Walking the Camino Le Puy - Day 31

欣然 密州

May 18, 2025, sunny, 11-27°C


Day 31, Aroue to Ostabat-Asme, 25km, 645m ascent/-585m descent


Today’s route was moderately to quite challenging. It’s been a while since I climbed a steeper slope, and today brought that challenge again. Generally, the higher you climb, the more beautiful the scenery. The views along the way today were picturesque. I saw the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees again. I left the gîte in Aroue at 7:50 AM and arrived in Ostabat-Asme at 3:40 PM. I walked most of the way with Mona. She texted me tonight saying she was exhausted from today.

Mona and me left the gite together in the morning.

At the 4km mark, Mona met Simon, the former owner of the Bohoteguia gîte where we stayed last night. The last time Mona stayed there, Simon was still the host. Simon said he’s getting older and couldn’t manage it anymore, so he switched to a smaller gîte. His gîte is very popular, and we couldn’t book a spot. The gîte is also within Aroue’s boundaries.

Mona has a knack for building deep friendships. Before retiring, she was a physician assistant. Now, she still volunteers, providing medical services to homeless people.

Climbing the Soiartz hill, about 355 meters in elevation. There’s no shade on the path. The hill isn’t high, but climbing it is still quite strenuous.

The Soyartze Chapel at the top of the hill (Chapelle de Soyartze).
The name “Soyartze” is said to come from the Basque phrase “so artsaniaren izarra,” meaning “the star of the shepherds.” The site was originally a hermitage, later abandoned and destroyed in a fierce fire. According to local legend, an intact statue of the Virgin Mary was found in the ruins, leading to the construction of the current chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1845.

The door of the chapel was locked.

The view from the hill top.

The path to go down the hill.

The sign for the pilgrimage route.

Today’s lodging place, Ostabat, has a population of 195. It’s said to be an important hub on the pilgrimage route. During its medieval peak, there were 20 hostels here, capable of accommodating over 5,000 pilgrims.

The monument is inscribed with the letters “Ostabat.”

A church built in 19th century.

Staying at a gîte called Aire-Ona. This is the view from the front, including the clothesline. Gîtes always provide clotheslines for guests to do their laundry.

The next morning, I took a photo with my 75-year-old roommate. Here’s a little story. I was assigned to a four-person room, which was small, with one single bed, one bunk bed, and a single mattress on the floor. The French lady Stephenie arrived first and chose the single bed. I chose the lower bunk. A French man chose the mattress on the floor.

There’s a restaurant in the small village, but it requires reservations. By the time I went to book, it was already full. I bought yogurt and eggs at the tiny village grocery store, and I had some ham and smoked fish in my backpack, which was enough for me. At 7:00 PM, everyone else went to the restaurant to eat. I was alone at the gîte preparing my meal while the host was setting up breakfast for the next day. The 75-year-old pilgrim came in, with blood on his head and legs. He said he had fallen on the way. The host asked me to give up my lower bunk, saying I was the only one available to switch, so I had to agree.

Two days ago in Navarrenx, the old man also arrived late, around 7:00 PM, and only the top bunk was left. He said he couldn’t climb up, so the host put a mattress in the living room for him to sleep on.

The old man asked to eat dinner with me. He pulled out a packet of soup mix and made some soup, and we shared the ham and smoked fish. If he hadn’t eaten with me, his meal would have been just soup, bread, and a small cup of fruit. The soup was a clear broth, not a rich French-style soup. The fruit cup was overly sweet and unpleasant. He insisted I eat one too, which spiked my blood sugar.

The host brought back some ointment, antiseptic, and gauze from home and asked me to remind the old man to apply it. He spent nearly an hour in the bathroom. I got worried and asked Stephenie to check if everything was okay. Thankfully, it was fine.

That night, I kept seeing flashes of different colors on the ceiling—red, purple, blue, yellow. In my dreams, there was a police car with flashing lights. When I woke up in the morning, I realized the old man’s phone screen hadn’t turned off, and it was displaying rotating colors. Oh my gosh!