Our last day of walking the pilgrim path was into Conques. Glorious weather and countryside with cows. There was a farmer and his black and white herding dog miving a small herd of about 20 water buffalo, with calves, along the lower valley. These produce the fabulous mozzarella cheese.
This is a walk through hamlets enclosed in old fortresses, with stops for espresso and greeting the older locals with Bonjour! Finally we saw the sign, 30 minutes to Conques. Susana said, sí, de puede! Which means yes, we can, in Spanish. Although the sign was a bit deceptive in that the last 30 minutes was a at least 50 minutes down a very steep hill on a rocky path. But she knew she could do it!
Conques, which in French means the pilgrim shell, appears suddenly along a hillside. Streets are the original cobblestone from medieval times. And the buildings are straight out of a fairy tale. Like all streets and villages we have walked through, all is immaculate. Tourists and tourist buses pour in, filling the small village with people and offering a market for the arts and crafts of the region. We check into the Abbey St. Foy, built to house pilgrims over a thousand years ago, and it serves the same purpose today as it has through the ages.
We showered, washed our hiking clothes by hand, and explored the town a bit.
If I had to pick a town to spend several months in, it would be Lauzerete. Perched on a hilltop overlooking beautiful countryside, with many artists and charming Medieval buildings and. Town square with small sidewalk cafes. So very inviting!
