I took the train from Chartres in the morning to Illiers and walked the country roads in a generally south direction with a slightly west heading. Nice, cool day that made the 29 km (18 mi) on flat countryside doable even for a while in drizzle. Passing through the small villages delighted me but their lack of eateries frustrated me as well. At one point I gave up and pulled out half of my dry baguette and ate it with my water. Later I even pulled some beans off a stalk in the field thinking that they would round out my diet--they were good.
Then I entered the town of Dangeau and again I looked around--but nothing available (it was also Bastille Day). Then I spotted a fancy restaurant, stepped inside, saw the exquisite table settings, and decided not to enter. At that instant, I looked at the menu outside and saw mainly 5-course "menus," starting at 45€. I was still hungry and figured I might be able to find something a la carte, so I decided to go in.
The name of the restaurant was (loosely translated) The Postal Coach Stop at St James. It's directly on the St. James route and the church across the street is named St James--wow. It was established as a hotel in 1490.
I noticed the a la carte items would have added up to more than their least expensive menu, which I started to order. Then the server saw my St James shell, and she told me that all the plat du jour selections were half price! This no doubt was (and will be) the climax meal of my Camino: escargot, duck, a cheese platter with 20+ cheeses to choose from, and then desert. I just couldn't bring myself to ordering wine--it would have wiped me out for the remainder of the walk! Two quarts of water did the trick. The emotional ride from dry bread to a three-star meal was more than I could handle! I was overwhelmed. Thank you!
