Part 2, day 14 : Les Cassès to Avignonet-Lauragais

The gîte La Passeur Elle in Les Cassès had been a nice haven. As I mentioned, dinner around the table with Isabelle also found me with three brothers from the Dordogne, Bernard, a Quebecoise named Dominique, and Francine from Moissac.  It would be the last time I would see Bernard, and I would spend the next two days with the two women I met there, who had fast become friends. The three brothers had decided to take a shortcut and to squeeze two day's walking into one.

 Isabelle told me about a shortcut to reach La Rigole, and the next morning I set out to find it.  Along the way I ran into Dominique and Francine, and later on, briefly, Teri, who I was not to see again. It was difficult figuring out exactly where to leave the canal, but I finally figured it out, and made my way towards the Canal du Midi.  Along the way, I ran into Dominique and Francine again in Montferrand, where we ate lunch at at bus shelter, and the three of us continued on together. After a relatively short walk along the Canal we then hiked an extremely long upward path to Avignonet to the gîte La Goutille, again in the heat of the day.  Somehow the distances on a map seem a lot shorter than when actually walked by foot...

La Goutille

Part 2, day 13 : Sorèze to Les Cassès

The gîte Le Moulin du Chapitre had actually been an old mill, and the water ran right by the house.  The place was a bit funky and somewhat bohemian, with all manner of collectibles, so that my eyes were running everywhere. The owners were locals and quite amiable.  There was apparatus and other remnants from the old mill, antique French country furniture, knickknacks of all kinds, and extravagant colors.  

From Sorèze it was a relatively short 5 km walk to Revel, a wonderful pilgrim-friendly place with hundreds of young people. On the outskirts I ran into a group of middle-schoolers doing research outdoors on a project. Walking into the town, a high school let out students on a break and groups walked animatedly towards the town center.  I found an ATM, and stopped for coffee.

Afterwards it would be a long walk along a narrow canal called the Rigole, which, although completely with any helpful signage, was at least shaded. When I finally left its leafy cover for Les Cassès, the oppressive sun beat down and the last few kilometers slightly uphill were pure misery. 

When I finally reached the village of Les Cassès, the gîte was another kilometer away, or so it seemed. The hospitalière, Isabelle Bosc, however, was a sweetheart, and saw to it that I had ice water for my aching feet. Isabelle, a former pilgrim walker herself, knew exactly what her guests needed.

the old millstone

the ancient door to my room

the stream by the house

the room where I stayed

you can barely make out the middle school children

the walk into Revel

Revel's hall aux grains

Revel where I had coffee on the square

La Rigole

Scarecrows

I approach my turn-of for the village of Les Cassès

Because of the heat, it seemed a long walk from the turn-off

Isabelle at La Passeur Elle

Finally Les Cassès where I could soak my feet in cold water

The evening meal was a communal occasion, and we were served a regional dish--a form of cassoulet. It was good to see Bernard again, and to meet the two women, one from Moissac, and the other from Quebec, whom I would stay with again the next evening. The three other French men in the photo were all brothers, living in different cities in southern France.

Part 2, day 16 : Ayguesvives to Toulouse

I decided to save time and took the early 7: 13 a.m. bus from Ayguevives into Toulouse where it hooked up with the Métro at the Université Paul Sabatier station. It was an easy way into town, and I took a guess at my station, Esquirol. The station was right in front of the hotel ! 

The Hotel Père Leon had a lot going for it ! It was centrally located, closed to the Métro, had nice modern rooms, and an excellent restaurant attached. I dropped off my backpack at the reception since it was still early and decided to explore the town before my friend Judy arrived sometime in the early afternoon.  

They had given me a small map at the hotel reception desk and I headed first for the Basilica of Saint Sernin, the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin or St Saturnin. The current church is located on the site of a previous 4th century one which held the remains of St Sernin, the first bishop of Toulouse (c.250 A.D.) . According to Wikipedia, the importance of this particular church increased enormously after Charlemagne donated a quantity of relics to it, and, as a result, it became an important stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, and a pilgrimage location in its own right. The immensity of the current building and the existence of an ambulatory likely reflects the need to accommodate increasing numbers of pilgrims. 

I then visited Notre Dame de la Taur and the Couvent des Jacobins where Judy and I planned to attend a piano concert the following evening.  The latter was first built in 1230 by Saint Dominic, who founded an order of monastic preachers intended to combat the increasing spread of Catharism, which the Catholic church considered a heresy. Thomas Aquinas, a member of the Domincan order and author of the Summa Theologiae, later canonised in 1323, is buried there.

I then returned to the hotel to have lunch in the restaurant, as the place was originally founded as a wine bar and later brasserie, and enjoyed a very good meal just before Judy arrived. 

Le Père Leon

My café gourmand

 Toulouse was a lively town and we were to enjoy much as we were there the weekend of Les Journées Européennes du Patrimoine. In addition there was a sizable peaceful march of the Gilets Jaunes (and related causes and sympathizers), that grassroots movement  born out of the frustration of those living in the neglected towns and villages of France. These are the people largely forgotten by city dwellers whose needs are different, but who benefit from services now unavailable to their abandoned brothers and sisters.  Having just walked through a segment of this rust belt of France, and noting the inconveniences and lack of services, I was beginning to understand just where they were coming from...

To see the video version of my walk, I am also making it available here.

To see a short videoclip of them click here