History of a stained glass window
History of a Stained Glass....Travel
Two days before confinement I received an order for the manufacture of a stained glass window; the subject...St Jacques de Compostela. On my first day of work I realized that I was probably the only person making the way to St Jacques in confinement.
Hoping to offer a little freedom in these complicated times, I proposed to the association which ordered the stained glass window to write small true stories which coincide with the stages of manufacture of my stained glass window. I offer you from Monday to publish once a day our joint efforts to brighten up your days!
These Stories can be found on my website www.vitrail-stecolombe.fr or my facebook page Vitrail Ste Colombe
Stephanie Ailloud / Stained Glass Ste Colombe
Association Step by Step
2144 route de Marennes 38200 Villette de Vienne
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela
The backpack.
Good day despite the cold and the rain.
Fulfill a teenage dream, go on an adventure for several months, alone and on foot to reach distant Galicia to contemplate under the stars of Compostela, the mythical cathedral where Saint James awaits, in complete peace of mind, all those who him, put on the ''habit of the pilgrim''.
Three months of walking, more than 1,600 km, it takes preparation!
Of course, there is no shortage of “good advice”, both in books and in person, fortunately because there is the imperative need to precisely organize your backpack so that all the essential “essential equipment” At
pilgrim can fit inside this minimum space.
After a short 10 km walk, barely half a step, the notion of “essential equipment” turns out to be very subjective!
Total disillusionment, reality sets in, the notion of the weight of the backpack largely takes precedence over that of the volume transported.
At my expense, this first day of walking, I understood that a ''meticulously arranged'' backpack allows me to store a multitude of ''essential things''...which for my part I left in the gite where I spent my first night as a pilgrim..
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela
Episode 2: Montfaucon en Velay
Pilgrim's equipment.
Leaving on August 15th from home, near Vienna, determined to respect to the letter and at all costs, the meticulously studied walking program, to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on a well-determined date.
Very quickly, you will see, Life on the Way forced me to admit that what is alive cannot be locked up in the rigidity of a program, no matter how precisely it was calculated.
On the path, although well marked, it only takes a minute of non-presence to miss the blue and yellow shell which indicates where to go, and presto, here is the lost walker!
So to waste no more time, the compromises are going well; abandon the GR and its beacons which play hide and seek with the walker, to walk on the tarmac…burning under the August sun, avoid the center of the villages…and its shops, ignore the inhabitants who only think of chatting etc…
Inevitably at some point the gourd is dry, plus a drop of water for miles, the same for the food bag, except for a large packet of dried prunes.
So the first fountain encountered is welcome, so much the worse for the sign ''water not drinkable''.
The next day, Sunday, no luck, not a single trade to restock, so prunes morning noon and evening. Hey, believe my experience, it's true, prunes unclog the pipes!
The result is a lot, a lot of wasted time…behind the bushes.
Despite that, here I am in the town of Puy en Velay…almost on time and “if tomorrow I leave at daybreak I would have caught up on my ''delay'', and so much the worse for the pilgrim mass” .
Yes, but… not a single credential left. (The pilgrim's passport, really very useful for sleeping in Spanish lodgings) So quickly I run all over the city to find one, lost, no chance before September 7, in a 12th day!
At this moment I understand that my entire program is to be rebuilt. For fear of not getting there and as a good hiker, I had calculated the ''essential to take'' equipment so well that I had forgotten about it, the Essentials, the right equipment for the pilgrim.
A hat, a ''bag'' (rucksack), a bumblebee (the pilgrim's staff) and…a credential!
As for the Mass for the pilgrims departing from Le Puy, I will talk about it later, without this very particular moment when the bishop takes the time to individually greet each pilgrim leaving for Santiago de Compostela, I am not sure that I would have found the necessary strength to last until the end of my pilgrimage.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela
Part 3
The Puy en Velay Cathedral Mission
The cathedral of Le Puy en Velay is the starting point of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela opened by Godescalc, bishop of Le Puy, in the year 950.
Today, this mythical place is still the favorite of walkers to follow in the footsteps of thousands of pilgrims who, since the Middle Ages, have undertaken the long Way that leads to Compostela.
It is the traditional meeting place for walkers, who, depending on their religious convictions, attend or not the famous and so special pilgrim mass.
At the end of it the bishop offers those who wish to take at random from a basket, a folded paper containing a wish, a prayer, a wish written by a stranger, and to take to St Jacques.
Thus, as since the Middle Ages, those who find themselves unable to walk can complete the pilgrimage by benefiting from the legs of those who agree to carry their message to St Jacques.
This request may seem simple like that, but it is precious because we have a duty to carry this wish to the end of the road.
Precious because each time we encounter a difficulty, that we may regret having come, that we are tempted to give up, this mission helps us to hold on.
Indeed, we are carried by an Energy, that of Commitment to the writer of the message, which allows us to find the inner strength, the courage to continue until the end!
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela
Episode 4 Le Puy en Velay.
"The Beacon Game"
The Way of Compostela can be experienced on foot, by bike, with a donkey, a "cart", alone, in pairs, in groups...
This pilgrimage, we were 20 to live it together.
We walked while playing at spotting beacons like children would have played at discovering well-hidden treasures!
What purpose ?
Do not take the wrong path!
If after 1 km or about 15 min I no longer see a beacon, it means that I am lost, and that I lacked “Presence”.
1km of error in one direction is 1km more to return to the last beacon spotted! So it's a question of not being "absent" too often when our only legs carry us...
In short, as a group, we play: the first of us who finds a beacon scores 1 point!
It is therefore necessary to locate the strategic places where they have been placed, and to raise your hand and say “seen!”, more quickly than the others!
Very quickly mutual aid turns to those who at first have a little trouble finding the famous shell. So it's not uncommon to see one of us "innocently" taking forever to retie his shoe, right next to the oak tree whose leaves hide the beacon!
We arrived in St Privat d'Allier, happy with this collective game, which “opened our eyes”.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela
Episode 5: “The ringing backpack”. Saugues.
During the very last km of my pilgrimage alone on the Way of St Jacques, the idea came to my mind to organize for a group of about twenty walkers, this so rewarding journey to Compostela.
Walk 200 km, a fortnight a year to experience the life of a nomad, free from the concerns of everyday life, thinking only of walking as precisely as possible.
Sleep in tents or under the stars, wash in the water of the streams, cook the collective meal once you arrive at the camp site, celebrate the day of walking, etc...
To make this great adventure and self-transcendence "playable", a van is used to transport tents and all the equipment necessary for camp life.
In order to avoid setbacks linked to the consumption of ''undrinkable'' water (CF episode 2) a meeting point for the van is fixed every day in the middle of the stage.
It was during this moment that, around 1 p.m., 2 walkers appeared, crushed by the sun as much as by the weight of their backpacks.
"- We can't take it anymore, we've spotted you for a few days, your stages are like ours, can you take our backpacks in your van until the arrival of today's? »
“- OK keep the essentials for walking and put your bags on the passenger seat, I'll drop them off at your accommodation later. »
A few hours later, after the group had passed, I got behind the wheel to take the vehicle to camp when suddenly…..one of the backpacks on the passenger seat started ringing! ? !
Wait, barely stopped it starts ringing again, and again and again!
Disaster, one of the walkers must have forgotten his phone in his bag.
What to do, open the bag to take the call? I take the risk.
Stupor, not only has the walker forgotten his phone but there is also his wallet in his bag. I answer, it was the owner of one of the backpacks who called to say that they had arrived safely at the lodge, without too much effort, and that thanks to this quiet half-step they felt ready to resume the trail the next morning and that… no, he hadn't forgotten his phone or his wallet but had followed the advice to only keep the essentials he needed for walking!
Thank you to this pilgrim, whom I did not know, for the total confidence he showed by entrusting his backpack, in which he left his greatest privacy, but also for what he taught me: When it comes to mutual aid, it is better to wait to be asked rather than rush to “want to help”.
If I had succumbed, I would no doubt have felt responsible for having perhaps added a problem on top of their crushing fatigue, by having somehow deprived them of such and of a wallet of which they would have might need on the way.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela
Episode 6. The Rock.
The response of local residents to the call of pilgrims in difficulty.
Leaving as a group, we decided to camp so as not to “invade” the lodgings, so essential to the solitary Pilgrim.
All the bivouacs have been spotted beforehand: a perfect program!
Yes but here we are, we have a surprise guest…….. The rain!
A small week that we walk, … eat, … put up the tents, … sleep, … take down the tents, walk, etc… ……… in the rain or even the storm.
Some evenings we even ate in our tents.
Obviously nothing more dry. In the morning, putting on socks and soaked shoes from the day before is not the most pleasant!
Come on, I decide to walk in sandals, without socks, at least they won't get wet. After a few kilometers, my fear of no longer having the security of walking shoes and socks disappears, my body relaxes. Like what, fears are in the head, not in the feet!
No matter how hard I try to accept what is, to walk with my “friend” the rain, morale is starting to fail, it is not looking good.
It was then that after some research by some of us, the inhabitants agreed to lend us their barn, which was nevertheless full of bales of straw; there is a risk but they take it.
Obviously we cook outside, straw obliges!
And we will finally eat and sleep…….. dry!
What happiness!
Here we are like children playing, singing, dancing in this hay that smells of comfort.
Our clothes are going to dry overnight, and our duvets on the floor, next to each other, like in a dormitory, represent an unexpected scene to say the least!
Everyone falls asleep after a huge THANK YOU addressed to these people who saw us arrive soaked as soup, opened their barn to us in full awareness of the risk they were taking, and offered to spend a wonderful night!
Experience of a pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 7. Conches.
monastic life.
After about 150 km of walking and finding the right rhythm, 6 days of walking and 1 day of rest/partying, the roofs of the magnificent abbey of Conques are revealed to our eyes, just below us.
A day and a half and two nights to experience the life of the Premonstratensian monks who are guardians and ''Hospitallers''* of the Abbey of Conques.
Warm welcome then visit of the dormitories, huge, and single-sex, men on one side and women on the other with three-storey beds.
Meal prepared by the monks, served in the refectory with the participation of the walkers, then presentation of monastic life at the Abbey of Conques with invitation to participate in the various religious services and other moments when the Premonstratensians share their passion with the walkers, music , history of the place etc. and a special moment in the refectory to learn the song of the pilgrims en route to Compostela: Ultreïa!
Unforgettable moment so much these men who, in spite of the rigor of their monastic life, have radiant heads like suns.
Since then, not an opportunity has been missed to join in heart and in mind this brief stay at the Ste Foy de Conques abbey, joyfully singing “the pilgrims' song” “Always further, always higher…” Ultreïa!
* Hospitallers are, today, volunteers who welcome pilgrims in the lodges for which they are responsible.
To be continued, Episode n° 8: The song of the pilgrims of Compostela.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 8. Departing from Conques.
“Ultreia” The Song of the Compostela Pilgrims.
Every morning we take the Way.
Every morning we go further.
Day after day the road calls us,
It is the Voice of Compostela.
Chorus :
Ultreia, Ultreia, e sus eia, deus ad juva nos.
Path of dirt and Path of faith,
Millennial way of Europe
Charlemagne's Milky Way,
It is the Path of all Backgammons.
Chorus
And all over there at the end of the continent,
Sir Jacques is waiting for us,
Since always her fixed smile,
The sun that dies in Finistère.
Repeat chorus.
https://youtu.be/0IZJiFhDgTs by JC Benazet. (Author composer of the song)
Experience of a pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 9: Bivouac at the inhabitant.
On a football field, in a meadow with a private individual or a farmer, on municipal land; it is there that each evening we set up our camp for about twenty pilgrims.
That evening it was Marie Thérèse who welcomed us into her courtyard and adjacent land.
We are not yet installed that big black clouds arrive on our heads!
We begin to put a tarpaulin above the ''kitchen corner'' trailer, tarpaulin held in turn by 4 pilgrims, well soaked, to allow the cooks on duty that evening to prepare the meal for the group.
Marie Thérèse, concerned about our comfort, opens her house to us:
WC, shower, and garage where we install the tables for the meal.
Do we take the measure of the welcome of Marie Thérèse?
Are we sufficiently present to respect the places?
What beautiful traces will we leave?
These are questions that the pilgrim has a duty to ask.
It also has a duty to act in this direction.
The next day, storage, group photo for Marie Thérèse and departure for the Hermitage.
Marie Thérèse and one of her friends accompany us.
After 2 hours of walking together we arrive at the top of a hill on
the site of a Hermitage comprising several buildings with a chapel
whose Romanesque apse dedicated to St Jean has been completely restored. Damage ! It's locked!
But… on the Way anything can happen…
Surprise ! Marie Thérèse came with the key. She opens the door and those who wish can enter.
Thanks to Marie Thérèse and thanks to this sacred place inclined to contemplation!
A few minutes of peace, prayers, songs and we are ready to continue our pilgrimage.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 9. Cahors.
The mirror of the two euros.
That day, in Cahors, our group of 20 pilgrims were offered a particularly “delicate” mission.
Each of us has a 2 euro coin.
This amount is to be used as we see fit, in one or more instalments, without leaving a penny left, and without adding a single one either!
We have before our eyes that “what is simple is far from easy”!
We were free to wander around Cahors for a whole afternoon to find out where, what, to whom, this little coin was going to be dedicated.
This "exercise" had the effect of a mirror, allowing us to realize that with these two euros (or in any other situation in our daily life), we could just as well be, driven by a desire, as , listening to a need, or ready to embody a gesture of solidarity towards someone.
Experience of a pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 11: Presence at the places and the inhabitants along the Way.
Hamlet of Pèleven (A little before Miradoux)
Very high heat, the hour of the "snack" is approaching!
We arrive near a well-shaded washhouse in a hamlet along the Way.
The place is adopted without having anything to say, the picnics come out of the bags! Pleasure !
A nearby house, twenty meters away with a small window overlooking the wash house… I decide to go knock on the door and greet a man in his sixties to whom I tell of our wish to stay there in this beautiful place, the time of lunch if it does not bother …
- " Carefree ! … »
We finish our picnic and what do we see?
Our man arrives with a steaming coffee pot, sugar and cups for all!
Gosh, what a great surprise! We chat for a while while drinking coffee and when we leave, our host asks us to pray for him in Santiago de Compostela.
Everything is clean, not the slightest trace of our passage so we can leave this magnificent place, ready to welcome other pilgrims, our hearts filled by this beautiful sharing, and thanking Life for allowing us such beautiful encounters..
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 12. Area on the Adour.
“Hijacking of pilgrims”.
It was in oppressive heat that I arrived at the stage that day.
The feet on fire, the water bottle dry, the backpack... stuck to the back with sweat. In short, I was slammed.
Suddenly, a well-dressed, “fresh” man approaches and offers a glass of iced mint to share with 3 other pilgrims who arrived shortly before.
“-Olala yes with great pleasure! »
We exchange on the experience of our day, and this Mr “advises” us very strongly not to follow the topo-guide for the next stage, and recommends us with insistence to follow “his” itinerary, to “avoid us crazy km ". How “lucky” to have come across him!
So, despite my solo pilgrimage, I accept the appointment at 6:00 am in front of the church, fixed with the 3 other pilgrims, to leave together the next morning.
A Canadian with sore feet, a Swiss “who has seen others”, and a German like Stephy Graff, this is the little improvised group with which I embark on this (mis)adventure.
While respecting the instructions given to us the day before, we left aside the beacon which told us to turn right. With in my heart, a little twinge. As if I had been “unfaithful” to him. I will find out later that it was actually a hunch that something was not going to be “right”.
We advance according to the rhythm of “Mlle Graff”: Full throttle!
Very quickly, she can't stand this group of “snails” anymore, and lets us down, to accomplish her double daily stage, ie 50km!
Shortly after, we lose the Canadian who tells us that he is going to hitchhike!
And yes, hitchhiking because we have been on tarmac since the start, and will be until the finish!
So now I'm alone with Switzerland, which stops every hour for a 5-minute break. Magnificent teaching, which I have never forgotten to embody since!
We persist in following the “alternative itinerary” to the letter since, in any case, we no longer know where we are.
And then we discover the reason for this insistence on “taking us through there”: Here we are in front of a farm totally outside the GR, but determined to “intercept” the “lost” pilgrims since we are immediately welcomed by a salesman who offers us the products of his farm and says to us: -“-so it is the hospital of Aire sur l'Adour who sends you?! »
Like what, even on this Path, there are "pilgrim traps", and that the surest way not to "be misled" is still to follow... the beacons, and our intuitions!
Experience of a pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 13. Arzacq Arraziguet.
“The Donativo. »
I start the day after a “sound and light” night in a well-filled gîte: repeated lighting for the toilets, and an incessant concert of “trumpets!”
Eyes as heavy as shoes, today's stage seems long…and it's terribly hot. To top it off, I'm out of water and the only open bakery only offers cheese sandwiches…
I hate cheese...
After the eyes and the feet, my heart becomes terribly heavy...
However, in a burst of dignity I straighten my body, raise my head, and there, oh miracle, I see a very small sign: “Pilgrim friends, welcome! ".
I walk into an adorable, immaculate grassy space on the edge of a small house and am amazed to discover two chairs, a folding picnic table on which there is a cooler full of bottles of mint water, strawberry and next to it, a splendid nutella roll!!!!
I also see a piggy bank in the shape of a pig, and this indication: “Donativo*”.
2 German pilgrims who were there, get up, slip a few coins into the piggy bank and resume their Way.
I savor and thank with a note in the guestbook made available, those who, in all discretion, in all confidence (no camera, no lock, no vigils, no vicious dogs) have transformed the stage that I do not hadn't started very well in a moment of grace!
I resume the Way, singing at the top of my lungs “Ultreia! »
*Donativo: Free participation in costs, which allows subsequent pilgrims to benefit in turn from an overnight stay, a meal, a drink, on the same principle.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 14. Orthez.
When the credential opens the doors.
That day, we had to set up our camp on land loaned by a municipality.
But strings were falling, the storm was roaring, the wind was roaring.
And we learn that the land is completely flooded by the Gave de Pau.
The question “where to spend the night?” therefore imposed itself on us.
We call the town hall of the town where we are at the moment to ask if we can borrow a gymnasium for the night: “-No”; a multipurpose room: “No”; the courtyard of a school: “-No”.
Nothing… Hopeless.
So I telephone, in the pouring rain, to the village presbytery.
I barely hear the answering voice and I explain our situation: “- We are 20 pilgrims, provided with our credentials.
We are looking for a refuge to spend the night under cover. The municipality cannot accommodate us. Can you help us ?".
I have trouble hearing my interlocutor in this tumult of lightning, thunder and storm. But phew, relief, he replies: “-I don't know who you are, but yes, come!”.
Triple surprise for all of us:
We are welcomed at the presbytery: by a woman, pastor, of color!
She offers us a large room, heated, with kitchen area and sanitary facilities!
We live with her a magnificent evening of Sharing, the Heart filled with immense gratitude for this being who so spontaneously opened his doors, without fear, and without expecting anything in return.
The next morning, we leave, with the sun, the stamp of the presbytery on our passports, and singing "Ultreia", the Song of the Pilgrims that we had heard for the 1st time in the abbey of Conques and which was now going to energize us. to Santiago... and even after!
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 15. St Jean Pied de Port.
“Way open to everyone, absolutely everyone. »
That day, I arrive at St Jean Pied de Port.
I had met on the Way, pilgrims of all origins, of all ages (the youngest being 21 years old and the wisest 90).
Such a large panel of Walkers that I thought I had “seen it all”.
But the most surprising of all the pilgrims I have met, was sitting in the hall of the lodge. A bright smile like the sun.
He immediately and very spontaneously started the conversation…in English, since he was from Australia and didn't speak French.
We decided to meet in the evening around a paella on the terrace.
And there he speaks. A lot. I listen, and I understand a few sentences, a few words. In particular those that he repeats very often: "i'm strong". (I am strong).
I gladly agree when I discover that he accomplishes each of his stages while carrying 2 backpacks, each weighing 20 kg!
One front, one back!
The Path is therefore also open to the very strong!
But not only.
Yes, because this young man of 29 years was not “only” “strong”.
And that, I had discovered from the moment he got up, in the hall of the lodge to offer the solitary and unknown pilgrim that I was for him, his warmest welcome.
I had even imagined that he was the hospital of the lodge!
However, the next moment I saw something totally incredible in a pilgrim:
He was one-legged, and walked with two crutches to replace his leg torn off by a truck four years earlier.
He radiated such inner strength that he transmitted it through his enthusiasm, his joie de vivre, his happiness at being there, on this Path, detaching each word so that I could clearly hear: “Here - i-am! ". (I am the !)
Nobody “does Compostela”.
But we can all BE a pilgrim on this Path.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 16. Huntto
La Cordée
Walking as precisely as possible, yes! But not
always easy. It can be hard sometimes... At the start of a long course with a steep slope and a significant drop, strength and courage are not lacking today.
Faced with the difficulty of this ascent, we are all
positioned behind the leader, following in his footsteps.
Not roped, no! But connected to each other by the energy of the group.
We climb in silence and the right rhythm.
Our steps seem fair and aligned with everyone's walk.
The presence that we grant at all times, to ourselves, to others, to the nature that surrounds us, generates a beautiful harmony and a beautiful group spirit.
Under the scorching sun of August and despite the shade of the undergrowth, thirst and fatigue are felt. The need to take breaks is essential and allows you to stay motivated.
Mutual aid is organized, the most efficient accompany the less efficient, the goal being to arrive together.
We continue our walk in rope, always in the effort to climb even higher. The strength of the group makes it possible to surpass oneself.
Arrived at the top, we stop for a snack and take advantage of this break to appreciate the magnificent view of the valley, before resuming the path in solidarity.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 17. Logrono
“Mutual Aid and the Bumblebee”.
Logroño, October 30, I am forced to temporarily interrupt my pilgrimage for administrative reasons! So, bus to Hendaye then train to Vienna.
Around noon on November 5, arrived at the Hendaye SNCF station, I took the "Hendaye – Estella" bus (Spain) to reach the Irun bus station located about 2 km away on the Spanish side.
Arrived at the bus station I look for where is the bus for Logroño, I locate it but in this moment ….
Horror, I no longer have ''my'' Bumblebee, I forgot it on Estella's bus!
At a run, I go back to the bus stop but there, catastrophe he is already gone! Panicked, I try to ask how to reach the Estella bus driver by phone, but I don't speak the local language well enough to be understood, so quickly, I walk back to Hendaye SNCF station and I explain my dismay to the station master, who speaks fluent Spanish.
He immediately perceives the importance of this object which looks like a simple wooden stick but which is the inseparable friend of the pilgrim.
At this moment I have this feeling that he triggers a real chain of solidarity to help a pilgrim in great difficulty.
Very long minutes later, and after countless phone calls his face lights up, he speaks with the boss of the bus company who was finally able to reach the driver of the bus in which my drone stayed. He has returned to Hendaye for lunch and is waiting for me with a jovial smile, in the parking lot in front of the station.
" Ultreïa! Thank you station master Thank you driver, THANK YOU LIFE for helping me find my faithful Companion of the Way, the Pilgrim's Bumblebee.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode n° 18 Castrojériz.
“The experience of the beggar pilgrim”.
After 1,200 km of walking alone, including 350 on the ''Camino francès'' in Spain, I am beginning to familiarize myself with the language of the country and no longer hesitate to strike up small conversations with Spanish pilgrims.
Thanks to one of them, who was on his 3rd pilgrimage, St Jean pied de Port Santiago, and with whom I had been walking for a few days, I was able to discover a totally unsuspected aspect of what can be, for residents of the Camino*, a pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
With a mischievous smile, my companion on the Way and “advisor” in communication, tells me that it is time to move on from learning the Spanish language to experimenting in the field.
“As it's almost noon, you're going to ring the doorbell of a house to…ask for something to eat. »
Amazement! After many procrastinations ... to hide from a test that seemed impossible to me, my companion stops, puts down his backpack, looks me straight in the eye, with Strength, Tenderness and determination .... he vigorously shakes the bell located at the entrance to a beautiful property.
“Hello pilgrims, do you need anything? »
Complete panic, I greet the owner of the place but not a word comes to explain the reason for our call.
Without a doubt this man understands my discomfort, looking at my companion's playful face, he questions him… then, both of them start laughing happily.
"Ha, you have an empty stomach, wait, I'm making you a bocadillo*"
What to eat for 2 days!
The most amazing thing is to see how much this man takes pleasure in offering us this meal, as if for him our request for Help was a real gift from Heaven.
We resume the Path to, a little further, savor these delicious bocadillos, moment used by my partner to highlight:
“You see, every time you buy 'your little sandwiches' you deprive someone of a moment of happiness. »
It is clear that on this one, my Walking companion is right.
The next day while walking we discuss the event of the day before, from his point of view I am progressing but… “Today you manage on your own to ask for our meal! »
Around 1:00 p.m. at the exit of a hamlet, passing in front of a kind of shepherd's hut, we are both challenged by the delicious smell of barbecue which escapes from the chimney.
Before even putting down his backpack, my ''guide'' in the art of ''precisely begging'' exclaims “Whoa (hello in Spanish)… how good your place smells! »
Instantly, a small window opens, a man asks: “Hello pilgrims, have you already eaten? »
I answer no and I confirm, “Oh yes…, it really smells very very good this appetizing smell that comes out of your chimney! »
We are then invited to share the deer of four hunters who celebrate their success of the day.
Unforgettable moment when the wine flows freely and when we are considered, here again, as Missionaries of Heaven to transform a good meal of grilled meat on the fireplace into a joyful moment of celebration.
Camino*, Chemin de Compostelle.*Bocadillo, Sandwich in French.
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 20. Leon
"Leon's Jamon!" »
On this Way, pilgrims from all over the world: Canadians, Australians, Swiss, Americans, Germans, Poles, English, etc... etc...
Strangely, after our stopover in Léon, there was no need to hoist a tricolor so that both of us now heard as the other pilgrims approach: “ah here are the French!”
But how did they recognize us?
Maybe because of something sticking out of one of our backpacks... Something amazing, unusual, even unimaginable!
Tired of buying a bocadillo dice jamon every day, so hop crazy, in Léon, we buy...a whole ham, weighing 7 kg, the bone of which protrudes from the backpack!
This ham allowed us to open up to others, concretely by offering to share it with a few pilgrims, over a drink.
It was also an opportunity to exchange on what the Way offered us to Live, to discover about ourselves every day, as well as on the spirit conveyed by the Walkers who put their footsteps in that of thousands of others before them. .
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode 21. Ocebreo
“The strength of the group. »
I started the Camino de Compostela on foot, like many people, but life has meant that following a physical accident, I could no longer walk as before.
I had to consider the Way differently.
So, I accompanied the group in the stewardship car and I was able to go to the end while doing small portions on foot, at my own pace.
The strongest experience was this portion of the stage, which was close to my heart but… which climbed a lot!
Then, the group knowing that, decided to accompany me, even if it meant "wasting time" and shortening the planned stage.
And off we go.
I'm in the lead and the others follow, at my own pace.
After a few moments, quite naturally, without anything having been decided, silence ensues.
I feel this Silence and this Presence pushing me as one and the same person.
And, step by step, we rise.
Sometimes someone asks me if I don't need to stop (am I going too fast for them!?!), but no, I feel good, carried by the Solidarity of the group.
Everyone has certainly lived this experience in their own way, according to their story.
But I can tell you that if I arrived at this "summit" it is thanks to the Force of Mutual Aid and because each of us was at the Service of someone other than ourselves.
Experience of a pilgrim on his way to Compostela.
Episode: 22 The Camino Frances.
Ostabat, already 810 km of walking on the ''Via Podiensis'' now referenced: GR 65.
Even for the solitary pilgrim that I am, and of course, thanks to the particularity of this route, links between walkers are created over the km, gradually establishing a strong solidarity at the same time as a family spirit linking the pilgrims of today to those who since the Middle Ages have embarked on this Path.
Beautiful spirit put to the test upon arrival in this small town of Ostabat which, let us remember, is located at the crossroads of the Chemin du Puy en Velay, Vézelay and Paris, via, Tours.
In this place, the ''family'' of walkers grows, ''the usual'' is broken!
A new difficulty, of an emotional nature this time, suggests finding ''one'' new place among all these newcomers…them too imbued with ''habits'' specific to the path they have taken.
And then, barely a few tenths of a kilometer further, St Jean Pied de Port, the starting point for the Spanish Pilgrimage, a multitude of new walkers from all over the world set off in the direction of Santiago de Compostela.
Among all this noisy and agitated crowd, I spot a small group of young people, probably arrived from Latin America, feverishly taking the path in the direction of Roncesvalles.
More than 30 km of walking, 1000 meters of elevation to climb, terrible physical ordeal for a 1st stage!
Very quickly, I notice that with this group we walk at the same pace, so we often find ourselves in the lodges to …try to get some sleep!
Continuation of this episode tomorrow!
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Episode: 22 bis The Cathedral of Santiago.
Extremely difficult to sleep peacefully when they are there because every evening, this group parties until dawn!
Very very quickly I feel the annoyance grow from evening to evening, and despite multiple strategies to escape their presence, I find myself again and again in their festive company!
About 2/3 of the way through the Camino, as I begin to familiarize myself with the Spanish language, I decide to stop for a moment on the terrace of a bar to strike up a conversation with this young man, in casts from the ankle to the hip, who participates in the ''noisy'' evenings that systematically put me in a very bad mood.
Surprise, he is not Spanish but Puerto Rican, he is part of this group who came to perform the pilgrimage to Compostela, I understand that for them this step is really very important, that he slipped down the Col de Roncesvalles, his 1st stage, that he broke a tendon in his knee, and that he decided to postpone surgery to be able to reach the end of his pilgrimage…by coach!
Well, despite this information, the following evening, I can't resist the annoyance that even turns to anger, I persist in believing that nothing justifies this heckling that I ''judge'' really very disrespectful vis-à-vis other pilgrims who, like me, believe,… without the slightest awareness of being totally locked into a prejudice, that a ''real'' pilgrimage requires silence and austerity.
A disastrous error which permanently prohibits access to the experience of others and which seriously compromises mutual aid within the large family of pilgrims on the Way, to Compostela… or elsewhere.
800 km of walking polluted by this fear of succumbing to the call of the Festival.
Fortunately, as always, life and common sense eventually regain the upper hand, it was for me in the cathedral of Santiago during the mass at the arrival of the pilgrims to St Jacques.
Unforgettable moment as the eyes that open offer a magnificent shower of Light.
This beautiful November morning, as usual, I arrive early in the religious building and take my place just on the edge of the central aisle so as not to lose anything of this spectacular moment when the huge censer is operated.
Little by little faithful pilgrims and tourists are also taking their places.
Inside myself it's pretty much quiet, I've completed my pilgrimage but... I find myself annoyed by this old man that many walkers point to as the opportunist who uses the Camino to eat inexpensively and spend the winter warm in the pilgrims' lodges, and then, this other homeless person who spends his life ''turning in circles'' on the proud Way, press article in support, to have already walked as many km as to go around the world….
And then total disappointment, on the other side of the aisle, just at my level…..the group of Puerto Ricans settles down.
Curiously their behavior is different this morning, their face is radiant with peace and serenity, observing them I meet the gaze of one of them who smiles at me while looking at his wounded compatriot and there, ... I see and understand that they are not happy revelers who have come to have fun on the Camino for a while, but a group united like siblings who have ''carried'' one of them at arm's length to enable him to complete the pilgrimage of Compostela despite his inability to walk, I measure in this moment how crucial it was for them to play down this accident and to live the party every evening to launch towards the Sky a huge: "THANK YOU LIFE, I am still on the Way today today! »
In that moment all the sum of my successive annoyances evaporated, so now each time I'm annoyed I think back to this ''little miracle'' experienced at the end of my pilgrimage to St Jacques and in turn, I thank the LIFE that allowed me to last until the end of my pilgrimage.
ULTREIA!
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Last episode…FISTERRA.
“The end of a magnificent journey on the Way…”.
The sea, ……….. that's it, we've arrived! There is the joy of having reached our goal, but also… a certain twinge in the heart: it's over!
It is indeed the end of something… as well as the possibility of embodying the beginning of something else!
And the kilometers traveled on this Path can allow everyone to hear “where” they will be expected… afterwards!
According to tradition, the pilgrim who arrived in Fisterra burned his old clothes “his old skins” to put on new ones.
As this is now prohibited on site, we decide to postpone this moment until our return to France.
This is how each one in turn, in cathedral-like silence, we solemnly presented ourselves with our "old skin" in our hands, which we threw into a brazier where a blazing fire was burning, watching it burn until it at the end with respect.
For my part, I can say that when I found myself at the end of this Path, enriched by all these encounters with myself and with others, I felt the need to let go of the old, all these old habits , “these old skins”, to go towards the New.
Passage not so easy as that, once again it is necessary to accept, to lose the “security” of what one knows to take a step towards the unknown!
For others it was also a possibility of closing something by throwing into the flames "a part of themselves" that the Path had enlightened, raising their awareness that this "heritage" of so many habits repeated unceasingly and without the slightest discernment, was an obstacle to a Role, a Place, a Task that they had to accomplish individually or collectively.
In short, to finish today, without denying anything, to embody, tomorrow, step by step, the “To-come”!
The Experience of a Pilgrim on the Way to Compostela.
Many of you asked to see the finished work of St Jacques.
Here is the final picture!!
St Jacques is installed in the meeting room.
It is with pleasure and gratitude that I make you discover, at the same time, the final text of the association “De pas en pas…”.
The Way of Compostela.
At the very beginning of confinement, a stained glass professional, whom we had asked to create a book, offered our group of pilgrims the Heart filled with memories lived on this Way, to Share them on her site, by a small daily text, along with the development of his work.
His intuition was to allow those for whom confinement was going to possibly be a little difficult to live with, to "escape", to "travel", to "get some fresh air", to "go on a pilgrimage" while staying at home!
We had no hesitation: This was a mutual aid proposal, and even though none of us is a "writer", we "put down" on paper some of our moments strong, experienced individually or in groups.
This is how we once again "left" for Compostela, and brought to the surface moments of Joy, Sharing, Conviviality, Mutual Aid, experienced on this Way.
We even thought for a moment that these modest texts, coupled with photos of the evolution of stained glass, would have the sole purpose of supporting those who discover them. But we quickly realized that this joint work was a real ray of sunshine for us too!
So, for that, a huge THANK YOU to Mrs. Ailloud who allowed us to “go” again to Santiago, and perhaps “bring with us” former or future Jacquets”.
"Ultreia", always further, always higher!
The pilgrims of the association “De pas en pas…”.
https://www.facebook.com/Association-De-Pas-en-Pas-101469781551937/
