Tuesday December 30th 2014 La Reole 34 km

  church of Bazas early Tuesday morning

Because we went to sleep late we got up a little later than usual. Servé checks if Leon is still there and yes, we can have a relaxed breakfast. I am completely startled when 30 minutes later I get outside and, like a devil’s list, Leon proves to be away again. Then another round around the town. This way we’ll never arrive in time at tonight’s goal. And yesterday I just had managed to arrange 4 nights of sleep in different hostals, including New Years’s eve. Is all organisation blown again? Should I plan one or more rest days? Usually one may stay only one night in a pelgrim’s hostal. O.K. calling les gendarmes once more. Indeed they had found Leon. We locked him in front of the court of justice, they said. Next time we’ll take your horse away, the policeman threatened me. I thought, this taking off of Leon happens since I used French musketons, that I bought recently. Junk! I’d better not argue with these gentlemen, I decided. Next time I’ll simply fix Leon’s cord in my old fashioned way, I thought, instead of using a musketon. My knots I can rely on.

A little past 10 we were on our way again, 1,5 hours later than planned. That was still O.K. Nice church in Sauvignac. Nice weather. Because we started late we had only one breaf break, Lunch on the side of the road: Russian salade with bread and an orange as desert. The dog got food and Leon was allowed to roam around freely.
The side walk of the bridge over river Reole was so small, and again with rails at the sides, that Leon with his bags didn’t fit in between. Should I tie Leon and Tosca at the beginning of the bridge and carry myself all 4 heavy bags one by one across the 600 m. bridge and then finally walk back to pick up the 2 animals? A Maastricht folk song sings “go to hell, f… you”(bis). This in mind I walked in the middle of the road and demanded respect for a poor pelerin. And thus we crossed the bridge, forcing the traffic to follow us slowly.
Yesterday, calling with tonights landlady, we agreed that Serve and I would call her upon arriving at the church of la Reole. The landlady would come and pick us up. In spite of our agreement, nobody at the church. Calling her: a voice mail. All of a sudden she was there. Serve and his luggage in the car. Leon and I would follow the car, walking. Is it far? No, only 6 km! After a few kilometers she said: I will bring Serve to our house allready, so he can take a shower and then I will come back to pick you up. Just go straight all the way. In the mean time it was getting dark. At a bifurcation I happened to choose the wrong side, but eventually the landlady found me. I told you, all the way straight. Well, easy to say. Anyway she had one liter of sweet, black coffee for me: delicious. The road was completely dark and very dangerous. So today alltogether 34 instaed of 28 km.
She really spoilt us, even at diner: foi de gras (duck’s lever), duck’s breast, fried patato’s, all kinda cheese as desert and finally appelcake, all this with sweet wine. Tosca could sleep on the soft couch and Leon got a grassy field with hay. For Serve and me a warm twin bed.
That’s how live should be.

 Shoes getting worse

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