The North wind blew today, and rugged against the cold we walked a gentle and mostly solitary path. It was a path that seemed to open and unfold itself to us for the whole day. It was a wonderful day and we wondered if we were the last pilgrims walking this way for the season.
We got a nice view back of the village of St Georges Lagricol as we walked away this morning.
There was definitely more sense of the season closing in, with grey skies, leaves falling in the forest and the amazing crop of forest mushrooms maturing.
Mikah and James... we think we saw a fairy from the corner of our eye as we were looking at these mushrooms.
There was something bracing and enlivening about the day as we walked on past dry stone walls and cows growing their winter coats.
We're not sure what this horse was growing but it looked like it was having a bad hair day!!
Though the path was quiet, we had a couple of good interactions with locals we met along the way. Sarah's French conversation is really coming on.
At last, the village of St Paulien came into view, and with it, the valley in which Le Puy is also situated. We are nearing our final destination for this pilgrimage, this is our last night on the road.
It was another fairly long walk, and we were glad to arrive because we were feeling the cold. Once more, we are the only two people in a gite that could take a lot more. It's warm and we received a good welcome. We found a hotel for our menu du jour (it has a bit of a Fawlty Towers vibe, but it's all part of the experience!!), which caps off a really great day (despite ongoing patchy wifi, which accounts for the lateness of this post).
Gotta go - Manuel just spilled the soup!!!
Bon chemin,
Neil and Sarah
Season closing in.
Cold wind blows, red berries
bright, leaves endly flare.
Magnificent effort guys. Every morning I log in thinking, maybe they only did 20k today! But no, another big one. How wonderful to be immersed in the changing season and landscape though, and attuned to its every detail. Something I have loved about my desert trips - the feeling that you "knew where you were" and not just on a map.
ReplyDeleteYour last night on the road...such poignancy in that.
ReplyDeleteReminds me how life is so full of endings and beginnings, holding all kinds of mixed emotions and responses...
May you go well this last day and as the final line of your blessing song says "May God's love bring you home."
I imagine that line having myriad meanings for you in the coming week, (being the metaphorical thinkers that you are), as you look both forward to returning and back on your experiences. My heartfelt hopes for you, for this time...
"¿Qué?" says Manuel. "¿Qué?"
ReplyDeleteWalking in the cold can be lovely. I like your scarves--not something I'd ever remember to bring with me. Great photographs, as usual, particularly that horse. Nice haiku, too.
Good luck with the soup!
Bon chemin!
Ken