Finding treasure on the Camino de Santiago

18th May 2022

“Perseverance is not a long race, it is many long races after the other.” Walter Elliot

Day 11 – Decazeville to Figeac

28.89 kms – 46551 steps and total to date; 277,5kms and 423 582 steps – +- 79, 5 HOURS of walking

I started my day at 6h30 (forfeited breakfast at Hotel Wierdness), I needed to get ahead of the heat. It was meant to be 30 degrees and I had 28kms to walk. The hotel actually ended up being quite nice. Although leaving so early with no activity was a bit daunting. The host Jean Philippe was so kind to us and a real Camino angel. He found our bags and was so concerned. He provided us with plates and cutlery for our picnic in the evening.

The morning started with guess what? A climb! A seriously steep one at that. It is a beautiful morning and I am feeling good that I got away early. The light is beautiful. The day is hot, I am sweating, like the sweat is pouring down my face for 2.5kms and I am thinking that today is going to be a scary day. Then I focus on the views and I am suddenly full of energy and excitement.

The walk was tough until Livinhhac-le-Haut 5kms in, which was charming.

I saw no one. I felt like I was on this Chemin de Compostella all on my own. I walked into Montredon at 12kms to find a beautiful Chapelle and a Pilgrim rest room. For a donativo (donation), you can make yourself some tea, coffee or water and have a piece of cake. I put a donation in the box and got myself two pieces of cake (those wrapped in plastic, but bloody delicious). As I stepped out of the little Pilgrim refuge I saw a Gite offering coffee. I decided it was time to eat what I had in my backpack and have a coffee. I went in and in my best three words of French asked for a coffee. The hostess invited me to sit in the garden, which was charming.

The views and paths were astonishing again today. My head was empty of thoughts and my body was cooperating. I know some of you are waiting on incredible deep insights, but my brain is empty and my focus is on enjoying each step and ensuring I get to my next destination in a reasonable state. Every now and then I slip into thinking about work and some challenges I am facing and need a creative solution to and then I stop myself and focus on where I am and what I am experiencing.

In summary, it’s a beautiful day albeit hot. The paths are tough and rocky and often breathtaking. I see no one and I am starting to think I have taken the wrong road. I decide to sit down and have an orange and some water. I have finished my orange and along comes Jennie (who you may recall often leaves a good hour after me). So Jennie rightly insists on having breakfast because she’s needs it and because we have paid for it. I am coming to see that I too need breakfast if I am going to walk 30 kms a day in 33 Deg heat.

Jennie finds me sitting on my special Camino blanket and waiting for my timer to go off (I set a timer to ensure that I don’t sit for too long, OCD, I know, but if I don’t, I get too comfortable and then it’s too long. The discipline of 15 to 18 mins works well).

We walk the rest of the way together and it is far and tough, the ground under our feet is gravelly and rough and inhospitable, but the scenery is beautiful. We see no one, no Pilgrims anywhere. We are convinced we took a wrong turn. We wander into Figeac and need to find our Chambre d’hotes. We find it after about 20 mins and the door is answered by a charming gentleman named Gerard. He shows us the enticing swimming pool and brings us a bag of ice for our G&T’s, of course, not our feet. We have dinner in town. A delicious bottle of Rosé and a salad a horse could not jump over, with frites of course. A beautiful Chambres d’hotes called Les Pratges Hotel.

Camino gifts

– the joy of realizing I am not on the wrong road when seeing Jennie

– leaving early and managing the extreme heat of the day

– the shade provided by the GR65 (the road we walk on)