Footsteps across France

Our second Convent stay was a bit more austere than the first. The toilet and shower were both hung on the wall over a bare floor. With no place to hang a shower curtain, we needed the floor squeegee to corral the water into the drain.

Every night dinner is served with an a abundance of pilgrims and wine.  Each region of France we've walked through is fiercely proud of it's local wine (except for the Aubrac, which is fiercely proud of it's cows).

For the last three nights we have shared our dinner meal with a group of other travelers along the path staying in the same Gite, Chambre d'Hôte or Convent with us. The majority are from France, and are on holiday for a week or two to walk along the GR65. In all 3 cases, we were the only Americans at the table.

We have noticed the following for every  French village we have entered along the Chemin de Compostela.

As we've walked along the country lanes of the Quercy region, there have been a number of squat round buildings, too small to provide shelter from the rain for even a single person.  We finally passed near enough to one for a closer inspection.

20-3/4 miles and 3000' of elevation, with the last 3-1/2 hours in a cold driving rain. Since we left LePuy, we've walked, combined, appoximately 1,045,394 steps

The rhythm of our daily journey begins with walking out of the town on the Lot river where we spent the night and climbing a rather steep hill. About halfway up the hill we stop at a vista point to look back on the town we have just left.  From there we continue walking through the rolling hills, farmland and small villages, stopping to visit the church and see the sights. If there is a patisserie we almost always stop for a treat. We try to rest our feet every 5-6 miles. 

As we decended into Figeac, on a footpath flanked by ancient piles of rocks, we came across this curious stucture in a field, seemingly unafiliated with the farmhouses and barns we've been passing as of late.

We were walking in the zone, in a line of pilgrims stretching for 100s of miles all the way to Santiago, when in a little nondescript village we spied a little sign, and thought: why not, it's only 3 miles out of the way (or would that be off the way?) When we arrived and rang the bell, the farmer came by and gave us a private tour.

Having walked for a long time in a long line line of pilgrims, it was time to leave the flock, and go our own way.

There was much discussion among the pilgrims about the long steep climb leaving Conques. Being afraid of heights and tired from the previous day's walk, I was worried! The collage shows a little bit of Conques and the wonderful B&B we stayed at. Yes, it was built into the mountain wall. Now about our day. We crossed an ancient bridge across the Lot river and walked to the start of the steep path.  Where we started the climb. Within minutes I realized that there was nothing to worry about. The path was steep, but my feet felt sure.  Within a short time we arrived at a small chapel built into the side of the mountain. Each pilgrim rang the bell to let the ones below know they made it safely.     The rest of the day flew by, walking through farmland with beautiful vistas and talking  with other pilgrims. Our second breakfast included a great view, fresh squeezed orange juice, cafe au laite, a sandwich and pastries.  ...