Today was a very slow day, with the dreaded catch up on the blog not being able to be put off, and no enthusiasm for recalling what we had done on the last day in Ljubliana on our way to Milano. So lots of typing and thinking, and a walk in the sunny garden without my sunglasses combined to give me a headache requiring a rest. Yves claimed that French paracetamol are better than ours from Australia and I had forgotten that ours are actually from Turkey. In my weakened state I stuck with the medications that I knew and got to use one of the migraine medications that I have with me. Before leaving Australia I filled out some prescriptions so that if I had lots of migraines, I would have everything covered. Luckily most of them are unopened, but I do look a bit like a travelling chemist with a single specialisation. After an hour or so I was back in business and able to have lunch.
We set off with Yves to visit Anne-Marie’s sister, Chantelle, and her husband, Jean-Pierre, who live in the village of Bouvesse on the hill opposite. Once again we enjoyed the walk through the village and past the fields, but this time we crossed the main road and headed up into the outskirts of Bouvesse. Jean-Pierre was home and, alerted to our presence by Yves calling out that he had visitors who needed a beer, he pressed a button and the high gates opened. He was a very friendly man who showed us photos of his beautiful little grandson, Antoine, who is just a little bit older than Yonah. He was doing all sorts of things in the photos so I felt a bit sad that I was missing all those beginning to walk stages and other achievements that Yonah is going through this year. The two French men chatted and I was able to follow a little and ask a few questions.
Sometimes this immersion method of improving our language makes us feel as if we are in deep water and if we are not required to respond, it feels a bit like floating, and quite pleasant. It is when you join in that a sense of drowning can sometimes overtake you, but equally it is when you join in that you sometimes recognise your own progress. I love to talk with Anne-Marie, and Yves is very good too. They speak clearly and slowly and rephrase things for us when we haven’t understood. They also correct us and give us the way to say it, or the word we need. This evening Anne-Marie told us about her experiences on the Compostelle walk, and inspired us to do a small stage. (There are many pilgrimage trails from various parts of Europe that lead to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain, where the remains of St James are kept.) She had a wonderful time, starting from Le Puy, and walking with a group of friends for ten days. I have wanted to do this walk for a few years, but in typical ‘me’ fashion, I thought that we would do the whole thing, which takes three or four months. The whole thing is not really feasible this year, so then I had decided to walk in the Lakes District in England. Now I am back to the pilgrimage, but in a more achievable way, so I feel very happy with that. Keith is looking forward to it too, and we will set off in September for about twelve days. I went to bed early so I would have plenty of time to read my book and dream about the walk.
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