Waking knowing you’ve got a 400m climb out of town doesn’t urge you to climb out of bed so it’s a bit of a late start.
Monistrol is a perfect little postcard french medieval town perched at the bottom of a valley. We eventually pull it together and start dragging up towards Saugues.
It’s actually a pretty neat path up out of the valley through the igneous bluffs so that offsets some of the sweating. Nate dives in to his work a little too eagerly and ends up about 30 minutes ahead. After I chase him down we run over the consequences and effects of an 11 year old in France who doesn’t speak the language making his own way on the Camino. I don’t think he gets it.
Eventually we summit and immediately call lunch with some saucisson sandwiches bought in Monistrol. Not sure when the boys and I will get tired of sausage, cheese and butter on a baguette but it doesn’t look like any time soon.
Now we are up on the plateau it’s a gentle, rolling 12 kilometers to Saugues but the heat of the day and the energy already burned getting up the hill makes it a tough leg. We are all burned out by the time we get to the campground but it’s a heck of a campground here. Wakeboarding in a lake, multiple playgrounds, a natural swimming pool, a flying fox through the forest.
Now, having said all that, it’s still intensly french and a bit odd. We went to go swimming and the boys got turned away as board shorts are a deniable fashion offence apparently. The gentlemen requires speedos. There’s a sign at the pool reminding everyone don’t bring their dog and not to smoke in the pool. So french.
A lazy afternoon is spent in camp playing and eating chips. A good day.
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Bonjour cuzies,looks like heaps of fun and adventure.Just don’t forget to mention the Rainbow Warrior!