As I mentioned earlier, Ávila and I stopped at a wayside food truck outside Chazeaux, just 5 km from what I expected would be the end of my day. My plan was to get an Orangina and eat a sandwich. We ran into Appolina there and had a small reunion. And then the craziness started. Crazy with grace, I mean. […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: Unexpected Graces
As I mentioned earlier, Ávila and I stopped at a wayside food truck outside Chazeaux, just 5 km from what I expected would be the end of my day. My plan was to get an Orangina and eat a sandwich. We ran into Appolina there and had a small reunion. And then the craziness started. Crazy with grace, I mean. […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: Fancy Hens
Much of the rest of the morning was through gently hilly open countryside with the occasional wooded area or village. The hens in this particular village have a pretty swish henhouse, built into their owners’ house. There was a food truck up ahead, and my plan was to get a sandwich and an orangina for a sort of second breakfast, […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: Tour de la Clauze
Ávila and I arrived at La Clauze about 8 AM. At some point we’d lost Appolina, as she was young and speedy and ran ahead of us. The tower is all that remains of a castle known as Château de la Clauze. This octagonal keep dates to the 14th century. The foundations of the remaining parts of the castle are […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: the Forest Cows
As it turned out, the lowing sounds and the clank of the bells weren’t coming from the meadows at all. Instead, the cows in question were grazing the the forest. There was a whole herd of them, though it was difficult to get a decent photo, because they insisted on hiding behind trees. It was both unexpected and delightful. Date: […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: the Sound of Distant Cattle
As Ávila, Appolina, and I walked through a landscape of meadow and forest, we could hear the lowing of cattle and the clanking of their distinctive bells. But up to this point, we hadn’t seen them in any of the meadows we walked past. We assumed that they were in a meadow beyond the woods to our right, but the […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: Take your Shell
For centuries the universally recognized symbol of the pilgrim on their way to Santiago has been the shell. While not every pilgrim carries one on their pack or person, many still do. There are countless places where you can purchase one, but here, several kilometers past Saugues, we see a small stand giving them away – though a donation is […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: Sunrise over the Misty Valleys
The next morning, I left Saugues with a couple of French pilgrims, Ávila and Appolina. We met at the boulangerie before dawn to take on provisions, and then we set out out of town just as the sun was poking up over the hills. Mist filled the valleys, and the view back towards Saugues was incomparable. Date: 20 August 2023 […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: the Honoured Dead
Although I didn’t realize it when I took this photo, virtually every village In France big enough to have a central plaza had a statue like this in the middle of it. They were originally erected in memory of those killed in the First World War. As the wars accumulated, additional plaques with names were often added – here we […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: a Castle in Saugues
Well, a keep at any rate. Known as Tour des Anglais (the English Tower) because of its allegiance during the Hundred Years’ War, it is the only remains of what was once an extensive set of walls and fortifications throughout the town. The darker machicolations at the top are black basalt. These days, the tower is used primarily for exhibitions […]
» Read moreCamino Photo of the Day: Symbols of the Penitents
From the folks and signs in the chapel, I learned that the various orders of penitents carry items in their processions. Sometimes these are crosses, sometimes banners, sometimes candles, and sometimes, as here in Saugues, they are… whatever these things are. Date: 19 August 2023 Place: Saugues, Haute-Loire Département, Region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France Maps!
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