1 May Mussidan - Calabre 29 km E

1st of May, everything closed. After some searching and asking however, we found a boulanger in Mussidan which had opened in the morning hours and had fresh bread such that people can have their fresh baguettes and croissants for petit déjeuner. To day we were supposed to go to a camping site near Monfaucon. ( a mere comfortable 21 km) and Janick was quite sure we had a reservation for a cabin/petit chalet. Upon arrival it appeared that the reservation was for a tent of 2 x 2 m on poles with a sort of table/bench under neath ( see picture) with 2 mattresses to sleep on the floor. I said no way am I going to stay here for the rest of the day and the night with the rain showers and all. Janick meant we had no choice it being first of May, so we paid the gigantuan sum of 31,50 Euro for this tent and bought some wine, biscuits and a glass of fois gras ( this was all they sold) as we didn't have much food and nothing to drink but water. While we sat under the tent devouring the rosé and the fois gras on toast Janick started phoning around for a place where we could buy some breakfast the next day and then he got an offer for a private Gites de Pelerin on a vinyard at Calabre. We decided that the tent was not a good place to sleep and just left the place which was actually already paid for and did another heavy 8 km (although we had a good laugh about the whole thing all the way) to this vinyard where we again met our three Dutch friends we had left 2 two days ago. Here we got a hot meal, some cheese and cake for dessert and another botle of the local produce. After too much wine I finally had a shower and a good bed for the night, but no time for the blog.

Present and future pilgrims should stop reading here....
During the walk earlier this day the back pack seemed heavier then ever and my feet were aching badly and I had some second thoughts about my motivation for the rest of the trip to Santiago. As I had stated earlier, the road was my goal. I'm not so sure this is still the case as, after a month of walking and 620 km, the news of the enterprise is wearing off a bit, the road is the road and also this has become some sort of routine with the landscape, albeit wonderful, very much alike one day to the next and places to spend the night of which many I would normally not even consider at all. Even Bas, who had plans to walk another week had given up already I heard (he will surely continue where he left some other time though) and Janick will ''only" walk as far as St Jean Pied du Port for now and continue in September to Santiago. Other pilgrims I meet only walk for a week or maybe two and continue where they left last time.
So for now I haven't got such a clear picture of my motivation, but will keep going just because I said I would and because I can. One thing though that gives motivation is all the thousands of pilgrims that have gone here before me and the ones that are still on the road which I happen to know like Thorsten and Francois and Adriaan and Ad Laney (whom by the way I still need to thank for giving me the tip that I should adjust my back pack somewhat such that I would walk less bend over. This has helped to walk more straight and look up rather than down on the road. Gives another look on life in more than one way :-) Thanks Ad!) Also it would be nice if/when my brother Hans joins me eventualy, or my son Sander who mentioned he might walk with me this month for a week or so. I'm looking forward to that :-)