23.8 km - 14.8 miles - up 428m down 305 m
After three long days of walking our feet were beginning to pay the price, so we decided to have a shorter day. After a breakfast of Croissant, Pain au chocolat and bread we set out.
The day was warm, despite a thick mist which obscured the view. After an abortive attempt to find some bread, we set off, first crossing the canal and river Garonne. We then started uphill to the lovely town of Auvillar where, because we were in search of bread, we missed seeing the Market Hall which is supposed to be a bit special.
Our route then took us through rolling countryside with massive fields, where corn or sunflowers had been growing.
We passed through a secession of beautiful villages with wonderful old buildings.
By 1 pm the sun had come out and it was getting hotter. As we passed an isolated house, the lady of the house called "hello" rather than the usual "bonjour". After a couple of steps it registered: we stopped and had a chat. They were ex-pats living in France who confessed that they knew very little French. Like the other English couple we met, they asked if we needed anything and if they could help in any way, which was very kind of them.
We travelled on to Saint-Antoine where we stopped for an Orangina and then had a picnic lunch.
From then on we travelled in a virtual straight line to the hill village of Flamarens,
which has a beautiful castle and a church that fell down in a major way about 15 years ago (reminding me of the old church at Hindolveston). From there it was four km to our final destination at Miradoux.
We had read in our guide books about places called "Accueil Pelerin": these are private houses owned by people who either have walked to Santiago or are committed to the Idea of the pilgrimage. They open their houses to fellow pilgrims to stay for the night or just pop in for a coffee on route, all for a donation.
Planning for our day, we had read that there was an Accueil Pelerin in Miradoux and so we decided to try one. The guide book also said that this one reserved a place for those who had not reserved a place.
We approached the house that was adorned with symbols of the camino, like some 1960's commune. As we looked at the house a lady in her 60's came out of the house "can I help you?" she asked, we plunged in, "have you two beds for tonight" asked Lesley, she said yes, and there was no turning back. The lady was Therese Fardo the owner of the house. She took us through a large room with a table, lots of chairs, and adorned with all sorts of pilgrim memorabilia, and a poster about reflexology on feet, to a back room with a double bed, a sink and a bidet, and asked if it was OK, we agreed and were then asked if we wanted a drink. We took off our boots and went back to the room, where Therese produced two beers. (it was only afterwards we realised all the other pilgrims were drinking tea). Perhaps Therese knew instinctively that for Brits there is nothing like a cold continental beer to slake our thirst!)
Therese then enquired if we had any washing, we suggested that we could do it in our room by hand, but Therese insisted that she had a machine and that it would be no bother, furthermore she would be putting a basket for our laundry outside our door. We retreated to our room and asked ourselves, was this Accueil Pelerin thing a mistake, especially for us who only spoke pidgin French. But the dice were cast, so we would have to go through with it.
We showered and gave Therese our dirty clothes, we then went to look at the village and say evening prayer in the church, before returning to Therese's for our evening meal. On our return Lesley was told how our washing had been hung out in the garden.
Eventually 7:30 arrived and all the pilgrims came and sat at the table. The table had been laid with eleven places, (two short of the number who eventually sat at table) with a mountain of fruit in the middle, about four bottles of wine, some nuts and sunflower seeds, which we all tucked into with abandon. Lesley thought that Therese had said that the meal would be salad and charchuterie. The meal proper, started with Therese bringing in some large bowls of salad in a lovely dressing, this was passed around while she opened a variety of cans of different pate. (Lesley was quick to point out that one was "head pate" and perhaps we might want to avoid it!) At that point Therese launched into a chorus of Ultreia, the pilgrims song we had learned at Conques, before toasting our venture.
As Therese has said salad and charcuterie we thought that was it, a reasonable meal for someone trying to feed the five thousand on a limited budget. Once the salad was cleared she disappeared, returning with plates of green beans mixed other veg and baked new potatoes. She disappeared again and brought in a tray of roasted pork, pork ribs and chicken (this was the charcuterie she had promised, not the pate). The trouble was that most people had filled up with salad, beans and potato, so had little appetite for the meat! However, I tried to do my best. This course was followed by cheese, washed down with a glass of Floc de Gasgoigne ( a local drink that tasted like a medium sweet Sherry). As we drunk we sung another round of Ultreia, before being serenaded by a couple of French women with a French pilgrims song they had found on the Internet, (we did briefly contemplate a rendition of "He who would valiant be", but thought better of it.)
The meal finished and between us we set about washing up. After this, Therese sat down to issue us with our pilgrims stamps. As she worked, we all slipped our contribution/donation into a pot in the shape of a mallard sitting on the sideboard.
After our fellow pilgrims had gone to bed we had a chat with Therese. It transpired that due to a disability she had never been able to do the pilgrimage as such, but saw her welcome to pilgrims as her particular pilgrimage! We were both humbled by both her dedication and generosity to pilgrims on their journey.
On the Camino France
After three long days of walking our feet were beginning to pay the price, so we decided to have a shorter day. After a breakfast of Croissant, Pain au chocolat and bread we set out.
The day was warm, despite a thick mist which obscured the view. After an abortive attempt to find some bread, we set off, first crossing the canal and river Garonne. We then started uphill to the lovely town of Auvillar where, because we were in search of bread, we missed seeing the Market Hall which is supposed to be a bit special.
Our route then took us through rolling countryside with massive fields, where corn or sunflowers had been growing.
We passed through a secession of beautiful villages with wonderful old buildings.
By 1 pm the sun had come out and it was getting hotter. As we passed an isolated house, the lady of the house called "hello" rather than the usual "bonjour". After a couple of steps it registered: we stopped and had a chat. They were ex-pats living in France who confessed that they knew very little French. Like the other English couple we met, they asked if we needed anything and if they could help in any way, which was very kind of them.
We travelled on to Saint-Antoine where we stopped for an Orangina and then had a picnic lunch.
From then on we travelled in a virtual straight line to the hill village of Flamarens,
which has a beautiful castle and a church that fell down in a major way about 15 years ago (reminding me of the old church at Hindolveston). From there it was four km to our final destination at Miradoux.
We had read in our guide books about places called "Accueil Pelerin": these are private houses owned by people who either have walked to Santiago or are committed to the Idea of the pilgrimage. They open their houses to fellow pilgrims to stay for the night or just pop in for a coffee on route, all for a donation.
Planning for our day, we had read that there was an Accueil Pelerin in Miradoux and so we decided to try one. The guide book also said that this one reserved a place for those who had not reserved a place.
We approached the house that was adorned with symbols of the camino, like some 1960's commune. As we looked at the house a lady in her 60's came out of the house "can I help you?" she asked, we plunged in, "have you two beds for tonight" asked Lesley, she said yes, and there was no turning back. The lady was Therese Fardo the owner of the house. She took us through a large room with a table, lots of chairs, and adorned with all sorts of pilgrim memorabilia, and a poster about reflexology on feet, to a back room with a double bed, a sink and a bidet, and asked if it was OK, we agreed and were then asked if we wanted a drink. We took off our boots and went back to the room, where Therese produced two beers. (it was only afterwards we realised all the other pilgrims were drinking tea). Perhaps Therese knew instinctively that for Brits there is nothing like a cold continental beer to slake our thirst!)
Therese then enquired if we had any washing, we suggested that we could do it in our room by hand, but Therese insisted that she had a machine and that it would be no bother, furthermore she would be putting a basket for our laundry outside our door. We retreated to our room and asked ourselves, was this Accueil Pelerin thing a mistake, especially for us who only spoke pidgin French. But the dice were cast, so we would have to go through with it.
We showered and gave Therese our dirty clothes, we then went to look at the village and say evening prayer in the church, before returning to Therese's for our evening meal. On our return Lesley was told how our washing had been hung out in the garden.
Eventually 7:30 arrived and all the pilgrims came and sat at the table. The table had been laid with eleven places, (two short of the number who eventually sat at table) with a mountain of fruit in the middle, about four bottles of wine, some nuts and sunflower seeds, which we all tucked into with abandon. Lesley thought that Therese had said that the meal would be salad and charchuterie. The meal proper, started with Therese bringing in some large bowls of salad in a lovely dressing, this was passed around while she opened a variety of cans of different pate. (Lesley was quick to point out that one was "head pate" and perhaps we might want to avoid it!) At that point Therese launched into a chorus of Ultreia, the pilgrims song we had learned at Conques, before toasting our venture.
As Therese has said salad and charcuterie we thought that was it, a reasonable meal for someone trying to feed the five thousand on a limited budget. Once the salad was cleared she disappeared, returning with plates of green beans mixed other veg and baked new potatoes. She disappeared again and brought in a tray of roasted pork, pork ribs and chicken (this was the charcuterie she had promised, not the pate). The trouble was that most people had filled up with salad, beans and potato, so had little appetite for the meat! However, I tried to do my best. This course was followed by cheese, washed down with a glass of Floc de Gasgoigne ( a local drink that tasted like a medium sweet Sherry). As we drunk we sung another round of Ultreia, before being serenaded by a couple of French women with a French pilgrims song they had found on the Internet, (we did briefly contemplate a rendition of "He who would valiant be", but thought better of it.)
The meal finished and between us we set about washing up. After this, Therese sat down to issue us with our pilgrims stamps. As she worked, we all slipped our contribution/donation into a pot in the shape of a mallard sitting on the sideboard.
After our fellow pilgrims had gone to bed we had a chat with Therese. It transpired that due to a disability she had never been able to do the pilgrimage as such, but saw her welcome to pilgrims as her particular pilgrimage! We were both humbled by both her dedication and generosity to pilgrims on their journey.
On the Camino France
1 comment:
What a lovely sounding lady! Panda will award her a platinum paw award, very rarely granted! She is the stuff of memories you will remember long after the rucksacks are unpacked and the blisters have healed.
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