April 3, 2024 – Montpellier – Montarnaud – 22 Kms – Chambre d’hotes Le Bois Des Frênes
April 4, 2024 – Montarnaud – Saint Guilhem le Desert – 22 kms – Gite de la Tour
April 5, 2024 – Saint Guilhem le Desert – St. Jean de la Blaquiere – 24 kms – Municipal Pilgrim Hostel
Is there anything more flattering and touching than to see yourself through the eyes of a dear friend ?
We had two days and three nights with our friend Ewa. Our last night was spent in Saint Guilhem le Désert, one of the «Plus Beaux Villages de France». Most of the descriptions of the Chemin d’ Arles list this place as one of the highlights of the route. It’s nestled in an amazing tight valley with tiny medieval streets winding up to the Abbey. While it is absolutely magnificent, tourism has transformed the place from a living village into something else. As I cycled past the village just before Saint Guilhem I noticed a huge parking lot with a free shuttle service to deliver the throngs of tourists to Saint Guilhem, three kilometres away. Life must be somewhat complicated for the 244 villagers still living there. Although there are countless tourist shops selling expensive wine, honey and soaps, there is no longer a grocery store , bakery or even a convenience shop. At one time this community would have been completely self reliant and, I suspect, more livable.
It was lovely to spend the night together in Saint Guilhem, but it was the togetherness that made the time really beautiful. Honestly we could have been anywhere. I’m so grateful and touched that Ewa made the long journey to walk with us.
As they said on the always insightful show, “My Little Ponies”: “Friends are Magic!”
I wasn’t sure who was writing this post until the ‘My Little Pony’ quote.????
Love the blog and the photos.
I thought the blog identified the author. Maybe we will go back to putting our names on each one.
remind me.
how have you found accommodations? Booking.com. or Hotel.com or similar?
I am hoping to solo trailer Bike Friday ride from Barcelona to the Vaucluse in France soon and $150 overnights will break my budget (and be overkill)
Lots of the Gite d’Etaps and cheaper hosels are not on Bookings. You can see them on Google Maps usually. We are also pilgrims so we can stay in the local pilgrim hostels. A credential or pilgrim passport is needed for many of them.
The costs really vary by season. We are paying 2/3 of what we were paying in June.
In France if you can speak French just call places.
Taiwan just got hammered by an earth quake…your timing is good.
Yes we are glad we missed it.
Great photos, esp of you two!
Thanks Wendy!
A postscript to our blog post: what cannot be seen in the photo of our lovely hotel room with the exposed beams are the bedbugs. It took more than a day for the bites to manifest themselves, which is common, but we all received a few bites. It’s been quite a while since we have had that unpleasant experience. I’m so sorry it happened during the time of Eva’s visit.
Hope your bites will heal soon! I know how upsetting this can be.
Still grateful for the time we could spend together. Hugs to both of you!
Hope your bites will heal soon! I know how upsetting this can be.
Still grateful for the time we could spend together. Hugs to both of you!