Today is our last leg walking though ancient rural routes of France taking us from Nogaro to Aire sur l’ardour. We have very bad weather today. Raining non stop since we woke up. We just brave on the cold and wet trail to walk into Aire sur l’ardour. The vineyards are becoming rarer and we have more pine trees now, together with oak and chestnuts trees.

Aire sur l’adour has the Aire Cathedral, built in the 11th century but renovated in the 14th and 17th centuries. On the other side of the small town is the Gothic church of Sainte-Quitterie. Saints Quitterie was beheaded in the 5 th century. We visit the old market of grains and walk through a five arched bridge.

This town is the oldest town of the Landes region. The original people called this town “Atura”. According to legend, in the years 480, a Christian princess name Quitterie was beheaded because she refused to marry a wisigoth prince. A fountain started right where her head touched the ground. This fountain has been a popular site for pilgrimage as it is considered a miraculous source for curing head ache, eye diseases and epilepsy. The church holds pilgrim welcoming every day at 3 pm.

There are 2 pilgrim hospitals here in Aire sur l’adour, one of which is l’hopital de Manso. The hospitals take care of pilgrims, welcome them and are managed mostly by the former pilgrims who are giving back what they had received when they were doing their pilgrimage. These traditions are kept to welcome pilgrims passing by the town.

Ed and I spent a fair amount of time at the church of Sainte Quitterie, where the front has a beautiful garden under the Sainte statue. The garden are divided into 4 sections, medicinal garden, aroma garden, mystic garden and food garden. A quiet, beautiful and peaceful town and most welcoming for the tired and weary pilgrims. A definite must stop for all who are on their way on the camino pilgrimage.