Up after very little sleep last night (a combination of several vivacious late-night chats entertained by fellow pilgrims, some lovely less-than-quiet guitar strummings by hospitalero Remi, a subtle cacophony of rumbled snorings from already asleep pilgrims at the far end of the hostel, and a community cat who decided to wail his general displeasures well […]
Fellow pilgrims Maude & Nathalie come in to breakfast as I am finishing my preparations for departure, and they both sit for awhile and soak up my Walking HOME book. This was a nice moment indeed, as these were the two members of yesterday’s “pilgrim family” with whom I had felt most likely to Connect […]
While the decision to leave that morning was clearly the Correct one (I was not in any debilitating pain, the skies were wet & gray but in no way dangerously ominous, there was no more immediate need of my assistance in the hostel’s yard and gardens, and there was no current pilgrim resident who was […]
Head into the church in Espalais proper, and enjoy the solace gently held by its empty room and radiated by its Christmas-tree-light-adorned altar … “And after saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.” ~ unknown (Mark 6:46) “I am a reflection of Light and Love; a condensed facet of the […]
Flow smoothly thereafter up and into the neighboring town of Auvillar, where Frederic surprises me with another meet & greet. It turns out that fellow pilgrim Michael had forgotten his shoes at the hostel that morning, and Frederic thought I might be willing to carry them in my bag, on the highly probable chance that […]
Walking through any wetness is rarely a pleasant experience, and yet if one’s footwear is at least acceptable and one’s path is softly carpeted, even the soggiest of segues can be sauntered with joy … “And these are the questions that hound me: How shall I survive the specter of tomorrow, what is my life […]
How odd to be so thrilled with the tape-job I had given my shoes the day before, only to have today’s mucky paths and steady rains literally wash the same right off my feet after only a few hours of walking … “Nothing can last, not even the Earth itself. The Buddha said that suffering […]
Indeed, it hadn’t taken long for me to encounter Michael (pictured) on the Trail, and – after giving him the shoes he had forgotten at Le Par Chemin that morning – we proceeded to walk a ways together through the day’s light-to-mid-strong rains … “When I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that […]
Even though the Way is muddy and the skies are wet and my shoes are on the verge of coming undone, Michael and I make it easily into the town of Bardigues and its ornately colorful church dedicated to Saint Anthony (maybe Saint Anthony of Egypt – the very first Christian hermit, but more probably […]
I have always had an affinity for Saint Anthony of Egypt – the very first Christian hermit, and yet Saint Anthony of Padua (probably the Saint Anthony pictured here) now hearkens to me as well. Maybe it is his association with healing the ill & injured, or maybe it is that he is considered the […]
On we both flow, Michael and I, letting our light conversation make light work of the relatively heavy walking conditions (with lots of recent rain making for lots & lots of muck & mud) – all the way into the tiny-yet-lovely town of Flamarens, where we come across Dominique manning a concession stand across the […]
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