Runners on road
November 8, 2019 The priest prepared breakfast for the 3 of us. I noticed he had a CD collection of Joan Baez as well as several old record albums. He told us in 1965 he was a 20 year old seminary student when he overheard a US peace Corp volunteer playing one of his Joan Baez albums. The priest was captivated by her voice. When the Peace corps volunteer left for home, he gave the priest all his Joan Baez albums, which he still has today.
Nicholas headed south to the Col du Samport and I continued onto Oloron. It turned out to be another constant rainy day of 5+ hours.
At Ogau Les Baines I stopped in a bar for a coffee. The bartender saw I was a pilgrim and outlined a good alternative route for me that avoided the worst of the muddy trails. I got to Oloron about 2 PM and went to tourist office for help booking my next few nights. Unfortunately, many pilgrim accommodations listed as open all year were closed. Using booking.com and Airbnb I was able to find something.
I stayed at an Airbnb next to the Oloron cathedral and it was a very nice stay. When the owner saw I was a pilgrim, the first thing he asked is if I had problems with bedbugs.
November 9, 2019 It only took a few minutes to get out of Oloron. Though there were a few sprinkles it was a pleasant day for once. I saw some joggers and a group of young people running on the road.
At Moumour I went into a small grocery to buy some fruit. The grocer offered me some coffee, since I was a pilgrim. She had been offering some hospitality to pilgrims for many years and had postcards from many pilgrims as well as a book of pilgrim comments.
I got to L'Hopital St Blaise a little after 1 PM. The church dates back to 1140 and was a traditional stopping place for pilgrims. It is a world heritage site. I stayed in the refuge and was the only one there for the night.
Credencial stamp of accommodation:
Pizza vending machine
St Blaise church
Map of camino segment
Map of camino trip
