Walking the Camino de Santiago
After lunch, I was on my way again. This time wearing a jacket. The temperature dropped noticeably, and the wind had picked up as well. The Camino returned from the woods to the open ridge, and I could see a village in the valley below. I was about to begin the descent into the industrial city of Decazeville. Date: 28 […]
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Just about Noon, I arrived at this lovely picnic spot, complete with informational posters, a fountain, and an outhouse. What more could you ask for? I was just past the turnoff to Fonteilles and about 13 km into the day, slightly more than halfway to my destination. I wolfed down that sandwich I picked up in Noailhac. I was soon […]
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Just after 11 in the morning, I came to this panoramic lookout on the ridge, so I stopped and took a video. These things always seem to look more impressive in person. Date: 28 August 2023 Place: between Noailhac and Decazeville, Aveyron Département, Region of Occitanie, France Maps!
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As of this afternoon, I’m basically 200 words away from finishing my draft of a short (~50-page) book called Practical Pilgrimage. It’s based on my Camino Rules, and I’m super excited about finally finishing this and getting it out. As always, the last pages are the most challenging. Why? Because I left them for last for a reason. This is […]
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At the top of the hill, we reach the end of the Way of the Cross at this little chapel dedicated to Saint Roch. This is probably not the best angle to photograph the chapel, but it might give you an idea of the slope of the hill I was climbing. Date: 28 August 2023 Place: between Noailhac and Decazeville, […]
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Leaving Noailhac, the Camino proceeds uphill on a dirt and gravel path overshadowed by concrete crosses. Here, the locals have created a Way of the Cross. What these crosses lack in embellishment or decoration, they more than make up for in size. As the path wound its way uphill, I saw that the Way culminates in a little chapel. Date: […]
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In Noailhac, I stopped in the little village church of Saint Jean-Baptiste. Although the plaster walls were crumbling in the side chapels, the rest of the church was in good repair and obviously loved. The main sanctuary had a warm glow about it as the light from the stained glass windows illuminated the wooden altar and furnishings. I was hoping […]
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I don’t know what the main road into Noailhac looks like, but the Camino certainly doesn’t take it. Instead, it sidles into town down an alley behind the church and eventually deposits you in the parking lot. It is, however, a gorgeous view, as you can clearly see. Date: 28 August 2023 Place: entering Noailhac, Aveyron Département, Region of Occitanie, […]
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Roadwalking is not my favourite, and there was a lot of it today. Fortunately, as you can see in the photos, at least some of it was on a gravel path next to the road rather than on the road surface itself. Much of the day was also on open, exposed terrain with a strong, cool wind. Not quite cool […]
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This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post. Although my phone camera is pretty good, particularly in comparison to what I was working with ten years ago, there are definitely moments when I wished for a better camera. It was impossible to get close enough to the llamas to take a decent photo – they would trundle away whenever I got […]
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