E5 Days 61-65

Sunday, May 5th

The pilgrims’ hostel

• Today we set off on a short stage after eating delicious pain au chocolats for breakfast.

• We set off along country lanes under a grey sky.
• It looks more and more like rain and the gloomy rain clouds form a total contrast to the rapeseed fields glowing yellow in the sunshine – a fascinating picture.

• We soon leave the open fields behind us and head into lush green forests that smell and look like the beginning of spring.

• My hiking highlight is our break with Nutella baguette! Not very healthy for hiking, but unfortunately really tasty.

• For most of the day we are far away from any civilisation, but towards the end we at least pass a few isolated farms where we also see lovely little lambs.

• Our accommodation today is a real surprise: it is located in the very small village (consisting of no less than five houses, although I’m not sure if about half of them are inhabited) of Mormant and is a pilgrims’ hostel.

• The door is open, writes our hostess, and so it is: as soon as we enter, we are delighted by the open fire that is already burning and even more delighted by the cake that is on the table.
• ‘Do you think we can just eat it?’ I ask Matthäus and we decide: Yes, we can.
• So we make ourselves a snack with warm tea and really delicious cake and are sitting cosily in front of the fire when our hostess knocks.

• ‘Ah, you have arrived safely!’ she says happily, “I told my husband to keep an eye out, but he didn’t see anything…” she continues, rolling her eyes.
• She looks into the kitchen and says: ‘Oh, and you’ve already spotted my cake, I see!’ I am feeling a little guilty: ‘We ate it!’ I say quickly and add in a conciliatory tone: ‘And it was very good!’
• Our hostess laughs and says: ‘That’s what it was there for!’ and then adds to our absolute delight: ‘And I’m glad you enjoyed it! If you want, you can also book dinner for a small extra charge – and you’ll find breakfast in the fridge.’ Wow! We gratefully tell her that we’d be happy to get the extra dinner and are really glad to be able to eat something other than pizza.
• In the evening, just as we’re on the phone with Matthäus’s parents, another really big thunderstorm breaks out, which makes the fireplace feeling even cosier – wow!

• We also take a look at the pilgrim statistics book and find out that we have drastically reduced the average age of the pilgrims registered in the book…
• You can find more statistics here:

Monday, May 6th

The Midpoint – Half of the E5 is done!

• After breakfast from the fridge, we set off and the first sight along the way is just around the corner: here in the village are the rather dilapidated and ruinous remains of the Abbaye de Mormant, which, despite their poor condition, bear witness to a once very beautiful monastery complex.

• We don’t pass through much civilisation today, as our route mainly leads through forests and national parks.
• Leffonds is on the way, which is apparently taking part in the protest against don’t ask me what (presumably some EU regulation) and has therefore put up the town sign upside down.

• Leftover pizza and calzones for lunch! Yummy!

• We pass horses – it seems to be a real horse area, no wonder – there are certainly plenty of paths for horseriding!
• We have also calculated that we have completed the first 1500 kilometres of the E5 on today’s stage and are therefore halfway through the entire E5!
• Wooow! Unbelievable! So we proudly shoot – inspired by Route 66 (here again the blog entries about Route 66 😉 ) – a midpoint photo – the only thing missing is a merchandise stand where you can buy ‘I’m hiking the E5’, ‘Thruhike E5 – halfway done’ or something like that.

• We get even more Route 66 feeling as we walk along a road that runs parallel to a motorway – like many sections of the route we’ve been on.

• The route continues through forests to a reservoir where the village of Saint Ciergues – and therefore our accommodation for today – is located.
• At the end, you have to climb up some pretty steep paths!

• We reach our accommodation, which is run by Dutch people and where we have booked dinner, just before 6 o’clock, slightly out of breath.
• I’m joking around: ‘I’m sure they’ll have dinner on time – punctual at 6!’
• No kidding, as soon as we have checked into our room and Josée and Pierre have welcomed us, they say: ‘Dinner is at 6!’
• OK! So a very quick shower…
• Josée and Pierre turn out to be picture-book cliché Dutch, really the most Dutch Dutch people we know, and they also have Dutch guests, which is why we unpack our Dutch skills at dinner and talk only in Dutch.
• We have a good chat and find out why there are so many Dutch Bed&Breakfasts here – on the way to the south of France on holiday, this place is a stopover for many Dutch people passing through – including the other guests with whom we have such a good chat over dinner.

Tuesday, May 7th

Lakes, fortified town and camping in a barrel

• Breakfast together with the other guests, who then quickly make their way further south – by car, of course.

• We say goodbye to Josée and Pierre and cross the dam wall before taking a small path along the lakeshore.
• It runs parallel to the road, but you don’t usually notice much of it and it is very beautiful here on the lakeshore.

• There are several lakes in the area and also some hiking trails along them.
• Smaller paths take us to the small, fortified town of Langres, which is situated on hills and is absolutely beautiful.

• What’s also nice is that it’s lunchtime and therefore some restaurants are open and offer lunch menus – finally we have the right timing!
• We manage to get a seat in a very busy restaurant on the main square and are lucky because we get the last two menus, although there are a few less side dishes and so we get another side dish to compensate.
• Nice! It tastes great, with half a litre of wine (included in the price) and we enjoy the French feeling and the Huzzle Buzzle that surrounds us.

• From here it’s not far to Lac du Liez, where the campsite is located, where we spend the night in a small cottage/barrel.
• One of the paths is completely under water, so we think we’ll have to turn around and look for an alternative route, but when we climb onto a nearby bridge, we realise that the paths join up again – phew!

• When we arrive at the campsite, we check in and realise that our cottage is a long way from reception and the swimming pool.
• Never mind, it was our recovery stage today, so we are still quite fresh and stock up on food for the next few days in the small supermarket before we head to the swimming pool, which is at a pleasant splashing temperature and which we really enjoy.

• We treat ourselves to pizza and beer for dinner. =)

Wednesday, May 8th

“Op woensdag gaat de zon schijnen”

• writes our host today, needless to say that he is a Dutch, and he is right: The whole day is a bit cloudy, but the sun shows up again and again and in the afternoon it is even sunny!

• We set off along the Lac du Liez on beautifully flat and well-maintained dirt tracks.
• As we have often seen in Delftse Hout, there are a few anglers camping by the lake.

• At one point we cross a river and the ‘bridge’ consists of two concrete telephone poles laid side by side, and they bend quite a bit as we walk over them.

• We quickly reach our destination, Vicq.
• Our host, James, is already waiting for us in Vicq to show us the ‘Tiny House’ where we are staying, which is, however, the opposite of tiny.

• It’s only rudimentarily like a tiny house: there’s only one outhouse and the shower is something very special: it’s outside towards the horse stable and is a cowboy shower: you stand almost like in a trough and shower off with a kind of hose – crazy, but cool!
• The house is a really nice old stone house.
• James kindly brings us some fresh courgettes later, which we make into a delicious dinner together with some pasta we find in the cupboard – yum!

• We eat dinner in the backyard, where there is a great big wooden table that James made from a single tree trunk (‘THAT was some work!’)

• Talking hands meeting, then enjoying the last rays of sunshine in front of the house and marvelling at the starry sky as it rises.

Thursday, May 9th

Sunshine and beautiful meadows and forests

• An extended breakfast on the huge wooden table outside.
• The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and it promises to be a wonderful day.
• James comes along and asks us if we mind and suddenly three horses are grazing peacefully in the meadow right in front of us – mooi.

• It’s cool how you can hear them smacking their lips and plucking grass.
• We talk to James about horses and I tell him that I had the idea of taking a donkey hiking with me.
• He says that he’s done a lot of hiking with his horses and that it’s easy, but he thinks it’s much more difficult with donkeys, which are much more stubborn and headstrong.
• We have a quick look at what’s going on in the family group, because today is Laura’s confirmation – so of course we’re happy for her and celebrating with her from far away =)
• We set off in bright sunshine on an equally beautiful stage that takes us through beautiful hilly landscapes, green forests and along small ponds full of tadpoles – wow!

• Unfortunately, there is also a lot of asphalt, as we had to deviate a little from the original route in terms of accommodation, but we soon reach the GR7 again and with it meadows, forests and mud.
• We are relieved to find a nice spot in the shade of a large tree for our snack, as the sun is beating down pretty hard.

• We are also glad that most of our route leads through forests – they provide shade and radiate coolness.
• At one point, the path descends steeply into a ravine where we see a deer up close – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deer this close before.

• Today we spend the night in Bourbonne-les-Bains, a spa town that reminds us of Bagnoles d’Orne.
• The town is totally outdated and so is its population…

• We stay in a hotel that is already very nice – not as outdated as we would have expected – and where there is supposedly a pool, but it is currently closed for renovation – ooh.

• Dinner in the hotel restaurant and good night!