Malbec in Moissac: The Tradition Continues

Confession time, there’s no tradition of drinking Malbec upon entering Moissac. But we did continue our personal tradition of heading to the nearest bar for a celebratory cold beer, though that came at the end of the day. Now, let me take you back to the start of the final leg of our Le Puy Camino walk.

Our day begins with breakfast at the mill, croissants (of course), granola, fruit, cheeses, meats, and coffee, and we introduce Marie-Pierre to Vegemite. Afterward, she drives us back to the crossroads of Durfort-Lacapelette to resume our Camino from where we left off. The Moulin de Salazar was yet another amazing experience for us.

It's the coldest morning we've had, and we're layered up for the day. Early in our trek, the path takes us alongside an apple orchard, then past a field at the bottom of a steep hill. As we continue, the path becomes

progressively muddier, eventually leading to shallow puddles of water. We can see the dry path on the other side of these puddles and spend a considerable amount of time figuring out how to avoid them. At first, we try going up the hill, but it's too boggy. Then we attempt going downhill, but that's also too boggy. Eventually, we just brace ourselves and walk through, sinking almost to our ankles in mud. Most of the morning is spent passing orchards or through small villages. It's a combination of narrow country roads, fields, and forests. Early on, there are very steep inclines, and we've learned that means a steep decline is coming soon. At one point, the geocached track on the app and the red and white markers diverge. We follow the red and white markers, and I can see we're going off our route. Eventually, we turn and head back toward the app's route. I think the detour added one or two kilometers to our walk today.

We find a great spot for lunch with a bench and a place to hang our backpacks, enjoying some bread, cheese, and meats courtesy of Marie-Pierre. After lunch, the final stretch into Moissac consists of undulating terrain, but nothing as strenuous as what we've previously encountered. The last 2 to 3 km are along the road. Moissac is larger than the other towns we've stayed in, evidenced by the Aldi store we pass. As we

get closer, we start to see other walkers for the first time today.

Our hotel, Le Moulin du Moissac, is situated between the River Tarn and the Canal à la Lateral Garonne. It's a 15th-century mill converted into a hotel, and it's a very grand building. We reach it at 2pm. Marie-Pierre dropped us back on the path at 9:30am., making today's trek of 16 to 18 km a record-breaking four and a half hours. Upon entering, we spot a very cool Royal Enfield Continental café racer parked in the reception area. We check in, unload, and then go exploring (actually looking for a celebratory beer). Most restaurants close at 2pm., but we find a bar on the edge of the village square.

In the evening, we cross back over the canal and head to the town center to find a nice restaurant for dinner. We walk past the village square and find ourselves approaching the magnificent Saint-Pierre Abbey, a Romanesque monastery. Along the way, we pass a plethora of restaurants. We settle on one near the Abbey and enjoy a meal that includes octopus in a tomato ragout and a cassoulet. The cassoulet was served in the cast-iron pot in which it was cooked in a wood-fired oven, giving it a distinctly smoky flavor.

Our second day in Moissac is spent exploring more of the village on foot,

and we clock up over 12 km. In the morning, we enjoy the market in the village square and marvel at all the fresh regional produce. Later, we spend time in the Abbey's cloister, just behind the church. The Abbey and cloister date back to the 8th century. The cloister must be a photographer's dream, it's hard to take a bad photo, and the light changes quickly with the passing of the day. Later, we walk along the edge of the Tarn for a couple of kilometers and come across a canal bridge stretching over the river. These canals, with their locks and bridges, truly are an engineering marvel.

We find a small restaurant by the river for our final dinner in Moissac, and it's here that we finally enjoy some Malbec, fulfilling that important tradition. We finish the evening with Cointreau on ice back at the hotel. It's a fairly early night before our morning train trip, which will take us closer to the Canal du Midi.

While we have a week on the Canal du Midi with friends, and time in Spain and Portugal to come, this is the end of our amazing pilgrimage on Le Puy Camino. If you feel inspired by our journey, contact Sue Chater from Raw Travel and start planning your own adventure. You can eMail Sue here: [email protected].

Our next stop Carcassonne....