Day 5: St. Alban de Limagnole to Aumont-Aubrac (14.5 kms)

Robin and I set off this morning under cool temperatures ( 42 F), and cloudy skies. It had rained overnight, but now patches of blue sky could be seen in the distance along our route of travel. Robin has been nursing a knee pain that is does not seem to be improving. Today's walk was short and we arrived in Aumont-Aubrac about 2:00. If Robin's knee doesn't feel better in the morning then we will ship her backpack ahead to Nasbinals, tomorrow's destination. We just need to see how it goes and take it a day at a time until she feels confident her knee is okay. We have a long way to go, and this is not what Robin wanted or expected, but here we are and we will do whatever needs to be done to continue. On the plus side today's walk took us once again through beautiful countryside. We met a French family at dinner last night, and ran into them again at our luch break today. We are trying to firm up reservations for places to stay in advance of the May 1st holiday that will bring many French people onto the Chemin for a long weekend's walk. Gerard (my new friend from last night) was kind enough to help me get a booking in Nasbinals for tomorrow night. We will book onward from there. Booking ahead is certainly recommended on this route as there are many times when crowds appear and beds disappear (particularly the ones in the less expensive gîtes). There will always be exceptions. We have been walking on and off with a Japanese guy from Tokyo who blissfully moves onward "sans reservations" and somehow seems to survive. While at lunch today I heard some American voices, and they turned out to be a tour group moving along part of the Chemin with the assistance of an American guide and a transport service. These were mostly older folks and they seemed to be truly enjoying the experience. Why not? So here we are at day's end doing the usual laundry, posting and planning that is part of our daily routine. We are to experience "aligot" with dinner tonight. It is a French dish made from potatoes and cheese (not recommended by the American Heart Association), but is part of the Chemin experience. More on that after it hits bottom. Time to collect the laundry so for now au revoir from Aumont- Aubrac.

 

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