

The French Camino travels through gorgeous countryside and charming villages, but parts of the France we have seen have not been postcard-ready. Today’s last few miles took us through farmland that resembled fields along Highway 99 in California’s Central Valley. As has been the case nearly every afternoon in September, the blazing sun torched us as we walked to our destination. Many afternoons have been miserably hot, to be honest. It all makes that beer taste that much better. Not all French villages and cities exude charm. Some are rundown, like Decazeville, which our guidebook charitably described as “gritty.” But all days end with a toast: “We did it!”
