Today started with walking the same more than 6 km back to the route; except this time the last bit was uphill, not down. Yesterday, on my way to the campsite, I met two people talking, one farmer, one cyclist, who also talked to me for a bit (telling me they had a second house in the Alps and how there are so very many Dutch people there that some French people don't want to go skiing anymore because the place is overrun with Dutch). This morning on the way back, I met both again; the cyclist on the same path, the farmer was out in the a field, calling to me as I passed).
I took a short break at the point where I left the route yesterday and left there at 10.15, and from there walked through the forest to Gorze - where I met the same cyclist yet again. They clearly like chatting with people, and told me there's a French saying 'jamais deux fois sans trois' (never two times without three).
In Gorze, close to the church, I took a break, as I felt tired. So I stayed a bit longer, and just as I was telling myself I ought to get moving again, someone came up to me and asked if I was a pilgrim. When I said yes (after all, I even have a document that identifies me as one), they asked me where I was going (I really like being able to say no to all the people asking me if I'm going to Santiago de Compostela), and if I wanted a stamp. Well, yeah, sure. So I followed them to their house, where they took some time finding the stamp, then ink, and finally gave me a bottle of water. And started offering me biscuits, but I felt I had already lingered too long in that village, so I wanted to go on. But it was kind of cool, to get that question out of the blue. Maybe it's not so out of the blue for them, with a church that's on the Camino, but it was for me.
I managed to take the wrong turning next, corrected it, and then met two people who also asked what I do and offered me coffee. Apart from not liking coffee, which of course wasn't the point, I just wanted to get going again, I'd spent enough time there, so I declined.
There was a long climb, and when I got to the top of that hill I took a lunch break. After that, I spent a long time in forests, which was nice. And I saw my second fox there, jogging along the path at its ease, way ahead of me.
Eventually, I got out of the forest, and after passing the first village, I arrived at Onville at 17.30. Now I had to find a sleeping place there, because it threatened to start raining at around 7, and the next village would be another 5 km. And there was the problem of there being no campsites. I didn't want to walk another 7 km back to yesterday's campsite (which I didn't like much), because I just hate walking in the wrong direction and going back to the same campsite would feel entirely like no progress at all.
After checking train options to a hostel (no trains back tomorrow until noon) and deciding I wasn't ready to ring a doorbell close to the church to ask for shelter, I approached a group of people who were standing chatting in front of a building and asked them if they had ideas. They pointed me across the road, which is a place where apparently sometimes people camp. Next to a small river, and right on the other side of the bridge are houses, and there are some cars going past and some people walking their dogs, so it's sufficiently not in the middle of nowhere to feel safe enough. They gave me a couple of bottles of water, and I found an outdoor tap with non-drinkable water, but it was sufficient to wash my feet, at least.
So here's a new experience. Sort of camping wild but not quite; in the middle of nowhere on my own I wouldn't feel safe.
And it's close to 10, and still no rain. I might have walked on after all; but I didn't want to risk being unable to find a place to sleep. And I was tired. Partly because trying to work up the courage to walk to the church and ask for shelter cost me so much energy.
With the extra distance from the campsite, the long breaks I took, and the early arrival, I walked only 22 km, and only 16 of those on the route. I hate walking in the wrong direction. At least tonight I'm camping as much on the route as it's possible to.

Geschreven door Jewaontheroad