Day 14- August 29- Decazeville to Figeac
]We woke up today and I am very very sure we will not be able to walk today. I expect a total collapse of all my body functions. The walk yesterday was unbelievably hard.
I was surprised to wake up and walk out and got on the trail like it was day one. The camino is interesting. We got in at night thinking we are dine for. There is no way we can walk any further. Yet after a good night rest, we are up and hiking again.
Today description of the trail is no different than any other day: turn left, climb the uphill section. At the fork, turn right. Climb a steep section. Turn right, climb a very steep section. Turn left, the trail becomes very very steep, almost straight up. Then continue climbing. It’s a continuos climb until you get to a minor road. Take the minor road and start climbing up very steep narrow rocky section …. Everyday the same description. It’s a never ending uphill. Steep or very steep to a straight up section. We started out for 10 minutes and I was soaking wet. I asked Ed what’s the point of the morning shower? You get sweaty as soon as you get on the trail!
Ed hiked up to livinhac Le haut, that’s the name of the village. “Livinhac the high point”. There is a “livinhac the low point” but it would not be part of the pilgrimage because it would be too easy! Pilgrims got to climb, got to sweat, got to hurt!
We passed livinhac by the river Lot, then more climbing to a small village called montredon. The church there has the best accueil table for pilgrims! Mint and leomon syrup to make our drink and small cakes and other goodies for poor hungry pilgrims that made it up to the top of the hill.
I wrote a thank you note to the nice people running this pilgrim stop. We signed our names and got ourselves settled in the church’s shaded side for a nice lunch of fruit and cheese.
We hiked on into Figeac, a beautiful medieval with the big church of Saint Sauveur, making it yet another extremely long and arduous day of hiking.
There is a strange phenomenon I observed while hiking the French trail. You body creates a lot of gas. And burping after eating becomes a sport between the two of us. Almost always after a picnic lunch, we kind of expect a loud burp coming and we would rub our tummy and smile. That’s feels good.
But then there’s more. We usually only burped once after the lunch or breakfast but we contribute a lot of methane gas to the environment, just like the cows. There is a courtesy, while hiking with a partner, if you slowed down, and let your partner hike on, and has a special smile on your face, it means you are going to have some private business to get rid of the gas build up in your system. Ed thinks it’s just healthy, your digestive system is working well. It’s all well and good until it comes to a communal dinner amongst pilgrims last night.
A group of 4 women pilgrims from England were among a the dinner guest at the gite. We were all eating and talking when a very loud “pooot” were let out! From on of the very lady like English pilgrim. We all roared out a huge laughter. Her friends all make funny comments in their very stylish English accent, then this pilgrim bravely stood up and bowed to the crowd to the left and to the right saying “merci, merci”. The whole place gave her a good round of applause. She then added “that will be all for tonight. There shall not be another performance!” All in good humor.