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Thursday May 7. Mouthier-Haute-St-Pierre. 13.8 km.

 I spent a slow morning in Ornans, a lovely small town on the Loue river, surrounded by high hills with rocky promontories. 


The early nineteenth century painter Gustave Courbet was born here, grew up here, and returned frequently during his lifetime.  It makes excellent sense to have a Courbet museum here, much more sense than the Victor Hugo museum in Besançon  (Hugo was born there but his parents moved away when he was all of six weeks old) or the Diderot museum in Langres (Diderot spent his childhood here but left as soon as he could, in his early teens, and came back as seldom as humanly possible).  

One of Courbet’s first paintings, Ornans.  Right from his early teens, Courbet painted what he saw, in contrast to the popular romantic school of artists who painted with imagination, heightening emotion. Courbet was a great walker all his life.


A much later Ornans painting. Nearing the end of his life, in poorish health and just out of prison (Courbet was imprisoned for his role in the short-lived but heroic Commune), it is speculated that he probably was seeking solace in the peaceful landscapes of his home that he knew so well.


Eventually I got back on the Via.  A lovely walk along the Loue river with a climb at the end to get up to some villages. Here is the view from where I had a picnic lunch.  The cows haven’t changed much since Courbet’s time!



As the path starts to climb, villages are starting to look like mountain settlements.  Cows are starting to wear bells.


Here is the pilgrim gîte where I’m spending the night. The owners both teach; their observations about their profession, their students, the curriculum sound very similar to ones I have heard from teachers at home. A comfortable room, a nice dinner and breakfast with the family, and horrible internet.





Comments

  1. RitaMay 11, 2026 at 5:42 AM

    Beautiful countryside, but how do the people live without instant and constant 24-hour speedy access to the internet? 😂 That Pièta in the niche of the gite is quite something. Are most gites marked with religious statues or symbols?

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