Pilgrims on the Way

The interior of the little village church in Les Estrets may not look like much, but it will always be dear to me. For it was here in this tiny Romanesque church that I chanted the opening versicle of the Liturgy the Hours in Latin, while Steve the Assemblies of God preacher sang God’s praises in his own private prayer […]

The Way into the village of Les Estrets is down a road that the rain has washed to a stony gulley. It includes a slippery section of bare rock, of the kind Francine dubbed “the dragon’s spine”. I slipped a couple of times in this stretch. Thank goodness for my hiking poles! Date: 21 August 2023 Place: entering Les Estrets, […]

After breakfast, I left town and continued walking mostly through open fields and meadows in the unforgiving heat, with the occasional blessed stand of shady trees. At some point, I met up with Steve and we walked together the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. I spotted these pilgrims ahead of us, and I though that this was […]

When I arrived in the town of Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole, I stopped in the first boulangerie I saw and picked up two pain au chocolate for breakfast. I sat on a nearby bench and ate them both. This was my breakfast view. Of course, following breakfast I visited the church. Date: 21 August 2023 Place: Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole, Lozère Département, Region of Occitanie, France […]

From this photo, you might be able to tell how hot it was becoming. Below you see the outskirts of the town of Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole, which turns out to have a pretty dense urban core despite a population of only about 1400 people. By this point, I was hoping for some second breakfast, as it was past 8:30 in the morning. […]

As I walked steadily downhill towards the town of Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole, I could see the valleys filled with mist. The Camino continued to wend its way through grassy meadows and stands of trees. I saw few people or cattle, though I did meet a couple of rangy orange cats. I was repeatedly struck by the extraordinary beauty of this country. With […]

I don’t know if this is the original design of the modern metal cattle grate. It certainly is a clever use of the available material. As I walked through these early morning meadows, I passed over a handful of these. Most, like this one, doubled as bridges over the myriad of little streams in this landscape. I saw no cattle […]

So much of my Camino experience in France was walking through landscape like this. The Camino left the main road and turned down a gravel track through meadows and the occasional stand of trees. I find these mornings peaceful, and my mind and heart often turn to poetry and God. In fact, sometimes I get so caught up that I […]

Just past the Chapelle de Saint-Roch, the Camino heads back to a pretty major road for a short bit. This is where I saw this sign, welcoming me to the administrative region of Occitanie. It is one of two major regions in France named after the old Duchy of Aquitaine. The symbol of the region is based on the old […]

The next day, I left Domaine du Sauvage before dawn. By the time I made it back to the Chapelle de Saint-Roch, it was just past 6:30, and the sun was coming up. I filled up my water bottles at the Saint’s fountain, stowed my flashlight, and then proceeded to the chapel. After yesterday’s crowds, it was strange to see […]