oce

This third day sucked.

My legs and feet began to feel the strain of walking over 50 km in just a few days for the first time in my life, especially without proper training.

Additionally, it was rainy and much colder than I had anticipated for this time of year. I found myself shivering and questioning what was happening to me, was it simply exhaustion? It wasn't until later that day, after I reached my place for the night, that I learned it had been just 3°C that morning. I had been walking in only shorts, a light sweater, and a rain cape.

Nonetheless, the path today was nice, with mostly woods and fields.

Finding some shelter from the rain and cold in a beautiful church on the way.

Once again, I couldn't find any cheap pilgrim stay, so I ended up staying at an out of budget bed and breakfast. At least, it was a charming old farmhouse.

I am part of this rare breed of cooking pilgrims. The hosts didn’t offer dinner; after all, it was a B&B, not a B&D&B! However, they did provide a ride to the grocery store, so I took advantage of that and prepared myself a hearty meal. In my book, taking transportation is ok as long as you restart walking from where you ended. My hosts were quite amused by the fact that I did cook myself a full, balanced meal, instead of just eating pasta and cheese.

Photography from a bridge with a red metal fence, looking over the Merguro river, lined with white flowering cherry trees on both sides.

Second day of the journey, the energy of the beginning is still there.

I found a cool shell! It says 1500 km, maybe if I were a bird, my guide says 1800.

The theory is that the lines on the scallop shell represent the many ways converging towards Compostela. Compostela is next to the Atlantic coast, so this seashell is common food there. Pilgrims would come back from the pilgrimage with a scallop shell attached to their bag as symbol of their accomplishment. Nowadays, many pilgrims attach this symbol on their back from the beginning. But I prefer the old way, I will only attach one to my bag once I have arrived.

So, the point of convergence should point towards Compostela, right? Well this was my minor 1800 km long pet peeve, many of the shells that indicate the way do not point towards the right direction. Zoom in on the top picture for an example.

The Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Garde basilica in Longpont-sur-Orge was founded in 1031, then part of the highly influential Congregation of Cluny (1200 locations and 10 000 members at the peak). This religious organization shaped a significant part of the European Middle Ages: religious reforms, politics, economy, philosophy, ancient literature copying, architecture and liberal arts between the 10th and the 12th century.

I failed to identify this neoclassical castle.

The way between Paris and Tours is not a major one in France. There are many more Frenchies starting from Vézelay or Le Puy-en-Velay, which go through gorgeous natural regions of France, so I can't blame them. But my way was to start from my home.

Since it's not a major route, the infrastructure for pilgrims is lacking. Marks may sometimes be few and far between, and there are not many of those unbeatable quality/price pilgrim stays, at least not in 2018. So for this night in Arpajon, I had to stay at an "over-budget" roadside hotel, eating macaronis with my trucker mates.