LIMOGES – FLAVIGNAC
As I walked out of the town of Limoge, I passed the marketplace, the old train station and the Église Saint-Michel-des Lions, a 14th century Gothic hall church. By entering the church, I was welcomed by the warm light and air of uncountable burning candles and the smell of incense. Dim morning light was falling through the huge stained glass windows. The space was magical. I learned that the 3rd century Roman Saint Martial is buried here. He brought Christianity to the Roman town, then called Augustoritum.
It took me two hours to leave the city. Allies of oak trees were walking with me. Later on, there were hardly any villages along the way. In the little town Aixe-sur-Vienne, I visited the workshop of a basket maker. A painting on a wooden door shows that it is still 1,349 km (838 miles) to Santiago de Compostela.
In the refuge of Flavignac, I met Rohan and Eddy again. They did the typical errands of the pilgrims at the end of each day – washing laundry, caring for the feet and writing a diary.
The village of Flavignac has not only a restaurant and a boulangerie but also a tiny delicatesse grocery store, which is at the same time a café and a photo studio and a book store.
