This morning, Felicity and I decided to got to the 7AM Mass that is held for the Pilgrims every morning in Le Puy-en-Velais 1000-year-old Cathedral (I'll let you guess whose idea this was). As it happens, this was the first (and probably the last) Mass I attended. I have no regrets, especially as the Cathedral is on top of a hill which means that at the end of the Mass, the floor of the Cathedral actually opens up and all the pilgrims (plus us 2 fake pilgrims) exit through the opening, down some steps, and on to the Chemin de Compostelle. After this spiritual experience, we went back to our B&B and had a hearty breakfast before setting off on our first stage.
Having started with Religion, Felicity decided to demonstrate that despite all of Trump's efforts, we can still count on science to explain our world. Yesterday, in the train, I had told Felicity (with whom I have not walked before) that although my walking downhill and on flats is at normal speed, I have slowed down considerably when going up hill, and therefore she shouldn't hesitate to walk on ahead. She reassured me, telling me that she was a slow walker herself. Thus, you can imagine my surprise, when as soon as we reached the first steep slope, Felicity shot off like the proverbial hare while I continued my imitation of a rather tired tortoise. Albert Einstein was right, everything is relative : slow for one person isn't the same slow for another person.
I did occasionally catch-up with Felicity (or she let me think I did) and so we proceeded through sunny farmlands, rolling hills and occasional forests. The walk was really pleasant with sunshine to keep us warm but some wind to cool us down. Around midday, we stopped and bought ourselves a picnic which for me consisted of a chicken sandwich, a tomato, some crisps and a saucisson (sorry Mum). Despite the occasional hill, we made good time, arriving in Le Monastier by 2:30PM. Our B&B, named File dans ta chambre, is a charming little house inside the village, in which we are sharing a room which has 2 single beds and a small sunny balcony.
After a few hours rest, we thought we would try the local beer (which had been recommended by our host in Le-Puy). The beer is called Modestine, after the name of Stevenson's Donkey. Sadly, after interrogating several natives we came to the conclusion that only one bar was still open in Le Monastier, and it does not serve Modestine beer! To drown our disappointment, Felicity and I had two glasses of white wine and two beers. This set us back €6.80! Yes, you read that right. If this is a reflection of the cost of living in Le Monastier I'm thinking I could move here and retire right now...I'm just not sure how I will sell this to Fianna!
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