Day 39 – Bourg -Argental to Saint-Julien-Molhesabate (26,8km) – Thuesday 08.08.2023
After a cold night we got up at 7am to pack up our tents. We started walking around 8 a.m. and stopped at a supermarket. There we bought breakfast and something to eat for the evening. We then ate our breakfast together on a bench next to the supermarket.
Our tour started up through the forest. We passed a large chicken farm where the chickens just ran around with the reins open. When the weather was beautiful, we climbed further and further up and always had a beautiful view back or to the other side of the valley. Most of the time we walked through the quiet forest.
When we reached the highest point of the path, we got a great view of the surrounding mountains and their surroundings. Because of the nice weather we were able to see far into the distance.
We took a short break on a church bench and replenished our water reserves at an interesting looking fountain. I got another stamp for my collection. Since the only kiosk in town is unfortunately closed on Tuesdays, there was no opportunity for us to stop there. Since we had now covered a few kilometers and were starting to get tired, we looked for somewhere to stay overnight. Since we didn’t want to spend the night in the accommodation in town, we decided to sleep in the tent again tonight and find a place to sleep on the way to the next town.
So we continued walking with our luggage and looked for a suitable spot for our tent. After a while we passed a meadow, which we chose as our place to sleep. First we ate our dinner and rested for a bit. Later in the evening we walked a little further up the meadow. From there we had a beautiful view of the surrounding area and were largely protected from view. Since the meadow was very flat at this point, we set up our tents there and enjoyed the sunset.
In addition to the great tour and the beautiful sunset, I was also happy about another milestone today. Early in the day I completed the first 1000 kilometers of my journey. So I have now left a few kilometers behind me, during which I was able to hike through many great areas and meet great people.
Day 40 – Saint-Julien-Molhesabate to Tence (27,9) – Wednesday 09.08.2023
We got up at 6:30 a.m. and packed up our things on the lawn. While Julian was still packing up his tent, I made myself a coffee and enjoyed it with the beautiful view in the morning.
We set off shortly after 7 a.m. It first went downhill through fields and then continued pretty level. Because we were talking so much, we missed a turn-off and walked in the wrong direction for a while. When we finally noticed it, we had to go all the way back and in total we had a detour of almost 5km. So it wasn’t until 11 a.m. after almost 14km that we arrived at a place where we took our late breakfast break.
There was a lot of activity in the place and there seemed to be a flea market all over the place. There were stalls at houses everywhere and people were offering used things.
We bought sandwiches at a bakery and fruit at a supermarket. Then we sat down on a bench next to a market and finally ate our food.
After the town we continued through fields and meadows. Again and again we passed small villages, which often had no more than 10 houses and often had chickens or other animals in front of their houses.
We sit down for a short break on a wall between two towns. We hadn’t met any hikers all day, but we were all the more surprised when a whole group of hikers suddenly came towards us. We actually wanted to set off quickly to escape the group, but somehow we suddenly found ourselves walking in the middle of the hiking group as if we were part of it.
After a few minutes we left the group behind us and continued walking together again.
Meanwhile it was getting warmer and warmer. Since we had already walked a few kilometers, we looked for a campsite and set up our tents there. We use the remaining hours of sunshine to take a quick dip in the pool. Afterwards I explored the campsite a bit and found lots of great spots. This campsite offered a lot for the low price and you could definitely have spent a few nice days here.
Later at night we had dinner in the restaurant. I treated myself to a citizen’s menu and Julian ate a snack plate, which consisted of what felt like a kilo of cheese and sausage. Due to the large quantity, I had to help out a bit and was immediately offered a very intensely tasting cheese.
When it got dark we went to sleep in our tents.
Day 41 – Tence to Saint-Julien-Chapteuil (29,2km) – Thursday 10.08.2023
Today we got up again at 7 a.m. to get an early start. I drank my coffee again and enjoyed the early morning sun while Julian was still struggling with his tent.
Afterwards we had to go back to the last town to find something to eat. The houses and streets were colorfully decorated and the village generally made a nice impression.
After our short break, we walked past the turnoff to the campsite again and then continued up along dirt paths. We passed a larger raspberry plantation and tried some of the delicious berries.
We covered distance quickly on the easy-to-walk paths. It kept going up and slowly the temperatures got hotter. Shortly before the highest point of our tour we took another short drinking break. When we started walking again we immediately saw a beautiful panorama.
This was followed by the descent over roads and small field paths, where we could always enjoy the great view. Further down the path through the forest stretched a bit and after almost 29km we reached our destination for the day. This time we set up our tents on a very simple campsite. Afterwards we bought dinner in a supermarket and ate it on a bench with a table while watching a swimming class do their exercises.
After dinner it was almost 9 o’clock. I then wrote a short diary and then went back to bed after a great tour.
Day 42 – Saint-Julien-Cahpteuil to Le Puy-en-Velay (19,2km) – Friday 11.08.2023
Today was my last day on the via meinenensis and our goal was to reach the pilgrimage town of Le Puy-en-Valey. After we packed up our tents and I drank my morning coffee, we set off around 8 a.m.
We walked to the beautiful town where our campsite was and briefly bought our breakfast.
We then walked a few kilometers before taking what we had bought on a small bridge. Today the path took us through fields again. Since these offered little shade, we noticed the early onset of heat and looked forward to every shade we got. But since we only had a few kilometers to cover, we took it slow today and so the route was manageable despite the sun.
We couldn’t see the city for a long time, but after another section of forest we suddenly found ourselves in a residential area that was already part of the city. We looked for a campsite right in the heart of Le Puy-en-Velay and walked there. As it turned out, it was located right next to the well-known church on the mountain and we only had a few minutes to get to the city center.
After showering and washing our clothes, we set off to explore the sights of the city. First we climbed up the mountain to the Rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe. Although the church seemed quite large from a distance, it was rather small from above. Nevertheless, we had a beautiful view of the city.
Then we went back down and then walked back up to the statue De Notre Dame De France. From this stature we were able to view not only the city, but also the church we had previously visited.
Finally, we went to Le Puy Cathedral and took a quick look at the Black Madonna.
Since my first pilgrim pass was already full, I wanted to get a new one at a nearby pilgrim center. When we arrived there, a meeting was taking place for pilgrims who are starting their journey from here. When I had successfully picked up my new pilgrim pass, one of the speakers asked me where we came from and where we were going. So I told him that I had been traveling for over 5 weeks and had started near Karlsruhe, he translated this to the pilgrims in the room and everyone clapped at me again, which felt strange this time too. I looked at some of the faces and memorized them. So I’m excited to see which people from this room I’ll meet in the next few days.
After our short detour, we walked a bit through the old town and then had dinner in a pizzeria.
Afterwards we returned to the campsite and went to sleep.
Day 43 – Le Puy-en-Velay to Le Puy-en-Velay (0km) – Saturday 12.08.2023
Since Julian had to leave again today and I also wanted to see a little of the city, I took my second real break day today. I simply left my tent at the campsite for the second night. We then walked into the city center together. Again and again we saw pilgrims or hikers walking through the streets with equipment. In the first hour alone, more people came towards us with hiking boots and backpacks than I had met on my previous 6 weeks.
Since we had a three-ticket ticket for the city’s sights, but had only seen two things, we decided to visit the city’s museum. We walked through the small streets of the city and quickly arrived in the center. A number of people were playing boules on a large square. As we walked there were more and more people and we quickly realized that there had to be a tournament here. As it turned out, there was actually a big tournament going on here with several hundred teams. No matter where we ran, people were playing boules against each other and again and again we could hear the muffled sound of a ball hitting another ball or hitting the wooden barrier at the far end of the playing field.
After a few minutes we finally reached the museum. When it finally opened, we entered the building at 10 a.m. and looked at various things. In addition to statues and historical objects, we were also able to look at various paintings from several eras. The highlight of the current exhibition were pictures by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. At least these were the names of a few other artists that meant something to me and that I knew a few of their works.
After 1.5 hours we were through all areas and left the museum again. We bought a Yufka from a nearby kebab shop and ate it on a bench on the side of the road. We then returned to the campsite briefly before Julian had to set off so as not to miss his bus towards Lyon. Since it would be difficult for him to return home after Le Puy, he will unfortunately be leaving me again today. After accompanying me for a few days, he wanted to see the city of Marseille and then go back home.
When we said our goodbyes, everyone went their own way. For me, this ended a great time together and I was left on my own again, without simply having anyone to talk to. In the first few minutes it felt strange to walk around alone again, but I quickly got used to being alone again. Excited and full of anticipation, I look forward to the next stages and what awaits me on this path and which people I will meet on my further journey.
Later I sat with a cyclist for a while and talked to him about our travels over a cup of wine. When I got hungry I went back and bought a pizza from a nearby stand. Once I had eaten these, it was soon time to go back to the tent, where I read a book for a bit before going to sleep.
Leave a Reply