Category: Liminal Space

The Camino enters Livinhac-le-Haut on this bridge over our old friend, the River Lot. The bridge is mostly for car traffic, obviously, and pilgrims must walk a narrow sidewalk. Not my favourite thing in the world, but also nowhere close to the first time I’ve had to do something like this. I did not have a gîte reserved here, so […]

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This is the entrance of the abbey church of Sainte-Foy. I arrived about a half hour before the Sunday Mass. I was pretty tired from the fast pace I’d done most of the morning – so much so that I barely registered that some of the original polychrome was still visible on the tympanum. I did, however, notice the little […]

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Estaing’s bridge over the River Lot was completed in the early 16th century, and the Camino passes directly over it into the town. The Bishop of Rodez began construction of the bridge in 1490, which is why there’s a church on the left bank. Although you can’t see them in this photo, in the middle of the bridge on one […]

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This iconic view of the town of Espalion features a view of the Palais de Justice d’Espalion (courthouse) and the Pont Vieux (lit. “old bridge”) over the River Lot. The courthouse dates to 1572 and has served a variety of governmental and defensive functions over the centuries. It was converted into an artists’ residence in 1992. The first bridge on this site […]

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Although we saw several different kinds, this was the most common sort of cattle gate. The shell gives it a nice distinctive look. The Camino cuts through many cattle pastures on the Aubrac plateau, so we passed though a large number of gates and other clever ways to keep cows in the correct places and off the roads. Date: 23 […]

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It was a day of stiles and gates. The Camino cuts through many cattle pastures on the Aubrac plateau, so we passed though a large number of gates and other clever ways to keep cows in the correct places and off the roads. This little maze is one of my favourites. It’s actually a little awkward for backpacks, but I […]

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The Way out of Monistrol d’Allier was up and up and up. It was wicked steep up out of the river valley, and the temperature was climbing quickly as well. One consolation was that much of it was under tree cover. Along the way, I passed through this narrow gorge separating two gargantuan boulders. Although I’m sure they were deeply […]

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The village of Monistrol-d’Allier straddles the Allier river. The bridge over the river was designed by Gustave Eiffel, whose slightly more famous tower was constructed the following year in Paris. The climb down was steep, but it was nothing compared to the ascent on the other side. First, though, some food and a quick look around the village. Date: 19 […]

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And here’s what it looks like from the outside. This is the west façade of Le Puy Cathedral. It was originally built in the 12th century and reinforced several times over the centuries. In the mid 19th century, the entire structure was disassembled and carefully rebuilt with new interior buttressing and supports. From here, I walked down into the “downtown” […]

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This is one of my favourite photos from any of my pilgrimages – the view out of the main entrance of Le Puy Cathedral. You can see the town below, practically glowing in the sunlight. The street that proceeds from the Cathedral entrance down the hill is also the beginning of the route of the Via Podiensis that only ends […]

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