Adeline and Mathias are an incredible young couple. It seems like they can do anything and actually have the energy to do it. I used to dream of being self-sufficient, but never had the energy to pull it off. They butcher their own meat that they raise, grow all the vegetables that they eat, grow fruit, make ice cream for sale in local cafes, can vegetables and fruits, build their own house, run a gite four months a year that includes meals, rent out housing the rest of the year, raise chickens, herd sheep, grow hogs, and more…and they don’t have bags under their eyes. I would really recommend this gite to anyone passing Esbints.
Eric and Claire were the first to leave the gite at a little after 8. We had more to pack up and the English family (Martin, Judith, Mary, and John) had a quadruple pack explosion so they were even slower than us getting it together. We started hiking before 9 (8:59) and made it all the way to Aunac before they caught up and passed us. In fairness, we were stopped on the side of the trail eating black berries before all the bears could get to them.
The hike today was truly easy and not just a guidebook “easy walk.” Adeline had shown us a trail that runs to the west of River d’Estours that will take us right into Seix. We had told her we were thinking of catching a bus in Aunac and she almost choked on her coffee. Aunac is even smaller that Esbints and no services are there.
She also understood that we were hiking the entire GR10 and that we didn’t want to skip any of the trail. Pam had this warped idea that we could hike the road from Esbints into Seix and then take the trail back out to join the trail. It was Adeline who pointed out that if we did this, we would not hike the entire trail.
When we got to the river, we easily found the trail. It was an ideal walk next to the river for 2 miles into the village. When we got into town, we went to the auberge she had recommended and got a room for two nights, except we couldn’t check in until after 4 and it was still before noon (see we can hike fast with ideal conditions).
We dropped our packs and headed to the tourist information office to find the location of a laundromat, grocery store, and pharmacy. Today is a feast day (The Assumption of Mary) so most businesses are closed or operate with reduced hours. We scouted out the locations of everything and made a grocery list so we won’t over buy again (we only have 3 days to the next shop).
Next up was lunch. After 12 days without a day off, I was ready for a pizza (I’m actually ready for Mackies but I’ve got to have an address and an oven for John to send me a pizza). We found a cafe serving pizza and beer–a somewhat pleasing combination. Everyone should try this new discovery we’ve made.
At 4 we went to check in, but there was a mistake with the room. It was the owner who had helped us out earlier (fortunately), but he got confused on what day it was. There wasn’t actually a room available for us. He called around and actually got us a better deal at another location for the same price. He even bought us a couple of beers to make up for the inconvenience.
It was a little unnerving to think we might have to camp when we had already told our bodies to expect a soft bed and shower. It all worked out fine. We showered, did laundry, ate ice cream, and went to bed.
