Day 13: Aire-sur-l'Adour to Paris

 Psalm 127: 1 "Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain ..."

This is another long day, but for completely different reasons. By the time I was ready for breakfast, all the others, except one young woman from Paris, had already left. I was hobbling now, after yesterday's too long walk, but managed to re-visit the cathedral, and the Saturday market. I ran into the two German men from Stuttgart, George and Franz, whom I had met two days ago, and wished them well. I think they were delighted to see a familiar face, and we took pictures of each other as a remembrance.

Old Testament patriarchs in the chapel of the Holy Sacrament

Presentation of Jesus in the Temple / The flight into Egypt

The outside wall attests to the pilgrim route

 

The grain market

Franz and George from Stuttgart

The Saturday market

Inside the market

The bridge over the Adour

Snacks bought for the train

bus stop--we waited across the street where there was a bench

I left early for the bus/train and ran into Margaret, the woman pastor from Oxford, England again, and were took the bus to Mont de Marsan together. I was ridiculously early, however, so after coffee at the Hotel de la Gare restaurant, I walked down a long flight of steps to the city center and had lunch at the Sports bar/ Restaurant. It was a pilgrim-friendly town, though, and I had one woman recommending a foyer for me to have something to eat, and a second one a refuge for pilgrims for me to rest up. The latter had herself walked the Spanish Camino Frances a few years ago. I declined both and killed some time at the small train station where I charged my phone.

lunch in Mont de Marsan

I was able to take an earlier train to Bordeaux, but, unfortunately, was unable to change my TGV reservation to an earlier one from there to Paris. The one advantage of being in Bordeaux was that there would be more options at the train station there than in Mont de Marsan.

The train station in Mont de Marsan

This was not to be completely the case as the train station in Bordeaux was in the throes of being renovated, so the place was quite torn up.  There was a room with power outlets, though, and free wifi, so I was a happy camper.

After a full day of traveling, though, I was glad to be back in Paris again.