2017-09-30 Condom - Nogaro (23/595 km)

Water dams a day filling in water from above

A rather rainy day. And looking forward in the weather forecast the coming week will be rainy too. It's not that comfortable to walk in full rain dress with poncho and all. But if needed it is what one has to do. Passed several of those water holes that are being use for agriculture.

Obviously my watch should now show GMT - but no

Saw some german/french speaking people at the place where I had breakfast before starting the walk of the day. It proved to be two ladies from Switzerland one from the German speaking part and on from the French speaking part. They spoke Switzer-deutsch with each other. And that is a variety of German that I don't understand. When the man from Belgium got in it became French and some English. And I destroyed it all with just English. Languages are interesting.

Landscape and tracks in rain are not that exiting. And today is was like yesterday only a bit more wet. Wine is grown everywhere and at a farm they offered coffee and grapes. A short break for me since i had hoped for lunch at Manicet. But the restaurant was not open so I had to continue all the way to Nogaro to have something to eat. But that worked.

A man with east Asian outlook passed me but he was a lot quicker than me so we never got contact. On the way I also passed a group of seven french women that asked me to to take their photo that I did. After I had eaten half of my burger - today's lunch - these women dropped in and got a table next to me. They seemed to pilgrims-for-one-day judging from their pack and dress. But you never know.

After eating I walked into the city of Nogaro, but really noting. So I went back to the crossing where I had seen the sign pointing towards the communal gite and some hundred meters later found the gite and got a bed in a round room together with about 25 others around the walls. Interesting arrangement. In several of the beds I see people that I have met or passed during the last days. Let's see if we can have a common dinner later. Actually I got an invitation. But this time I had to decline.

Nogaro is, if I have understood correctly, a racing town so I hear motors from cars (?) racing in the background where I sitting right now and writing this in the kitchen of the gite.

Mucha lluvia de nuevo. Me siento como un buzo, con un traje que hace agua. Pera también un día de encuentros. Una mezcla de persones de Bélgica y Suiza y otros paises. Tengo problemas con personas de Francia que no hablan otra lengua. En el albergue comunal de Nogaro encontré muchos de los personas de los días pasados.

2017-09-29 Condom - Eauze (39/572 km)

Crossing the river in Condom in the morning

 (Remember if you want to enlarge a photo - click on it) 

A quiet morning while I passed the river on my way out of the city. Lately there has almost always been a morning mist that makes it easier to walk and more beautiful.

Passed an old medieval bridge that had been renovated quite lately.



A lunchtime I reached the city/village Montreal-de-gents under the eyes of Our Lady. Seemed to be a good place. I found a new pizza place and could have my lunch as I wanted. Passed over the square where the had a small market under the arcs.

Sometimes mornings are beautiful

A just restored medieval bridge 

Our Lady checking what I should do in Montreal

A fuzzy (sorry) vegetable market in Montreal 

More reservoir-lakes, this one was fine

This a farming land where they need water also when it's not raining enough. So you will find dams/reservoirs quite often. This year and maybe this time of the year the were often a a low leve but I'll guess they will fill during a normal winter.

Mid way between Montreal and Eauze I passed "La Casa d'Elena" a gite but als a place where you could buy refreshments and maybe eat. I had a lemonade. I needed that. They had a sitting place where you could see the distances to various places. And also a museum of some sort with things of all types reminding about pilgrims this way.

Casa d'Elena know how far it is to wherever

The museum at Casa d'Elena

I did not stop since I wanted to go on. I did continue along an old railway bank that lasted for 5 - 6 km. A very good walk in the heat of the day. Not hilly, with shadow and direct to the entry of Eauze.

I had a couple behind me while I walked ad I did not pay very much attention to that but a little later the should be crucial. I got into Eauze and was looking for signs of a git to stay in. Well at the cathedral and after a short visit there I saw the signs of a gite but not the gite itself. Then I stumbled over the pair again that was searching to their that had been reserved in advance. After a while we found it on a small back street. The spoke very little English but sufficient for me to understand. They phoned the owner since the Gite was locked and we could get in. It proved that we were the only guests. So I got a good place. Later that night while I was eating at an outside restaurant by the cathedral the man in the pair came up to me and told me how to pay. How - that is a secret between him and me.

Un día con encuentros. Creo que es el más interesante con todos esto encuentros. Con gentes de varias situaciones de la vida. Este chemin/camino solo ha contribuido con encuentros cortos. Pero encuentros que reflejar sus situaciones en un medio ambiente muy especial. Paseaba  "La casa d'Elena" como una expresión de la relacion entere un ambiente activo y los pereginos. También tuve un encuentro inesperado con dos persona que me ayudaron trovar un albergue bueno. 

2017-09-28 Lectour - Condom (29/533 km)

Moving out of Letctour in the pale morning light. I followed the GPS track but saw nor markings, except a couple of old ones. But after having reached a point a a bridge, corresponding to the other end of the city I found the markings again. The route had been changed.

Passed some "old acquaintances". The french English teacher and her friend. The Belgian from San Antoine and some others. Actually I had company with the Belgian for a while. But I got the impression that he was in the middle of his first week process reflecting over and working mentally with things back home. Something we all do under the first week or so, So we separated but did not walk very far from each other for a while.

Originally I had planned to walk the longer and more original way over Romiou, to have lunch there etc. But since I should participate in a Skype meeting for the job later this day I took the shortcut, as did many more. Stumbled over two separate French pilgrim (?) groups that seem to be out walking but took a pause for talking with each others near a farm.

The rather empty dam where I had lunch

A bit of info about Armagnac and the 4 M

The 4 M, heroes from my youth

The shortcut was over soon but since I had jumped the more civilized eating places it had to be tuna and bread today also. On the map I had spotted what I thought was a fine dam/reservoir. But, well there the water level was very low and it was not so fine as expected. But I needed to eat and so I did.

It was a hot day in the afternoon. May I guess 30 deg C. A day heavy to walk for me that does not like heat.

The last portion of the way into Condom through the final hills. One main street for business it seemed.

The Condom cathedral - interior

Went up to the cathedral and found the statue group of the four originally three musketeers. I hope you remember the books by Alexander Dumas. But here they were - as real as they could be: Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan.

Since I needed to work I sought out a hotel and got a room just in time for the meeting. It was a decent meeting and after that some follow up telephone calls. Rather tired I did the normal exercises and the went for a tour around the city and had some food.

Un día caliente cuando el más interesante pudo ser “los cuatro mosqueteros” de Alexander Dumas fuera la catedral de Condom. También un día con trabajo via Skype para los en Suecia. 

2017-09-27 Saint-Antoine-de Pont-d’Arratz - Lectour (25/504 km)

Woke up and after a common breakfast we four "common pilgrims" were ready to start. The others slept still when, at least I, went away.

Help-yourself - at the wayside

The landscape as the day before. Slowly rolling hills, much agriculture, much walking along roadsides. But often these roadsides have a special trail for pilgrims. And that's good. An sometimes you can also buy a little at the wayside at an unmanned stand.

The fast Frenchman with quick feet passed me and disappeared. A while later I met a younger Frenchman from Toulouse who spook good English. He had obviously heard about me from the fast Frenchman, so I was interviewed about the various caminos in Spain. But this guy was a slow Frenchman - or wanted to walk alone - so I left him after a while.

I had coffee in Miradoux. Not the best. Had also problems with my camera so I missed several photos. Discovered the the batteries had ran out.

I realized a bit further on that I would not come to some place with restaurant around lunchtime.I it had to be lunch from the backpack; tuna, bread and water.


Well I forgot that I passed two ladies earlier and one of those parallell tracks. One of the spoke very good English. and actually proved to be an English teacher in France. Her partner said nothing and I wondered how much she understood. I had left them earlier but now they caught up with me again and made the same conclusion as I - lunch at the the side a small stream.

Lectoure - at a distance

Finally I reached Lectoure and found the hotel I was looking for more or less immediately. A bit outdated but OK. I had got som mail from the company back home so I sat working with those for a while. One asked me to participate in a Skype meeting tomorrow afternoon. I said yes. Will be interesting to see how that will work.

After the required washing I went the 100 m into the town that was not very big. As I walked along the main street I heard Norwegian spoken. Two ladies on their way along Via Podiensis as I. But they walked only for two weeks at a time so they would just continue for some days more and the return home and come back at some later time. The first Scandinavians that I had met so far. And they made the same reflexion as I - almost only Frenchmen at this way.

I went and bought some backpack-food to replace the one I had eaten earlier. Then I had a pizza before returning to the hotel to write this.

El paisaje del dá está como el día antes. Mucha agricultura. Encontré dos mujeres. Una de estas era una profesora de inglés. Fácil de hablar. Almuerzo con tuna. La distancia hacia Lectoure está demasiado grande. En Lectoure también encontré dos otras mujeres, de Noruega. Las primeras - y primeros – de Escandinavia que había encontrado de este camino. Ellas solo caminaban dos semanas dependiente a sus trabajos. Hablábamos un poco de los caminos en el sur de Europa y en el Escandinavia.

2017-09-26 Moissac – Saint-Antoine-de Pont-d’Arratz (29/479 km)

Bridge over La Garonne

Took farewell of the hotel and after some crossings found the riverbank that I was looking for. Or rathe channel bank, since I intended following “Canal de Midi” (it has various name at different parts) a large portion of the walking day. And so, I did. It was a very easy and peaceful walk. Saw a few boats, pleasure boats, one of them in one of the locks of the channel. Off an on I could see the Garonne the river that flow through here. In a way, it’s separating north from south. Via Canal de Midi you can get from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, if your boat is not too big and you have plenty of time.

Very special bike pilgrims - comfortable?

La Garonne

But at Pommevic you had to turn left and leave the channel and walk across the river plains until you after some 4-km crossed La Garonne on a suspension bridge just before climbing up to Auvillar. A good little city where I had a fine lunch. However, I wanted to continue. I ended up in Saint-Antoine-de Pont-d’Arratz, not a very big village but that has a gite where I am sitting and writing this right now. Expecting dinner at 7. Lousy mobile connection though. Simply does not work for anything but pure phone.

Este día era un día confortable. Caminaba lo lejos el Canal de Midi. Vi unos barcos privados. Pasé La Garonne que es una ribera interesante. Marca la frontera entre el norte u el sud. Almuerzo en Auvillar. Continuaba después a el pequeño pueblo Sant Antoine y el albergue la. Encontré una hispanohablante de Valencia.

2017-09-25 Montcuq-Moissac (41/450 km)

Lauzerte, coming there

Lauzerte, leaving

I got to Moissac already yesterday but late and there was no time to write so I do it "the-day-after."

The day that was, was a rainy day and I had to walk with the poncho large parts of the day. The morning was rather uneventful. Through a hilly landscape and on trails and small roads. But today the trails were muddy. And the mud got stuck on my boots.

Along the roadside

A floppy poncho gives me problem with the GPS where the screen is sensitive and flopping puts the GPS in all types of funny modes. I had to reset it yesterday but could not do it fully. I have to invent something to stop this.

The event of the day was Lauzerte. Beautiful on top of a isolated hill. You had to fight and sweat up. Fine but to me a city in sleep or decay.  There was not much life. First I rested at a a bar to calm down after the climb. Then I was searching for a simpler place to eat but found none but the restaurant at the main square. That was OK. Out was easier.

Sunflowers that was

Eventually I reached the village St-Martin-de-Dufort that gave som possibilities to stay but I wanted to go to Moissac so I had to find som way to do it quicker. That way was to walk along the side of the main road. Happily with not so much traffic. Later the GR65 track came in from the left and I entered Moissac. It took a long time to get through the outskirts. And the I heard that I got a message from home. No warm water. It proved to be one fuse to the hot water tank. The fuse was fixed and I found a place to sleep next to one of the squares. A calm late night with tapas.

Entre Moncuq y Mossiaq era un Día con lluvia. Tuve problemas con el poncho y el GPS. Ellos interferían mucho y este cambiado los reglajes del GPS mucho. Pasé la ciudad Lauzerte. Magnificente en la cumbre de la colina. Pero también una ciudad semi muerte. Mucho barro este día, y también una distancia larga. Por eso andaba el arcén desde St-Martin-de-Dufort hasta Mossiac. Cuando entraba la ciudad recibí un SMS de casa. Problemas con el calentador. Algunas conversaciones telefónicas más, y descubrí que se ha fundido un fusible.

2017-09-24 Cahors - Montcuq (36/409 km)

Pont Valentré, Cahors

Walked trough a sleeping Cahors. And came to the famous "Pont Valentré" the classic entry bridge. The master responsible for building the bridge had so much problems that the promised the devil his soul if the bridge could be ready in time. Well the devil made his work, but the master cheated him and as a result the last stone could never be set. I passed over the bridge without any interference by the devil. But then came the trial a stone stairway meandering up the mountain. Steep, stony, bad quality and without fences towards the abyss. But I got up. Several others stopped and took the eight km longer route around this. Well up you had a fantastic view over the city. But I wanted to continue along the ridge. Then came the next surprise at the backside of the mountain you followed a road downhill so you were almost back to the level you started when you crossed under a motorway.

I caught up with a multilingual lady from northern Switzerland. However she preferred German to English so German was the language we spoke while we walked together. After a while she wanted to stop so I left her.

A hot day but with som autumn colors

Ended up in Labastide-Marnhac, drunk some coffee and bought some food at the combined bar-shop. After a while I reached the Swiss lady again so we spoke some more but I felt that she wanted to walk alone so I left her. Partly a monotonous but green limestone landscape with few villages.

I reached Lascabanes the only other halt worth using had a soft drink an continued. The day was hot, at least for me and long stretches I had to walk in direct sun. Towards Montcuq they had changed the GR65 (Chemin de Compostelle) for safety reasons. Earlier you had to walk a long stretch along a highway with heavy traffic. Now they had bypassed that problem trough a track in a green valley, but the price you had to pay was some km extra.

Three of the four guests (the fourth behind camera)

I reached Montcuq and traced the "Gite le Souleillou" where I'm staying now. The responsible proved to be a polyglot, with some connections towards Nepal, so we'll see what we'll have to eat in a short while. He is also the responsible chef.

We had a nice dinner together - all four guest - plus host and hostess and their dog that I just heard howling outside. But I really lack the ability to handle the french language well. Just a limited vocabulary is not sufficient. A must to improve when I get home.

Dejaba Cahors via el puente de Valentré. Este puente tiene una historia de un pacto entre el diábolo y el maestro de obras para meter prisa de la construcción. El diábolo perdió, pero todavía falta una piedra. Detrás del puente había una escalera muy escarpada, pedregosa y peligrosa sin protección del precipicio. Pero no obstante subí. 

Después un día y un paisaje como en los días antes. La entra de Montcuq era cambiada dependiente seguridad, trafico creo. Per resulta en más kilómetros. En Montcuq una buena albergue con, esta noche, solo cuatro huéspedes. Pero falta la lengua francés mucho. 

2017-09-23 Vaylats - Cahors (28/373 km)

No nuns at the breakfast. One of the responsible, the male one, followed me out and showed me the way. But I misunderstood him and walked too far and actually thought that I had taken the wrong road. So I turned back. Only to be met a little later by the same man guiding another pilgrim. Now shouting and gesticulating. I had taken the correct road but should have turned at a place advertising jurtas as an alternative mean to sleep. Yes jurtas, I saw them a bit later. They have alternatives here convent or jurtas.

Landscape south of Cahors

Then a rather uneventful day, but warm and without villages to eat in. Happily I had my own food from yesterday.

I walked and I walked and got rather tired. After a number of hours I followed a long ridge and then suddenly beneath my feet there it was, the classical city of Cahors surrounded on 3 sides of the river Lot.

"El peregrino" in Cahors

Cahors from above

Over the Lot bridge - before the attack by the ladies

A bit later I passed over the Lot bridge. But immediately after the bridge I was attacked by a team in a small hut that wanted to interview me and inform me about Cahors. I was tired and warm and didn't speak very much French. What a disappointment for them. I walked up
 the city, visited the cathedral and a bit later found the recommended pilgrim hotel that I had heard about. Locked for yet another 2 hours. So went to drink a little bought in a shop and the sat waiting for another hour. I was tired. The hotel oped and I got a room and could wash my things and rest some more. Very tired today for some reason. Walked round the city for a while ate a pizza and returned to write this. End of day.

En la madrugada un hombre del convento me guio cuando irse el buen camino. Pero creía un poco después que había interpretado mal y volví. Otra vez vi el hombre gritando, ¡vuelve, vuelve! Y volví otra vez y encontraba el camino correcto que pasaban algunas yurtas. Convento y yurtas, este pueblo tiene recursos. En la tarde después muchas horas llegué a Cahors. Fatigado dependiente el caliente.

2017-09-22 Cajarc - Vaylats (38/345 km)

The English couple

If you have little to offer do it using colored shells

Horses - this first time a cart.

Cajac is not a big city, so soon I and we, since there were several of us, had climbed up to the road that eventually led us back over the river Lot.

Had back and forth company with a English couple. Good walkers. I met them briefely in Limonge-en-Quercy. They intended to stop there while I wanted to continue.

The day had started well walking out from Cajarc and looked fine with lunch at a workers restaurant in Limongne-en-Quercy but then things did start happen or rather not happen.

The theme of the day seemed to be horses. First a cart at the entrance of Limonge, then a group of six riders that passed me and I passed them when one of the hoses had got problems.

Now riding

I had aimed to stop at the gite at Varaire but that unexpectedly proved to be closed. Exceptional circumstances?!? I was not the only one lost so in Variare I found several pilgrims walking around not knowing what to do. One that had passed me earlier got a tip about a gite 8 km away. Carmelites? I guessed what it could be. Being the navigator I navigated the lost pilgrims out of Variare and two of us later passed the village of Bach where thy were building new and larger gites. But not for now so we ended up a bit off the route at the female convent (caramelits? I'm not sure) in Vaylats. Rather unexpected. We were well taken care of and invited to dinner.

Limestone landscape - look at the width of the wall

At the dinner in the convent my camera was handed back to me. Without me knowing it had at the reception fallen out of its carrying box attached to the backpack, but now it was back again. Hooray!

More shells

Each and every one of the pilgrims were expected to present them-self at the dinner, both for our self and for the very old nuns. Average, about 90 years of age? Since I'm so bad at French I started using that language but then challenged the audience by switching over to English. It proved to be an American girl from Virginia sitting at the other table. Her handling of French was not much better than mine.


You never know what is going to happen on the Camino/Chemin.

Un día con caballos y el non-planeado. Cuando llegué en Variare el albergue  allá estaba cerrado. Cuatros peregrinos confusos erraban la plaza en el pueblo. Pero todas problemas tienen soluciónes. Recibimos una propuesta de uno sitio 8 km más adelante. Un convento de monjas (¿carmelitas?) en Variare. Oigo Juan de la Cruz masculla alguno desde su tumba. Pero el convento estaba bueno. 

2017-09-21 Figeac - Cajarc (32/307 km)

A rock wall - I wonder what they do/did here? Live?

Steep hills out of Figeac, but I'm getting used now. A good morning coffee in Faycelles, where I also bought a little food in the restaurant. There was no shop.

Again a long and rather uneventful day.

I had hoped to have lunch in Gréalou, but there was none. I'm beginning to learn that you must have bought food when you start the walk of the day. Today I ended up sitting in the resting ground of Gréalou eating sardins and biscuits. What a mix.

A"Dolmen". A place to sleep if you don't eat?

A bit later I passed a "Dolmen" a megalit burying place from very, very long ago. A memorial today. Not unusual in Sweden actually. But the shape is a bit different.

I also saw an ad for doing pilgrim walk 1.200 km taking 45 days round Shikoku, an island in Japan. The ad in cooperation with a pilgrim society at a place on the Camino Frances in Spain. I had seen info about Shikoku before and actually thought about it some years ago. But that time has now passed for me.

But I survived and reached Cajarc, a beautiful but very small city at the side of the river Lot.

Maybe a walk for my next reincarnation if I was a buddist.

After the experience of yesterday I had decided to stay in a hotel to wash and fix a number of things. And that's what I'm doing right now.

Otro día ordinario. Empiezo enseñar es necesario comprar comida por el almuerzo antes de comenzar caminando. Hoy en día fui obligado comer sardinas y galletas. ¡Previsión malo!

In this reincarnation some takes the boat at Cajarc

2017-09-20 Decazeville - Figeac (31/275 km)

Cobweb (?) in the morning. I saw several of these. 

Just a few lines to show that I'm still alive.

The day started as usual. I had to help 2 ladies out to the GR65. They had lost their way. After a not so exciting walk I reached Linvinhac-le-Haut. Had my morning coffee at a organic coffeehouse where te host was from Guernika. She had even worked at the Youth Hostel where I stayed when I walked Camino del Costa, but not that year.

Shepherds slept in these, once upon a time. Now culture.

It was a long day. I had to eat an improvised lunch at a water dam. Tuna and dry bread. I had planned to make a lunch stop in Saint-Felix, but that village was a less than I had hoped for. No food.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful until I reached my goal of the day Figeac.

I found no gite until I had walked around a bit. And that gite, where I now stay, is somewhat primitive. I could not wash my things as I had planned so it will have to be tomorrow.

I'm actually sitting in a park writing this and hoping for a more and better tomorrow.

But already the dinner was better. Good food inspired from North Africa and an intense discussion with a young French history teacher about EU. He thought that EU should be more or less dismantled - only technocrats and costs - and the independent national states of Europe revived. Interesting but to me a dangerous future. I wonder if his views are common among the younger generation in France?

Café de la mañana en Livinhac-le Haut con una mujer de Guernica sirviendo. Había trabajado en el albergue juvenil pero no en el mismo año que yo visité. Después un día con ninguno especial. En Figeac trové un albergue un poco inferior. Pero una discusión muy interesante con un joven profesor de historia sobre el futuro UE. El no creyó en este, sino un Europa con países independiente. ¡Hmmm!

2017-09-19 Golinhac - Decazeville (46/244 km)

Someone just got to here and no further

Certainly one of the longest days. It started from Golinhac after breakfast in the early morning mist. Not very much to be seen around you. A little rain to and fro. Not until I had passed a number of villages with ups and downs did the weather ease. But of course I had my morning coffee. This time in Sénergues, a nice little village.

And I passed this cross at the wayside. It usually means that a pilgrim has taken his or her last step there.

Conques

Finally down the slippery trails to Conques. Sadomasochistic, SSM trails for pilgrims - Slippery, Stony and Muddy. And claiming that you do this because you like it.

Conques (sorry about the quality of the photo)

So Conques, a village-city from another world and time. A feeling of Grimm brothers when entering it. Would Snow-white or Cinderella peep out of the next house. Or maybe Hansel and Gretel. I have nerver seen a place so directly coming from a fairy-tale. It felt unreal. But it was real with a fantactic cathedral in the middle. And so many stories from Charlemagne to all other important historic persons leaving their imprint on this place. An a very special 12 year old female saint "Sainte-Foy" from Agen, a full golden mask face and upper body, with stones. Was killed 303, the first female martyr in France. The mask brought to Conques 866., trough the involvement of Charlemagne. Since 1012 venerated according to the book "Livre de miracles de Sante-Foy". Some non-believers says that it from the beginning was a death mask of a roman emperor. How many pilgrims have not passed here and asked her to heal blind young persons. Also the tympan (stone relief) over the main entry to the cathedral requires several pages to interpret. If you have a chans, visit Conques.

Tympan of cathedral in Conques

I had lunch in Conques but decided that it was too early to stay. Only 2 o'clock. So my visit was short but I promised myself to come back if possible.

Leaving the city I saw this text in mixed Danish, English and Spanish. I really felt hit by it. I, a snail with my house in a backpack, and the remaining is not less interesting. Try to translate it yourself. (Click the photo to enlarge)

More views of Conques

Down the extremely steep streets (not possible with a car) - I almost fell twice - I reached the river and the old roman bridge across. A car tried to cross it but did not really dare since it had about 10 cm free space at both sides. Proved to be an Englishman with passengers. I tried to discourage them, but I'm not certain that I was successful. There were no good alternatives nearby.

Then for me another very steep SSM trail upward some 300 - 400 m. I had determined to walk to Noailhac and stay there. Found the gite and yes there were free places, but I needed to go to the restaurant to report first.

Am I a snail with my house in a back-pack?

Then a car stopped immediately outside the entrance door to the gite and a young lady went in and left some prepackaged food in the fridge. Relying to my question she said that the restaurant was closed tonight and that there was no food in the village. So I determined to continue to find something on the way. I passed a chapel of Saint-Roch once a pilgrim to Santiago. On the way there (or back) he was hit by the pest and hid in the forest not to infect others and a dog brought him food. It was like me when I met a dog that tried to adopt me in southern Spain at the "Vía Mozárabe" from Granada. But that's another story.

Saint Roch with his faithful dog. 

It proved to be nothing in terms of gite and food until Decazeville after 46 km. I was rather tired so in spite of the gite, that I was very near according to the map, but did not find the entry to, I went into the city and finally after a lot of searching found a hotell where I around 7 pm got a cheap room. I needed that! Decazeville seems to be a city in some decay. I understood that it some years ago had been an important coal mining center. But now all the mines have been closed. You could see that in the city. Closed shops, closed hotel etc.

Unos de los días más remarcable. ¿La causa de eso? ¡Conques! Como una ciudad de fantasía de los hermanos Grimm, con Blancanieves y Cenicienta habitando las casas. Deseaba quedarme allí, pero no tenía tiempo. Cuando deseé pasar la muy estrecho ponte romano un inglés probó la misma, pero con coche. Aconsejé a el que no haga. No sé el resultado de esto. 

Había concentrarme de pernoctar en Noialhac. Pero este resultar ser imposible. ¡Ninguna comida posible! Por esto continué hasta Decazeville. Un día de 46 km. 

2017-09-18 Espalion - Golinhac (28/198 km)

UNESCO World Heritage symbol

Another rainy day. I was probably the last one coning for breakfast in the kitchen. But I got it anyway. Easy to walk trough the streets by following the UNESCO World Heritage symbols pegged on the asphalt.

Lot valley in rain clouds

Walked along the river and then up into the hills again. Another 300 - 400 m up. Rain an clouds.

Typical small village with stone houses

Estaign

 Passing several small villages and came down to the river again . And there on the other side, it was, Estaing. Looked like fine place to visit some day. But today onward on the roadside along the riverbank again. More rain all the time. Then up, up and up through more slippery stony tracks. Passed a number of tired elderly people most ladies that was standing to gather power before climbing the next track. And again more of the high landscape again until I reached Golinhac, not a very big place but important as a stop for pilgrims. Ended up at a camping site wet and cold. Got my own room in a small cabin and did the normal routines that today included washing. Thought that I'd be alone until a French-Spanish couple came.

 Un día frio con lluvia. Llluvia, lluvia todo el día. Escalé los escarpados dos veces. Pasaba Espalion pero continué hasta Goilnhac un pueblo no muy grande. Vivo en una cabina de camping juntos a una pareja francés-español. Una oportunidad de hablar alguno castellano.