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Where Have All the Taylors Gone? Long Time Passing!
So we just abandoned you and the blog, didn’t we?!!!! I am sorry. It wasn’t until you were questioning if we were okay and where we were, that I realized I should have given you a “fair warning” that I was ceasing the writing. Actually nothing negative really “happened” to us. We got distracted by the fascinating pilgrims we met. We came into villages ready to prop our feet up on our packs for 30 minutes. Snooze even longer. Take a shower. Find an early dinner. ( THIS IS A HUGE task in Spain where the average dinner time is 10 PM.) Then we CRASHED to arise before sunrise( which occurred 2 minutes earlier every morning.) Dress in the exact same clothes we had on the day before. Have Cafe con Leche and a croissant. Use the restroom. Put on packs and begin following those yellow arrows. It is the journey that wraps around your heart and opens your mind. It is the simplicity of your life. Walk; eat; talk: be silent; sleep; dream; arise; walk. Let me tell you some highlights and in the subsequent blog posts I will try to answer some of your deeper questions. Such as:…
Read MoreAhh, Pilgrims Again!
What a GREAT day on the Camino de Santiago again! We were up and out of our lodging by 8 o’clock. The sun was just rising and there was a very heavy fog. We had on SmartWool and Puffer Vests but you could see our breath. Cafe con Leche and croissant for breakfast and we were on our way. The yellow arrows out of Porrino were a bit confusing. ( We had joined the Facebook Portuguese Camino site about six months ago. This complaint was constant. A free Portuguese Camino app was downloaded and it saved us brilliantly twice today. ). The scenery was breathtaking. The calla lilies were in full bloom. The fruit orchards were,also. I thought about Lent and that the light lengthens the days and makes things grow. That is significantly symbolic. The terrain was pretty easy. Our highest elevation climb was only 800 feet and it was a long but constant climb. Hardwood, pine and eucalyptus forests surrounded us often. We met and walked some distance with three different pilgrims today. Anna and Pelli are from Majorca. Another Anna was from Germany. All three were in their late twenties. It was their first Camino. Lovely and…
Read MoreYoga For The Soul/ Another Camino Adventure
If you have ever taken yoga then you know that it is a STRETCH. I mean you stretch in ways that you never ever thought of stretching. LATER you feel good. You are proud of yourself. But during the practice you are generally wondering how you got there and what you are doing? Those was our day on this “ Hop-Skip-Jump” Camino. Our 5:55 a.m. train left at 6:03. Our connecting train to Valenca left at 6:10. Do the numbers and it is easy to see that we missed the second train. We were able to board and connect to Valenca via another train. GREAT NEWS!!! This train was extremely nice but it stopped at every quaint, picturesque train station between the two destinations. It took us past the THUNDEROUS breaking waves of the Portuguese coastline. It, also, took us until 10:30 a.m. to arrive. Much, much, much too late to begin our 12 mile trek. To say that two A type personalities were stretched mightily is an understatement. It was the only sensible decision to prolong the beginning of the hike but we wrestled with it for a while Then we just realized that this is going to be…
Read MoreAdventure to “the Greatest City in the World”
Our home town is Newnan, Georgia. We are known as “ the City of Homes!” Porto, Portugal’s marketing slogan is “ Porto, the Greatest City in the World!” We might agree! We flew to Porto early morning. Ditched our packs at the hotel and ventured out in this lovely metropolis. Porto is a vast city but presents itself as a quaint town filled with delightful and enticing shops and alfresco dining extraordinaire. The train station was close and we secured our train tickets to the next train station at 5:55. A. M. At the next train station we will board a train to Valenca at 6:30 A.M. Remember that we lost an hour due to time zones coming here and you get a sense of the earliness of these excursions. (Looks like every thing is early this trip ) We then walked to Le Cathedral to purchase our pilgrim credentials. ( Photo posted). We met four Canadian perigrinos; exchanged names; routes to be taken; wished each other well and parted. Such is the life of the Camino. The weather was so pleasant and we walked the cobblestone streets; listened to the perpetual musicians entertaining;( Why doesn’t this happen in USA…
Read MoreLeaving for Porto, Portugal Tomorrow
One of the advantages of having family in Europe( BESIDES having cute and loving grandkids in our arms) is that we have adjusted to the time difference. We spent most of this week playing, swimming and making short excursions to historic places AND napping. ???? Tomorrow Ernest and I will board a 6:30 A.M. flight to Porto, Portugal. ( Might create a new jet lag for ourselves) We plan to check our packs at the hotel then purchase train tickets to Valencia for Monday morning. We will get our Camino creditials at the cathedral and then explore Porto for the day. The weather looks a little brisk for two Americans from the deep South but we have walked in every kind of weather from sleet to snow to rain to blazing heat on previous Caminos and we made it with joy. I am posting a map of the numerous Caminos. If you look at the western coastal area of Portugal you will find Porto and further north, Valencia where our actual hiking will start. This is Lent. Yes, we expect Christ everywhere. We can’t wait. Camino gives a comfortable silence This silence filled with Him might be our favorite treasure.…
Read MoreOur Very Short Camino Begins Soon
The photo posted is an indication that our packs that we regularly carry in training for Camino are “missing.” They are packed for this year’s small adventure to Santiago. Another year/ another opportunity to be with our European grandkids for the first week of Carnaval then off to Porto, Portugal for a six day hike. ( Talk about an abbreviated Camino!) We have trained all year and planned at least a two week hike but a new national adoption program born in America is being presented to the EU on March 19th and we will be there. We plan and hope upon retirement to head out on the Camino and get there when we get there. Until then, we grab snippets of the Way yearly. To YOU,wonderful people ,who follow and encourage us. Thank you! We will strive to glean much spiritually, relationally, and physically as we walk. It is “ a way” we wish we had discovered earlier but we rejoice that we found it OR it found us. The new things that I think we have learned in the last two Caminos are: 1, Use the best equipment you can afford. 2: Pack lighter than you are used…
Read MoreWhat Hurts the Ego Is Good For The Soul
We live in a small southern town in Georgia, USA. Our home is old for the South and we have a front and back hall. In the back hall, we hang our packs. We weight them and wear them when they train for trekking during the week. Above the packs, we made a sign that says “WHAT HURTS THE EGO IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL!” Yesterday our ego was humbled and our soul is better. We knew it would be hard as the distance and change in elevation would be difficult for us. We had breakfast and were on the Camino by 8:30. The rain was steady and temperature tolerable. Our Basque taxi driver had told us that this area of France and Spain had had an inordinate amount of rain and snow in the last month. What we “innocents” didn’t translate that too was….drastic flooding. Babbling brooks became torrential streams. Rivers became raging watercourses. The rain increased all day as the temperature dropped. The way became of increasing concern for safety. There were no villages to seek refuge. We continued for SIX hours of strenuous exercise. When we reached Roncesvalles Ernest began throwing up and was deeply chilled. After…
Read MoreLove is Not For Sissies
In Europe, the Olympics have centered so far on the Biothon. This is the event wherein varying distances and terrain the participants participate in cross country skiing and accuracy in shooting a rifle. They have short distance events; long distance events; team events. At the end of EVERY one of these competitions, the skiers fall on the snow totally eclipsed of energy. Got the picture. Shades of Jan and Ernest today after the trek. We are NOT complaining. We LOVE it but this is not for sissies. Eighty percent of the Day was spent in constant rain. Though the temperature remained in the 40’s and we dressed for that temperature. We climbed constantly the entire 8 miles. We climbed 1000 feet today. The exertion raised our body temperatures drastically. We were constantly shedding layers in the rain. The Basque region is much wealthier than the region of Galicia. The hospitality and congeniality is consistently gracious and kind in both regions. The terrain is absolutely stunning with steep emerald green pastures dotted with herds of wooly sheep. Littered fog remained over the Pyrenees. Basques homes are painted white with deep red or green trim. The color of their flag. They are…
Read MoreYou Make Your Plans And God Writes the Story
There is a saying explained to me in French that says something like,” You make your plans but God writes the story! “And so it is with us. We arrived in this picturesque village nestled snuggly against the Pyrenees not via bus but taxi. BUT, God always writes the story as a better adventure. We had a patriarch of the Basque culture as our driver. He gave us a historical account of the Basque people with great pride of the heritage. We arrived here with admiration and a better understanding of this ancient civilization that we will trek across. Our accommodations are quaint and lovely. We were able to get our Pilgrim’s passports and have lunch. We scouted the route out of town. This is a walled village. We took in the unique shops of herbs and spices; baskets of every size, shape, and color.; prayed in the Church. We discovered that we are called God Walkers here. They refer to where we stay as refuges. They tell us that the Camino is for our body and soul. We are LITERALLY humbled that our Father has given us the opportunity to do this. Now we are watching Pétanque on the…
Read MoreLet The Journey Begin
Tomorrow we begin. Of course, a beginning is just another step in a series of choices and circumstances made in life but marked by a significant signpost. Yellow arrows mark this path. We fly from Charleroi, Belgium to Biarritz, France. From Biarritz, we take a bus 24 miles to St. Jean de Port, France. Leaving St Jean on Monday we will venture into Spain and circumvent the Pyrenees over the next days. Napoleon and his army went over but this path is closed due to weather. We look forward to the villages along the pilgrimage. Finished our packs just now. The action is simplicity. We take what we need. Jewelry becomes items of necessities…ID bracelet; compass; hardy sports watch; pilgrim’s shell. Clothing is thought of in layers and its ability to be washed easily and dried quickly. We are physically prepared. This is a short walk this week. Our concerns radiate from terrain unknowns and weather conditions. But, that is part of the allure of the pilgrimage, being aware of our dependency, TOTAL dependency, on God. We wish you were with us so we could share the wonder. Perhaps these “breadcrumbs” will help you follow our walk. Jan and Ernest
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