During tea I asked Odile why all the churches are closed and the main reason she gave was vandalism. It’s easier said than done but it sounds like the vandals have won out and surely they can address it in a way by having retired volunteers to watch over them. I don’t think it does much for church participation to have people shut out when the people want to go in, just a thought,
Odile took us part of the way as promised but there was a catch. Just a little way before she left us we found out there would be no signs for the rest of the day’s journey. Of course we had our book but it was hard to match it to the VF signs because they didn’t exist.
Seeing these old confused people, an older man pulled up and in broken French we worked out the general direction and went back the other way. Eventually we caught up with our book and treasured it more than ever after this. A beautiful walk through some small singing forests, and ubiquitous open fields with that gorgeous canola lighting up the still rolling green and brown fields.
Another canal today, 60 metres wide flowing through a series of lochs and traversed by an eclectic array of bridges. It was great to spend some time beside the water rather than under it, and admiring the surrounding reflections.
One of the bridges carried us across and soon there was a small creek (1 metre wide). As I paused for a little, I noticed a black bird appearing to swim into the bank. Looking closer I saw that the bank had been eroded, leaving a bird space underneath where it can hide, nest or whatever they do.
Lunch was on a concrete pylon behind a huge house, of which we are seeing many, quite grand and no two the same. Some of them seem to be government farms, Every now and then we see a large imposing entrance with buildings going to the right and left forming a huge courtyard with the imposing government building in the middle of the back of the courtyard.
A few longer breaks today ensured the body was happy and left us with energy to slowly take in the village environment. Perrone seems to be more lively and busy than most but in a quiet, non-self-imposing way. Our first church accommodation tonight, in a chalet behind an imposing church. I don’t know the French word for ‘by donation’ but that’s what it is, and I’ve decided to also tidy up the wood heap and a small shed.
