Emerged this morning from our hostel which formerly was the local primary school. We received some positive report cards which included the following line:
Snoring: Geoffrey showed great restraint last night after he wrote 100 times on the blackboard: "I will not snore in the dormitory tonight."
We were dismissed from breakfast at 7.15am and we hit the road.
The track was clear and firm under foot. Sky overcast. Rabbits abounding in the crops. Lots of household vegetables growing in the fields plus coriander that was smelling strong.
After two and a half hours we arrived at the medieval town of Lectoure. There was a wonderful atmosphere in the 13th century cathedral, and other buildings in the historic centre adjacent to the square were intriguing. The cakes from the patisserie were 'divine' - we bought two, wolfed them down & promptly bought the same again.
For much of the afternoon we walked in torrential rain, strong winds and hail at times. Then half an hour later the sun would shine brightly to the point that we are burnt tonight.
The rain made the track excessively muddy and slippery. It was treacherous at times and some at dinner reported some falls.
Lovely views of the coloured fields against the grey thunder clouds.
After missing a vital marker we got lost, adding another 30 minutes to our journey . . . which felt like hours, at the end of our walking day, as we tried to figure out in which direction to point our noses.
We are in an ex-convent tonight which stopped being so 40 years ago, was for the next few decades a retreat for nuns and for the last 10 years has been a gite for travelers. Happy to be in an old convent tonight but we wouldn't want to get into the habit. La Romieu is a gorgeous little village, dominated by a huge abbey.
Lots of people arriving at the same time meant a lengthy time to register, shower, wash and hang our clothes and scrub the mud from our boots.
We cooked up a storm in the kitchen and are putting our feet up for rest and recuperation.
C'est la Vie
Geoff and Lyn Pound
P.S. Photos on Geoff and Lyn's Facebook pages.
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