25 May 2022
“Wanderer there is no path, the path is made by walking.” Antonio Machado
Montcuq to Lauzerte
Day 16 – 16.6 kms and 26 775 steps: Total: 405 kms and 620 339 steps and 112 hours of walking
Breakfast at Hotel Barquelonne with Matthieu and Corrine was tops. The Coffee was excellent which is always good. Was excited for the day as it was a “short” day.
The early morning walking was marked by “forest” walking ( they seem to have an endless network of secret little pathways through farm land forests, just for us). Beautifully quiet full of birdsong and of course the cuckoo calls. I’d never heard cuckoo calls in real life till this trip and I fell in love on day one with that call. Then Ann told me what a wicked bird the cuckoo is and I got all yuck about it. But this morning I was enjoying the cuckoo calls.
About 5kms in we stumbled into a hamlet with a farmhouse and a few barns. I spot a 2cv as I see it, a man comes out from a building and I approach him and ask him if I can take a photo. You do not dare step into private territory for fear of dogs. They are really scary here. Jennie explains in amazing French (she’s really got it) that my husband has a 2cv in South Africa and I want to show him. The man beams and pulls away the taupe and tells me it’s original paint work and a 1984 model. He’s very proud. I show him pics of Coquette and Dixie. He calls me over to snort her barn and proudly shows off two Citroëns from 1927. All this happens in French. I am delighted I can show Warwick what I have found in the middle of nowhere.
The rest of the walk was just lovely some steep ups and downs but nothing like we’ve done. Weather played along kept cool and I wandered into Lauzerte at 13h00. Today I beat my luggage to the Hotel du Quercy. Hotel old and charming. Dinner was great. Four courses served in one hour scared me a bit. Vegetable Soup, asparagus quiche and salad, veal and vegetables and crème caramel and wine all in one hour. Delicious anyway.
A walk into Lauzerte reminded me how gorgeous it is.
Camino gifts
– the joy of walking and singing
– the beauty of the day and the joy of being here early
– the privilege of my body doing what I need it to
Finding treasure on the Camino de Santiago 
Wonderful to hear this was a good day and all is well. Amazing to see those cars. Bet lots of people wish they could be there. Splendid photos. Queen of the walk is back and conquering everything.
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“Prendre le temps, c’est s’appartenir” = To take one’s own sweet time is to be in total control” (a loose translation, as strictly it means “to own oneself / to own one’s world”). Lovely, Steph! Really cool for me to recognise so many of these vistas …
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I’m like a kid in the candy store whenever I see a new posting – so, so, so living vicariously. You Ladies are certainly grabbing it by the balls 🌻
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