Day 30 - Through Fields of Wheat : La Romieu to Larressingle

We were woken up by the church bells across the street from our gite at 6:00 am this morning, and after making ourselves a quick breakfast, we were soon on our way. The walk out of town was very beautiful in the morning light, especially the golden wheat fields.

A few kilometers after La Romieu we came to the town of Castelnau-sur-l'Auvignon. The GR didn't actually go into the town, but we took a few minutes to visit the main street.

 At the far end of a charming main street is a large historical monument honouring the men who fought in the resistance during the second world war. There is also a very peaceful chapel, and a tower that shows signs of fighting. I think we have been seeing evidence of the fighting that took place in WWI and WWII for a while, and it is kind of a humbling experience.

Another 10 km or so of hiking through beautiful but hot countryside brought us to the outskirts of the city of Condom. The approach into the city wasn't too bad, with some shady lanes and pleasant suburbs leading into the center. We walked down a cobblestone street lined with bakeries and small cafes, and found ourselves outside the cathedral.

Just outside of the cathedral is a statue of the three (or four) musketeers.

We had stopped in a bakery to purchase apricot and apple tarts and two mini condomois tarts. As we ate the tarts outside the church we met a group of English speaking German hikers that we have spoken to quite a few times. They were heading on out of Condom, and we were debating whether or not to do the same. We stepped inside the cathedral to listen to the mass, which was very beautiful. The cathedral had a different look to those we have seen so far in France – much lighter and more uplifting somehow.

Although it was getting really hot, it was only 10:30 am, so we decided to hike on, out of the busy and noisy town to the smaller village of Larressingle, about 6 km further along the trail. The path out of Condom was shaded and ran along the river, which was quite pleasant.

As we left the city behind the path began to climb, and the number of vineyards seemed to increase. At one point we stopped under a tree to eat the second torte, which was almond and armagnac, and very tasty. Our picnic site had a great view out over the countryside we had hiked across earlier in the day.

The walk to Larressingle was very warm, and mostly uphill. When we arrived at the fortified village it looked like something out of a children's story. It is completely surrounded by a former mote and a wall, and inside is a church and a chateau, as well as the remains of homes. Unfortunately it has become quite touristy, with many British visitors and the accompanying gift shops, but it is still quite beautiful.

We checked into the hotel, and received some very horrified looks from the other guests dining outside. As far as we know there are only two places to stay in this town, and this is clearly the posh one, with a spa and recognized chef.  I guess they weren't used to hikers staying in this village, or frequenting the patio restaurant during lunch hour. Despite the reactions of people around us we nonetheless checked in, and then went up to the village to explore.

For much of the afternoon it was too hot to do much, so we attempted to do some advanced planning (but didn't end up deciding what to do with the extra day we have). Around 6 pm we headed back up to the village and sat at an outdoor cafe which served pizza. It was a very pleasant spot to sit, but it felt strange to be in the midst of so many tourists, with no fellow pilgrims anywhere to be seen.

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Practical Information:
Distance: 19.6 km

Cumulative ascent: 483 m

Cumulative descent: 519 m

Max Temperature: 33˚C

Accommodations: Auberge de Larressingle