Eric Poindron at La Bastide-Puylaurent on the GR70
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Eric Poindron at La Bastide-Puylaurent on the GR70 |
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Are you eating with us? The trout were caught this afternoon and the soup is homemade. Plus, I offer the aperitif... It's the owner of L'Etoile Guest House in La Bastide-Puylaurent - one thousand twenty-four meters high -, a friendly giant of about thirty-five years who extends the invitation before showing the room. Two beds, a sink, and an old wooden bistro table for evening writings. View of the Allier. The donkey has found its spot. She will sleep in a barn, at the foot of the river, near an old bridge. She seems to enjoy the place. Even the ducks seem to be on vacation here.
Have you come far? - After Saint-Flour-de-Mercoire, we followed the river as closely as possible, avoided Fouzillic and Fouzillac because of the weather, and Cheylard-l'Évêque to arrive before nightfall. At Luc, it was straight ahead, almost. We wanted to climb to the trap of the Notre Dame des Neiges Abbey, but with the donkey, it was complicated... No regrets. According to our host, we made the right choice. It's high and still far, despite the clear night, we would have gotten lost. You need to know the place, it's wild up there. And then the hostelry is only open to those on retreat.
Belgian beer for everyone? And so it begins, Belgian beer for everyone. We are settled by the fire in the large room that serves as both dining and relaxation area when two new hikers drop their bags: Raoul, from Saint-Étienne, and Graeme, an Englishman from Bristol. Finally arrives Billy, the golden Labrador of the gîte. Outside the cities, there's no need for long introductions. No flags are flown, no colors displayed. The backpacks are enough for complicity.
The owner returns with his arms full of dried fruits. The tongues loosen. After walking, someone who dines with you becomes your friend. A matter of the path. The only one to introduce himself is the owner of the gîte: - My name is Philippe Papadimitriou, I'm half Belgian, half Greek, and the rest of the time from Lozere. Before settling in La Bastide-Puylaurent, anchoring himself to Lozere, he wandered Australia, searched for gold in California, and crossed France on horseback. That's how he discovered Lozere and fell for the place. Two horses, his girlfriend with a horse, and two dogs. He settled down and, six months later, started the gîte.
I love it, I feel like I'm on a boat. Since then, I haven't stopped. Life is precious. Then he tells the little story of his house, once a proper family pension, the Hotel Ranc. Mr. used to bring his wife and children there to get fresh air and hurried off to meet his mistress on the Riviera. Philippe tries to keep the family pension vibe, even for just one night. "When you leave my place, you should have only one wish: to return as soon as possible." He spares no effort to grow his clientele of loyal visitors: impeccable food, spacious rooms, unique atmosphere. Not to mention the dry humor and a great aptitude for happiness. Philippe has the sacred fire, he refuses to give up, "even if this country is not his, precisely because this country is not his." He complains about the workforce that seeks to go to Le Puy-en-Velay, Saint-Étienne, or the South. What will they do more in Montpellier? But he doesn't blame anyone, he knows that twenty-five years in Lozere can make someone long for elsewhere or even permanent escape. He, however, enjoys it here.
The soup smells of the garden, the trout's flesh is firm, and the homemade crepes are served without limit. The small fancy wine from Notre-Dame-des-Neiges accompanies the whole. Fruit wine and sacramental wine, everything passes through the same tube. If Stevenson had known the guest house L'Etoile, there's no doubt he would have stayed there. At the table, everyone shares their anecdotes, their chaotic impressions of the places they've been through. Raoul from Saint-Étienne recounts his exploits. He hiked Corsica this summer. Graeme, the lanky Englishman, specialist in German Romanticism and Sturm und Drang, downplays the importance of Stevenson in England. As if with regret. - Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, for us, is a children's book, a dictation book. A charming text to learn spelling. Then he displays his manual, a small red, illustrated, dog-eared book that accompanies him on his walk. - When I spoke about my journey to my friends, they were surprised. For us, Stevenson is a storyteller, a popular writer...
A French teacher for several years in Languedoc, Graeme discovered the Voyage in France. He doesn't regret the walk and wants to finish without delay because, for him, at Saint-Jean-du-Gard, it's the end of the holiday. He has to return to England in a few days. He raises his glass to French encounters.
Philippe takes the opportunity to bring coffee, pear brandy, and Belgian cinnamon cookies. He puts down the tray and grabs his guitar... "I crossed the world and California, I put my hands in the mud to find gold, I'm a gold digger." He continues his story as a modern cowboy, singing Dylan, Neil Young, Eagles, and his own repertoire - which he has no reason to be ashamed of.
A log in the fireplace and the folk atmosphere settles in. These boots are made for walking... Raoul takes the opportunity to check his growing blisters. Coffee, beer, and Leonard Cohen. The songs warm the atmosphere. After the beautiful starry sky, the beautiful gîte of L'Etoile. When Graeme the Englishman asks the Belgo-Greek if he's read "Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes", the other smiles: - I've read two books in my life. My library is in my head. On the road at fourteen. Working on farms, sleeping in barns, and then America. Those are my books.
Monks in the mountain. And I gave thanks to God for being free to wander, free to hope, free to love...
Excerpt from "Belles etoiles" With Stevenson in the Cevennes, Gulliver collection, directed by Michel Le Bris, Flammarion.
Former resort hotel with a garden on the banks of the Allier, L'Étoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent, nestled between Lozère, Ardèche, and the Cevennes in the mountains of Southern France. Positioned at the crossroads of GR®7, GR®70 Chemin Stevenson, GR®72, GR®700 Voie Regordane (Saint Gilles), GR®470 Sources and Gorges of the Allier, GRP® Cevenol, Montagne Ardechoise, and Margeride. It offers numerous loop routes for hiking and day-long cycling excursions. Ideal for a relaxing stay.
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