Author: Thom

The Camino winds its way all through Europe, with a myriad of routes eventually coming together into the four great branches in France from Paris, Vézelay, Le Puy, and Arles, as well as the routes throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Whatever route you walk, the kind of path you’re on constantly changes. One minute, it’s an asphalt road; the next, it’s […]

The tiny village of Fonteilles came and went without a café. In fact, the route actually bypassed the village entirely! I only saw two pilgrims this morning, and one of them was walking in the other direction, towards Estaing. On the other hand, I did see a fair number of cattle. Meanwhile, the Camino had gone from a constant climb […]

Somewhere along the Way, this little shrine sits in memory of a man who used to sit here. I sat here myself, though only for a moment, and prayed and snacked. I also stowed my poncho, as the rain had stopped – though I did put on my rain jacket, just in case. In English, the sign erected by the […]

Switchback after switchback, up and up I went, sometimes on paths, and sometimes on roads. I was sweating in a way that I hadn’t since climbing to the Chapel of the Magdalene almost a week ago. A brief bit of flat ground brought me to Montégut, a little dot on my map that I hoped might have a spot to […]

The Camino headed inland and uphill through forest and field, switchback after switchback. And some of this was silly steep. Just before 8:30 AM, I passed these ruins. They were in the forest, though, as you can see, the forest was also in them. The only inhabitant was a feral cat. This was a romantic (if melancholy) reminder that people […]

After the bridge, the Camino takes two different routes from Estaing. Both end in tonight’s destination, the village of Espeyrac, and both head through various highlands south of the Lot River valley. I chose the route that heads through the village of Golinhac on the theory that there was a marginally better chance of getting some lunch. The signage, as […]

Following breakfast in the only open café, I left the beautiful village of Estaing at about 7:15 AM. The early morning rain had stopped, but I wore my poncho just in case. I headed back across the river into the cool, fresh morning. The air smelled of petrichor, one of my favorite scents in the world. It was a perfect […]

I probably took a hundred photos in the beautiful village of Estaing. Here’s a final one: this is my view from my table in a charming little restaurant called Chez Mon Père, which means something like “at my Dad’s” or perhaps more literally, “at my Father’s house”. Across the street, you can see Auberge St. Fleuret, which is a fairly […]