I woke at sometime between five and six. I’d forgotten to put my phone in airplane mode and a certain someone had sent me a text message raging about the night she’d had! I tried to drift back off but it was no use. I got up, packed as much of my gear as I could and then went about writing the day before’s blog.
At 8am Gill came and got me for a cup of tea followed by breakfast! (Yes yes I ate breakfast, it’s a miracle). After breakfast it was decided I would be dropped off back in the town so I could visit the abbey cloisters before leaving Moissac.
Today was already hot and it was only 9.30am.
By just after 10am I was having my pilgrim passport stamped in the tourist office before having a quick wander around the old cloisters, by half past I was back on the trail.
I knew today was going to be fairly easy by the fact I was following the canal for about 14km before heading off to Auvillar, but by starting so late the day was incredibly hot, even in the shade next to the canal.
Even now it’s 8pm and the sun is beating down, such a change from yesterday!
I finally arrived in Auvillar at about 2.30pm. I couldn’t go any further, my feet and also the heat. I found the gite, stopped in a cafe for a crepe and coke and that’s about it…!
I would like to thank Gill, Alan & Tom for their gracious hospitality. They have a beautiful house in an idyllic setting and good neighbours to boot.
Also, the fact I smoked last night, in know way means I will return home a smoker. It is one of the hardest things to give up, trust me, I know. But I plan to continue being a non smoker!
Ooh, also, I feel I have to mention a village I visited with my parents some years back.
Whilst at Moissac, Gill had a a little booklet on the history of ‘Oradour-sur-Glane’. If you’ve never heard of it, look it up on google. Do it now, open a new tab and search. Whether you’ve heard of it or not, anyone coming to France should pay this village a visit and pay respect. For Oradour shows in full heartwrenching detail the complete horror and terror that is man. This village remains how it was left by the SS on the 10th June 1944. After they had mercilessly massacred the entire village.