Oloron (Lindtville) to Lescar, 31.5 km
You will perhaps note in the above photo that the streets are dry, and they stayed that way for the entire day. The poncho was packed, and at one point I even broke out in a sweat, as it was a day of rolling hills until near Lescar – when another rolling hill might have been one incline too much!
It was a nice day if walking along forest paths, forest access roads, and some country laneways. As the rain had stopped, most paths had reverted to being exactly that, rather than impromptu streams look.
The albergue in Oloron required us to depart at 0800, but an early start was the preferred option anyway. The evening in the albergue was quite a riot. Initially I was on my own in the kitchen, making dinner and writing a blog post. Before long I was joined by the two albergue volunteers, then the Korean, the Canadian woman from Kamloops, and finally two Italian men – and I’ve no idea where in Italy they were from. There was no common language, and many sentences uttered contained multiple languages, but meanings were conveyed, arms waved, and laughs had. A classic and memorable night in a Camino albergue.
There was only one village along the way. Lacomnande was full of well maintained old houses and the restored church completed in 1140. Needless to say it is a listed national historic site.
The only thing the village was lacking was a cafe. It had a wine merchant and fine dining, but no humble cup of joe on offer! The morning walk helped explain the lack of prosperity in Oloron. The countryside surrounding the town is thick with newer family homes, and walking out of town during the morning rush hour made me realize that those who can afford it have already left the city, taking their tax dollars and discretionary spending with them. No wonder so many restaurants and bars have closed!
Arrival in Lescar wasn’t without its anxious moments. Despite having communicated with the tourist office, who run the albergue, I arrived at said tourist office to find it closed until Tuesday (Good Friday is not a stat holiday in France, but Easter Monday is). For the first time I’m using an e-SIM plan, which doesn’t include a local phone number ( next time I’ll choose one of the e-SIM services that does include a phone number!) Fortunately the person listed on the notice also has WhatsApp, so after an anxious 20 minutes or so, he messaged me the albergue door code.
Just after I gained access a guy from Idaho showed up. He doesn’t have an American accent, and he seems a bit vague on where he walked from today and where he’s going tomorrow. You meet all types on a Camino!
2saunter 