A magical night in Conques…and a tearful morning

Sometimes few words are needed, had I not been to Conques and witnessed its magic before I’d have much to say. My time with the kid’s here, sleeping in the monastery garden, sitting in pews with Jean Michel as I thought the monk was playing the House of the Rising Sun on the organ (actually he’s not, he’s playing a French song to the same music) and listening to the story of the Tympanum is captured in my post five years ago. Sadness as dear Jean Michel would share with me in these pews that he had cancer and that it was extreme and he had not long to live, though he fought. I would be in Croatia two years ago where I would answer a call from his wife telling me Jean Michel had lost his battle with cancer, she and I had never met but did meet via our only Facetime post-Camino, but she shared how much he loved my kids and family.

Our very sad byes to Laurence and 'Boiz' would leave us in tears in the morning… 

a very difficult Goodbye ….

We wanted them to stay but school calls… maybe a chance, a small chance if timing correct to meet in Spain towards the end. It might be wishful thinking… 

A huge void as we leave Conques for what is a steep incline for about an hour exactly …

Stage Six: Les Quatre Chemins to Nasbinals

Our gite I think uses the digit 4 in their name in case I’m appearing lazy writing “4”.  As mentioned in yesterday’s post we would meet up with the two boys and their lovely mother while they took a quick break on the side of the path. What joy it was!!!!  We would spend the walking together, talking and laughing, taking pictures, dunking our heads in the water (some of us), and just having a “ picture perfect” Camino day!!! 

What a treat. Their English is beautiful, the boys are perfect young gentlemen, adorable young men, and their mom, Laurence, would be one of the kindest souls I could ever meet. Soft-spoken, sweet, meditative, and it was wonderful discussing our roles as mothers and life. Our values seemed to line up beautifully.

They would stop at a beautiful hotel/ restaurant before ours, but they had started the day before our location and start point. While their gite looked postcard beautiful they would share the next day it was more of a business vs the gites that seemed to cherish the Camino spirit. Bronwyn and I stayed for a drink with them before setting off for our location, it was difficult to say goodbye, but we compared our notes and knew two of our next four days had us staying in the same town, and one the same location, in Conques at the Abbey, in what would be their last night on the trail. 

Bronwyn and I arrived at the campsite in Nasbinals and just like five years ago and put our hammocks up between the same two trees that hosted us last time. This night five years ago Flora and Morgane, two Parisians would visit us in the evening and sing Opera to us. We loved these ladies dearly, and can’t think of Le Puy without thinking of their beauty. They have since added a daughter to their family and I hope our lives will cross again so I can live on the child/ children like they did on mine! 

I remember freezing in my hammock last time and this time Bronwyn would freeze, it was hard sleeping in the hammock, my feet were throbbing, I ached, but at sometime in the night Bronwyn joined me in my hammock and we snuggled, and each fell fast asleep and slept well from that point on. At 8 we heard the hustle and bustle of movement around us and realized it was time to carry on. I shouldn’t mislead and imply Bronwyn and I set up and down the hammocks, it was totally Bronwyn's doing, an ownership she has taken on and I’m thankful for. 

Beside us, last night was a group of teenagers, a leadership scouting group we would get to know a few days later but only in passing. We would wake in the morning to drizzling rain… but two cups of coffee later the rain became only a threat and we were off to Saint Chely, a little town with great memories of us with Jean Michel five years ago. Jean Michel became very dear to us and is credited for us ever even getting our teepee experience, rumor is he is the one who mentioned us to Gladys when staying at her gite and thus why she went and sought us out that day. 

Bronwyn and I were excited as tonight we would be with “ the Boiz and their mom”, we would start a Whatsapp group called “ Mom Power” to communicate, and while we were staying at different gites we were excited we would get some time over drinks with them. The walk to Saint Chely is all rocky and a big decline, we arrived, like last year exhausted!!!!!!!

Stage Five: Saint-Alban sur Limagnole to Les Quatre Chemins

Today would be a day filled with memories of our trip five days ago and would end with possibly the most genuine hospitality of any gite I’ve stayed in. Don’t get me wrong hospitality is huge on the Camino, and comfort and a pilgrim welcome is seen often if not most of the time. But tonight humble gite was a family that almost just seemed to be opening their home to us as if family…

I’m typing this late so my days might be blurred, but we’ve passed the chapel where the kids and I slept,  went to the Holy Water fountain, and started today wondering where was the exact spot of our teepee night five years ago. We were certain we would not find it, that it would resemble all the areas in the forrest… but we did!!!! We came upon the pasture, horses still there, but not certain if they were “our” same horses. The wood poles were in a place where a teepee once stood. Sigh, such AMAZING memories!!!! 

We would walk to one of our special places Le Farme du Berry, where five years ago we were one of only a few people there eating aligot, an area favorite of potato and cheese!!!! Today it was overrun with tourists and we were so fortunate to snag a table. Honestly, I think 70 people were there!!! I’m not certain how I found tonight’s gite but so very fortunate we did. It was like a roadside diner, a walk through the woods for about an hour after where we stayed five years ago. 

A restaurant with an old awning, nothing really around it, but as we approached we were welcomed with open arms by a young man, Louis, who was I think 17 years old greeting us as if family beckoning to the bar for a drink. If I’m not mistaken he explained it use to be a run-down old gite “gite regime” and his parents bought it and were redoing it. He spoke so highly of his parents, he was so proud to show off what they had done. Drinks continued to flow, when Bronwyn lit up seeing he had orange juice he gave her the container- lol! Mom and dad Christophe and Marion would arrive and were delightful!!!! The happiest spirits, true genuine love of family, comfort, hospitality just came out of them. Two of the nicest people I could ever meet. Marion actually offered me her car to go join them at a local swimming hole for the evening. We were too tired to partake but suspect I will regret not going. 

The roadside gite was a diamond in the rough, inside our area was beautiful and I’m willing to say “the best shower head of any Camino”!!!!! They made a beautiful dinner, only two others were here… and we woke to fresh air and a cup ( or several) of coffee declining breakfast….This place is called The 4 Chemins, guide books might call it Gite Regine ( the awning still says that), and if a nights rest in the country with no distractions and a wonderful family is what you crave this is it!!!!

Minutes before departure, while taking our last sips of coffee and putting on our shoes,  Bronwyn caught a quick glance of what she thought was one of “the boys” from two nights ago… we would catch them on a little beak later in the day, and a beautiful friendship would be started!!!!

Stage Four: Chazeaux to Saint- Alban sur Limagnole

Another splendid day!!!! We kissed our dear Dingo and family and we’re sad to depart from this wonderful family, the Camino provides amazing friendships, we’ve found when a door closes a window opens… and after a long walk we would end up meeting new friends that I think we will stay in touch with forever. 

I am a week behind on blogging, so there’s more in my brain than the time stamp of this date in time knows. Five years ago this stage was magical. Glady a lovely French woman would actually approach us offering us her teepee in a field to sleep in. 

My posts of five years ago probably capture the true Camino spirit more than this trip because I felt more up to date in my writings. But Gladys and her husband also owned a gite Antres Nous, and several weeks ago I called them excited to share we would be back and this time to get to stay in their gite. A lovely gentleman answered the phone, Eric, and said he was the new owner. He believed Gladys and Michael had moved to Canada.  

We would arrive in town about three which is early for us. We ran for orange juice to the grocery a bit out of town and came back to a gite that was filling up quickly. The family with the rumored other donkey would arrive.  Their donkey is Minnie, and I think I’ve attached a picture of her here, she has the blue fly guard over her eyes. I’ve shared more images of Dingo as I can’t get enough of my dear Dingo!!!!! 

Down the stairs of the gite would come two brothers ages 15 and 17 I think, resembling twins, wonderful young men, and I was instantly impressed by them. Dinner was fabulous!!! A paella that Eric’s sister made with huge prawns and an amazing cheeseboard after. Bronwyn and I would share a room with the boy' mother who seemed delightful but we wouldn’t know yet how important this sweet sweet family would become to us! The next morning we would hear a little commotion below our window in the narrow street, we would look out to see Dingo!!! His last night was in this town and while they didn’t stay in our gite, Eric, the owner of the gite, is a huge animal lover and I think also handled the stall reservations for Dingo and held Dingo's leather reigns, pouches, and accessories where our backpacks were kept. 

A car was going by in the street and it took some persuading to get Dingo to move for it. We ran down and gave our last goodbyes to them and we’re the last ones out in the morning…

Stage Three: Sauges to Chazeaux

The Camino doesn’t get any better than this day, an absolutely amazing day. Yesterday seemed extra hard, the continuous uphills and the heat.  We slept well in our private room, ran to the post office this morning to mail a package to Barcelona for safekeeping. 

Inside the box was a heart rock, one of many mental disorders I say I have, that rocks talk to me and I want them! So when people joke and pick up my bag and say,” are you carrying rocks?”… well, the answer many times is, “yes”. 

Bronwyn and I stopped for a picnic with all the trimmings, we brought out our cutting board that Karsh made me, out little vase that I picked a flower or a weed for… and sat for probably an hour. A beautiful family with a donkey passed by and I asked to take a picture. 

We’d find them to be the most delightful bunch! Clo and her wonderful son, her dear friend Veronica and her son and Clo’s brother and daughter-in-law. The two boys were delightful to watch and their donkey was not a rental, he is owned by Clo’s parents and his name is Dingo, he is clearly loved!!!! 

We caught up to Dingo and family and I joked on my forum, “ I fell in love on the Le Puy route, but he was a REAL ASS”…. as we walked I asked if I could walk Dingo, and took over his reigns. What an honor for me to walk with a donkey on the Camino!!!! A route walked over a thousand miles when I suspect a donkey was a necessity. Rumor is there is a female donkey a day before us and Dingo would stop and have to smell the poop on the trail that she, or some other critter, had made. I would witness the “ stubborn donkey” as it was difficult to get him to budge when he came upon a pile. We would experience our first rain and thunderstorms today, but briefly! 

We did not have a reservation tonight but Clo made a phone call to her gite which was full but offered us her sofa. Eloide is the name of our hostess this evening!!! The gite is new to her and it will be one of my most memorable gite experiences.  It felt like an invitation into her home, no rush for anything, no massive structure on how the evening should unravel. A nice shower head (this is important) an opportunity to wash clothes in a machine for a donation, her making room for two tents, and a dinner that was fabulous!!!!  

It was a family recipe of Eloide’s , from a French island near Madagascar in Africa. I  had the honor of getting to escort Dingo to his stall for the night. He seemed very relaxed and not afraid. After dinner, we ran back over to kiss him goodnight. Clo’s best friend loved on Dingo too, and I realized what a wonderful dear friendship they had. The boys pulled out their Pokémon cards and reminded me so much of my children!!! 

This evening was fantastic. It’s Dingo and family’s last night…and I will always thank them for including us in their adventure. I hope so much that our paths will cross again, a beautiful family and friendship!!!