October 5. Vezelay to Tannay. 20.24 km. No pups. And no Peter.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEN!!!

Today is the last day of walking before we take a break from our Camino and head down the Canal du Nivernais on our boat.

We are now officially walking on the Via Lemovicensis (or Voie de Vezelay), one of four nationally recognized Camino routes in France.

As today promised to be a long day  Peter chose to move ahead by taxi and we sent Rawley the Trolley with him.

The hotel had a large salon where Peter was able to wait for the taxi to pick him up at 400 pm – we figured we would arrive in Tannay around the same time. Hotel le Compestelle was very good to us.

Because it was Ken’s birthday, Scott agreed to be nice to Ken all day and to side with Ken in any Ken-Terry argument for a whole week. We’ll see how that goes.

And off we go, with lighter packs.

Which way do we go which way do we go?!? Ack! I am so confused!  Actually the trail splits here into a north and south route, which join up again in a few hundred kilometers. We are taking the north route to the boat base at Tannay, but will rejoin the Via on the south route. Confused? Ken is too.

The Gendarmerie…have you been behaving, Ken?

Poignant memorial to a resistance fighter (holder of many medals of honour) who was executed by firing squad by the Nazis and his wife, who died in Auschwitz concentration camp. Reminders of the World Wars are everywhere.

The Via Lemovicensis (heretofor referred to as the Via as Lemovicensis is too long to type) is so well marked compared to the Via Campaniensis. Just follow the blue and yellow shell markers.

Don’t drop the basketball – pretty steep downhill from here. You’ll be running after the ball forever.

A bit of graffiti against the eating of animals. Since Scott is a meat lover I told him this translates to Be Kind to Animals.

Ironically, or perhaps deliberately,  the graffiti is right beside the animals in question

Out of the town and farmer’s fields and into the forest.

It did not escape the notice of both Scott and Terry that the colour of the slug exactly matches the colour of Ken’s fleecy.  Coincidence? Some might argue not!

Ancient distance marker. This trail is so old that it has actually been beaten down a few feet in places.

Had to do a BugSnax photoshoot on these giant fungi.

You might need to be a fan of the Father Ted television series to understand and roll your eyes at this photo. Ken’s favorite chocolate bar by far!  Or is he really father Jack Hackett!?

Dung beetle doing their job. Should had Bungur out with them.

A muddy sometimes difficult trail. Had to do a lot of puddle-jumping to avoid the muck.

Bunger meets slug.

Badger tracks.

Two happy faces.

This town had a potable water tap, bathrooms and shelter for pilgrims. It also serves as the town library and communal hall.

What is this?

Tannay on the other side of the valley.

Return to the Canal du Nivernais.

Moo.

We walked down down down from that town on the other hill. And now we go up up up.

It is so sad when you are trudging slowly up the hill and Peter goes whizzing by you in the taxi.

By the way, this was not Peter’s taxi!

Back in Tannay where we picked up our boat in 2024. This tiny sign with the scallops shell is what clued me in to this town being on the Camino.

Coming back to Tannay is an odd feeling, almost like coming home in a weird sort of way.