Day 25 Aire-sur l'Adour
Tuesday 11th October and let us start the day with an equipment update. Nearly everyone is using trekking poles (hiking poles). These are great if you are on tough terrain needing more stability and balance, want to use the poles at night to put your tarp shelter up, and have long steep descents where you need to take the load off your knees. However, the Via Podiensis is mostly (99.4% by my estimation) on well surfaced paths with modest gradients. You get my point.
You always know when it's time to run and that time is...
I have seen and heard more wildlife now I am at lower altitude though nothing outstanding as I haven't really been looking. However, last night I heard and then saw two red-breasted nuthatch in the gite's garden which was quite the treat.
Last night's gite also had Chambres d'Hotes so something for every budget and this isn't so unusual. Luckily the travel weary pilgrims were allowed to go from our humble quarters to the main house to dine which was yet another treat with restaurant quality food and it made the hike out of town worth it.
So, know that you know I was adequately fed and watered let me tell you what happened before dinner. Six of us, 2 guests and 2 hosts and 2 others possibly related to the hosts were sat enjoying an aperitif and nibbles when there was an ominous knock at the door. In came the same man who had dragged me into the woods the day before. He looked tired in the smart surroundings like a dry husk of a man. He was offered a drink and was about to sit down at the hosts place before being ushered to a chair NOT set for dinner. He proceeded to dominate the conversation mainly by just talking himself and only taking verbal cues from others if that fed his one man monologue. It was far from entertaining though not offensive and one by one the guests started to appear dimished and found a fixed point on the wall, floor, dog, wherever so they could avoid eye contact. My lack of French provided me some protection from the attack but the Frenchman seemed to swell as he sipped his aperitif and held forth. Even the lights appeared to flicker and dim as he spoke. I am unsure how the spell was broken but either he decided to leave, or he was invited to do so and off he went. Over the next 10 minutes the room recovered and dinner could commence.
Tonight's end point is Aire-sur l'Adour and recognising the name of the Adour river I remembered that it flowed through Bayonne which I had passed through on my way to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in 2019. I know rivers can be long and winding just like roads but it served as a reminder that I was at least headed in the right direction.
The Blonde d'Aquitaine is a French breed of cattle created in 1962 for the region and developed from the 1970s for beef production. And yes, it was virtually created overnight from three existing breeds of draught cattle. This goes a long way to explain all those cattle crushes we have enjoyed. As cattle were used as draught animals they required the attention of a farrier. And why the sudden desire to have a beef cow that would thrive in the local conditions, well with the widespread introduction of the tractor the available grassland could be used for beef rather than draught animals; at least that's my theory.
Just one more plank should hold this lot together.
Le Lavoir can be found in many places and this is large on in a modest sized town.
Today I stay at a Chappel which is an unusual setting for a gite d'étape and with the rooms off in a side Chappel and an upper level the main space resembles a banqueting hall.
It's been a day spent crossing paths with the current crowd of usual suspects.
Then a mostly new crowd for the evening.
