Le Puy en Velay

Arriving - 15 April

Our train ride from the busy Lyon station was taken on a very old SNCF carriage through the most spectacular green fields, deep gorges and old bridges. Winding along the river we saw from the train small villages, Sunday markets and ruins high on the hills around us.

Le Puy en Velay will be remembered as the first location where we had to pay for the toilette (0.20 centimes - well worth it). The reason for being in Le Puy was to hunt down a donkey and decide on our starting point for a walk along the Robert Louis Stevenson trail.

Without letting you in on the secret of the next few days we shopped for supplies, had an elderly French gentlemen explain that the woman should only carry 9 kilograms on any walk (probably astonished at how big our bags have swollen to) and then proceeded to our tent site below the spectacular Rocher St Michel d'Aiguilhe church (980-1250AD). Lunch was prepared in the grass then up the mountain where the church was sitting for a view over the countryside. Throughout the travels so far this place was the most soul soothing with thick rock walls keeping out the heat of the day, hymns cascading through the arched ceilings and small stained glass windows colouring the floor. To top it off, out tent could be seen glimmering in the afternoon sun (we are convinced it could be seen from space).

A good night sleep was in order as the follow days would prove to be gruelling.