Tony, Tim, Betsy & Ray's (not forgetting Geoff) 2014 Camino

25.05.14 Sunday Castet Arouy to La Romieu. The tiny village of Castet has a gite communale in the old school and housed about 17 pelerin last night, evening meal is in the restaurant 25m away and breakfast in the extensive kitchen in the gite. We wake early make coffee and eat and are off by 7.15 we have 30 +km to go to La Romieu the town of the cats, there is a chance of a Double Geoffrey but it is not to be, a near miss after a valiant attempt by the whole party we arrive gasping in the town square by the colleigium of cannons at 15.15. We count stone cats and can see 9 from the bar. The town had in the medieval past a lot of cats and decided to be rid of them apart from the one hidden by a young girl. This resulted in a plague of rats and the town begging for the girl's cat to save them. They are thus immortalised in stone all over the town. Ray and Betsy visit the colleigium cloisters and climb the tower Tony and Tim shift to the campsite and claim pilgrim rates for the nights stay. As those following this blog may have realised there was a break of service for a couple of days repaired and replaced by Jane at home in Somerset, many thanks for that Jane. All the usual flora and fauna including what were probably some largecarp splashing in a plan d'eau we passed and some more of the conical purple orchids mixed with ox eye daisies in a meadow. 31km 700m up 600m down.