Saint Sulpice (France) | Corn to Saint Sulpice (Day 2 - Part 1) - 7 Jul, 2023

This beautiful little chapel is near Corn, France, and is on private property. The little old widow who owns it restored the chapel with the help of her sons. The chapel has two unique features. First, it has a bread oven attached to its right side. Second, the chapel and oven use the natural cliff façade as the back wall.

After heading out this morning, I remembered I could use my Hiiker App to track my progress during each stage. So, I open the app and hit the record button. "Still looking for the correct route on your phone," says Céline as she nudges me. I laugh. Nope. I trust you. It will reveal itself as we go.

I also have several unread messages on WhatsApp this morning. After leaving Plum Village, I contacted several people I met on the Camino in Belgium and the Netherlands. I wanted to check their availability after my week walking the Valley of the Célé. Cami and Isabel, who are in Belgium, informed me that their schedules are full but could be available later. However, Ivo, Lena, Stephan, and Saskia are all available starting next week.

Well, there it is, Céline. I am going to the Netherlands next week. It worked out great! All the people in each country are available around the same time. I was hoping it would work out that way. "Chouette! I am excited for you," she says with a smile. 

Day 2 takes me from Corn to Sainte Sulpice. The trek is approximately 18 km (11 mi) with a max elevation of 314 m (1,030 ft). The only village with a grocery store and pastry shop on the route today is not until Brengue, France, at 12 km (7.5 mi).

Leaving this morning, I feel like I am walking in a fairy tale. Each village I have passed so far has beautiful medieval houses built of stone. Each tiny village yields to a tranquil green countryside. When I do encounter pavement, the vehicle traffic is almost nonexistent. This is one of the most enjoyable trekking routes I have done so far.

In addition to being a popular trekking destination, the Valley of the Célé is frequented by canoers and kayakers during the summer. So far, I haven't seen anyone enjoying the river, but I have passed several points of access and many signs informing me of the popularity of these water activities. Maybe next time I am this way, floating the Célé might be fun.

Céline and I cross the Corn Bridge over the Célé, then notice a small chateâu that uses the cliffside as a natural wall. As I round the corner, the road begins to climb. There is a little old lady that is weeding by the side of the road. When she notices us approaching, she stops us. "Good morning. Would you like to see a beautiful little chapel? Do you have time?" Céline looks at me as I shrug and nod my head yes. "We have plenty of time. We are just starting to walk this morning on our second day," replies Céline. The little old lady smiles and begins to lead us off the trail and down her driveway behind her chateâu.

"This is my grapevine. Each fall, I bottle fresh grape juice for my grandkids. My husband passed away a few years ago. Now it is just me that maintains this whole place," she says. I glance down and notice the entire gravel driveway has been freshly raked. It resembles a fine French garden with all the shallow rake lines. "The chapel is just around the corner. Go ahead," she says. 

The tiny chapel is incredible! The little old widow proceeds to tell us about how she acquired every piece of decoration. Some were donations while she made other pieces. "When we bought this place, the chapel was used to shelter hogs. It was a real mess. We did all the restoration ourselves," she says, smiling. I can tell she is very proud of her work. There is a rusty cross on the back wall that catches my eye. "I fabricated the cross on the back wall from the metal band from an old wooden wagon wheel that I had in the yard, she says. "It's amazing!" says Céline. The cross has a beautiful dark pitted patina, and the simplicity of it is stunning.

I don't know how long we spent with the little old widow, and it doesn't matter. I could have chatted with her for hours. She never told us her name. She reminded me of another little old lady I had the pleasure of meeting in Ireland, Mary Doherty. 

What a fortuitous event to run into this little old widow, Céline. Can you believe she takes care of that entire chateâu by herself? "It's encounters like these that fill my bucket and enrich my travel experiences," she says. I agree. I love meeting people like her. Plus, allowing ourselves time to follow these social threads is nice. It is so much better than seeing tourist sites. 😀

The trail leads us away from the little old widow's house and turns to an oak forest. What is that? I ask as I point off in the distance to a beautiful bird with white spots on the wings and rump. The leading edge of the wings have a beautiful turquoise-blue color. "That's a Geai de Chene. It is one of my favorite birds," she says. After digging around on my phone, I realize the literal translation is an Oak Jay. However, the common English name for the beautiful bird is a Eurasian Jay. We spend the next little bit discussing Jays. I share photos of the ones we have in North America, Blue Jay, Stellar's Jay, Scrub Jay, and Canada Jay, with Céline.

This part of France has many old abandoned community bread ovens (photo below). This one is in excellent condition. Back in the day, the ovens were fired up a couple of times per week, and nearby families would gather to bake bread together.

Following the GR 651 is easy. The trail is marked with a white and red stripe at all intersections and occasionally along the path. The yellow line is another trail that occasionally overlaps with the GR 651. 

This morning has been extremely rich and rewarding so far. Just before arriving in Espanac-Sainte-Eulalie, I stopped and read the short passage in the photo above, which was posted by Around the World in Happiness. I smile and feel grateful to have crossed paths with it this post this morning. The quote translates to:

    Feel majestic like these beautiful landscapes and feel all this immensity that is inside you.

    Feel beautiful like the dawn, delicate like the orchid, resplendent with color and vibration like

    those multiple spring greens.

    Offer yourself, let yourself be loved, simply let yourself grow without holding anything back.

    Shine with all your being in many colors.

Arriving in Espanac-Sainte-Eulalie, I know I am not quite halfway yet. It's around 1130 am. I smile when I see this carved wooden statue of a pilgrim (below). The huge pilgrim stands nearly 3 m (12 ft) tall above the pedestal on which it stands. It reminds me of my time walking the Camino de Santiago. I stop and admire the pilgrim and the simplicity of the carving. It warms my heart to think of all the pilgrims who came before me and will follow me. I love traveling this way. I never feel alone.

Despite the small population of about 85 people, Espanac has a beautiful priory (i.e., a small monastery). The historically important priory now serves as an outdoor outreach facility. Unfortunately, it is closed today. Nevertheless, the courtyard is open. I shed my pack and grab some snacks. This is a perfect place to rest before continuing to Brengues...