Lynn Amber - Travel & Photography
sharing my thoughts through words and images
Windy Hill Sunset 1.2.2025
Windy Hill Sunset – A great place to watch the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean is the summit of Windy Hill Preserve. Love the subtle layers of light and dark defining the rolling foothills between Windy Hill and the coast!
Winter Tree 1.1.2025
WINTER TREE
Gnarled branches reaching
Up towards the horizon
Marking time ’til Spring.
~Lynn Thomas Amber
Le Puy Camino: Lauzerte to Saint-Martin
April 25, 2023
Today marked the first day that we encountered serious mud along the trail! I had heard horror stories about the possibility of mud and thought that it could not possibly be as bad as everyone predicted. We had 17 kilometers to walk to reach our destination in Saint-Martin and it was a damp and, at times, sluggish trek along the GR65.
It was a very rural walk today through orchards and agricultural land along dirt tracks. Our first stop was at the Chapelle St-Sernin. It is an 11th century Romanesque church and the most interesting thing I remember about this church is that there was a rope that hung down from the bell tower and pilgrims were allowed to tug on the rope and “ring” the bell!
After about 10 kilometers of walking, we came upon a welcome sign!
Le Relais Saint-Jacques is a well-known pilgrim stop in the town of Durfont-Lacapelette and it was crowded with pilgrims eager to take a break from the weather and fuel up with hot drinks and food. For about 7 euros we enjoyed a hot drink and some lunch!
Much of our walk today took us through row after row of orchard trees. We passed an interpretive sign at one point that described the agricultural importance of this region.
The sign describes the area we are in as “A Large Orchard” – or Un Grand Verger. This was certainly evident as we passed by many acres of fruit trees and grape vines. The sign states that this region in France ranks 4th in fruit production overall and 1st in the production of apples and plums. Other important crops of the region include melons, cherries, apricots, walnuts, almonds, chestnuts and grapes.
I was particularly impressed with the espaliered apple trees covered in netting – labor intensive!!
The mud today was evident along some of the more narrow dirt trails. It is sticky, wet mud that eventually seeps into even the most waterproof boots! The most alarming aspect of the mud was its ability to stick to and build up on my hiking boots making it difficult to walk. I had to keep stopping to scrap it off the soles and sides of the boots often!
After lunch, we had a shortish 3.5 kilometers to reach our destination in the tiny village of Saint-Martin. We had reservations at the Gîte Saint-Martin. It was a long ranch-style house with several rooms off the back side. Each room had a sliding glass door facing the back yard. We shared a room with a gentleman – yes, often the shared rooms are coed! It was miserable weather so we could not really enjoy the outside patio area.
Upon arrival, we had to discard our muddy boots and our packs in a separate building. We loaded our clothing and toiletries for the night into baskets that we took to the room. It was a well-organized set-up.
The gîte had 5 rooms that could accommodate a total of 14 people and it was completely full for the night. Our cost was 40 euros each for the demi-pension – an average price along the GR65. At dinner, we met a really nice family who were walking a portion of the GR65 during their 2-week school vacation. We would cross paths with them a few more times over the next few days. We learned that one of their daughters was going to be a high school exchange student in the US the following year – in Portland, OR. I was most impressed by their command of the English language and overall good cheer.
The next day would take us to Moissac – a larger town with an impressive historical site – the Moissac Abbey.
Le Puy Camino: Montcuq to Lauzerte
April 24, 2023
Oddly, when reviewing my journal notes for our walk this day, I had written that it was a rainy day! But, when I processed the pictures for this post, the sky seemed mostly sun and clouds. Photographs don’t lie so perhaps the very beginning of the day started with rain! Who knows!
Today’s walk to the medieval hill town of Lauzerte would be around 16 kilometers in distance. The terrain alternated between gravel back roads, dirt roads through agricultural land and dirt trails. It was a pleasant walk with nice moderate temperatures – and no rain despite my journal declaration!
As we walked deeper into the Spring season, more flowers started to show up along the Way.
We enjoyed some sweeping views across the landscape of rolling hills.
Just before entering the small hamlet of Rouillac, there was a very picturesque pond with a small structure on the shoreline.
And, it came complete with a few requisite grazing sheep to complete the picture!
In Rouillac, we took a break and visited the local church – the Église Saint-Pierre de Rouillac. It has a beautiful stone facade – very simple in design – and an interior to match.
We continued on with the walk into the countryside and passed by a small farm stand with goodies for pilgrims.
We eventually came to a spot where the GR65 veers off onto more of a dirt path. There was an informational sign posted here that showed a map of the GR65 as it traverses this region.
Another interpretive sign describes the area we are currently walking through – Le Pay de Serres. The sign indicates that this area is a limestone plateau “cut by parallel, very symmetrical valleys.” Crops of the region include orchards, sunflowers, grape vines and melons. It would be cool to be walking through here when the fields of sunflowers are blooming! The architecture of the region is simple with large stone “block houses” with tile roofs.
Lauzerte is an amazing medieval city that sits atop a hill with a commanding view of the countryside. The name is thought to derive from the Latin word – Lucerna – or lamp. It is thought to be a guiding “light” at the top of the hill. It was a tough, steep uphill climb into the city at the end of the day!
In 1990, Lauzerte was awarded “The Most Beautiful Villages in France” designation. This honor is shared by about 155 villages throughout France. Another village we will be walking through in a couple of days, Auvillar, also holds this distinction.
Lauzerte was an absolute delight to explore with its many unique architectural and artist details. But first, I visited our Gîte L’Abeille Lulu to get settled in and drop my backpack. The lodging is named after the father of our host, Nicole, who was a beekeeper. It was a small place tucked into a hillside and accommodates only up to 9 pilgrims. It was a sweet, comfortable spot. Our host provides tea and snacks upon arrival and breakfast for a fee. We are on our own for dinner out or can make use of the small kitchen.
Where do I begin to describe Lauzerte? I will let my photographs with comments be the avenue for a tour of this special city. I started off by following the GR65 markers to guide me to the village center from our lodging.
My first priority was to visit the Jardin du Pèlerin. This garden is dedicated to all the pilgrims who travel through the town and is a very interesting design. I read that it is laid out in the form of a board game and pilgrims can get a guide that allows them to move through the garden and recounts the pilgrim life. The sign below has a description in English of the above in more detail. I did not have this guide but just enjoyed wandering around the landscaped gardens.
After wandering through the multi-level garden, I headed to the center of town and the Place des Cornières. Considered the community gathering place of the “bastide” back in the day, it is a nice small square with a couple of restaurants and shops. I happily planted myself at on outdoor table and enjoyed a cold glass of beer!
The Eglise Saint-Barthélemy is located in one corner of the plaza and I briefly walked inside to take a look around.
As I wandered around town, I noticed a few interesting characters perched high up on some of the buildings and also wrought iron signs for pubs and public places. Sylvain Soligon, an ironsmith artist, created many of these signs around town and his son and other artists carry on the tradition with new ones.
Street scenes along my tour of the town:
We had dinner at a restaurant near our lodging called AUX SARRAZINES DU FAUBOURG. It was Monday and many restaurants and other establishments close on Mondays but this restaurant was open for lunch until 2pm and re-opened for dinner starting at 7pm. The odd memory I have about the restaurant was that they had lost electricity (which we were told is common) and so they could only offer us a limited fare. We enjoyed an omelet and a salad for dinner – which was delicious and just about perfect since eggs are not a traditional breakfast food in France.
Lauzerte was one of my favorite towns along the Camino in France – so whimsical and fanciful!
Le Puy Camino: Labastide to Montcuq
April 23, 2023
Today’s walk was very rural, quite soggy and long – 22 kilometers. It was a very pretty day, though, through agricultural lands that were bright green with the spring rains.
The day started with a pretty sunrise at our lodging in Lasbastide.
Much of the day the sky was cloud-covered and I rarely shed my rain gear! Along this section, I started to see more open fields of vineyards.
The route today alternated between minor paved roads, dirt roads and narrow dirt trails. Even though I did not see the sun, it was a good walk and very peaceful.
After about 12 kilometers, I entered the small village of Lascabanes. From a distance, the steeple of the Église Saint Georges stood out.
My Miam Miam Dodo listed several options for lunch and I landed on a small market that had made-to-order sandwiches. For a mere 5 euros, I enjoyed a delicious veggie sandwich on fresh French bread. The market – La P’tite Pause – catered to pilgrims and I came across numerous other pilgrims taking a break here.
After resting and satisfying my appetite, I continued on my way. The weather took a turn for the worse and just when I was starting to feel very damp, I came across the Chapelle Saint-Jean le Froid. The small chapel sits right on the GR65 and is a popular rest spot for pilgrims.
The interior was pretty sparse with some benches for sitting and resting. I was not the only pilgrim who was dodging the rain here!! There was a table inside where pilgrims left various items. Legend indicates there is a small spring near the church. The water flowing from this spring supposedly offered relief from rheumatism.
I hung out inside the chapel until the rain subsided and then continued onto a dirt pathway along the edge of some fields.
I was rewarded with some wildflowers blooming along this stretch of the walk! Since it was raining, I did not bring my camera out for these photos and I apologize for the blurry cell phone pictures! It was damp and I snapped the photos in a hurry!
I arrived in Montcuq and was anxious to find my lodging for the night. I needed some dry clothes and a place to warm up! I had trouble finding lodging in this town as all of the places either did not return my email or they were full. We got a line on lodging from someone named David along the way. It was a new place that was not listed in the Miam Miam yet called the Garden Lodge B&B. At 35 euros each for the night, it was a bargain. This was by far one of the most unique places that we stayed during our six week journey!
Our hosts, Jenny and Olivier, were extremely friendly and greeted me upon arrival – showing me the outside cabinet where we could leave our backpacks, wet boots, etc! They had recently renovated the old “wine cellar” into a living space and I believe we were some of the first guests that they welcomed. I loved the attention they paid to detail and some of the unique fixtures.
The only downside to this lodging was that it did not offer an evening meal typical of most gîtes. We were given a normal French-style breakfast but we were on our own to find dinner in town. This was a slight problem as it was Sunday and many places are not open. We wandered around town in search of an evening meal.
We ended up at the one bar that remained open that evening and were able to get a beer and some pizza slices. It was a very local crowd and the guy who had recommended the Garden Lodge to us, David (from England who now lives in Montcuq), was there!
Our evening at the B&B was very comfortable and I totally experienced one of my best night’s sleep here! On our way out the next morning, Jenny and Olivier and Stanley, the dog, wished us well and said good-bye from their upstairs window!
Filoli Historic House and Gardens Holiday Season 12.5.24
Filoli Historic House and Garden is a short drive from my son’s house near Woodside, California. I have visited several times over the past few years. It speaks to my love of public gardens – especially those that were at one time private residences. Last spring when we were visiting the area, I bought an annual membership on the premise that we would be back in the fall and it would be more cost effective.
Little did I realize that, upon our return this November, Filoli had begun their holiday display season and visits during this time were not included with an annual membership! Oh well!! An annual membership does allow for 20% off the daily fee during this season so at least that’s something!
Filoli reminds me of a very miniature Longwood Gardens. I grew up on the grounds of Longwood from birth until just before my teens. It is a place very near and dear to my heart. Perhaps that is why I am drawn to this California estate turned public garden. Of the nearly 654 acres of land, about 16 acres are devoted to the house and gardens. The house is a Georgian revival-style mansion and the mostly formal gardens mimic the English Renaissance era in design and construction.
I wandered through the house first, upon entering the garden, because I was in the mood to be mesmerized by holiday decorations and transported into the upbeat ambiance of the season. The decorations in the mansion reminded me of the effort put into decking out the Pierce-du Pont House at Longwood for the holidays.
After touring the house, I wandered around the outside gardens. Not much blooming this time of year but it was a gorgeous California day to just take a leisurely stroll around the grounds. Filoli does have an evening holiday light display reminiscent of the world famous light display put on by Longwood Gardens each year – although not anywhere near the scale. Maybe I’ll reserve an evening slot at Filoli before the season ends?
Le Puy Camino: Cahors to Labastide
April 22, 2023
Our walk from Cahors to Labastide would take us along the GR65 for 14 kilometers. One of the highlights of the day was at the beginning of the walk when we crossed the medieval pedestrian bridge – Pont Valentré. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built in the 1300’s, the bridge has 3 towers and is 172 meters in length. I read that the bridge is illuminated on various days throughout the year in certain colors – pink for Valentine’s Day; blue, white and red for Armistice Day – and blue for World Earth Day (April 22nd). Had we arrived in Cahors a day later and spent the night on this day, we would have seen the bridge illuminated in blue!
After leaving the bridge, it’s a fairly steep climb up a hill on the opposite side of the river. Taking a break along the way looking back at Cahors – the view is spectacular.
As you can see from the photograph, it was a cloudy, rather dismal day with intermittent rain. Our walk took us along dirt and gravel roads and minor paved roads.
At one point, we passed by some houses and I was interested in one under construction. I just had to take a few pictures. The terra cotta colored blocks were something I’d never seen. I could not really figure out what the material is.
We reached the town of Labastide-Marnhac amid raindrops. Most of my photographs today were with my cell phone. It was so wet and rainy that I did not pull out my other camera much at all!
Our accommodation for the night was a short walk outside of town and since we were a little too early for check-in we found a local eatery to hang out in and dry off! We were pretty wet from the rainy weather! Les Halles de Labastide was just what we needed – a warm place and hot cup!!
The second highlight of the day was the sheer luxury of our accommodation for the night. We paid dearly for this but it was the only place close that had room. The Chambre d’hôtes Le Clos de la Fontaine was not your typical pilgrim lodging. In fact, it really does not cater to pilgrims although we were certainly welcome. It is a destination for those seeking a respite from their daily grind and offers a spa-like atmosphere complete with a jacuzzi and sauna. We were the only pilgrims staying here and the other guests were enjoying a weekend vacation away from their kids.
The “house” was renovated into a bed and breakfast type atmosphere and our room was very nicely appointed! There was a common room downstairs where guests could interact and a dining/kitchen area.
We had a nice conversation with a young couple who were on vacation without their kids. They were teachers and explained to us the unusual way the school year works in France. The French schools have 5 holidays throughout the year with most lasting 2 weeks and a longer summer vacation. The dates are set nationally with various regions somewhat staggered to alleviate overcrowding at popular tourist spots. The spring vacation period starts the second week in April and goes until the first week in May. This is the time frame in which we are now walking the Camino and part of the reason why lodging is harder to acquire! We have encountered several groups of families who are walking a section of the GR 65.
Our host was very entertaining offering up some local history and engaging us in conversation. Since we were the only pilgrims, he understood that we might want to eat earlier than the other guests as we would be getting an early start in the morning. He kindly served us dinner at a “normal” time – 7:00 to 7:30 – as opposed to the 8-8:30 for the other guests. Dinner was one of our more unique experiences as well. It started off with a dish of white asparagus followed by a breast of duck.
Before serving the duck, he explained his cooking method for the duck and warned us that it would be a bit rare. (I think he suspected that we Americans do not usually eat our meat on the rare side!) He asked that we keep an open mind and try it first – and if we wanted it cooked more then he would accommodate us. We agreed and I can honestly say I have never eaten meat cooked this rare – it was surprisingly delicious and I ate every bite!
The evening passed quietly and it was a good night’s sleep in this fancy abode!
Le Puy Camino: Cahors
April 21, 2023
We arrived in Cahors via taxi from Bach and luckily for us the hotel allowed us to check-in early. We had reservations at the Hôtel-Restaurant La Chartreuse. The hotel sits on the banks of the Lot River across the waterway from the center of town.
I continued to feel sick for much of the day and spent a good bit of time in the hotel room trying to secure lodging for our next few days. As the main season for walking the Way was upon us, it was becoming increasingly harder to find lodging that would keep us within a certain manageable kilometer range each day. After working out the next several days, I ventured out into the city to explore.
A short walk from the hotel is the bridge (with a pedestrian sidewalk) that crosses over the Lot and deposits visitors into the main downtown area of the city. It was quite a shock to be in a “city” after walking through quaint, medieval villages for days on end! Since Cahors is considered the half-way point of the walk between Le Puy and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, we needed to get another Miam Miam Dodo guidebook. The Miam Miam Dodo is divided into 2 sections. It was somewhat of a milestone to be done with Section 1!!
We located the Office de Tourisme de Cahors and purchased our Section 2 Miam Miam Dodo and wandered around town exploring the architecture and visiting the main church – Cathédrale Saint-Etienne.
There was a courtyard behind the main part of the church with a formal garden surrounded by long columned hallways. The garden is adorned with lavender and white lilies certain times of the year to honor the Virgin Mary.
Cathédrale Saint-Etienne was built in the 12th century and has had many facelifts since that time. It is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its importance along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.
Another interesting spot in the city was the Agora d’agriculture urbaine – a community garden located near at the end of a wide, open paved plaza.
While much of the city looks fairly modern, walking along some of the side streets gave a sense of how the ancient town appeared in the past.
There is a visitors booth on the city side of the bridge and I stopped in there to get my pilgrim credential stamped. I noticed a walking path along the river from this spot. I spent some time on my own exploring and took a walk along this urban path that follows the Lot River. It was peaceful and I found some fig trees!! I love the foliage and fruit of this marvelous plant that grows in moderate climates.
We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant that night and prepared for our next day’s journey to Labastide. I wish I could say I enjoyed my time in Cahors – but feeling ill and being frustrated with finding lodging put a damper on my mood! Perhaps I will visit the city again and view it differently. But the bustling atmosphere with increased traffic and people were not really a welcome sight for me at this time. Onward!
California Coast 11.23.24
November 23, 2024
We’ve been visiting our son in the Santa Cruz Mountains on the peninsula near Woodside, CA. Unfortunately, upon our arrival, we were inundated with an “atmospheric river” coming off the Pacific Ocean. This past Saturday, there was a break in the weather and we drove over the hill to the coast to soak up some sun and give their Belgian Malinois “Wylie” a good run on the beach.
Pescadero Point Beach is one of many small beach areas located off the coastal Route 1. It was so nice to see the sun even though we were greeted with some intermittent misty rain. It produced an incredible rainbow as we walked down to the beach!
The rocky coast was teeming with aquatic wildlife. We watched some oystercatchers wading along the shoreline and on the rocks busy looking for food. We also caught a glimpse of some seals – one of which was enjoying a perch on a rocky shelf just off the coast.
Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Limogne-en-Quercy to Bach
April 20, 2024
Before departing Limogne-en-Quercy, we stopped by a local grocery to pick up some snacks. This was the first “supermarket” we had encountered on our journey since leaving Le Puy-en-Velay. I had gotten used to – and loved! – the quaint “épiceries” that inhabited the many small villages we passed through. It felt rather bewildering to be wandering around a store that was so reminiscent of our way of shopping in the United States. I found that I really did enjoy the comfort and ease of shopping in small local groceries where my only concern was the food needs for that day.
It would be a 14.7 kilometers to the hamlet of Bach where we would be spending the night. Susan and I walked together today which was a nice change of pace. And, the weather was gorgeous!!
The walk today was characterized again by stone walls lining the path and some interesting sites along the “way.” Four kilometers into our hike, we passed by a spot with a “watering hole” called Lac et puits de Ju.
An interpretive sign at the site indicates that it has been a resting place for pilgrims and watering hole for animals for many years. The sign asks that all passing by “respect this place and its environment.” It also records many of the bird species that have been observed here.
Much of the walk consisted of terrain like the photograph below. It was along this path and, before reaching the village of Varaire, that we encountered an noble global awareness campaign.
The interpretive displays we happened upon are part of the United Nations Global Goals initiative. The small town of Varaire was selected as a host for this exhibition in October 2022. The 17 “totems” that represented the 17 sustainable development goals were in place by mid-December. The totems are located on the GR65 coming into town and throughout the village. There’s an informative website that describes how the citizens of Varaire have strived to live these principles in their everyday life. To learn more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals please visit this website. The 17 goals are a call to action for all countries to work together to achieve a sustainable future for the inhabitants of the planet we call Earth.
I cannot stress enough my belief that we are a global community where isolationism and nationalism have no place. We cannot live in isolation. What we do impacts everyone globally and vice versa. Seeing this exhibition was one of the highlights of my “camino” adventure.
The first panel below introduces the concept of global goals and invites people to share what would be their to-do list. It was rewarding to read the responses and also challenging to convert to English!!
Each numbered panel represents one of the 17 goals. I was grateful that these were presented in both French and English!
When I was reviewing all the photographs I took of these signs, I realized that I had taken a pretty cool self-portrait!
We started coming upon some scattered buildings as we approached Varaire. The countryside was just beautiful!
We entered the center of the village and found a sweet cafe to enjoy a hot drink and our lunch.
A few scenes around town…
We popped into the local church – Église Saint Barthélemy – before leaving town and getting back on the GR65.
The rest of the day was uneventful – we walked and we rested – and simply enjoyed the peace of the day.
Our biggest surprise of the day happened upon our arrival in the village of Bach – our destination for the day. We found the lodging where we had made a reservation only to be informed by the hostess that someone in the household had come down with Covid and so we could not stay there! Thankfully, she had prepared for this and arranged for us to stay in another gîte in town.
We were grateful that she had set this up for us. But, the gîte was just okay – mediocre food and uncomfortable beds. I will say that the hosts were very welcoming and entertaining at dinner. And, the fee was by donation only so it did not cost us very much. I will not divulge the name of the accommodation out of respect for our hosts. But, the next day I woke with a tremendous stomach ache which persisted for the entire day.
The good news is that we were not walking that day. We could not secure any accommodations between here and the city of Cahors so we opted to take a break from the “way” and get a taxi ride to Cahors. The bad news is that the taxi ride was a very rough one on winding, narrow roads and I had to endure this with an extremely sensitive stomach!
Cahors is considered the half-way point between Le Puy-en-Velay and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port – a real milestone! More to come on our stay in this more urban environment.
Lynn Amber - Travel & Photography 