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| This Marché Couvert (i.e., Covered Market; center left of photo) in Villeréal, France, is in the center of town. Several old Medieval Villages in this part of France built their cities around this central square. In the photo's background on the right is the Église de Notre Dame de Villeréal. |
With my retreat finally completed, I spent time visiting with the last of my cohort this morning. Dutch Guus and English Ash are all staying for another week, while English Micheal continues on with the remaining 6 months of his stay. Around 930 am, they head out to start their Service Meditation before the next group of Laypeople arrives.
Daniel left a few days ago to return to England in his new Tesla. He felt taking his time driving back rather than rushing home in one day was important and needed to process his week. Micheal took the shuttle to the train station. He was taking the high-speed train back to Germany. Phillip, from Belgium, left yesterday morning without saying a word to anyone.
Phillip and several of us had conversations regarding his struggles. He felt isolated and forgotten by the Brothers during his second week. Notably, instead of leaning into his struggles to understand what was happening to him, he continuously made decisions that reinforced his beliefs. For example, he chose to skip the Buddha celebration and the wonderfully prepared lunch. Then he complained to me that a Brother at Son Ha failed to offer to prepare him lunch when he was the only one there."This is just another example of how the Brothers are not mindful of our presence," he said. Why didn't you join us this morning? Lunch was fantastic, I said. Phillip left the following day. Despite my and others' efforts to ask questions, Phillip was unable to stop and listen to himself.
Phillip reminded me of people I met on the Camino and in my travels. Rather than becoming curious about how they feel and what is causing them to feel this way, they fall prey to confirmation bias. They make decisions that support their assumptions and lead them to their chosen path. Unfortunately for us, this resulted in Phillip leaving early without saying goodbye.
I meet up with Céline at Upper Hamlet sometime after 11 am. "Hi. Are you ready to go walk the Valley of the Célé? I booked the first night in Figeac. The rest we can figure out once we start," she says. That is perfect! I am looking forward to it! Let's go, I say. Then I put my bag in her car, and off we go.
The Valley of the Célé is a short variant of the GR 65. The GR 65 is known as the Chemin de Puy, one of France's most popular Chemin de St. Jacques (Way of Saint James), leading to Santiago, Spain. I plan to spend the next 5 days walking the Valley of the Célé with Céline. The valley passes through a beautiful part of France. For the most part, the French Compostella routes function the same way as they do in France, except for a few differences. The first is hostels are called Gites. Second, all Gites are privately operated. Third, a stay at a Gite includes dinner and breakfast as part of the demi-pension.
It takes about an hour and a half to drive from Plum Village to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. Cèline and I plan to take the bus to Figeac, France, for another 30 minutes. "The Lot Region is a very beautiful and rural part of France. I will show you the real France," says Céline while driving through the rain. I am looking forward to it. Walking will do me some good after Plum Village, I say,
I share with Céline some of my experiences from the past week, but mostly I am enjoying the ride. I feel like a sponge. Everything feels new and different after a week of moving slowly. I have been looking forward to walking for a week since I was in Italy. I am fortunate that Céline also loves to hike, has several routes in France, and, most importantly, has the time to join me.
When we arrive in Villeréal, France, we stop to grab a few things for lunch. Let's keep lunch simple. Let's grab some bread, cheese, and something fresh, something raw. I already have a dessert, I say as I pull out a bar of ginger and dark chocolate. I bought it at Plum Village before leaving, I tell her. She nods and says, "I like that idea."
We resume the drive to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie after our break. Soon we arrive at our destination. "We have a little over an hour before the bus arrives. Do you want to wander through Saint-Cirq-Lapopie? It is one of the most beautiful villages in France," asks Céline. Sure thing that sounds great!
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is a small village on the edge of a cliff along the Lot River in the photo below. The Lot River gives its name to this region of France. S
We timed the visit perfectly, the rain lets up, and I enjoyed the warm sunshine for the short time we were in
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.
An hour sounds like a lot of time to visit a town. However, Sain-Cirq-Lapopie is a popular destination. As such, the city has built several parking lots, many of which require a short 10-minute walk each way. Nevertheless, I enjoyed visiting what little of the city I saw. I understand why the village is so beautiful. Apart from it overlooking the Lot River, every Medieval building has been preserved and restored beautifully. I can't recall many villages where so much care has been taken to preserve the essence of the town by ensuring all the roofs look original.
Across the Lot River is the small town of Tour-de-Faure. We leave Céline's car at the bus stop and hop aboard the bus to Figeac. "This bus driver is making me nauseous. Thank goodness we only have 30 minutes with her." I tell Céline. The driver drives the enormous bus on the windy road like she stole it. She is hard on the gas and even harder on the brakes. I can't wait to get off the damn thing. I have been on many buses, and none have made me feel like this.
I finally step off the bus into a downpour. "I am so glad to be off that bus. I don't care that it is raining. Thank goodness it is only a 30-minute ride," I tell Céline. She laughs at me. "We have about a 20-minute walk to our accommodations. Let's see how you feel after we get settled in," she says.
Figeac is northeast of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.
Figeac is the birthplace of
Jean-François Champollion, who is considered the Father of Egyptology. I love learning about the Egyptians, the latest discoveries, and our current understanding or hypotheses about their civilizations. I first learned about Champollion while watching a TV series on Egypt. Champollion was the first to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics by studying the Rosetta Stone.
The rain lets up, so Céline and I decide to walk around before dinner. Although the Champollion Museum - The Writings of the World is closed when I walk by, its striking windows catch my attention. Inside each window are characters from a different language. I would make an exception to visit this museum. Unfortunately, Céline and I plan to leave too early in the morning to visit it.
Near the Museum, I encounter a small courtyard with a large slab in the middle. It is a reproduction of the
Rosetta Stone. The top portion, where the Egyptian hieroglyphics are, is easy to see due to the presence of water in the depressions.
After dinner, I prepare my bag. I am glad I left a few extra kilograms (pounds) in Céline's car. Mostly, I left some clothes that I knew I wouldn't need. No need to pack more than a few T-shirts, one pair of pants, and one pair of shorts, and I certainly don't need my electric razor for 5 days! 😂
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