The morning began cool at 58F. The skies were clear as dawn arrived with a lonely contrail. Time to get moving. Breakfast at 7:30; I had to meet by taxi at 8.
My driver was Bridget (yesterday’s was Aimée). She whisked me back to Ducazeville’s main church as my starting point for the day — 8:30.
Leaving Ducazeville, a former coal mining and steelmaking city, I was climbing past a large mural celebrating the Chemin de St Jacques. Behind me was my starting point. Nick and Jeff had spent the night there. A really sad story of an industrial city declining after their industries died. Very few options for dinner were available. They went to a Carrefour supermarket for chips (crisps) and wine. I really lucked out going back to Conques. The invisible hand of the Chemin.
I crossed the River Lot at Livinhac-le-Lot. The reflection on the river gave me pause for a minute or two. I walked the rest of the stage until Figeac on dusty trails and small windy roads. I still had 16 miles in front of me. The temperature was rising; it reached 87F by the time I reached Figeac. I was guided by my Buen Camino app and some ingenious signs along the way. Even with these aides, I made a few wrong turns here and there.
Given the weather predictions, I carried nearly 3 liters of water. I also stopped at Le Bourdon, a one woman shop (Cécile) at about the 12th mile near St Felix. I ordered a Coke (the first of the trip) and a ham sandwich. That stop saved me. I was running out of gas and the Coke helped stretch my water supply. By Figeac, I had no water left.
I also included a photo of the toilet — my first experience with one that you shovel in what appeared to pine wood shavings after you are done. Some of you may be familiar with this method from camping, I am guessing. I am certainly not.
I finally made Figeac at 5:50. I was on the road for eight and a half hours, 19 miles, 2617 feet of elevation gain.
I opened Google Maps to locate my hotel. Bad news. No internet connections. Hum. Hotel Le Mont. Where would it be likely located? I made my way to centre ville by the main bridge. There it was.
At the check-in desk, the clerk told me that she could not find my reservation. Oh no, I thought. Yes, oh no — no other words hit my mind even the very obvious ones. I was tired.
Alors, they had reversed my names in the reservation system. Voilà, your key.
Nick and Jeff had made a dinner reservation for 7:30. The terrace outside the hotel-restaurant was superb. Here are two images as sundown progressed.
Canard was the star of the dinner. If you look back to the Le Pont image, you will see a sandbar. On it, were ducks quacking. I won’t write what I thought when we were served with the chorus quacking. Omnivores that the three of us are, we thoroughly enjoyed the duck salad and the duck main course. The soufflé like dessert was excellent — fluffy with a light vanilla sauce on the side.
We said our goodnights and good-byes. Nick and Jeff will be staying tomorrow in Figeac. We are no longer in synch. I’ll miss seeing them.
I was asleep within minutes.
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