Montegut to de Mas d'Avil

Kilometers = 15
Flights = 1

Wow, super easy day after yesterday's Herculean slog through the rain and elevation in record time. It was a quick walk on roads because we heard the woods would be slick for walking. We passed donkeys and horses and later cows. Many owls, all well cared for. We also passed the fruit trees...neglected trees on all the roads...apples and figs mostly, with the occasional quince, walnut, and almond. With a strong enough constitution, you could live on the fruits others do not pick.

Brigitte and Laura in front of our lodging 

The place we are staying tonight is a Presbyterian church that welcomes pilgrims. This is an amazing act of kindness by the pastor and the churchgoers. they have reserved the space above the chapel, which is always open, to house pilgrims, as many as 10. They have bedding, toilet, shower, and kitchen stocked with tea and coffee and food. I mentioned to the pastor that a distant ancestor had escaped France as a Huguenot and he said, yes, we are Huguenots. So apparently they were not all expelled and they repaid the cruelty with kindness. Wow, amazing.

Tonight's dorm, but only us tonight

When we arrived in this village, there was a big festival, 'le fete de le figue!" This seemed so fitting given the mass quantities of figs consumed by us on the road...figs are truly the all you can eat buffet of the Fall pilgrim here. The festival included food, crafts, alcohol, and music. I was pretty entranced by what I think were Medieval folk dancing and music where the men and women wore clogs with pointy, curly toes, sometimes menacing pointy curly toes. I kept thinking cowboy boots, but these were more extreme. We worried that the dancers would impale each other on these awesome shoes. I tried to research, but found no history other than that clog dancing is indeed practiced in Ariege and that some ballet movements are based on it

On the Road, cows everywhere

We also heard a lovely French duo, he on bass, she on accordion. e felt as though we were in Casablanca, or Paris in the 1930s so romantic. I apologize I have very few photos because of a power issue with my phone.

Right now we are cycled in a donation only shelter with five beds, but only two of us staying here. We are grateful for the generosity of the Presbyterian church.