After our walk on the Chemin de Piemont to Lourdes, we traveled from there by train to the coast, to St. Jean de Luz. Via Hendaye we walked to Irun, to Spain. That is the start of the Camino del Norte. This is a well known Camino and there are more hikers. It was nice to see the ocean, although the route sometimes goes more inland. The Pyrenees are close by and this is noticeable in the height differences.
This is Basque Country and the names of the towns are difficult to remember; such as Etxebarria or Markina Xemein.
As in many parts of Europe, it was also very wet in the Midi-Pyrenees this year. We had many sunny days, but the recent heavy rain caused a lot of mud in the woods. That made the walks difficult.
What we didn’t really realize is that this region is so sparsely populated. It was not always easy to find a place to sleep or to eat. With the exception of a few hotels we slept mostly in Chambre d’Hôtes, were people also cooked for us. Remote places and we were always the only guests.
We slept in a Chambre d’Hôtes in a farm, run by Audry, the daughter of the family. We agreed to have breakfast at 8 o’clock in the morning. But when we got in the dining room the next morning, everything was still dark, there was no one to be seen. A car drove up and Audry got out with paper bags. She had driven to the bakery for us, about 18 km from there, the closest place to buy bread.
Further along the road we passed Capvern les Bains, an old place with thermal baths. The town consisted of hotels and a few cafes, but everything was empty and abandoned. Our hotel was located just outside the village and was fine. Fortunately, they wanted to cook for us in the evening, and again we were the only guests.
There were no catering facilities along the way and there was actually no way to find a place to rest. We passed through villages where even the Marie (the town hall) was only open for a few houres a week. There were houses, but the shutters and the gates were closed.
There were just a few towns where we slept and were we ate in a restaurant among other people in the evening. But no other hikers.
Still, it surprised us, because the surroundings are beautiful. It is mountainous, many flowers bloom and there are regular views of the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees. We saw many Red-Kites soaring through the air. And once we saw a flock of Vultures flying from the moutains to the meadows.
We traveled by train to the medieval town of Carcassonne in the Midi-Pyrenees and from there we went walking via the Chemin de Piemont, which largely coincides with the Gr78. It is a Camino to Santiago de Compostela, wich was used by Italians in ancient times. The route runs along the Pyrenees and via a few old towns, through Lourdes and then on to Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Carcassonne, Cabieure, Ambroisie, Mirepoix, Pamier, Montegut, Mas d’Azil, Saint Girons, Juzet-d’Izaut, Saint Bertrand-de-Comminges, Montrejeau, laBastide, Bagneres-de-Bigorre, Lourdes
We walked to Lourdes and took the train to the coast, to St. Jean-de-Luz. From there we walked to Spain and walked a few sections of the Camino del Norte to Bilbao.
Sri Lanka is an island south-east of India in the Indian Ocean. An island has coasts.
We started our trip in Negombo, near the airport. Here we could get used to the warm temperature and the time difference. In the morning, before breakfast, we took a walk along the beach. It was still relatively cool. At that time there were sportsmen and the fishermen preparing their boats.
We also walked along the new boulevard in Colombo, the big city, at the end of the afternoon. Recreation time there too. Strolling, putting your feet in the water, eating a snack …
Galle is a fortified town on the south coast of the island and is now a Unesco world heritage site.
The Dutch VOC was very active in Asia and has also left its marks in Sri Lanka. The Portuguese built fortress here, but the Dutch overpowered the Galle Fort and took over the city. Galle Fort was an important spice trading port for the Dutch. They enlarged the stronghold after the conquest in 1640. They build a defensive wall, complete with bastions, powder magazines and cannons. And this is well preserved.
Some names, such as Utrecht Bastion, where the lighthouse is located, Zwart Bastion and Akersloot Bastion still remind us of the Netherlands.
Inside the fort there are white houses with red tiled roofs. There is still a Dutch church.
The rampart wall is a favourite place for both tourists and residents of Galle to enjoy the sunset.
The Pekoe Trail runs through the mountain landscape in the central part of Sri Lanka; a 300 km long distance walk, divided into 22 stages. The trail shows the diversity of the region. The route runs through tea plantations, small villages, horticulture and forests.
We walked a few parts of the trail using the All Trails app.
For us it was a wonderful way to experience the local life of the country. People on the road, the tea pickers, the people in the horticultural areas and in the communities were very friendly. We didn’t meet many other hikers, perhaps because it is also warm in the mountains.
Our last walk was the longest and most spectacular. We walked from Ohiyo, a high station (1778m) , to Haputale. We started in the fog and walked along steep slopes. In the forest we climbed over fallen trees. The path is sometimes so narrow that we have difficulty finding it. The landscape is sometimes rugged and beautiful. The route also partly goes over the railway and even through a railway tunnel. It will also rain for the first time. There are no rest points. After 20 km there is the hotel, a shower and food.
Along the way we came across Hindu shrines near enormous trees.
Tea and trains belong together. There are railways in Sri Lanka because of tea.
The English who were the tea producers in the 19th century built the railways to transport the tea from the mountains to the port of Colombo.
It is amazing how the routes were built in the high mountains. The Ohiyo station is located at an altitude of 1778m. There are many tunnels on the routes. From behind the open windows of the train you have a view of the slopes with tea plantations.
Traveling by train in Sri Lanka is a special experience. We took the train several times to our next destination. Fortunately, we travel with a backpack that is not too heavily packed. That makes traveling by train a lot easier.
Twice we had a reserved place. But on the other routes we just had to wait and see if we could sit. Sometimes the train was so full upon arrival at the platform that we thought we would no longer be able to get in. But with fitting and measuring….
Several stations with cast iron pillars are special places. The trains are old now, but the station employees are looking great in green or bright white uniforms.
The train tracks are used by the locals as a walking path to get to the next town more directly.
Taking the train in Sri Lanka is an hype by tourists.
Sri Lanka is the land of tea, Ceylon tea. Tea is the country’s most important export product. The tea plantations provide employment to a large part of the population. The plantations were started by the English. As before 1800 there were coffee plantations. But the English are tea drinkers and also started producing tea. When the coffee bushes were affected by fungal diseases around 1880, production stopped. The tea plantations were worthy successors.
The Scottish Sir Thomas Lipton (1850-1931) is a well-known entrepreneur in Sri Lanka. He had plantations on the island. We know his name from the tea bags. Lipton tea is available everywhere.
The tea is picked by hand, usually by women, and collected for further processing in the tea factories.
Nowadays there are more and more places where tea is produced sustainable.
It’s the end of September, but it is still so warm in the afternoon. That’s why we decided to leave very early in the morning. A few times we left before 7 a.m.; still in the dark. Watching the stars and the moon and hearing the owls calling. So special to see it slowly become light.
Conques has been frequented by pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela since the 12th century. The large abbey church of Sainte Foy has an impressive tympanum depicting The Last Judgment. Conques is historically an important place on the road to Santiago de Compostela
We we were staying with many others in the Benedictine monastery of Conques, behind the Abbey. A meal was also served there in the evening.
We walked back into the mountains the next morning, on our way to Moissac.
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