A peaceful day on The Way today. An uneventful stroll along La Rigole for most of the day, just what we needed after yesterday. And then some excitement in the afternoon as we reached the Canal du Midi. And finally, just to keep us on our toes, the inevitable climb for the last kilometre or two to our gite, a farm gite this time!
We had a wonderful dinner and restful night in our gite at Les Casses. Just five of us. Along with our hostess Christiane, a charming French couple we hadn't met before, Jocelyn and Michel, and our friend Ivan who arrived not long before dinner. He'd walked the same distance as us from the abbeye, and was in a bit of trouble - from his description it sounded like shin splints (I know the feeling, though mine have calmed down in last day or two thankfully). He phoned Christiane and she kindly picked him up at the bottom of the hill. He thinks he may have to stop at Toulouse. It's a shame. He's walked various Caminos over many years, but every day is a new day, and you never know how you are going to fare. We are always mindful of that, and take nothing for granted.
After a generous breakfast - including home made yoghurt and confitures - Ivan, Jocelyn and Michel left a little before us this morning. Although they are were to walk a similar distance to us - around 25 kms - they were taking a shortcut and effectively walking two stages in one. So they will hopefully have arrived safely in Baziege tonight (we will be there tomorrow night) and on to Toulouse the next day.
After the abbeye yesterday, Guy and Martine walked until around lunchtime and stayed in Revel last night. They were thinking about hiring bikes for some cycling along La Rigole and maybe as far as the Canal, so we may still see them again in Toulouse or before. We are planning to spend two nights in Toulouse (on the 17th and 18th), to visit the town and to meet Domi's sister, Christine, for dinner. And maybe her husband and son Nicola as well. They live in Pamiers, about half an hour's drive from Toulouse. We are both looking forward to that!
Back to today's walk. When it was time for us to leave, it was also time for Anya's walk, so Christiane walked us out of the village and sent us on our way with warm wishes and a big smile. We walked almost the whole day along La Rigole, with the small canal on our right and on our left beautiful, green, yellow and brown fields, and, intermittently, the white peaks of the Pyrenees.
We were excited to finally come to the place where La Rigole joins the famous Canal du Midi. Much of the next two days to Toulouse will be along the Canal Royal, as it was once known. I don't know how many cruisers or penichettes (traditional barges) we will see on the canal, as we are a little beyond the most popular cruising section - but it's a delightful and gentle path, to be enjoyed before we get back into the climbing, as we head towards the Pyrenees over the next two weeks.
Almost time for dinner, and we always look forward to that. The gites - and demi-pensione - have mostly been wonderful, such good value. I think I'll write more on that tomorrow as, again, we find ourselves in a charming gite, and again with our own room. Just one other pilgrim, and he's in another room. Just as well, as its Pascale - the incredible snorer. Domi thinks the walls won't be enough and we still need to use our ear plugs! Je n'espere pas! I hope not.
J X
