Author Archives: terryzitnak

We had an enjoyable breakfast with the Irish couple in anticipation of a 22 km hilly day. The breakfasts here are usually only baguette, croissant or toast with coffee, tea or hot chocolate. And plain yoghurt and sometimes apple sauce. I don’t know what’s with the plain yoghurt but I think the intent is toContinue reading “November 5. Orthez to Sauveterre de Bearns. 22.82 km.”

Breakfast by ourselves this morning, no bachelor brothers. Louis was off doing farmer stuff long before we strolled downstairs – the usual chocolate chaud for Scott and me, coffee for Ken and wow, two bananas.  Raoul kindly drove us back into Sault-de-Navailles to the trail. This water pump and well are over 200 years old!Continue reading “November 4. Sault-de-Navrailles to Gite Acoulacoula south of Orthez. 18.58 km.”

As Ken and I were walking yesterday, we talked about the Via Francigena zoom call and about the purpose of our walking these pilgrimages. On the other two routes, the Camino Frances and the Via Francigena,  we had clear goals, at least in terms of getting from here to there, with arrival in either SantiagoContinue reading “November 3rd.  Hagetmau to Sault-de-Navailles. 15.72 km.”

While I was in the church yesterday, Ken had already found a beer at our hotel…but a slightly drunk Frenchman was chatting with him, talking about his wife and /or his girlfriend with 7 children and her pilot husband but I think he was an ex husband and maybe she was his wife or justContinue reading “November 2. St. Sever to Hagetmau. 19.54 km.”

An interesting noisy night with a car horn blaring in the wee hours, as if someone was honking for someone else to hurry up at 300 in the morning. And two people who sat on the front steps at 500 am having a loud coversation  – the doors are glass and not well sealed –Continue reading “November 1. Mont-de-Marsan to St. Sever. 22.55 km.”

We spent the morning exploring the market/ fair and then headed to the train station for a ride to our next pilgrim town. We had to go to Bordeaux, then had 10 minutes to switch trains to Mont-de-Marsen, about an hour for each ride. The view from the apartment. If you trample me, we willContinue reading “October 31. La Reole to Bordeaux to Mont-de-Marsen (by train)”

Narrow little bar. This weekend is La Reole’s annual Millennial Festival – it’s supposed to be huge…and we will be missing it 😢 The cables from the suspension bridge are in this café. So very odd. Ken wanted me to take a picture of this lady in the kebab place because her head wrap remindedContinue reading “October 30. La Reole. Rest day.”

We had a 20+ km day in front of us and the rain was pouring down. Christine offered to drive us all the way to our next destination and after much hemming and hawing we agreed for her to drive us about 8 km out to Couture and we would walk from there. We areContinue reading “October 29. St Ferme to La Reole. 14.13 km”

I think I forgot to mention that the last two places in La Gatarde and the Chateau that we stayed at were geared for pilgrims. That means that the extra beds could have been taken up by other pilgrims and we would share the facilities with them. No other pilgrims though, fortunately or unfortunately, dependingContinue reading “October 28. Caplong to St Ferme. 17.75 km.”

Go past the field with the donkeys and turn right to walk down through the vineyard to get back on your trail. That’s not something your car GPS will ever tell you but those were the instructions from our hosts. Can we just leave him in there? The grape vines have been stripped bare. TwoContinue reading “October 27. Chateau Puy Sevrain to Les Foucards in Caplong. 21.81 km.”