Le Relais des Landes (129€ for two nights)
Up at 6:00 AM and my back seems better yet. Walk, walk, walk through cornfields, forests, and fields of over-the-hill, droopy sunflowers. No real towns on our way today. We have a perfect Ultreia (the title of a catchy pilgrim song) stop in a dell where someone has left apples for pelerins. We arrive at our hotel at 1:45 PM after no luck in finding a lunch spot in the town we’ve just passed through. There are two super-stores in the area and no local businesses. We go further into the town for lunch and have cheese salad, chicken with fries, and a lemon tart. Back to our hotel now… where the hostess decides to take me on a walk back to town to show me her favorite restaurant. Wow! Just what I wanted… more walking! She is darling… no English but LOTS of demonstration. Finally we return to the hotel and to clueless, waiting Nick. Upstairs to our room for a nap and a call home. We have dinner at the special restaurant – that I can barely find, but finally do. The fare is excellent. We start with Champagne, then wine, potage, appetizers, beef and veal roasts, green beans, potatoes, ice cream and crème caramel… a bargain at 39€ (inc. wine). I have bad back night, with two baths. Too much walking, I think. Did I mention?… we went swimming this afternoon. (There have been pools, but none remotely warm enough.)