The day begins early again. Breakfast is at 7 o'clock, and before that, I want to finish my blog from yesterday. Don’t make it too long, says Magda, and don't preach too much.
At exactly 7 o'clock, I am at the breakfast table, cozy and simple: fresh French bread, homemade jam, sugar, and delicious coffee. My young Flemish colleague, Jaak, from Halle is in his early 20s and almost 2 meters tall. He is a quiet one. He left the Belgian border on foot and is walking all the way to Santiago. He doesn't want to say more. Everyone has their own reason for embarking on the journey.
After breakfast, I go with the group of pilgrims who, after the Lauds by Abbot Jean-Yves, receive the pilgrim's blessing to safely reach Santiago. The Community of Vézelay is a dual community of the Fraternité de Jérusalem: 3 fathers in one house and 6 sisters in another house, both near the basilica. Their congregation aims to work in busy cities among the working people. Here in Vézelay, crowds of tourists come during the summer months and less so outside of that.
Blessing of the pilgrims. Reliquary of St. Mary Magdalene. Sister Christine Pauwels
As I leave the impressive church, I take another close look at the Pentecost tympanum and walk around the church situated atop the Montagne sacrée. Along the way, I meet one of the sisters. She is 89, Christiane Pauwels, and she hails from Antwerp. She has worked her entire life in Paris and now still helps here. You have to keep busy and try to be useful, she says.
My bike loaded, which always takes half an hour, I hit the road, crossing the Morvan from north to south. The Morvan is one large national park and a tremendously beautiful nature area. Gentle slopes and no steep hills. Ideal for bicycle tourism in complete peace and quiet. There, you have everything from wine to cheese to delicious vegetables and fruits and landscapes. There are quite a few cyclists on the road, too. In Quarré-les-Tombes, I want to buy bread at a small Auchan, but I'm out of luck, everything is sold out: too many tourists, says the lady at the checkout. Nowhere can I find bread: in all the villages, the bakeries are closed, so no bread. I like to eat around 1 PM, preferably at a cozy picnic spot near a church, a castle, or a river.
Upon leaving the large village of Schilly, near the old 14th-15th century castle where nobles have lived for centuries, I notice the window of a small house open. I stop for a moment and ask the two ladies if they might sell me half a baguette. Immediately, the lady takes half a baguette out of the cupboard and gives it to me. She doesn't want anything for it. Some pilgrims pass by here, she says. One of them just wanted to bathe in the little river next to the house. Last week, 11 scouts passed by who had everything to make croque-monsieur, but no pan or stove. So she just made the croque-monsieurs on her gas stove… hospitality knows no boundaries or forms.
The ladies who gave me bread; Roman triomphal Arch and he cathedral of Autun
With a big thank you and a photo, I say goodbye and cycle a few kilometers to a river where there is a bench. The bread is superb with some cheese and ham that I still had with me. Then I continue to Autun, only 25 kilometers left. The morning was gray, but now the sun is pleasantly (too) warm. I enter the small town of Autun along the remains of the old Roman triumphal arch.
At the top of the hill lies my accommodation for today, the Benedictine (enclosed) convent of contemplatives, 250 m from the Romanesque Cathedral St. Lazare with its tympanum of the Last Judgment. The straight columns resemble a bit of Roman architecture, with splendid sculpted capitals and stained glass from various centuries. The cathedral is located in the middle of the old district with a beautiful Renaissance fountain and half-timbered houses: a nice environment to wander around.
Tympanum of the Last Judgment ; Interior of the St Lazare cathedral of Autun
I am warmly welcomed at the convent by Sister Isabelle, who shows me my huge room with all the amenities and even a stunning view. There are only 20 sisters left due to a lack of vocations. Dinner is at 7 PM. She serves me a magnificent meal in a small room in the guest quarter. Tuna pâté with vinaigrette and lettuce, vegetable pasta casserole with potatoes pomodoro with lots of cheese on top, a beautiful piece of cake with pineapple and wild fruits around it, and of course cheeses: camembert and Emmental; along with a tasty local red wine. The sister cook also prepares meals for the bishop who lives nearby and apparently loves to eat well.
The gate of the benedictine convent; My spacious room and sister Isabelle bringing my dinner
Here, too, the donativo system applies: you give what you wish. You don’t get to see any other sisters because it is a cloistered convent. I am also completely alone in the small chapel. At the back right of the choir is a deep entrance, and that is where the other sisters sit, whom I cannot and am not allowed to see. You only hear them sing beautifully. With the Compline, I end my day with yet another experience of great hospitality. Now hopefully a good night's sleep and less pain in my right hip. Tomorrow morning the Lauds, a delicious breakfast, and cycling to my next Romanesque highlight in Paray-le-Monial.
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