Pilgrims on the Way

As we entered the château in Lacapelle-Marival to check out the art exhibition, we were greeted by this fellow. I absolutely couldn’t tell you if the armour is authentic, but it certainly made an impression! There was a plaque on the plinth, but it was blank. I remember thinking at the time that it was likely part of the art […]

We crossed the street into this plaza/carpark. Both our gîte and a local bar/restaurant faced onto the plaza, with a beautiful view of the château and church across the street. Somehow, I managed to get a photo of neither the gîte nor the bar, but they were in buildings very much like this, just out of frame to the right. […]

At about 3:40 PM, we walked into the village of Lacapelle-Marival, our stop for the night. It’s a fairly substantial village of almost 1,300 people that may owe its name to an 8th-century martyr known as Marie del Val. To the left, you can see the château, as well as the Église de l’Assomption-de-la-Sainte-Vierge, both of which date back to […]

We passed this fellow sitting on a wall next to a house several kilometers before Lacapelle-Marival. He appears to be constructed mostly of logs and sticks, perhaps firewood. He very much reminded me of the whimsical art I saw in the village of Estaing, five days before. Date: 30 August 2023 Place: Somewhere past the village of Bressou (between Figeac […]

The thing about walking with people whose legs are longer than yours is that you tend to fall behind them. Unless, of course, you’re remarkably speedy. Here we see Ávila and Bruno ahead of me. Darn their long legs! This was one of Francine’s big issues on our first Camino – she told me that, as lovely as she found […]

Walking uphill does have its advantages, though not necessarily in the walking itself. Once you get to the top of whatever you’re climbing, sometimes you’re fortunate enough to have a view – and what a view this was! If you look carefully, you can see the cloud shadows falling into the valley below. Date: 30 August 2023 Place: between Figeac […]

Three kilometers or so later, I reached the shores of the little lake at about 1 PM. Ávila and Bruno were still picnicking there when I arrived, and at their invitation, I had a snack myself. It was a lovely spot, with lily pads and dragonflies. After that, the three of us more or less walked together the rest of the […]

Back on the trail! After the village of Cardaillac, the Camino took a downhill path, which lasted maybe a couple of hundred meters. After crossing over a stream on a stone bridge, it was back to uphill as the Camino continued today’s long climb up to the Causse de Gramat.  Date: 30 August 2023 Place: between Figeac and Lacapelle-Marival, Lot […]

After lunch, I explored the village of Cardaillac a bit, and in particular, le quartier du Fort, the Fort District. This contains the remains of the former castle of the Cardaillac family, which once ruled much of this area. There were once three towers here, but one was destroyed sometime in the aftermath of the Revolution. You can see what […]

I don’t often post photos of meals, but this salad I had for lunch in the French village of Cardaillac is representative of the quality of food I had in rural France. Look at those tomatoes! While I was eating, my pilgrim friends Ávila and Bruno passed through. They bought sandwiches to go, planning a picnic at a lake about […]