Thursday, 19th April Pacy-sur-Eure to St. Prest

DISTANCE: 83 k/51.5 mi; TIME: 5h; AV: 16.6 kph/10.3 mph; ODO: 384.0

A good nights sleep and I woke just before 6 am, but had another hours snooze. The usual bread, butter and marmalade for breakfast with my own tea. I was on the road by 08:30. It was sunny but cold up to 10:30 when it started to cloud over. I managed to dodge most of the worst showers. I had lunch at the “Relais des Remparts” in Nogent-le-Roi, where Madame was intrigued by my scallop shell and told me that her daughter had done the first part of the camino. Her husband was the chef and he and his sous chef moved my bike to a more secure position close to the main entrance. This was a considerable feat, considering that the bike was locked and the panniers weighed about 20 kilos!

After lunch the sunshine and showers continued, plus hail and at Coulomb there was snow on the verges! The wind was very cold, but not so bad in the sunshine. I managed to miss the worst of the weather.

Just before Jouy I heard a clinking noise. At first I thought it was a flint in the tyre, but on investigation it proved to be a broken rear spoke. I knew that there was a Chambre d’Hôte near by at St. Prest, so decided to go there for the night and fix the bike. This I did and Monsieur Ragu kindly offered me his workshop and tools. Afterwards I rode over to the village on the other side of the river and phoned Jenny. Madame Ragu cooked a meal for all of us, including Coquilles St. Jacques, but in puff-pastry in shape of a scallop shell. It transpired that she has had other pilgrims to stay with her, so this dish must have been a speciality for pilgrims! The main course included salsify, which I have not had before. They did not eat much, so I assumed that midday is their main meal. Both Madame and Monsieur complemented me on my French, however she does speak good English and they may have been comparing me with other English people! We spoke mainly in French, because Jacques does not speak English. After the meal, Madame did her crochet while Monsieur watched TV and I wrote may journal.

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