mosiac

hello

i am i the office of a man who owns the hotel we are staying at in ,osiac. he has bob marley playing on his co,puter. this day has been incredible: kathleen and i stayed in lazerate last night. it is an town built buy the count of toulouse in 1000 ad and settled mor in 1200; it is so well preerved, i think one of the most beautiful towns i have seen and perhaps even i,agined. kathleen and i went to dinner, came to our gi at about 8 pm to go to sleep. the couple we are sharing a room with show how they have moved our landry from a hanger in the room to hangers hanging outside, about 50 feet from the ground. great: it will dry the clothes: we go to bed, i think it will be quiet because we are at the edge of town, no, we are all laying in bed, lights out, quiet. dogs start barking, one howling. then the snoring starts. sometime later a bunch of motor cycles come into town:  people staying here come home. what is it? 12? 2? i have no idea.

we get up at 6 to walk early and avoid the heat: good walk for five h ours and then kathleen starts to hurt. she has had trouble for 10 days with her feet and now leg. today is bad enough we hitch a ride for the last 5km; she is going to the dr tomorrow. we will know ,ore then.

in the meanti,e we are at a 2 star hotel, and just had the best diner i have had in france; ever: before dinner we walked about town. there is a holiday today, maybe graduation, maybe pentecost, maybe both. we saw a parade with vintage cars, tubas playing, children holding banners. SO SIMPLE ND BEAUTIFL; oh, sorry about the caps, its dark in this office.

then, we walked into the local abbey and who was there but our guardians; annie and bernard. they are a couple who we have walked with, who make reservations for us in the gites and who are our friends: they live in paris: every time we say goodbye like we wont see them again and there they are: 

we arrived at the abbey in time for the 6 pm offices sang by 6 nuns. pure beautiful voices filling the cathedral. earlier this morning we stopped at a small chapel at the same time as three other women. one woman starting humming. then singing fully. the church was totally empty; except for the 4 of us , and her voice. i think i am the luckiest person. these are the times that make the steep hills and slippery stones seem like nothing.

a few quick thoughts- people love to talk to us about obama. not talk really, but say his name with a thumbs up. they say- yes we can! when we are walking up a steep grade: 

we have been walking past fields of poppies. unimaginable how Many poppies. lavendar is sprouting- not lavendar yet; but smells wonderful.

there is much more to say but really it is dark in here. now roy orbison is singing;`goodnight

sleep well

love`

mary

figeac

hi everyone
kathleen and i found a hotel in this town and are being tourists today. it is an old important town of the 11 c etc: now is a little trashy, with graffiti and young men hanging around, bored. i was here before and remember it as beautiful. this town seems to be at the edge of the mountains and perhaps tomorrow will begin to walk the stages that are less like this
W and this M. We sent home some things that are too heavy to carry in this heat.
there are ,any interesting peiople along the way and ways to walk: here are two examples. there is a woman who was born in mexico, now lives in switzerland: she is walking with her 7 year old son. they walk 20km at the most. the father meets them every two weeks and walks along. the boy has never had a tv etc and is very interested in the things he is seeing everyday. i think- how ,uch responsibility iit is to have him with her: i wish them well. today there was no room for them to stay, so they are staying with the nuns. another man walked with us fro, le puy. he teaches english at a university. he recited emily dickinson and shakespere while he walks, he loves english; helped with my french. he has a van that he stays in; so he walks; then hichhikes back to his van drives to the new spot and repeats the motion: he is finished now; in figeac:
the last charazcter is enrique- he is maybe 68; has bad feet, but loves the camino. so far he has taken a taxi most days: he is a flirt; a spaniard, knows everyone and everyone knows him.
last there is firmin. he is a young man from montreal. he is 18, oringinally from rwonda (???), wants to be a write plays when he is older, he is gathering material: i so wish i had read canterbury tales.
we will be rested tomorrow and ready for the next section.
i miss you all but especially jude and oscar; those sweet boys.
mary
sorry, i still cant figure out the photos. firmin told me, but no. and he is gone....

conques

kathleen and i are in conques. it is gorgeous. the whole town is a historical monument, dating from the 8th century. the church is the church of sainte foy, saint faith. it is romanesque apparently rebuilt in the 11 century. i just returned from the blessing of the pilgrims. kathleen and i are the only americans that we know of who are walking now. it feels like an honorable position: the other pilgrims are so helpful to us and watch out for us all the time. when i was to go up to the altar for my blessing tonight, a bunch of people were whispering - Mary, that's you; go.( now i can't find the exclamation point.) this is a big weekend in this region, they are moving the cows to the upper grasses so that calls for a celebration and it is the feast of the assumption so another reason to celebrate. this town is a tourist hot spot and because of the holidays it is full to the brim. Kathleen and i are staying in a beautiful huge abbey. we have to leave in the morning and many of our friends are staying to rest. we are sad to say goodbye. and we are worn out. it has been really hard walking these last three days. so humid and hot. and then there is the trail. it is rocky, slippery when wet(says the guide book) and STEEP. it is fun at first and then exausting. i have decided this way is very pretty, as was arles, and there aren't too many people. kathleen and i spend at least 4 hour a day walking separately. we have solitude. so all of that is good.
we are just tired. we need to walk 24 km tomorrow and then maybe we will find a hotel or someplace to spend a day with our feet up. we have gone 207 km so far.
here is what i have seen: poppies, cows of every color, some with really long horns, chickens of every shape and size, a crazy looking duck/turkey bird, buffalo, old old churches, hills with so may trees it looks like broccoli; a huge high pasture that didn't seem to end, endless sky above the pasture, snakes, wildflowers. I have heard birds; laughing people, cow bells, sheeps dogs barking far away, french, thunder; church bells. i feel so fortunate.
someone wants the computer now, so good night.
a happy tired pilgrim,
mary
i need to find someone to help me upload a photo or two. i think they are pretty: maybe this week.

finding my groove

hi again
i have a few corrections to make about yesterday's note:
first we have walked 6 days as of today: and today makes 125 km and maybe it isn't the other pilgrims keeping me from solitude. the last two days have been great, because i made sure to be by myself. the whining has stopped.
today was so much fun. we walked up a mountain so,e,ore across grazing lands and then down all afternoon on a steep, rocky, wooded path/ it is like dancing to be on those paths
goodbye again
love,
mary

hi
i have been looking every day for a computer and today_ voila, )notice i can speak french now)
kathleen and i have been walking for four days now;
we started on thursday we attended the mass for pilgrims with about 100 others. it shocked and disappointed me. i have been counting on solitude and space to reflect and i thought how will i find that. We started walking in the rain and cold in a line of pilgrims. i keep thinking no no no:
it rained all day, lightly and then really heavily at the end of the day: we were soaked and cold. we walked until 5 at night: -i went to dinner that night in sandals; wool socks; shorts, i was freezing: it rained as we walked to dinner: when we sat down we laughed; I don,t think i have ever been in public in sandals and socks but it felt perfect:
the next day it rained all day; really hard, but we were ready: it was fine: pretty actually: the other pilgrims who i wish weren,t here are really great: there are about 10 we see whose names we know and another 10 whose names we don,t know, the ones we know are primarily french: there are 4 from canada; 1 from holland; AND one of the woman had her birthday on the 15th too. i got two kisses from each of the men traveling with her:
i am having fun speaking french:
i am happy i listened to the pimsler tapes: i can say about 6 important sentances: they like talking with me to practice english: this is a great part of the walk,
yesterday was a long hard walk in the forests and mountains, but it was fun jumping around roots that looked like some huge replica of the nerve system in our bodies: we arrived in our town at 6:
today was the best day: for two reasons: i walked alone for about 4 hours and for part of that i had the solitude i was longing for: i walked on the aubrac plains with wild flowers; cows anf huge rocks: fabulous:
i am happy i am here: i have much to learn and this is the place to do it: yesterday i remembered a yoga instructor telling my class - it is impossible to catch your shadow; but if you turn from it; it will follow you; my shadow is my memory of Arles and my dreams of le puy: i will ttry to let them follow me, not lead,
by the wway, i have walked about 120 kms and am in Nasbinals: no blisters or problems,
thank you for working with me to understand my new key board:
i willl write again when i have a computer: and possibly show photos:
with love
mary

a new key board and so ,uch to say

hi everyone
i have had three beautiful days in paris: i love paris; in may; in the drizzle; in ,y gortex: lovely people; delicious food; beautiful buildings; everything:
kathleen is here; we take the train to le puy tomorrow; but today i saw the red and white belize outside of notre dame , on a pole of a stop sign, and i felt a warm familiar feeling of being home;
the belize are the marks that show the path. they are the marks that kathleen and i will spend our days following; like the three kings followed the star:
there is a path that begins in paris; these marks are for those pilgrims. i can,t wait for our marks!
{i want to read a study of key boards: i understand the letter placement; that is easy: but why is a ! the normal key and a . is a shift? in france: i think the french are too cool to use these ! but maybe not; maybe these ! go with holding hands and kissing passionately in public; and using butter on everything: i think i love the french too,)
ok, i need to go to sleep; i hope you are all happy and well:
love
mary/mom/nonna
kathleen and i went to notre dame today and there was a mass, we stayed, during the peace to your neighbor part; she said "peace, pilgrim", i laughed: i think that will be our mantra

Here we go again!

I am getting ready, doing last minute things -washing my old camino clothes, my sleeping bag, wearing my hiking boots everywhere but to bed, and dreaming about being on the way . Tomorrow I leave for Paris, on Tuesday Kathleen O'Connor joins me and we take the train to Le Puy to start our walk. 

The map above shows the major pilgrim routes to Santiago. In 2007 I started in Arles and walked to Santiago. This time my hope is to walk from Le Puy to Santiago and on to Finisterre. I say hope because I learned an important lesson the first time, -you never know what will happen.  That is the joy and terror of the walk. Really, terror is too strong. It's somewhere between surprise and shock. That is what I loved- realizing how little control I have over almost everything. What fun and what a relief.

Everyone asks me why go back to the SAME place?! I think there are two questions in that question.

First -why go back. I knew on the plane coming home in 2007 that I would go back as soon as I could. It is so beautiful, in every way. Being outside, seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting something new every day. Feeling the weather, good or bad. Being alive. I have to go back. Also, I realize how much more I have to learn.

And why the SAME place- I don't think it will be the same. I'm walking a little different route. I am walking in the spring with flowers and green fields, the last time was fall, with figs and golden fields. But most importantly, there will be a brand new set of pilgrims. It's the pilgrims that provide the character of the camino. The ones who give it flavor. It won't be the same at all. I think right now, there are people packing, checking train schedules, getting ready to walk. And as if by magic, we will all meet and perhaps become friends. (Or maybe we will annoy each other and we will look for ways to get away.) You just never know.

What I do know, is that as I walk, I will remember my first camino friends, because it was them who made the walk so lovely and it's because of them I want to go back.

It won't be long now.

Mary/mom

xoxo

PS. We have a full map this time! Thanks to my son-in-law, Benji for scanning it and helping me put it up here.