Moissac to Auvillar

April 19
After our almost two days of rest in Moissac we were ready to get moving again. We had 20.7 kilometers to go and from our guide it looked like the elevation difference was only about 100 meters. We took what's known as the canal route as opposed to the mountain route. It was peaceful and quite lovely all along the way for the most part, but paved the whole way. Why can't I be happy walking for miles on pavement? I don't know but I just can't or won't or something. Part of it is that everything - feet, knees and hips hurt - and part of it is bone-headed stubbornness. Being a Canadian  country kid (and please don't blame any other Canadian for being like this), I think of a path as something made of dirt, rocks and grass or some combination of those - but not pavement. And the GR65 (the Le Puy route) seems to be mostly small, paved roads with the odd path joining them together. And I know there are reasons for that and many people like it that way. Okay- enough or maybe too much said.

It was definitely peaceful walking along the canal. We stopped a couple of times, once for a café au lait and once for some food -another ham and cheese sandwich of which there have been many, too many. But it was filling and the breaks were refreshing and apart from my grumpiness about the pavement, which by now I keep to myself for the most part having whined endlessly about it, the day was undemanding with the exception of the last kilometer or two which seemed to be straight up. That took us to us Auvillar which is officially known as one of the most beautiful villages in France. It has a huge central market area which was originally a grain marketplace apparently but which is now used as a farmers' vegetable market for certain days. It looks circular but is apparently made of triangles. At any rate, it is quite spectacular looking. The whole town looks hundreds of years old and is mostly made of a reddish brick which is locally made. And although some buildings are in need of repair, the town in general is in good shape and very attractive. To leave town you walk through the middle of the bottom part of a large clock (you'll see the pictures below).

We had planned on staying at the municipal gîte but it was full by the time we got there. The tourist office recommended the Hotel Baladin which has a great gîte area and nice roomy bedrooms and kitchen area. It is an old building but very funky and has a really pleasant atmosphere. A good recommendation from the tourist office.

 This is the kitchen area and below is one of the three beds (mine) in the bedroom we had.

This last picture is what you see (except for the name) when leaving most communities in Spain and France. The sign to enter the town is the same except for the red line and  the red line through the name indicates you're leaving. I frequently take pictures of these because when I get my pictures home it frequently helps me to quickly locate where the pictures in between were taken.