Walking to Figeac

It’s about 749 km from Le Puy En Velay (where I started) to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (where this path, and many of the pilgrim paths in Europe, converge). I have covered 254 km so far.

Today the goal is Figeac. I started at my wonderful Gîte which is located just across the road from the Chapelle Saint-Roch. The Chapelle has a great view of the River Valley if you open the gate to the left of the main entrance.

After a short walk on the road, I took the steep path down into Livenhac-Le-Haut. The path goes right through the middle of town. It’s a good size Village, but surprisingly quiet and none of the cafés or other services were open.

From here, it’s about a 5 km walk to Montredon and the Chapelle Notre Dame. The café, where I stopped to get a ham and butter sandwich on baguette was out of water for some reason. I donated some of my water from my backpack and got a free coffee.

It seemed like a very long walk to Saint-Felix, the next to last major stop before arriving at Figeac. The church located here features a very rustic Tympanum and the only one I’ve ever seen that is centered on the temptation of Adam and Eve by the serpent.

I made a quick diversion to Saint-Jean-Mirabel. This little church is often skipped by pilgrims because it requires a little diversion from the main path, but I thought it was worth it.

Finally, Figeac. This is a beautiful little town again located on a beautiful river, the Célé. I am splurging on my rest day. My hotel room looks out over the river. I crossed the river to enter the old city where I was happy to do a complete laundry of all my clothes in the luxury of automatic washers and dryers.

I took my bag of clean clothes with me and walked up the steep hill through the main square to visit Église Notre-Dame-du-Puy (translated the Church of Our Lady on the Hill/Peak?). Trust me. It was well named. The church was cool and quiet so I actually got some significant time for prayer and reflection in this beautiful setting.

To not completely lose the pilgrim spirit, I grabbed a chef salad from the local grocery store, along with a baguette, an apple and some chèvre. I washed it down with my new favorite cocktail substitute, Schweppes Agrume Aux Saveurs. It’s just basically a citrus flavored soda. I’m not giving myself liberty for the local wine and beers until my sleep schedule gets squared away. I used to easily switch time zones when I was young, but I think as I’ve aged, it’s gotten harder.

Lastly, for my wife who loves movies, Charles Boyer was born in Figeac and Louis Malle set his 1974 movie here. “Lacombe, Lucien,“ was a World War II drama that was nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film.Læs mere