Day 26- LamotheWe didn’t have WIFI last night so this report is delayed 24 hours. For the first 5km we had a cold walk through a forested area, crossing a river on antique style stone bridge circa 2015. There were many walkers and pilgrims on the chemin this morning and all were interested in photographing the bridge. Later, the day heated up and became unpleasant at times , in fact I think I had too much sun, however, Enda put me to shame by taking it all in her stride.
The going got tough for me as I knew how much walking was still in front of us. But I stopped looking at the distance and instead applied mindfulness to the immediate task of one step after another. It reminds me of the old joke I sometimes tell my students when they seem overwhelmed by the requirements they need to meet for the HSC exams. How would you eat an elephant? (Ans. One bite at a time!) At times what is in front of us may seem to require an impossible effort and the appeal of giving up is all too attractive. But then, most things in life that are really worthwhile require persistent efforts. By keeping up the enthusiasm, hope and expectations a lot may be achieved. Well the efforts were rewarded in this instance as we arrived at an unexpectedly beautiful Gite. It was situated in a terraced setting, with beautiful valley views over farm land. There was plenty of garden furniture set out to take advantage of the situation and a host who welcomed us with cool drinks. Later after a wash up, it was delightful to take a cold beer and just enjoy the surroundings. Dinner time was most amusing with a retired police chief (with little English, but great humour) keeping the whole table amused. We didn’t follow all his anecdotes (although our hosts helped a little with explanations) but we seemed to find and understand the humour in all he said. The table spoke a lot about Australia and were most surprised when we told them that if timing was a little different we would have been part of France.
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Day 25- EndaIt was cold last night as I slid into my sleeping bag. I was fortunate to find a spare blanket in the gite where we were staying. I also had a roof over my head and the prospect of a breakfast in the morning even if it was only stale baguette with jam and tepid coffee. When I awoke this morning the sun was shinning but the fields were covered in a blanket of heavy frost. I looked at my clothes ,not a great choice,it was either shorts or my one pair of long pants. My one jumper had worn thin and developed holes from the constant rubbing of my backpack. I thought of my wardrobe full of clothes at home. Like many others I was used to taking all these things for granted.
I thought of all the things I was missing on this Camino : clean sheets , a real towel rather than a small chamois square, shampoo instead of soap to wash my hair, cups of coffee/tea whenever I wanted one, a choice of food as a time I decided. I then thought of all the luxuries in my life : coffee with friends, meals out, holidays , hairdressers, shopping sprees the list just went on and on. This is an example of what homeless people go through day in day out. I don't think I could live like this indefinitely could you?We have the means to help the less fortunate to make their lives just even a little bit better. St Vincent de Paul faces these problems everyday.It is not just the homeless it is also families and children. A bread earner may lose his job, there could be sickness in the home, the family may not have the means to pay everyday bills. Some parents can't even buy simple Christmas/ birthday presents for their children or supply them with the necessary requirements for school. Why should a child feel different when we can help even in a small way? Would you like to help? Please go to our donate page now.Every little bit helps no matter how small. "There go I but for the grace of God ." Thank you Day 25- CondomPeople often ask what do you do during the 6-8 hours of walking each day on a Camino? Well it’s usually a mixture of things, enjoying the company of my wife or the occasional pilgrim you may encounter. But mostly it’s about dealing with the solitude. As Enda and I walk the Camino we are never far apart but there are large slabs of the day for which we are walking as though on our own; each to our own thoughts, prayers or whatever strikes our attention. It is the walking in solitude provided by the Camino which gives the chance to escape from normalness.
“April is the cruellest month” wrote T.S. Elliot, but the first 23 days of April here, are in stark contrast to his claim. But today we felt just maybe, the claim has some justification after all. Because this morning at 7am when we commenced walking it was so cold. I used the cold to spend the first part of the morning in a state of mindfulness that focused on the cold enveloping us. I observed the frost everywhere around me on the ground, I noticed the different ways in which leaves and grasses behaved when covered in frost; the frost patches in the shade lasting until 11am. I observed the mist, rising like steam, from the small cold billabongs as we passed by. Observed the feeling of intense cold around the fingers; the nip around the ears; appreciated the stillness of the frosty world where the wind was absent and felt the gladness of having a hat to cover the thinning head. Saw ice actually form on the back of our boots as we walked through frost laden long grass. Many people would say this is impossible, but around or just below zero degrees water has certain peculiar properties. Motion such as the boot moving can cause a nucleation process that causes an instant phase change from liquid to solid. I have only read about this before, but today the Camino allowed me to see it first hand. This hour or so of mindfulness on our cold surroundings turned into a form of prayer, one of thankfulness to our God for the experience we received; for the knowing that we are fortunate individuals who will not need to endure this for more than 3 hours; and with a full knowledge that we don’t have to face the same cold tomorrow unless it is our choice. I once slept rough for 5 hours one night on Sutherland railway station, having worked late at Lucas Heights and missing the last train for the Eastern Suburbs. It was in the middle of a Sydney winter and I wouldn’t wish to ever repeat the experience. Please keep praying for those on our prayer list. Today I would like you to include the nation of France in your prayers. This weekend is the first round of the French Presidential Elections and I don’t think it is an exaggeration to suggest that some outcomes would spell disaster for unity in Europe. Britain’s exit (although unfortunate) will probably be acceptable, but a European Union without France cannot be sustained. Europe in disarray could well see a repeat of past historical belligerences. When I was growing up there was a real fear of the Communist Party winning Government in France, now it’s the other end of the spectrum. Day 24- MarsolanToday was walking through fields of crops. The French walkers last night complained about this saying they wanted to walk in the mountains as this was boring agricultural land. Personally I enjoy walking through this type of country and wondered for a while why I had a different perspective to the French walkers. It soon became obvious. For most French city dwellers whenever they can get away for a Sunday walk or drive they are usually surrounded by agricultural land. For us Sydney siders, particularly those with a mountain getaway, we are always walking through national parks or mountains. Rarely do we walk in agricultural land as the distances are large and water difficult to find (not to mention accommodation). So for me walking amongst crops is a novelty. Incidentally we came across a field of particularly big artichokes that looked most inviting.
We also encountered a field of wheat, which brought home what an essential component it is of our food supply. I even tried estimating the output of the field by sizing up the crop along the fence line we walked, then counting, one baguette, two baguettes… Probably a pointless exercise but it did bring home to me the point that this field, large as it was, would only supply a limited number of hungry eaters. So precious are our agricultural lands and we do not always treat them as such. We value high tech goods and pay workers in those areas fairly well. There is the old saying “Bread is the staff of life” but today for workers in some areas of the hospitality industry, certain employers seem to have the attitude of what used to be a joke: “But the life of our staff is one big loaf”. From the hill tops we traverse we can now make out the Pyrenees mountains that form the border between France and Spain. There are many days walking before we arrive at our destination at the foot of those mountains, however, just having them in our sight will surely be a motivation on tiring days. We are spending a night in a small Gite with only one other person, a German lady who comes from the Munich area and walks part of the Camino each year. So far she has reached Marsolan. She is a social worker with homeless people and Enda was explaining our fund raising effort on behalf of Vinnies to her. It seems from talking to several people they are unfamiliar with St Vincent de Paul, which comes as a surprise seeing he is a French Saint. The only person who knew instantly was our German friend Norbet, an English teacher we met some days ago. Day 23 MiradouxDo you ever make mistakes? Further should you err do you own up to it? I have an embarrassing admission to make today.
Well this morning after having seen a young deer in a small forest just outside of Auvilar I became so engrossed with nature that I feel asleep at the wheel (or on my feet) and missed the correct turn on the GR65. In doing so I lead Enda several kilometres out of the way before we realised something was wrong. It would be hard to make this mistake on the Camino in Spain as there are usually many indications on the route. But I knew in France the number of signs are more limited and I should have been paying closer attention when I missed the turn. Fortunately Enda was accepting of the extra 3km we needed to put in to get back on the GR65. We received unexpected assistance from a gentleman walking his dog on the deserted country road. He was walking towards us from a distance but when he reached the T intersection turned with his dog to walk back home. Enda took off waving the map and shouting “pardonez moi” (excuse me please!) to grab his attention before he could disappear into oblivion. Or maybe I should have written before we found oblivion! With his good instruction and our faith in the “Camino Will Provide” we caught up with the GR65 just as it entered the village of St Antoine. I guess that’s close enough to St Anthony, the saint whose name is frequently invoked to find lost items (but perhaps he works for lost persons as well). We enclose a picture of another candle being lit for our followers and people on our prayer list. This is in a cathedral sized church in the small village of Miradoux. You haven’t seen one for some days as in the village churches we visited there were either no candles to light, or no matches to light them with. This church had an interesting large chandelier, lit by a combination of candles and electric bulbs. On matters electrical, in France nuclear power makes a very significant contribution to power mix. We can still see the Auvillar Nuclear plant in the distance when we are on the hills. Incidentally nuclear generated electricity in France was considerably cheaper than electricity in Sydney was 6 years ago when we toured by car. With all our electricity price rises the margin must be even greater. The walking is becoming easier as the 300 metre climbs are becoming more like 50 metres and the ground for the past 2 days less rocky. Enda has just realised we only have about 14 days of walking left and is starting to feel sad and wishes to go back 5 spaces. France we decided is strictly colour coded. Up until now the shutters on the windows were predominantly blue or brown. It seems green paint must be cheaper in the current section of France. I think they look nicer a well. ***Enda has forgotten to send through the photograph of the candle. I will upload this as soon as she sends it through. -Tara Day 22- AuvillarToday was a relatively easy day, only 21km, most of which was flat. Flat because we followed a canal which runs alongside the Garonne River for most of the time. We passed several locks on the canal, observed 3 craft which seemed to be moored on a long term basis. Only one modern boat was actually using the canal.
The tow path along the canal was lined with huge trees, the bark and trunks looked very like our angophora trees. However, the leaf structure was very much deciduous, There was confetti strewn regularly on the ground, so it appears this must be the choice spot for bridal photography around here. A very good spot too. Last night at dinner we met two Germans of slightly younger vintage, one of whom spoke perfect English, the other extremely good English. The perfect speaker turned out to be an English language teacher in Germany, while the other was a cardiologist. They have done the Camino more than once and inquired into our motives for the journey. It turned out we were of one mind on that issue. With extra wine brought by the management to the table we never went to bed until rather late. We introduced them to Craic (Irish for great fun). Norbert, the teacher didn’t have the full vocabulary so we introduced him to some new concepts including Australian bunyips. He believed, until Dr Google informed him he was being had. He thought he had me when he asked what was significant about Easter Monday and I told him the road to Emmaus, he was surprised I should know. It seems it is especially significant in Catholic parts of Germany. The weather continues to be kind to us, surely it cannot hold up for much longer. Enda managed a little better today with her leg, we do take many stops to give it a rest. Amongst the Europeans we speak to, the French Presidential Elections are of great concern. They see a victory by the far right as an end to the unified nations and a restart of the Balkanization of Europe. With non-compulsory voting in France and traditional candidates who fail the pub test, any outcome (extreme left or right) is possible. Please keep praying with us for those on our prayer list and should you wish to add any names or special intentions please email me on [email protected] Thanks to all who have sent messages of support either by email or on facebook, it gives us great support to know we are not forgotten at the opposite side of our world. Day 21- MoissacA good start to the journey to Moissac as we had moved 3km after our last town yesterday to find last night’s accommodation, thus reducing today’s walk to 24km. The best news being Enda’s leg stood up to today rather well. Last night she used 4 bottles of beer to assist in pain relief and it
seemed to help. As a person who doesn’t touch the demon drink Enda was unable to use them as internal medicine, however, she found the bottles made an effective cold compress. Tonight we encountered a reflexologist and treated herself to a session with her. Today we met a 78 year old man with a 9kg pack walking all the way from Le Puy to Finisterre (on the coast after Santiago). A little later we encountered 2 French men also undertaking the same pilgrimage accompanied by 2 black dogs, Princess and Lilly. For Princess this is her third Camino. I wonder do they give a certificate to the dogs for their efforts. We arrived in Moissac tonight tired when Enda met a lady from Wexford (in Ireland) now living in Moissac and who with her husband owns and runs a Gite for pilgrims. She gave us a lift up the hill to a different Gite where we had reservations. Enda started to worry when the lady told us her story. Her husband walked the Camino some 8 years ago. The result being they up and moved to France to further his Camino dedication! The longer walk today (after Easter Sunday) reminded me of the disciples who fled Jerusalem immediately after the events of Friday and were walking somewhat confused and aimlessly down the road towards Emmaus. In a confused state, not recognising their Lord when he appeared to them and walked with them until the day drew to a close. Still unaware they invited him to stay the night with them. The Camino today encouraged me to think about this as we walked, hopefully not aimlessly towards our rest but in a state of mindfulness. Of course that invitation from the disciples to Jesus is supposed to be the inspiration behind the hymn “Ábide with Me” Day 20 Lauzerte- HALF WAY POINT!Woke up on Easter Sunday morning hoping for a wonderful golden sunrise, but no, the day was overcast, but it was mild. Fortunately it didn’t have the downcast appearance of Saturday. After lunch the sun appeared and we are currently spending the next 3 hours sitting in high class country accommodation, way above our normal experiences. This was brought about not by our choice, but because it’s Easter Sunday and every Gite in town was full!
Jan you would feel at home here and would be pleased Enda is relaxing. I didn’t have to shoot her today as she managed to make the journey , but unfortunately with some difficulty. We shall just have to wait and see how the leg is tomorrow morning. I am encouraging her to take the day off and catch me up by using transport, however, resistance is high. We are about 3km past the town of Lauzerte in the most charming of Chambres d’Hote. Lauzerte is a medieval town located (naturally) at the top of a significant climb. We enjoyed the old city which was holding a flower market at noon and we had a rather nice Easter lunch in a café. Enda had a great time looking after the owner’s young baby and was reluctant to move on. In today’s journey we covered 20km before we encountered any coffee or food, fortunately we had a couple of apples left and we managed to take a little bread and butter from the breakfast table. We had expected to find a small store last night that would sell us a few provisions, unfortunately one didn’t exist. Tomorrow appears to be a similar day as it’s Monday and so many towns and villages seem to honour St Monday. Clearly France’s favourite saint. Being Sunday we arrived at Lauzerte after the shops closed for the day at 12. The Camino didn’t provide me today with any insight into the meaning of Easter I was fortunate over the two preceding days. We sat in a church and had our own Easter service as we were too late for Mass. Yesterday I described some of the country we passed through as the bad lands. Today the scenery changed and we are in more lush countryside, where the emphasis is on crops. Instead of car sale yards (which you wouldn’t expect out here) we are surprised at the number of huge tractor sales outlets with a massive choice of equipment. This area is clearly prosperous and we walked passed many immaculately maintained and lived in Chateaux. Wonderful drive ways and gardens which would require much care. You may recall Mr Hockey asking us to be lifters rather than leaners and to keep working until 70. Well I guess most of you thought that is all well and good for some but how about those engaged in heavy manual work. Yesterday we found a man that proved Mr Hockey correct. The uncle of the lady who owned the Gite demonstrates it is possible to be gainfully employed in latter years . The uncle lives in the Gite and is aged 91. We saw him bent over and pushing a heavily loaded wheel barrow down to a field where he was planting vegetables. This was not a backyard vegetable garden but a full size commercial field with him as the farmer!. Day 19- Las CabanesA short but difficult climb out of Cahors after crossing a magnificent bridge with 3 towers. We were given beautiful views back over the city. Today is Holy Saturday and we made our way to the small town of Las Cabanes, where there is no Easter Service tonight. The nearest is 10km away and we will be tucked up in bed before they are finished
Enda has hurt her leg a little walking on the uneven ground but in typical fashion refused to give up any of the weight she carried in her pack. Hopefully tomorrow she will be recovered somewhat, otherwise I will have to shoot her. We eventually found tonight’s accommodation, it should have been easy but we put in an extra couple of kilometres, our fault not the owners of the Gite. Enda is happy to have bonus distance up her sleeve, I believe she considers it will give her a pilgrim’s upgrade somewhere in the future. Yesterday was hot and I wrote of a meditation on Good Friday undertaken as we climbed that dusty road. Today the weather was a little different and the Camino gave me another unexpected Easter gift. When we were several kilometres from Cahors it became obvious that the sun would not break through the clouds and a cold breeze started blowing. Not a difficult day by any stretch of the imagination but one that jarred against the warmth of yesterday. The clouds gave the day a depressing feeling and as we walked through what I describe as the bad lands this feeling didn’t improve. Everything looked dark or grey, the trees seemed unduly stunted for the most part. There was one field with metre high flowers that had died but hadn’t fallen yet. The map we were following disagreed with the ground at several spots and we never walked feeling fully at ease. Pockets of stony barren ground frequently interrupted the vegetation. After many steps it caused me to think how today may have related to the apostles and disciples on that Saturday. All they believed and hoped for - dashed by the events of the previous day. Clouds of deep despair and dismay must have enveloped them. Leaderless not knowing where to go or what to do next. Until I sorted out the map problem I was feeling leaderless and in the gloom of the day the Camino gave me the chance to meditate in some small way and for the first time, on the plight of the Lord’s followers. It was the second Easter experience from this pilgrimage and I will always carry the memory of the experience with me. Maybe tomorrow the sun will break through and the glory of Easter Sunday be reflected in our day’s experiences. Day 18- CahorsAfter a nice stay in the Convent at Vaylats we had an early start for Cahors. This is possibly our longest day so far in more ways than one. We walked 24km very pleased to arrive and rather tired as it had been warm. We visited the Cathedral where there was a procession taking place for Good Friday, we presumed it was the
Stations of the Cross, but as it was in French we were left a little uncertain and also there were no signs of any of the 14 stations on the walls or in the cloisters as we processed. Just as well we left early today for when we arrived at our refuge we found it had closed permanently. So much for having a reservation made! Well with a lot of difficulty we found an alternate place and with even further delay we eventually found a taxi that was not booked to carry us and our travelling companion (non pilgrim bag) to our destination. The taxi was already occupied as the driver was taking his wife and father out for a drive through the city of Cahors. I think he picked us up just as a favour as he knew we were having so much trouble in obtaining transport. It would seem that taxis in Cahors are called by mobile directly to the driver. All that said I think Cahors is a nice place but as we have not seen a city for over two weeks it is hard to acclimatize to the bustle and traffic Like most towns over here there is a sharp demarcation between the old and new sections. We saw our first policeman since leaving Paris! In many of the little villages crime seems remote and doors are not necessarily locked. Today we add 40 year old Daniel Bagdon, recently deceased, to our prayer list. Over the past two days the countryside has becoming drier, the vegetation more sparse like much of Spain and all the high creeks are dry. Before descending into Cahors we worked our way up through a narrow valley for 3km. As it seemed unlikely for us to make any Church Service I started to meditate on the path in front of me. You may recall the French village of a few days past where hatred and distrust were all too obvious. I had been reading John’s Gospel over the past week and noted particularly the passages where he refers to Jesus emphasizing the hatred the world would show him and his followers. I imagined this dusty rough path as the road to Calvary, lined with people showing hatred and yelling abuse as they did at Jesus, while he carried his heavy cross. The hour was similar to that journey around 2000 years ago. How would I have coped in the heat after a night of abuse with all forms of indignities thrust upon me. The 3km path was hot, and the stones hurt even through the thick soles of my walking boots. The 4kg pack (my excuse for a cross) started to feel heavy, it seemed to increase in weight with each step, how would I have coped with a cross much heavier, crudely hewn with sharp edges that dug into my shoulders? I had no people showing hatred towards me, no Roman soldiers kicking and beating me each time I fell. I didn’t need a helper to share the load of the cross with me nor did I fall but still it seemed so hard that I felt like running away from my meditation, because I knew the road to the top was long. These thoughts and many more brought a new realism to me about Good Friday. I think the Camino today gave me the most wonderful gift possible. I have always loved the hymn “Were You There when they Crucified my Lord” but I have never felt I was truly there. Today as I trudged up that hill, for the first time it was different. I found it so moving, perhaps next year others may care to try a similar meditative journey on Good Friday. |
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