The French and I arrived this afternoon in Saint Jean-du-Gard, for us the finishing point of the Stevenson Way, the town where R L Stevenson also finished his travels and sold his companion Modestine!
Apologies to anyone reading this blog from time to time, as it's been a while since I've posted an update - a combination of long days, busy, tired, or no wi fi. So now that we're at the end, a brief summary.
The Stevenson Way was a late addition to our 'itinerary' - we had not thought of doing this walk when we left Australia. We only decided to walk this path after a serious mishap for one of our Sydney friends meant we wouldn't be doing the penichette trip on the canal du midi as planned. Thankfully he is recovering well now.
So, with time on our hands, we landed on the Stevenson Way. A glorious and difficult path - The French and I have found it to be both beautiful and challenging. We could think of sections of other walks that were as tough, but day after day this is certainly the most difficult path we've ever walked. But well worth it, the scenery was wonderful, the path was almost always 'in nature' with some charming villages and towns. There were not many people and no more than a handful of kilometres on roadways.
There is much I could have written along the way, but didn't get to. Our accommodation - quite a mix and some delightful surprises including our cabin at La Tartine de Modestine and our camping gites for the last two nights. People we met and shared a gite and a meal with - predominantly French with just one Englishman from Kent we exchanged a few words with, and no Australians - until this afternoon when we met three psychiatrists from Sydney travelling together, the mind boggles. The food - we mostly took Demi-Pensione (dinner, bed and breakfast) and had a picnic lunch and, as is usually the case in France, never a bad meal.
Along the way,we had two unusual 'animal' encounters. On Day 6 we came across a woman travelling (in the opposite direction) with a small donkey (a jenny - her name is Galice). We'd heard people sometimes walk the Stevenson Way with a donkey to 'recreate' his journey but this was the first we'd seen. Initially I was charmed by the sight of these two. I asked if I could take a photo and the woman happily agreed. I asked her the donkey's name and the woman told me that Galice was not in a good humour and didn't seem to want to walk today. Who could blame her - she was certainly carrying quite a load - the path was difficult and the afternoon sun was hot. I felt sorry for Galice. As I walked away I kept thinking about this encounter. And questioned why the woman felt the need to 'conscript' this poor animal into service - who knows?
Things were different in 1878 - for one thing Stevenson didn't have the great gear we have today, with accommodation and provisions readily available. I came to the conclusion that I really didn't like this idea of conscripting a donkey at all. If you want to walk, that's your choice - the poor donkey has none! If you don't want to carry your own gear, there are plenty of transport services that will take your pack from one stop to the next - as most people seem to do on the Stevenson Way. A few days later, we heard that the woman had arrived very late in the gite that night as her donkey didn't want to walk. I found I had little sympathy for the woman, but my heart went out to Galice.
On Day 4 in the hot afternoon sun, an entirely more satisfying encounter. The French and I were walking along a rare section of bitumen road which would soon lead us into a shady forest. We saw a hiker coming the other way nursing a medium sized dog. I felt a pang of concern. As the man passed, I asked 'is your dog ok? Yes, he replied, she's fine. We walk together - she loves to walk but the road is too hot for her, so I carry her.' Domi and I walked on smiling, knowing our Zaccy would approve!
Tomorrow morning we'll take a bus to Ales and then a train to Collouire, still in France but just near the Spanish border. From there, we'll have around two weeks to amble down the Costa Brava towards Barcelona. I see sandy beaches and fishing villages, relaxing, swimming, strolling and tapas - and maybe a little walking in between.
Hasta luego
J x
