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| The Hotel St. Foy |
In the quiet of a gorgeous afternoon in Conques, I am writing about our day while enjoying the terrace garden at the Hotel Sainte Foy in a Conques. When Robin and I pulled ourselves out of the coma that had held us tightly overnight, we gazed out our window into a crystal clear morning. Down in the valley below some low hanging clouds were slowly thinning as the sun climbed into a new day. Robin had slept soundly and felt much better this morning. Our plan was for Robin to taxi Conques, but in the end she wanted to walk, and walk we did. After a quick breakfast we packed up, and headed out into a glorious day urging us onward to Conques, our destination for the day. As always we started climbing, but truth be told, it just seemed easier today. Yes, there were some steep pitches, but nothing that reminded us of yesterday's efforts. The walk to Golinhac was just long and tiring. I don't think I have ever eaten that many mashed potatoes, at one sitting, in my life. Dinner, after a hard day on the Chemin can be more like a refueling stop, than a dinner. You are just desperate to replenish the calories that you burnt off. There isn't a lot of talk regarding the quality of sauces, or the tenderness of the meat, it is just feed us. Quickly, the bread disappears, the soup is gone, the main course has been scattered on the plate, and please bring on the dessert. More wine? Of course. After all this comes the coma, and a new day then begins. Now, back to the current new day. It is Monday, the weather is perfect, and the birds are singing. We started out in cool weather, temps around 43 F, but shortly thereafter (did I mention the climb) we were both down to t shirts. The day grew warmer, and the wind never became an issue, so we walked onward and upward into a blazingly beautiful day. We felt stronger (more mashed potatoes?) and the climbs were shorter and fewer in number. All in all both Robin and I were surprised by our resilience. Perhaps a good night's sleep, and a nice dinner did the trick. Whatever was working we clocked off the kilometers and arrived in Conques shortly before 3:00. We checked into the Abbaye Sainte Foy (with a large contigent of other pilgrims) and cleaned up. We, surprisingly, ran into our two Icelandic friends that we met in Le Puy. They are having a great time. We will see them at dinner tonight. We did meet an interesting man on our way today. His name is Pierre, and his from Bretagne. He retired two years ago and promised himself he would walk from Le Puy to Santiago. He is now doing just that. He has a bit of a limp, but he is making his way along the Chemin, and I just sense he will make it. He is a very pleasant companion on the road. I am sure we will meet him again. So to wrap up, Robin is off, en voiture(by car), to a Figeac tomorrow. I will meet her there in two days time as I continue (perhaps with Pierre) along the Chemin. I honestly feel that with a few days rest Robin will be able to continue the journey. She wants this, and I want her with me. We will find a way to work this out. We stopped at every church we encountered today and offered prayers for all pilgrims walking the Chemin (ourselves included). We are in good hands. Bon Chemin.
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| Heading out of Golinhac |
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| Nice weather |
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| Robin walking the Chemin |
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| Arriving in Espeyrac |
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| Robin adjusting her boots |
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| Close to Conques |
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| Arriving in Conques |
Posted with Blogsy
My first visit to Conques was way back in 1985 in November. It was deserted, very few pilgrims if any and no tourists besides us. It was hauntingly beautiful and we were lucky enough to hear a choir practice in the Abbaye. It is very different with pilgrims and tourists but still well worth it.
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