Day 31 /La Besse - Limoges / 37.1 km

This night, Antonio, the Neymar of snoring won the snoring World Cup and defeated France with ease. At 6.30 Antonio wakes up. As result I do too, I have the impression altough I was just asleep. Breakfeast is not served until 7.30 so I start packing my backpack. At 7.00 my backpack is packed. I read the news, fb,..to kill the time. Breakfeast is as usual Bread, jam, butter, coffee.No plate required again.

At 8.15 Antonio and I,start walking to Billanges, 2 km away, where I will go right on a GR,Antonio left on the Compostela path. Today I want to reach Limoges. It’s no fun to cross a city, certainly not during daytime, so I decided to be in Limoges today so tomorrow I need to do an exit only.The GR takes around 40 k to Limoges, the Compostela path around 53k. Hence the reason I’m following the GR. At Billanges Antonio and I say goodbye to each other and wish each other a Buen Camino. I appreciated the time spend together with Antonio, who is really fun an nice, but at the same time I’m happy to be on myself again. Oh, I forgot, it’s, not raining.

The GR dives directly into a river valley through a forest. Great. I cross a river a couple of times. The next 25 km is a mix of wood and field paths. The views are great (I know, it’s getting boring).

I encounter some people, a mountainbiker,  a runner which I see a strangly again after some kilometres. He is intrigued why I’m running here as he never encounters any other runners. The guy is called Jacques and lives in the nearby village. As I need to pass his house  we run together for a while. Jacques explains mr he is a passionate runner doing 100 k a week at the age of 56. Has run even more in the past. We chit-chat,I explain I’m running to Compostela. When we arrive at his house I’m introduced to his wife. Jacqueline. Jacques et Jacqueline. I’m offered a drink, some fruit, we talk. Strangely I start to like these conversations about nothing important, weather, family, work,where we going,...when Jacques informs me that in the next village the bakery is open until 13.pp I say farewell and continue to run. Again wi forgot to ask to take a picture. 

In the next village (Palais sur Vienne) I find the open bakery an buy some lunch. From here on Il follow the river Vienne to Limoges, 8 km further. The sun is not showing but the temperature is 17 degrees. Not bad. I follow the path along the Vienne. My right knee is complaining since some time today. The pain is runnable but annoying. My right upperleg (where it connects with my hip) joins in the complaining. I guess my knee and leg are not agreeing with the volume of downhill running of the last days. I decide it’s better to give my knee and leg an Eastern break. I take a painkiller and walk the last 4 km to Limoges. People pass by running. I’m somewhat annoyed I’m not running myself. 

After a bend I see the Cathedral of Limoges. I have a beer on a terrace. Afterwards my knee and leg seems to stop complaining. Limoges city has an old city center connected to the river by nice bridge. Entering the city is like stepping into a mortuary. The city is dead ; everything is closed, hardly any people or cars on the street. The old center is nice but would be more fun with people around and shops, bars open. The Cathedral is open, besides the guard I’m the only person. The Cathedral is well maintained and has some beautiful paintings and glass windows.

My hotel is nearby the beautiful Limoges train station built in 1929. It’s called Benedictine as in the past a cloister existed on this spot.

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In the evening My aim is to find an open restaurant. After googling and walking through the city for more then 1 hour I settle with the only restaurant I find open : The great Chinese wall, an all you can eat Chinese. Compared to the other restaurants open it was edible.

Tomorrow I will leave Limoges for Châlus entering the Périgord. Sometime tomorrow I will pass the 1000 km mark. Only 200 km before the countdown starts. 

Lessons learned :

- A lonely pilgrim is not an unhappy pilgrim.

- Floreffe beer reduces knee and joint pain.The ibuprofen I took ,or the combination with alcohol, has nothing to do with it.

- I’m getting quite experienced in hand washing clothes. Washing machines, so outdated.

- 万岁中国自助餐厅

Song of today : no music today.

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