Day 15- CajarcYesterday when we stopped for a late lunch on the way to Bedeur, a Belgium man (Schules) arrived wearing a floppy hat similar to the ones the Australian forces wore in Vietnam. He was a retired member of the Belgium Airforce and has been walking regularly in Europe ever since. He has served as a hospitalero and has a wealth of Camino walking knowledge, particularly in France. He speaks Dutch, German, Flemish, French, Italian, English and Spanish. That is not that unusual in Europe, particularly in small nations like Belgium and Holland who are sandwiched between larger trading partners. Nevertheless it makes most Australians’ linguistic abilities seem abysmal. In general the French and Germans we meet do not have anywhere near the same language range. We were having communication problems acquiring accommodation over Easter Sunday and he sorted it out for us. These problems were starting to seem unresolvable to us, when out of the blue Schules came upon us at lunch and with half a dozen phones everything was rectified.
This is another example of the Camino will provide. Really it’s a matter of trust, a trust that we ourselves should be prepared to step outside of any little world in which we cacoon ourselves for safety. A trust to take a chance (not a foolhardy risk) that despite difficulties we encounter we can win through. And a trust in the innate goodness of others through whom many can see the hand of God at work. Of course trust may be equated to letting go of all those things holding us back and preventing us living a full life. Trust and letting go are really both sides of the same coin. This morning we met another example of a young lady trusting. I don’t know her name, she is from Slovenia and has never walked far before. So on 4 weeks leave from her European Commission work she purchased all her walking equipment and set out on her own to walk for 3 weeks, the hardest section of the GR65 (this Camino). She saw this as a challenge, something I could not have contemplated at her age. Again trust from a girl whose desire it is to finish up at Lourdes to work as a volunteer with the infirm for her final holiday week. Previously, we met another girl who put some time in at Lourdes doing similar volunteer work. After a week of immaculate weather the storm finally arrived last night and from our vantage point in our accommodation we ate while watching it unfold over the valleys and hills for as far as the eye could see. (Perhaps it would be truer to say it enfolded the valleys and hills). A truly magnificent sight. Yesterday I wrote in our journal that I was not too impressed with aspects of our accommodation, but like pilgrims we accepted them. But after sending our report to you the lady of the house not only brought us the 3 foods mentioned yesterday but a whole feast of cold foods including above superior quality wine. I think she took pity upon us when she sensed our disappointment and realised the misinformation in the guide book. She followed it up by providing brilliant ingredients for breakfast this morning. Today we came across one sad example of non-acceptance on the way to Cajarc. In a village we found the Gite named Blue Shutters (the name is not unique in France), the lady manager was Swiss and had been there for 3 years. The village is rather isolated by French standards and a local funeral had just taken place. It seems funerals are the only time that everyone gets together in the village. The lady said the villagers wouldn’t accept her because she was a blow in from outside France. We were sitting outside the Gite drinking coffee as the people were leaving the cemetery and we witnessed the hostile attitude towards this woman from so many of the people as they passed by. Their attitude ranged from ignoring her to glaring at her or muttering about her to their spouses. The atmosphere oozed with hatred. We immediately thought of the Gospel story where locals could hardly wait to stone the woman caught in adultery. Perhaps in this village it is about peoples fear of the unknown. We certainly have seen that in Australia when it comes to asylum seekers. I asked the lady how she thought the locals would vote in the forthcoming presidential elections and she opined it would be a strong vote for the far right.
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