One of my favorite things about living in Europe is being awakened by church bells. The past two days reminded me of this.

Yesterday we spent the day getting settled and exploring Puy l’eveque. It was amazing. We walked from the bottom of the village to the top. At the top is the church. In 1580, during the Wars of Religion it was besieged unsuccessfully by the Protestants under the future King Henri IV the marks of his cannonballs can still be seen in the main church of Saint-Sauveur.

Dinner on the grill back at the house where we sat poolside and were serenaded by the swallows in the nearby trees. Beautiful.

Today we hiked trails that took us along several routes which included the Camino De Santiago. So awesome!

The morning started in mist where we couldn’t see very far to beautiful vistas with warm sunshine. We took lunch and enjoyed a picnic by the side of the road. We hiked about 16 kms/10 miles and 420 meters/1400 feet approximately. We have been slacking a bit. So today was a challenge but still in the books. We will be on the West Highland Way next week soooo…we will be back to being Camino Ready.

Being Camino Ready for me means if anyone says “hey let’s go walk the camino next week” I can say “hell yes!!! Let’s go!!” And that means physical, mental and emotional!! I’m back!!

Things we noticed today is how quiet it was. We heard a few birds, the ground under our feet, our breath, the wind in the trees, an occasional airplane overhead, and an occasional car. Silence.

One of the greatest parts of long hikes is the exhaustion you feel, the deep breaths you take, the shower, a good meal, great conversation and an amazing sleep.

Hope you all are well ❤️

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