Day 74 A Pilgrim’s Stop

I honestly don’t have a lot to share today. We walked 27,5 kms/17 miles and again a lot of ups and downs. We only saw one pilgrim close to the end. And we chose a little luxury for tonight after the difficult couple of days.

I do want to share something beautiful. We were walking into Montredon and hoping to find a sort of cafe. As we entered town we passed by the Mairie (town hall) and even though it said it didn’t open for another half hour we took a chance. There was a very nice woman who said we should be able to find a gite open and get a stamp. Then she said “actually the church has been in renovation since 2021 and so the gite might not be open yet.

She invited us back into the Mairie where she gave us a stamp. We were all set for disappointment with nothing open to take a rest and have a lunch. When we got to the church there was a sign: Welcome Pilgrims. So we entered and found a picnic table, water, tea, snacks…and a stamp all there for pilgrims to enjoy for a donation. It was perfect. The room was cool after the blazing sun all day. The floor was cool to our barefoot tired feet. And the respite was invigorating to our tired bodies and souls.

After leaving a donation we walked around the church to find it open. We were able to light a candle and offer prayers. And be on our way.

For whatever reason today was a bit tough. We moved from official route to the “faster” google route from time to time only to find frustration and fear by the French drivers. But we made it to Figeac and have a shorter day tomorrow so will have some time to explore.