26th October Friday
The vineyards are more or less gone now and have been replaced by cornfields. Most of the crops have long since grown to their full productivity, been harvested and then the stalks have dried and they are now being turned back into the ground by the tractors, ready for the next planting. Today we saw a few fields that still had the crop in the ground- admittedly very dry and dead looking. I couldn't see any corn husks on the plants but there was evidence along side the track of the business that had occurred at some time during the year as there were left over husks scattered and then sometime big piles of kernels spilt maybe from the relevant machine.

It's hard to write much today as there was not too much of interest to note and no other walkers apart from the group of French ladies who are walking together. Our destination tonight is their final day and you can see that the smell of home has excited them- they have a spring in their step and leave the gite in the dark. They will return next year for another five days of the route. What a nice way to share a friendship.
We also leave in the dark and make good progress- the route is a lot kinder now to the ankles and knees as there are less steep descents or ascents and nice level path for walking. There is more and more asphalt compared to before which isn't as nice.
Today was a no food day in terms of not seeing any villages providing a bar or supplies. The one village we did go through was very generous in providing a great picnic table, great toilets and drinking water so that was a plus as often we are have to scrounge around for a spot to rest. We combine our emergency supplies of nuts, crackers and chocolate to keep us going. I
We did not have the chance to buy our normal supply of fruit when we left this morning- mainly because it was a hamlet and there was no such opportunity, so when we are approaching the outskirts of our town and notice a fruit/vegetable,
/ delicatessen store we can't help but go inside. The regular fruit was purchased but in the section of take away was a croque Monsieur- I couldn't help myself as this to me is an ultimate French delicacy and the thought of a cooked one for our picnic was too much temptation. The man serving was not too impressed as the store was closing for lunch and he had turned the even off but luckily he saw that needy look in my eye and went to the back of the shop, turned on the oven and cooked it to perfection- we had to cut it in half as it was so rich but oh so delightful.

Vincent is our new member to our large walking group of two. He is an active man who runs a lot and plays regular golf but has not walked any long distance walks before. He has met us in Condom to walk the last 10 days and arrives with nearly everything new. We tell him that he needs to get initiated with dirt to make him look a bit more weathered. Today is his first day of drying his washing on his pack and he hikes off proudly flapping his socks, towel and boxer shorts behind him. I don't think his wife would believe seeing this.

The clouds have started collecting today and they at one point squeezed themselves together to create a few drops. It was a nice change not to be walking in the heat.
Our target today is Aire- sur l'adour situated on the Ardour River- apparently another important Roman city and also a royal city of the Visigoths. On our way up the hill to our lodging we pass a little fountain named after Saint Quitterie that is reputably to have medicinal benefits . Saint Quitterie's father a Galician prince wanted his daughter to marry and give up Christianity. She refused and fled to Aire- sur l'adour where she was beheaded by the Visigoths. The spring is meant to be where she was beheaded. I tried to get George to jump in and have all his aches and pains taken away but for some reason he wasn't interested.

Our accomodation is a very grand old home. Our room has a door opening onto the roof with its own table and chairs along with the neighbor's cat. The neighbour's cat sits outside the glass door waiting for these newbies to let their guard down for a moment and it would flit inside without any embarrassment. The lady has warned us though of its antics and we make sure the door is firmly closed. The room next door has the bed for Vincent but off from that is the bathroom and a room for the toilet that is the size of some of the bedrooms I've seen. Madame does not provide any dinner so we walk off down to the town to seek our sustenance.
Following her advice we end up at a wonderful lively place down near the river. The closest description I would use is it is like our family pubs - George has a duck hand burger , I have a classic hand burger. They are handmade and have no resemblance to McDonalds- verdict delicious. The dessert is cafe gourmand- you have a coffee of choice and then 4 small servings of different desserts- creme brûlée, brioche, chocolate mousse, and creme fraiche- all delightful.
The walk back up the hill to the top of the town is required to work off those yummy calories.