Leaving the farm of Trigodina was difficult... mostly because I had to be precise on what direction to follow the GR 65. "GR" stands for Sentier de Grande Randonée ("Long-distance hiking trails," in English). GR 65 is the Chemin de Saint-Jacques, or the Way of St. James in France, from Le Puy-en-Velay all the way to the Pyrenees Mountains. One mistake can cost you hours of time and precious energy.
It was another gorgeous day, perfect for hiking (meaning not too hot and not too cold). I made good time as I headed for my destination of Montcuq. It was a rather uneventful day, but to fill up this blog, so I'm going to include a story about Rudolph and me from about ten days ago.
I was walking in the rain and had nothing to eat. There's nothing worse than being cold and wet than being cold, wet and hungry. It was around lunchtime and I happened upon Rudolph. He was sitting on some couple's front porch, eating what little he had. All of a sudden, a van pulled up, and the driver opened the side panel. At first I thought it was the French Good Humor man. No, he was much more. He delivered everything from candy and sweets to bread, cheese, pasta, meats and wine to residents of rural areas. He just happened to stop right in front of us because that house was on his right. Only God could have provided such good timing! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven! I bought a half baguette and some dried sausage. It was the most delicious lunch that I had all day and I was thankful to God for it.
I finally arriuved in Montcuq at the Gîte "Le Soleilou" (which means "the sun"). The proprietors were sitting out front, basking in the sun with some rosé wine. They really had a nice set-up. The sun was everywhere and they had the perfect gîte for it. In fact, I thought that I was at the beach, as the man had so much suntan lotion on. After a shower I sat on the back porch and just enjoyed the gift of being warm and dry.
On Wednesday morning I left Montcuq and headed for Lavande-en-Quercy via Lauzerte. In the morning the trail was pretty flat and I made good time. I arrived in Lauzerte without complication, only to find that it was a medieval city, set on a hill. I planned to have lunch there, so I had to climb all the way to the heights of the old city. When I got there I realized that I the restaurants and stores were closed for the season (I guess "the season" is roughly May through September). So, I descended. On the other side of the town was where all the commerce was. I was able to find an open pizzeria, and had an 11" Margherita pie. It was truly delicious. When I got up from the table I still had 3 kilometers to hike until Lavande-en-Quercy. A piece of cake, I thought. Wrong! The full stomach combined with the steep hills made it a very difficult 3 km hike. I finally made it to the guesthouse, which wasn't in a town, but, again, in the middle of nowhere. I checked in to learn that I would be in the restored chicken coop. The proprietor had restored an old farm, and the guesthouse was the former residence of the roosters and hens. They did a great job. The place was originally built of stone, so it didn't take much to make it beautiful. I think that I was in the rooster section, though I'm not quite sure. If this were the chicken coop, I'd love to see what the owner did with the farmhouse.
Since it was out in the country, the place was quiet, save for a few criquets chirping. It had a great view of the surrounding hills. You couldn't ask for more.
