Day 5. 7th July. St Etienne de baigorry to St Jean Pied de Port.

The greatest thing right now is not being followed by horse flies. We have just breathed in two pizzas, a green salad and 2.25 beers. It was hot today, and the temperature is still about 28 °c and it is eight thirty. We await the fate of France v Germany with a lot of excited folk. 

Today began as usual with a massive climb. 3 hours of walking up. When we were in doubt of the route markers? UP. When we weren’t? UP. The biggest problem was the horse flies. These buggers will follow you for hours just to serrate your skin with their nasty teeth and push fecal horse bits into your blood. Deet was the new favourite. Unfortunately on top of rivers of sweat, sun lotion and more slick stuff it lasts for about an hour. Horse flies 4, Renee 0. Horse flies 2, Will 1. 

The climb finished at about one thirty and I was knackered as of course Renee had spoiled me rotton for dinner and i was sweating out my Lagavulin digestif. All morning. We had two lunches of our baguettes and found extra water supplies at 3 troughs. There we conversed with 3 chaps who offered us coffee. We described to them the underpants we had walked over en route ( 6 km back) which amazingly belonged to one of them. As we left and descended towards where we are now, the pantless one scampered to retrieve his grundies. It’s  never dull. 

Yesterday’s drawing room, don’t you know.

Leaving Hotel Arce in St Etienne.

The crest on the horizon is what we walked through yesterday in the mist

Yes that is a vulture.

Flowers x

First view of snow, East. 

Second lunch. Today’s climb up there.

Made it.

Oh yes. A mushroom.