Saint-Côme-d'Olt to Estaing!!!

Had a nice 11.7 mile walk yesterday, along miles of fruit trees and berry bushes. We munched on apples, plums (red ones and yellow ones), grapes, pears, black berries... Lots and lots of fruit along the whole route. It was a beautiful trail on country roads and shady wooded paths. Aside from the two mountains we had to climb, it was a fairly nice day.

Once in Estaing we found a Gîte that was a pilgrim's hospital built in 1774. A crazy, old stone, scary building. It was a catholic Gîte accepting donations to stay. We had to stay for dinner and do a little "chapel" time with the group. Luckily it was all in French and didn't last very long. The good news is that some how during the delicious pilgrim meal the announcement was made that since we were going all the way to Santiago, they were going to pray for us for 60 days... And if we finished early that we may want to call them up so they would stop praying. I guess that's o.k. We could use all the help we can get!

Estaing... It's a great little medieval hamlet, population 1000, nestled in a valley with a river running through it (Le Lot). It is considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in France. The gothic bridge crossing into Estaing is considered a UNESCO World Heritage piece of work, built in 1490. The village is built around the castle of Estaing which is now owned by a former French President, Valéry Giscard. Giscard was president from 1974-1981.

But the best part is that we arrived in Estaing in time for Les Médiévales! We didn't know what this meant but from what we were told the village shuts down for the weekend, all cars are removed, the streets are adorned with medieval trappings, the roads are covered with straw, the animals are brought in to roam, the hog roasts begin, there are all sorts of activities going on... AND every one is dressed in period costume. You can't help but want to see what's going on because they have a full time period dress shop on the main street that's just inviting you in. Soooo...Kristina and I decided our feet needed a down day. We went to the costume shop and while looking for some wears we met two older couples from the U.S. We were struggling to communicate with the shop owner when one of the American ladies helped us by translating. So we rented some rags!! Seriously, rags because we are peasants. We would have been Nobles but the clothing is so thick and heavy, and it is hot here!

Of the Americans we met, one couple is from Rapid City, South Dakota (Frank and Claire), Frank owns a small house here in the village, and the other couple is from Temecula California (Ken and Deanne). It turns out that Deanne is in Encinitas a lot (a member of SRF, which is a stones throw from my house). What a small world. The foursome came over specifically for Médiévales. They invited us over for a glass of wine and Frank gave us a tour through the village as we walked to his little chateau. It was fun and very nice to have a full on conversation in English! After our happy hour with fellow country men, we returned to the Hospitalité for our pilgrim activities.

Today we checked into a little Hotel, explored the village more, toured the castle, and watched as they transformed the village. Oh what fun!

Location:Quai du Lot,Estaing,France