My two travel companions and I decided to leave the European Peace Walk at Lake Bled in Slovenia and take a bus to Trieste, Italy where it is sunny. We can start walking the Roman Road Via Postumia in Italy. It heads across northern Italy on the way to Santiago de Compestello, Spain. But we are only going to walk to Venice, this trip.
Tag: pilgrimage
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.
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Walking in France
My son Damon and his wife Susana, from Ecuador, are walking with me in France on the Way of St. James to Santiago, Spain. We started in Le Puy en Velay and are walking to Conques. It is about 145 miles through the countryside, hamlets and small villages. Charming!
We carry small backpacks with a few clothes, water and cheese, sausage and bread for our picnic. Every day is different and we stay in a different place every night.
A meal with other pilgrims. In Lestrade, France. Our beef is from the farm of our hostess, as are the vegetables and the schnapps at the end of the meal is made by her father. It tasted like straight alcohol and had a pear soaking in it. Horrible stuff. I had just enough to burn my throat. Dinner, a bed and breakfast cost 37 euros here.
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Crossed the Rhone River, France
Warm memories of warm walking up to the Massif mountain region on the pilgrim path across France to Spain. Compiling my sketchbook diary.
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Walk to Lectoure, France, 15 miles
Lectoure is a medieval hilltop town, built for defense.
Charming and beautiful and well preserved. The trail rolls through the cornfields, vineyards, sunflower fields. It was good and hot and humid today. The gite is for pilgrims only and opened at three pm, so I took it easy on the steep uphill into town. My dormitory room had big windows with great views. A former nursing home, Now a wonderful welcome to hot, tired pilgrims.