Jour 12 - Lascabanes to Montlauzun

There at the Monastery of Nôtre-Dame I had my own room, and dear Marie-Therèse, the volunteer working there, not only picked me up in Lascabanes, but dropped me off the next morning only a few kilometers from Montcuq where I took my morning coffee  break and bought a sandwich for lunch. She even stopped by the café where I was sitting to make sure I headed in the right direction afterward. Montcuq was a genuine little town with a couple of churches, restaurants, bakeries, a post office and a library, actually registered as one of France's "most beautiful villages" and I took a few photos.

Leaving Montcuq, I had only a short distance to go to my destination of Montlauzun. I walked past acres of lovely countryside, the little church of Rouillac wlth its medieval frescoes. I was joined by a French couple from Angers that I had first met in Figeac, and we had a picnic lunch together at some tables outside the Mayor's office, which was open twice a week. We were joined by a stray cat that had followed the couple for some distance.

The gîte owners at Montlauzun were English, having opened their gîte in 2004. There was a fantastic view from the veranda and I took a short video clip as they could watch potential pilgrims arriving from afar. If you click on the link here you can have a look. Another French couple joined me later on, and we were the only guests that evening. Again I had my own room.

My private room at the monastery

the Monastère Notre-Dame in Escayrac

Marie-Thèrese, the wonderful volunteer from Toulouse who picked me up in her car to take me to the monastery

an encouraging sign

in Montcuq, a good sized-town

the library in Montcuq (which was closed to the public the day I was there)

church in Montcuq

It is always good to know how far you have to walk

and always good to have a place to rest when you need it

here the trail (the GR65) turns to the left

and always nice to have refreshment along the way that you don't have to carry in your backpack

The church in Rouillac

frescoes inside the church

looks like at least one of these sheep is only half-shorn

Montlauzan

A French couple from Angers that I ran into frequently (the woman is holding the cat that kept following them)

my gîte in Montlauzun

I had originally started in Le Puy (my last trip) when the distance was 1522 kilometres--it was actually a little longer for me since I was walking via the Célé Valley

Psalm 125) 1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount
Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the
mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds
his people, from this time on and forevermore.