Day 24 / Bourges - Issoudun / 41.70 km
Yesterday had been a resting day. Today it will be a running day. I open the shutters. It is also a raining day. Nothing I can change about that. At least I will be able to test my new Salomon rain pants. I have breakfeast (borrow 3 butters). Pack my backpack. Check out.
Leaving a bigger city is never fun. Today is no different. The first 5 km I run along a busy RN. As the French having problems to gasp the concept of pavements I often need to run on the road. Cars and trucks are flashing by in the rain. In the distance I see 2 fluorescent dots. When I get closer I see it is “Gigi” and Carole, 2 of the 4 ladies I partied with in La Charité-sur-Loire. We complain about the weather and the RN, being pilgrims together. I walk with them until we leave the RN. I say goodbye. Today’s destination is Issoudun roughly 40 km further. The map shows it will be a “straight ahead”, mainly flat, run, along a departmental road. I start running.
The weather is wet and gray. As I’m rested, running on a flat road with new running shoes I make great progress. Around 10.15 I enter Morthomiers. 14 kilometres. A “bar-grocery-bakery-and other things” is open. I stop and had have a coffee. Mr. Meteo Agricole informs me it will stop raining at 11 o’clock. Mr. Meteo is correct. I continue to run my today’s straight line.
The next 15 km I run through a forest. Although on a departemental. Before 12 o’clock I arrive in a village with a bar and grocery. I have run almost 30 km in 3 hours. My lunch contains the things my sport diëtist has recommended : Pain de Raisins, taboulé and a hot chocolat. The combination of couscous and hot chocolat is probably somewhat fare fetched. To couscous or not to couscous Bart !
After my nutritious lunch I continue to run. When I stop at a next village I stop in a wooden shelter to remove my rain pants as the sun is shyly shining. The local youth, I assume, as there is a retirement home across the road, have left some messages for humanity. We need to smoke “cheet” and someone is looking for a, small, serious girl. If both messages are from the same messenger I think it will be difficult quest. It will be difficult to find a small girl who remains serious after smoking “cheet”. I’m nor a girl, nor serious and there is no “cheet” around so I decide to continue running. If there are “girls” reading this blog you can present yourselves Wednesday afternoons, weekends or any French school holiday (still assuming it’s not a message from “Soixante-huitard” residing in the retirement home) at the square of Avail.
Due to a navigational error I end up at a busy RN. I either need to run 2 km along the RN, where trucks, cars and military transport is flashing by or take a detour of 6 km. I follow the 2 km along the RN.
After 2 km I re-connect with the Compostela path which is a track trough the fields. After 200 meters I have collected 2 kilos of clay on each foot. Running is not longer possible. I hike the last 4 km into Issoudun.
When entering Issoudun I notice a roadsign “Pepsi”. As I have worked a couple of years for Pepsi I’m curious as I can’t recall a Pepsi plant in Issoudun. When I pass by the building it’s closed. It looks “plant “ like. Maybe it is closed as part of a restructure. I Google Pepsi Issoudun. Google returns : Palais des Expositions et des Sports d’Issoudun. Mystery solved. Trademark discussions maybe not.
The hotel I booked is called “Hotel de la Gare”. If it was part of a chain the other hotels would be named “Hotel des Voyageurs” and “Hotel des commerce”. The hotel, is not surprisingly, located at Issoudun train station and is available on booking.com from 38 €. The hotel does not disappoint me as it is closed as I arrive. Check-in is only possible from 17.30 onwards. I return to the city centre and install myself in a Bar-Tabac where I spend 2 hours until the hotel opens. The city has a nice castle and museum but as it is Monday everything is closed. After checking in, I run the shower for 15 minutes before finally warm water appears which is shower compliant. Dinner is fine. Breakfeast is not served before 9 o’clock.
Lessons learned :
- Pepsi is not always Pepsi. At least not in Issoudun.
- Salomon rainpants are better then WAA rainpants.
- Peopel need to smoke more “cheet”.
- After rain sun will eventually shine
- One runs faster with new running shoes
Song of the day : Road to Nowhere -Talking Heads
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