Well hey! I've finally found some internet access! I had to pay for a hotel to get it, but I don't mind, at least I'll sleep well tonight. But more of that later. For now I must bring you up to date - so much fantastic stuff to write about. It's already written, but I need to upload and edit it and then add the pictures.
Right then, on with the show:
After a fitful night's sleep in Oloron, due to the racket both outside and inside the room (what is it about snoring that is just so damned unbearable? It was like lying near something built by Toshiba - a snoring machine that ran in a smooth, unbroken fashion for eight hours solid) I heard doors being opened and closed, and loos being flushed, so realised it was time to get up. More pilgrims who seem to think that it's a good idea to eat one's breakfast in the dark!
Anyway, once again I joined in - I wasn't going to get any sleep, and besides it's really not that silly an idea even if a bit novel to me.
After a quick breakfast and another goodbye I set off on my way in the early light.
I'm very happy to report that the way out of town was extremely well signposted. This aspect of the marking has been a bit erratic along the route. While the paths overall have been extremely well marked - one can walk without a map or guide with no fear of getting lost - one sometimes encounters this incredibly frustrating tendency on the way in and/or out of towns and villages, having arrived, to put such minimal signs (or none at all) that one either has to ask and hope that they know, or risk wandering around for an hour or more looking vainly for small red and white painted stripes! But not Oloron. No, Oloron stands proudly in the forefront of towns on the camino who take seriously the needs of the pilgrim ;0)
Of the dozen or more of us in the gite last night I was the only one setting out on this particular route. Everyone else had gone down towards Bedous (sp?) to prepare for the ascent of the Col du Somport. I was taking the Voie Piedmont towards St Jean Pied de Port.
What I can say is that the quality of the signage is identical to elsewhere on the camino. And not only this but in fact the same blue signs and yellow shell symbols are used along the way, since it seems to now be recognised that this is also a pilgrim route.
I enjoyed my day, wandering solo through a number of small towns, happy to walk at my own pace. One of the small hamlets I passed through early in the day was called Moumour. Here's one of the houses - typical of the style of building in the area:
I remember that I'd earlier made a brief mention of the fact that my mp3 player had undergone some sort of malfunction. In fact it hadn't died, it had just had a bit of a funny half hour, so I enjoyed putting in the ear buds and listening to some music for the first time in many days. The countryside was gentle, rolling pasture.
Here's another local house, this time in Aren:
I also noticed that there was a fairly fine chateau in this small village - at a guess 15th century:
I arrived at L'hôpital Saint Blaise around 13:00hrs. After asking around I found the (extremely pretty) young woman responsible for the accueil pelerin, and obtained my stamp for the passport as well as the access to the gite.
I am very impressed with this gite for a number of reasons. First is that there's nobody else here, so unless I wake myself up I expect to sleep oh so very well :0) The second reason I like it is that although there are no shops or services in this tiny hamlet (which is something one has to plan for along various stages of the camino, sometimes carrying food for later in the day) they had the foresight to put in a vending machine that distributes pasta and pasta sauces for cooking, a good range of edibles and drinks and - TEA BAGS!!! Oh my goodness! FIrst decent cup of tea in about four days. One can have enough Vervaine or Lemon and Ginger tea. Sometimes just a good cup of Darjeeling is what's needed. So I lashed out 50 cents and bought some tea bags. I seem to have managed to make them last the entire afternoon!
After another good shower and a rest I went to visit the church. A fascinating building and another UNESCO site. Having gleaned some information from the literature and from the eight minute audio tour, I can offer some information about this fascinating building.
The church was begun in the 11th century and with its location on the edge of Pays Basque it shows considerable Spanish influence. Spain at that time was under the control of the Moors, and our guide explained how the design and construction of this church is an interesting combination of evolving styles. Too late to be Roman but too early to be Gothic (because the style hadn't reached here yet) there are Moorish influences to be found. One in particular is the vault in the crossing. Looking up one sees that it supports and eight-sided bell tower. The vaulting forms and eight pointed star - a typical motif of Islamic design of the period. I've also tried to photograph one of the windows. This type of pierced stone opening is not of French design but comes once more from Islamic design. I also photographed the exterior of the nave (proper nomenclature please, someone) because we were told that during the restoration of this church it was discovered that some of the wooden beams were original. That makes them almost 1000 years old!
Anyway, at time of writing I don't yet know when I'll next have internet access, but I can say that this is a very nice place to stop. Not only that but I've already been given the information for the gites on the following stages - of which there will be two or three, depending on whether I combine the next two into one long one. Rain is predicted for tomorrow (not heavy) so that may influence my decisions.
Right, time for bed now.
Right then, on with the show:
After a fitful night's sleep in Oloron, due to the racket both outside and inside the room (what is it about snoring that is just so damned unbearable? It was like lying near something built by Toshiba - a snoring machine that ran in a smooth, unbroken fashion for eight hours solid) I heard doors being opened and closed, and loos being flushed, so realised it was time to get up. More pilgrims who seem to think that it's a good idea to eat one's breakfast in the dark!
Anyway, once again I joined in - I wasn't going to get any sleep, and besides it's really not that silly an idea even if a bit novel to me.
After a quick breakfast and another goodbye I set off on my way in the early light.
I'm very happy to report that the way out of town was extremely well signposted. This aspect of the marking has been a bit erratic along the route. While the paths overall have been extremely well marked - one can walk without a map or guide with no fear of getting lost - one sometimes encounters this incredibly frustrating tendency on the way in and/or out of towns and villages, having arrived, to put such minimal signs (or none at all) that one either has to ask and hope that they know, or risk wandering around for an hour or more looking vainly for small red and white painted stripes! But not Oloron. No, Oloron stands proudly in the forefront of towns on the camino who take seriously the needs of the pilgrim ;0)
Of the dozen or more of us in the gite last night I was the only one setting out on this particular route. Everyone else had gone down towards Bedous (sp?) to prepare for the ascent of the Col du Somport. I was taking the Voie Piedmont towards St Jean Pied de Port.
What I can say is that the quality of the signage is identical to elsewhere on the camino. And not only this but in fact the same blue signs and yellow shell symbols are used along the way, since it seems to now be recognised that this is also a pilgrim route.
I enjoyed my day, wandering solo through a number of small towns, happy to walk at my own pace. One of the small hamlets I passed through early in the day was called Moumour. Here's one of the houses - typical of the style of building in the area:
I remember that I'd earlier made a brief mention of the fact that my mp3 player had undergone some sort of malfunction. In fact it hadn't died, it had just had a bit of a funny half hour, so I enjoyed putting in the ear buds and listening to some music for the first time in many days. The countryside was gentle, rolling pasture.
Here's another local house, this time in Aren:
I also noticed that there was a fairly fine chateau in this small village - at a guess 15th century:
I arrived at L'hôpital Saint Blaise around 13:00hrs. After asking around I found the (extremely pretty) young woman responsible for the accueil pelerin, and obtained my stamp for the passport as well as the access to the gite.
I am very impressed with this gite for a number of reasons. First is that there's nobody else here, so unless I wake myself up I expect to sleep oh so very well :0) The second reason I like it is that although there are no shops or services in this tiny hamlet (which is something one has to plan for along various stages of the camino, sometimes carrying food for later in the day) they had the foresight to put in a vending machine that distributes pasta and pasta sauces for cooking, a good range of edibles and drinks and - TEA BAGS!!! Oh my goodness! FIrst decent cup of tea in about four days. One can have enough Vervaine or Lemon and Ginger tea. Sometimes just a good cup of Darjeeling is what's needed. So I lashed out 50 cents and bought some tea bags. I seem to have managed to make them last the entire afternoon!
After another good shower and a rest I went to visit the church. A fascinating building and another UNESCO site. Having gleaned some information from the literature and from the eight minute audio tour, I can offer some information about this fascinating building.
The church was begun in the 11th century and with its location on the edge of Pays Basque it shows considerable Spanish influence. Spain at that time was under the control of the Moors, and our guide explained how the design and construction of this church is an interesting combination of evolving styles. Too late to be Roman but too early to be Gothic (because the style hadn't reached here yet) there are Moorish influences to be found. One in particular is the vault in the crossing. Looking up one sees that it supports and eight-sided bell tower. The vaulting forms and eight pointed star - a typical motif of Islamic design of the period. I've also tried to photograph one of the windows. This type of pierced stone opening is not of French design but comes once more from Islamic design. I also photographed the exterior of the nave (proper nomenclature please, someone) because we were told that during the restoration of this church it was discovered that some of the wooden beams were original. That makes them almost 1000 years old!
Anyway, at time of writing I don't yet know when I'll next have internet access, but I can say that this is a very nice place to stop. Not only that but I've already been given the information for the gites on the following stages - of which there will be two or three, depending on whether I combine the next two into one long one. Rain is predicted for tomorrow (not heavy) so that may influence my decisions.
Right, time for bed now.
Good to have you back online and in cyberspace! Really enjoying the photos of churches - it's giving us some ideas for visits in the future!
ReplyDeleteHope you're getting to the end of the big climbs...?
Hi Ruth,
DeleteYes, the internet availability has been virtually non-existent for large parts of the Pyrenees. Out there in the wilds I think they still look with suspicion on things like mobile phones! Just now I'm in a youth hostel that has free internet! Can't say where - you'll have to wait for the updates but I can't do those yet for 'technical reasons'. All is well though and I'm making good progress :0)
You'll have to write a book on churches next! The nave, I believe, is the main area inside, running from the Narthex (entrance lobby) to the altar....so it looks like you photographed the outside of the Narthex - or maybe it's just called the main entrance? The columns in the last one look vaguely Egyptian - especially the layered leaves - almost an inverted Egyptian lotus leaf design - the one to the left of it looks like the odd one out - so organic compared with the rather geometric style of the others.
ReplyDeleteHi Gigi,
DeleteWell actually what I think I'll do is start a blog on churches! That way all those who know more about them than I do - such as what all the bits are called - can have an input. Anyway, they represent something of a focal point when one is walking. Very often they are built on the higher ground and are the first thing one tends to see. Apart from which, many of the towns etc. that I pass aren't (on looking at the photos) all that photogenic :0)
Medieval churches .... you're on my special subject! The nave is indeed the main central part running from the west door (normally there's a west door) to the altar. Running alongside that are ... the side aisles (!). The section that crosses the nave (under the central tower if there is one) is the transept. The far eastern end is the apse. (Churches are normally built with the altar at the eastern end and a large entrance door at the western end.) Clerestory (if there is one) is the run of windows just below the vaulted, lighting the nave, and if there is a separate arcade below those but above the arcade to the side aisles, it's a triforium, and if there's a usable space behind it, that's a gallery. There you go - enough for today!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, thanks Ruth :0)
DeleteSo it is accurate then to say that with regard to the original beams still in place, I photographed the outside of the apse?
We should definitely do a blog on churches - there are a few to choose from in France!
It looks to me, in that close up photo, like the place where the nave meets the transept on the south side of the church (ie the southwest corner of the central tower). I went back and zoomed in and looked at the first photo and it really is a very interesting structure. Reminiscent of more eastern churches in a Byzantine style, a kind of square cruciform rather than the elongated form of western europe's Romanesque or Gothic, with an important central tower. (In your first photo, that rounded end is the apse - very interesting church - I think we'll need to go and have a look at it!)
Delete