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Je suis en France...

lovingkindness

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
.
Bonjour, mes amis.
...a note, a little update in serious times ….

For the past ten years I have been a walking pilgrim roaming the trails and byways of Europe and Israel, sharing glimpses of my experiences here, on the forum. It has been a wonderful period in life and although I have been almost in constant motion, all the while I have been connected to you, here, emotionally 'at home '. Thanks Ivar for providing this cosy space.

Lately, I have needed to pause due to things personal and the viral threat which concerns us all. A friend in Le Lot-et-Garonne district, France has extended to me an 'open door', a boult hole in times of need, a french maison situated on the end of an escarpment, isolated, surrounded by trees. This is where I'll be for the next little while, a house guest until all is well again in the world.

Je suis en France et le Coronovirus has arrived in the villages close by, villages on le Chemin de Saint Jacques: Lauzert, on le Voie du Puy and the village of Clairac, on a variant route of le Voie de Vézelay.

Life is closing in. Public transport has been reduced. Schools, commercial enterprises, cafés, bars and restaurants have all closed. The supermarkets are emptying of pasta and loo paper and people are queueing a meter apart at the local boulangerie when purchasing bread. The piano on which I have been practicing five times a week, passionately, to re-educate a damaged finger is now out of bounds. Not to be thwarted, though, I can still sing and play the flûte a bec and eat gourmet french dinners every day courtesy of my generous host. I can walk off the excess food in the afternoons meandering along deserted escarpments covered in woodlands, looking down to the villages below. I can listen to a polyphony of leaves and trees as birds nest and chortle in boughs and be thankful that I have time to reflect, to alter pace, to find a new way of walking and being with others even though I'd rather be alone.

… someone once asked on the forum , What comforted you? I rather liked the reply which @Pieces gave, it seems to resonate. The things which comforted her were:

'Tea, music & the knowledge that everything will pass.'

à plus
Lovingkindness





Cheers,
 
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I am glad you are safe in France. Having walked from Le Puy to Cahors last May, I am saddened by your comment that the virus is close by the route. I hope I misunderstood and you meant the response to the virus. I was hoping to return in May to complete the Le Puy, but obviously I cannot. I am also worried about France because the responses to the epidemic have stranded my son in the US where he awaits a visa so that he can return to France where his French wife and 3 children - age 5 and under - are currently. I wonder if he will be allowed to rejoin them. Take care. Be safe. Bon chemin.
 
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@lovingkindness - I live 100km north of you. I love Lauzert - it's a beautiful area and it was originally where we planned to live when we moved. I hope the spring sunshine is kind to us all and the restrictions will soon be just a memory ❤
Me, too. I house-sat in Lauzerte a few years ago then continued on my way to Jérusalem. There was a wonderful english couple who lived directly on the trail near by. They used to leave cherries and goodies by the back gate for passing pilgrims and sometimes invited one in for a cup of tea… Here we are having a bit of fun!

Me, Jim and the dog.... Lauzerte, 2013
10256093_10152142471593925_6214681352165338213_n.jpg
 
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Stay safe! Greetings from Santiago!
SY
Greetings to you, too, Sybille! I hope you're bearing up well… I had a funny thought today, remembering a certain ginger house cat that lived in your apartment in Prague. At twilight, the cat would go crazy doing zoomies arround the house. Sometimes here, where I am staying, a gorgeous ginger tomcat appears in the garden. He suns himself beneath a bush and spies on the humans as they zoom about the house coping with Lockdown. c'est drôle, n'est pas?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I am glad you are safe in France. Having walked from Le Puy to Cahors last May, I am saddened by your comment that the virus is close by the route. I hope I misunderstood and you meant the response to the virus. I was hoping to return in May to complete the Le Puy, but obviously I cannot. I am also worried about France because the responses to the epidemic have stranded my son in the US where he awaits a visa so that he can return to France where his French wife and 3 children - age 5 and under - are currently. I wonder if he will be allowed to rejoin them. Take care. Be safe. Bon chemin.
Hello @TaijiPilgrim, thank you. I thought about finding my way back to my mother's house in New Zealand -it's her 88th birthday tomorrow, but decided not to try. Breathing recycled air on the very long flights concerned me as did the thought that I might catch something nasty and pass it on to family and friends after I arrived.

How hard it must be for your son to be so far away from his wife and family, and for your daughter-in-law to be coping single-handed with three little children. Does she have family close by?

...and yes, sadly the virus has arrived very close to Lauzerte:

Bon courage,
Lovingkindness
 
Lovingkindnes,
May you continue to stay safe where you are in France throughout the pandemic.

Here in champagne Bill and I at 80 and 81 after a year of extreme illnesses are battening down. After closing our b&b and pilgrim house, stocking medicine and food for the next months we hope to go forward with courage and strength of will towards the inevitable.

Memories of successful past camimo efforts help me keep going.

May we all have the mental and physical strength to persevere.
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
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Je suis sur le Chemin
… I have grabbed a shell and walked out the door to the farthest reach of the garden. There, I am going to weave a trail, a labyrinthe of scallops which have been torn apart by the shucking knife, discarded near the midden. When I have found a resting place for each I will ‘surface’ again on the forum.

Bon courage mes amis ! All the best with Lockdown.
-Lovingkindness
 
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I am glad you are safe in France. Having walked from Le Puy to Cahors last May, I am saddened by your comment that the virus is close by the route. I hope I misunderstood and you meant the response to the virus. I was hoping to return in May to complete the Le Puy, but obviously I cannot. I am also worried about France because the responses to the epidemic have stranded my son in the US where he awaits a visa so that he can return to France where his French wife and 3 children - age 5 and under - are currently. I wonder if he will be allowed to rejoin them. Take care. Be safe. Bon chemin.
Bonne Chance. I too planned to do Cahors to SJJp this year.
 
Greetings to you, too, Sybille! I hope you're bearing up well… I had a funny thought today, remembering a certain ginger house cat that lived in your apartment in Prague. At twilight, the cat would go crazy doing zoomies arround the house. Sometimes here, where I am staying, a gorgeous ginger tomcat appears in the garden. He suns himself beneath a bush and spies on the humans as they zoom about the house coping with Lockdown. c'est drôle, n'est pas?

...Voilà, Caramel!IMG_6819 - Copie.JPG
 
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