Day 32 - Bakeries and Bull Dodging : Eauze to Nogaro

Today was filled with pleasant surprises, and a reminder to accept and not expect.  Our English guidebook made the walk today sound like it would be a shade-less inferno with a mediocre town at the end.  Happily, we did not find this to be the case at all!

We got up, feasted on some delicious chocolate croissants and instant coffee made with tap water, and then headed out around 5:30 am.  The town was relatively quiet as we left, which was quite beautiful.  We were soon walking through the countryside again, and around 6:30 we were treated to a gorgeous pink sunrise.

The walk from Eauze to Manciet, which we reached around 8:30, was more covered than the guidebook led us to believe, although perhaps there would have been less shade if the sun were higher overhead.  There were a few short stretches of road walking between fields, but much of the path was along tracks at the edge of fields that were at least partially shaded by grape vines or trees.

We stopped for a cold orange juice and an apple in Manciet, and sat in a small park outside the bull ring.  This was a rather small stadium, and we encountered a sign later on in Nogaro which explained that in France bull fighting is a bloodless sport.  Apparently it involves dodging and leaping to avoid the bulls, and is often practised with cows.  It makes you wonder how each contest ends, if the bull is still alive and charging.  Hmm.

The bull rings were not the only thing we encountered today that had a more Spanish feel.  Some of the signs were in Spanish first, and we have been hearing a new language spoken as well, although it didn't sound like Spanish.

We walked through the small town of Manciet and visited the church, which was closed, but which had a small room open to pilgrims with a glass viewing portal into the church.  It looked very fancy, and also had a more Spanish feel to it, although it is difficult for me to explain what contributed to that.

After we left Manciet we followed a mostly shaded and treed track to the Chapelle de L'Hospital.  This was a very peaceful feeling chapel, set well back from the main road and surrounded by a treed garden.  It was very simple and beautiful inside, and apparently it had been used as a command post during WWII.

There was a fairly steep and long climb up a dirt footpath at the edge of field before we made the final approach into Nogaro.  From the top of the ridge we could hear race cars at the speedway on the edge of town, which we had seen advertised in brochures and in postcards for the past little while.

It was a nice approach into the town down a road lined with huge trees, and then up the main street.  While Nogaro is not an old or particularly charming town, it was quite nice.  The main street was lined with shops, including a bakery where we purchased tomorrow's breakfast, and had an ice cream (Cassis flavor, which is rapidly turning into my favorite). Also on the way in to town we passed another bull dodging arena.

After the bakery we mailed another package to our family, and then continued up to visit the church.   The church was being restored on the outside, and the inside was cool and quiet.  It was simple and rather dark, with many large paintings.  It also had a stamp available for pilgrims, so we inaugurated our second credential, since the first one is now full.

We had decided to stay at a gite just past Nogaro in order to shorten tomorrow's hike somewhat.  It was a long hot climb out of town in the afternoon sun.  The gite isn't actually on the GR, but 1.3km in the right direction.  We rested in the shade at the turnoff for a while, and then continued on.

When we reached the gite we found it was gorgeous.  It is a large house with a beautiful garden and a swimming pool.  There was another pilgrim waiting outside when we arrived, and not long afterwards a second person arrived.  We were enjoying a cold drink on the covered terrace with them (water with anise drops in it), when the luggage transport van arrived and dropped two more people off.  When we were taken up to our room we discovered it has AC!  I think it will be a quiet afternoon enjoying the cool.

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Practical Information:
Distance: 20.8 km

Cumulative ascent: app.596 m

Cumulative descent: app. 627 m

Max Temperature: 36˚C

Accommodations: Gite d'Etape-Chambre d'hotes L'Arbladoise