Jeanne in Figeac
Monday, June 20, 2005
Southern France
I'm having technical difficulties, and unfortunately am having troubles getting my photos up. I'll try again later this week--some of them look spectacular.
I loved southern France. Avignon wins the prize for city that I'd most like to live in.
After leaving Figeac, we hiked for three days through tiny little towns until we reached Cahors. I'd definitely recommend the hike that we did, or even a drive through the area. The first two days were very tough, the third almost impossible, largely because of the weather--it was 75 degrees the first 2 days, and over 100 on the third. We wandered along dirt trails and old roman roads past churches, hamlets, hundreds of cows, prehistoric burial mounds, and field after field of the most beautiful wildflowers I've ever seen.
My favorite quotes from my sister:
"This is more intense than I expected"
"I've never had a workout that made my legs this sore"
Both are quite apt. Oddly, what hurt the most for me were my hips, I think because of the weight of my pack. I also have blistered feet, abrasions on my back from the pack rubbing, and bruises on my sternum from the pack as well. It was definitely a very physical experience! I'm really glad we made it as far as we did. I feel quite proud of our efforts.
Favorite places along the way:
Faycelles: a "town of flowers." It consists of about 20 homes positively overflowing with flowers.
Grealou: about 10 houses with a stunning graveyard.
Cajarc: average town with a way-above-average river view. There's a campground right next to the river with canoe rentals, and mountain climbing right behind it. It would be a great place to spend a few days.
Varaire: possibly my favorite town along the route. It's a small farming community with 1 hostel and a great restaurant. We had dinner family style with a dozen other hikers from Germany, Spain, Holland, France, and Switzerland, all of whom had hiked other areas of the trail before. I really enjoyed talking to them. Useful pieces of information: after three days, your muscles adjust to the walking, and the spanish portion of the trail is much easier.
Cahors: the obvious highlight of Cahors is Pont Valentre, a massive bridge built in the 14th century. It's remarkably well preserved. I particularly enjoyed walking through the medieval quarter, a maze of narrow streets and ancient homes. We learned a bit about local history from a young Frenchman eager to practice his English. It was the first time that I've been told that I have a strong accent, which I suppose I do if you're used to hearing the queen's english.
On Saturday we caught a train to Carcassonne, one of the best preserved walled towns in all of europe. It's breath-taking, and extremely hard to take at the same time. After several days of being away from the tourist track, I was completely overwhelmed by the crowds. The best way to do Carcassonne? Spend the day exploring the countryside and arrive in the town after 5. The church and museum are skipable, and you could easily explore the town by night.
Below the walled city is the living town of Carcassonne, which deserves a visit as well. It's missing the castle and walls, but is equally old--the central market has existed in the same location for nearly 1000 years.
From Carcassonne, we took another train to Avignon, the city of my dreams. It has the elegance and history of Paris--it was the seat of the catholic church in the 13th century--all the charm and friendliness of a small town, and is in the curve of a spectacular river. I didn't see anyone practicing water sports, but it looked ideal for waterskiing. It's also were Cote du Rhone wine comes from, and a lot of amazing cheese.
I'm back in Paris now, and plan to stay put until my flight home on the 28th. I can't believe the journey is almost over!
I loved southern France. Avignon wins the prize for city that I'd most like to live in.
After leaving Figeac, we hiked for three days through tiny little towns until we reached Cahors. I'd definitely recommend the hike that we did, or even a drive through the area. The first two days were very tough, the third almost impossible, largely because of the weather--it was 75 degrees the first 2 days, and over 100 on the third. We wandered along dirt trails and old roman roads past churches, hamlets, hundreds of cows, prehistoric burial mounds, and field after field of the most beautiful wildflowers I've ever seen.
My favorite quotes from my sister:
"This is more intense than I expected"
"I've never had a workout that made my legs this sore"
Both are quite apt. Oddly, what hurt the most for me were my hips, I think because of the weight of my pack. I also have blistered feet, abrasions on my back from the pack rubbing, and bruises on my sternum from the pack as well. It was definitely a very physical experience! I'm really glad we made it as far as we did. I feel quite proud of our efforts.
Favorite places along the way:
Faycelles: a "town of flowers." It consists of about 20 homes positively overflowing with flowers.
Grealou: about 10 houses with a stunning graveyard.
Cajarc: average town with a way-above-average river view. There's a campground right next to the river with canoe rentals, and mountain climbing right behind it. It would be a great place to spend a few days.
Varaire: possibly my favorite town along the route. It's a small farming community with 1 hostel and a great restaurant. We had dinner family style with a dozen other hikers from Germany, Spain, Holland, France, and Switzerland, all of whom had hiked other areas of the trail before. I really enjoyed talking to them. Useful pieces of information: after three days, your muscles adjust to the walking, and the spanish portion of the trail is much easier.
Cahors: the obvious highlight of Cahors is Pont Valentre, a massive bridge built in the 14th century. It's remarkably well preserved. I particularly enjoyed walking through the medieval quarter, a maze of narrow streets and ancient homes. We learned a bit about local history from a young Frenchman eager to practice his English. It was the first time that I've been told that I have a strong accent, which I suppose I do if you're used to hearing the queen's english.
On Saturday we caught a train to Carcassonne, one of the best preserved walled towns in all of europe. It's breath-taking, and extremely hard to take at the same time. After several days of being away from the tourist track, I was completely overwhelmed by the crowds. The best way to do Carcassonne? Spend the day exploring the countryside and arrive in the town after 5. The church and museum are skipable, and you could easily explore the town by night.
Below the walled city is the living town of Carcassonne, which deserves a visit as well. It's missing the castle and walls, but is equally old--the central market has existed in the same location for nearly 1000 years.
From Carcassonne, we took another train to Avignon, the city of my dreams. It has the elegance and history of Paris--it was the seat of the catholic church in the 13th century--all the charm and friendliness of a small town, and is in the curve of a spectacular river. I didn't see anyone practicing water sports, but it looked ideal for waterskiing. It's also were Cote du Rhone wine comes from, and a lot of amazing cheese.
I'm back in Paris now, and plan to stay put until my flight home on the 28th. I can't believe the journey is almost over!
Friday, June 17, 2005
The Chemin de St. Jacques, Days 1-3
I just finished the three most intense hiking days of my life. I'm a swollen, bruised mess, but am very proud of myself for making it this far.
My sister (I'll post pictures next week for those of you that don't know her) arrived in Paris on Sunday, and we took a long train ride to Figeac (it's near Cahors in southern France, if you'd like to look it up) on Tuesday. It's an ancient town--many of the buildings are over 800 years old. If you're into medieval architecture, Figeac is the place to go. The plan: hike from Figeac to Mossaic in six days along the traditional pilgrimage route. The Chemin de St. Jacques has multiple routes throughout europe, culminating at the northwesternmost tip of Spain. The route (especially the Spanish portion) has gained a lot of popularity in recent years.
We've survived the first three days, traveling from Figeac to Cahors.
Day 1: 31 km
Day 2: 27 km
Day 3: 31 km
Jeanne and I are completely exhausted. I'm actually too tired to write for long, but promise a complete update in a few days. The countryside is gorgeous beyond belief, and we've made numerous friends along the way. I think we're throwing in the towel tomorrow, and plan to take the train to Avignon for a few days to let the blisters heal.
More to come...
My sister (I'll post pictures next week for those of you that don't know her) arrived in Paris on Sunday, and we took a long train ride to Figeac (it's near Cahors in southern France, if you'd like to look it up) on Tuesday. It's an ancient town--many of the buildings are over 800 years old. If you're into medieval architecture, Figeac is the place to go. The plan: hike from Figeac to Mossaic in six days along the traditional pilgrimage route. The Chemin de St. Jacques has multiple routes throughout europe, culminating at the northwesternmost tip of Spain. The route (especially the Spanish portion) has gained a lot of popularity in recent years.
We've survived the first three days, traveling from Figeac to Cahors.
Day 1: 31 km
Day 2: 27 km
Day 3: 31 km
Jeanne and I are completely exhausted. I'm actually too tired to write for long, but promise a complete update in a few days. The countryside is gorgeous beyond belief, and we've made numerous friends along the way. I think we're throwing in the towel tomorrow, and plan to take the train to Avignon for a few days to let the blisters heal.
More to come...
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Welcome Charlotte Claire Stokes
I think many of you have met, or heard of, Hayden's sister Jessica. She just had a beautiful baby girl on June 7th--7 lbs, 8 oz., 19.5 inches.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Bordeaux
I didn't love Bordeaux--it's very similar in appearance to Paris, just a bit more run down and with three times the dog poop on the street. I got the impression that the Bordeaux region is the place to visit, not the city itself.I did like visiting the belfry of the Basilique St-Michel. At one time, it was a notorious prison--after the criminals died, their bodies were placed outside, for all to see. The pictures were disturbing, to say the least--dozens of rotting corpses propped against the wall. Now it's just a bell tower, but one that includes access to the inner workings of the bells. I enjoyed watching how everything works.
El Escorial
I really enjoyed seeing El Escorial. In addition to holding one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, it has amazing art, a massive series of burial chambers, and a spectacular cathedral (including a crucifix of Jesus with real hair, which I don't think I've ever seen before). It goes on and on. There's a carefully marked path that visitors have to follow, and for good reason--it's quite possible that you could get lost and never find your way out. Oddly, there were hardly any other tourists at all. Everything is thoughtfully labeled in English.
Alicante
The beach to the left is where we spent our days. Alicante is on a major shipping line--I enjoyed watching the freighters pass by, like the one in the back of this picture.
Toledo
The entire town looks just like this--ancient, well-maintained 2-4 story buildings, narrow passageways, and huge tarps overhead. It's a smart idea--it was over 100 degrees the day we visited, and the shade really helped.
Toledo
Toledo, the old town, is atop a hill surrounded by medieval walls. Immediately outside the walls in every direction there's a fair amount of modern construction, as you can see here.
Night view of the Alhambra
This is taken from the San Nicolas viewpoint that I mentioned earlier--it's well worth the climb to see.
The Generalife, Granada
This section (the gardens) the Alhambra was by far the most attractive, in my opinion. Everything else is incredibly dry and dusty. Doesn't "generalife" sound like the name of an insurance company?
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