We started by 8 AM (59F) to beat the heat. Our way out of Aumot-Aubrac took us by a flatiron building and then a quick uphill to what is known as the Aubrac plateau.
The heat caught up to us around noon (80 F). We estimated that we had less than 1 percent shade throughout the walk. With the drought lasting over the summer months, the land was parched. We were told later to come back in April when the land is covered with wildflowers. For now, it was desert-like similar to what Camino veterans describe the Meseta, the Spanish plain west of Burgos.
I have included several photos of the Aubrac plateau to give you a feeling of the vastness of the area and the heat we experienced. About a third of the way, we stopped for coffee. I also tried the myrtille tart as luck would have it. A selfie would have shown a big smile.
Before we entered Nasbinals, we walked by some vacation units available for short-term renting. My twisted humor thought of these as the future American home for first time buyers. A sad and indeed a twisted thought.
We reached our final destination or so we thought. The Bastide family owns three hotels. Although the one with the family was listed on our manifest, we walked another mile into the village and then out to our hotel in the countryside. As I later discovered, a very quiet and dark location that afforded an episode of star gazing. Going with the flow, oftentimes results in a serendipitous ending.
But before revealing the hidden gem, dinner. Yesterday, I mentioned Jeff and Nick. They ended up at our hotel. The four of us walked back to the village to the Bastide establishment for dinner.
Although we could have ordered à la carte, we went with the menu — three courses but only one choice for each course. We all had paid for the menu ahead of time. À la carte would have been an additional cost.
We started with baked eggs and a salad. Both were good — only my second lifetime taste of a baked egg. I can’t recall the first. The salad was excellent — such fresh greens with a light mustard vinaigrette.
The next course was the local sausage and Aligot potatoes. Serving the Aligot was certainly eye catching especially for Nick.
I ended with the cheese course. Why do they tempt me so? For the first time ever, the waitress brought the board to the table and left it there. I cut what I wanted and the portions. I was “modest” in what I cut. Didn’t I say no more cheese in the last blog?
So, here are the four of us (left to right): Ron, Monique, Jeff, and Nick. All contented. We better have been. That’s not Ferdinand, the Kindly Bull, overlooking us.
Finally, the star gazing. As we walked the 400 meters back to our hotel, we all commented about the density of the stars. The sky was wondrous. We were awe struck. When I got up in the middle of the night, I could not resist taking an image of the star filled sky. Tap the photo to get a better rendition of the image.
The adventure continues tomorrow.
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