Lovely Lauzerte

I hiked a short day to Lauzerte, a medieval firtified city that perches on top of a hill commanding a perfect view of the country below on all sides. Apparently at night it shines like a lamp. It was a big walk up the hill to the city and I cursed the fact that the short day meant I arrived in town during the two-hour long lunch break when everything shuts. This meant I would have to walk back down the bloody hill to go shopping later. I installed myself in the communal gite (and was unsurprised when I later found out it used to be the aged care home - there were hospital beds with lights above them and it felt like sleeping in a ward) and went through my usual afternoon rituals of getting myself and my clothes clean. I'd walked ahead of the group the day before, so it was lovely to see everyone as they arrived and, as is becoming a habit, we ended up sitting together at a bar/cafe in the gorgeous cobblestoned square. The owner spoke wonderful English and informed us we were sitting at the VIP table. Then he pointed to a sign above us that said Very Important Pilgrims. Always a good sign, I think! Thea ordered a Kir -she'd seen them and heard about them but was keen to try one - and Bob and I ordered a glass of red wine. The owner informed us that a glass was 2 euros and a bottle was 6 so we went for the bottle (hey, we're Australians). The man came back with a HUGE tray filled with liqueur bottles. He'd brought Thea two glasses and various syrups to try and for us he'd brought out a local speciality - red wine with nut syrup. I don't even know if I can get that syrup in Australia but damn I'm going to try. It was fantastic. Even the wine was pilgrim themed - the label was St Jacques. We sat out and talked about everything and anything until the church bells told us it was time to head back for dinner. Using our usual culinery ingenuity Bob, Jillian and I rustled up a minestrone and salad - it's amazing what you can do with packet soup mix.

The next morning I set off into the morning mist and after heaving myself and my pack up the ridge opposite the town, I looked back to see the first rays of sun illuminating the buildings like a torch. I stopped for a moment just to breathe it all in before heading off down the track.

It was only when we reached Moissac that they told us about the bed bug problem at Lauzerte...