May 14, 2025, Moulin le Gâteau

24,000,steps today, 8-10 miles.

Some slight ups and downs on country roads and through small villages Then more Canal du Barry walking.

When we arrived at our Chambre d’Hote, quite hot in the 3 pm sun, the woman who greeted us insisted she had no reservation for us. So she proceeded to call other people while we stood wearing our packs. I gave her my name and said the man in Ainay Le Chateau had callled for two American pilgrims yesterday. Oh — Americans! Somehow that rang a bell and precipitated another call. At last she led us to a little cottage beside the big house. She showed how to work the stove. We said we had no food to cook. She said the grocery store was just 5km away. No. We were not going to walk there! maybe despite our hot weary looks, she thought we’d driven up in a car and donned our backpacks and hiking poles?

So she’s promised fruit and salade and bread and maybe an omelette , plus breakfast. I’d already paid her 120 Euros cash, which seemed a bit much considering the welcome we’d received and before promise of any food.

Later. She came through with the promised food and two glasses of vin rouge, and scheduled petite déjeuner tomorrow at 8.

We walked around the grounds, played with a friendly big dog, and an enormous long-haired Siamese cat. No picture because I’d left my phone upstairs. We found the mill wheel with water rushing past in a side channel. I wonder what it would take to get it turning again and how much electricity it could generate?

Our bed is up in the attic and the toilet is downstairs. Do you realize the effort it takes to go up and down stairs after walking 10 miles with backpacks?

We met one pilgrim, a man from near Amsterdam, walking more than 30 km per day. The only business we found open during our entire walk after leaving Ainay Le Chateau, was a lovely bakery in Charenton sur Cher. It was doing a brisk business with people driving up to get their bread before 1 pm closing time. The little French villages seem struggling to keep businesses going. We saw two closed restaurants and a closed bar, all seemed permanently shuttered. A funeral business next the church seemed to be in business, though. Hmm.

Here’ s the view from our bed at almost 9 pm.

I don’t have to move more than leaning over a little bit.