FV 079 : (Part 2) Boots to Bliss: The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela by Claude Tranchant

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Claude Tranchant is a French lady now living in Brisbane, Australia. On her 64th birthday, she set off to walk the way of Saint James (le pélerinage de St Jacques de Compostelle), covering over 2,500 km through France and Spain, crossing the Pyrenees to reach Santiago de Compostela. All alone. Oh, and she had never hiked before! Her physical journey soon became a spiritual and a humane one too. Find out more about the St James’s Way pilgrimage, the fears Claude had to overcome and how she changed forever along the way.

Part 1 of this interview located in episode 78.

Episode Timeline

Part 1

Claude's backpack: content

Why Claude wrote a daily diary

Water supply on the walk

Part 2

Very basic comfort!

The pilgrims' radio?

Claude’s injury

Part 3

Encounters on the road

Mixed feelings at the end of the road

Part 4

Writing Boots to Bliss

Inspiring people...and walking some more!

Vocab List

ampoule (nf) = blister

borne (nf) = distance marker, kilometer marker

bouche à oreille (nm) = word of mouth

calepin (nm) = notepad, small notebook

faciliter les choses = to make things easy/easier

genou (nm) = knee

journal (nm) = diary

orteil (nm) = toe

sac de couchage (nm) = sleeping bag

se faire mal = to hurt oneself

semelles orthopédiques (nf) = orthotic inserts, arch supports, orthopedic soles/insoles

tapis de sol (nm) = floor mat

têtu,e = stubborn

Questions:

(Part 1) Why did Claude write a diary?

(part 2) Where was Claude when she injured herself? Which body part was that?

(Part 3) Give 2 reasons why Claude was scared at the end of her pilgrimage.

Answers:

For her children to have written notes of her in case anything happened to her.

She was going down a slope in the Massif Central and hurt her knee.

After 100 days connecting with herself and nature, she was scared of going back to a materialistic/consumerist world. Also, she had changed so much that she feared there would be a big gap and misunderstanding between herself and those she knew.

Links & Resources

Website: facebook.com/BootsToBliss

Get “Boots to Bliss” on Amazon

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