The three of us started out together the following morning, but Anne-Laure, who seemed to be walking slowly for someone of 25, decided to take a break, and Francoise and I didn't see her again. Anne-Laure had apparently over-exerted herself the first day out of Arles and had walked twice as far as we had, even considering my 8 km mistake from St Gilles. The two of us continued on but, as it was Sunday, I was unable to contact the mairie in St Christol to make reservations for their new gîte communal, so I elected to stay in a more expensive option, a chambres d'hôtes, while Francoise decided to walk to Lunel to catch a bus to Montpellier. I was saddened by this, but hoped to run into her again at some point. I was glad that she had accompanied me that far as the way-marking was inconsistent from Vérargues.
Apparently the trail had been recently changed to incorporate three other villages due to railroad construction along the previous route and there were some way-marking glitches as a result. I disovered that the Guide Lepère I had recently bought was out-of-date, and the Topo Guide that Francoise had with her was a dated previous edition as well. Both were useless. We were forced to simply follow the red and white trail markers.
Despite our uncertainty at certain junctures, we managed, and our walk was a quite a pleasant one with some gorgeous views from some cliffs overlooking the River Vidourle. There were some disconcerting rifle shots from time to time, as hunting season had opened a month early and it was Sunday, but the weather was warm and sunny, and otherwise most agreeable.
The high walls of the Château des Hospitaliers, now a winery, dominated the horizon, but then this is France's main wine region and vineyards were just about everywhere.
Because this was a weekend, I was unable to make arrangements in time with the newly opened municipal gîte via the mayor's office, so I stayed with sculptor-in-wood, Marie-France Maisonneuve, in the house above her studio. This turned out to be a wise choice because a break from the communal gîtes d'étape can be most refreshing from time to time.
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| breakfast |
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| Marie-France Maisonneuve |
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| some of her works |
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| tools of the trade in her studio |
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11: 28-29
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