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Via Podiensis July 16, 2026
  • Michael Worden
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  • Michael Worden

Via Podiensis July 16, 2026

This is what I’ll be carrying in my backpack for the next 90 days.
The Osprey Stratos holds 34 L. My load is 29 pounds with 2 L of water.
I’m carrying three changes of clothes two rain jackets, a a sleeping bag, liner, a headlamp and sunglasses. Read more
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    🇫🇷 Saint-Michel, France
    Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Borda

    Today in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Starting into the mountains today. I’m feeling rested and ready. We only went about 5 miles (9 km). today. The big news is that we attained up the mountain 1831 feet (558 meters) today. Only 758 km left to go!

    It’s a great cardiac workout. We stopped and had a nice break a couple of times along the way with some pilgrims we met and had lunch at Orison. We finished the day with a one km walk to Borda, a small, purpose-built auberge. I feel like I’m in the first class cabin because we are having our host do our laundry.

    Our evening meal started by sharing our personal reflections on why we are here. The food included a vegetable soup, scalloped potatoes, pork in pepper sauce, a lively bean side dish followed by chocolate mousse.

    The night closed out with a near full moon and an amazing lightening storm.

    Notes of the day:

    TXAKOLI local dry sparkling white wine, a Basque speciality (recommended by our host).    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port

    August 24 in France ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    I made it to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (foot of the pass). Starting from Le Puy En Velayon July 18, I have covered 750 km.

    Today I got entirely lost with a couple of pilgrims and made friends out of the mishap.

    I was late to meet SUSAN. It didn’t really didn’t matter because we connected and enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite standby restaurants in town. We made our way about a kilometer out of town to greet our old hostsvfrom two years ago and meet their son Nino, age 19 months. Nino has one gear, full speed ahead as he charges through the farmyard scattering the cats and dogs at play. Nino’s mom and dad are obviously proud of their child.

    I met a lot of my fellow pilgrims from prior stages at Mass tonight. For most, this is their last stage for this year. They will return next year and hike over the mountains to Spain. SUSAN and I have a rest day tomorrow to stroll the town and take in the sites.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler
    2It's hard to convey how steep are the paths we climb.
    2It's hard to convey how steep are the paths we climb.22

    Ostabat-Asme

    August 23 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    This is one of the few pictures that give us an idea of what it’s like to hike towards the Pyrenees. That little brown stripe, that is the road I’m on right now. From where I’m standing, I’m looking down at Hawks circling in the Valley below. I’ll post more about the day later.

    I got here by taking an alternate route through Sainte-Palais that promised more exposure to Basque culture. Basically, I added a 8 km loop deviating from the traditional path.

    It didn’t pan out as I hoped. Saint-Palais as a town is significant in history because it was a capital of Navarre. Unfortunately, I was late for Mass at Saint-Palais. I did take some pictures at the church cause it’s quite beautiful. I also visited a Passion Cross, a cross that features the implements of Jesus death, but not Jesus himself.

    Turning the corner on the loop, required climbing some pretty serious hills. The reward for climbing the hills were two little chapels. The first (chapelle Sohoartze ) sits on the highest hill for miles around. It basically serves us the burial ground for a distinguished person. It appears to also serve as a waystation for pilgrims. I observed some volunteers, leaving bottles of water just outside the chapel.

    The second chapel (Chapelle Haranbeltz) is maintained by a private association. It was a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The interior is intricately decorated. I was fortunate to stumble upon it while it was open since it appeared, the association was having a meeting there.

    Heading down the mountain, I rejoined the traditional path on the way to the second chapel (Chapelle Harabeltz) is a much more impressive place. It was a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The interior was intricately decorated. This place deserves some research to learn more about its history

    Then I began the long hard Hall to get to my Gîte for the evening. I was so tired. I stopped for a beer when I reached town. Also paid a visit to the local Parish church, which is also nicely decorating.

    My hosts served a lovely dinner which was preceded by a sing-along, led by one of the hosts who saying and played the accordion quite well. Many of the guest joined in singing the popular songs selected by the host.

    For the second evening in a row, thunderstorms quickly descended upon at sunset. The thundering continues as I write this.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Aroue-Arüe

    August 22 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Leaving Navarrenx a little later than usual today. It’s a beautiful sky today. I’ve just crossed the river and continue heading south and west, walking 24 Km (15 miles) and gaining 1500 feet of altitude. If you look closely at the horizon on some of the landscape photographs, you’ll see the Pyrenees rising in the southwest.

    It’s about 2 PM. I’m sitting outside my gîte / alburque waiting for the magic hour when pilgrims are welcomed. My host just welcomed me in and offered the typical sirop and water. Her our house-made which is not typical and she offers unusual such as sage and lavender.

    We are now in Basque country. You’ll notice that the homes have a very neat appearance. Typically the walls are painted white and the shutters maroon. You’ll notice that the signs are written in both French and the Basque language called “Euskera.”

    Euskera is considered unrelated to any other language is spoken in Europe. It sounds strange to my ear. When I attended a Mass in Basque country, I didn’t even recognize the Lord’s prayer.

    Words of the day:

    French
    Les cachuètes - peanuts

    Basque
    kaixo - hello (rhymes with pie show)

     Milesker and Mila esker - a thousand thanks

    Notes: if you see pictures of cows, look closely and you’ll frequently see white birds walking the fields with them. It’s difficult to get a picture of them because they’re quite easily disturbed. The white birds are called cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis). In French, they are known as the héron garde-bœuf (ox-guard heron). The egrets feed on insects stirred up by the grazing cows. The cows ignore the birds.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler
    Look closely. I'm the blue dot in the middle of the picture.

    Navarrenx—Jour de Repos (Rest Day)

    August 21 in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    I’m really impressed with this historic city and the fortress surrounding it. The walls must be over 30 feet high. They surround the city and command the heights over the major navigable river in this part of France (Le gave d'Oloron). The original Fortress dates to the 1300s; it took its present form in the 1500s.

    I’ve visited a museum built into the walls of the fortress. At display of artisan tools at the museum reminds me of Dexter’s history. I recognized tools for carding and spinning cloth and making shoes in Navarrenx France.

    The French adapt these historic places with museums, art galleries, and athletic facilités. It’s not perfect historic preservation. Linking the history to current community needs helps people invest in maintaining the structures that have survived history.

    We had a surprise downpour this morning. I had just put out my laundry to dry on the line. I raced back to my accommodations to rescue my laundry, but my host had already moved the laundry inside to dry.

    I am very happy sitting in café. I’m having a wonderful salad and a zero alcohol beer. As a bonus, I the distinctive twang of Mark Knopfler’s guitar keeps me company. I am well pleased.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Navarrenx

    August 20 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    21.9 miles (35.245 kilometers). That’s what I walked today. That includes a couple of diversions so I think I could’ve done it with maybe 31 km according to some of the references on the chemin.

    I ended up having to walk an extra long hike because I wasn’t able to get a place to stay in Sauvalaude. I walked through this little town today. It had a beautiful church and basically two quirky little gîtes. There was one place called the Grand Saule but I think maybe it was closed for the holiday

    Anyway, I ended up walking.to Navarrenx. It bills itself as the first bastides (fortress planned city in France). We have passed at least at least three bastides cities (1) Lauzerte, (2) La Romieu, and (3) Montréal-du-Gers. The cities look different for several reasons. The walls tend to be in geometric shapes. The streets are laid out in grids.

    I’m looking forward to exploring Navarrenx a little bit more tomorrow.

    I had a nice mass tonight. Nice little choir singing. And a couple were celebrating the anniversary of their marriage vows.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler
    2

    Arthez-De-Béarn

    August 19 in France ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Another quiet day on the path. I forgot my toiletries at my accommodations from last night. I got less than a mile before she pulled up in her car and gave them to me.

    Today the landscape changes. Today we started, heading into the foothills of the Pyrenees. There’s an old greeting on the chemin: Ultreia (or Ultreïa). It’s origin is in old Latin. It’s been used by pilgrims on the chemin (Way of Saint Camino de Santiago) to encourage one another to go further. The response is: Suseia ("and higher").

    Tomorrow that greeting will take new meaning to me. We are on track to cover 17 miles (30 km) and gain 1700 fteet (518.16 m). Tomorrow we go, tomorrow we go farther and higher. .

    Stops included;
    1. Gésiers-d’Arzacq and Notre Dame
    Église de l'Assomption    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Uzan

    August 18 in France ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    I had a quiet walk today. And I got a delayed view. I had anticipated for a couple of years.

    Stops along the way included Fichous-Riumayou where I visited l'église Saint-Girons, a church from the 12th century.

    Later, I stopped at a gîte along the way I offered a lovely peach and pear tart sprinkled with chopped almonds.

    I passed through another slightly, larger village, Larule. I saw a sign that advertised a the remnants of a monastery from the 10th century. The Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Larreule sits high on a hill surrounded by sycamore trees.

    The interior is beautiful. A helpful parishioner stopped by and turned on the lights for me so that I could really appreciate the richness the Church had to offer.

    I arrived at was on around 1 PM. This little town features another 12 century church, Église paroissiale Sainte-Quitterie. I had never heard of the Saint so I did some research while I was waiting. Saint Quiteria was a fifth century martyr who led resistance to the Roman empire.

    Now I’m waiting for the 3 o’clock hour which is the traditional time when gîtes open the doors to we pilgrims.

    My kind host today provided me with a special treat. I was her only client. She gave excellent service. When I put my clothes out to dry, she noticed that the sun had shifted and she moved my clothes so that they would take advantage of the sun.

    We shared dinner together, starting with potage (a smooth soup made from carrots, leaks, and zucchini (all fresh from her garden) with potatoes blended for a creamy consistency. Next she served sliced tomatoes and red onions drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Next, we enjoyed crisped potatoes and carrots served with local sausage and finished the meal with a hard goat cheese.

    As we were clearing the dishes, she pointed out that we could see the Pyrenees. I was at the foot of the Pyrenees two years ago. It was so foggy and rainy. We never saw the view. Susan and I joked that it was the prettiest view we never saw.

    Well, my wait is over. My host pointed to the mountains, which I could clearly see in the distance. It was a very satisfying day, indeed.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler
    Église paroissiale Saint-Pierre

    Arzacq-Arraziguet

    August 17 in France ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I’ve gotten 6 1/2 miles (10Km) in today. I’m about 82 miles (132 km) from us The sky is gray and the air feels quite comfortable. I suspect this will be a nice easy day.

    This is a very rural area. The town where I stayed last night did not have a common store for groceries. With a few people, the local governments are combined. In this area. Last night, I stayed in Miramont. This morning I traveled through Sensacq. The only evidence of the sensacq that I saw was Église Sainte-Jacques, a church that dates from the 12th century

    I’m well rested and caffeinated since I stopped with a fellow pilgrim at Pimbo, a little Village on the ship with very nice café. I visited the. Collégiale Saint-Barthélemy de Pimbo, a very impressive church for a little town. It had many of the religious icons that are missing from the other churches. I suspect that the religious wars left many of the icons in pieces.

    I arrived in Arzacq-Arraziguet in time for lunch. I took the plate of the day option. It was a lot of food. The first portion came in a large pot. I would say it was a stew of vegetables and duck breast and perhaps duck gizzards. I’m not quite sure. The second portion was lentils and a big sausage. I don’t think I’m gonna need to eat tonight.

    After doing the obligatory laundry, to the Carrefour for laundry soap and dry fruit for the road. In the early days, there were long gaps between cafés and stores. It was good to have a little backup meal in my bag.

    It’s probably not so important now because we are making each day’s walk shorter. I should arrive in Sainte-Jean-Pied-de-Port the same day as SUSAN.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler
    Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)Sambucus ebulus (Sambucus ebulus)Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)Western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum)I knew I should've taken that left at Albuquerque!!!

    Miramont-Sensacq

    August 16 in France ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    I am leaving Aire sur l'Adour a little bit later than I usually get started. I didn’t get a chance to eat meals with my fellow pilgrims last night so I spent a little bit more time over breakfast.

    I’m a little over a mile out of town. The weather is quite cool this morning. I would say about 70°. I have a short hike of about 18 km today. The chance of rain seem to have evaporated. Although the humidity remains.

    I’m noticing lots of old friends from North America along the way: Virginia creeper and pokeweed. Sadly, these old friends are considered invasive here. Some familiar plants are actually native to both Europe and North America like the bracken fern.

    I made another try at a telephone reservation today. I’m not quite sure what to expect. I’m staying in A municipal gîte called Gîte communal du pèlerin de Miramont-Sensacq. My host from last night highly recommend recommended it.

    I was in such a hurry for my lunch but I got off path. I have a new app that makes it easier for me to deal with problems like this and I was able to get back on track quite quickly. But I do have to say I took a picture that made me think I was way off path. See if you can find which one.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Aire sur l'Adour

    August 15 in France ⋅ ☁️ 33 °C

    I have a short day today. I’m up early and on the road by 7 AM. I had a nice breakfast with two of the pilgrims who I met yesterday, a father and son. The son was very kind and helped me with my French as the father looked on approvingly.

    The high temperature today is 86°. Rain is forecast for this evening. Europe desperately needs more rain. It may make walking more difficult for the next couple of days. Many parts of the path are sunken farm roads which tend to double as drainage. I’ll gladly accept that problem.

    In this part of France, it’s common to have roads 10 or 12 feet below grade. Often they are lined with trees, giving the effect of the woodland cathedrals. During the heat of the day, I much appreciate the shade they bring.

    By my calculations, I should be off the road by 1 PM or about two hours before my accommodations are ready to receive guests. It’s a good time for exploring the local village, making reservations for tomorrow’s stay, and drinking cool beverages in the café.

    My new favorite cold beverage is Jupiler zero alcohol beer. It’s not sold very widely in this part of France but when I can, I definitely enjoy it. It unseated my old favorite, Guinness. Jupiler Claims it’s zero alcohol beer won the world championship and I believe them.

    Other things I’ve tried here in Southern France. This is the home of Armanac. Enough said. There’s also a fortified wine called Floc de Gascogne. They serve it as a digestive here and it claims the status of AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée). If you know France, you know that the AOC is a very big deal here. The AOC guarantees that you receive what is exactly on the label. For example, I think I heard the (apocryphal?) story of a shipment of Miller highlife beer landing in Europe and being confiscated. You can’t claim to be the champagne of bottled beer because champagne comes from Champagne-Ardenne in northeast France.

    OK. My second telephone reservation didn’t go as smoothly as the first. I thought I signed up for a single room with dinner and breakfast. In fact, I got a dormitory room with no dinner. But I’m still learning.

    My gîte tonight is quite beautiful. It’s obvious that the proprietor took great care with her restoration and furnishing of this wonderful place. She she beamed when I noticed all the fine work she has done.

    Oh well, that means I’m looking for dinner tonight. But I think I’ll just repeat lunch, which was a great salad.
    .    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Nogaro /Lanne Soubiran

    August 14 in France ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Coffee in Manciet tasted better than I could possibly imagine. I made my first reservation by telephone in France. And I am very proud. (J'ai faîte ma première réservation par téléphone aujourd'hui. Je suis très fier.). I can’t wait to tell SUSAN and the kids.

    I was planning on staying in Nogaro. There were only a few places to stay in that town. But I wasn’t worried because I had recommendations from my host from last night.

    That all changed when I came across a person I knew from lodging two nights back. She’s a very nice Belgian young woman. And when I told her where I was planning to stay, she said they are fully booked. You’re going to have to call ahead and go onto the next town. I took a photograph of her guidebook with the page for the next town. Something in her urgency gave me the courage to try. And it went very well when someone very kind answered the phone. So I’ll be staying at Gîte Le Presbytère-Maison d'artiste in Lanne Soubiran.

    The agriculture around us has changed quite a bit. While we still see some corn and other grains, mostly we have grapes, ducks, and horses. The water is heavily managed here. There are lots of little ponds that appeared to have aerator.

    It’s been a strange season four agriculture. I’m pretty sure I understood correctly from my television that was on at a bar last night that they are harvesting the grapes much earlier than usual. Also, I’m hearing new bird songs. Today I heard the prettiest little song from. Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea).

    Well, I I have to stop waxing poetical here and get going to my lodging. Allons-y!

    TERROIR DE L'HÔPITAL-SAINTE-CHRISTIE

    It’s 12:03 PM and this is what it looks like when you are crossing the Greenwich Meridian.

    18.2 miles gets me to my gîte!

    Dinner tonight: Tres bien.
    Moules
    Canard avec cardamome, courgette,
    deux types de pommes    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Éauze

    August 13 in France ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    It’s a little before 11 o’clock. I completed my modest little 18 km walk. I’m in a modern patisserie at the entrance to Éauze. The forecast for today is 38 C (100°F), the hottest day forecast for this edition of the French heat wave. I have to find a place to stay tonight, having sent three SMS text messages to three different gîtes with no reply yet. Just also the possibility of opera tonight so I have to make some quick decisions about priorities. It’s frequently not convenient to find a bed later in the evening in a common sleeping room (dortoir). So maybe a private room at a gîte or small hotel? Last night woke up around 2:30 AM. It was a very small shared sleeping room for three people. I just decided to sleep on the chaise lounge in the garden under the stars for some truly refreshing sleep.

    Oh well. I guess I planned myself right out of opera tonight. The opera starts at 9:15 PM. My lodging tonight is at Donativo. There is no specific charge. I decide what I want to give. Usually services are fairly limited (bring your own towel). The hostess is very nice and let me in before regular hours so that I could shower, do my laundry, and have plenty of time for a cool drink at the café across from the church where I’m going to Mass tonight. But the Donna tend to have limited services, including requiring guests to the end of house Long before the upper will end.

    Regarding the church,. I stopped in at the church earlier during a liturgy of the hours (a cycle of prayer and readings observed throughout the day). They had a really nice group of singers. If they show up for Mass tonight, it’ll be very nice.

    A word about French cafés. We don’t really have this style of service in the United States. I think the idea is that you are renting some time to relax in the commercial version of a front parlor. The service assumes that you’re not in a hurry and that spending time is the object of your visit. You could order one beer and probably spend the entire afternoon and no one would blink.

    Note to self:
    38 C =100.4 °F
    35 C =95 °F
    32 C =89.6 °F
    30 C =86 °F
    25 C . . . AS IF ! ! !    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Montreal-du-Gers

    August 12 in France ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Arrived. According to Emily’s spreadsheet, I have about 228 km left to go to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, having covered about 511 KM since July 18.

    Today offered a great little hike. I missed the heat of the day and am glad of it. I took a little side trip to Larressingle, a medieval fortress town (like a mini Carcassonne— the castle, where the movie, “The Last Duel” was filmed). I’m looking forward to making my way around town after lunch. This afternoon I watched the set up for this evening’s festival in the Village Square. I bought a couple of postcards and tried some Floc de Gascogne ( red and white). The white had a stronger flavor and the red milder and sweet.Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Condom Jour de Repos (Rest Day)

    August 11 in France ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    I woke early and decided to try to take advantage of the sunrise for photographs. I once had an art teacher who tried to make me understand the importance of seeing what he called, “the turning edge.” I’m not sure I ever really grasp the idea. But I do look for places where it seems like the light and the dark planes on a picture give a sense of depth and dimension to a picture which we know is really a flat surface.

    I stopped at a café. I was aware of how warmly people greeted each other. The traditional greeting is frequently a kiss on either cheek among the men and women. I felt a little bit like an outsider, but I didn’t think I had a honest way to join the conversation among them.

    Note: why is this town called Condom? Condom ́ is derived from 'Condatomagus', meaning an old gallic market at a confluence the river Baïse.

    As I traveled on, I tried to find the river that borders Condim. I’m off that interested in the ways that towns utilize that space. In town it’s just a common place for roads and the backs of houses. In other towns, it’s like the Central Square.

    Here it feels hidden. I’ll have to ask my hostess what I’m missing. Regardless, I walked through a park, where a woman was tending her garden. I had a quite an extended conversation with her. I asked to take her photograph. She invited me to talk with her about her. courgette (squash) and aubergine (eggplant) She was quite proud of her as asparagus, and having matched the male and female versions (Dioecious plants). We shared one of her figs which was perfectly ripe

    I greeted ( Bon Chemin!) a woman with walking sticks (batons), assuming she was a pilgrim like me. She is not a pilgrim she explained she is a French person living in the south of France temporarily. She intends to spend some time in Spain soon. She’s one of several people I’ve met who I think we now call a nomad.

    Oh, and one more thing, the river runs behind the place I’m staying. The water is a bit low and its banks are very high. It has a deep border of trees and shrubs. In my imagination, it’s a bit like a secret garden.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Condom

    August 10 in France ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    I had a good sleep at Vers le beau, a very nice gîte in Le Romieu. I had a room to myself. I hung my my clothes on a balcony, but it got soaked by a fast moving storm last night. Fortunately, another cycle through the washing machine rung out enough water, so I was able to hang my clothes to dry in my room.

    I woke up early this morning and collected my laundry, and packed my bag. I was anxious to start the day so I skipped breakfast, which wasn’t served until 7:30 AM.

    The first Village of the day was Castelnau-sur-l'Auvignon. A beautiful town on a hill with lots of history, including lots of history related to World War II and their resistance.

    As I left town, I started walking towards L'Église Sainte-Germaine du Baradieu, an old church on the outskirts of the city of Condom. I got a stamp there in the deserted church and forgot my last walking stick there (It’s a good thing I’ve got a day off tomorrow in Condom).

    Today was an easy walk except for a strange detour around a lake (lac de Bousquetara). I say strange because I don’t understand its purpose. I descended down a path. I see a lake in front of me. There’s a sign directing me to the right even though all the maps show me taking a a short direct route to the left.

    But I’m a good pilgrim, and I followed the directions. As I start walking down this new path, I realize I’m walking away from my destination down the shore of a very long narrow lake.. As I continue in a direction away from my goal, I meet a man with his dog going in the opposite direction. I greet them and imagine I will never see them again. I continue down the new path away from my goal. After a long walk, I see that there is a dam (la digue) that offers a path to the left around the lake. Finally, I can turn and start back in the direction of my goal. As I turn, I again meet the man and his dog walking down the path in my direction. They have circumnavigated the lake. Why did the directions send me all the way down here? It’s a mystery.

    Regardless, it was a nice short walk to Condom. I munch on a quiche I got from the very first boulangerie I saw. I’ve walked my way through the shops and cafés on the way to la cathédrale Saint-Pierre. I made a brief stop there and then crossed to the Cáfe des Sports for a café-crème and settle in to relax.

    After that, I walked to my residence for tonight. Took a nice quick bath, changed my clothes and went for a walk in the town. Tonight, I think I’ll focus on writing some postcards and making reservations reservations for the next day.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    La Romieu

    August 9 in France ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    I’m very tired. I totally goofed. I left my pilgrim credential at my last lodging. My kind host, drove to my next stop and left the credential at the main café. I retrieved it from the café staff who ribbed me about my forgetfulness. I feel so blessed to be among such a nice people. . I hiked with a very nice French couple today. They tolerated my bad French. We had lots of fun talking along the way about our respective lives in the United States and France. We arrived in town. The café service was complete (Le service à café est complet) which is to say they had more reservations than they had capacity.

    But we did have some very fine cold drinks, which should keep us satisfied until dinner tonight. Our options for dinner might be limited. This is Sunday in August in France. I’m hoping at least one of the restaurants is open. If not, leftover fruit and sandwiches will have to serve (I ended up having the local version of bruschetta).

    The main reason to stop in this town is to visit La collégiale Saint-Pierre de La Romieu. It’s astonishing that this incredibly ambitious work of architecture and faith remains. It’s very difficult to explain. Standing may be 120 feet above a ground in a structure made entirely of stone by artisans hundreds of years ago. This is a remnant of the original structure which was severely damaged during the religious force but its grandeur remains.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Walking to Lectoure

    August 8 in France ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    I am leaving Saint-Antoine but the wonderful memories of my stay at Gîte Vox Gaudii remain. I am off to the next stop on the path, Lectoure. My hosts have secured for me a place to stay tonight there. And also secured a place in my heart.

    Cc and thank you for tuning into another exciting. “where is michael today?”

    It appears that there is an interruption to the path. I’m on some kind of detour. I don’t really understand its purpose, but I’m following the signs like a good pilgrim.

    It’s about 1 o’clock in the afternoon and I am at 12 miles already. So it looks like it’s gonna be another long one.

    Eglise Saint-Orens-et-Saint-Louis

    Château de Gachepouy 14th

    L’église Sainte-Blandine de Castet-Arrouy 14th    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Lecture

    August 8 in France ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    I got here after about a 20 mile walk. It was longer than I hoped because the trail was diverted to another town. I saw the signs, but I didn’t really understand what the problem was. Being a good pilgrim however, I follow the signs.

    This is an incredible town. It just rises out of the surrounding hills. The approaches are so steep that it seems ridiculous to see cars suddenly appear as if they were falling from heaven when they come around the corner well above me as I plod up the road in the opposite direction.

    I’m staying in a perfect little cabin. It has almost every home convenience except for a stove and air conditioning. It even has a small laundry machine, but I didn’t even notice it until after I had done my laundry by hand as usual.

    The hostess showed me around. It’s obvious that she takes great pride and providing a beautiful secluded place to stay for the tired pilgrim.

    I walked about the Village tonight. There was her wedding reception in the Village Square. I stopped into the Cathedral earlier today, but did not make a visit since the wedding was proceeding.

    I take care care get a chance to go into the cathedral later in the evening. It was nearly deserted. Sadly their Mass is not available to me until 11 AM tomorrow (which is to say it’s unavailable since I have a long walk ahead of me). I do regret that there was a Mass at a nearby convent of which neither the tourist bureau nor I was aware of.

    Having written that sentence, I suddenly have a sense of Miss Chipman, one of my high school, English teachers. I sense there is some rule of English grammar I might be skirting. SUSAN, can you help me out here? Does the ghost of my high school English teacher approve of my sentence structure?

    Regardless of the grammar, I I must find my pillow and go to sleep. Maybe I can get to the next time early enough for an evening Mass. Here’s hoping.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Auvillar and Saint-Antoine

    August 7 in France ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    This is a bit of a swashbuckler tale that is kind of appropriate since I’m in the land of the Gascone (à la the Three Musketeers). I don’t really have time to give a good accounting, but suffice to say that I ended up not finding accommodations in Auvillar and , with SUSAN’s help, I was able to get a place at a wonderful new Gîte, Vox Gaudi.

    My morning started quietly enough. I was walking along the edge of a pear orchard and heard a song, very beautiful, but I’d never heard before. My app identified it as a Red-billed Leiothrix, but the app advised me that that was unlikely. I did three more sound recordings, and that all came back to the same answer. Whoever was making this beautiful song, I was grateful for the company.

    I had a difficult time getting a reservation for tonight. I’ve been getting a little slack about doing them in advance. I probably should be a little more attentive. It could be that some accommodations are closed for August holiday in France. When I stopped for breakfast in the next town, I planned to start looking for likely places to stay for the next couple of days. Unfortunately, the café wasn’t serving breakfast or lunch at the hour. I was there. I got a good crème café, bought some dried fruit and nuts at the local grocery store, and that caught me through the rest of the day.

    I need to tell more about this story. I need to tell you how kind the hosts were tonight to make a wonderful meal of pork and red wine sauce, and mashed potatoes. I have to tell you about all the fun. We had learning each other stories and how we came to be at the table together tonight. I have to tell you how SUSAN and Emily have been working with spreadsheets and Internet to help me make a better plan for shorter hikes. But that can’t be now because I need to go to sleep. Breakfast is at 6 o’clock tomorrow and I have to backtrack to see a beautiful little church before I start my 22 km march!    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Moissac jour de repos (rest day)

    August 6 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    I set out to walk the canal up to Saint Martin. Instead, I saw a path off of the left rising straight up the side of the hill. The hill was well vegetated and I couldn’t see the top. So I decided to walk up the hill and found a most beautiful view at Le point de vue du Calvaire à Moissac. Only from this height, could I appreciate how large the Village is and the relationship between the Abbey, the markets, and the canal.

    During the visit to the Abbey, I spoke with the greeter. She told me that the windows in the church were designed by Marc Chagal. I spent an hour in the little chapel next to the altar. The sunlight from the window was very beautiful.

    L’Eglise Saint Martin is a medieval church. It was built on a former Gallo-Roman bathhouse as evidence by the underfloor heating system) discovered during an archaeological dig. Its famous murals (depicting the life of Christ) date from the late 15th century. Sadly,

    The church is very fragile as is common for such ancient treasures. Tours are very limited and scheduled on a fixed schedule well in advance. So I will have to content myself with a well-planned visit next time.

    The exterior the church is pretty weathered. It’s a miracle that it’s still here. The trains serving the region run on tracks less than 60 feet from the rear of the Church.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Moissac

    August 5 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I was up early this morning for a wonderful breakfast at Gîte Les Figuiers. It’s this just below. Lauzerte, perhaps a 10 minute walk to the town square. They are very nice couple and they have a purpose-built gîte for welcoming, pilgrims, including A, wonderful dining room and commercial kitchen. The place is clean and orderly, everything you could want from a pilgrim accommodation.

    I have breakfast in the dining room., The typical fair of coffee, bread, butter, and yogurt. I got some pictures of sunrise from the dining room windows. I really do appreciate morning sunlight.

    The path to Moissac brought me back up through Lauzerte. It’s a typical pilgrim mistake to leave the path tired the evening before without marking exactly where the path picks up again to leave town. I am a slow learner and got an extra tour of Lauzerte before I reconnected with the path and headed off to Moissac.

    It was 11 km to the first town that would offer food and drink. I arrive too early for lunch at Durfort-Lacapelette. So I settled for a sandwich complet (a favorite of travelers)i half a baguette, sliced down the middle and filled with ham, Emmental cheese, hard-boiled egg , tomatoes, lettuce, and mayonnaise.

    Leaving the Village, I crossed some orchards and sunflower gardens. I heard the pretty song of the common golden oriole.

    I’m met a nice French couple and we shared some time on the path today. It’s always interesting to learn another person’s perspective. They pointed out that a French flag, we passed, had the Cross of Lorraine. This is a special flag that was the symbol of free France during World War II and also signifies that a residence shelter Jews from deportation during the war.

    It was a hard walk today. This morning we started with cloud cover and cool breezes. As the day wore on the sun got stronger and I really labored for the last hour and a half of the walk.

    I was a little bit discouraged, coming into Moissac. The entrance to the city seemed like a very ordinary 20th century Village.

    I was very wrong. But first I had to check into my lodging (L’escale du bonheur) and perform my my pilgrims duties of showering, putting on clean clothes, and laundering today’s dirty clothing on the line to dry.

    With my chores done, I stepped outside and walked an entire block before I realized that I was next to a canal (le canal des deux mers). The canal is formed from the waters of the Tarn and Garone Rivers (recall at the Lot River emptied into the Garone?). The system via a 413 Km series of canals and rivers joins the Mediterranean and the Atlantic oceans. The first of the canals (Canal du Midi) was started in 1667, commencing Toulouse. the Canal de Garonne completed the link to the Atlantic Ocean in 1865.

    And I had to walk about four blocks up the street where my lodging are located to get to a UNESCO Heritage site, L'Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Moissac. This monastery dates to the early 9th century and was founded/patronized by Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne. I happily arrived there just in time to hear the nuns who lived at the Abbey sing the Mass.

    There’s so much more as your share but my pillow calls and I will probably stay another day in this town to make time to explore and write about this trip    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Lauzerte

    August 4 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I arrived at my accommodation for this evening.just before 7 PM I skipped dinner because I had a great lunch.at Montcuq (a monster Caesar salad with chicken). I went straight to laundry, waited the 27 minutes for the cycle to run, and hung up my clothes on the line outside. Then I made a bee line up the hill to see the town.

    I was really excited to see the town. Coming over the hill into the valley that the town dominates, Lauzerte rises dramatically. according to the history recorded on the placard near the city square, Lauzerte’s name comes from the word “Lacerna” which means “lamp.” It is certainly the city on the hill that shines its light on the entire valley.

    Lauzerte sits on hill on the site of a former Gallic settlement. This hill’s name dates to 1000AD. The city we see today was built in the twelfth century looks quite different from the organic formation of medieval cities, likeMontcuq it’s actually a planned city. It was designed to occupy an important commercial and strategic position. The planned city is called a castenau because it was protected by a castle included in the plan.

    Église Saint Barthélemy (Church of St. Bartholomew) is a surprise. Almost nothing of the 12th century church is evident today. The church was rebuilt, using stones from another church and local houses. During the rebuild, the church‘s axis was shifted 90°. So the organ and the choir sit at a 90° angle to the main altar.

    I finished the day taking pictures of the town and the people who live here. God provided a wonderful sunset and I tried to take full advantage of it.

    I have another long hike tomorrow breakfast is served at 6 AM and I still have my clothes to collect from that line in the morning. I’m gonna have to sign off a little to bed.    Read more

  • Michael WordenVia Podiensis July 16, 2026Traveler

    Montcuq

    August 4 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today we are headed to Lauzerte. I’d hope to break up this stage into two sections. There are two really nice villages: Montcuq and Lauzerte. Unfortunately, there was no accommodation available. So I’m going to try to cover two towns in one day.

    This portion of the chemin features little stone signs with quotes from authors, dear to the French. This one is my thought for the day. I found it about 2.4 K short of Montcoq.

    Happiness is often the only thing one can give without having, and it is by giving it that one acquires it.
    — Voltaire

    On the way to Montcoq, we travel through some smaller towns and forested lands. This region features, sharp cliffs with brows that overhang, the cliffs like the eaves on a house. Sometimes these cliffs are completely undermined so that caves form, sometimes with springs inside.

    Entering Montcuq, you are greeted by L’Eglise Saint Privat as you descend into town. It’s a nice little church with a chapel that features relics of Sainte Philomène.

    I was surprised to find that the main church was actually the larger Eglise Saint Hilaire that’s located on a hill farther west in town.

    Coming from the eastern to town, I didn’t notice that the town is dominated by the ruins of a tower of a 12th century castle, Château de Montcuq. The castle was destroyed and rebuilt several times during the religious wars until it was left in the state, we find it today by the wars with the Hugonauts.

    Heading west out of Montcuq, we get the advantage of seeing the medieval layout of the town for the first time. I regretted leaving town, but I have a long day of ahead of me.

    As we as we move west and south towards Lauzerte, we are surprised to find Église Saint-Pierre de Rouliac, which feature is another version of the black Virgin Mary. I’ve gotta do some research on this topic to learn why it’s so prominent in this part of France.

    There were lots of possible diversions to other interesting places along this portion of the path, but I had to press on.    Read more