Day 11 - St. Jean de la Blaquière

It was a short walk today, but after a gentle ascent, the descent was rocky and brutal. It was a little alarming, especially in the beginning when I encountered my first hunter, rifle in hand, dead fox at his feet, then, five more hunters, one a woman.  They all wore fluorescent orange vests, and I was glad I had my flaming orange colored shirt and matching hat. It was a beautiful walk though, quite warm at first, then cooler through the trees and scrubby vegetation, especially after I doused myself with water mid-way at a convenient rest stop with a fountain. 

  

 

 

 

 

The town seemed nice, and although the communal gîte was a bit hodgepodge, it was most welcome. Apparently the town's one restaurant was normally booked weeks in advance, or so I was lead to believe.  No, we could not eat there that evening... The bakery/epicerie/occasional pizza place was worth its weight in gold, however. Pizza was available for purchase a couple of nights a week, and this evening was one of them! It is amazing how small things can mean so much!  And again I spent the night with Gill and Liliane. It appeared that the communal gîtes were definitely the most popular form of pilgrim lodging, and 11 people spent the night in the one where I stayed, with its capacity of 14. As the same pilgrim-friendly bakery/epicerie/pizza place was also open Sundays, I was able to have breakfast!

The village of St. Jean de la Blaquière owes its name to its 9th century church, consecrated to John the Baptist, and likely to the white oaks ("blaca" means "white oak') growing nearby. It was first mentioned in the writings of Saint-Fulcran, the 10th century bishop of nearby Lodève.  Unfortunately most of these little churches in the small towns are closed most of the time, so I am limited to seeing just the exteriors of the building. Sadly in today's world there is the fear, perhaps well-founded, of theft and vandalism.



"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34