Via Podiensis, Part IV

To backtrack a couple of days from Part III: Before Conques, we came to Estaing -- another beautiful medieval village but different because it is the seat of the supposed ancestors of Valery Giscard d'Estaing (known in France as VGE) an unpopular President of France from 1974 until 1981. As I read about him, I concluded that he wasn't too bad as President but was unpopular because he was (is?) so spectacularly ego-centric -- a narcissist nonpareil. For example: he isn't actually related to the d'Estaings of Estaing the village, but he added the "d" to his name (signifying nobility) and claimed he is a descendent.  He wrote a book implying that he had an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales (later he said -- to paraphrase -- "Oh pshaw! I didn't mean that!) And he seems (from my reading) to have a strong "I'm way better than you" attitude. But in his favor, VGE did establish a fund to preserve and restore the chateau (now a convent) -- (It wasn't open for tours when we were there)
   Returning to the real d'Estaings: They also had a notable ego.
   (Perhaps it goes with the name: You have to admit, Valery Giscard d'Estaing rolls off the tongue like a 21 gun salute decorated with roses) --
   They built their splendid 15th century chateau with a tower significantly taller than the steeple of the nearby church. Actually you barely notice the poky church steeple. The tower seems to suggest the d'Estaings were superior to just about everyone else.  Building taller than the church steeple just wasn't done at the time. However, for pilgrims, d'Estaing also built a bridge over the river -- World Heritage, and still in use.
  
   And our very own Lafayette (of the Revolutionary War) was a cousin or something of the d'Estaings.  So the village has history as well as aesthetics going for it. (we also each had an excellent restaurant crepe' for dinner -- a welcome break from our usual dinners -- "cook whatever is cheap and easy")

Some time after Conques, we took the Cele variation of the GR65.
   (GR65 -- Grande Randonnee 65 -- the path has several variations -- some with different trail numbers -- that end in the same place. The Cele variation was the only one we walked)
   We don't know what the regular path was like but we really liked the Cele River valley. It was different but as attractive as the Aubrac region. The valley is a half mile, to a mile and a half wide, bounded by limestone cliffs, mostly in two bands and up to 500+ feet high. The trail frequently left the valley floor and climbed to the top of the cliff bands. We mostly stayed on the road at the bottom and thoroughly enjoyed the views. There were few villages along the way, but a regular scattering of chateaus and farmhouses, most with a tower. The road and trail through the valley had very little traffic, either cars or pilgrims -- it was very nice. 

As we were leaving the village Corn, we passed a woman walking three small dogs. dw thought she heard the woman address the dogs in English, but didn't pay much attention. We stopped at a junction, the woman caught up with us, and she was indeed speaking English. She was American (one of the very few we met on the walk), had lived in Eugene, Oregon for several years and knew the NW very well. She said she had moved to France for reasons that didn't work out, liked it there and decided to stay as rural France is less stressful than the USA. She had many funny stories about living in the area: one night she accidentally left her bathroom light on, and the next day several of her neighbors talked with her about it -- was something wrong? and she really shouldn't do that. Another time she forgot to close all of the window shutters -- similar reaction from the neighbors. She talked of anger and resentments between families lasting from WWI and WWII. She was very funny about it all, and her mind set was such that she found it all both amusing and annoying.  We talked for over an hour.
   dw and I decided (for no reason at all) that she had moved to France to be with a lover, he proved to be a cad, but she stayed and made her living writing romance novels and travel essays.

At another point, as we neared a cluster of cars parked along the road, three scuba divers, fully togged out with hooded dry suits, knives, timers, lights, cameras, etc. --- everything a diver could use or want --- walked toward us. dw and I both were "What the hell?" The Cele river is lovely -- tree lined, beautiful setting, but it's a small sedate river. We decided they must be doing some sort of fish, or other fauna/flora survey --- carefully searching the river bottom for exotic bugs. Then we saw a sign that described an extensive underwater cave system, extending from that point to several kilometers downstream. Conversation wasn't possible (since we speak little to no French) but it probably wasn't a show just for our benefit.

Toward the end of the valley, we took an upper trail that followed a narrow road between two cliff bands. Above and below the road, houses --- many occupied and some new --- were built onto the cliff face, with the cliff as a fourth wall. Like the Anasazi only 400 years newer.
   After a mile the trail left the road and wandered through a scrub oak/brush wooded area. We met a couple of men who were hunting pigs (30-30, or 30-06 rifles) and we both wished we had day-glo yellow vests and bells a-jingling. A half mile further on a medium sized dog met us -- he was wearing a radio collar with antenna. We guessed his job was to find pigs, and drive them towards the hunters. The radio was probably so he could be found if he got lost.
   From that point, we talked more and more loudly, whistled and sang, until we got past the thickets and into a clearer area. Our goal with this minor detour from the Cele valley was Cabrerets (another medieval village) and particularly Pech Merle -- a cave with pre-historic drawings.
   After we got settled into our gite, we walked the additional 1K uphill to Pech Merle. It's a nice, fair sized cave with all the usual cave stuff: mites and tites, fans, cave pearls (exceptionally nice) curtains, straws, etc. --- but the real attractions are the drawings. 24-25,000 years old. Hands outlined, bison, horses, aurocks, goats and deer. Guys skewered with spears and stylized women. An etched head of a deer and claw scratch marks from a giant cave bear. And in a patch of now hardened mud, the foot prints of two young (8 - 14? years old) children.  It all is wonderful and amazing and real. Unlike most of the similar caves, this one is the real thing. (Where you see only replicas, it isn't so much because of vandalism as because of damage caused by people breathing, shedding lint and dandruff, sneezing, and so on) Seeing Pech Merle is really special. The number of visitors is limited and only guided groups of 30 are allowed in, one at a time. It's an awesome experience.

   The next day, following local advice we used an abandoned RR bridge to cross the river Lot at the end of the Cele valley. This saved us three miles on our way to Bouzies, where we took another small detour and walked six miles (round trip) to Lapopie. Part of the trail was along an old barge towing path cut into a cliff face. One section of the path wall was carved and polished into a flowing, wave-like bas-relief. It was nice and not overly intrusive. 
   Lapopie is another "most beautiful" village and again the rating is well-merited. We didn't think it was better than Conques, for example, but its setting, perched on a cliff-top is indeed remarkable. Andre Breton loved the town, owned a house and lived there the last 15 years of his life. Several other Dadaists lived and worked there while Breton was there. 
   We had meant to spend the night in Lapopie, but we arrived so early we canceled our reservation and moved on. Our gite was actually a mile out of town and at the bottom of the cliff so we wouldn't have been tempted to return and further explore the town. We ended the day at Pasturat -- it was a very long day. 

BOOKS: PARASITE REX (Carl Zimmer): Everything you don't want to know about parasites, human, animal, plant, bug, and the fishes in the sea. You don't want to know it, because it'll really creep you out. It's very well written, very interesting, and very surprising that any of us are still alive.

MY LIFE AS AN EXPLORER (Sven Anders Hedin) A young Swede who explored, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,  much of the present day "stans" in Asia as well as parts of Russia, China, Tibet and Mongolia. The guy got around and had some amazing adventures. It's best to ignore his later infatuation with Hitler.

FACTOID OF THE DAY: When the British occupied Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War, Captain John Andre' stole a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. It wasn't returned until 1906. On the other hand, it was returned. Dare I mention the Elgin Marbles -- properly, the Parthenon Marbles. (David Cameron (commenting on returning looted material): "if you say yes to one, you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty.)

JOKE OF THE DAY: How do you keep Canadian bacon from curling in the pan? Take away its broom.                  

And so it goes. DJA