Some Thoughts and Pictures

We have been home for a few weeks now and have had a chance to process our thoughts about our trek across France and frankly, I don't think I can adequately sum up what we experienced.  But here are my (Ed's) random thoughts: The trail was tough at times. There was beauty everywhere; in nature, in art, in architecture and much more.  The people of France were so hospitable.  The food was amazing and plentiful.  Many people's behavior left us scratching our heads.  And so on and so forth. Rather than ramble any farther, I will adhere to the old adage, "a picture is worth a thousand words" and leave some links to our photo album and a slide show video.  Enjoy!

Chemin 2015 Pictures

Chemin 2015 Video

Day 37: Montserrat to Barcelona - Train & Bus

Awoke to a thick fog over the high mountain. We would not be deterred. We were going to see something while we were there. Ate a big buffet breakfast at the hotel including way too much coffee. Got ready and checked out of the hotel (they allowed us to keep our bags there while we explored). Meandered around in the fog and found a trail called the Cami Dels Degotalls which was a path lined with tile pictures of Mary. It was also a Camino De Santaigo path! Can't seem to get off that trail. Headed back toward the main area where we found some market vendors selling fig cakes and cheese including Mato cheese that is a curd like cheese that is eaten with honey. Very good. Went by the post office there and mailed our trusty Opinel knife back home since we can't take it on the plane. Took the funicular train (it's one of those steep mountain rail cars). Down to a path that we followed to the Santa Cova where its purported that someone once had an encounter with Mary. The chapel is built over a cave in the side of the mountain. We did one other trail to a high peak but unfortunately the fog prevented any good views today. We finally gathered our bags and grabbed the trains down the mountain to head back to Barcelona. Upon arrival we grabbed some things for tomorrow's travels but also found a medieval street festival just starting which had some great food vendors. Caught a bus to the airport where we met the shuttle for our hotel. Whew! Decompressing before the big plane ride back to the U.S. In the morning. Hoping the storms back home don't prevent us from getting there. 

Have decided to leave our shoes behind. Good bye, old friends {sniff ; (  }

Day 36: Barcelona to Montserrat - Train

Threat of rain subsided so we got ready to head to Montserrat. A bit of a walk to the train station but along the way we were successful in getting coffee at a nice shop plus a couple small sandwiches for lunch. Found a market building where we got another sandwich and some fruit. Found our train and rode the one hour to the mountain top monastery. Got some info, dropped our backpacks at our hotel and had lunch. Then attended the short service where we heard the boys choir sing. The experience was a bit tainted as the throng of tourists ignored the requests and took many pictures with flash during the service. There was just a complete lack of respect and reverence. Disappointing. Took off afterwards and hiked to the top of the peaks at Sant Jeroni. Scary steep and windy cold. On the way down we had hoped to ride the funicular train back down to the monastery level but you had to have a ticket and couldn't buy one at the top. We ended up walking all the way back down. Found out later our train ticket included the funicular ride. Ha ha! Oh well. The whole area is geared towards the tourists and the souvenirs ($$). Very little info about the hiking and the trails are poorly marked. When we got back, we looked around a bit in shops and finally cleaned up and rested until our late dinner at the restaurant here. It was very nice. 

Hotel Abat Cisneros - A good hotel

Day 35: Pamplona to Barcelona - Train

Lazy morning in the hotel. Cafe con Leche and then checked out and walked to the train station. Four hour trip and we arrived in Barcelona where we were greeted by Anna, our good friend we met last year on the Camino Primitivo. Hung out at a cafe and caught up on our lives. We sadly had to part ways but had a great visit. We walked for a bit until we found our Barcelona hideaway. Dropped our bags and walked a bit more towards the Plaça and the La Rambla area. The amount of people walking the streets here is staggering. Were able to find an early dinner salad. Searched a bit and finally found some good boutique sweet treats. 

H La Paloma - Boutique hotel. Quirky but nice.

Day 34: Larrasoaña to Pamplona 16 kilometers

Overnight rain was sure to muddy the paths today but we only had 16 kilometers to go so we march on.  A very quiet morning and not as cool. Stopped mid morning at El Horno De Irotz, a cool little cafe that we enjoyed on our journey last year. We had some great coffee and breakfast cake but it was very quiet as no other pilgrims stopped in. We continued and got to the big city of Pamplona before noon. Made our way through the busy city until we reached the officina de tourisma where we got some maps and needed info. As we exited the office we ran into some Pelerins that have been on the same path as us for some days now. They have been traveling from Geneva and are going to Santiago. Even though we didn't hang out with them much I think we found we had a great respect for one another. We said our goodbyes and continued on. As we went to find our hotel and the train station we followed the path of the running of the bulls. After obtaining tickets to travel to Barcelona tomorrow, we checked in to our hotel, dropped off our bags and did a walking tour of the great walled city.  The fortress that is the city is massive. What was a bit sad was the defacing of several of the entrance gates. Not sure why anyone would feel the need to mar a beautiful and historic place. We lucked into finding a great restaurant for a midday meal of salads, pinxtos, and coffee. After tiring during our tour, we headed back towards our hotel, stopping at a store to get some things for dinner and our trip tomorrow. Our days of walking on The Way for this journey are now over. A bit sad. 

Day 33: Ronceveaux to Larrasoaña 27 kilometers

Awoke to a cool and foggy morning in Ronceveaux (Roncevalles). Had our first cafe con leche this morning. Joan is missing her Cafe Noisettes already. Hit the trail just before 8:00.  The parade of pilgrims had already begun. Found it to be a bit strange to be on the Spanish route again. Saw so many people with gigantic backpacks.  Don't know how they do it. Stopped mid morning for a rest and a coffee stop in Bizcarreta, a place where we spent the night before we started last year. Then walked some long wooded paths before coming to Zubiri (pronounced Zoo-beedy). We picnicked there and got an ice cream before making the last bit of today's journey to Larrasoaña. Checked into the albergue and got our chores done by 3:00. Went to the local tienda where we got some food for a meal last year and enjoyed some classic rock tunes played by the owner, Angel.  He's quite a character. Got a few things to sustain us tomorrow morning.  Decided to participate in one more community dinner. The company and conversation were far better than the food this time. Talked with women from Ireland and Lithuania.

Albergue San Nicolas - very nice, clean facility. Meal is sub par but not many options in this town.

Day 32: St. Jean Pied de Port to Ronceveaux 26 kilometers

Awoke prepared to climb over the Pyrenees today except for Joan fighting a bad cold. Today began with breakfast at Alain's Gite. One of our top petite dejeuners yet. Yogurt and grain cereal with bread baked in his kitchen, and an apple and cheese! Ate with Jack and William who will finish walking today.  We left at 7:45 and it was quite cool and foggy.  Of course my "tough as nails" wife knew she would be sweating as soon as we started climbing so she didn't bother to don any cool weather clothing like most others who walk. They looked at her like she was crazy. And there are so many people walking this morning. Way different than the last month. The first 10 kilometers are very steep so it is a rough start.  Last year we started in Hunto which was five kilometers into the journey.  We arrived at Orrison which is at the 9 kilometer mark at about 9:15 where we took our first break and got an excellent espresso.  Continued on until we got to the statue of Mary and took another break for our daily banana.  As we walked we started hearing a lot of American English spoken.  It's amazing that in the last month we had only encountered three Americans and in our first few hours we saw several times that amount. Walked a while more until we encountered Henri and his buddy Alex who were passing out water and offering encouragement to the pilgrims. Henri said we didn't look like Americans because we were fit (not a good statement about the state of what people think of our country). It was quite funny but we were very conflicted on what language to speak as there were still many French but we started hearing the familiar refrain "Buen Camino" instead of "Bon Chemin" (and of course all the English). We eventually passed the France/Spain border and found ourselves a bit sad. Seems we have grown quite fond of the French people and their land in the last month. Passed the shelter at the 20 kilometer mark and found a big rock to sit on and enjoy our picnic. After a long break we headed off to complete our day's journey.  We felt like we kept a relatively slow pace since Joan wasn't feeling well yet we arrived in Ronceveaux at 1:45.  We finished the day in six hours with numerous breaks. We had wondered if last year we were just pumped on adrenaline because it was the start of our journey. We didn't think it wasn't nearly as hard as people had said. That was part of the reason we wanted to do it again because generally, we don't like to retrace our steps. But now we have to wonder if our last four weeks of walking made us strong enough to think it wasn't that bad. Upon arriving I did what I had been wanting to do for weeks....throw off my shoes and put my feet and ankles in the cold creek that runs behind the cathedral.  It was so cold but so amazingly refreshing and therapeutic. 

We then found our accomodations. We eschewed staying in the big albergue since Joan is sick and were able to book a room at the Casa de Beneficiandos.  Wish I could find rooms like this in the states for these prices. It's a one bedroom apartment. Nice! We were able to get an early dinner here at the hotel restaurant and it was a surprising treat. Delicious! 

Casa De Los Beneficianados (Hotel Roncevalles) - Excellent!!

Day 31: Ostabat to St. Jean Pied De Port!! 21 Kilometers

So awoke early to prepare for our day.  Breakfast wasn't hitting on much except for serving Pound Cake! Hilarious. Not a long day of walking but we hoped to get there early enough to explore St. Jean. Got a good jump on the day and kept our pace brisk.  It was tough as Joan has developed a cold but was pushing through it. The fog was pretty thick and provided us these rainbow like images as the sun rose. Didn't stop until we got to a town four kilometers short of our destination where we had our first proper coffee in two days. And it was a good one, too. We finally arrived at SJPP at 11:30. We were surprised to find a throng of people but most of them were tourists. They seemed to disappear early in the afternoon. The first order of business was to get our Tampon on our Creanciale (stamp on our credential). We then wandered town for quite a while scoping things out and procuring a few things for tomorrow's climb over the Pyrenees. We actually arrived in time to catch the end of Mass at the cathedral. After eating a little for lunch, we sat and rested while we waited for our Gite to open.  We finally checked in and this place is exceptional.  Paid a bit more than we have been in the Gites but we really needed a good stay before going on. After cleaning up and doing laundry we rested until late afternoon when we then took off to see a little history. Walked to the Citadel at the top of town and the views were really neat.  We found a couple more food stuffs for our day tomorrow (a Monday, bad day for stores) and then found a place serving an early supper. Calling it a night early so we can both (Joan especially) be well rested for tomorrow.  

Hard to believe we have "connected the dots" on our Caminos/Chemin from LePuy all the way to the Spanish coast.  That's some 1700 kilometers or over 1000 miles.  We'll try to wrap our heads around this when it's over but in the meantime...onward and upward!!

Gite Azkorria - What a superb place! Everything here is top notch. Great location. Owner is excellent (very helpful and gave us a discount too!). Highly recommend.

Day 30: Aroue to Ostabat 23 Kilometers

Bid a fond adieu to our hostess Evelyn, then her husband Guy gave us a ride back to resume our path where we left off in Aroue.  He gave us his business card and told us if we had any problems the rest of the way we should call him and he would help us. Love those people. He gave me some walnuts from a tree in his backyard. We felt like we were moving at a snails pace today but we clicked off some kilometers while the air was cool. Stayed on the path rather than take the popular shortcut and went to a wonderful spot on top of a mountain. The vista was amazing. Enjoyed our picnic and had a long rest.  Afterward, we continued our slow pace until we arrived in Ostabat where we rested until we could check into our Gite which was only a short jaunt away (yes, we were still early...again). This Gite is one of the popular spots where everyone wants to be so it's very crowded. We had been trying to avoid that but we are thankful for our accomodations. The evening meal was traditional and sufficient.  Things were a bit loud with 30 people in a small room. It included some basque folk singing with the owner who loves to perform.  It was interesting but a bit long.  On to St Jean Pied de Port tomorrow!

Gite Gaineko Xteia - A purpose-built facility. Relatively clean except for a sewage smell outside on the deck. Meal was fair. Too many people. 

Day 29: Navarranx to Aroue 18 kilometers (and more)

Awoke with hopes that today would bring good fortune our way. We were not disappointed. A quick coffee and goodbye at our Gite and we were off to explore Navarranx, a walled city. Since we had two options for our travel today, really long or really short, we opted to go short (18 kilometers) which gave us a chance to leave later. A proper coffee and some patisserie goodies were a good start. We then continued our walking tour of the town from the day before. This place was really cool with some underground tunnels which we chose to traverse until we met some bats which made us retreat (haha). We collected some food from a couple different places including one with "produits du terrior" (products of the territory). A super chill morning and we set off.  We stopped once briefly about midway at a so-called "shelter" and had a snack and short rest. Continued until we almost got to Aroue when we found an acceptable pique-nique spot. Finally found Aroue shortly thereafter. This is where things got interesting. Yesterday, we had decided to eschew the earmarked Gite where we heard many Pelerin were going and tried to book a small place. When the tourist office called they were told it was "complete" although the owner said we could stay at his house! We were told to get someone to call him when we arrived at town at the communal Gite and he would come pick us up. Our friend Sophie was there and she called for us. After a bit of a wait, Evelyn showed up. She then drove us a bit of a distance.  We didn't know where we were going but ended up some 20 kilometers away in the quaint village of Laas. They have a wonderful home directly across from a beautiful church.  After we arrived we washed and went for a walk to explore the village. Here we found the Domaine De Laas which contains an old Chateau and these amazing gardens that front the River D'Oloron. This place was very beautiful and picturesque along the winding river. After a rest our hosts served us a tremendous dinner of vegetable and duck soup, "Poulet de Basque" an amazing chicken dish with rice and a delicious tart with custard.  Although Guy and Evelyn speak less English than we speak French, we had a great time conversing with them and learning about each other and our families.  Our adventure has really taken us way off the beaten path and we have had a very good day!

Gite La Tortue (?) Guy Phillipe, and his wife Evelyn are reason enough to recommend his Gite 

Day 28: Arthez-De-Bearn to Navarranx 32 Kilometers

Beautiful morning as we left Arthez.  Pyrenees were in full view and getting bigger as we walk towards. Kept a moderate pace and made two stops this morning.  First we stopped at at town with a small epicerie that served some coffee.  Not great but a short rest. Marched on until we reached an Abbye that was unfortunately under renovation.  A small cafe nearby was our second resting spot where we stopped and ate our picnic, enjoyed a spot of coffee and watched a multitude of Pelerin start to show up.  The path appears to be getting more populated.  We marched on and reached our destination village of Navarranx. It's a walled bastide city that is very well preserved.  We spent some time wandering and finding the tourism office.  Got to our Gite and found it to be basically a construction site.  The owners are new and renovating this old building.  And unfortunately, this has turned out to be a not so pleasant place to stay.  Our room is very nice with a great shower and comfy beds but the dinner was meager and average at best albeit served with a decent salad.  We dined in the back warehouse that was very cold with a bat flying around. For four weeks we have always done our own laundry but this was the first time that a Gite offered laundry as included so we decided to take them up on the offer.  But after the dinner ended at close to 10:00 we found our laundry washed but not dried. We also found our bedroom very cold. They also owned an almost constantly barking dog that was highly annoying. We chose this place upon someone's recommendation but we are not impressed. We have had many great places so far so can't really complain too much. As a pilgrim, I am thankful for shelter and sustenance but this was disappointing. On to tomorrow.  

Gite Giraffe - good potential but far away from being a place to recommend 

Day 27: Arzacq-Arraziguet to Arthez-De-Bearn 30 Kilometers

Last night, the forecast for today was rain and lots of it.  We don't like slogging through the rain so we had booked accommodations for about 16 kilometers away.  When we woke up today, the forecast had changed considerably.  Light rain early and tapering off.  We didn't want to waste a day so we decided to cancel our reservation and get something farther down the path.  Joan had a notation for a nice Chambre in Arthez-De-Bearn so we got the young lady at our Gite to call ahead and book us a spot and cancel our other place.  So after getting some fruit at the Carrefour and having proper coffee and some killer pastries (I had my favorite Jesuit!, Joan had a chocolate filled twisty pastry) we got started around 9:00.  Light rain accompanied us for a little bit but not bad.  Our camera got a bit damp so we missed a few pics this morning. We got to the town where we were originally going to stay around noon.  A bit farther we came upon a Pilgrims oasis that someone had created with picnic benches and flowers and such.  Unfortunately, the overnight rains had made it too damp to enjoy so we trekked on. Soon after we found a pique-nique area filled with other Pelerin who had stay in our previous village and had left early this morning.  A bit of a rest and we headed off for the final leg.  Got to town around 3:00.  Stopped at a store where we got a few things and started towards our place for the night, while walking down the street, a woman starts yelling at us .  It was Sophie from France who had been our path weeks ago.  We enjoyed a little reunion time and some laughs before we went on.  Our place here is quite nice and a very helpful host. He has already booked our accommodations for tomorrow night, another earmarked Gite.  Enjoyed some rest and amazing views from our bedroom window.  The Pyrenees are in full view! Our dinner was a lovely event.  Claude made our "repas" a wonderful and delicious presentation.  

Chambre D'hôtes La Maison en Paille - Quiet and relaxing at a very quaint house. Claude prepares a  superb dinner.  

Day 26: Aire-Sur-L'Adour to Arzacq-Arraziguet 32 Kilometers

Zoom! Today's forecast included some rain.  We looked at the hourly conditions and we saw a window where we thought we could get some kilometers in before rain really set in. Wasn't a whole lot to see in this stretch so it made for simply a travel day.  Said goodbye to our recent travel mates and we were off by 7:30.  At 10:30 we came to Miramont-Sensacq.  That was 18 kilometers.  A pretty fair pace.  A reastful snack and coffee and we were back on the road.  Kept a decent pace until we came upon a farmer who was relocating a cow and her calf.  Talked with him while we "helped" him herd the cattle.  After we had gotten to kilometer 28 on our day we finally encountered a bit of rain.  Only lasted 1.5 to 2 kilometers and it wasn't very heavy. Pulled in to our destination town at 1:30.  Not bad. 6 hours, 32 kilometers with a stop and some rain.  Treated ourselves to a cafe noisette and then hit the Officine de Tourisme where we checked the weather forecast and booked tomorrow's destination Gite.  Looks like a rain slog day so we are planning a relatively short walk.  Found our Gite and took care of chores. Spent a bit of time resting and planning ahead.  Ate dinner with many at the Gite and also the Frenchmen, Jack and William, who we have been crossing paths with since the Cele Valley. 

Gite Centre d'Accueil. Nice clean and good dinner. Large facility with decent resources. 

Day 25: Arblade-La-Haut to Aire-Sur-L'Adour 25 Kilometers

A good night's sleep. Can't always say that on the way.  Breakfast of champions as we had yogurt and granola for the second day in a row. Yes! An early start gave way to some quickly wet feet.  A busy road led us to walk a mowed path. Arg! Tried to take an alternate path but didn't really save much time. The Pyrenees were even more visible today. Had a long morning break before heading to Barcelonne (not Barcelona) which was the neighbor town to where we are staying tonight.  Got to town just before the Carrefour Market was closing so we were able to restock our food stores.  After getting to our destination town we were far too early to check in (again) so we got our first proper coffee in two days.  Had our daily picnic and then a bit of a wait when we finally checked in at the Gite and took care of daily chores.  Took a city tour and then came back and planned for the next day.  Planning lately has been hard because we like to cover ground but at the same time we like to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.  Factor in where the resources are and it can be difficult.  The whole " booking ahead" is probably the one thing on the Chemin that is not necessarily to our liking but we understand that we are staying at places that prepare meals that need to know for their planning. Another lovely community dinner with our hosts Alejandro and Isabella, former Pilgrims from Spain. I (Ed) found it amusing to converse with Isabella as she knows a little English and I know very little French but we communicated well in Spanish! 

La Maison des Pelerins - An older place in the city.  Albergue feel.  "Hospitaleros" that are super helpful.  

Day 24: Eauze to Arblade-la-haut 22 kilometers

Got up early today and had a different breakfast....yogurt and granola!! No bread and jam. Hung out at the Gite for a while as we knew we had a short day.  After getting underway, we clipped off ten kilometers quickly arriving at Mainciet.  Supposed to find things open.  Found nothing.  Continued on not seeing a whole lot except the outline of the Pyrenees most of the day which is an encouragement and a bit daunting considering we plan to cross them in just over a week.  We did encounter a man with a large gun and a dog who was bird hunting.  Arrived in Nogaro just a few minutes past noon where we found a grocery store and a patisserie still open.  They closed soon after we had procured food for today and some provisions for tomorrow.  Monday doesn't promise to find many resources because of the normal closings and the somewhat desolate path.  We feel fortunate.  Relaxing pique-nique at the park followed by a tour of the town cathedral that had some amazing frescos discovered not long ago and other ancient artifacts from the 11th century.  A very short three kilometers brought us to our Gite that is very nice (private room).  Got to relax and catch a nap before our dinner.  The meal tonight was, once again, outstanding.  The soup was a puréed root vegetable soup that we could have eaten all night.  But the next course was a slow-cooked beef with rice.  Sounds like just a regular family dinner but it was superb.  

Gite D'etape Arbladoise - quite a fine compound with garden and swimming pool.  The rooms are simple and very clean.  Fabulous food.  Friendly owners. 

Day 23: Larressingle to Eauze 28 Kilometers

Breakfast including home-baked whole grain bread was a nice way to start the day.  Also got a glimpse of the Pyrenees mountains from the porch. Said goodbye to Martine and her trusty dog, Gandalf, and we set off.  The paths are slowly drying out so a little less puddle jumping.  Had our first animal sighting when we saw what we believe to be a boar. It was down in a field and at first we thought it might be a be a dog or a bear.  Crazy! Our first stop was in Montreal (that's right....so how many Sprigfields are there?).  Took care of business and got a proper coffee and continued.  Zig zagged our way through vineyards where we actually saw them harvesting the grapes using a crazy machine.  Pique-inqued at Elena's in Lamothe.  After lunch we started on this long straight flat trail.  Wasn't very scenic but was very peaceful, except for our Geese encounter (thank goodness for the fence). Arrived in Eauze where we did a quick look around (saw our Australian friends), procured provisions for Sunday and then found our Gite, slightly on the outskirts of town.  Rested for a while with a nice treat of FaceTime with Eric. Had a very different dinner at our Gite. Had a potato salad with tomatoes, olives, and cheese.  And then had grilled Anguilla (eel).  Surprisingly tasty!

Gite Chez Nadine - nice, eclectic, kind and helpful owner

Day 22: La Romieu to Larressingle 21 Kilometers

A semi-traditional petite dejeuner started our day at the convent (yogurt and fruit added!). A short convo with our host, Pascal, and we were on our way.  Saw the cat statue on our way out of town, a tribute to Angeline, who legends say saved the village in an interesting story (too long to explain). Walked for quite a bit until we reached the city of Condom (no typo).  Daily business, food procuring and coffee before we were back on our way.  The trails off the road are still a bit muddy.  Not our fave but we keep hoofing it.  We had a crossroads to find where we would take a direct route to our destination town.  We stopped at a crossroads and were consulting our guide when a lady Pelerin came along.  We told her where we were headed and she advised us to take the road north.  We started walking when along came a young man who asked us where we were going.  When we explained, he told us we were going towards the busy road.  We had turned too soon.  We talked further and discovered that he was the son of the lady who runs the Gite where we are staying tonight! Our guardian angel, Michael! We went back to the path and eventually we reached Larressingle, the home of a really cool castle with a moat.  We pique-niqued in town and then had coffee and a superb crepe with caramel ice cream.  Michael and his mother, Martine came by while we were there.  We followed them back to her Gite.  Martine is a former Pelerin who has walked the Camino, her first time being 1974 when there was little infrastructure.  She has a wonderful place and is so sympathetic to the true Pelerins. She became irritated when four "pilgrims" made a reservation and only one was really walking and the others came by car. She had turned down several who were really walking.  We had a wonderful rest and then were treated to a regional dish of Casseole(sp) that may have been the best dinner we've had yet in France.  

Gite d'etape Halte Laressingle - clean, beautiful facilities, and fantastic dinner.  Owner is very pilgrim friendly

Day 21: Barrachin to La Romieu 26 Kilometers

Historic day! Well, maybe not that historic but we did see some history and we hit a milestone.  Awoke to the sound of rain again which is a bit disconcerting but we had breakfast with our friendly French hosts and hit the trail.  The overnight rain continued to muddy our paths at times but we stepped lively and did our best to keep moving.  Seven quick kilometers in an hour and fifteen minutes landed us in Lectoure.  A busy little city with a UNESCO cathedral.  We had some errands to run.  Visit to the Officine de Tourisme where we made reservations for tomorrow night. A cash machine stop and then a boulangerie/patisserie visit filled our wallets and food stash (and bellies!). We then had a superb coffee stop, followed by a quick tour of the city and we were off. The wind really picked up today and may have slowed us at times. We ultimately found our destination hamlet of La Romieu.  The village is named for the Pelerin who passed through on their way to Santiago.  We hit town just as a bit of rain blew through.  We stopped and ate our lunch and had a bit of coffee and then located our Gite.  Tonight we are staying in the renovated ancien convent.  After our afternoon routine we decided to see the sights.  The biggest thing here (literally) is the cathedral.  The massive 14th century Collegiale is rich in historical significance.  We decided to take the tour and it was well worth it and also great fun! We explored the narrow pathways and climbed in the double helix spiral staircases.  They were quite narrow but took us high in the tower that had multiple levels.  The cloisters had many artifacts and the St. Pierre Collegiate church, which was built between 1312 and 1318 has been carefully preserved and is beautifully detailed.  We enjoyed this place very much.  

A view from the cloisters. We climbed to the top of that tower!

Upon arriving here we have now traveled over 500 kilometers on this Chemin.  It's hard to believe we've done that in just three weeks.  That's roughly 100 miles a week (with a lot of elevation changes and some rough terrain).  

Gite D'etape Prive La Couvent de La Romieu - very clean with friendly and helpful host

Day 20: Auvillar to Barrachin 26 Kilometers

Awoke to the sound of rain but that soon dissipated and the skies started to clear.  Went to breakfast with our French contingent.  Even though we have a bit of language barrier, our efforts in communicating with them last night and conveying to them our previous Compostelle experience seem to win their respect.  We were greeted quite warmly this morning.  After our community meal, we bid  them a fond adieu and we were off.  Saw two rainbows as we left the village.  The forest paths were still a bit muddy and slippery from the overnight rain.  I (Ed) had a bit of a slip and did a crazy dance on the path but did not fall.  Joan has had similar and claims good core strength.  Whatever the case, we kept moving.  Nine quick kilometers landed us at a quiet and welcome coffee stop where we encountered our Canadian friends. We continued to walk after that and the sun made an appearance and it started to get warm quickly.  We soon came to the village of Flamarens which had the remains of a twelfth century cathedral and castle.  Really interesting.  Four more kilometers and we got to Miradoux, a very small village which had a little grocery store and a Boulanger where we picked up a big lunch.  Our timing was good as the town was starting to close for their midday break.  Stuffed our bellies and began our afternoon jaunt.  The walk went along a ridge where we could see castles in just about every direction.  With a huge field of sunflowers in front of us, Joan likened one view to the Wizard of Oz where they walked towards the Emerald City through the field that made the group sleepy.  I was starting to yawn.  We arrived at our resting place for the night, the Ferme de Barrachin.  It's pretty much a farm in the middle of nowhere.  But the room we have been given is very clean, comfy and cozy.  It's also very quiet.  We have stayed in such a wide variety of places and we are so pleased with what we are given.  Could have booked into a big town another six or seven kilometers down the road but we don't have any reason to exhaust ourselves.  25 kilometers or so seems to be our "sweet spot", a comfortable distance.  Our dinner was with our hostess and her husband.  She knows a little English and he knows none.  But we had a great time.  Had a big green salad with amazingly fresh and sweet tomatoes.  Just what we had been craving.  Served your basic French lentils and sausage but they were really good.   Dessert was this apple tart she had made with apples from the farm.  We loved it!  

Chambre d'hôtes Ferme de Barrachin - clean and quiet. Kind hostess and simple dinner.  

Day 19: Moissac to Auvillar 19 kilometers

A nice breakfast (good coffee, yogurt and Magdalenas!) set us up for a chill morning.  Decided to spend a bit of time in town before heading down the road.  Only 20 kilometers or so planned.  A few picnic provisions, an espresso and we were off.  Followed a canal path today for quite some time.  A bit too much coffee precipitated a bathroom stop.  Unfortunately, there were no public facilities along the path so a "nature stop" was called for.  Upon finishing (Ed) the Gendarme happened to come by in a vehicle.  Thought we were in trouble.  They stopped to ask us.....if we had seen some man doing indecent things.  After we told them "no", they were on their way. Whew!  Eventually came to a village where we stopped to picnic and rest.  A short jaunt after that landed us in our destination town of Auvillar.  It's another quaint, stone-built, wall fortified village set upon a hilltop.  Early arrival offered us time for exploration and rest.  We shared a great meal of a creamy root soup, slowed cooked beef and seasoned potatoes, and finished with an apple crisp topped with ice cream. Except for us, all other were French with one who knew English....a great time for us to practice what little French we know.

Gite Le Petit Baladin. In the middle of the village small chambers, we have a room for us. Great food and kind hostess. An underrated gem.

Day 18: Montlauzun to Moissac 32 Kilometers

Awoke to a bit of rain today.  Had a nice breakfast at Eileen and Chris' Gite. But we donned our raincoats and pack covers and headed out.  Rain off and on for the first eight kilometers and some of the paths were quite muddy.  Stopped in Lauzerte, a nice medieval town.  They were cleaning up from a renaissance festival the day before.  We found an actual supermarket at the foot of the village and bought some stuff for lunch.  It's Monday so we feel fortunate to find food.  Stopped at the tourism office where they booked us a place for tomorrow.  Took a tour through their Pelerin garden which was a cool museum-type area devoted to those who walk the way.  Traveled another 10 kilometers after that and had a nice stop at a crossroads store where we had our absolutely delicious picnic and a touch of coffee.  A 14 kilometer jaunt landed us in Moissac.  After a bit of a look around we found our Gite run by Rom and Aideen, a lovely couple from Ireland.  We were greeted with cool drinks and great hospitality.  After our normal afternoon routine we walked around the town center and then went to the cathedral where we heard the nuns sing some great Psalms.  The community dinner was quite good and fun where we pitched in and helped wash dishes after as their dishwasher had broken today.  

Gite Altreia - Clean, bunk beds, great family dinner and breakfast.  Run by a great couple from Ireland.  Superb hospitality.  

Day 17: Trigodina to Montlauzun 26 Kilometers

Awoke early, packed our bags and found breakfast ready at 6:45.  Started walking soon thereafter.  Had an early wake up call as we were attacked by a large dog.  Escaped unscathed except for wrenching my (Ed) bad ankle.  No worries, just kept walking.  Traveled a pretty quick 18 kilometers where we arrived in Montcuq on.....Market Day!! Two days in a row we get to partake of fantastic markets. Can't fully describe these days as they must be experienced.  The sights and smells are intoxicating.  Even though it's Sunday, we were able to do quite a bit.  Visited the tourism office where they made a reservation for us (Many have talked of difficulty in booking ahead because of places being full.  We haven't experienced this since early in our journey).  When they asked where we were from they were quite surprised when we told them the U.S.  Said they didn't have many Americans visit.  We spent some time gathering goodies for a picnic at the market.  Rested for a bit at a cafe as we enjoyed some tasty coffee.  Only seven or eight kilometers remained and we didn't want to arrive too early so our pace slowed a bit in the afternoon.  Stopped at a church with a picnic table area but it was consumed by a large walking group.  We enjoyed our picnic on the church steps.  As we marched on, a few raindrops started to fall so we moved a bit quicker until we reached the tiny village of Montlauzun.  Even though We were a bit early for reception, our hostess was gracious enough to allow us in.  She and her husband are from England and walked from LePuy to Santiago 12 years ago.  They loved it so much they decided to move to France to operate a Gite.  Their place is an old converted church and is wonderfully restored.  Only five pelerins (two French Canadians, a French gentleman and us) are here and we shared a simple yet superb dinner of carrot soup, duck confit, new potatoes, green beans and soft bread. Hadn't had duck since we've been in France and it was prepared perfectly. And apple tart for dessert! We're spoiled. It's been a very restful stay here as we prepare for a long haul tomorrow.

Gite Ancien Presbytere - very unique, clean, great dinner. Run by an English couple who have walked from Le Puy to Santiago. 

Day 16: Cahors to Trigodina 13 kilometers

Mixed bag day.  Since there was a forecast for thunderstorms, we decided to make it a short day and book a Gite not too far down the road.  We could walk through some showers but slogging through storms is miserable.  We had a nice community breakfast at Pierre's and got underway.  We needed to grab some food for the trek and we were blessed to be in Cahors on Market Day!  We love market days with all the fresh goods.  Got some great fig bread, cheese, fresh fruit and a "Jesuit" pastry. Stopped by the tourist office and asked them to book a place for tomorrow night.  Finally started walking around 9:30, a bit later than usual.  Crossed the Pont Valentre, a massive, ancient, cobblestoned bridge that goes over the Lot River as we left town and did a steep ascent up the mountain overlooking the city.  What we found on the trail today was interesting.  For over a week, since we left Conques, we have seen almost no pelerins as we walk during the day.  We only see them at our destination towns.  Today we saw tons of walkers, many in groups.  On the narrow paths, it makes for tough passage, especially with their "batons" flailing about.  I suppose we have been spoiled with the serenity for so long.  The rain was mostly sprinkles here and there although once we did stop under some trees and let the showers pass.  We continued on and upon reaching our destination, we hoped there would be a shelter as we knew we were arriving earlier than when they receive guests.  We were then unceremoniously greeted by a large barking dog and a host that was quite displeased with our early arrival.  We weren't sure we would stay but he said we should stay and allowed us into the Gite. His attitude was very disturbing to us as we have been shown such great compassion and hospitality in France. The other pelerins staying there were all French.  It had quite a different vibe there than other places we had stayed.  

  

Gite d'etape a la ferme Trigodina. Nice set up with kitchen, dining and sitting area down stairs and clean 2-3 person rooms upstairs with 3 showers and a toilette. Host provided food and pelerins cooked and cleaned. Very nice except for the rude owner...not family run, just a man.

Day 15: Pasturats to Cahors 20 Kilometers

Had a late breakfast including yogurt and petite galettes (like small crepes). Hit the trail and found a recommended path that saved us some kilos.  Today took us out of the Cele valley which we had been traversing for several days.  Eventually made it to Cahors, a pretty big city.  Found the tourism office and garnered some info to help us with our stay and to help us plan the next days.  Located some lunch at a food market and found another great patisserie for some fantastic treats.  After a spot of coffee we ran into our friends from Canada who have been traveling the GR 65, what's considered the main route.  From there we located our Gite and dropped off our backpacks.  Found out that our package (electrical adapter) we were hoping would arrive did not make it.  After a little searching in town, we were able to find a big international one at a camera shop.  Went back to the tourism office and they made a reservation for us for tomorrow and then spent a little time touring the city.  The cathedral here is interesting but probably not so much as some others we have seen.  Followed a hidden garden tour and found a few neat sights.  Finally decided to get ourselves and our laundry clean.  Found a light dinner and are spending a bit of time relaxing.  Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow so we are plotting our next steps carefully.  

Gite Chez Pierre chambre d'hôtes: spacious room, clean, quiet.  Boyhood home of the owner. 

Day 14: Cabrerets to Pasturats 28 Kilometers

As Petite dejeuner goes, today's was pretty nice with croissants and yogurt.  Afterwards, we stepped outside and started straight up.  Bypassed the famous Peche Merle caves as they were not open and put some kilometers behind us.  Took a side trip (basically an out and back) on the Chemin De Halag to the mountain village of St. Cirq Lapopie, dubbed the most beautiful town in France.  We found it to be very picturesque.  We wandered for a bit and took in the views.  Found a place to rest and get coffee.  We procured a wonderful picnic with salad, cheese, fruit and a pastry.  Of course we had bread, leftover from breakfast.  After our repas, we had the choice to take the busy road or stay on a GR path that was to be only 3k longer.  We chose the path and it turned out to be diverse with some nice river trails but had a very tough uphill section. We eventually arrived in Pasturats.  Staying at a very  "complete" Gite.  Had another great community meal (soup, pork, rice, fromage, tart) where we ate with some Australian folks, one of which identified Joan from the Camino forums.  

Gite d'etape Le Relais de Patsurat: very good. Great people and dinner.  Eclectic little house out back of their own house 

Day 13: Brengues to Cabrerets 30 kilometers

Got a very early start (7:15) as we opted out of the petite dejenuer, as we were packing some serious pastries today. Extremely cool temps were welcomed by us as we did our initial climb.  The views along the valley are so beautiful.  We have found that this route has paths that loop up into the hills and away from the river valley.  Some have great, picturesque views and others not so much.  We find we have to pick and choose which ones we want to do in order that we don't wear ourselves out.  The path today gave us great examples of the homes built into the side of the rock walls.  These are quite fascinating.  We stopped midday on the top of one of the mountains at what appeared to be a farm museum.  What was weird was there were no visitors and no workers.  At the "snack bar" it said it was self service! We didn't need anything except a picnic spot which we were happy to find under the trees.  After our repas we finished our journey to Cabrerets, an odd little town.  Finally found our Gite and went through our afternoon rituals.  We met a young couple here from France who were extremely friendly and enjoyed a bit of time with them.  Alexia was so nice as to offer to call ahead to reserve a room for us for tomorrow.  We concluded our evening by getting a dinner at the restaurant next door that is apparently run by the Gite owner.  It was surprisingly a bit more upscale than what we have been eating and we enjoyed some delicious dishes.  

Gite Du Barry: Older house with several rooms with bunk beds and bathrooms ensuite.  The owner apparently puts more time into her restaurant.  It's adequate.