Through Our Looking Glass

It was such a pleasure sharing the bottom floor of our little cottage in Beduer with Floriane and Florise (Flo and Flo)  yesterday. Floriane is from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and Florise is from Melbourne, Australia. We were able to carry on an easy and enjoyable conversation in English without working out the French translation for a change. Floriane is a survivor after having a serious health scare five years ago. She feels strongly that positivity and exercise are keys…

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Today Dave found another place he would like to live. On Day 9 it was Estaing and now it’s the picturesque village of Faycelles that clings to a cliff, has unique architecture, and a population of only 680. Maybe there’s room for two more?  We went through Faycelles this afternoon but we began the day in Saint-Felix thinking of walking 21 km without spending any time in Figeac. People we’ve spoken with along the way said it would be a…

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We felt like mountain goats this morning climbing up and out of Conques. The elevation gain was almost 400 metres in less than five kilometres. Taxi drivers knew about the difficulty and were strategically placed on the way out of Conques to catch the eye of those willing to forego the challenge. We heard it was treacherous and slippery if wet, but it was dry. Dry, that is, except for the sweat that was dripping off our elbows and running…

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There was a spring in our step when we headed out this morning before eight from Le Soulie. We were walking to Conques, another fairytale village and major highlight on the Via Podiensis. It was sunny but with a little more cloud cover than we’ve had in recent days. We were hoping it wouldn’t be too hot again, but at least we only had 15 km to go. We went through some lovely little villages on the way. There were…

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Oh how we love France! Three hours ago Dave and I were at an outdoor patio drinking what I imagined to be mead but was actually beer. It must have gone straight to our heads since we hadn’t yet eaten. What a perfect state to be in for people watching. Believe it or not, the people passing by were knights in shining armour, their ladies, jesters, wenches, scoundrels, and pilgrims. Dave said he thinks he could live here! 🤣  We did…

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Aubrac, the village where we stayed last night, has a population of only fifty people. Even though it is tiny, it has an interesting history that began in the 12th century. The Flemish Viscount Adelardo described this place as “horrible, very lonely, terrible, wild, dark and uninhabitable.” He suffered an attack by bandits and then promised to build a hospital if he survived, so that pilgrims would not have to suffer his fate. Pilgrims were offered security against the dangers…

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How can each day be more scenic than the day before? It’s true! There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the beautiful and unique landscape between Les Quatre-Chemins and Aubrac. Cows were grazing in extensive meadows with just small villages, chapels, crosses, and stone walls all along the way. Huge stones dotted the landscape as a result of glacial radicals deposited thousands of years ago. Another thing they have here are footprint toilets.🤪 Interesting! We avoided using the first one but not…

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We thank our lucky stars for all the gorgeous mornings we keep having. This stretch of good weather wasn’t predicted when we left home at the end of August. This morning the sun was peeking up over the hills and the temperature was a cool 13C when we left Les Estrets – perfect for hiking. Low lying fog had settled in creases in the valley adding character to the already beautiful view. We climbed the trail that led us through…

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