Martin M. Miles' photos

.......seeing a cow from the side, the back part is totally covered with the greenish stuff. Then there is a diagonal line, a kind of equator from the highest part of the back to the lowest part on the forehands - everything below is shitty - everything above is clean. Im sure, this is a fashion, they have developed. Something like an iroquois-hairstyle. I´m sure, that no cow is able to do that alone. This style is the proof, that cows can build up teams...

..... saw next morning the old romanesque portal of the church ...

...ascending, after having crossed the Rhone now...

......was a pretty renaissance-building with a halfround tower infront, for the staircase. I had never been in such a house - and then the door opened....

...from where I had a view to the Lac de Paladru....Grenoble is behind the mountain range on the horizon....

.... where I rented a posh "chalet" for a night. This was a little hut, about 16m², opposite the wash-rooms and sourrounded by dutch caravans.....

... Rhone on the right - and the "feared" Mt. Tournier on the horizon. The first "real" mountain. Only 900m high! The trail, descending to the valley floor was steep and very slippery... Stayed in "Le Clos des Capucins" that night.

....the rain continued. The track was muddy....(.....) was from Switzerland, born in Rome, suffering from rain, mud and the rest of it. He had walked since hours and we were both heading to Chaumont. At least another 6 hours away... We met again that evening... and some weeks later near Espalion. We had dinner together in Conques. He reached Santiago - and sent me a postcard.

..met an arguing german couple, when I entered. Strange vibrations. Walked upstairs. 12 matrasses in that room. More matrasses could be reached via a wooden ladder...

Well the "lavoir" looks quite romantic and it was probably a very social event, washing clothes with all the neighbours around, - but I do prefer the modern electric version, the washing-machine.

...the "Poste Rurale" was obviously closed and the "Public Telephone" as well...

... followed the former railroad-track and passed the little station of "Bretagne d` Armagnac", the owners had restored so perfectly, that it looked like a 1:1 model of a small railway station. Just that there were no rails next to the little platform. Maybe the owners sat inside wearing the old railway-uniforms and drinking coffee.....

...one of the capitals in Autun, that "Gislebertus fecit", illusttrates - Matthew 2:13-23 - "..an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt."

...... of a sudden, the door to the kitchen opened, and an eldery small man appeared, wearing a basque beret on his head and a big bottle in his hand. He started to sing and to fill all the glasses with an aperitif....

..this street is pretty busy from 6 to 8 in the morning, when all pilgrims and walkers walk up to Hunto, to reach Roncesvalles in the afternoon. After the rush-hour, it is very quiet again upto noon, when the first "pelerins" arrive from Ostabat - and meet with all, that start from here.

...and after the pizza, we had a bottle of wine in the lovely garden behind the old building...

...the market of Mirepoix is a nice place to have a cafe creme. Later we met Pierre Pedelmas, the photographer, who had an exhibition here...

....the perspective he uses. There are these two angels, swinging incense burners. The angels are high up in the edges, pretty small,. You see the arms, with already larger hands, holding the tights, that go diagonal to the big censers. - And in the middle - out of the clouds - Gods blessing hand.... Here is an in-depth article about the Maître de Cabestany by Peter Hubert: www.green-man-of-cercles.org/articles/the_maitre_de_cabes...