Lynn Amber - Travel & Photography
sharing my thoughts through words and images
Autumn Magic
Earlier this week on my daily walk I carried along my “good” camera so I could capture the amazing Fall colors we are experiencing here in Vermont. It has been an exceptional display this year!
I’ll share more in the coming days 🙂
Hydrangea Season
While I toiled away at my seasonal gig in Maine this summer, my husband (back in Vermont) spent some time in early June digging up our front perennial garden. After many years, it was time to weed, divide and conquer an extremely overgrown mess! He “heeled in” all the perennials and shrubs that he dug up in temporary places and covered the bare ground with various materials to kill all the invasive weeds that had taken over.
Now, it’s fall and time to redesign and replant! My lovely Hydrangea paniculata is blooming like crazy right now in its temporary location. It will surely deserve a prominent place in the new garden!
Blueberry Season in Vermont
Over the years, we have established a small planting of blueberry bushes in our garden. This year my husband went to the effort of protecting all but 4 shrubs with netting. It has paid off. We leave the unprotected shrubs to the birds and have enjoyed a great crop of delicious fruit from the covered plants. I’m back from my Maine gig for a few days to process some of the bounty – freezing some and making jam. (And, of course, eating fresh in pancakes and muffin treats!)
Coastal Maine Botanical Garden 7.27.26
What a gorgeous day at the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. Crocosmia, Lilies and Hydrangeas stole the show this afternoon! It was pretty crowded for a Monday – I guess it is mid-summer and tourist season! But, I soaked up the sun and enjoyed meandering through the gardens and woodland trails – oblivious to the crowds and focused only on the flowers!
Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Condom to Montreal du Gers
May 2, 2023
Happy to see the sun today!! When I walked yesterday, I enjoyed the company of several guys from Paris. They shared with me a variant diversion from the Way that would eliminate a troublesome, muddy and steep section of the GR65. It would also bring me through the medieval fort of Larressingle. I followed their advice and am so glad I did!
Before leaving Condom, we had to stop at the most famous photo spot in town! Outside the 16th century Cathédrale Saint-Pierre is a larger-than-life statue of the Count d’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers. We had fun taking a photo shoot here! A friend from the previous night’s lodging offered to take our picture! I have always loved the Three Musketeer movies and it was such fun to pose with them.
I captured some final photographs of Condom on the way out of town.
Crossing the Pont des Carmes over the La Baise river, it was a glorious morning and a picturesque look back at Condom.
Today’s landscape encompassed rolling hills, vineyards and a combination of paved roads and dirt agricultural tracts. It was not long before the town gave way to greenery.
Following the GR65 variant into Larrassingle, I felt like I had stepped back in time.
This small 13th century fortified village is amazingly preserved. The bridge into the village is a UNESCO site and considered an important historical monument along the Way of St. James.
The interior of the village is only 270 meters in circumference and it was quite lovely to wander around and admire the ancient architecture. Since it was still considered the off-season, the little cafe was not open regularly. Too bad! I was looking forward to resting and having a small snack!
After leaving the village, I continued on the paved road that would lead me back to the GR65 proper. Shortly after departing Larressingle, I crossed an ancient pedestrian bridge called the Pont d’Artiques. It crosses the Osse River and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site along the Way. I came upon an American couple who were riding bikes in the area. They were housesitting nearby and had been touring Europe picking up various housesitting gigs throughout the British Isles and Western Europe. Very intriguing!
The path continued through agricultural fields and old farms. The air just felt so fresh and clear today!
The Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Routgès is the oldest church in the region – dating to before the 13th century.
The interior was quite a surprise!
The town of Montreal du Gers is a pretty little village and our accommodation – A La Halte du Rempart – was located right on the main square. I sat at a small cafe and had a beer while I waited for the lodging to open and watched the town crew putting up flower planters on the other hotel in town.
Our lodging tonight would be in a shared dorm space with 10 other people at a cost of 26 euros with demi-pension. Because I got there ahead of most other pilgrims, I was able to secure two beds that were positioned so that we were on one end of the room. My big surprise came when several men showed me the view from our second floor window. They exclaimed that finally we could see the Pyrenees and wanted to point it out to me.
Throughout the day, I noticed that the big toe on my left foot was getting very irritated. When I took off my boots, it was pretty red and looked like an infection might be imminent. I put some antibiotic ointment on it and bandaged it up – hoping for the best. I discovered that, due to several days of wet, muddy weather and trails, the inside lining in my boot had started to separate and press against my toe. I needed to remedy this situation and stuffed newspaper in my boots to try and push the lining back up into place. Tomorrow will be a good test to see if it gets any worse.
It was a pretty rough night sleeping in this dorm room. Lots of snoring and coughing going on!! Yikes!! Tomorrow is another day!!
Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: La Romieu to Condom
May 1, 2023
Today’s walk to Condom would take me 14.5 kilometers through yet another muddy trail day! It was an easy route except for the delays when I had to scrap mud from my boots!
There were a couple of highlights along the Way today worth mentioning. In Castelnau-sur-l’Auvignon, I passed by a unique war memorial with some interesting albeit sad history. On June 21, 1944, a battle took place here between multi-national resistance fighters and troops of the German occupation of France. The out-numbered resistance fighters were forced to evacuate and suffered the loss of 19 heroic freedom fighters. This memorial commemorates their bravery in the face of insurmountable odds.
A short walk from Castelnau-sur-l”Auvignon, through a countryside filled with vineyards, I came upon the Chapelle Sainte-Germaine de Baradieu. This lovely 12 century Romanesque chapel is all that remains of an ancient monastery. I took a break here and walked around the grounds and inside the church.
Above – inside the church and the entrance courtyard…
After leaving the church, the GR65 runs alongside the Lac de Bousquetara for a short distance. I noticed some “boondocking” campers on the shoreline.
I enjoyed the company of a couple of gentleman pilgrims for part of my walk today. They were from Paris and one of them had studied at New York University and spoke very good English. They informed me that during the trail tomorrow there is a section that should be avoided due to very steep, muddy terrain and provided me with a detail of an alternate route. I very much appreciated this!!
When I arrived in Condom, I found a nice spot to have a cold beer and rest before finding my gîte – Gîte d’étape Le Réconfort. The gîte was okay. My only complaint is that there wasn’t a real good system in place to wash and clean boots! I ended up having to take a dishpan with water to the back alley and scrub them with a brush. I admit to being in a very ugly mood for a bit that night!! My boots needed to get dry and stuffing them with newspaper did not help matters. It would prove to be an issue in subsequent days.
I spent some time in the evening trying to plan out the rest of the trip’s accommodations. With the Victory Day holiday coming up, some gîtes were closed. As with much on the Way, it all works out in the end!
Coastal Maine Botanical Garden 6.8.26
When I decide to stay in Maine on my day’s off, I watch the weather and pick a good day to wander around the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. I need to see what has come into bloom since my last visit!!
I headed right for the forest walk via the Haney Hillside Garden and found a beautiful clump of Tiarella in full bloom.
Further down the hillside in the Meditation Garden I noticed the delicate little flowers of Redvein Enkianthus brushing against my cheek!
At the bottom of the hillside, I took a left and walked along the Huckleberry Cove trail. I had not walked in this direction before and was surprised to see the paintings displayed intermittently along the trail. There was a sign with a QR code so you could access more information about the display but my cell service was too light to bring up the website.
I walked as far as Huckleberry Cove and turned around.
I walked back up to the more manicured garden area via the Backwoods Trail. This brought me by one of the trolls I had not yet discovered – Lilja, who holds the scent of the Fowers of the tree.
I kept going to the Rhododendron Garden to see what was putting on a display right now. Some very exotic-looking rhodendrons along side some good ole stand-bys.
On my way back to the entrance to the garden, I came across this beautiful peony, a lovely Viburnum plicatum tomentosum and a magnificent Calycanthus “Harlage Wine.”
Coastal Maine Botanical Garden 5.26.26
I was back at the Maine Coastal Botanical Garden just after Memoral Day to see how things have changed since my visit earlier in the month. Lots of trees now out in leaf and new spring blooms to appreciate!!
Rhodendrons in bloom above in the Rhododendron garden
My one complaint about the Maine Coastal Botanical Garden is that many plants are simply not labeled – which is very frustrating to me when I come upon a plant that I’m not familiar with. But, I really do love the garden and the grounds – especially the woodland trails.
Coastal Maine Botanical Garden 5.4.26
I spent three seasons workamping at Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. At the time, I wanted so badly to take a trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden but it was just too far for a day trip from that location. I am workamping this season on the coast in Southern Maine and find myself less than a hour drive from this special place. Yesterday, the weather was looking promising and I traveled the short distance to check it out.
I ended up purchasing an annual membership since I was sure I would be returning multiple times during the summer and fall season. And, as a bonus, my membership allows me access to many more public gardens across the country who participate in a reciprocal agreement. It was not a hard decision for me!!
The gardens are an interesting mix of natural and more formal spaces with an extensive ‘forested’ trail system around the perimeter. Spring flowers were putting on a spectacular display.
There was an extensive collection of Hellebores – which are one of my favorite spring perennials!
Native bleeding heart, marsh marigold and snowdrops…
Pieris japonica (Japanese Andromeda) and Corylopsis gotoana (Fragrant Winter Hazel)
There were some early rhodendrons and azaleas blooming in the Rhodendron Garden. In order:
Rhodendron “April Snow” – Rhodendron dauricum “Album” – Rhodendron “April Gem”
Rhododendron “Rosebud” – Rhododendron “Cornell Pink”
The most whimsical part of the garden are the extraordinary bigger-than-life giant trolls that are located in various locations throughout the property. Created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, the structures are collectively called the Guardians of the Seeds and are intended to celebrate the Maine woods. Made from recycled wood, each troll has an important mission that is shared on interpretive displays.
There are two more trolls that I did not pass by during my travels through the garden, so I will need to go back!!
Looking forward to many more trips to the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden during the season as plants continue to leaf out and flower. There is also a very cool children’s garden and I will save that for another post. 🙂
Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Lectoure to La Romieu
April 30, 2023
After a continental self-serve breakfast, Susan and I headed out. I was starting my walk towards La Romieu and Susan was hoping to stop by the Chapelle des Carmélites de Lectoure in time for the morning mass before leaving Lectoure. We would meet up in La Romieu at the end of the day.
The descent out of Lectoure snaked through the ancient wall that used to surround the city.
It was another misty, cloudy day and with all the rain that had fallen the previous day I was soon to discover a trail ladden with significant mud. This mud is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It must have a high clay content because it is very sticky. Much of the day was spent stopping to scrap built up mud from my boots!!
I did not take any photographs after leaving Lectoure until I reached the village of Marsolan. In the middle of the traffic circle in town, there was an iron cross. I loved the chicken that sat upon the top of the cross!
Between Marsolan and La Romieu, I encountered much of the muddy trail. It was quite a slog to get through. Little did I know there would be more to come (and much worse!) in the days ahead.
Today was a very light day for photographs as I was concentrating mostly on getting through the mud. I remember walking down a very secondary road not far from La Romieu when I saw a sign that intrigued me.
What luck to stumble upon a botanical garden!! I was in heaven until I realised that the garden was closed the day I was walking through this area. So disappointing! The garden has an interesting history. It was developed on land owned by the renowned French botanist Gilbert Cours-Darne. The collection of plants that are nourished on this land in Gascony were collected by Cours-Darne from all corners of the world. He bequeathed his land in 1992 to Véronique and Arnaud Delannoy. Cours-Darne felt this couple had a love of the land and a desire to continue his project to maintain the garden and open it to the public. Véronique and Arnaud Delannoy and members of their family still operate the garden to this day Here’s a link to the full story of how the garden came to be.
Shortly after leaving the garden, I arrived in La Romieu. The GR65 enters the village via the Parc de l’Olivier à La Romieu. It’s a nice green space with play areas for children and a commanding view of the Collégiale de La Romieu – a 14th century historical monument and UNESCO site. The village was originally founded by two monks who had just returned from a pilgrimage and the name La Romieu means “pilgrim” in the Occitan dialect of Gascony. That’s really cool!!
La Romieu is a pretty little village and as I entered the center of the village I quickly spotted a cafe and decided to rest and enjoy a beer before looking for my lodging for the night.
I settled at an outside table and enjoyed the blue sky that finally appeared!! The establishment where I grabbed my refreshment is L’Etape d’Angeline. It is a cafe, bar and restaurant that also has pilgrim accommodations. I had hoped to stay here but they were full when I was booking my reservations a few days in advance.
There is a fun legend associated with this town and I wish I had known about it when I was there. The village has a curious nickname – “the village of the cats.” And apparently throughout the town there are stone sculptures of cats that were created by a local artist. Had I known, I suspect I would have wandered around the village in search of these stone cats!
The legend goes like this: During medieval times, a peasant girl named Angeline (hence the name of the restaurant!) lived in the village and had a love of cats. When a famine hit the area and food was scarce, it became necessary to survive by eating what was available and sadly the “cat” population in town started to decline. Angeline secretly made an effort to protect as many cats as she could. When the famine ended, and there was an abundance of food, the villagers realized they had a major problem. No cats meant an increasing rat population which caused problems of its own! Angeline let it be known that she had rescued some cats and they were set loose in the town to control the rats. The cats did their job and, to this day, cats are revered in the town!
When it was time to check in to our lodging, I went in search of the building. We stayed in the Chambres d’hôtes Boisson which is operated by a local artist, Christine Boisson. Her paintings filled the walls of the house and it was a nice cozy place to stay for the night. The price included breakfast but not dinner. We knew this in advance and, before leaving Lectoure, we had purchased food for dinner – noodles, veggies and some good bread and cheese. Our accommodation had a small kitchen in which we could prepare our meal and it was perfect!
When our host, Christine, stamped our pilgrim passport books I was surprised that she did not actually have a “stamp” as most accommodations did. Instead, she drew a picture in our pass book and dated it by hand. I thought the picture that she drew curious and wondered why she chose that particular item to draw. Having read now about the legend of the cats – it has suddenly become perfectly clear!! Ha!! Can you spot the “stamp” from Chambres d’hôtes Boisson??
