Conques: death, lost, destruction, and drama.
Leaving early in the morning as usual, to discover a group people that park their cars 200 meters from the next village, to get a new stamp for the Compostela credencial. They don’t walk through the hills, they just come for the stamps. Here or there, they are everywhere!
It was a beautiful morning, and for the first time I saw vineyards on the hills close to Espeyrac
It was not the until I started seeing death birds on my path. I was seriously concerned. What is going on? I started noticing that it has been a long time since some one has been on this path. But the signs on the trees where there as normal. As I am always ascending or descending from village to village, I have to look carefully the mark on the treen. St, Jacques are white-red. In occasions will be yellow-red for other “Chemin.” The St. Jaques disappeared after I passed La Vernhe. It was passing two pages of my map book. I never saw the town of Senergues. I kept walking for 8 hours, until I found my self in St. Sulpice, 10 kms north of Conques, my final destination. On my ascending I saw a young family hiking with their two children. No idea from where they came from. In desperation, I just sat down to eat my lunch, break and salmon with an apple. Suddenly, I hear many children laughing. They were kayaking on the Lot river. That gave me hope. I was short of water, until I saw the first house. A man in his mid 40’s was repairing his car. I said: bonjour, je sui perdu. He offered me to enter into his house and gave me the biggest bottle of water, I have seen. I took it and continue walking to St. Sulpice. I cross the river, when a women in her 70’s wanted to help me. She was walking. She was waiting for her three girl friends that we’re rehearsing for a choir performance last night. She wanted her friends to take me to Conques, but there was not space in the car for all of us. A man biking approached us and started a conversation with us. He said that he has done “El Camino” six years ago. He did the “north way” on his bike. I have to keep going. It was 2:30pm. I was 10 kms away, which meant 3 hours walking for me. I went up the hill, all straight, in a very old path that connected, St. Sulpice with Poimes. Then I heard this poppy following, a yorky. I did not wanted he to follow me, but he went up half of the 70 degrees Hill. I raised my walking sticks to scared him, but he continue. Suddenly, he made the cutes sound, I looked back, laid on the floor with his legs over his head, he said: good bye amigo. I have to keep going. I was short of water. After 30 minutes ascending, a cross showed up, for the lost padre.
Just calm down, keep going… there are worst days. After death birds, and being lost, what else. I arrived to Poimes. A town of 6 houses. A farmer with out a shirt running his old car around the two street village came to my aid. He offered me water, but his house was the last in the village. I kept walking, when I heard two senior talking. I called over the gate, and they filled my bottle of water twice. I drank the first one before I closed my eyes, and they refilled it again . The farmer was waiting for me with another bottle of water. He was so proud of his “Aubrac”. We chatted for 10 minutes. I treaded my hat, which I used once, and was too hot to wear. He was so happy. He was concern that I will made it safe. He told me that one of the bells at the abbey in Conques had collapsed, and there were many helicopters earlier in town. I started walking again. It was a deep descending on the road, and a tree just felt on the street. I had been on the road approximately for one hour, when I had to make a turn. There were people running bikes on the plato, when I ask an old man the direction to Conques,, and of curse he sent me the wrong way. I walked 25 minutes in the opposite direction, when a snake, yes , a snake bit my walking stick, by the river. The river was murky, and stayed that way today too. I almost collapsed. My legs could not continue. That snaked remains me of so many fears that I have. The symbol in the church
, and our humanness. I arrived to Conques, 4 hours behind. A “pelerin” from Lyon, saw me arriving, and invited me to have a Monaco. Love them! She told me to go after to the “gite” of the monks. I decided to go into the abbey church first. When they just started the evening prayer.
It took all burdens away from me. I just cried.
After prayers I went the “gite” of the abbey. The old monks chambers, now are communal space for the “pelerins”. I was not surprised with the village. It was charm, I cannot take that, but it has been converted in a shopping mall for travelers, and people in the region. There were some art galleries, but nothing local. I was disappointed that I did not see Ghislain in Conques. He sponsored me for this trip,and he is from here. Please se Picts on Instagram.