I didn’t make another 20 miler — just a mile off. It was still long with 2400 feet of elevation gain. The peculiar thing about this walk was that it had many interesting elements in the first half when it was cool but nothing much later when it was hot.
At the gîte, the breakfast window was between 6:30 and 7:30. Orla said no one lingers around given the long walk ahead. I was in first and headed for the coffee. I was on my way by 7:30.
The sky and countryside keeps the reddish tones for about an hour and a half after a sunrise and before a sunset. The sunrise had bold colors and although they diffused an hour later, they provided a very colorful landscape as I started my day.
Lauzerte was named one of the most beautiful villages in France. I have pointed out several on this Chemin. The pilgrim was one of many representations of the Chemin I saw on the streets. Shortly after leaving the village, I came to a fork in the path. Contrary to Robert Frost, I did not take the one less traveled by. Did not want to see if the puppy would be happy to lick me. The puppy just sat there — no barks, no movement, no leash. I went on my merry way uphill with metal grates in the middle of the path, a first in my hiking career. At the top of the hill, a look back to Lauzerte.
Embedded in the trees just off the trail was another simply designed church. Those stones have withstood the test of time. Just up the trail, a kindly soul offered refreshments. The grapes were sweet. Because they were so small, I suspect they are used in wine making. Which wine, I could not tell. I wondered whether a Somm could.
Around the corner was a fenced in farm yard with an assortment of animals. I thought that the makeshift cross was interesting. It was made from one tree trunk and its branches. Never have seen such an object d’art like this before.
To this point, the Chemin has been crossing valley after valley. I had the opportunity to take image of a descent with pilgrims in the photo. I saw only about 25 during this walk. The herd has thinned out.
All of the above photos were taken on the front half the walk. For the next 8 miles, the only exciting moment happened when I ran into hunters along the path. They were wearing orange shirts and caps. My French classes 55 years ago did not include lessons on hunting. After a brief conversation with a hunter and his rifle, I kind of understood with lots of hand gestures that they hunted on one side of the Chemin and knew that walkers were around. I picked up my pace.
Nearing the end, the Chemin was treeless with the sun in full force. At the final uphill, I saw no hills on the horizon. It looked like the plains of the US Midwest. I’ll find out how long flat hiking will last.
Monique told me not to miss seeing the Moissac Abbey. The abbey was built in the 11th century and became part of the monastic network of Cluny. At its peak, over 100 monks resided in the abbey. As with many church buildings, they were either destroyed or sold off during the French Revolution. It is the parish church for the village.
I was there at 5:30PM for vespers. A handful of nuns sung them with their soprano voices. The acoustics were excellent. Just a very faint echo to these ears at the back of the church.
The cloister was also impressive — also over 900 years old. I did not take any photos of the capitals on top of the columns. They are quite weather worn. But the reliefs on the pillars faced in and still had the freshness of when they were carved. The first is St Peter holding the keys to the Church. The other is St Jacques, the patron saint of the Chemin and Camino.
The final image is of the entire cloister to give a perspective on its size. The Cedars of Lebanon tree is about 175 years old. If you want to see a similar example of a 200 year old Cedars of Lebanon tree visit James Madison’s Montpellier in Charlottesville, VA. The Marquis de Lafayette gifted the tree to Madison when he made his US tour in 1826.
Dinner at the hotel was surprisingly good: butternut squash soup (I’ll make a batch when I get home), fish with vegetable rice and green salad, and crème caramel. This boy happily went to bed.
