Music in Conques

The life of a long distance walker is sort of 'different' - and a little bit of a world of its own, as I am finding out. When you have spent nearly two weeks walking the landscape, passing through just villages in the main, it seems odd to come to a place full of visitors who are not walkers.

But Conques has its very own remedy against 'strangeness' and it is music. The Romanesque church is narrow but very tall, and somehow it does magic things with sound. I think I have been fortunate, and this weekend quite a few amateur groups have been singing here. This afternoon were some who had travelled all the way from Marseille. And the fathers who run the Abbey are very welcoming; so somehow the place switches easily from song to prayer etc when it needs to. I am not a 'good' Catholic - but the music in that church this morning made it all a celebration of something very joyful. I look forward to a bit more music this evening before I leave in the morning!