day 01 - draft
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Privat-d'Allier
022 km today - 022 km to date

After waking (again) at 01h I go back to sleep and wake again at 03h.  As I must definitely want to be awake at 06h I get up, dress for the day, pack, go down to the dining room at 05h30 and gorge myself on bread, and hot and cold drinks.

The two pilgrims from last night’s dinner join me: they are bound for Sauges today, some 40 kilometres along the Chemin, walking.

In the Cathedral we prepare for Mass: for me this means opening an app on my tablet with the full text for the day, including collect, psalm and readings. Mass ends and the celebrant, and ebullient bishop, invites us to join him in a tight semi-circle around a column bearing a wooden statue of a pilgrim of old. We number about 60, but I notice not many seem ready for an immediate start.  After a chat, a blessing, a cockle shell medallion we are invited to have our credentials (pilgrims passport) stamped.

While all of this was happening, the Cathedral staff had lifted the grating in the central aisle to reveal stairs leading down to the west door some 5 or so metres below this level.  I go towards the steps, turn to reverence the altar and sacrament beyond and turn again to descend and leave the Cathedral and begin my pilgrimage.

Except I can’t move: I am rooted to the spot by emotion. I am here only because Cathy has died.  And a second thought occurs: despite the four years of training and planning, will I be up to completing the task ahead, of moving forward.

Having composed myself at last I step forward, out of the nurturing warmth of the Cathedral of Le Puy-en-Velay.

Way finding through the cobbled streets is a breeze, thanks to yesterday’s exercise.  The weather is good: overcast and no wind. At the top of the first hill I can see two ahead of me. Shortly after a 30 something electronics engineer (Florian) joins me but I am slower than his pace and I soon see him pass an older male about 50 metres ahead.  By 5 kilometres from Le Puy I am on my own.  The terrain is “interesting”: rocky uneven with lots of water from yesterday’s continuous rain. Then some sealed roads followed by a walkway between fields, or rather a series of streams over almost a kilometre: great fun and I wonder if I will need to turn my drinking tube into a breathing tube.  From Le Puy there have been many green fields, but only once do I see some animals, about 10 white Charolais (or Limousin,  or whatever): most curious.

At about 14 km I encounter my first open church on my way: the chapel of Saint Roch, more well known in this part of France than the Hispanic Saint James.  I light some candles and coming out meet, again, Eloyssia.  She had left Le Puy late morning Tuesday and travelled about 12 km before stopping for the night, deliberately making a slow start.  She had seen only three walkers.  We walked together to our common destination of Saint Privat-d’Allier. Stopping for lunch three other walkers passed us.

At Saint Privat I went to the first gite to meet an English speaking hostess and her husband: despite it being around 15h I was the first in to this gite.  But it wasn’t long before all 11 beds were taken.   Dinner was fun with 7 walkers, a couple from Denmark and a French couple with their two boys.

And so to bed.