I was up at 6:00 this morning and taking my breakfast before 7:00. And then I was on the road before 08:00. It was cool in the early morning; my comrades in the gite said it was just 6⁰C, so it was ideal for setting out.
I was soon out into the open countryside. Although it looks flat on the map, this is rolling countryside, with some ups and downs, though none too steep or too strenuous. I made good time, and reached St. Abrin just after 09:00. The architecture has changed as I have gone through the walk, in some areas gothic, in some areas Romanesque, and St. Abrin is a classic example of Romanesque archways and shapes.
Unfortunately, or perhaps not, the church no longer functions as a church, and is now part of a private dwelling. So I just looked around the outside before heading on to la Romieu. This section of the route goes north, which is counter-intuitive to the general south-westerly direction of the walk. But la Romieu has religious significance and justifies the change of direction. The village takes its name from romieux meaning pilgrims. The village is small, and the church is out of all proportion to the size of the village. It was built to cater for the pilgrims passing through on the way to Santiago during the medieval heyday of the pilgrimage. These days it is a collegiale, which I can only interpret as some kind of monastery or seminary. Anyway, it was 10:10 when I got there, after walking 10km, and with those tens, I needed a beer!
There is also a Special legend in la Romieu about cats. According to the legend, in the 14th century, a Girl called Angeline was born in la Romieu. Her parents died while she was very Young and she was raised by relatives. She was befriended by cats, and they followed her everywhere. In a time of famine, the People started eating cats, but Angeline kept a male and female in the attic and they bred rapidly, as cats do. With the famine over, the rats plagued the town, but Angeline’s cats soon solved that Problem. As time went on, it is said that Angeline herself became more cat-like. Today, cat sculptures by Maurice Serreau are to be seen around the town, many of them in strange places, but in plain sight.
From la Romieu, the route heads generally westwards into open country before coming first to the hamlet of Castelnau-sur-l’Auvignon, and then on to the Chapelle Sainte Germaine, another romanesque church. The hamlet was largely uninteresting, but the church had more to recommend it.
Once past the Chapelle, the route winds around the Lac de Bousquetara before heading westwards to reach Condom.
Condom is the major city of the region. Apart from sharing its name with certain rubber objects, it also claims to be the birthplace of the fictional hero d’Artagnan, and a sculpture of the three musketeers with d’Artagnan is situated beside the cathedral. The cathedral itself is dedicated to Saint Peter and is an impressive structure. A well as everything else, it has a small sculpture of the saint, and just like the one in Rome, the foot is well rubbed by people wanting good luck. I have to confess that I rubbed the foot, looking for less aches in my shoulders and continued good weather in the days ahead.
The cathedral also has several really good stained glass windows, and with the sunlight streaming in, it was the perfect day to see them at their best.
I am staying in Condom tonight. The town is well endowed with restaurants, and I have just had a very good dinner, so now it is time for rest.
I have on other days mentioned the artistic side of things that I come across. At la Romieu today, there was a wooden sculpture of Saint James giving his blessing. But even though he is giving blessings, his face seems unduly critical and frowning. At the Challe Saint Germaine, I came across a model of a pilgrim, which was interesting.
And the total step count today is 40,422
Walkingman 