Walking the Le Puy route & French for the Camino

Discover the path, culture and language for an unforgettable journey.

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Embarking on the historic Le Puy route is more than just a walk; it's a foray into the heart of French heritage, a physical and spiritual adventure intertwined with the culture, language, and landscapes of France.

Our e-course is carefully designed to prepare you for this iconic pilgrimage, ensuring that you don’t just travel through France, but truly experience and appreciate it in its full essence.

Via Podiensis Overview

Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

750 km pilgrimage trail from Le Puy-en-Velay to St. Jean Pied-de-Port in southern France.
Charming villages, medieval towns, and scenic natural landscapes.
Diverse landscapes: forests, hills, rivers, gorges, and the picturesque Aubrac plateau.
Two main variants: Célé Valley and Rocamadour variant.
Marked as GR 65, it is well-maintained for easy navigation.
Takes about 32-35 days to complete, suitable for all abilities.
Walking season: late April to October.
Accommodations include diverse gîtes, offering communal dining and lodging.
Majority of walkers are French; basic French understanding can enhance the experience.

We lovingly crafted the course to equip you with the knowledge, cultural insights and linguistic skills, to embark on the Le Puy Camino with confidence and joy.

With our detailed curriculum, you’ll be well-prepared to:

1. Appreciate the importance of the historic town of Le Puy and the amazing Camino send-off at the cathedral.

2. Navigate the route with an understanding of waymarking and stage planning using Rob's Guide.

3. Discover the "gîte experience" : your "French home" away from home.

4. Find the services you need : boulangeries, cafés, pharmacies, banks, bag transportation etc...Know how to use them and the opening hours.

5. Be familiar with the French way of life, food and culture.

6. Ask questions, get directions, interact with locals and fellow pilgrims in French.

Course curriculum

1. 1.1 Welcome to the Course
2. 1.2 Meet Kate Your Guide
3. 1. 3 Navigating the Course
4. 1.4 When to Walk
1. 2.1 Getting to Le Puy
2. 2.2 Introduction to Le Puy-en-Velay
3. 2.3 Things to do in Le Puy-en-Velay
4. 2.4 Before You Leave Le Puy-en-Velay
1. 3.1 Let's Talk About Waymarking
2. 3.2 Introduction to Rob's Guide
3. 3.3 Download Rob's Guide
4. 3.4 Plan Your Stages Using Rob's Guide
1. 4.1 The Gîte Experience
2. 4.2 Booking a Gîte - PDF Template/Confimation/Text Message
3. 4.3 Useful French When Booking Your Gîte
4. 4.3.1 Counting in French from 1-31
5. 4.3.2 Days of the Week
6. 4.3.3 Months of the year in French
7. 4.4 Arriving at the gîte: The rituals of the pilgrim
8. 4.5 Food in Gîtes
9. 4.6 Dinner on the Camino
10. 4.7 Breakfast in Gîtes
11. 4.8 Lunch on the Camino
1. 5.1 At the Boulangerie
2. 5.2 At the Café/ Restaurant
3. 5.3 How to Book a Restaurant
4. 5.4 At the Pharmacie
5. 5.4.1 Naming Parts of the Body in French
6. 5.5 At the Office de Tourisme
7. 5.6 Transportation of Bags and People
8. 5.6.1Transportation of bags and people PDF
9. 5.7 Staying Connected on the Chemin, SIM Cards... PDF
10. 5.8 ATMs and cash on the Camino... PDF
11. 5.9 Opening Hours and Holidays in France
1. 6.1 Un cafè, s'il vous plaît! (SVP!)
2. 6.2 Tipping, Maybe Not What You are Used to
3. 6.3 The Rest Room ou (or) les Toilettes!
4. 6.4 Four Magic Words
5. 6.5 Faire la Bise
1. 7.0 Introduction to French for the Camino
1. 7.1.1 The verb Être "to be"
2. 7.1.2 The verb Avoir "to have"
3. 7.1.3 The verb Aimer "to love"
4. 7.1.4 The verb Vouloir "to want"
5. 7.1.5 The verb Aller "to go"
6. 7.1.6 The verb Manger "to eat"
7. 7.1.7 The verb Boire "to drink"
1. 7.2.0 Introduction to Questions
2. 7.2.1 How to Ask Questions
3. 7.2.2 Est-ce-que
4. 7.2.3 Comment
5. 7.2.4 Combien
6. 7.2.5 Quand
7. 7.2.6 Où
8. 7.2.7 Pourquoi
9. 7.2.8 Qui
10. 7.2.9 Que
11. 7.2.10 Quel
1. 7.3.1 Introducing Yourself
2. 7.3.2 Feelings
3. 7.3.3 On versus Nous
4. 7.3.4 Savoir versus Connaître
5. 7.3.5 C'est versus Il est
6. 7.3.6 Tu or Vous
7. 7.3.7 Mon or Ma?
1. 8.1 Pronouncing Names from Le Puy to Conques
2. 8.2 Pronouncing Names from Conques to Moissac
3. 8.3 Pronouncing Names from Moissac to Saint-Jean-Pieds-de-Port
1. 9.1 Body Scan in French with Subtitles
2. 9.2 Body Scan in French Audio
3. 9.3 Bilingual Body Scan
1. A Final Word

About this course

$39.00
72 lessons
4.5 hours of video content

Meet Kate, your Camino guide

Hi, I'm Kate.

I'm half-French and half-British.
I've lived most of my adult life in Paris, France , where I was a drama teacher and a mind-body therapist.

I also had a company "Les Passe-Partout pour l'Europe", specialized in teaching languages through drama, play acting and conversation.
I now live in the USA, in South Carolina .

In September 2014, after going through a very difficult time on a personal Ievel, I woke up to a beautiful day with the inspiration to walk a camino.
Little did I know that my camino would be my path of transformation.
I wasn’t sure what route to choose and I stumbled on Robert Forrester’s Facebook group dedicated to the Le Puy route.

Waking the Le Puy Camino Route totally opened me to the “rapture of feeling alive” as Joseph Campbell puts it.
It was a path of healing -naturally- just by walking and being in nature, going through some of the most beautiful villages of France…
It helped me become conscious of some deep inner wounds and start caring for myself as a mother would for her beloved child.
I can honestly say that my Camino opened me to Love.
It instilled in me a sense of awe, beauty, inner strength and freedom that continue to influence and enrich my daily existence.

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$39.00

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CAMINO WAY OF LIFE