Arudy

Well today is certainly different from yesterday. I only had a couple of hours to walk to reach a sure destination, so after my generous host family fed me breakfast including eggs and sausage, I made it here to Arudy, where I had heard that the parish priest welcomes pilgrims. I found the church just as Mass was ending, and the Abbe showed me the accommodations for pilgrims, and I've been resting ever since. Which is good as tomorrow I definitely have at least a six hour journey to get to somewhere.
Today was another holiday of some sort here in France, so most of the stores and such are closed. Abbe came back home about 7 pm and invited us upstairs to his living quarters to fix and eat super with him. There are only three of us guys here tonight. One of them is a Frenchman who was at the hostel with me in Lourdes, he delayed a day to see Lourdes, but took a day less to get here. Unfortunately, he's going to take another route from here, so no companion for the trail. The other guy is from Holland and he to wants to visit Lourdes, so he is headed the way I just came from, and will then turn around and come back this way. Apparently, he's already walked from Holland to Santiago - over 3000 kilometers, and is still going.  So we fixed a simple meal and shared it. He's certainly a nice man and enjoys having people around. We were finished by 8:30, did the dishes and am in bed. So a nice relaxing day.