I was laying in bed as I sent off my last blog and realized it's been awhile since I had sent a photo. So I got out of bed and went out into the cold and wind to take a photo of the church here in Ages. Notice the stork's nest up on top. There's actually a stork up there!
Love to all! !
No that's not a commentary on how long it feels like I've been walking, but the name of the town I'm in.
I indeed got to bed early last night, so consequently I was awake early and rather than just lay there I got up and was on the road by 7:30. The map had me a little concerned about today's terrain, as it showed a 170 meter climb up a 'hill', back down and up another 100 meters, and even a third down and up again slog. Well either the mountains are getting shorter, or I'm able to do 300 foot climbs like nothing, or they moved the trail, as they really weren't any problem. A little climbing at first, mostly all flat tops, a steep but short down and up again and a long trudge down the other side. An easy walk, but of course it was cool and drizzly, with the sun never breaking through the mist. So God is really watching out for us that we don't get sun stroke.
We came to the village of San Juan de Ortega. San Juan was a disciple of Santo Domingo, and also helped build roads and bridges for Camino pilgrims. There is still a church and monastery where he is buried. The church was very simple, with a very fancy tomb for him.
I continued on to here, Ages, and found a bed at a hostel by noon. They have a very simple, but beautiful little church here which was actually open, so I'll go pray there.
As grace would have it, I ran into a little old Spanish lady there. She was the perfect image of a bag lady - hat and long dirty coat, missing teeth and a great big smile welcoming and wanting to show everyone their lovely, but needing work church. And I soon realized that she cleaned the church and had the keys, like to the sacristy. I somehow communicated that I was a priest and wanted to say Mass in English and we even agreed on 6 o'clock. At six o'clock she had everything set up, the church bells were ringing, and we had a small congregation of locals and pilgrims to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. So it turned out really nice for the feast.
I had ordered the pilgrim's menu for supper when I checked in, so I had a big meal of pasta, followed by calamari, I was expecting fried, but this came out as one big baked tuber, but it was actually tender and tasty.
So time again for bed. God bless all of you and keep you safe this night.
Well these days seem to be falling into a pattern - get up early, walk a couple of hours through some old villages, find a place to stay, relax. And indeed that pretty much was today. I've made it intentionally a short day looking ahead for the coming days and my schedule to meet Fr Paul in Leon.
Last night's hostel was a commercial establishment, in that it had the pilgrim's hostel, a hotel, a cafe, bar, restaurant. It was nice in that you didn't have to leave. Register, get settled and then eat lunch, relax at the pool! (Much too cold! ), and later on eat super, never having to go anywhere but to the next building. They like most places have a pilgrim's menu - for one fixed price (usually 10€ or $16) you have a pick of a limited number of items including a salad, main course, dessert, wine and bread. And for another 3€ you have your little breakfast in the morning before you set off.
I delayed with breakfast until after 8 before setting off. The church in town was already open as I passed by so got to see their 17th century altarpiece, and many side chapels. Each one uniquely beautiful. Went through three other small villages this morning, they all seemed quiet and sleepy, as didn't even find anything open for a snack until late morn, all had old churches which were locked, and so just kept walking until about noon and got here to Villafranca Montes de Oca. Instead of the large municipal hostel, I chose a private hostel that a big fancy hotel here also offers pilgrims. The place is nice enough, though the dorms are crowded as any other place, and a very small kitchen. I guess they want/expect you to eat in their restaurant. I don't feel like a big meal tonight, so I think I'll just do something simple from the store.
While the walking was nice enough this morning, and we didn't have any rain, it was certainly cool enough and has been sprinkling all afternoon. So good thing there's not much to explore in this town. I'll probably be able to get to bed early tonight.
Well today started off much better than yesterday, but nothing to blog about. A little blue sky, but mostly cloudy, such that you never really saw your shadow. I did get warm enough to take off my outer shirt, but put it back on later in the morning as the wind picked up. Dark clouds all a around, but no rain.
The trail was basically level, though we are approaching some mountains, so we are starting to. climb a bit. We passed several villages with medieval roots, but only the first - Grañon - had the church open and had another nice 17th century altarpiece and nice side chapels and all. I guess the 17th century was that time when if you had the means, you added a baroque altar with reredos. There is some amazing work and craftsmanship in those things.
We went through several others also, one medieval town begins to look like every other medieval town. Actually I was planning on stopping one town back, but I got there before noon, it only had one small hostel, while the next town, this one - Belorado - has several large hostels. The one I'm at has room for 98 pilgrims, I know several rooms are already full. Plus it's the first one you come to on your way into town, I didn't want to walk any farther. But now I'm feeling relaxed, I can catch up on emails, and take it easy. I lost contact with my friends, John and Alec, as they were moving at a faster place than I. But if they take a rest or are delayed, I might catch up with them again.
Didn't have a good WiFi connection last night. So on my way out of town I stopped for breakfast at a cafe with WiFi and sent off yesterday's blog. So that was what that was all about. Hope you got it. This should go off early. Love to all.
Today started much like other recent days with the sky overcast as we left this morning. However there was a light drizzle in the air, so we all started out with our pack covers on, and rain jackets or large ponchos covering everything. And that light drizzle continued all morning, and all afternoon, and all evening, and even became a real drizzle several times. It was never very bad, but the sun never came out. And of course the humidity is 100%, and I, at least, sweat with any little exertion, so that even with rain gear, I'm still wet throughout. So while you walk it's not much problem, but if I stop, I would soon be chilled. So I kept walking. Luckily I had planned a short day, and so after 3 1/2 hours of pretty flat walking I got to Santo Domingo de Calzada - St. Dominic of the Road, and got in line for the pilgrims hostel, picking the smaller one run by Cistertian Sisters rather than the municipal hostel. Of course I was here by 11:30 and they don't open till noon, so it was a cold, chilly wait in the rain. Unfortunately the sisters run a pretty cramped and crowded hostel, but there is a fire burning in the fireplace in the communal kitchen. But lots of wet clothes everywhere.
Santo Domingo de Calzada is a town where the Saint by the same name lived and worked building roads and bridges for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. And then died and is now buried here. About the only thing of interest is the cathedral with the rooster! Yes, a live rooster and a couple of hens make their home in the cathedral in honor/memory of the miracle of the rooster through Santo Domingo's intercession. It's a fascinating story, you should look it up.
The cathedral is also a museum so it cost 3 euros to go in. The main church/nave is transitional gothic, and it is pretty simple as the 17th century rococo altarpiece seems to have been moved to a side chapel. So it is still there with all its bling, and a nice explanation of all its elements. The main museum part is in the old cloister and chapter room. They have many fine pieces - statues and paintings, and other church things. It was a nice place to spend a rainy afternoon.
After eating the pilgrim's menu at one of the local restaurants, I went to the chapel where the sisters sing evening prayer (they're not going to be making any records) and then there was Mass, so that was nice.
I then returned to the dorm to lay on my bed and write this blog, but kept thinking of my wet clothes down on the clothes line, and decided to get up and take them to a laundromats and put them in a dryer, which I am doing, so when I get back to the hostel, I should be able to send this off. God bless you all.
That didn't work as they had bad WiFi. It's morning and I'm trying again.
Today was a lovely spring day, not too cold, a little misty so that the sun didn't really come out till about 10 when we've already been walking for two hours. But the walking was easy and the scenery was lovely. Some nice vistas of the whole countryside.
So after about two hours of walking we came to a town called Nájera. There is a legend of one of the old kings out hunting with his hawk, which flew into a cave. When the king followed, he found a statue of the Virgin and child. So he had a chapel built over the site. Which of course became a monastery at one time and a church built, and now it's a museum, but very nice. Another great rococo altarpiece, a late (17th - 18th century) cloister, many tombs/sarcophagus, and the statue of the Virgin and child. Like most probably not the original, but still very nice. A nice peaceful place.
I met a couple of young guys last night in the crowd at the hostel. I say young because the majority of people making this pilgrimage are a little older, or even like me - old, or even older and retired, but these two guys, John and Alec from Georgia, are just out of high school, entering college next year. Both are very Catholic and were happy to meet a priest on the Camino. John is planning on studying theology at Franciscan University next year, so he has lots of interesting questions.
It was just a couple of hours down the Camino and we came to Azofra, where the municipal government runs a great hostel - lots of room, only two beds to a cubicle, great patio to sit and enjoy the sun, though by afternoon it's threatening rain again. It's a pretty small town so not much to explore. I already climbed up to the church which was locked. Guess I'll go think about super.
I did end up being the only person staying at the new hostel last night. There is no fairness on this Camino. Last night the hostel had 10 bunk beds in a nice large room. Each bed had a locker (and key) each bunk had a chair, and there was a large bench in the middle of the room. Tonight there are 4 bunks in a small room, no place for packs, you must navigate around people and their things, to get to your bed, and it was already full by 2pm.
The day started out overcast, both weather wise and spirit wise. I can't do anything about the weather, but it affected my spirit, cool, damp, threatening to rain, windy. And a little thing - I lost the case for my glasses. I always carried it in my left cargo pocket, where my glasses would be handy if needed. It weren't there. I unloaded my pack, searched diligently around the bunk, in the lounge, I even retraced my steps to the cathedral (locked) and to Santiago church, and could not find it. Oh well it were lost, I would just have to be more careful with my glasses, which I usually didn't wear on the trail, just when I needed to read a sign or something. But I found it hard to forget about. Plus my leg was hurting a little. How to put my mind on the important and the present.
The trail started out through the city of course, with its own distractions, and the suburbs, and finally through parkland. It also followed alongside the main highway quite a bit, and whenever the Camino came close enough to the highway to require a chain link fence, pilgrims would weave crosses in the links out of twigs or branches, or whatever they had or could find. There must be something instinctive in a pilgrim, with his load on his back, to identify with Jesus carrying his cross. Plus we are all on the Camino - the Way, and of course, Jesus is the Way. I pray that all the pilgrims walking this Way, will learn to know Jesus who carried their sins to the cross for them.
We came to a little village called Navarette. Typical old section with the village church in the middle. But this little parish church had the most amazing altarpiece. My app describes it as 'the most bling-bling baroque altar on the Camino. Massive, imposing, and breathtaking, with images from the Bible and the coronation of Mary at the top.' Imagine if you can a fancy altar reredos, with columns and statues and carved scenes from the Bible. There's Mary in her Assumption above the tabernacle, with four pillars and a dome, above that the crucifixion, then way up in the half-done of the church the coronation, there's the four evangelists, a multitude of angels and Saints. Then imagine everything (well not the statues or scenes which are painted) covered with gold leaf! And I mean everything. Then add two side altars in exactly the same style, and then join them together with the decorations flowing uninterrupted from one to another, across the entire front of the church and you aren't close to imagining this altarpiece. It is certainly a masterpiece of 16th century baroque art, worthy of any cathedral, but found in the small Spanish village of Navarette.
At a water/rest break about 1 pm, my glasses case miraculously appeared in my right cargo pocket. And the sun came out, my leg felt better, I felt better, and I made it easily here to Ventosa. I pray you pilgrimage is blessed also.
The dorm was again awake early, and since we were pretty crowded, when those around me weren't moving to get out of my way, I got up to get out of their way, and so was ready to go by 7:30. I knew I had a short walking day, (it being the Lord's Day - a day of rest anyway) and I was only going about 8 miles to the big city of Logroño - the third largest city on the Camino. So of course I was here by 10 am. Found a pilgrim's hostel, but it wouldn't even open till 1 pm. I went to visit one of the old churches here in the old part of town. I found that Mass was just about to start, so, of course, I stayed. The church was named Santiago, so it had a long tradition of welcoming Pilgrims. Two of the churches have these very fancy, 16th\17th century, gilded, rococo altar pieces. They really are nice to mediate on when one doesn't understand the language being spoken. The third church had managed to avoid such modernizations and preserve its more simple, Romanesque-Gothic interior. So it has its own beauty and quietness. There is also the cathedral. I arrived at the end of Mass, and could not, of course, wander around the church too much. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel was near the door, and so I spent time in there, which was beautiful. Amazingly done. The skill and effort they took in the 16th century.
So after several nights of completely packed hostels, I picked a smaller private hostel that was a little harder to find, being off the main Camino route. The big city has lots of options. I've heard that the cheaper municipal hostel is filling up, but so far I am the only one here! And they have an electric drier, so I can finally dry yesterday's clothes and today's.
The day's walk started under dark clouds and a little drizzle. I thought of a day without a sunrise, as it was all overcast and looked like storms any moment. Luckily nothing more than that misty drizzle came all morning. But when I came out from Mass, the sun was shining! Not that there weren't those dark clouds around, and by 5pm they are predominating, and a drizzle has started again. It's like Missouri - if you don't like the weather, stick around and it'll change. So I'm feeling at home.
Hey! Less than 400 miles to Santiago! And only 36 more days in which to do them. No problem!
Today was a wonderful day. The dorm was up fairly early, so I was on the trail by 7:30, and by 9:30 was in shorts and tee shirt, as the sun was generally shining nicely. The Way lead through a couple of villages with medieval churches, the first up on a hill, of course, was locked but a beautiful silhouette against the skyline, and overlooking the next village only a kilometer away. There was a little medieval church similar to the one in Eunate - an octagonal church with a dome and beautiful ribbing in the ceiling.
The Way then led through vineyards and olive groves for about 8 miles to Viana, where I am now.
Viana is another town with an old section and beautiful old church. As I was coming into town I noticed a man with his daughter who was dressed, I thought, rather like the Amish. I hoped it wasn't some sect. However when I got to the square next to the church, I found out there was a Basque festival this weekend and the children would be doing traditional dances in their traditional costumes. So lots of kids were dressed in traditional Basque garb. So I went and grabbed a bed at the municipal pilgrim's hostel and then went back to enjoy the festivities.
Later, since it was still nice out I took my Mass kit and found a quiet picnic table and said Mass on this the anniversary of my first Mass. Thankful again for all the blessings of my priesthood, and the privilege to be able to celebrate the great Eucharistic sacrifice for all.
After finding some super, Mass at the church was at 8pm, so I went again for Sunday. By the time Mass was over it was pouring outside. Since the little old Spanish ladies just stood in the door watching? waiting? We figured they must know something, so we waited a bit, and it slowed enough to make a dash for the hostel. I hope it will rain itself out by tomorrow.
Love to all.
As I left the pilgrims hostel (again you have to be out by 8) this morning, there was a very slight drizzle, and lots of black threatening clouds. But I didn't think it would amount to much, so I headed down the trail (not that I had much choice). I wanted to stop in the lovely old church with its great acoustics and say morning prayer there before I left on this anniversary of my priestly ordination, but alas the church was not yet unlocked and so I prayed on the trail as best I could for soon it started raining a little harder, and I had to stop and dig out my rain suit and pack cover and put them on, but within an hour the sun was shining, and within another forty minutes it was raining again this time much harder but luckily I didn't have far to go, only about 8 miles of gentle country road through rolling fields of wheat and I made it here to Los Arcos by 11 am. By noon the sun was shining again, but I still decided to just stay here as it breaks up the coming days nicely. In fact, after a shower and short nap, it was nice enough to do a little extra laundry and have it dry in the sun. Then I'll spend some time walking and exploring the old section.
Los Arcos is another old town with quiet narrow streets, in the old section, with a beautiful 16th century church, over-decorated in baroque style, but overall a stunning effect. They have a pilgrim's Mass there every evening, so I'll go celebrate my anniversary with my Camino family.
I am, of course, extremely grateful for the gift of priesthood. I am grateful for the past 33 years serving God and the Church. I am grateful for all the people God has put in my life, all those who have loved and supported me in my ministry, all those who have been part of my life, especially as parishioners, and as fellow workers in God's vineyards. Thanks to all who have made these past 33 years such a grace-filled adventure. May God continue to pour out his blessings on you. Please continue to pray for me that, renewed by this Camino, I may continue to serve God, His church, and His people with faith, joy, and enthusiasm.
Here I am tasting the wine from the fountain, using my shell from my backpack. It's supposed to be online, so try a search for the Irache wine fountain.
Yesterday's potential for blue skies seemed to carry over into today, but the black clouds soon won out. Cool and overcast the rest of the day. Even now at 3:30 it's almost too cool to go out exploring this little village. They've even lit a fire in the common room.
I left Lorca by 8am. It was a pretty easy walk to Estella, one of the larger towns on the way, and I wanted a little time to explore. Entered across a medieval bridge, of course. The first church I found was locked, but had an impressive exterior. The next church, San Pedro, was atop a hill, so had an impressive set of stairs to climb, nice interior, and an impressive cloister, or the part that remained, as half had been destroyed.
Across the street was the palace of the Kings of Navarre, now an art museum. Free admission, but I wasn't impressed, guess I don't know Spanish paintings.
Up the road is the monastery of Irache with its famous wine fountain. Yes, there is a fountain that provides wine (or water) for the thirsty pilgrim. Even to my uncultured tastes, it wasn't of the finest quality, but it was nice none the less. The monastery church and cloister was very austere, yet impressive.
So after all that sightseeing, there were still a few kilometers to go before finding a place to stay here in Villamayor de Monjardin. Maybe I'll go see if it's warmed up any.
Anyway, I always planned on being on / ending this pilgrimage on my birthday. However, I never give much thought to my ordination anniversary. Today is my 34th anniversary of being ordained as a deacon. For Priests, deaconate is seen as transitional, and so somehow less important or even temporary. I always appreciated the fact of being ordained a deacon; of being ordained to serve. So today I have walked in Thanksgiving for my ministry of service, and prayed for all the deacons who so faithfully serve the church.
5:15 pm and it's finally raining a bit. Guess it's a good time for it sitting warm around a fire. Maybe it will empty the heavens for tomorrow. But I can't get down to the bar for a WiFi spot and send this. It will go when it goes.
Bright red poppies and stern purple milkweed growing together
Acres of fields and orchards, acres of asphalt and concrete, an ant colony finds it's doorway in a crack of the concrete
Swallows darting and dancing in the sky, seeking a meal, keeping us free of bugs
Like the swallow in the psalm building its nest in the temple, bees find their home in a crack in the wall of the church
Old twisted olive tree, its wood rotted and frail, yet sap and life flows through its limbs
An ancient olive grove - such witnessed Christ's agony
Children playing in the plaza on new playground equipment with soft foam underfoot, and the ancient water fountain gurgling nearby - life giving and dangerous
Grape vine with a tall trunk and branches like arms clinging to the side of a house
As has been pretty common, the pilgrim hostel here wants people gone by 8 am (so that they can get ready for the next group, I guess). So people are up by 6:30 or 7 am and on the trail. So with nothing else to do, I too was on the trail by 7:45. The weather was cool, windy, overcast and looking like rain with dark threatening clouds. However it never did rain, and the sun even came out for awhile, so walking wasn't too bad. The terrain was pretty level, so no mountains today, but the trail ran through several villages built atop hills. They built them there for defense - so that they can see the enemy coming from afar. Which was fine except that the defensive aspect is no longer needed and the poor pilgrim has to climb up them and through them.
We first went through a town called Puente la Reina, which translates simply 'Queen's Bridge'. The Queen, back in the 11th century commanded that a bridge be built there for the ease of pilgrims. A medieval pilgrim could sleep under the stars, if needed, but a raging river, or unscrupulous ferrymen, could end a pilgrim's journey. So bridges were very important. Also many have survived, the craftsmanship is amazing, so we know that the medieval pilgrim also passed exactly over that spot, and we walk in their footsteps. There were a couple of medieval churches there, but all locked up.
From there we went through towns named Maneru and Cirauqui and finally Lorca. All hilltop towns. All connected by medieval bridges, and even a section of Roman road! Built by the Romans over 2000 years ago! So while the modern way has to meander around the superhighway, and over country roads, through olive groves and grape vineyards, we know that at times we walk the same ground as millions of pilgrims before us.
So I have ended the day's pilgrimage about 1:30 in a small pilgrim's hostel in Lorca. Since I (thanks bishop!) have given myself plenty of time, I don't have to do so many miles each day and can be one of the first to stop. So I have plenty of time to get a shower and rest and walk a bit, find something for supper and be in bed early. As I sit or explore the village, I still see pilgrims coming through looking for a meal or bed, or heading determinately somewhere else. Seems the hostel also runs a restaurant, as a cook is singing outside my room. So it should be an interesting night.
By evening time all the rain clouds have disappeared, just blue sky and fluffy patches of white clouds drifting in the sky. A promise for a better tomorrow. A perfect time to think and reflect, and maybe a few observations.
I knew by the guide books that today we had a 1000 foot climb up a ridge that is called the way of the wind. A ridge so constantly windy that there are a whole line of huge, sleek, modern windmills, or wind turbines, generating electricity. So of course, the weather was particularly windy, cool, and overcast, threatening rain at any moment. The cool weather is nice for hiking, but I was soon sweating up the hill, with the wind blowing, and constantly stopping to adjust layers. When I finally reached the top of the Hill of Pardon, (where one lets the wind carry away all anger and resentment), it was so windy and cold one didn't pause very long, a few quick photos, and then the steep decline. One wants to pause there for the magnificent views, but also there is a large metal sculpture of pilgrims on the way entitled: Where the Way of the Wind meets the Way of the Stars. The way of the stars refers to the camino de Santiago Compostela, Compostela meaning the field of stella - stars.
The rest of the way down continued in a similar manner, but no rain! I then took a little detour to a little 11th century church, St Mary Eunate. Probably built by the Knights Templar, it is a unique octagonal church, surrounded by a series of 33 arches.
According to the guide book there was supposed to be a small pilgrim's hostel there, where I was hoping to end my day, but alas the book is wrong, no hostel. Well it was always a small hostel and I knew I might not get one of the places anyway, so on to plan b and continue to the next village, a little place called Obanos. I was here by 1:30, still no rain, and got a place at the hostel.
Seems like a neat little village with a large stone church, and narrow cobblestone streets. Guess I'll go explore.
This morning could be called an even more perfect day! The sun was shining, and the air was calm and warm. I had my outer layers of and pants legs unzipped within 15 minutes of starting out today. It was nice and I didn't have far to go. Within an hour I was at the outskirts of Pamplona, and within another at the city center, the old town. It still has a lot of the old city walls built to protect it in ages past. Quite a lot of work went into building such a defense, and impressive. Pamplona, as you know, is famous for the running of the Bulls. No I didn't get trampled by a bull, that's during the festival of San Fermín in July, which was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his novel "The Sun also Rises". But no I didn't go see his statue, or the bull fighting arena. Instead I went to the cathedral. It is a nice Gothic structure, but full of fancy Boroque altarpieces and other decorations. Since there is a cloister attached, it must of been part of a monastery once. It is quite fancy, so probably later medieval construction. Today the church is an active cathedral, but the rest a museum. Too much to see, so I hurried on to another pilgrim church St. Cernín. Very nice also, though all that Boroque and Renaissance decoration is a little too much for my taste sometime.
So I continued on through Pamplona into the suburbs. Found a pilgrim's hostel and am resting.
The first big city - Pamplona - completed!
So the morning was perfect, but this afternoon the wind has definitely picked up, and some clouds are moving in, so who knows what tomorrow will bring. Perhaps our run of good weather has run out?
Sunday morning and the people around me in the dorm were quiet and slept well past 6:30, breakfast was at 7 am, or 7:30, as they had a small dining room. I had signed up for the later time, and still was on the trail a little after 8 am. Today the weather could be considered perfect! The sun was shining, there was no wind, and the breezes were warm. I had my outer layers off within half an hour, and the Way was level (for the most part). I guess I should have kept walking, but after 4 hours I came to Zabaldica, with a 13th century church, and a small community of Precious Blood sisters, and a pilgrim's hostel. They are just a little bit out of the way, and up on top of a short but steep hill, so not a lot of pilgrims make the extra effort, but they are very welcoming. When sister realized I wanted to stay already (so early in the day), she insisted on fixing me something for lunch, then got me settled in. They were also excited to meet someone from St Louis and even Missouri, who knows of their Saint Philippine and been at St Ferdinand where she lived and taught. So I've had a shower, a nap, and am sitting in the shade with a glass of cool water. Ah, life is good.
As I got here this noon, Dana and his violoncello, and his film crew were just leaving. He had had another of his concerts here in the church last night, and will have another down the trail tonight. Alas, I'm going to stay here. So we are almost moving at the same pace. Maybe I'll catch another of his performances along the Way.
Even though I had been at Mass last night, and the sisters had gone this morning, (they have daily Mass, but not on Sunday) I still decided to say Mass. The sisters were happy to go again. We had 3 Spanish sisters, only one understood English and did a little translating, plus two pilgrims from Hungry, and one from Italy. So it was quite an international affair. There is only one additional pilgrim here tonight, from England, so I have a room to myself. I guess it is possible to get away from the crowds if one picks the right places.
Well I am definitely on the real Camino de Santiago! Some two hundred pilgrims piled out of Roncesvalles this morning all heading down the trail toward Santiago. The hostel had people up and going by 6:30 (they require everyone out by 8am), I tried to delay until almost 8 o'clock to allow the sun to get a little higher. It has been another gorgeous day! (About the fifth in a row!) Not a cloud in the sky. Though there is always a wind blowing, and it can be cold, I still sought out the sunshine for warmth, rather than the shade for cool. So walking was great, and I'm feeling pretty good, though the trail was like a highway sometimes, with people running into one another, or having to wait to pass up a slow walker. So many people are on this trail that they've paved a great part of it - an eight foot wide sidewalk going through the forest. All I talked to said they were heading to Zuribi, the first place with pilgrim's hostels, about a 5 hour walk, so not exactly a short day is even possible. And of course no other place is set up like Roncesvalles able to handle 200 pilgrims a night, so I was worried where all these pilgrims were going to sleep. But it seems that many of the early starters - fast walkers went on ahead to the next place, and us slower walkers, are stopping here at Zubiri, and while this place seems full, there aren't people at the door looking for places, so I guess we'll all get strung out, everyone doing their own thing.
An interesting event took place last night at Roncesvalles, a young cellist from Juilliard, Dana Johansen, gave a concert in the old church (amazing acoustics! ) playing a couple of Bach's cello suites. So besides a free concert, he is walking the Camino carrying his cello, giving concerts along the way, and making a film about the Camino and music. I even ran into him along the trail, with cello on his back, and we talked a bit about those things which lift the human spirit like music, or gothic cathedrals, or nature. So he wants to experience the beauty of the Camino and see how that effects his music. It will be interesting if I actually see the film someday. Www.walktofisterra.com
I joined with the local parish for Mass this evening. I did understand that in the Gospel Jesus said, "I am the Camino", so that was nice and will make a nice meditation (because I didn't understand the homily). The altarpiece featured the Blessed Mother with the Latin words: Maria Purissima. Mary Most Pure. I prayed especially for all at MPH in Chamois.
May the Lord bless you all tonight.
This is the sign on leaving Roncesvalles! Remember that's those funny short kilometers they use over here. It's a few less miles.
Well isn't God good! I made it across the pass and am in Roncesvalles. According to the guide book, I've walked 13 kilometers (8 miles) and climbed up over 800 meters (about 1/2 mile). So it shouldn't have been too bad anyway. But it was a good workout. However, confession time, I cheated... The poor lady from Vienna, on her first day on the trail, realized that she brought to much stuff and had to get rid of some of it. She wanted to mail a package of it back home, but the post office was closed and wouldn't be open this morning. Then the hostelier said there's baggage service to Roncesvalles, you can have the whole thing sent ahead, and you don't have to carry anything over the pass. Bet you can see where this is going... I too sent my backpack ahead and just walked. It was really inconvenient to have to carry my lunch and water in a plastic sack, but I made it.
Roncesvalles is one of the places pilgrims have been shopping at some the middle ages. There was a need for a stopping place near the pass, and so a monastery was built here to care for them. The monastery is only a shadow of what it was, with only a few secular canons providing religious services, but a lot of the monastery complex is still here and used for various things - restaurants, hotels, a museum, and a pilgrim's hostel! All in pretty good condition, that is all fairly modern. In fact this is one of the largest pilgrim's hostel on the Camino - 180 beds, and room for overflow if needed. Roncesvalles seems to have a permanent population of about 10, but welcomes hundreds of pilgrims each night. I actually got here about noon, and I'm waiting for it to open at 2 pm, though I've already have bed 120 assigned.
Well with 180 beds on three floors, there isn't a lot of room. It's quite a contrast from last night even when there were only four of us. They are full and already sending people to the overflow dorms, they say up to 400 pilgrims a day come through here on the way to Santiago. I certainly hope all these pilgrims get spread out from here...
Sometime today I crossed over into Spain! Then back into France and back. The trail will sort of follow the border for awhile yet tomorrow, before we get only Spain. I am in a small village called Valcarlos, the valley of Carlos - Charlemagne - he came through here once. France is still on the other side of the valley.
I delayed as much as I could this morning before leaving, as I knew I would have a short hike today. I made half the distance to the pass, but only about one fourth the climb that will be before me tomorrow. So I was happy to break up the march over the pass, we'll see what tomorrow brings. As it is I am only attempting the shorter, lower route. Most people tackle the higher route all in one day. But I don't feel bad about doing it my way. There are two other guys here at the hostel already (a lady from Vienna just arrived also), so it might be the road less traveled but a valid option.
It is a beautiful day today, not a cloud in the sky, still a north wind blowing most of the time so it can be cool. Trail was all roads, mostly country with no traffic, but a little along a main highway, and pretty steady uphill. So it was a fine workout.
Bought a local potato tortilla for supper and fixed it at the hostel. Nice little village, though the church is locked, not much seems to be happening. Guess I'll get to bed early.
Here I am resting my feet by walking the old city. This is the gate of St John the Baptist, whose statue you can see there blessing all the pilgrims who pass by below him on the way to Santiago. I'll be heading through there in the morning.
Well here I am in St-Jean-Pied-du-Pont, and I decided to take a rest day, hoping my foot will feel better tomorrow, and that I can take it a little easier from now on. I have walked for 8 days, and have 46 more days to go til my birthday in Santiago. I seem to have come about 90 miles so far, and officially have 490.3 miles to Santiago. To have to get up and walk for the next 46 days (or over 490 miles) might seem like a lot, but not if we make it a parable of life - don't we all have to get up for the next 46 days (and many more besides) and walk that day's path, whatever it might be. Don't we all wish that the path will be level and smooth, any don't we all have to accept the hills and mountains that life places before us, don't we have to accept the sunny and the cloudy days alike?
May your pilgrimage today be blessed!
The lady hostelier had breakfast ready at 7:15 this morning, and I ate all the bread and jam I could, as there being no kind of store around, I had nothing to take with me for lunch. But I knew I'd be back in civilization by at least 2, if not earlier. However the trail soon headed up a hill and over another mountain path. I had been reading on the Camino forum about this trail, and indeed it seems to have been laid out with the scenic hiker in mind, rather then the walking pilgrim. Give me a quiet level country road anytime over the cow path up and over then down a mountain pass. And these aren't really mountains, just the foothills of the Pyrenees. The scenery was great though. The weather was for the most parts bad, but it kept changing, I'd take off a layer as the sun was shining, then put it back on in twenty minutes as it would start to rain, at the top of the pass, a real little storm blew up, and I put everything back on again, even dug out my fleece ear covers that I hadn't needed since Chartres.
The end of it all is that I made it to St-Jean-Pied-du-Pont! ! I am off of the Piémont Trail and ready to start the French Way to Santiago. Hurrah!
Hey, check out my current location at MapsWithMe! ge0://0n_c70VN9N or http://ge0.me/0n_c70VN9N Don't have offline maps? Download here: http://mapswith.me/get
I'm sitting in the park in Mauléon-Licharre that has a WiFi hotspot, ready to start my day which I hope will be a short one. I'm going to try and do two easy days to get ready for two longer days ahead. It's sunny this morning, but cool. So we'll see. I'm going to the local church for morning prayers, and then see what the day brings. Wanted to send a note as the next few days might only have small towns and no WiFi. We'll see of course. Till the next hotspot..
Well it's evening and plans didn't quite work out, and isn't that a surprise. Basically I just changed my mind and went on. I got to the place that was supposed to have a gite by 10:30 this morning and thought it's too early to stop, and the signs were indicating that it's only 3 hours to Saint-Just-Ibarre, where I needed to get to. Ok, maybe they said 3 hours and 40 minutes, but who reads those details. And it neglected to say, or I couldn't read the French, that it was up over a mountain pass, over 549 meters high. Needless to say, trudging up that hill for more than an hour, was a little tiring. However the descent was worse on my feet, as it was a steep cow path, literally, that they had us coming down. I just had to take it slow and easy. And of course I made it, tired but fine. Had the name of a lady here in town that I presumed ran the pilgrim's hostel, however it seems that her home is the guesthouse. I've had a shower and she is preparing dinner as there is no restaurant, or grocery store in town. Seems as if many of these small towns here are in the same shape as Chamois.
I walked through sheep country today. There had been sheep before, but always cows too, this was definitely sheep country, they were everywhere, and big flocks. By the way, many of the cows here still wear cow bells, such melodies as one walks through cow pastures.
And French trains do not blast their horns as they go through every village or crossing. The things that I'm learning!
Of course now the sun is shining in my eyes. There's the local Castle up on the hill behind me. Don't know much about this place... Only passing through.
It's Sunday morning and Mothers Day there, but alas not here. I am thinking and praying for mom and for all mothers. Happy mothers day.
There's a twelfth century church here in this very little town, but no priest to say Mass. Those I talked to didn't think anyone would be interested in mass in English, so I celebrated by myself.
Of course after yesterday's sunshine, God didn't want me to walk in the heat again, so today is drizzly and overcast. I put on my rain jacket and I have my trusty wide-brimmed sun hat, I cover my backpack and set off. I can't say that it ever really rained, but I was soon pretty well soaked through from perspiration and the high humidity. Still I was pretty warm and comfortable all morning.
At one point the forest was so pretty, I thought I was in a rainforest. Well there was the dripping rain falling from the leaves, plus a nice fern undergrowth, plus with the overcast light, the greens were bright and emerald-like. So a beautiful effect, though I think the trees were mostly your common elms and birches and Oak.
The walking seemed to go on forever, and the first two hours seemed like the trail was always climbing, then down then up and down and so on. Today was shorter than yesterday as far as distance, but seemed to take as long. However by 2:30 I've found the hostel, had a hot shower and have put on my dry clothes, and had a snack. They have a washing machine, which I'm taking advantage of, and an electric dryer! That's a first, most places have only clothes lines.
And now I'm going to see if I can find a WiFi spot and get these last for days sent off.
Alleluia.
First of all the French word, and the Latin, hospital has the same root as our word 'hospitality', so I am not in a hospital, but a hostel, a place to make one welcome. It is actually part of the town's name. You find it in a lot of the medieval towns/places, a rest stop.
I left at 8 am this morning, and the trail went by the Cathedral of Oloron-Sainte-Marie, and so I had planned and stopped there to pray morning prayers. Oloron-Sainte-Marie is also on a medieval North-South Way of St James (I'm going East-West), so the trails cross there, but the cathedral is one of the landmarks on that ancient trail. It actually has a gothic apse.
The trail started out along nice paved country roads, and the sun came out, so by 9 am, I took off my outer layer and even unzipped the bottoms of my pants legs making them into shorts. For awhile I was wondering if I made the right decision, as the sun would still go behind the clouds, and it was breezy and cool, but soon the sun was shining brightly. I was then glad that the trail went into a long wooded section, so there was lots of shade. The wooded sections are prettier, but they also go up and down and around, and can be muddy. Luckily there hasn't been any real rain lately, so they were dry enough.
But it was almost 3 pm when I got here, making it a pretty long march. I admit when I'm walking, I tend to push myself to keep going - to get to the end - rather then taking lots of rests. So I'll probably have to pace myself better. I can feel it in my legs.
Almost 7 pm and I'm the only one here at this hostel. There are 4 bunk beds (8 places) here in a nice new facility. Obviously not a lot of people on this part of the trail. A fly is driving me crazy, so some things are universal.
Abbe Pierre had the usual French breakfast for us - bread and jam - and sent us on the way. I knew the next stop was at least 6 hours of walking as there aren't many options on this part of The Way. This is part of a cross country trail, the Piemont trail, going through Southern France and the foothills of the Pyrenees. Their goal was to have a quiet walking trail, so the goal was to avoid traffic. So if there is a forest path, that will be first choice, then farm paths, then gravel roads, country roads, and only main roads if really necessary. So I had a little of all of that today. Actually leaving Arudy, it was hard picking up the trail makers, and even some of the directions suggested following the road to save a few kilometers, I was happy to find the trail markets and get off that road and on the less used parts and a great forest trail. So l left at 8, and arrived here in the hostel by 3 pm. So I didn't do too bad. I feel pretty good, a few little aches, and my little toe was rubbing, so will have to try and do something about that. Guess I better start thinking about something to eat, as there's no Abbe Pierre to fix something.
This is a really nice hostel, very modern. There was only a phone number on the door when I got here, and a nice lady from next door called for me, and simply got the code and let me in. One other guy, a Frenchman, also showed up. Found instructions to leave payment in a box under the counter. I couldn't find a anything resembling a grocery store, so I just stopped by a sidewalk café and had a steak with frits (French fries).
It was of course overcast and humid when I left Arudy this morning, and when I stopped for lunch, it was looking and feeling like rain, but an hour later the sun came out, I could take my outer layer off and enjoy the sun and warmth. It's clouded over again, but still nice enough to sit outside in the courtyard. Guess it's time for prayers and bed.
Sorry, no Internet connection now.
Well today is certainly different from yesterday. I only had a couple of hours to walk to reach a sure destination, so after my generous host family fed me breakfast including eggs and sausage, I made it here to Arudy, where I had heard that the parish priest welcomes pilgrims. I found the church just as Mass was ending, and the Abbe showed me the accommodations for pilgrims, and I've been resting ever since. Which is good as tomorrow I definitely have at least a six hour journey to get to somewhere.
Today was another holiday of some sort here in France, so most of the stores and such are closed. Abbe came back home about 7 pm and invited us upstairs to his living quarters to fix and eat super with him. There are only three of us guys here tonight. One of them is a Frenchman who was at the hostel with me in Lourdes, he delayed a day to see Lourdes, but took a day less to get here. Unfortunately, he's going to take another route from here, so no companion for the trail. The other guy is from Holland and he to wants to visit Lourdes, so he is headed the way I just came from, and will then turn around and come back this way. Apparently, he's already walked from Holland to Santiago - over 3000 kilometers, and is still going. So we fixed a simple meal and shared it. He's certainly a nice man and enjoys having people around. We were finished by 8:30, did the dishes and am in bed. So a nice relaxing day.
It really was dark by the time I was trying to make my excuses and go to bed, and then someone thought to take a photo!
Well this has certainly been an interesting day. I was planning on a short walking day, so had their breakfast at the sanctuary center in Betharram, and started out leisurely, though the path started out uphill past some beautiful chapels marking A Way of the Cross which was part of the sanctuary. It was cloudy and overcast, so a little cool, but walking was fine, scenery was great, never met another hiker. So I got to my destination in about 3 hours. However either my information was wrong, or outdated, or I misunderstood the French, but there weren't any pilgrim hostels, or b&bs, or hotels or any other place to stay. The best advice seemed to be to continue on to the next village, there will be a place there. So much for my leisurely day. But the next village was only two miles, a 40 minute walk, so not too bad. And I set off. I got there fine, only again there were no hostels, or anywhere to stay. After wasting time there, looking and asking, the best advice was to go on to the next big town where there were sure to be places. But that was a two and a half hour walk! Now this was really starting to mess up my easy, get-used-to-walking day. But it was only 3:30, I could be there by 6 pm, that is if I was in great shape, I'm not and the path from that point seemed to start this steady uphill climb, and I was getting really worn out. My faith wasn't too strong at that moment either, and I admit my prayer at that point was have mercy on me Lord. Finally the path stopped climbing and came out on a road, and I saw a sign for a 'gite' which I think is the French word for 'guest house'. It was a hundred yards in the wrong direction but I thought it worthwhile to check out. I even found a young lady that understood and spoke a little English. I soon discovered that the 'gite' was this lady's grandmother's country manor available for rent for a minimum of one week. Oh well, I could travel on. But this lady was trying to call her grandmother, to see if I could stay there one night. Not having any luck she called her mother, who told her to let me stay in her house in one of the empty rooms. Wow! I went from exhausted and facing another hour and a half walk, to being a welcomed guest with a French family, in this old manor, which was fixed up quite nice, but also obviously quite lived in and homey. I got a hot shower, the use of the washing machine to wash my clothes, and an invitation to super, and a chance to sit in their yard with this most amazing view of the valley I just climbed out of with the Pyrenees off in the distance. Plus the sun began to come out, changing the landscape from dreary foggy to shining clear. It was really grand. By about 7 pm they said let's eat. There were 11 of us around a large outdoor polished-top granite table. Needless to say we watched the valley get dark, and we were still sitting around the table finally getting to the cheese/desert course. I could tell more, but it's so late, I have to get some sleep. Until tomorrow.
I AM ON MY WAY! The first 18 kilometers are done. Plus, God made sure it wasn't too hot - overcast skies, but sure muggy. I went to 9am Mass in Lourdes this morning and then headed on the path to Santiago, which started by passing right in front of the grotto of Lourdes, then on a path through the woods, some country lanes and I'm here, and not feeling too bad. There were only two of us at the hostel last night, and he decided to spend a day at Lourdes, so I thought I was the only one on the trail, but about an hour and a half into the walk I met a pair of guys coming from a different branch of the trail. One a Frenchman who spoke good English, the other from Belgium, were on the way to Santiago also. So it was good to have a little company on the trail. But they were younger and in better shape and were going to try for another 6 kilometers yet today. I am going to take these first days as easy as I can, so I've already stopped for the day. Betharram is a sanctuary to the Blessed Mother. Bernadette often visited here, and miracles are attributed to her intercession. But Betharram is now almost completely eclipsed by Lourdes. The community here still welcomes pilgrims, so I have a bed here in a big old institutional building. Doubt there'll be much personal attention. But the little breakfast will be included tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any WiFi here or anywhere in the village. Since there wasn't any at yesterday's hostel either, and I didn't have time to go use some public place in Lourdes before I left, I'm sorry it's taken so long for these to get on my blog. It seems as if this first week before St Jean Pied du Port will be pretty remote. And while people around here are used to having pilgrims come through, they don't get the numbers that the French route will have and thus aren't set up for their needs. So a pilgrimage is about trusting in God to take care of you, so join my pilgrimage and trust, when you don't hear from me for awhile, that I am fine and be patient. But keep the prayers coming anyway. You all are in mine. God Bless.
Seems as I if there is WiFi, so got these sent off. Don't know the next time will be. I'll send updates whenever I can.
Guess where I am! No, that's not Disney's Castle in the background, but the lower basilica, of the rosary, and the upper basilica in Lourdes. Amazing place. I'm on my way!
I got up early and headed to Lourdes. What a wonderful place, the basilicas are very nice, but this is truly a living Holy Place. The great gothic cathedrals that I visited are indeed Holy sites, they truly have the ability to lift your spirit to God. Just to be in such a place with such history and beauty, allows ones spirit to soar. The gothic builders really built for the ages. But here the buildings are not the focus, but the pilgrims, and especially the sick, feeble, and aged. There are constant prayers, processions and such going on all the time. It's really beautiful. I did of course visit the basilicas, the grotto, the spring; I went to confession, and even bathed in the healing waters of Lourdes (praying and offering it for all you who are sick). Then I thought I should get serious about this pilgrimage, as that is my reason for being here.
I knew there was a hostel here that catered to Pilgrims on the Way of St James, so I came here. This is dormitory living. This particular hostel has 6 bunk beds (12 beds) in a big room. Luckily there are only two of us here tonight. But then it's only 15 euros with the 'little breakfast' (bread and jam) included and everyone's invited to super prepared by the hostess for a donation. This is also their home. So I said I would be here for supper at 7:30. Well by 8 o'clock we were just on the salad, the main course (chicken with rice and zucchini and egg plant) about 8:20, cheese was served at 8:40, and dessert about 9. Such was my introduction to authentic French dining. Of course the conversation was in French so I didn't join in much, but still enjoyed being with people, after 2 weeks by myself. Unfortunately I had been thinking of going down to the candlelight procession at 9 PM. I guess God had other plans. However, this hostel sits on the hill on the other side of the river from the grotto. It has a lovely view of the basilicas and plaza. Well soon we could hear thousands of voices singing 'Ave, Ave, Ave Maria' coming from below and see the thousands of glowing candles making their way in procession around the plaza. It was quite amazing, even from where we were.
So getting ready to turn in for the night. I unpacked the sleeping bag I've been carrying, but might not use it as it's so warm. Yesterday was sunny and warm enough to take off my insulation layer, though it was still windy, and I was always trying to walk in the sunlight. Today was hot and I looked for the shade whenever I could.
I got into Toulouse (no that's not as in 'my pants are Toulouse' (not yet anyway)), but in southern France. I was here early enough to take a walk after that long train ride, and check out a couple of the churches I had on my list. On the way I found a small parish church that was advertising a Mass in English this morning at 10. So I went there for Mass and even concelebrated. The priest was a student at the Catholic University here from India, plus there was a priest from Taiwan who also concelebrated. Unfortunately, there were only a couple of handfuls of people there.
Then I had 5 churches to visit. Three were on the mappinggothic.org website, and two were listed on a Camino app as sacred places. So I first headed toward the cathedral which is dedicated to St Etienne.
While the choir and apse are certainly Gothic, the rest is a mishmash of various styles and constructions. It looks like there was an old Romanesque church there which they decided to replace, but left it there to use while they started work on the apse and choir. Getting to that point where they would have to raze the old section to continue construction, they stopped work for some reason and just joined the two buildings together. They don't even line up.
There's a beautiful tall arcade, nicely decorated triforium, and not as tall clerestory windows. There is also this huge Renaissance altar piece, which is impressive, but out of place to my taste. Mass there was almost full, so that was great to see, and there were a couple of baptisms afterwards, which the priest sang, with the great organ accompanying, for a really nice ceremony! So I was impressed with that.
The second church was closed, and was obviously not gothic, but had a unique entryway with the coronation of Mary in colorful ceramics.
The third church was famous for a Black Madonna they have, but personally I didn't care for the way she was dressed - way too stiff.
The fourth church was called the Jacobean Convent church. Jacob usually has something to do with St James and the Camino, but I couldn't find any connection though it is old enough. It is an old monastery church, and still has the cloister, and some of the other buildings, refectory, meeting room etc still intact and being restored. The church is also unique, mostly Romanesque with huge walls and buttresses and small windows, but with Gothic arches and vaults, and consisting of only two aisles! In other words a row of big columns going right down the middle of the church. It also seems to hold the reliquary of St Thomas Aquinas, in the altar. But as I can't read or understand French, it's sometimes hard to get the details straight.
Finally the last church was the basilica of St Sernin. This basilica has its roots in the middle ages and has been welcoming Pilgrims on the way of St James ever since. This means those who have started somewhere in Europe, and are headed for Santiago. There were some 220 Pilgrims already this year who stopped by, and 23 since May 1st. Toulouse is still some 250 kilometers from where I'm starting from!
As a pilgrimage churches, it still holds lots of relics, in some pretty impressive reliquaries. (Pilgrims would come to venerate the relics of the Saints.) It too has been active for more than a millenia, so has continued to evolve and change over the years as time and tastes have dictated. Much of the decoration seems to be from the 18th century.
Lots and lots of people on the streets, strolling, sitting at the sidewalk cafés, and enjoying the sunshine! Yes it was sunny today, a little windy, but I could take off my insulation layer.
So I'm back in my hotel room, getting ready to hit the sack once again
We have a phrase 'It's not written in stone' meaning that it's not permanent, or still open to discussion or changeable. When it gets 'written in stone', it becomes permanent, and unchangeable, and will last forever. Thus we engrave our lives on our gravestones, so that that much of us will remain forever. However a trip to an old Cemetery will quickly prove that not to be true! The old Gothic cathedrals that I've been visiting also show this to be true. The builders of these houses of God chose the most permanent material around so that they would last forever. And they built with their greatest skill to give the greatest glory to God. They probably knew that time and weather would take their toll even on stone, they didn't count on the destructiveness of man; on such beauty being intentionality destroyed by man. Men, during the Protestant revolt, intentionally knocking heads off statues and defacing them, others, during the French Revolution, turning churches into stables and workshops, and others, during war, dropping bombs; just to name a few low points of human history. No, not even stone is permanent. And maybe that is as it should be. Yes I rejoice in seeing what has endured of these ancient wonders, and dream of their lost splendors, but God hasn't designed this world, or the things in it, even stone, to last forever! He has made us for His Kingdom, for the New Jerusalem, which will last forever, and where we will live forever in His glory.
Clermont-Ferrand is a little bigger city, it was hard to find ones way through the curving Streets. But I finally managed to find the first church on my list, a very old Romanesque church with fantastic architecture, and nice interior, but not gothic! So I went seeking the cathedral, and finally found it also. Actually the black volcanic stone is not very impressive, it looks dirty, or is dirty, but it is another great gothic structure. It has a nave with very tall arcade columns, and the clerestory windows are equally as tall. This is particularly noticeable, and effective in the apse around the altar. The tall columns of the arcade, with their pointed arches, and stained glass windows behind them, supporting equally tall windows alight with the blazing colors of the glass. It is indeed an impressive sight. A lot of the windows are plain, or are missing the stained glass, but there are still some great windows in the chapels.
Well, again my choice was to spend all day here or get the only train going this Saturday to Toulouse, so I just spent a couple of hours praying and photographing the cathedral and got on the train before lunch. It was almost a 6 hour trip. The land is more hilly, more pretty, a lovely region, and the train stopped at every little village it went through. So it was a rather tiring trip, but I'm here, in the south of France, getting close to the Pyrenees, and the start of the next part of this pilgrimage.
Well I also visited Nevers today, and that's not Never, Never Land, but a real place in France. A nice place by all looks, with another quaint old section, that looks like something from the middle ages, or at least the 17th century. It has a nice Gothic cathedral, but nothing to compare with what I've seen. It was unique in that it preserved an older Romanesque apse, with a painting of Christ Savior in the ceiling, into the west end of the present church. This resulted in there being no Western portals. There was no transept either, as at Bourges. It was easy to see that this was built at different times, as there is a change of styles, but overall following the general gothic plan of arcade, triforium, and clerestory. Unfortunately, we destroyed most of the vaulting, and heavily damaged the cathedral in the Allied bombings in 1944. Now all the windows have modern art glass in them, which I didn't find very pleasing, but it was Ok.
I guess I'm getting a little impatient as I continued on to Clermont-Ferrand, and found a place to sleep, and had a good supper. Another impressive cathedral in town made of a black volcanic stone they must have around here, but closed for today.
Now I lay me down to sleep ...
Got to Bourges this morning. I never heard of Bourges, until I began reading about gothic cathedrals. It was an important city/cathedral at one time. The cathedral is unique and magnificent like all the others I've seen. It's unique in several ways: it has five naves, or if you wish, one nave with double aisles on each side. The central nave is the tallest, then the next two aisles, very tall but shorter, and the outer aisles smaller, like a pyramid. Nor is it in the usual cross shape, but just a straight church. The five naves each have a great portal (door) on the west facade. They are pretty impressive, but must of really been magnificent at one time each lined with two tiers of life sized statues of the Saints; sadly the nitches are all but empty. It too has some pretty impressive XIII th century stained glass windows.
There was a funeral there this morning, (glad the church is still active) but they closed off the aisles behind the altar for the service, which went for an hour and a half, and I was almost afraid I wouldn't get to see or photograph the stained glass back there, as I had decided not to stay too long, but luckily everything worked out. Got some great photos, I hope.
Bourges is another old town, with a nice old section. It would probably be a great place to explore, but I'm getting anxious to be moving on, so I'm on the train again heading for Nevers.
Just to give a little idea of the inside! Looking into the apse beyond the main altar where the two new Saints are being celebrated.
It was raining a little harder so I went back to the hotel for a little rest, then headed back to St Gatien cathedral (I think this is the first one not named Notre Dame). Then to Mass in a small museum chapel. I remembered to take my tablet and some photos. Here's the Tours cathedral.
Woke up this morning in Tours. (That's a city in France.) I went to the cathedral, and it's like I've been here before. They've definitely got a Gothic cathedral. Huge, impressive, and some very nice stained glass. Most of these windows tell a story, and there are nice explanations with diagrams about every windows. For instance, there is St. Martin's window, (Martin of Tours, of course) and there in pictures is the story of his life; his meeting the beggar and giving him half his cloak, his becoming a catecumen and being baptized, his temptations with the devil, etc. They are quite amazing.
Of course, being in Tours, I had to visit St Martin's basilica itself. It's definitely not a gothic church, but a small 19th century edifice - the gothic basilica having gone to ruin (though it must have been huge) and destroyed. But they found St Martin's tomb (approachable in the crypt) and located the altar directly above his tomb once again.
Again an amazing town, with remains of the old city walls and other historic sites, and not enough time to explore. I was even going to go to the fine arts museum (on recommendation) but it wasn't open on this holiday, as weren't most of the stores. The museum did have one of the biggest trees I've ever seen growing in front - a Cedar of Lebanon, planted in 1804! Not really tall, a mere100 feet, but so wide, more than110 feet in diameter, the lower limbs need to be propped up. The trunk more than 25 feet in circumference. Amazing! The things one finds when not looking.
