Sunday, May 14 – Day 2 on the Chemin du Puy (Mother’s Day in the U.S.)
We walked over 12 miles today with some of the most difficult hiking I’ve ever done. The day began with an extremely steep grade and loose rocks, rock faces, and mud everywhere. Thank goodness for walking sticks – they really help in these situations.
We stopped for lunch in Monistrol d’Allier, a cute mountain village. It has a deli/shop and a couple of restaurants. We opted for the deli, where a heavily tattooed guy in lug-sole boots, offered us his freshly made cheese quiche, bread, wine, and beer. He didn’t look like a guy who would make quiche, but he does, and it was excellent! If I were to do this hike again, I would buy something from him to go and picnic at La Chappelle de la Madeleine on the way out of town to catch the views across the valley.
La Chappelle de la Madeleine
Having descended to bottom of a valley, we then had to climb back up and out. Several people told us that this is the most difficult stage of the Chemin du Puy due to the crazy descents and ascents.
In Vernet, we stopped again to escape the rain, warm up, and raise a glass. We tapped on the door of a local establishment, where the owner, an elderly Frenchman with striking blue eyes, directed us to l’abri (shelter) behind his house. Intrigued, we hurried there. L’abri turned out to be a shed with plastic chairs and the lingering fragrance of gasoline from the farm equipment sharing the space. Now we were stuck. Neither of us could imagine backing out so we gamely tried a local rosé and a beer. Both were fine, and I had a nice chat with the owner. When the rain abated and the owner lit up a cigarette, we knew it was time to go. He invited us back if we’re ever in the area again J.
An hour later we arrived in Saugues. Our BnB is owned by a couple who completed two caminos and found them so life-changing that they decided to open a BnB and give back to the camino community. Pascal is a phenomenal host and Evelyne an incredible chef. They prepared a family meal complete with vegetarian options. After explaining to our fellow diners that we produce video and blogs about our travels but often forget to photograph the plates, they promised to remind us as each course arrived at the table. Guess what? We only managed to photograph the cheese course and the dessert! Arriving with fanfare, delicious aromas, and beautiful presentation, the food took precedence, and everyone forgot to remind us. Missing from the photos are a hearty soup of puréed spring vegetables, the vegetarian entrée, an asparagus ravioli with bechamel and mozzarella browned to perfection, and the non-vegetarian entrée, sautéed pork medallions with vegetables served over white rice.
Local cheeses: a contal, a triple-cream, and a blue Créme caramel
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