11th Hiking Day
On the way to Espagnac. And luck is on my side: I actually did meet Pascal again. And in the auberge yesterday I ate Alligot. But that was pleasant, sitting together in the market square in Figeac: Pascal, Julie, Vincent, Israel and me. Emptied a large Grimbergen (0.5 litre) and a small French beer. Two scoops of ice cream: coconut and after-eight. Julie (and also Pascal) are now on the original route to Cahors. Israel, Vincent and me will walk the alternative route through the Célé Valley. Julie. We don't have much to tell each other. But she is fun-loving, lively, midwife, had German at school for 7 years and was in Nepal. I said only little, but was still unintentionally funny. Not too bad. I felt good. I do not know, whether I want to see her again (because she is such a cheerful person, I always like that very much) or whether I might not want to see her again after all (because we still wouldn't have much to say to each other). La sage femme. I once told someone that I don't know what was better: this wonderful first stage from St.-Jean-Pied de Port to Burgos, where I met Marzia and Caleb, which was just wonderful and where I fell into a deep hole afterwards. Or whether it was the second stage from Burgos to Ponferrada, which was incredibly nice, during which I met Georg and Lina and after which I had relatively few problems returning to everyday life. I think it was actually Lina I told about this. And she (presumably Lina) immediately said: the first stage, of course! So back to the original question: what is better? The wonderful experience that doesn't come again, but after which the fall is so noticeably deep? Or the nice, easy going experience, which was absolutely pleasant and the fall was actually not noticeable afterwards? Or modified: do I want to see Julie again or would I rather not? In any case, the answer doesn’t come immediately.
Very nice, this Célé valley. With wide fields of corn. Yesterday, Israel and Julie said that the landlord was "étrange". I can only agree with that. Jean-Claude was a bit strange. But the wife's fried sausages, the Alligot and this creamy nut and yoghurt dessert with mint, plus cheese ... once again: the French know how to cook.
