Locum in the Pyrenees

Having failed to blog my first locum assignment in Luxembourg, I want to start on Pau.

Friday 12/5/2017

Flew in to Lourdes where I was met by churchwarden John Arthur and his wife Hilary.  After a snack in the flat and a visit to the church – unlike Luxembourg they are almost next door to each other, and fairly close to the Centre – we went to a garden party with drinks and “heavy hours d’oeuvres” at the home of an American family who had a horse farm there. After they left, most of the land was sole for building and the house divided into flats.  The new owners have bought up all the flats and are restoring the house to a splendid period piece and the garden is also impressive.

Saturday

Shopped for food and explored, admiring the view from the Boulevard des Pyrénées, and continued a few km along the Chemin Henri IV, a footpath linking Pau and Lourdes.  The whole thing is 40 km.  Shall I walk it, and one day or two?  If the former, would arrive too late and tired to enjoy Lourdes.

Back in Pau, I came across the Fête de l’Europe, with stalls from various EU countries. This was the British contribution.

Sunday

This is the second Sunday of the month, which means children will be in church. Ditched the sermon I had brought with me, and talked about getting lost – walking down to the children to tell them about how At the age of 6 I found myself locked out of school, before returning to address the adults. After the service, I changed into walking clothes and discovered a simple restaurant, mainly a crêperie, overlooking the castle where I enjoyed slices of duck with fried potatoes, piperade (tomatoes +) and mushrooms, washed down with half a liter of red wine. Next time I should go for a quarter liter. Then followed the river west, aiming for the medieval city of Lescar, and appropriately enough, getting a bit lost on the way.

Monday

Headed for a gym called “Keep Cool”, found on Google, to enquire if I could pay by the session. Yes, 10 euros a time. I did 2.5 km on the treadmill at 6.6 kohl, jogging 2 minutes and walking 1, as my next step towards eventually jogging 5 km. I wore my church shoes, but did not bring the thick socks so they were a bit loose. I bought some basic gym shoes for €4.99 at the big Leclerc hypermarket next door, as well as a range of exciting foods. Walked back a long way round, and after lunch had a siesta. It is very hot. Went out again at 4:30 to check out the station and the “museum of the giants” commemorating winners of the Tour de France. Roads around the station are a mess in preparation for the Grand Prix. In the cathedral, I met a hungry pilgrim and gave him my last banknote. Just enough left for an ice cream outside St James’s Church before heading home, via a cash point, for moussaka and grated carrot.