I get up earlier than my friend so I set up breakfast which was waiting for us in the fridge... me and the french pilgrim try to communicate through language barrier.. he's off to an early start... my friend comes down not having slept well... we breakfast and again leave a little late for pilgrims... as if there is a rule book... 8.20... the trail today as it has been since Toulouse is light on markings..i am pretty good at spotting markings but only if they are there...so throughout the day there are periodic moments of frustration...as we try guess work..about an hour into our walk... we walk passed a long old building and try to guess what it's purpose was...a woman appears..she's dutch and speaks to us in german, she had heard our questions and told us that it belonged to a woman who's husband had been a successful architect. They live in Paris and this was their country house...the dutch woman and her husband maintained the house and several acres or hectors of land...as conversation shifted, my friend started asking her about a lake near by and if it was swim-able..the woman said we could swim here... there was a pool!...we only hesitated a moment... it would again cause possible lodging problems at the end of the day...but we decided a half hour swim break was worth it... the woman even provided us towels... the pool was long and narrow and totally designed for laps... it was also the perfect temperature...it was a perfect treat... my body and especially my feet really liked the swimming of lazy laps... we dried out a bit when the man showed up...he was a slightly grumpy man... he said he'd only been in the pool once since he'd started working here... as we walked back towards the house they told us a bit about the work... not only do they do extensive gardening and lawn maintenance, there was a fruit orchard attached as well...there are also some animals here like donkeys and chickens that need tending...they are also responsible for cleaning the house...and when the family comes down...they go shopping for food for them...the house has eleven bathrooms..and the family comes down with friends for ten plus days at a stretch... it does sound like a lot of work...and explains why they both dont have time for swimming... they in-turn asked us about the pilgrimage...and we gave our spiel.. we then thanked them and parted... the first hour of walking after was still nice and cool...but then the heat crept in again..today my body was not having it..i tried to drink a lot of electrolyte water but felt off for most of the day..only in late afternoon did I perk up again..kms came slowly... the landscape very much similar to the last two day.... early afternoon we came through a small town...we saw what looked like a school with kids and one grown-up present...we went to the door and asked for water... the woman filled our bottles... there was a boy outside with a wicked smile on his face... I realized he was in 'time out'...he was under the only bit of shade and I went and joined him presumptively... he seemed to speak a tiny bit of english...but got shy about it... through my friend I asked him if he'd been naughty and that is why he was outside alone... he admitted it and we laughed...soon other kids came out since now it was play time outside... a friend of his joined him...the got our nationalities and that we were pilgrims...a few minutes later we would hear them sharing this information with the others... we then got going again reluctantly...and all the kids returned our good byes...for days the locals have been saying thunder storms, but instead all we have gotten is increased humidity.... in yet another town we took another very long break... we just sit there and talk mostly nonsense... often just laughing about the dumbest stuff...perhaps being a pilgrim kills brain cells.. and in the heat even when we try to say things that are more introspective... I am not sure they really are... in the afternoon... we had more 'missing marker' fun..but always found our way... we had met an italian earlier who was going in the opposite direction, he'd been to Lourdes and was now walking to the French Border, the would then take a train home to Rome...
Later right before Auch, in yet another heat plane with nothing interesting going on landscape-wise, we meet another italian pilgrim...he too was headed in opposite direction...apparently he had gone all the way to Santiago and was now walking back... he was hot and tired...and had gotten lost...he was looking for lodging..there was something so sad and forlorn about him...I hope my own experience after reaching Santiago would be more uplifted. But he could have just had an off day.
we then approached Auch.. I saw a glimpse of it with the cathedral clear and to the right of us in the hill...then the GR trail markers took us on what appeared to be a giant joke loop completely past the town invisible now due to hill...to the other end of Auch so that we then had to walk again to center and then across the bridges to the old part.... I really did not think those extra two kms where very funny at all, and in my head I was composing a letter or complaint... and I was vocalizing sounds only appropriate for new jersey...but yet again we came into town... we did not know whether we should find gite first or food...it was six and things close by seven... we decided to make a run for the gite... since it's staffed hours were 3-5 and we were an hour late....we were worried about difficulties getting in.. we asked directions a few times but then found it... I was trying the doors and it was locked.... luck would have that the french pilgrim was just walking past the open window upstairs... he let us in a bit reluctantly afraid to break rules..since we had not called and made reservations... he called on our behalf and told us someone was coming who would register us and give is the door code... he did not feel comfortable giving them to us himself...
Well at least, we were inside so we took care of the basics..drank water, shower, laundry...an hour past... we were hungry... and no one had come to give us door codes meaning we could not go and grab dinner together, instead possibly, someone would have to stand by the window..wait while the other went..and neither one of us was much in the mood for that...again some luck... in a different part of a building there was a young man cleaning...turns out he was a member of the church group... he called on our behalf and got permission to give us the code and stamp our credentials...After this, we were free to roam about town.... the gite itself is simple... again only three of us were here... the french man had taken a small side chamber.. we had taken the large room with many beds... now we could go to dinner... the town was closing up as we got out...but we found a spanish type bar restaurant which seemed to be one of the few places serving food... they actually had veggie food choices...so I got this mixed plate of pasta, fries, veggies and salad...which was just the right mix of everything and size... we where both exhausted from our heat day... and crawled back to the rooms... I stayed up a little to write etc...but when I did sleep I slept like a baby....
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