Day 12 September 7 Espeyrac to Conques

13.7km 423 ascent 465 descent 3:25 hr. 30⁰ C

Breakfast was at 7:30, it was nothing but bread and jam, and a yogurt. We bought some water at the alimentaire across the street from the hotel, and a powerade. It was the first one we have seen anywhere in France, and it was lemon. Yeah.

We only walked about 500 meters before we hit a 100 meter climb out of Espeyrac. This place was really hidden in a low valley. It kind of levelled out for a few kilometers to Senergues. This town had a myriad of services for pilgrims.

We had no lunch with us, and debated whether to worry about it with only 13km to go, but decided to be prudent, and I went into a shop to get a couple of quiche. There was a man being served and another woman in front of me. It was a butcher shop in addition to a bakery, and the man was getting all sorts of sliced meats, etc. etc and having a great conversation with the owner of the store. After a while I figured out this was probably the high point of his day, and he was making the most it. So I left.

We next visited the church, which was very nice. 

The stained glass windows really lovely again. 

The priest was about, setting off for somewhere.

Then we stopped at more of a grocery store. The lady in front of us checking out kept pulling items out of a bag, then wanted this and that, etc, and then paid for her 18 euros of groceries with a cheque. Gads. Life in a small town. The priest was in the grocery store too.

Exiting the town was a 200 meter climb, virtually straight up. My legs are a bit sore. The last few days have been very hard with these major step climbs and descents. No Jossee, the first three days weren’t the hardest, and it hasn’t been easy since.

The rest of the walk today was very pleasant, through rolling country-side and cow pastures, for the most part. 

Right up to the 300 meter descent into Conques. Straight down into the valley. You could never see the town until you got there.

This is a major tourist destination. There are people and craft/tourist shops galore. What there isn’t, is a grocery shop. There is a bakery that sells drinks, but that is it. Pretty hard for a pilgrim to get a half descent lunch together.

We are staying in Auberge St. Jacques, and it is by far the nicest hotel we have stayed in yet. We got here around 11:30am, were told we could in check in at 2pm, and the baggage arrives around 5pm. Hmmm.

We went to the Abbey church of St. Foy, a major edifice of Romanesque architecture. 

The stone interior was massively high. The tympanum (semicircular decorative wall over the entrance) of the Last Judgement, with 124 figures, is one of the major works of the 12^th century. 

The stained glass windows by Pierre Soulanges in 1994 are very contemporary and original. We went in during a service. It is difficult to follow when it is in a language you don’t comprehend, but the music and singing was delightful, and the setting very spiritual.

The city has a thousand year old history, the hermit Dadon chose to retire here at the end of the 8^th century, he left it a few later with a community of Benediction monks. This monastery of Conques was protected by Carolingian kings. In 866 the monks were granted relics of a saint after a furtive transfer of bones of a young Christian girl martyred (beheaded) in Agen, St. Foy. From the numerous miracles they performed, the relics of St. Foy drew a lot of pilgrims. Conques then became a monastic town of main importance.

We sat at the bar of the hotel waiting or our room to be ready until almost 3pm. Al least this time we carried our electronics in our backpacs. The bags didn’t arrive until 5pm.

Dinner was at 7:30pm. A lovely salad to start, then Russell had  a sausage and aligot while I had fish and fettucine, followed by ice cream and coffee (decaf this time for me).

Tomorrow we have to climb out of this valley (again) and walk a long way. It is going to be hot again. I think we are getting to the westerly reaches of the massive central, so hopefully these great climbs will soon start to diminish.