Day 3 Flavignac - Chalus (13.5km)

The day started cold and wet and remained so all day. We started off following the D20 for a while and were worried that we would simply be walking by the side of a major road for most of the day. It changed though to a quiet country road and then tracks through chestnut woods. This was a delightful change from some all the road walking we have been doing from Limoges.



So far we have seen the spring flowers begin to open, cowslips,violets, periwincle, pulmonaria, wood anemones and a small unkown blue flower that we have been unable to identify. We want to take our time and 'walk into Spring'. Mo

We are now esconced in a hotel run by an English guy in Chalus and we have TEA in the room (unknown in France). You won't believe this - he has lent me a laptop and Mo a hair dryer AND he comes from Leigh on Sea and plays cricket with David Slaughter (Mike Slaughter's nephew)! Don't suppose it will be the first 'small world' coincidence we will experience during the next three months.

We met our first fellow 'pilgrims' today - 5 Belgian women who are doing 10 days of the chemin this year and who have done most of it in sections over the years. We bumped into them en route when we had taken a wrong turning but it was fairly obvious quite quickly that they were marching very seriously at a speed greater than we wished to. They had day packs on as one of them will hitchhike back to their car and bring the rest of their gear tonight. They are staying in the same hotel tonight so will exchange stories over dinner. We also met a French antelope shaped man at a coffee stop who was walking alone doing approx 30km/day and will complete Vezelay - St Jean Pieds de Port in one month. So for the moment everyone is going faster than us but we are going further and carrying more. And we want to see things and talk to people. And as one of our followers from New Zealand has reminded us 'Il faut aller doucement'. That's definitely one of our mottos along with 'a bird in the hand ....' when it comes to food.



We are getting into a bit of a rhythm now and have started working out what it is costing us to get by. Refuges are cheap but are long distances apart so we have to rely on hotels and Chambres d'Hotes much of the time. The FSJ website suggests a daily budget of 30 euros and we are very proud of ourselves that yesterday we spent only 29!

What is really fantastic for me is that I am having to speak so much more French than on normal 'holidays'. It is impossible not to talk to people in this situation - whether its directions or about what we are doing - there is lots of talking going on. In Aixe, while Mo was blogging in a Cyber Base, I was invited to a video conference on Google Services. Such an experience - my first ever google lesson and it was in French! Last week was apparently La Fete de l'Internet and there was lots going on as well as free access to computers. So every cloud does have a silver lining. Although we were initially fed up with not being able to use the iPhone due to the cost, having to seek out internet cafes and libraries is miles better socially.

Its been drizzling on and off all day today while we were walking and we were really grateful for our cosy Paramo trousers and proper waterproof stuff. We talk constantly about what we could or should have left behind cos the packs are SO heavy but so far nothing seems dispensable except the first aid kit and that would be tempting fate ...Jenny