Monday 28 October 2013

Via Podiensis - A Brief Update

Finally Wifi (weefee in France) availability...after my iPad came back from the dead. Essentially it needed a hard reboot (thanks Andrew)...plugged it in...then press two buttons for 10 seconds or so and voila it was resurrected. I suspect some System Architect dreamt this up...sorry Greg!

So much has happened since Day 36...overall things are going very well as I have now completed day 51 of walking. I am currently 4 days ahead of my pre trip schedule...likely have about 10 days or so left. The main change is that I hooked up with a small group of guys over the last 10 days or so. We walk fairly independently during the day and then usually share a room and some laughs at the end of the day. I no longer plan anything...just go with the flow.

People come and go from the small group I.e. Yosh from Tokyo left 2 days ago...69 year old human walking machine. Daniel left 4 or 5 days ago...72 year old recovering from cancer surgery with essentially one functioning lung and one of the most positive outlooks on life I have ever come across. I am currently walking with George a 47 year old  6 ft 4  powerhouse from Belgium who left his home 65 days ago...he will walk close to 2,700 kms when all is said and done. Cyrille a 28 year old left from Nantes France a month ago and biked to Le Puy en Velay and is now walking to Santiago to fulfill a promise made for a friend who is quite ill.

A great group of folks to be walking with and a very strong walking group...moving hard to keep up! Physically holding up well so far...the going is relatively easy at this point with smaller elevation gains.

I am keeping some notes on paper and am still taking pictures...when I return home I will update my blog...likely in a more abbreviated manner. I realize this will be of limited interest to most who have followed the blog so far...will do it more from a personal recollection point of view.

So far I have walked just under 1,300 kms so far officially...unofficially I am sure I have walked closer to 1,500 kms...not too shabby for an old desk bound guy like me!

One disappointment is that I have not had a pattiserie cookie or other goodie in well over a week!

7 comments:

  1. Guy,

    I love the new outlook on planning and travel story telling (go with the flow.... filtering your stories and experience through reflection). This is how I think travel should be (less tech, more 'whatever comes' .

    While I will miss the daily updates, I look forward to the stories.....See you at Sal's for breakfast this winter?

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    1. Claudio,

      Good to hear from you...seems like we had a conversation about planning, blogging etc. before my trip...all happening as you suggested...all good. For sure let's get together when I return..I'm buying.

      Guy

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  2. Wow! Sounds like quite a trek Guy! Glad to hear that you are going with the 'flow'. I am sure you are having more fun that way. Thinking of you.....watch out for those wild animals...lol.
    Shelly :)

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    1. Thanks Shelly...good to hear from you...had a few chickens a few days ago that looked a little dangerous but all is good.

      Guy

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  3. Good to hear from you again! Where are you now? And I would love to know whether you took the Cele route or not. Bon chemin. Dolfina

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  4. Dolfina,

    I am in Montreal du Gers today...unfortunately did not take the Cele route...weather and Gite closings at this time of the year were the main problems.

    Guy

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  5. Hi Guy,
    Glad to hear that you are doing well, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say we missed your daily updates.
    Re: iPad resurrection ... Of course it was an Architect who dreamed that up ... if we made it easy, people would be accidentally rebooting their iPads all the time. At least you didn't have to pat your head and rub your tummy while pressing and holding the buttons!

    Good luck with the rest of your adventure.
    Greg A.

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