Day 7- Saint-Come-d'OltOff at 7:30 to the Boulangerie for fresh bread in Nasbinals. Closed. Walked 9km on to Aubrac for coffee, all shops closed.
In those 9km we climbed to the highest point 1324m before our descent into Aubrac. The morning was foggy, the temperature low and the winds made their presence felt most of the time. The high country was largely treeless consisting of grassy plains waiting for the arrival of the summer cattle; now that the snows and winter sports had finished. Despite the weather it was a most beautiful walk. It is the type walk you wouldn’t undertake if snow threatened and visibility was much less than we experienced. The conditions we experienced on the Aubrac Plateau brought to mind the approaching winter in Sydney. We had good clothing, food and heated accommodation waiting for us at the end of the day. Not so for many of the unfortunate who struggle over the months of winter and are reliant on the help of the St Vincent de Paul Society and in turn on its support from good people. The descent down was harder than the ascent, due to the very rutted nature of the track, but the sun had come out and the little gorges we passed through were dressed in their finest wild flowers, the bumble bees were attentive, while the cuckoos were constantly announced their intentions. Down in the village of Saint-Chely-d’Aubrac, at the table outside the bar, we enjoyed a multilingual pilgrim get-together and Enda enjoyed the chance to improve her French. We met up again with Andrea and Francois (pictured). Francois was walking from Le Puy to Santiago while Andrea had started from her original birth town 110km before Geneva. We were very impressed with both. Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of support, they are much appreciated and help keep us on our metal. We continue walking with St Vincent de Paul in mind and today’s photo shows Enda drying out her wet Vinnies T-shirt on her pack. Yesterday we spoke about “LETTING GO” as one of the benefits to be learnt on the Camino. It is a skill the Camino introduced me to last year and which I strive to maintain. Essentially we seek to let go of anxieties that are largely without substance and/or have taken on a life of their own and may impact on our wellbeing if not adequately controlled. Meditation and mindfulness are two tools we can learn and apply to help in this regard. The 36 days of the Camino gives a wonderful opportunity to apply both. Many people feel uncomfortable with the very idea of meditation, feeling it is tool of charlatans from some obscure eastern cult. In the next issue of our parish publication the will have two articles on the subject. We include an unedited draft of the first by Barry Borham, a practising counsellor and psychologist. It summarizes the scientific evidence validating its value. The article can be found by scrolling down the Useful Links page.
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Day 6-NasbinalsA delightful undulating walk leading into the Aubrac plateau and away from the Beast de Gevauan’s territory of the past days. The rain threatened at times but it held off to give pleasant walking conditions. Jumpers were worn all day and the heavy coats or red balloon put on only occasionally. An unexpected open Gite provided potato soup for lunch and the company of Ybes and Dominique. They live in New Caledonia and visit Sydney regularly to see their daughter who lives in Maroubra. They would love to come down to the next Auscamino festival.
Except for the different trees and early wild flowers, it was rather like walking through the high country in Australia. There were the occasional deciduous tree and for the most part we seem to be above the fir trees. Six days of walking so far and we are just getting into our stride and commencing to believe we are on a pilgrimage. On the first few days one takes a little time to let go of things that don’t really matter. “Letting Go” is the subject of a talk we give about the Camino. Essentially “Letting Go” requires one to ask what is actually important. In doing so, we identify the unimportant, the unpleasant and decide how we are going to deal with the latter two. Living like pilgrims one must free oneself of many expectations and the tendency to insist on unnecessary worldly comforts we cherish. One must be prepared to ignore little inconveniences such as the crowded dormitory with the mandatory snorer and the uncertainties in accommodation at the end of each day. “Letting Go” is not achieved overnight it requires continual effort and the development of trust in oneself and in providence (which we interpret as faith). Along the Way of St James one constantly hears expressions such as “Trust in the Camino” and “The Camino will provide” Both expressions are of value as they contain some truth, but they are too simplistic to be taken literally. I prefer one centuries older, “Trust in the Camino but tether your camel” It is more appropriate as it is the juxstaposition of the responsibility of the individual with trust in a higher power. One of the many blessings we received from last year’s camino were our daily practical lessons in “Letting Go” as we progressed for 36 days. For me it is a class I need to take regularly. During the past year I have attempted to apply this to my normal life by not taking responsibility for matters not under my control. Over the following weeks we will describe some practical techniques we have found helpful. Day 5- Aumont-AubracThe rain predicted for today , fell as snow instead, last night. We were in Le Sauvage, not a town but a former huge seminary way off the normal roads, but still on the Chemins de Compostelle. What a wonderful sight to see as we rose from beds. The snow had ceased falling and while the whole day was overcast it was a day made for walking.
Today proved to be a much easier day for walking, the hills although plentiful enough were gradual and separated with long level paths. Only one coffee stop was available to us the whole day in the town of St-Alban-sur-Limagole. Over the next 2 days we enter the Aubrac plateau and the highest mountain on the Chemins at 1324 metres. At the only spot on the path today where the signposts were absent a golden retriever appeared from nowhere and encouraged us to follow him. The dog obviously knew the way as 500 metres further on we found the way marker indicating we were on the correct trail. The dog, obviously concerned for our welfare, then led us 5.5km to the village of Les Estrets, where with his work finished he turned on his heels and headed back. Even though there is a language barrier we have fellow French pilgrims who have welcomed us into their fold. The only fold so far on the Chemins. Most of the Gites (roughly the equivalent of the albergues of Spain) are closed because it is deemed too early in France for serious walking in the high country. It is accurate to say that only 20 pilgrims walked into Aumont-Aubrac tonight. We send our congratulations to Laura and Ross Handley on the arrival of their second son Jack. An unusual birth, 2 weeks early and totally unexpected at home. Only assistance apparently was from brother Ollie (3years) who abandoned his midwife duties to watch Pepa Pig. The France through which we are travelling is far from the sophisticated life of Paris. There are obviously very large profitable holdings but the villages have many empty buildings where the young people have long ago moved away in search of employment. Even though many Australian rural populations have diminished, the scale is nothing to that experienced in Europe. Australian agriculture was never as labour intensive as Europe. Hence the number of very old buildings that have fallen into ruin since the young moved out; or where the old that are left struggle to maintain them. It is not uncommon to see 3 level dwellings where there are occupants on the lowest floor while the 2 floors above are in various stages of decay. The French presidential elections are drawing near and speaking with some citizens with a good command of English, one senses a real fear that Marine le Pen could win (following the example of Brexit and the US Presidential elections). At dinner tonight, a French teacher reminded me that le Pen is a name synonymous with Fascism for the older members of the community who can remember the collaborators and the Vichy politicians who disgraced the French Nation under Nazi occupation. Each day as we travel we remind ourselves that we are undertaking this pilgrimage for spiritual and religious reasons. For the past 5 days our focus has been on gratitude for the personal graces we received from last years Camino. We know of the shortage of priests in Australia. It would seem to us, as pilgrim visitors, that matters may be even more dire here. it has been impossible for us to time our entry into a town to coincide with a Mass. The Parish where we currently stay is scattered widely over many towns. The past week has reawakened our awareness to the needs of Christ’s flock. We both pray and consider how our church (and ourselves) should best provide and adapt to the emerging needs of all people. |
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