Today I took the train from Lyon to Le-Puy-en-Velay, a three-hour trip through forests, farmland and a river valley. I transferred to a different train in St. Étienne, and suddenly the train was full of people carrying backpacks and trekking poles. Clearly I was on the right train!
It’s been interesting to see the age spread across the pilgrims and hikers. There was an American fellow sitting across the aisle from me who looked to be in his 60s. When I arrived at my hotel, the two French women who checked in behind me were probably in their mid-20s, and there was another group of young people leaving the attached gîte as I arrived. (I opted for the hotel, rather than the gîte.) I read somewhere that most of the people who do the Chemin du Puy are French retirees or people on vacation, doing the trail in sections.
Le Puy is apparently known for its lacemakers, but it’s clear that they are cashing in on the popularity of the Camino. I passed four outdoor gear shops on the 15 minute walk to my hotel. I guess this is a good place to check whether I forgot anything!
After nomming down on a ham and cheese baguette (good thing I’ll be burning thousands of calories per day on the trail!) I walked to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy, which is where the trail starts. Each morning there is a special pilgrims’ mass at 7am, after which all the pilgrims will get their credentials stamped and begin their nice leisurely 24km stroll to Saint-Privat-d’Allier.
The pilgrim’s credential is a passport of sorts. Each day you are on the trail, you get it stamped at places you’ve eaten or slept. At the end of the Camino in Santiago, the credential proves that you’ve completed one of the official routes, and makes you eligible for the compostela or certificate of completion. While I’m not planning to go all the way to Santiago, it seemed like a nice record of the trip.
Coming from Calgary, where it’s tough to find a building built before 1900 – and ditto for San Francisco – I am endlessly fascinated with buildings in Europe. The cathedral only dates to the mid-12th century. The chapel of St Michel d’Aiguilhe (which is the feature image at the top of this post) was completed in 989. WAT!!
Also, did I mention it is sitting on top of a 260 foot volcanic spike? Alas, it was too late in the day to walk the 287 steps to the top. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) I only walked the 137 steps to the cathedral.
Even the view from the cathedral was pretty spectacular though…
A few more photos from today. And tomorrow will be my first official day on the trail!
