Flowers – Page 9 – Linda Scandore

Sincerely ~ Day 20 ~ April 26, 2014

Day 20, April 26
15 miles, 225 miles total
Altitude: 400 feet
Weather: partly cloudy & light rain 34-60F
Cahors
Joanna, from London joins me

Straight as an arrow could well described the rocky ancient Roman roads we traveled today. After five hours of straight road, dreary could also be said. What perfect setting for a pilgrim’s welcoming station, Foot Rest. We felt as though the volunteer had been waiting all day long for Joanna and I to arrive. He brightened up just like a hungry puppy greeting its mother.

Welcome

sometimes has a flat quality. This volunteer’s

Welcome

could not have been more sincere or more appreciated.

Misty Morning ~ Day 18 ~ April 24, 2014

Day 18, April 24
12 miles, 199 miles total
Altitude: 984 feet
Weather: partly cloudy 55-70F
Limogne-en-Quercy
Joanna, from London joins me

Walked through morning mist.

Jolly Green Giant ~ Day 17 ~ April 23, 2014

Day 17, April 23
19 miles, 187 miles total
Altitude: 488 feet
Weather: partly cloudy 55-74F
Cajarc
Joanna, from London joins me

Like Virginia, each day in spring nature makes dramatic changes. The trees are now washed in green leaves as though the Jolly Green Giant lives here.

Fields of newly plowed soil have furrows as heigh as 18 inches. The soil is so rich in color it looks like pools of melted milk chocolate. Crops surely thrive.

Joanna’s wisdom, “It takes as much time to get over pushing yourself at a fast pace as it does to walk at a leisurely pace.”

Cinq Senses ~ Day 14 ~ April 20, 2014

Day 14, April 20
0 miles, 137 miles total REST DAY#2
Altitude: 918 feet
Weather: cold and rainy 32-45F
Conques
Joanna, from London joins me

SIGHT
Wild flowers, stone walls, endless beauty, open expanses, old, very old buildings, pilgrims walking

HEARING
Massey Ferguson tractors in the field, Citroens down shifting up hill, donkeys braying, chickens clicking, church bells, rippling streams, French mass

TASTE
Rich wine, smoked duck, bread and butter, cool water, pastries, pastries, pastries

SMELL
Wood smoke in the air, lilacs in bloom, incense swung in church, my sweet sweat, fragrant manure, odoriferous feet

TOUCH
Morning sun on my left arm, the sting of wind and sun on my face, walking poles rocking in my palm, silk sleeping bag, ill fitting pillows

My friends and I snuck lunch into our convent room. I figured out how to turn on the radiator as it is cold and rainy. We tossed crumbs from our napkins out the window for fear of being found out and thrown out of our lodging. Like hiking in the woods, leave no trace behind.

String ~ Day 11 ~ April 17, 2014

Day 11, April 17
14 miles, 103 miles total
Altitude: 1,263 feet
Weather: warm and sunny 45-62F
Saint-Come d’Olt

Having done the Camino many times, a pilgrim said he once began walking from his home to the airport in Dublin as that was the only way over the Irish Sea.

I replied I began at Le Puy as that was the start of this particular route of The Way to Santiago.

The Irish pilgrim said that the Le Puy route actually begins in Geneva, which begins in Zurich, which really begins somewhere else. The Way is as long as string; however, how long is a piece of string?
.

Convent for the Night ~ Day 11 ~ April 17, 2014

Day 11, April 17
14 miles, 103 miles total
Altitude: 1,263 feet
Weather: warm and sunny 45-62F
Saint-Come d’Olt

Amazing! How much good fortune can one have? It even has a heated towel rack in the bathroom. Yes, those are my clothes on the line. Espace Angel Merci-Couvent de Malet. hhtp:/www.hotel-gite-aveyron.com