Day 2 : Montbonnet

I woke up early, attended the 7 am mass at the cathedral, got my créaniale at the cathedral museum store, and returned to the gîte for breakfast.  I was surprised to see so many at the mass, and mostly pilgrims.

I didn't get started until about 9 am and met a couple from Ireland and Wales, and ended walking with them as far as Saint Christophe sur Dolaison. I had found a copy of the Topo Guide in a bookstore, but the three places I tried for the Miam, Miam, Dodo were out of stock.

A couple of kilometres out of Le Puy we met the man that others had mentioned, urging us to take an alternate route via Bains. No problem there, but shortly out of La Roche a group of about 10 of us ended up going about 4 kilometres out of our way because of an altered trail marker.  I learned of others making the same mistake as well, so instead of the planned 16 km, it became 20 for the first day.

When I left my walking partners outside of St. Christophe, I continued on with two french women, and a man from Quebec. The two French women, medical students studying in Montpelier, continued on and the Québécois and I were joined by a German man who had also made the unfortunate detour towards Bains. We stopped  briefly for a break and then continued on to Montbonnet, stopping at the little St. Roch chapel. Saint Roch was an 14th century doctor, also from Montpelier, who contacted the plague serving the sick on a pilgrimage to Rome, and was later canonized by the Catholic Church.

The gîte in Montbonnet, however, was a welcome relief, with spacious rooms, a huge clean bathroom, and panoramic views. The one negative was no wifi...

Todays meditation is:

(Psalm 148) 1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the
heavens; praise him in the heights! 2 Praise him, all his
angels; praise him, all his host! 3 Praise him, sun and
moon; praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you
highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let
them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and
they were created. 6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 7 Praise the
LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 8
fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his
command! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all
cedars! 10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and
flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes
and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and women alike,
old and young together! 13 Let them praise the name of the
LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above
earth and heaven….

My first travel companions from Ireland and Wales