Day 40: Monistrol to Sauges

Jumped ahead like half a day to Sauges as planned by Bus (harrharrharr yeah I know!).

Feel way better today but still need a day more rest. There are some tough routes ahead and I don't want to risk another fallback while in the forests of Gevaudan - not that the Beast gets hold of me 👹!!!

Would be kind of cool to be the first Pilgrim to fight a wolf in 300 years but in my condition I'd barely stand a chance against a Chihuahua with down-syndrome yet alone the the famous Maneater!

On my way down I was just attacked by a big bad Wolf but luckily he took pity on me and let me live... good thing he already ate his petit-dejeuner 😬

I like Sauges so far. It's a beautiful old little Town. Had a laugh in the chapel which has some couriosities in it. Like the only grown Jesus I ever saw without a beard:

A Jesus on the Cross which isn't a Cross but a "V":

And of course not to forget some wonderfully racist depictions of native Canadian slaughtering the Saint Soandso. Just marvel at them! "Grrrrrr I'm so evil and pagant! Grrrr! It's not like my People are slaughtered in a literal Holocaust and I'm just kind of over my head because the way of life my People knew for 5000+ years is getting destroyed in less than two generations by a technological VASTLY superiour civilisation. No, me just eeeeeeeevil!". I appreciate some good old colonialistic historical revisionism every now and then:

Found an entry by a - sadly - anonymous Pilgrim who had a prayer for me and some others. Isn't that just lovely ♥️? I wonder who that was...

Looking for a nice little Gite now. Don't know what else to do with myself today. Maybe the museum will be open. Or heck, just another off-day, why not? It's lazytime!

Had a Crépe with sugar and butter for Lunch because that's what I was hungry for and my doctor said I should eat whatever my body craves. Met a lovely elderly hungarian Lady there and we spent some time together. She's also on her own which seems the exeption here. Everyone else is in a group or at least together with one other partner. That's weird, I don't recall that from my two other Trips. Than again, the Camino Frances as well as the PCT are fairly long Trails for which it is difficult to find anybody else to join. Also, many People want to go them alone willingly.

While here it seems just like a little pasttime for People who want a little trip. This'll be a thing for next 200km after Le Puy I'm afraid. Groups who come and reserve everything beforehand in advance and stay together all the time. People who send their laggiage ahead by Bus so they don't have to leave any of their posessions behind. The kind of Guys who get pissed when their 30-Euro Accomodation doesn't have good enough Airconditioning.

It bothered the both of us how "Touristy" this part of the Podiensis seems. Almost nobody is on their way in the "classical" sence. As in with just their own stuff and looking spontaneously for a place to sleep every evening.

And the Hoteliers are to blame for this phenomenon too! They prefer having People book way in advance and pay ridiculous prices for midrange - to - bad service! People like me seem more like a Nuisance in contrast.

Well, I don't give a fuck! L'Opportuniste is here and here I stay! I don't play this stupid game! Either I get a bed or I sleep in my tent! I refuse to become a stupid Tourist Hiker Douche!

I don't know what you've seen little Guy but I feel you ♥️...

Also I threw my Gebennensis Guidebook away. I won't ever walk this darn thing again and it's just dead weight at this point. Sending it back would've been way too expensive and there's no point to put a german Guide from another Trail in a french public Bookbox. So off it goes.

I'm looking forward to walk again tomorrow. It's nice to have a little time off but it can be tiresome too. I will be in my destination around 11 and plan half a day walking to start. That should show me if my body is already healtjy enough to do proper days.

I mean, I FEEL good and so far every meal stayed where it should so... sounds promising 🙂.

May I say how shitty the french are in terms of Business? Everything this little Town has to offer is closed! The Museum, the medieval Tower, even 4 out of 5 Restaurants! What the heck?!? There are SO many Pilgrims coming trough! Why not cash off of them?! I mean, doesn't everybody want to see the Museum about the Beast? And buy a stupid Beast magnet? And drink an expensive but mediocre Beast Beer?

But nooooo, close everything down, why not? No matter the loss of income for the town! I'm sure People here shit money!

That's SO France for you.. 😑