Pilgrims on the Way

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 […]

As I walked around the village, I came upon more and more of these whimsical little people. I don’t know if they’re the work of a single artist or many, but this sort of art can be found throughout Estaing. This musician was one of my favourites. Date: 25 August 2023 Place: Estaing, Aveyron Département, Region of Occitanie, France Maps!

After visiting Château d’Estaing, I explored the village, wandering down its narrow medieval lanes, before somehow ending up directly in front of the church I’d visited earlier, Saint-Fleuret d’Estaing. There was just something about this view from a narrow lane and the tired pilgrim sitting on the steps that struck me as a proper encapsulation of this utterly charming village. […]

The view from Château d’Estaing is spectacular. From this particular angle, you can see the Pont d’Estaing across the River Lot and the hamlet of Sébrazac on the far side. In the morning, I would have to cross back over this bridge to rejoin the Camino route. Date: 25 August 2023 Place: Estaing, Aveyron Département, Region of Occitanie, France Maps!

The castle is mostly given over to a museum of the castle’s own history, the original family who lived here, and its most famous recent owner, former President of France Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. This is a portrait of the last of the original family, Charles-Henri, Comte d’Estaing and Admiral of France. He fought for the United States during the American Revolution and was later guillotined during […]

The first room on the castle tour is the kitchen. The castle itself dates to the 15th century. It was home to the Estaing family until Admiral Charles Henri d’Estaing was guillotined during the Revolution. After that it was effectively parted out in lots of one or two rooms each. In 1836, the nuns of Saint Joseph bought out the other lots of […]

After spending some time in the church, I resolved to visit the castle that stands watch over the center of the village of Estaing. I’ll have some photos of the castle, now very much a museum, in the coming days. But first, I was struck by this warning sign posted on the castle gate. The castle is old, y’all, and […]

This is the view walking out the doors of the church of Saint-Fleuret d’Estaing. This is a pretty typical street in this old and beautiful village. You can see a shop and a café. The building on the right is a boulangerie. The street at the bottom of the hill is Rue François d’Estaing, effectively the village high street. Date: […]

The church of Saint-Fleuret d’Estaing is named after its resident saint. According to tradition, Saint Fleuret was Bishop of Auvergne, about 180 kilometers north of here. He may have also been known by the name of Avolus. He died during a visit to Estaing in about the year 621, after converting the people of the village. What I love about […]