hardly any shoulder, so when a truck came passed you had to stand as close to the side as possible.
What a view at the top of Col du Somport. Walla!! we were all of a sudden in Spain! We stopped at the top for a coffee and then wound our way down to Canfranc Estacion.
A long hard day but enjoyed every minute.

Sil
Was a bit stiff this morning although Borce is only about 630m. Last night we made a decision to walk on the road to Somport. The CSJ guide describes the road route as being more scenic so up the road we went - and up, and up, and up.

For the first four hours we couldn't see higher than the tops of the trees due to the heavy mist but when the sun did break through we caught glimpses of snow capped mountains and craggy peaks.
Whereas I was feeling a bit flat and wooden yesterday on those rocky, river paths, I went up like a steam train today and it was Marion´s turn to feel like a wooden doll. We stopped more frequently, not only because of the climbing but because the sun finally came out and was burning down on us. We climbed from 636m to 1600m at the pass. What a welcome sight and a good stop at the cafeteria for a drink and a rest.

It is 7.5km down to Canfranc Estacion and once more we opted for the road rather than the steep path down to 1200m. On the road a fellow in a 4X4 stopped us and gave us a card for a Casa Rural in Canfranc Est. I had emailed Peppito Grillo about rooms but when we got there we rang the bell a few times and nobody came, we found the La Tuca Casa Rurul and booked in there. A charming house with very comfortable rooms at 20€ person bed and breakfast. We visited the stunning station which was used in the film Dr Zivago, and then went back to our Casa and asked about dinner on the terrace of the house next door. 9pm she said. 9pm!! Oi. We went back to town and bought food for dinner which Val will tell you about.

Val - Minister of Nutrition
We set off early so breakfast is not worth mentioning.
I was expecting it to be really tough by the description and other peoples comments but perhaps it was easier on the road. It certainly did not compare to walking over the Alps so that was a pleasant surprise.
We made it to the top and had coffee, two in fact..heaven! It was a lovely little cafe (and bar) and reminded me of the pub at the top of Sani Pass. We were soon on our way down and into Spain. Somport has a great Ski-ing resort, lots of new building going on. The contrast as we get into Spain is striking. The sky is suddenly blue and the people wear clothes with colour and they just look healthier with shining hair and skin. There is a huge amount of building going on we trust they have escaped the recession. Good for them.
As Syl says we are staying in the place where they filmed Dr Zhivago and I shall be getting the film out when I get back...the station is an extraordinary piece of architecture. Our rooms are bright and cheery and the owner has put a lot of effort into the decor. We decide that tonight we will eat out and there is a restaurant next door with tables outside. It is a lovely evening. At 4pm we have a glass of wine and I translate the menu...we all get excited and decide on our choice.
Now for those of you that know me well and for those of you that have followed my previous blog, you will realise that I am not eating in the restaurants, side cafes etc. And so, this trip for me is so far gastronomically speaking a disappointment.
But things are looking up, Confranc is full of pavement restaurants with tapas menus everywhere..and so I decide that tonight it is going to be the menu Sugerencias Hecho Para Ti - I am so excited I take a picture of the menu...I am going to have Esparragos blanco con bacalao y de jamon -which translates to something like Asparagus, Salt cod and ham...so worth a try. For Segundos...I chose Margaret de pato en salsa frambue...which I hope I have translated correctly as Duck.
Right, do we need to book and what time do your open? 9pm she says! Too late, we are starving and no one can wait another 5 hours. And so it is off to the supermarket once more for bread!
However, the evening meal turned out to be a delight...it was a lovely evening and we bought a carton of red (vino tinto...pronounced beeno tinto and remembered to lisp when we said thankyou...grathias!!) we bought bread, pate and cheese, cocktail olives, peppers and onions (our own tapas) and finished off with Lindt chocolate orange. The pate was chunky pork with a light surround of jelly and would make any half decent pork pie feel unworthy. We laid out our feast on a park bench and sat on the pavement. I had bought 2 goblets for Marion and me and we at least drunk our wine in style...a fellow walker came past and marvelled at our goblets...in his broken English he said"well there is no compromise for some things"...so right!
The supermarkets are heaven and I am so tempted to buy to take home but will wait until the airport...I will smuggle as much duck as I can carry....I have however bought Martin some dried chillis as he loves cooking with these and some saffron...not sure of the quality and the price 3.8euros probably suggests that it isn´t great. The supermarkets carry a tiny selection of everything until you come to the food...anchovies 3 times the size we are used to, whole sides of hams, cheese, smoked salmon, caviar - there is not one clothes shop in the whole village...now what does that tell you?

Day 5: Sarrance to Borce

Jim and Ann (Left) Sil, Val & Marion (right)

The River in front of the Fontaine Complex

Sarrance

Narrow paths on the edge of the river

Narrow, muddy paths through the forest

Negotiating a crumbling path

At last - a view!!

Marion
It was such an interesting stay at our accomodation last evening with Ann, Jim and Jerry. We all had a tour of the property and a delicious meal. Val and myself shared a room and Syl shared a room with Ann. After breakfast in the morning we set off and our 1st stop was in the centre of Sarrance.
We walked alongside the valley of IÁrrec d´Isson high above the Gave dÁspe which flows in a deep gorge. The path was very rocky and lots of mud, almost clay earth which sucked onto our boots. Most of the day was on the mountain side - it was tremendous.
We had a mountain on our left our path then the river, then the road and then another mountain on the right. Lots of green trees and sometimes a garden of flowers. Sometimes the river was right next to us and sometimes deep down below. At times the path was very rocky, we crossed over a bridge a couple ot times to the other side. We also saw a lot of Royal eagles, such beautiful birds.
Although our path went up and down we were actually climbing the whole day. At times you could see the mountains on the other side with snow on top of them.
It was such a tremendous day.

Sil
When you walk along riverine paths through a forest there are long periods when there is no light, no view and nothing to do but look at your feet. Marion loves the forest paths but I prefer them to be a bit wider than they were today! At times they seemed postively dangerous, no wider that 12cm, sloping to the long drop down to the river far below. We covered the first 5km in 2hours, up one slippery slope and then down equally slippery slopes, sometimes almost next to the raging river but at other times high above. We finally came out of the river onto a small road and climbed up to Borce, a charming, spotlessly clean village with a St James refuge (that was full when we stopped) and finally to the Communal Gite in the centre of the village. We had an 8 bed room to ourselves, managed to do most of our washing and buy soup and vegetables, bread and wine for dinner which we ate in the Gite diningroom. Until now we've been spoiled with Sebastien cooking for us in Asson, Pierre and Sebastien cooking for us in Arudy, a restaurant meal in Oloron and Richie's lovely dinner last night in Sarrance. Tomorrow night we'll be sleeping in Spain!

Val - Minister of Nutrition
After a good nights sleep, we all met in the ´the dining room´for breakfast. Corrine had laid the table with lovely bright tablecloths and crockery and there was fresh coffee brewed. We had a breakfast of bread and brioche with jams. Too much bread now!
Today I felt tired, strange given the lovely sleep. We had a lovely walk through forests and there were buildings like crofts all over, Marion and I went into one and got dive bombed by bats..horrid!We had lunch in a field...checked to see if there were any bulls as I did not carry my mace spray this time...chance to layout our wet clothes and dry them...finally some blue sky showing through for the first day.
"Syl said we had to get going"
"We said, No! No! No!
During the walk today I felt really guilty-I dream of the Pilgrim Refugio being full and we have to stay in a hotel - 4 star at least! We arrive and the "Inn is indeed full" Yipee! Despite exhaustion I could dance in a manner that would make Flattery and his dance troupe envious. Syl asks if there is a hotel (a Chambre). Non, Non just a community gite in the village....now I think..please let there be a room, I just want to be able to lie horizontally. So we walk a little further and there is the Gite with its own supermarket and what is this a BAR! With tables outside on a terrace.The Gite is a brand new dormitory style accommodation with lovely kitchen and huge pine table. The village itself is spotless and looks new, we realise it is indeed an original Medival Village which the community has restored...each building has a before and after picture on it. I sit outside, order a cold glass of wine and phone Martin.
I go back inside and ask for another wine...another she says! They are very small glasses, average cost of a glass of wine has been 1.60 euros.
We shop in the supermarket and buy soup and bread and I ask for another wine to take with me...this is your last she says!
Everywhere the name Borce is accompanied by a picture of a Bear and we ask if Borce means Bear but it doesn´t. They have 8 bears in the National Park.
Tomorrow it is apparently straight up and over the Pyrenees so we buy lots of food and treats to keep us going including chocolate - and especially an orange for old time sake...In Italy we had a day where we could not cross the river because the bridge had been destroyed...we tried to do a detour but couldn´t and over an hour and half later had to go back and cross the river....we were exhausted in 40 degree heat and had already covered 45 km...Kathy had the only piece of food remaining, an orange...we each had a segment...to this day I have never eaten a sweeter tasting orange.
Well tomorrow is Spain and I really hope it is a lot brighter in everyway than this part of France. Thankfully the beautiful Pyrenees is not overshadowed by its grey inhabitants. The people are quite scruffy and on the whole the villages have been dirty.Even young people look as if they have never had a decent haircut and their clothes are just whatever they grabbed that morning. Sorry but that is my opinion...cannot really comment on the food as we only had the opportunity to eat out once.

Day Four : Oloron St Marie to Sarrance

Val - Minister of Nutrition
A friend of Syl´s (although they had never met until this morning - they know each other from the Via Francigena association) arrived late last night with two other English people. They are not planning to walk as far as us today. We walk through bad mud today and SMS Anne and her fellow walkers to rather take the road. We keep meeting them along the way and they have changed their minds and are going to continue to Sarrance and stay at the same place as us.
We meet them on the road side and they say they are going to the next village to find a beer. Time to jump ship me thinks.....these are my kind of walkers!
It´s day four and getting into the zone...that is to say that there is no multi-tasking...sit in a field and eat an apple...that´s it...just sit in the field and eat the apple, don´t read your email as you do so, don´t empty things out of the dishwasher with every bite, don´t try and multi task. It is what I like to call ¨living in the moment¨- and it feels great.
Today I am carrying a box of camembert..poor Marion is grumbling on about a smell...and we soon realise it is coming from the top of my backpack. What a relief she says, I thought it was me! Marion is carrying 4 tins of pate, we bought them in a pack, just enough for us to eat one each lunchtime. We also bought some wonderful walnut bread. We are sitting on a bench overlooking a beautiful valley, a man arrives in his car and off loads bottles for the French equivalent of a bottle bank. Syl goes over to speak to him....she speaks to him for ages, waving her hands about...poor man we think, he probably doesn´t have the faintest idea what she is saying, she doesn´t speak French but her Spanish is good. Then when she comes back, we say poor man Syl, you will be his dinner table story tonight. Oh, he speaks English, she says, he has been to Namibia and Kruger!
He tells us to visit the butcher in Sarrance it is the best in the Valley which we do. We buy proscuttio 8 slices for 1.80 euros. (sorry about the spelling, french key boards, spanish key boards and spell check doesn´t work and we have to type fast as others are waiting for a chance on the free internet!) On the way we pass a van which is converted into a travelling clothes shop...these people have no shops other than food. A lovely route but lots of stinging nettles and I keep stinging my hands...there are no dock leaves which we always used when we were kids to take the sting away, and I always thought they grew alongside stinging nettles but not here.
We arrive at our accommodation. Syl booked it on the internet...it was a monastory which has been converted to a hotel but has kept some simple accommodation for Pilgrims. It looked good on the internet and we are looking forward to it. We turn the corner and there in front of us is a very tired building with a scruffy entrance, rubbish everywhere. We go inside and I am sorry, but it is a dump. And so it will sound somewhat of a contradiction when I tell you that I had the best nights sleep I have had in a long time (and I sleep well at the best of times) and the best hospitality and evening. The English people arrived, Anne, Jerry and Jim. They didn´t get their beer and asked for one the moment they arrived. This was provided without hesitation.
The owners are Corinne and Richie. She is a teacher from Essex (but thankfully does not sound like an Essex´s girl) and he is originally from Bolivia but has lived in Italy with his family. They spent 6 months looking for somewhere to escape the rat race...he was in IT. They could not find anything in Spain or Italy and ended up in France. They are renovating this huge monastory all on their own. (http://fontaines.selfip.com/pyrenees-fontaines-escot-photos.php?m1=2&m2=1&pg=212&m2=1&pg=21m1=2&m2=1&pg=212&m2=1&pg=21m1=2&m2=1&pg=212&m2=1&pg=21 )
Now Richie has definitely used his IT skills when it comes to his website and touching up the picture on his business card. In fact, I think we should invite him to our next Wakefields conference and he can teach our agents how to write adverts and touch up (what are often) terrible photos. Syl and Marion will tell you more about the premises but I will add that these two people are doing a lot right. The beds were clean and warm with generous bedding. The coffee and breakfast was great and their hospitality superb. They showed us around and they were just completing two bedrooms for the upmarket part of the hotel...they were great with ensuites and flat screen tv´s (which I thought unnecessary). They had bookings for these the following week...but the rest of the place looked like a bomb had hit it and it was scruffy and dirty. The dining room was huge but had two tables at one end and old furniture, and rubbish swept in the corners. They said everyone was always giving them advice and that is probably exactly what I wanted to do!
We wash our clothes and our boots are thick with mud. We find an old sink outside and Marion and I go to wash them. Marion cannot stand to watch me and takes over and washes my boots....that is surely a good friend who gladly washes your boots. After showering we met the others at the outside table...I asked for White wine and it was served in a lovely wine glass and was nice and cold. Richie cooked us chicken with couscous and he did a pasta with mushrooms for Syl. He had his own porcini and morels which he had picked from his own woods...well we just hoped he knew his mushrooms! We survived and had a wonderful evening with these very special people. You could not help but just want these two to succeed.

Sil
Oloron Ste Marie: When we came down from our room there was Ann Milner, an Irish pilgrim who I have been conversing with via email for 3 years. When we got home from our walk to Rome in 2006, I found Ann was walking from Santiago to Rome and was somewhat lost in Italy due to no signs or waymarks. I started sending her our Cryptic Clues, a few pages at a time, and information on accommodation. We then kept in touch after the formation of the CPR (Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome). By sheer chance, just a week ago, we discovered that we would be staying atthe same place in Oloron on the same day! She was walking with Jim and Gerry as far as Somport and was not intending to walk as far as Sarrance but when I told them about the converted monastery accommodation we´d booked in for the night they called in at the tourist office who phoned ahead and booked them in too. They were staying on for breakfast in Oloron so we left a couple of hours before them.
The first couple of kms on the road it was dry but as soon as we turned into the forest we started the ´Slippy-slippy-shake´on mud as thick as custard. When we finally came out onto the road we dithered about a bit trying to decide whether to continue on the path or stick to the road. ¨The rest of the way can´t be as wet as the first part´we said, but it was! Val sent an SMS to Ann warning them about the mud and they thanked us later for the warning as none of them was ready for a slippery sludge walk to Sarrance.
Les Fonatines deÉscot is about 1.5km before Sarrance and one has to take the road route to reach it. It is down a private road and when we turned a corner and saw it for the first time I was amazed to see an almost derelict chatteau amongst the trees. I was even more surprised to discover that there is only one couple running the whole place. On the website it looked like a huge complex, with smart hotel, grand salon, St Jacques suite, many indoor reception rooms and acitivities and a few ´simple´rooms for pilgrims who had use of the grounds. Well, it is a run-down but gracious old building that once housed the St James Study Centre, was a monastery of the Knights of Santiago and still contains a few books and statues from the past.
Corrine (the English owner) took us on a walk to the river where the remains of the thermal baths, healing spring (the Fontaines) and hot houses used to be. It was amazing to see the old stone baths in rooms below the viewing walkway. The grotoo has fertility parietal art and other symbols in the stones. The water that continually springs out into a stone basin is warm and has been tested as ´potable´. We all filled our bottles before continuing down to the pebble beach where we could see trout jumping and flopping in the pools below the rocks.
While having drinks on the terrace Ricky pointed out a Royal Eagle´s nest on the rocks high above the river. There are four pairs of these rare birds in the area which is a nature park. We had a wonderful dinner, cooked by Richie.
We had a good sleep - Annie and I sharing the Buddelia simple room with a secret toilet that we were asked not to use at night as it is electric and every noisy!

Day Three: Arudy to Oloron Ste Marie

Sil:

Father Piere asked us if we would like to have a blessing before we left so we met in a little room downstairs and sang from sheets of hymns and prayers. He said a special blessing - used by his parish for hundreds of years - and waved us off as we meandered down the now quiet streets of Arudy. It was cloudy and cool and we walked with Marie and Sebastien through fields, farms and small villages. We like to stop every 2 hours or so for a ´backpack´off and sit down for about 15 minutes but Sebastien suggested we continue on until lunch time. We reluctantly agreed but Val said that she would have loved to have stopped for a coffee at the little village we by-passed. I agreed,¨´We must walk our own camino´I said, Íts no good walking someone else´s camino. So, we decided from then on to stop when we wanted to and surprisingly, Marie and Sebastien agreed, stopping for a sit down when we suggested it.
We told Marie and Sebastien that we would stand them to dinner at a restaurant as a thank you for his cooking and Marie´s delicious churros. By the time we got to Oloron is had just started raining again. The Relais du Bastet is a nice new albergue (not yet in the guide books - www.relaisdubastet.fr) - with beds instead of bunks, and we were in a 4-bed room with a pregrina from Argentina who got up at least 5 times during the night, started rattling plastic and zipping zips at about 5am.

I wanted to send an email home and buy a phone card so I walked in the rain about 2.5km to where the internet cafe was but, as it was a Monday (which is often a holiday in France) it was closed. Then I walked to the Tabbac which was in the other direction to the albergue, bought a card for Afrique du Sud and then half way back along the road to the Internet Cafe where the telephone box was only to find that the wretched card didn´t work. Grrrrrrr.....
When I got back to the albergue Sebastien offered to let me use his card to get started and so we walked all the way back to the telelphone where he inserted his card and I then continued using the codes from my card and, hey presto! I could phone home. We walked back to the albergue and Sebastien said that Eric (the hospitalero) had recommended a really nice resaurant. We followed him to a supermecado and had a look at the restaurant and on the way back we stopped at a little shop where we bought him a small clown doll as a gift.
Val will tell you about our wonderful dinner in Oloron.

Val - Minister of Nutrition
Good nights sleep and meet everyone in the kitchen where Pierre is making delicious coffee...really strong which is in a bowl...you take your mug or bowl, pour some of the coffee into it and top up with hot water and hot milk. We use mugs but Sebastian, Marie and Pierre use bowls. We have bread and preserves - they dip their bread into their coffee. Then they have hot milk and Pierre brings out slabs of chocolate.
There is no charge for the accommodation or indeed the supper or breakfast, just a donation. We give a generous donation because despite the fact that we are not Catholics he has welcomed us with open arms. It doesn´t matter to him why we walk this route.
We have a lovely walk today with Sebastian and Marie, they are great Ambassadors for France, they are so kind and generous and we would definitely have been lost many times without their help...the maps and signs are poor. Sebastian also speaks Spanish and italian and English very well so this has been a great help. We come to a village square and I tread in a huge cow turd...my boot sinks in and almost disappears. "Oh" says Marion "that is so lucky", "Not for us, we have to walk with her" says Sebastian..."You are really in the sh...t now" says Syl and so the banter continues until we all retreat into ourselves and continue walking.
On our way to the restaurant, I buy a new stick, a wooden one to replace my special metal one.
We eat at a local hotel restaurant and have the menu of the house...Menu de LAuberge 13 euros and some of us have Menu Du Terroir 18 euros, Menu of the Territory...i.e. local. We all start with a soup, vegetables with a piece of meat, which is actually bone to flavour the soup. Syl has a salad as she is vegetarian. I have local trout, which is very small and white fleshed and to be honest not that much taste. Others have cold meats or salad. Sebastian has steak, Marion duck - a shoulder piece and I have confit of chicken...which was very good. Dessert is a suprisingly very good dark chocolate mousse.

Marion
A wonderful evening was had by all of us (last night). First at the fun fair and then the most delicious meal with the Priest. Lots of fun and laughter.
This morning we had breakfast with the Priest watched his cat and kittens playing and then off we were on our way.
Most of our walking today was through farm land, lots of corridors with greenery all around must have seen very shade of green their is. At times very muddy pathways and lots of cow dung, could hear lots of birds in the trees.
Whilst walking I heard a shriek!! Val had stepped into a huge dollop of cow dung - you should have seen her face - NOT A PRETTY PICTURE!!!
We saw a lot of different animals today, a woman feeding all her animals dogs, cats and chickens and a bunny rabit eating together with the chickens. Passed a pig farm and all the pigs came to the gate, ever so cute we all gave them a touch. At one stage we passed a field of work horses they were so beautiful as most of them were brown with beautiful blonde manes. They also came to the fence and Syl fed them bits of grass.