The Way of Stars and Stones -- Thoughts on a pilgrimage

Second print!

2010-07-12T17:59:00.004+02:00

I just heard that The Way of Stars and Stones is going into its second print! Thanks to all the readers and responses and support! The magic of the Camino continues!...

A scene on the Way during summer...

Just a few more opinions of the book ...

2010-06-18T13:28:00.002+02:00

I have almost finished reading your book and as serendipity works, this year have had so many faces of the Camino shown to me. As in the books one chooses to read, there are always messages, lessons, reminders and indeed prompts to act, behave, do something in a particular way or in a given time frame. Your book in no different for me, even if it forces me to declutter the junk from my cupboards! Thanks for your words, and your appealing writing style -- C.C.

I so enjoyed your book. Knowing you and Terry made it so very special to be included in your thoughts. S.B.

"I keep wondering if I have stepped on a stone that you trod on, I admire you for walking during the winter months, a couple of cold wet days here is pas bon !!!! but I am enjoying every minute of my journey, I have you to thank xxx" C.E.

"Wat `n wonderbaarlike belewenis, die lees van die boek. Dit het vir my baie dinge in my eie gees laat oopgaan. baie dankie dat jy dit met ons gedeel het, dit was so `n vooreg om saammet jou die cmino te stap. Ek besef nou dat die verwerking van my seun se dood ook `n soort pelgrimstog is wat ek maar alleen stap en nie met ander kan deel nie. so nou en dan kom ek rakelings by iemand verby met wie ek iers kan deel. Baie dankie Wilna." -EB

Wow Wilna!!!!! wat 'n treffende boek !
Dankie tog dis naweek en ek kan sorgeloos klaar lees.
Elke aand as ek verder lees dan is ek so ge-inspireerd en wil sommer dadelik 'n epos stuur om te deel in hoe heerlik ek lees aan jou Way....Baie, baie dankie dat jy dit goed gedink het om jou gedagtes op skrif te stel. Ek geniet elke gedagte en is so bly om jou beter te leer ken daardeur. IA

The reason for trying to contact you is to report that I have finished reading 'The Way of Stars and Stones' and to say that I found it most interesting and enjoyable. I think that knowing the author made the experiences that you were describing so much more meaningful. Also having seen pilgrims making their way through Condom and the surrounding area means that we can picture people like some of those you met, although not in such extreme conditions as you sometimes described.
As I was reading the book at the same time of year as you had made your pilgrimage, I felt this also added to my experience as the story unfolded. It did take me a little less time to read it than your mammoth walk, even though I am a slow reader! I look forward to being able to hear at first hand a little more about some of the refugios, the range of characters you met, the deserted lands of northern Spain and the dogs and other animals you came across. JH

I think your book is wonderful and would love to talk with you about it one day. BL

Dear Wilna, Ordered and read your wonderful book twice, just in case I missed something first time.
Skipped the dog stories, though. Too heartbreaking.
When I was in S.A. in January I bought 5 copies to give to my sister and friends.
Skitterend! IM

A very special day! Thank you to each and every one of you!

2010-06-18T13:04:00.005+02:00

The moment we have been waiting for! Finally today I was able to pay in the first donation to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation
-- the first few months' royalties from The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage,

--- as well as the proceeds of my personal sales of of the book, the fees for my talks and interviews over the last few months, and the sales of my photographs and paintings

-- and I was so happy to pay the sum of $2,150.00
into the Cancer Research Foundation account at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia

This money represents YOUR contributions -- the money YOU spent on buying the book, buying the photos and paintings, coming to listen to me talk about the experience, making donations and supporting the project!

Buen Camino, Christine!

2010-05-13T23:17:00.002+02:00

Some months back I was privileged to be asked to talk to an interest group here in the Dordogne about my Camino experience. One person in the audience, Christine, felt inspired enough to let me know, very son after, that she was going to walk the Camino as well.

And today, with such pleasure, I spent a couple of hours with her, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of chatting with someone who is about to embark on a life-changing experience.

Christine is setting off on the 22 May -- her birthday -- and I know that this will truly be a day of birth for Christine!

Buen Camino, Christine! Hamba Kahle -- walk in peace, walk in joy, walk with the universe!

As I walk, as I walk
The universe is walking with me
In beauty it walks before me
In beauty it walks behind me
In beauty it walks below me
In beauty it walks above me
Beauty is on every side
As I walk, I walk with Beauty

Christine is an inveterate Girl Guide and taking her compass with her --- but my message to her is:

And I hope the summer crowds have not yet all descended on The Way!

Breaking news :: The Pope in Santiago

2010-03-06T23:05:00.000+01:00

Well, it is official. The Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict will visit Santiago this Xacobean Holy Year. His Holiness will be in Compostela on November 6th. Reportedly the date was fixed, with great care, on a date when such eminent visit will cause less upheaval. There had been rumours that the Pope might visit Santiago in July or August, but at such time the Youth Congress is expected to bring at least 50,000 young pilgrims to Santiago, and the logistics for such huge undertaking have been under preparation for some time; so, all in all, November seems to be a wonderful solution.

It has been announced that King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia will personally welcome the Pope to Santiago when he goes to the city on November 6th. It is also likely that Prince Felipe and Princess Leticia will also be in attendance.
While the King and Queen are well liked and enthusiastically received wherever they go in Spain, the Prince and princess of Asturias have star magnetism and have a huge and enthusiastic following all over the country.
So, it looks like Santiago will rock on November 6th.

And on Facebook ...

2010-02-28T13:29:00.001+01:00

Christopher Benoit
I walked the Camino 5 yrs back and reading your book was like walking it again - only better. It evoked all the intense moments and experiences and thoughts. And that you donate all proceeds to cancer research - that is so cool! Thanks!

In Die Volksblad

2010-02-27T11:22:00.000+01:00

Verskeie hoofstukke, soos die een oor klippe, en ’n ander oor bagasie, is netjies gestruktureerde essays.

Wilkinson vertel goed en beskryf uitstekend. Sy beeld die kosmopolitiese pelgrims met hul eiesoortige dialoog asof op ’n immerbewegende verhoog voor die leser uit. Daar is die mooiste natuurbeskrywings en die interessantste pelgrimslegendes. Rillingwekkend vertel sy hoe sy en Akira, ’n reisgenoot, die duiwel ontmoet het. Dan weer hoe die heilige Jakobus self haar gehelp het.

Stoffel Cilliers, vryskutresensent vir die Volksblad

From Tonight, entertainment guide, Independent News and Media

2010-02-27T11:16:00.003+01:00

READING MATTERS
Book review: The Way Of The Stars And Stones
November 26, 2009

By Kathleen Bartels

The Way Of The Stars And Stones: Thoughts On A Pilgrimage

by Wilna Wilkinson

Jacana R179

When a close friend on another continent is diagnosed with cancer, feelings of helplessness drive the author to seek out a challenge as daunting and overwhelming as the battle her friend is facing. She sets out on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known as The Way of St James, following an 800km pilgrimage route across the Pyrenees in northern Spain. Religious pilgrims have conquered it by foot (or perished trying) for more than 1 000 years.
Click here!

It is said every pilgrim carries some burden, and the Camino provides the ideal environment to find the answers within one's own heart and soul.

The night before she completes her two-month pilgrimage, the author receives the happy news that her friend has been declared cancer-free. There's nothing trite about it, though. Recommended. - Kathleen Bartels (A reprint from: Kathleen Bartels Reviews The Way of Stars and Stones by Wilna Wilkinson | BOOK SA - Reviews and also on Tweetmeme)

A stumbled-upon review -- on an Indian website!

2010-02-27T11:08:00.001+01:00

Book: The Way Of Stars And Stones: Thoughts On A Pilgrimage
Overlapping history with personal observation, this inspirational memoir shares the experience of one woman during the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostella, an ancient journey of more than 500 miles through northern Spain. Introduced to fellow pilgrims along the way and learning of their inspirational stories, this thoughtful work is filled with commonsense advice and spiritual guidance as the winter blusters around the travelers on their path. Emotionally confronting the reality of a loved one being diagnosed with incurable cancer, the author generously shares her experience of deep thought, light humor, physical challenge, and learning how to cope with helplessness on this pilgrimage of the spirit.

The Pick of the Page-Turners -- Pat Candido at The Herald

2010-02-25T18:33:00.001+01:00

2010-02-25T18:28:00.001+01:00

Seen in the Radio702 studios with Jenny Crwyss-Williams (I had just driven up from the bush and made the broadcast by the skin of my teeth and paint of my car bumper -- thought I was safe from being 'seen' on radio!)

In the footsteps of pilgrims . . .

2010-02-24T01:14:00.002+01:00

In an interview with Diane de Beer, Book Editor of the Pretoria News, way back in July 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting this delightful and talented woman, and telling her about a few of my experiences walking the Camino. However, it was only six months later that Diane got round to writing the review and article -- and it seems that sometimes it is worth waiting for something ...

This is what she wrote:

(Photograph by Nici Williams) * 22 Feb 2010
* Pretoria News
* DIANE DE BEER

IF SOMEONE had told me I would enjoy a book about walking the 850km of the Camino, the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostella across northern Spain, I would have argued. Yet once I started reading Wilna Wilkinson’s The Way of Stars and Stones, I was captivated.

It has a lot to do with Wilkinson’s telling of her story and the way she describes the thought-processes along the way as well as the many encounters she has with fascinating like-minded souls – all doing the journey for their own reasons and attacking the marathon route in different ways and with individual intensity.

Wilkinson, a 58-year-old mother of three, moved with her family to London from South Africa a few years ago. But the children are all grown-up now and she has moved to France where she runs her own little guest house, something she loves with her whole heart.

Her world was turned upside down when a very close friend was diagnosed with cancer. Not knowing how to battle someone else’s pain or how to help her friend, she decided to make the pilgrimage in her honour.

“It’s a journey on which you have to look after yourself, make it work for you,” she says.

“It’s about finding the resources to complete what you started out to do – both mentally and physically.

“From the moment you wake up in the morning until the time the sun goes down, you have to put one foot in front of another.”

Everyone does it for different reasons. Many hope to find the answers to all their questions, others hope it will be a life-changing experience. “And not many realise that you probably have everything inside you that you’re looking for,” says the wise soul who walked more than a month to find her own way.

If you’re wondering, or if you have a yearning to do your own Camino, Wilkinson is no exercise junkie and she wasn’t particularly fit before she tackled what seems daunting to many – 850 km in tough terrain.

One of the things she realised was that her decision to do it on her own was a wise one. One man told her that he had to send his wife home, because she had wanted to quit and he wanted to go on. Her negativity became so dragging that he told her to leave. Even friends find it tough to go at the same pace and with the same mindset.

What Wilkinson did was to make friends along the way. She hooked up with three angels and they would bump into one another every few days or so and spend the night at the same stopover.

She did the walk in winter because she struggles less with cold than with heat. There are much fewer participants in winter.

She was not the kind of person anyone would have expected to do the pilgrimage. Spiritual rather than religious, she wasn’t driven by any fervour and she’s not really the physical type. It was also the first time she had committed to something that took her out of her sphere of competence.

In London she had become quite a powerful motivational speaker. At present her life is about running a luxury guest house. Neither of these would have prepared her for the arduous journey ahead.

That is what makes this such an intriguing book. It could be any of us taking that impossible walk in the freezing cold with no way out.

“It’s all about how you approach it,” she believes.

She describes the pilgrimage as an incredibly empowering experience. Having walked the walk, she believes she can do anything.

She didn’t get blisters, but she developed tendonitis, which became very painful. This taught her about the power of the mind, the importance of breathing and of being in the here and now every step of the way.

“It’s not the most amazing people who make it,” she says. “I did it.” This, she believes, is because of the mind and not the body.

“When you’re climbing that mountain, don’t look up. Stop and look back to see what you have already done.”

That’s exactly what she used to do. The one thing she allowed herself to bring was a camera, and every 10-15 minutes she would snap away at the route she had covered.

Wilkinson feels lucky that she had a reasonably “easy” time. The effect it’s had on her life is that she no longer has time for nonsense.

She views walking the Camino as the most selfish thing she has done, giving herself 50 days of freedom to do the pilgrimage.

“It’s a long time away from all your responsibilities. But once there, selfishness disappears. It’s about reaching out and different talents being used to make things easier for others en route.”

Finally, the most valuable lessons were picked up along the way. “It wasn’t about the final destination, it was about every day.”

It’s an amazing read even if you would never undertake a pilgrimage of this kind. It shows how one person copes with a trauma in her own life and how she decides to conquer her fears.

It is not about the destination. It is about the journey...

2010-01-21T08:18:00.004+01:00

On many of the Camino forums, pilgrims are talking about offering to volunteer during the very busy Holy Year this year. As a result of these discussions, an old thorn in many a pilgrim's flesh has been exposed once again -- the debate as to who is really a pilgrim. In The Way of Stars and Stones I wrote about the Peregrinos and the Tourigrinos -- the 'true pilgrims' and the rest.

On one of the Camino forums, a pilgrim writes the following:
" As far as helping out in the Pilgrims' office for Compostela-granting purposes and such, I do not think that I could do it, particularly since someone mentioned that some pilgrims lie (about their intentions?) when they get a credential. I do not understand this at all.... what is the point of the pilgrimage then? How can one lie to oneself? But if this in fact happens for the purpose of getting a Compostela, might there not be another untruths about distances covered and means of locomotion, etc? With this in mind, I probably would not grant anything to anyone, so that sort of undertaking is definitely not for me."

Incredible, isn't it? That people will lie about how far they have walked? And yet, in my experience it happens all the time. Personally I have stopped asking people where they had started or how far they had walked or whether they had taken the bus over certain sections. The less you ask, the less temptation for them to lie -- and too many times have I -- inadvertently and unintentionally -- caught people out in their lies about the details of their own personal camino. Sadly they seem not to realise that the pilgrimage is not a contest and not a race. I have met pilgrims who had walked no more than 50 kilometres of the Way and who had more intense and life-changing experiences during that short time than many of those who had walked much further and much longer.

The Camino is like the pilgrimage through life -- it is not about the destination. It is about the journey.....

There is no insurmountable solitude. All paths lead to the same point: to the communication of who we are. And we must travel across rugged and lonely terrain, through isolation and silence, to reach the magic zone, the enchanted place where we can dance our awkward dance and sing our sorrowful song -- Neruda

An interview with Leyla Giray, of Women on the Road

2009-12-21T11:15:00.004+01:00

Please do go check the interview --- done by Leyla Giray, the publisher of Women on the Road and then have a look at the rest of her site -- it is a fascinating and lovely site that I am sure you will enjoy -- and where you will find some very useful and interesting titbits!

Wilna Wilkinson Travels Solo To Santiago

Many women travel the road to Santiago - known as El Camino - but not all do it alone. And few do it in winter. Wilna Wilkinson is such a woman, and Women on the Road wanted to know more, much more.

Q: Wilna, you walked to Santiago on your own. Why did you choose to do that?

A: Can there be another way to walk a pilgrimage? If it had been a trek or a hike or a walk anywhere else, I can well imagine you would welcome the company. But a pilgrimage is in a sense a walking meditation - in this case an 850 kilometre meditation. To be completely alone for that length of time, to have time and space to think, to reflect, to meditate, is very much a luxury in this busy and demanding world we live in.

If you had the choice of walking alone or walking with a hundred people in your sights in front of you - the next person only ten metres ahead, and a hundred people fast approaching from the back - which would you choose? Think of the litter and the pollution. Think of the number of refuges and beds and having to queue up for shelter and for food. Think of the noise, the crowding, the invasion of your meditation and reflection time and space.

Q: You also did the Camino in winter. Is this to be encouraged?

A: Walking in winter is hard and there is a danger of slippery ice, hypothermia (a very real threat and not uncommon on the Camino), but for me it was no contest. There is extra hardship, but for me the heat and the crowds in summer would have been unbearable. The beauty of the pilgrimage route lies in its remoteness, its inaccessibility, its solitude. That is what makes it possible to think, to meditate, to be yourself without compromise, without any need to conform. None of that would be possible when there are hundreds of thousands of people crowding the pathway.
What advice you'd give a woman contemplating the Camino on her own?

The amazing explorer/mountain climber, Reinhold Messner explains how he managed to climb Mount Everest without any supplemental oxygen: there has to be complete acceptance of whatever will come your way - difficulties, pain, suffering, challenges, demands, physical and mental. Know that you have the resources you need within yourself. Discover those resources within yourself and believe that you will find them. Be ready for an emotional upheaval.

Q: What should a woman walking alone bring with her?

A: In winter, when there are days on end without another person in sight, a mobile phone. Leave it on silent mode so its ringing or vibration don't distract you. Don't let your 'real' life intrude on your pilgrimage, but keep your phone ready in case of emergency.

I didn't take any make-up or creams, but I did want a little luxury - a scrap of old silk, or a scarf, something colourful to sit on or use as a table cloth. A page of poetry, perhaps, something to make you smile. And yes - a couple of immodium (you can't walk with an upset tummy!) and some NOK cream to cover your feet every morning. I walked 850 kilometres and never had one single blister thanks to this excellent preventative measure!

Q: Tell me a little about your book, The Way of Stars and Stones, and why you wrote it...

A: How could I not write about this amazing experience? I dedicated my pilgrimage to a friend with cancer and found that the walk helped me tremendously to understand her pain. I share the many parallels between walking the pilgrimage and suffering from a terminal illness in my book. The Camino provides so many answers on how to cope - it gives insight, understanding - it empowers beyond words. I simply had to share that. And the most heartening thing to hear now is from dozens of people who have cancer and found that the book touched them deeply.

Q: How did the pilgrimage change you and how have you carried that change into your life now?

A: Apart from finally finding my faith, finding the meaning of it all, experiencing the energy from the earth, from creation, from nature? For years I've worked as a motivational speaker and as coach in life skills. I taught people "Don't sweat the small stuff", "If you can dream it you can do it", "The power of the mind", "The power of positive thinking" - all these slogans we live by. But this was the first time I actually lived those slogans and really understood their meaning. For the first time my belief was tested - it is 800km of meditation - you cannot come back unchanged.

Q: Do you http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifreally live in a French chateau?

A: Yes - I really live in a little fairy castle (originally built in 1269) that stands with its feet in the Dordogne river in south-west France. To pay the bills, I run the chateau during the summer as a Chambres d'hote - and love that I can share this most idyllic spot with people from all over the world.

I absolutely love living in countryside after having spent my entire life in big cities, eating only fresh produce grown within a radius of 50 kilometres. It has changed the way I eat, the way I cook. There is time to enjoy life and the world around me, time to be creative.

I coach and speak as far afield as Japan, Iceland, the USA, but I love coming home to my little village by the river!

Q: Where do you want to go next and why?

A: I would love to walk the Camino again - if my feet allow me. I would want to go walk the route of the 88 Buddhist temples of Shikoku in Japan. But that is in the future. For now, my next trip is in a couple of weeks to South Africa where I am going to organise a fairytale wedding for my beautiful daughter, in the bush, under a maroela tree.

***

Wilna Wilkinson's Camino blog is The Way of Stars and Stones, from which all the photographs on this page were borrowed. For a peek at her fairytale castle, read about The View from a Window of a French Chateau.

Not an uncommon comment!

2009-12-17T10:15:00.004+01:00

Interesting how I, too, feel reluctant to read other people's accounts of their caminos. The experience was so intense to me, but reading about another's similar or even different experiences, does not get me easily excited. Yet, every now and then I read another pilgrim's account of their own personal Camino and it grabs me by the heart and the soul, and I read it as if famished.

So, I am not surprised when, every now and then, I come across someone who tells me that they have not read the book as it is not really 'their thing'. Makes sense -- not every book I pick up entices me to sit down and start reading either. But this then is a comment of just such a person -- and it is heartening to read!:

I'm off this week and started reading Wilna's book, almost finished and to my surprise loved it. Even though I am also spritiual rather than religious I just couldn't be excited about someone else's walk of the Camino. Amazed at my enjoyment. It is well written and very gripping, so especially as a sceptic, (me) it makes a good story.DB

An important message from the Australian Cancer Research Foundation

2009-12-15T11:29:00.003+01:00

To all my friends and Fans on Facebook -- and to all readers of The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage, to all friends and supporters and admirers and fans of the amazing Terrie Baxter, as well as anyone who would like to make a donation to Cancer Research, please note the Following:

When you go online at the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, click on The Stars and Stones Fund to make your donation, and, as Claire McArthur requests below, kindly ensure that the code #REF200 is included in the description field for any deposits so we can identify the funds have come from your fundraiser as opposed to any other deposits we may receive.

Thank you so much for your donations, and for your cooperation!

Buen Camino!

Wilna

Good Morning Wilna,

I have allocated a reference number for your fundraising #REF200.
Can you please ensure that the code #REF200 is included in the description field for any deposits so we can identify the funds have come from your fundraiser as opposed to any other deposits we may receive?

Many thanks and looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards,

Claire

Claire McArthur
Australian Cancer Research Foundation
T: 02 9223 7833 F: 02 9223 1800 W

See the latest leukemia breakthrough discovered by our funded researchers at Australian Cancer Research Foundation

Every dollar of every donation received by this Foundation goes to cancer research.

2009-12-14T21:47:00.002+01:00

Experience shows that the spirit is nothing but awareness. -- Rumi

Sunrise on a winter's morning on the Camino

A Reader's message --

2009-12-12T19:25:00.003+01:00

"Thanks for the loan of the book. I read it in four sittings from
Saturday through to Monday. I became more engrossed than I originally
thought I would be. Wilna is a good writer but I particularly liked
her musings on people and her connectedness with nature. I plan to buy
a copy to pass on to a friend who went on a pilgrimage last year" -- TB Australia

2009-12-10T22:28:00.004+01:00

A lifetime searching for perfection
is not a wasted life
– Pierre Wilkinson

Pelgrimstog pragtig beskryf Stoffel Cilliers in Volksblad vir Book SA - Reviews

2009-12-10T18:28:00.003+01:00

Review in Die Volksblad

THE WAY OF STARS AND STONES. Thoughts on a Pilgrimage. Deur Wilna Wilkinson. Jacana Media. Sagteband. R175.

VOLGENS oorlewering het die apostel Jakobus die evangelie in Spanje verkondig en het Herodes hom in 44 n.C. laat onthoof. Sy oorskot is in die Spaanse stad Santiago de Compostela begrawe (p. 21).

Reeds voor die tiende eeu n.C. het meer as ’n miljoen mense jaarliks die pelgrimspad na Santiago – die Camino – hoofsaaklik om godsdienstige redes geloop, deesdae is dit tot 100 000 pelgrims elke somersdag.

In Mei 2006 ontvang Wilna Wilkinson (57) ’n ontstellende SMS uit Australië: Haar beste vriendin, Terrie, word weens maagkanker geopereer. Dadelik besluit Wilkinson sy gaan die Camino loop: alleen; in die winter; 800 km ver. Só wys Wilkinson vir Terrie sy stry saam met haar teen haar kanker.

Op 10 Februarie 2008 begin haar bedevaart in Frankryk. En Terrie, wat eers “onbehandelbaar” gelyk het, word deur ’n wonderwerk “onverklaarbaar skoon”.

Verskeie hoofstukke, soos die een oor klippe, en ’n ander oor bagasie, is netjies gestruktureerde essays.

Wilkinson vertel goed en beskryf uitstekend. Sy beeld die kosmopolitiese pelgrims met hul eiesoortige dialoog asof op ’n immerbewegende verhoog voor die leser uit. Daar is die mooiste natuurbeskrywings en die interessantste pelgrimslegendes. Rillingwekkend vertel sy hoe sy en Akir, ’n reisgenoot, die duiwel ontmoet het. Dan weer hoe die heilige Jakobus self haar gehelp het.

Dikwels beklemtoon Wilkinson sy het die bedevaart onderneem om ’n “geestelike” rede, nie ’n godsdienstige nie. Eindelik erken sy dat God nie meer vir haar betekenis het nie.
Ná haar bedevaart verwys sy na die natuur as haar “skepper” wat groter is as sy. Met dieselfde verdraagsaamheid waarmee sy al die uiteenlopende beskouinge van haar
medepelgrims bejeën het, neem ’n mens kennis van haar standpunt. Maar tog ook met veel jammerte.

– Stoffel Cilliers, vryskutresensent

- Volksblad

A reflection...

2009-12-09T09:41:00.002+01:00

The road to paradise is made up of little steps, on a mostly dirt path, with earwigs and moss scattered about, guarded by a few armadillos and the occasional lonely pine, beautified mostly with wild dandelion flowers and dusty moths, within earshot of crickets that have no concept of when they should actually be singing. But hey, we're talking about the road to paradise....

-- from The Universe

A beautiful message from a reader of The Way of Stars and Stones

2009-12-07T08:13:00.005+01:00

Hi Wilna and Terrie,

Great excitement as I finished reading "The Way of Stars and Stones" early this morning - what a book - what a journey.

As soon as I received it I wanted to start reading - however - life was busy so I left the reading until November.

Each morning I would eagerly await the light of dawn so I could read another chapter, the Illawarra sun would glisten outside my bedroom window on the flaming red blooms of my Illawarra Flame tree - the first time this tree has burst forth in such glory in 40 years, the red and green King Parrot would be whistling in the trees and the Wattle birds would be calling - I knew it was time to start reading - I wanted to read more - but also I wanted it to be a journey as well - imaging each day as you also woke to each day of your Camino journey.

Wilna I so enjoyed your descriptive passages - that helped to transport me into your world of walking the track, at first I though it would be a physical journey of your 40 days - 850km walk. Then I realised all the side issues and events that come with such a trek, and loved the way you handled the to and fro-ing of your thoughts as well as your physical walk.

As you said " The Ultimate luxury is having the language with which to express yourself" and this you did so well - I felt like I should still be in ITC to give a lexicology session on all your wonderful words! Your selection of quotes for each chapter were so thoughtful and appropriate. My imagination ran riot with so many of your stories - whether they were the ones about the Devil - to how you were going to use your Pepper Spray to protect yourself. Perhaps also because I know you and this adds to my imagination of you in this situation - that at times I laughed out loud, other times my tears came to the surface for you. Do you still have a supply of honey and gunpowder?? How are your feet now - do you have any permanent damage from this amazing walk?

At times I felt like taking a paint brush to paint what you described - "a pale cream stone house with blue shutters, pretty pots with pretty flowers., shiny window panes and whale song spilling out of the open doors."

How did you ever survive that hurricane in Cruz de Ferro? Such a great image created of your feather duster poncho -ripped to shreds by those winds. I am sure if you went of the TV Show "Survivor" you would win the $1,000,000 hands down!

The eeriness of those thick mists - -"shrouding everything in a white cashmere blanket"- the picture you painted "as little dust devils darted mischievously across the fields...". I had some idea of you in a dormitory of 29 male cyclists - as the only time I have done backpacking - the trip from Perth to Darwin in 2007 I had to share a dorm with 4 and one was a male and
I found that confronting - but 29 of them!!!!!!

I so enjoyed your ending and your wonderful photos - which I imagine you have so many of - they will be so precious - of all your days travelling so far. At times I became confused with where your were at - but then your little Camino shell would put me back on track with your story as well.

How great to have such an insight into people and their ways Wilna - I am so pleased that your achievements have helped so many. May Terrie, Thorsten, Kamil & Akira keep that connection going.

I was thrilled when I received your gift ( and yes Terrie - when I can pin you down - I will get the Cancer Foundation donation to you ) and more thrilled to read your story and to participate in a small way in your journey - I still have your Camino emails and marvel at the energy you must have gathered from somewhere to write them as well on that journey of a lifetime.

I am sure my daughter and sisters will enjoy this book as well.

Thanks again Terrie and Wilna

2009-12-05T16:14:00.001+01:00

No messing about with the following words - I Finished your book in the early hours of this morning - what a great read, you have given me the inspiration to walk the Camino and also to walk it alone. Thank you for sharing your many stories. CE, France

Why walk alone? Look at the Pilgrim Statistics and tell me if you still wonder!

2009-12-01T10:34:00.010+01:00

Many people who have read The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage, write to me to ask what possessed me to walk the Camino in winter and did I not find walking alone very lonely. To a large degree I answer the first question in the book -- it is very much a personal choice and not everyone is as fortunate as I was to have the luxury of time and choice of dates as I had, and the answer to the second question is a categoric "NO!" Most people find it a frightening thought to be on their own -- especially for such a long period and in such a vast and uninhabited space. But think about it -- if you had the choice of walking alone or walking with a hundred people in your sights in front of you -- the next person only ten metres ahead, and a hundred people fast approaching from the back -- the next person only ten metres behind you, which would you choose? Think of the litter and the pollution. Think of the number of refuges and beds and having to queue up for shelter and for food. Think of the noise, the crowding, the invasion of your mediation and reflection time and space.

The number of pilgrims collecting a compostela in Santiago during 2007 (last year's statistics aren’t yet available) was 114,026 from 138 different nations.
The most popular route continues to be the Camino Francés, playing host to 91,872 pilgrims representing 80% (down from 92% 2 years ago).
The second most popular route to Santiago is now the Camino Portugués with 8,110 pilgrims representing 7%. While not in these statistics the Camino Finisterre is becoming increasingly popular with an estimated 12,500 collecting a Fisteranna in 2008.
Next year, 2010 is a Holy Year on the Camino (there will not be another Holy Year until 2021.) and it now looks increasingly likely that Pope Benedict XVI will visit Santiago de Compostela during the year -- probably at the end of July when the Day of St James, 25 July, falls on a Sunday. Accordingly the number of visitors to Santiago during that year could rise to 10 million with 1⁄4 million expected to arrive on foot.

< A pilgrimage route in summer vs a pilgrimage route in winter? >

(Flights: From November 2008 Ryanair opened 2 daily flights from Santiago to Madrid to supplement its flights from/to Barcelona, Frankfurt, Rome and London. This has forced other airlines such as Iberia to lower its fares on this increasingly popular route to Madrid. Aer Lingus will fly twice weekly (Tues/Sat) direct from Dublin to Santiago from May 2nd to September 19th 2009.)

2009-12-01T08:47:00.003+01:00

My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon
-- Leo Buscaglia

Le livre sur amazon en France!

2009-11-29T20:27:00.003+01:00

Pour tous mes amis francais --mon Livre The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage est bien disponible sur -- amazon.fr a un prix fou! Rappelez-vous que tout le produit de la vente de ce livre sera pour la recherche contre le cancer!

2009-11-28T22:51:00.002+01:00

Do not follow in the footsteps of the old masters, but seek what they sought. Achieve enlightenment, then return to this world of ordinary humanity. - Basho

page 187, The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage

Two reviews on amazon.com

2009-11-26T22:11:00.005+01:00

Kimberley Lovato (Brussels, Belgium)
Unlike the zillions of 'how to' books about walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, this book is a personal journey about a woman who chose to do something challenging when her best friend was stricken with cancer. Along the way , she gets to know others, and herself, on a compelling journey. She does a great job weaving characters in and out through her tales, all the while, never letting the reader forget what is at the heart of this tremendous journey. It was a humbling pleasure to walk with her.

Morton B. Walley "book fan", Roberta Walley (USA)
Ms. Wikinson's book opened a new world for me. I enjoyed reading about her journey , both internal and external, walking over the Pyrenees mountains in winter. She was seeking to understand her friend's fight with cancer and feel some of the challenges of the ordeal through her 850 km. walk to Santiago de Compostela. The author travels a difficult path. This a a journey of discovery for all who read this wonderful book.

Have you read the book yet? Why not go to amazon yourself and contribute a review of the book? Remember, every book sold is a contribution to the Stars and Stones Fund at the Australian Cancer Foundation!

Excerpt from The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage

2009-11-25T16:48:00.003+01:00

I definitely wasn’t looking for a religious experience. My spiritual quest was to experience a level of commitment to something so great, so important, that any fear, inhibition or shame faded in significance. I wanted to pledge myself to something that would take me out of myself and place me on a level far beyond my ken. I wanted to be transported to a spiritual plane where the pettiness and detail of a mundane life had no import and where the true sense of life, love, friendship and courage would become clear.

In my frequent travels across the globe, I have always envied the faithful their blind resolve in the face of a staring world – be it the believers who, in airports, stop off in a side room to kneel down towards Mecca; or the orthodox Jew, with his prayer shawl draped over his shoulders, standing by the porthole of the plane door, rocking his silent prayer to his God; or the New Ager standing naked in the field, arms outstretched, greeting the ever-reliable sun at dawn. In Japan I’ve looked with longing at the white-clad funny-hatted men and women who walk the route of the 88
Buddhist temples of Shikoku. Even in Memphis, in the United States, it was not with scorn or ridicule that I watched the long lines of people who patiently and silently inched their way forward to the open doors of Elvis Presley’s home, Graceland; I watched with something approaching awe and admiration. And then, of course, I have been deeply moved by the thousands of pilgrims who cycle, walk or ride on horseback on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Now, subconsciously, I sensed that this altered state of being I was yearning for was exactly what I’d seen in the faces of pilgrims at the airport, in the lines at Graceland – and on the Way of St James.

I did not need drugs, or alcohol, or an evangelist preacher to take me to that level. What I did need was total commitment – something I realised even before I started to research the requirements and demands of such a pilgrimage. This was not something I could do on a whim. It wouldn’t count that I had often taken on exciting challenges and demanding adventures on no more than a sudden impulse, nor that I’d always achieved what I set out to do, sometimes courtesy of pure good fortune. But, without total commitment even I could quite possibly fail. This time, this challenge was to demand more than ever before.
-Page 4-5

More Comments about the book

2009-11-25T12:43:00.005+01:00

J'ai apprécié grandement la parole naturelle et sincère de Wilna vendredi dernier. Nous étions sur le chemin en sa compagnie. Que de rencontres insolites!.
-Jeanne Vigouroux

Wilna's descriptions of her experiences and finding the resources she needed on her journey, could have been the writing of someone, like myself, who is fighting the fight against cancer. Without spelling it out each time there is a distinct parallel between the Camino and cancer, anyone who has been on that journey themselves or anyone who is near someone who has or had this dreaded disease, will be heartened and inspired by The Way of Stars and Stones. There is so much in the book to reflect upon that you know you will always keep it close to refer back to time and time again. -Caroline T.

The Way of Stars and Stones by Wilna Wilkinson is a book I like tohave near me.
Wilna's story of her pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela touched a deep chord within me and had a profound effect upon me. Her courage, philosophy and basic common sense gave me an insight into myself.
I am recuperating from cancer and now see my recovery as 'my Camino'. It has helped me come to terms with myself and to accept things as they are and to count my blessings.
To sum up, all I can say is Thank you Wilna, you have given my life a new purpose.
-Avril H.

The passing days and months are eternal travellers in time...

2009-11-24T12:09:00.003+01:00

The years that come and go are travellers too. Life itself is a journey.

--Matsuo Basho (from: The Way of Stars and Stones, page 120)

One step at a time is good walking -- Chinese proverb.

2009-11-19T07:21:00.002+01:00

Page 92 -- The Way of stars and stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage

“Pilgrimage into the Heart: The Inner Teachings of El Camino de las Estrellas”

2009-11-19T06:35:00.005+01:00

A member of the Confraternity of St James sent me this link. For anyone who has read the book, or anyone who has ever wanted to go on a pilgrimage, or has a need to find the lost spirituality in their lives, but may not have the courage to embark on such a journey alone, this seems to be a wonderful opportunity. Have a look!
An exceptional Pilgrimage in 2010

15 day practical exploration of the Spiritual Master Builders’ meditation and energetic practices,
along Saint James’ Way, the Cosmic River on Earth

With Ferran Blasco Aguasca (Enzo)

May 21st – June 4th, 2010

(Only 12 spaces)

PRESENTATION

El Camino de Santiago (Saint James Way) is one of the oldest spiritual pilgrimages existing in the world today. The trail, about 850 miles of spectacular beauty across northern Spain, from the Pyrenees, on the Mediterranean coast, to Saint James tomb in Galicia and further on to the Atlantic Coast, was recognized by our ancestors as a path of profound spiritual significance.

They understood this path as a Cosmic River on Earth, having a double dimension: the path on the Earth, later known as El Camino de Santiago, and the path in the Heavens, the Milky Way. That union of the Earthly and Cosmic energies offered to them the space for entering in communion with the spiritual realms.

Since ancient times, pilgrims from all over the world have come to El Camino to experience its hundreds of magical and powerful sites. Its history is linked to the legends of the megalithic builders, the Celtic druids, the Holy Grail, Noah’s journey and especially to the worship of the Great Goddess – Mother Earth.

PURPOSE OF THE JOURNEY

The purpose of this exceptional 15-day journey is to connect with that millennial tradition of spiritual masters that achieved a deep understanding of life and its universal laws along El Camino. This will be done through an in-depth practical study of the personal significance of El Camino from the point of view of the pilgrim, the master builder and, especially, the spiritual seeker. Our approach will blend nature, temple visits, meditation and energetic practices, with sacred geometry and geomancy.

STEPPING OFF THE BEATEN PATH

While still visiting quite a few of the more commonly know sites of the modern pilgrimage, our journey will step off the beaten path to explore areas nowadays omitted or unknown to most pilgrims and most guidebooks.

The journey will takes us about 2300 kilometers (1400 miles) along the whole length of one of the most ancient routes of the original pilgrimage: from the Mediterranean coast, just south of Barcelona, to Finisterre, on the Atlantic Coast.

The “stepping off the beaten path” will be both in terms of physical external landscape and personal internal landscape. Through the practice of meditation we will aim at looking for new references of what pilgrimage means as a practice for personal evolution.

DAILY ACTIVITIES AND TEACHINGS

Our days will open with early morning star meditation and qi gong (gentle exercise) practices just before sunrise. After practice, breakfast will follow, usually at the hotel or Bed and Breakfast where we slept.

The rest of the day will depend on where we are, but will include:
- Daily hikes chosen for their beauty and significance. Average length 2 hours, some up to 6 hours. Different degrees of difficulty.
- Practical study of the foundations of pilgrimage as a spiritual practice.
- Lectures and presentations about the Camino´s history, sacred geometry, art and symbolism.
- Study of key stars and constellations for El Camino de las Estrellas (the Trail of the Stars) along with meditation practices related to them.
- Visits to the key sites along the trail for study and practices.
- Qi Gong (gentle exercise) and meditation practices.
- Medieval mandala and temple floor plans study.
- Free time for reflection and personal sightseeing.
All activities are optional. If you are tired or need time by yourself, you may of course stay at the hotel.

ITINERARY
This is a brief summary of the pilgrimage itinerary and some of the key sites we will visit. It´s subject to changes but it will give you a general idea:
May 21: Sitges – Montserrat (visits to Our Lady del Vinyet Sanctuary, Montserrat Holy Cave and Benedictine Monastery to meet the Black Madonna).
May 22: Montserrat – Siresa (5 hour drive with stops for sightseeing).
May 23: Siresa (Hike to Roman Trail and Puerto del Palo, most ancient way to cross the Pyrenees for pilgrims).
May 24: Siresa (Hike to Agüas Tuertas Valley – megalithic sites. Visit to San Pedro de Siresa church).
May 25: Siresa – Leyre (Visit to La Virgen de la Peña’s hermitage, Santa Cilia, San Juan de la Peña, Santa Cruz de la Serós. Gregorian Chants in Leyre).
May 26: Leyre – San Millán de la Cogolla (Visits to Santa Maria de Eunate and Puente la Reina).
May 27: San Millán de la Cogolla (3 hour hike to San Millan´s holy hermitage and Suso´s monastery).
May 28: San Millán de la Cogolla (Teachings at hotel and relaxed day).
May 29: San Millán de la Cogolla – León (Visit to Sierra de la Demanda área. 3 hour hike).
May 30: León – Barbadelo (Visit to Leon´s cathedral, Villafranca del Bierzo and O´Cebreiro).
May 31: Barbadelo (Teachings at hotel).
June 1: Barbadelo – Santiago (Visit to Santiago´s cathedral).
June 2: Santiago – Fisterra (Visit to Santiago´s cathedral).
June 3: Fisterra (Lires – Muxia walk. Visit to Santuario de la Virgen de la Barca).
June 4: Fisterra – Santiago (End pilgrimage).

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS YEAR FROM OTHER YEARS?

The purpose of the 2010 pilgrimage is to dedicate more time to explore and practice Inner Teachings of El Camino through the energetic and meditation practices.
Pilgrimage is a retreat in motion, so the focus will be on utilizing our time to deepen into ourselves through practice. For this reason there will be more periods of formal meditation. A sequence of practices will be presented to undertake the “Pilgrimage into the Heart”. We will explore the seven gates of Consciousness that are present in El Camino and see how they connect our personal life to the “One Life”.

We will also spend more time walking. This year´s pilgrimage will incorporate some more and longer walks.
For these two purposes, instead of spending mostly each night at a different hotel, as we did before, we will stay 2-3 nights average per site, allowing for a more settled rhythm.
TRANSPORTATION AND LANDSCAPE

The journey will offer an in-depth view of the Spanish landscape. Along our trip we will cross several main areas: the Mediterranean coast, the powerful Pyrenees, the Castilian plains, the magical forests of Galicia and the Atlantic coast.
We will visit some major cities but mostly little villages and areas where the ancient flavor of the pilgrimage is still very present.
We will drive two comfortable minivans. This will offer us the opportunity to visit some truly exceptional sites that are off the regular Camino and that most walking pilgrims can’t visit because of obvious time and distance concerns.

The daily drive from site to site will be only between 1 to 2 hours with stops to visit sites and do practices along the way.

GROUP

Due to the structure of the class and the nature of the teachings, only 12 spaces are available.
The objective of having such a compact group is to allow more personal attention to each individual and to be able to move with more ease and fun.
The intention is to have a small, easygoing group that wants to focus on spending time doing practices and learning about the areas’ rich spiritual heritage in a fun and relaxed way but focused on the task ahead.
MINIMUM SIZE FOR THE GROUP
The minimum number of people for the pilgrimage to take place is 6 persons.
In the unlikely event that the number is not reached 12 weeks before departure, we will contact you to consider different possibilities.
PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY

The practice of pilgrimage, and therefore the intention of this class, is not simply traveling from place to place to look around and take some pictures. It is a most important step in personal development in which one brings to completion situations unfinished from the past, closing cycles and recovering energetic integrity.

Pilgrimage starts long before one arrives at the “place of departure”. For this reason, some preparatory practices will be suggested to participants in the months prior to arriving to Spain for the actual trip.

After making your reservation you will receive instructions on the practice and a list with suggested reading to help you to prepare for the journey.

STARTING AND FINISHING DATES AND PLACES
Class starts: Friday May 21st @ 7 am in Sitges (Barcelona) (Airport code: BCN)
Class ends: Friday June 4th @ 5 pm in Santiago de Compostela

HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATIONS

All accommodations will be very comfortable, nice and clean, mostly in really beautiful rural settings. The price is for double rooms with a private bathroom.

Some single rooms are available for most nights if previously arranged (extra fee of 320 euros), but due to the nature of the places we will stay the number is limited.

HOW SOME PARTICIPANTS FELT ABOUT PREVIOUS
PILGRIMAGES

“It’s been a life changing experience.” Karin Sorvik, NY, USA
“An amazing journey… Some of the most beautiful and inspiring landscapes I have ever seen. Thank you Ferran!” David Powell, CO USA
“A journey of a lifetime.” Caryn Boyd-Diel, NM, USA
“The trip provided more than I could have imagined. I would go again without hesitation.” Onja, NC, USA
“My fellow peregrinos were incredible and contributed wholeheartedly to the overall experience.” Thom Herbst, MI, USA

COST: 2430 EUROS.

Included:

- 14 hotel nights in double occupancy bedrooms with private bathroom.
- Tuition for 15 days of classes and practices.
- Transportation in 2 minivans from Barcelona to Santiago Compostela.
- Breakfasts and one meal per day for 14 days (either lunch or dinner).
- Entrances to sites that require a fee for group visits.
- Basic insurance provided by the car rental company on van passengers.
Not included:
- Airfare to Spain and back to your destination.
- Transportation back from Santiago to your destination within Spain after the class.
- Hotels for the night of May 20th in Sitges and June 4th in Santiago. Recommendations will be provided).
- Medical insurance.
- Tips at hotels and restaurants.
- Everything else that is not included in the “Includes” section.

PAYMENTS

Due to the constantly changing exchange-rate for the dollar – euro, it is suggested to pay in full as soon as possible.
By credit card: Visa or Mastercard accepted.
By wire transfer: bank account in Spain information upon request. Bank fees are to be payed by the sender.
Payment plan option is available: (1% added to each payment made by credit card when using paying plan)
- Reservation fee: 820 euros (non-refundable).
- Then 2 payments of 805 euros due by January 15th and march 31st.
For payment plan option, payment will be scheduled and charged on the due date to the credit card number provided.

REFUND POLICY
If after you reserve your space you need to cancel your participation in the class, this is the policy:
Reservation fee is Non-Refundable.
Before March 1st: we will refund credit card or wire money back to you for the amount you have paid until then, minus bank fees for transaction and non-refundable reservation fee.
After March 1st: No refunds. There´s the possibility though that another person you know might come in your place, if they are fit for the journey.

In the very unlike case that we have to cancel the journey from our reasons in our end or because there were not enough participants, never happened yet, you would receive a full refund for any amount you have pain, including the reservation fee.

REGISTER

There are only 12 spaces. Contact us to by email or phone us if you have any questions or to arrange payment. Lots of happy references from previous “pilgrims” upon request.
A minimum of 6 reservations has to be received by January 15th or we will contact you to consider other retreat possibilities.
We´ll be very happy to talk with you about any question you might have.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Shen Dao Institute of Acupuncture and Natural Health
Ferran Blasco Aguasca (Enzo)
Tel. 00 34 93 292 01 06 – Cel. 00 34 650 576 107
Fax. 00 34 93 691 98 57
Mailing Address: Calle Balmes, 151 Ent 1 – BCN 08008
Email: ferran@acupunturabarcelona.com
Web: www.zahoriart.com – www.acupunturabarcelona.com

More comments!

2009-11-11T07:01:00.000+01:00

from Silvia Nilsen, Confraternity of St James : I've spoken to two people who heard your interview on SAFM. One is a pilgrim recently returned from the camino Frances who said that she felt so nostalgic listening to you talk that she just wanted to go back to Spain.
Then last night I gave a talk on the camino to the Rotary Club at Mt Edgecombe and a woman in the audience was particularly animated. Afterwards she told me that she had heard an interview with a woman on SAFM and was so inspired that she decided there and then that she had to walk the camino. And then, she came along to the Rotary meeting to find me giving a talk about el camino. "Its a sign!" she said. "I'd never heard of it before and now twice in one week I hear two different women talking about it." So, she is planning to walk in 2011

Lancement du livre de Wilna Wilkinson at Aquitaine Langues, hosted by Albert Croce

2009-11-09T02:34:00.002+01:00

Lancement du livre de Wilna Wilkinson

Vendredi 20 novembre 2009 à 19h00, Centre Aquitaine Langues
« The Way of Stars and Stones »
Conférence dialoguée

Le Centre Aquitaine Langues et Albert CROCE sont heureux de vous recevoir
Au Centre Aquitaine Langues, à Bergerac, pour une conférence dialoguée sur le lancement du livre de Wilna Wilkinson « The Ways of Stars and Stones » qui retrace ses rencontres et ses réflexions sur le chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle.

La conférence sera suivie d’un buffet « Wine and Cheese »
Vin offert pour l’occasion par Gerrita Thiart-Martin de ViniSource

« Cuvée Compostelle » du Château Côte Monpezat, Côtes de Castillon 2005

Prière de réserver à l’avance Entrée 6€

An excerpt from The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage

2009-10-28T21:33:00.004+01:00

That night, in Calzadilla de la Cueza, a village with a name longer than its main street, I sat alone in front of the monitor, tucked away in a dark back corner of the room, trying to get to grips with a keyboard with only blank keys – the letters having been completely worn away by the fingertips of thousands of pilgrims who had preceded me. As I looked down in exasperation at this tired and worn keyboard, I suddenly had a wave of recognition wash over me. I felt the presence of all those pilgrims who’d sat where I was sitting; who had tried to have their fingers remember which keys represented the letters they needed to write a message home to loved ones – to tell them they were still safe on their pilgrimage. I could
almost hear them cursing under their breath when they typed and the wrong letters came up, turning their messages into gobbledegook. I could almost feel their breath on my back as they paced the floor waiting for me to finish so they could have their turn. I could almost see their smiles as the screen lit up and they found messages in their inbox from someone back home telling them that they were missed. In that moment of solitude, I felt utterly and wholly part of this confraternity of the Camino. At the same time, I was aware that this feeling had slowly been creeping up on me for a long time. In fact, it was a feeling that had started to manifest itself on that very first night in Roncesvalles when I shared a beer with Thorsten and Akira and we spoke late into the night – about why we were on the Camino, about our fears and hopes and expectations.

It was over that first meal from the pilgrim’s menu, bought for the princely sum of eight euros – a delicious and nourishing broad bean and potato soup, a huge plate of tender veal stew and a large glass of ice-cold, frothy beer – that we quickly recognised in each other fellow-pilgrims.

Perhaps it was that the three of us were starting our pilgrimage from the same place and at the same time. There was definitely something special about the bond formed between we strangers who had embarked on a journey together. Or perhaps it was that we’d been brought together by a common purpose. As individuals, we were different in every way – age, background, culture and language – yet we sensed subconsciously that
where one lacked, another might be able to compensate. Each individual’s assets and characteristics complemented those of the others – a type of a synergy where the combined whole of our little band was far, far greater than the sum of the individuals.

In his book on the Camino, Coelho speaks of being more accessible to others around you on the journey because instinctively you know that they may be able to help you in difficult situations. The Camino was in many ways a survival course: you had to dig deep to find the resources within yourself in order to get through each day. It was astonishing to find resources you’d never been aware of, but it was also frightening when a needed resource was simply not there, no matter how deep you dug. And it was then that you came to appreciate the other pilgrims around you.
Everyone has talent. Sometimes we only discover that talent late in life, but the talent is there for the finding. And the Camino was the perfect place for the ‘big reveal’ of those hidden talents. If I could find resources within myself that I’d never known I had, so could every other pilgrim. And it was the pooling of those resources that created the bond among pilgrims. Not only did each have the wondrous pleasure of discovering their own latent potential, but each also had the unrivalled pleasure of being with other people who had a need for their particular talent.

Later I learned that for many pilgrims this was the one special aspect of their Camino – the remarkable goodwill, generosity and voluntary interdependence among pilgrims. I frequently heard pilgrims talk about this wonderful phenomenon of the Camino. It could be something that a fellow-pilgrim had offered in the form of advice or spiritual guidance, clothing or toiletries, water or food. Often the biggest source of surprise was the fact that the generosity came from someone who ‘wasn’t even a Christian’. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that someone who
walks the pilgrimage has to have some degree of religious motivation, and the expectation is that, to show kindness, their religion must be Christian. Whenever this subject came up in conversation, I was astounded at people’s preconceived ideas about other religions, because almost every time an act of random kindness surprised a pilgrim, it came from a non-Christian. My only surprise was that those who offered assistance seldom realised that what they were really offering was not necessarily something tangible or material, but something of themselves. They were releasing a small piece of their own spirit into the universe, and the universe was the richer for it.

I have always believed that ‘what goes around, comes around’. My smile, my positive attitude, my helpfulness, my generosity of time and energy almost unfailingly generate a similar response from people around me – friends and strangers alike. The payback may not happen immediately, and perhaps it will come from someone completely different, but people’s actions and behaviour towards you are often a reflection of what you transmit. And yet many pilgrims seemed to find this to be the most amazing thing about their pilgrimage, because they’d obviously not come across this side of the human spirit very often before. How incredibly sad that people should be surprised at the random kindness of others; but how incredibly wonderful that they make this discovery on the Camino. For this seemed to be the way of the Camino – bringing the spirit of people together from all ends of the planet, all walks of life, all faiths and creeds, but with a single goal, to walk ‘the Way under the Stars’.

Whatever it was that acted as the glue binding us together, my little ‘Camino family’ was formed that night: Thorsten, a 24-year-old university student from Cologne; Akira, a 38-year-old gay musical theatre actor from Japan; and me, a 57-year-old Eurocentric African woman from France. And even on that first night we knew the bond between us was stronger than most people experience among their blood relatives. ‘You two are my Camino family,’ Akira said many times during the
following three weeks. ‘You are my Camino mother and Thorsten is my Camino father.’ That Akira was years older than Thorsten, whom he called his ‘father’, and was possibly not quite young enough to my ‘son’ was neither here nor there. For once, age was not the issue, and for me this was wonderfully refreshing. The three of us – without having to say anything about it – felt that a close bond had been forged that night, and for all of us the bond was to prove very important over the next few weeks.

“We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace”--- Peggy Tabor Millin

2009-10-27T18:37:00.003+01:00

Where can you buy the book?

2009-10-25T20:11:00.005+01:00

If you are in South Africa, the book should be in stock at the following bookshops (but if not, or you wish to go to your nearest shop which may not be on this list, please place an order for the book -- and so help in the distribution and sales of the book!)
THE WAY OF STARS AND STONES- BOOK STORE ORDERS
STORE
BOTANICAL SOC OF SA
CAXTON BOOKSHOP
EXCLUSIVE (HYDE PARK)
EXCLUSIVE (SANDTON CITY)
EXCLUSIVE (KILLARNEY)
EXCLUSIVE (CRESTA)
EXCLUSIVE (CONSTANTIA)
EXCLUSIVE (VICTORIA WHARF)
EXCLUSIVE (CLAREMONT)
EXCLUSIVE (WESTVILLE)
EXCLUSIVE (RIVERSIDE-MALL)
EXCLUSIVE (VINCENT PARK)
EXCLUSIVE (TYGERVALLEY)
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The book may also be ordered online from the following sites:

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And if you so wish, the book may be ordered from me : send you name and postal address to twoxscotch@gmail.com

Remember -- all proceeds go to Cancer Research, so every book bought is a donation to a very good cause!

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust

2009-10-24T12:23:00.007+02:00

Choosing a guide book for your Camino

2009-10-21T12:07:00.002+02:00

Everyone has their favourite guidebook and the one you choose depends on your approach to the Camino. If you are walking for religious purposes you may choose a guidebook that emphasises the relics, churches and chapels, monasteries and pilgrims' mass times on the Way.

If your focus is on architecture, or history or food, there are guidebooks that concentrate on those aspects.

When you have decided from which point you are going to walk, and how many days you have available to walk the Camino, you will find that some guidebooks give the route in a certain number of stages or stops -- 30 days, 40 days, 50 days. These will indicate or suggest where to stop and recommend the refuges and other pertinent information at those stops and gives a detailed route map for each of the stages.

The guidebook that I used was Camino de Santiago by Cordula Rabe, a Rother Walking Guide, The Way of St James from the Pyrenees to Santiago in 41 stages. Most importantly, it is small book (fits easily into a trouser pocket) and it is light (weight is very important!) and the pages are minimally laminated which protects them (to a degree) from rain and damp.

ISBN 78-3-763304835-0

Available on amazon.com

More Comments about the book

2009-10-20T10:02:00.007+02:00

For anyone who has ever faced a challenge, challenged your own fears, or feared the unknown, then this is a book you must read. Dealing with news of a friend's cancer diagnosis, Wilna Wilkinson set out on a challenge of her own and hikes 800 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela to try to inspire her friend and her own courage, and in the processes touches the hearts of those she meets along the way, her friends at home, and of those who follow her on the pages. Join her facebook group today, and be inspired by her book.

KDL, Belgium

Duisend dankies dat jy JOU Camino met my deel. Vir 'n non-stapper het jy wragtiewaar jouself oortref. Ek's ver van klaar gelees, maar kannie wag om die volgende dag saam met jou te beleef. Jy't verseker jou eie missie om non-average te wees behaal.Jou boek lees heerlik - . Mooiman! Trots op jou.

-- IS, South Africa

Wonderful surprise to receive a copy of your book in the mail yesterday. As I have several other books on the 'go' I thought I'd do a quick skim of your first few chapters. That didn't work as I was captivated immediately and just had to keep reading. Enjoyed the journey immensley - the characters, landforms and experiences were realistically brought to life and I felt transported to the Camino.

--AW, Australia

I got the book and can't wait to start reading. I will write to you when I have finished, if I am able, as I am told one is either in floods of tears or laughing ones head off!!

--SC, Australia

I wanted to read the book and review it for the SA Confraternity's newletter. It's wonderful and has inspired me to pick up my manuscript (that I began after my solo) again!

--CMC, South Africa

Still reading, but am really enjoying it. Feeling inspired to pack my own bag and head off!

--NM South Africa

I have just finished reading your book and was totally blown away by it- I read until 2am one night as I couldn't put it down. When I heard you were doing the pilgrimage I had no idea of what you were undertaking. It puts wandering around Milford Sound for a week into the pale!

I am sure Terrie took strength from you- two such strong women that I have been privileged to know

--MM, New Zealand

Je serai la première à m'exprimer en français,pour te dire combien ces photos éclairent ton texte, on comprend mieux tes émotions, les liens qui te lient à ces héros que tu as rencontrés, ave qui tu as partagé...s tant de souvenirs, de joie et de s...ouffrance en voyant leurs portraits et certaines scènes de partage qui ont du être mémorables. Un seul regret pas assez de photos de toi, qui est une vrais héroïne, Wilna mon amie très chère. Merci pour notre rencontre, je crois que je vais relire ton livre pour l'apprécier autrement que lors de la première lecture et mieux comprendre la leçon de vie que tu nous fais partager. je suis heureuse d'être une de tes nonbreux fans

-- BD, France

Danke Wilna......!!!!!

--CT, Germany

A smile on the Way!

2009-10-19T16:38:00.002+02:00

Walking along the Camino, if you keep you eyes wide open, can be an eventful experience. And every now and then there is a little surprise waiting for you -- such as this carving in a fallen log alongside the pathway. On a certain day in September 2006, during the Rugby World Cup, a certain pilgrim must have heard the good news of South Africa's win and simply could not contain himself - he had to leave the news behind for all following pilgrims to see -- just as pilgrims have been doing for hundreds and hundreds of years!...

2009-10-19T13:09:00.003+02:00

The book is dedicated to my friend Terrie

There is no insurmountable solitude. All paths lead to the same point: to the
communication of who we are. And we must travel across rugged and lonely
terrain, through isolation and silence, to reach the magic zone, the enchanted place
where we can dance our awkward dance and sing our sorrowful song.

– Pablo Neruda, Nobel Literature Prize acceptance speech, 13 December 1971

Il n'y a aucune solitude insurmontable. Tous les chemins mènent au même but : transmettre à d'autres quels nous sommes. Et nous devons passer par la solitude et la difficulté, l'isolement et le silence pour nous étendre en avant à l'endroit(la place) enchanté où nous pouvons danser notre danse maladroite et chanter notre chanson triste-

(Cela c’est une citation du discours de Pablo Nerauda a l’occasion de son acceptance du prix nobel et ce que j’ai ecrit comme dedicace a mon amie Terrie.)

All proceeds of this edition will be
donated to cancer research.

The Cape Argus -- Dan Brown -- Malema ---- and The Way of Stars and Stones

2009-10-18T17:45:00.002+02:00

21 September 2009, page 9

2009-10-17T21:39:00.002+02:00

When life puts stones in your way,
pick them up and build a bridge

"The last living Templar" -- or so they say....

2009-10-17T21:03:00.004+02:00

........However, probably because pilgrims like to believe that they are ‘part of ’ the whole myth of the Camino, (while not always realising that it is they who cultivate and grow the Camino urban legends that become the Camino myth), most guidebooks play along. A good example of this is how every pilgrim seems to know about ‘the last Templar’ who runs the refugio in Manjarín, at the top of the León mountain range, because almost every guidebook has a different story to tell about Tomás, an eccentric,middle-aged bearded man who claims to be the last remaining Knight Templar on the Camino. Apparently he left a ‘normal’ middle-class life,
a wife and two daughters in Madrid some twenty or thirty years ago to come and live here in Manjarín to help the pilgrims on the Camino. The typical introduction to Tomás in the guidebooks reads: ‘Tomás devotes his life year round, in an almost medieval manner, to caring for pilgrims in this high, desolate spot where bad weather (fog, rain, wind, snow) is almost the norm… mattresses for 20, basic WC, outdoor kitchen. Gregorian chant provided.’

Consequently many pilgrims stop and stay, in order to meet the man and tell their own stories about him. His refuge is definitely a perfect Kodak moment. Originally a stone building, probably built at the time when the Dark Ages melded into the Middle Ages, and added to over the centuries in timber and more stone and other bits and pieces, it greets you in all its untidy splendour as you walk over a little rise in the road on the last crest of the range. Your first view of it is the display of carved fingerposts, each one painted in a different colour, each one indicating the
distance from this spot to a place of ‘significance’ (– the ‘significance’ not necessarily very obvious):

Santiago 222km
Roma 2 475km
Machu Pichu 9 453km
Jerusalem 5 000km
Finisterre 295km
Trondheim 5 000km
Gatova 712km
Galiza 70km

The blue fingerpost to Munich was hanging precariously at an angle, only one crooked nail preserving it from total oblivion, so I couldn’t see how far I would have had to walk, should I, for some inexplicable reason, have wished to go to this Bavarian city. On the timber gable of the roof another carved sign announced:

Bienvenido Peregrinos
Sellado de Credenciales

When I walked a little further onto the property in search of some sort of front door where I could ring a bell or knock, several cats of various sizes and colours scampered off into what looked like a large carpenter’s workroom, a thick carpet of wood shavings on the floor and the smell of freshly sawn timber filling the air with a sweet aroma. There was a dilapidated old garden chair slouched against a woodpile, a large satellite of rags pushed into gaps among the stones, several television antennae attached to random bits of wood or tree stumps, some of them adorned with scraps of fabric, hessian and rope, an ancient looking black Alsatian sleeping in the corner, not even bothering to open more than one eye as I greeted it, a big flag flapping in the breeze, the red Spanish mark of the Templars, the Templar ‘T’, emblazoned on a white background, wind chimes and an assortment of bells hanging from the trellis overhead.

‘¡Hola!’ I called, but there was no reply other than the cats’ inquisitive looks and the sleeping dog’s soft snore. No one seemed to be home. I was sorry that I’d missed this legendary Camino character. And I was not impressed with the state of the place. ‘Hovel’ was the word that came to mind. I remembered learning at school about the Knights Templar being the medieval order of monastic militants who became the repository for much of Europe’s banking treasure during the early Middle Ages, who
went on to fight the bloody Crusades and who were, most importantly for the pilgrims, the official protectors of the Camino until the 14th century. I would have loved chatting to Tomás about the history of the Templars on the Camino and about his particular claim to fame, but there was no sight or sound of the man. I waited around a little longer, but was uncomfortable in the filth and chaos of the place and then I quickly dismissed a sudden funny suspicion that he might have sensed that I was a sceptic and had therefore disappeared. Yet, later, when a group of us
chatted about experiences we had crossing the mountains that day, and the inevitable subject of Tomás, The Last Templar, came up, everyone who’d passed through Manjarín not long before or not long after me talked about their meeting with the man. When I heard this I had to wonder whether my suspicion had been right after all.
‘What an interesting character!’ David commented. How authentic he is, is debatable, but it was fascinating meeting him.’

‘I wouldn’t have liked to stay there overnight, though,’ Marilyn continued. ‘Apparently you just put your sleeping bag on one of the benches built around the fire in the middle of the floor,’ she went on to explain, ‘but the toilet is outside and very, very basic, and there is no electricity or running water in the place!’
Annie shuddered. ‘The man gave me the creeps,’ she said quietly. ‘You did leave rather quickly!’ David looked across at Annie with a puzzled expression. ‘One moment you were there and the next moment you were gone! We thought you might have gone outside to look at his interesting electrical generator, which he runs to work his computer and internet system. It is quite an engineering feat!’

Annie shuddered again, as if someone had just walked over her grave. ‘No, I just had to get out of there. There was something strange about him. Something very strange and sinister. I couldn’t stand to be in the same space as him. I just had to leave. It wasn’t before I got far away from that place that I started to feel a little better.’........

2009-10-16T23:48:00.002+02:00

I finished THE BRILLIANT BOOK.It was so easy to read in 4 days and like a haven of peace every time I picked it up.

A few faces on the Camino

2009-10-16T23:20:00.000+02:00

Read all about the book .......

2009-10-15T23:03:00.000+02:00

Click on the link:
..on the Jacana Publishing Blog

and a few comments....

2009-10-15T18:00:00.000+02:00

"I read the first three chapters of your book and am loving it, and finding it very helpful for my own spiritual journey."

"It's wonderful. I did not want it to end. Thank you."

"I found myself reading slower and slower. Just like your camino I did not want the journey to come to an end!"

"There were so many places where I had to stop because the parallel in my own life suddenly became so clear to me. It has made me re-think many aspects of my own life. What an amazing journey."

"I thought I would never take on such a challenge myself, but I felt as if I had walked the pilgrimage with you and have experienced the journey. Thank you."

"Every chapter contained so much food for thought. I loved it!"

First Review! Oor mense en hul lewens SARIE October 2009

2009-10-15T17:14:00.000+02:00

SARIE - Oktober 2009

Sou jy my vra waarom ek juis hierdie 5 boeke kies as my keuse van die week, dan is die antwoord eenvoudig

Dit gaan oor mense. Beslis baie uiteenlopende mense met lewensverhale wat geen ooreenstemming met mekaar het nie. Die ding wat hulle saambind is die passie waarmee elkeen sy of haar lewe geleef het. Ek vind dit inspirerend om oor sulke mense te lees. Onthou om ons SARIE boekwinkel te besoek om van die boeke te bestel.

The way of stars and stones The Way of Stars and Stones, Wilna Wilkinson (Jacana, R175)
Verhale soos hierdie is altyd vir my verbysterend, want ek is altyd verstom oor wat ander mense motiveer om dinge soos 'n pelgrimstog aan te pak. In die boek vertel Wilkinson van hoe sy, nadat sy gehoor het 'n vriendin het kanker, besluit het om op 'n pelgrimstog te gaan. Sy wou die Camino stap om hulde aan dié vriendin te bring. My verbystering is dat ten spyte van die swaarkry, pyn en lyding op die tog, sulke pelgrimgangers hulself altyd dryf om klaar te maak. So ook Wilna. Behalwe dat vir haar nie daarom gaan om die staptog in 'n spesifieke hoeveelheid dae klaar te stap nie, maar dat sy die dinge langs die pad sien en ervaar en dat sy aangeraak word deur mede-reisigers. Tog is sy 'n alleenreisiger en stap sy alleen, dog nie in isolasie nie. Een van die mooiste stukkies wat sy sê oor haar ervaring is: "I suddenly realised the enormity of the gift of the Camino; to have this luxury of time, of solitude, silence, serenity and endless, endless space! It was the space where I was able to breathe and to live the moment."
Al wat ek kan sê, is sou jy ooit oorweeg om die Camino te gaan stap, lees die boek. Soek jy bloot inspirasie uit iemand anders se lewe, lees die boek.

(Rough translation --
If you asked me why I chose these five books as the choice of the week, then the answer is quite simple. They all concern people. Definitely very diverse people with life stories which have no relation the one to the other. The thing that binds them is the passion with which each of them lives his or her life. I find it ... Read moreinspiring to read a bout such people.
Stories like this one I always find astounding, because I am always astonished by what it is that motivates people to take on challenges -- such as a pilgrimage. In the book Wilkinson tells how, after she heard about a friend discovering that she had cancer, decided to go on a pilgrimage. She wanted to walk the Camino to honour her friend. What I find so astounding is that despite the difficulties, the pain and the suffering on the walk, pilgrims will push themselves to finish that which they started. As did Wilna. Except that for her the pilgrimage was not about reaching the destination or finishing it in a certain number of days, but that she saw and experienced everything along the way and that she was touched and moved by her fellow-travellers. She is a loner and walked alone – yet she never walked in isolation. One of the most striking little things she says about her experience is : "I suddenly realised the enormity of the gift of the Camino; to have this luxury of time, of solitude, silence, serenity and endless, endless space! It was the space where I was able to breathe and to live the moment." And all I can say is, should you consider walking the Camino, read the book. Should you simply look to find inspiration from someone else’s life, read the book. )

Manna – My verhaal van rooibostee en wonderwerke, Annique Theron (Annique Theron, R225)
Annique Theron se lewensverhaal is eintlik merkwaardig. Sy kom uit 'n beskeie plaasagtergrond. Soos die meeste plaaskinders is sy ook koshuis toe en het gou aangepas. Dit was maar moeilike jare net so ná die Depressie en so verloor hulle hul plaas en moet 'n ander heenkome soek. Dan volg haar hoërskool- en kollege jare. Sy vertel ook hoe hardnekkig Meiring (wat uiteindelik haar man geword het) haar die hof gemaak het en met die mooiste liefdesbrief haar hart kon wen. Gesinslewe volg en dan haar werk met rooibostee. Die boek is geskryf presies soos sy haar storie vertel, met geweldig baie detail oor plekke, mense en dinge. Sy gee ook heelwat feite oor interessante goed soos rooibostee, navorsing en nuwe verwikkelinge wat verband hou met haar lewe en werk. 'n Insiggewende boek oor 'n baie merkwaardige vrou wat op 80-jarige ouderdom steeds aktief en voluit leef. Bestel die boek landwyd by Annique-konsultante.

Fanus Onthou en Sebastian lieg in die mou, Fanus Rautenbach saam met Piet Coetzer (LAPA, R140)
‘n Lewensverhaal met 'n verskil, want nie alleen vertel Fanus self sy verhaal nie: Sy alter ego, Sebastian, of soos Fanus sê, sy kloon, vertel van die gebeurtenisse wat vir Fanus soms moeilik is om self oor te vertel. Dis 'n lang lewe in die openbaar hierdie, want Fanus was volksbesit vir die grootste deel van sy lewe. Sy radiowerk en openbare optredes het hom gewild en bemind gemaak. Natuurlik is daar baie stories, party met 'n kinkel in die kabel, oor Fanus wat algemeen bekend is. In hierdie memoires gee hy die waarheid oor baie van die stories wat oor hom vertel word. Van die teerste oomblikke is wanneer Fanus oor sy Vroutjie-Douwtjie gesels en hoeveel hy haar steeds mis en dat hy steeds elke dag in gesprek is met haar. 'n Lekker lees-ervaring met baie humoristiese stories oor bekende mense wat oor Fanus se lewenspad gekom het, en 'n goeie oorsig oor die komplekse mens Fanus.

It's a Vet's life, Roy Aronson (Tafelberg, R165)
Aronson vertel die interessante verhaal van hoe hy in veeartsenykunde beland het. Alle diereliefhebbers sal verheug wees dat iemand soos Aronson wel 'n veearts geword het. Sy liefde vir diere is die ding wat hom in die rigting gestuur het. Hy vertel van studentedae en vreemde pasiënte soos die renoster wat sy pad gekruis het. Sy lewe word gekarteer in terme van die katte, honde, wolf, apies en ander wilde en mak diere wat hy in sy lang loopbaan as veearts behandel het. Dierestories fassineer my altyd en hierdie boek is geskryf deur 'n veearts wat regtig 'n passie het vir wat hy doen. Sy passie is baie duidelik in die staaltjies wat hy vertel oor die interessanter pasiënte wat al deur sy praktyk se deure gestap het. Partykeer kan ek myself nie help nie en wonder dan baie stout hoe lyk van die vreemdste pasiënte se base! Sou hulle eksentriek of doodgewone diereliefhebbers wees? 'n Lekkerlees-boek.

Running with horses Running with Horses, Allan Boesak (Joho!, R209)
Teen hierdie tyd het gereelde lesers van hierdie webblad al agtergekom ek het 'n passie om oor politiek te lees. Dis gedeeltelik te wyte aan my baie lang loopbaan in die pers en dat ek vir 'n hele klomp van die jare as 'n koerantfotograaf gewerk het tydens die vroeë negentigs. In daardie dae het ek baie van die huidige mense op ons land se politieke front ontmoet en om vandag oor hulle te lees, gee my 'n ander tipe insig in die politiek. Soms as jy te direk met 'n onderwerp werk, kyk mens uit 'n spesifieke oogpunt na sake van die dag. Boeke soos die een van Allan Boesak is noodsaaklik, want dit gee perspektief aan die onstuimige politieke geskiedenis van ons land. Veral die jare waartydens Suid-Afrika in 'n noodtoestand was en koerante en ander media eintlik maar gemuilband was en nie die volledige verslaggewing kon doen oor die aktuele sake van die dag nie. Boesak skryf oor sy radikale Christenskap en hoe dit sy politieke uitkyk gevorm het. Hy skryf oor die aanloop tot en die ontstaan van die UDF en die verloop van die struggle daarna. Een van die juwele van die boek is die toesprake en ander geskrewe stukke wat nog nie in druk beskikbaar was nie. Een ding is seker, Boesak is 'n man wat weet hoe om die woord te gebruik! Die boek skep ook 'n prentjie van wie Allan Boesak nou eintlik is en wat sy bydrae tot ons geskiedenis behels.

2009-10-15T17:07:00.000+02:00

2009-10-15T16:53:00.000+02:00

2009-10-04T18:29:00.000+02:00

The Way of Stars and Stones: Thoughts on a Pilgrimage
By Wilna Wilkinson

EAN/ISBN-13: 978-1-77009-749-0
Format: Paperback
Photographs: Black & white
Size: 235 x 155mm
Pages: 296pp
Recommended Retail Price: R175.00
Published by Jacana Media in September 2009

Jacana Books

And at last the promise is kept

2009-09-27T19:09:00.000+02:00

Last year I wrote in this blog (see below) that I planned to write more about my experience -- and I have!

My book, The Way of Stars and Stones is finally out on the shelves and available.

you can obtain a copy online from the publishers in South Africa, Jacana Book (Jacana) or from myself -- write to Wilna Wilkinson

The Way of Stars and Stones -- Thoughts on a Pilgrimage

ISBN978-0-77009-749-0

Now available in SA Book stores and on Jacana website
Jacana

Retail price: ZAR 175.00 (excl. postage) from South Africa

or €17 (excl postage) from me in France.

All proceeds of this edition go to cancer research.

Soon available on amazon

stones, tears -- and Neruda

a message from the Camino...

Today I took the stone that I had been carrying for many years, from my pocket --- it was hurting me just too much.

I hurled it into an empty ploughed field that stretched for ever -- right past the horizon -- I hurled it so far that there was no possibility of me ever again going to find it amongst a million others, -- or to return it to my pocket.

When I arrived at this refugio tonight, bitterly cold and frozen, there was a huge open fire waiting and, as if for me, and only me, a book of Pablo Neruda´s poetry lay on the table next to the fire ---

I burst into tears -- and I cried for the beauty of it, for the relief of the beautiful poetry, for the warmth, for the sore feet and the frozen fingers --- and mostly for the stone that is missing from my pocket -- for all time.

Now, you are mine. Rest with your dream inside my dream.
Love, pain, and work, must sleep now.
Night revolves on invisible wheels
and joined to me you are pure as sleeping amber.
No one else will sleep with my dream, love.
You will go; we will go joined by the waters of time.
No other one will travel the shadows with me,
only you, ever green, ever sun, ever moon.
--Neruda

There are many myths and legends on the Camino -- and -- probably because there are so many stones (have I mentioned the stones?!) many of these legends revolve around the stones. I shall be writing more about them and the different beliefs about them and a few interesting little stories and anecdotes.

A little madness? - but all for a good cause!

2009-09-27T19:08:00.001+02:00

A 800km walk down a mediaeval footpath under the stars of the milky way in Northern Spain

This is the way of peace:
Overcome evil with good,
and falsehood with truth,
and hatred with love ....Peace Pilgrim

Why make this pilgrimage?

2009-09-27T19:06:00.000+02:00

I have always had a yearning to do things that challenge me -- to take the road less travelled, to explore the unknown territory. Deciding to walk the Camino de Santiago-- making the pilgrimage to Santiago Compostela, is not taking a road less travelled -- on the contrary -- thousands walk this road every year! Nor is it unknown territory -- it is probably the best known pilgrimage of all time. But for me it will be -- finally taking on this challenge that I had set myself several years ago will be the road less travelled and an unknown territory in my personal life in every sense.`

Father Frank de Gouveia said:

“Every major religion has a tradition and practice of pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage is a ritual journey, either alone or in a group, with the aim of achieving purification, perfection or salvation; a religious experience in which a series of bonds are established between a place of this world and a higher sphere, between an individual traveller and a community, between a flesh-and-blood pilgrim and he who is reborn, purified by the consummation of his goal. These bonds are what distinguish pilgrimage from other types of journey or travel.

Pilgrimage requires a sacred journey, a sacred place and a sacred goal. The sacred place may take many forms – a tree, a spring, a mountain, or a place where holy relics are revered. On the journey – a metaphor of earthly life – a personal transformation is initiated and effected through a series of rites that culminate in the moment of arrival. Here, his goal attained, the pilgrim is reborn, a new man.” [/i]

All the above refers to pilgrims in the traditional sense. Of course, many people do the camino for other reasons – they may be keen walkers who want to do a truly long walk, they may want to walk on Roman roads or see famous places, they may want to find themselves or ponder the meaning of life and their place in it. They may be religiously motivated or simply look for a spiritual experience. They may hope to find the reason for their need to make the pilgrimage along the way....

Pilgrims have been travelling to Santiago de Compostela on foot or horseback for over a thousand years. (The Bishop of Le Puy, who went there in AD 950, was one of the first). Some say the cult of the spiritual traveller along the path existed even earlier as the way led to Cape Finisterre the end of the known world.

The route to Santiago was a Roman trade-route. It was nicknamed by travellers la voje lade, the Milky WayIt was the road under the stars. The pale arm of the Milky Way that stretched out and pointed the way to the edge of the known world : to Cape Finisterre, and Santiago --- far away under the mists and Atlantic skies of Galicia, woods and water in a Celtic landscape of menhirs and lost gods that exert an appeal that is infinitely pre Christian.

Its 800 kilometers from the Saint Jean Pied de Port in the foothills of the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in the western reaches of Galicia have changed little in that time. For although sections of it have now become modern tarred roads and many of the refuges and other accommodation set up by religious orders along the way to minister to the needs of pilgrims have long since disappeared, the Camino still passes through the same villages, crosses the same rivers, visits the same chapels, churches, cathedrals and other monuments as did the path taken by our predecessors in centuries gone by.

At the height of its popularity in the eleventh and twelfth centuries over half a million people a year are said to have made the pilgrimage from different parts of Europe, the majority of them from France.

The high point of the pilgrimage occurred between the years 1000 and l500 but although numbers dwindled after that, due to the Reformation and other, political, factors, the stream of pilgrims making the trudge westwards to the far reaches of Galiciain north-west Spain never completely dried up and in the late twentieth century is making something of a comeback.

Several thousand people walk the Way of St James (Sant' Iago) every year, whether from the Pyrenees, from different parts of France or from even further afield: it is not uncommon, even nowadays, to meet Swiss, German, Belgian or Dutch pilgrims, for example, who have set out from home to make the entire journey on foot. The Cathedral authorities in Santiago maintain a register of pilgrims and in 1991 recorded a total of 7274 travelling on foot, bicycle or horseback (compared with 5760 in 1989, the year of the Pope's August visit there, and 4918 in 1990).

The Shell of the Camino Pilgrim Some interesting observations from the Net about the Scallop Shell - the symbol of the Camino

2009-09-27T19:05:00.000+02:00

The Myth

As with many myths, the details change depending on who is telling the story, but here’s the one I’m going to tell you.
James, the brother of Jesus, was killed in Jerusalem for his convictions about his brother. James had spent some time preaching on the Iberian Peninsula, and after his death, his bones were mysteriously transported by a ship with no crew back to the Iberian Peninsula to the Northwestern province of Galicia in Spain.
A wedding was taking place along the shore as James’ ship approached land. The young bridegroom was on horseback, and on seeing the ship approaching, his horse got spooked, and the horse and rider plunged into the sea.
Through miraculous intervention, the horse and rider emerged from the water, covered in seashells, and galloped off into the distance.
To this day, the scallop shell, typically found on the shores in Galicia, remains the symbol of the Camino de Santiago.

The Metaphor

The scallop shell also acts as a metaphor. The grooves in the shell, which come together at a single point, represent the various routes pilgrims traveled, eventually arriving at a single destination, the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela.
The scallop shell is also a metaphor for the pilgrim. As the waves of the ocean washed scallop shells up on the shores of Galicia, God’s hand also guided the pilgrims to Santiago.

The Practicality
The scallop shell served practical purposes for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago as well. The shell was just the right size for gathering water to drink or for eating out of as a makeshift bowl.
Also, because the scallop shell is native to the shores of Galicia, the shell functioned as proof of completion. By having a scallop shell, a pilgrim could almost certainly prove that he or she had finished the pilgrimage and had actually seen the “end of the world”—which at that point in history was the Western coast of Spain.

A glimpse of what to expect? The is exciting -- but scary stuff!

2009-09-27T18:54:00.000+02:00

I spent my usual two hours today studying more websites and books written about the Camino and specifically planning the day to day stages that I will do. This way I can get a better idea of how long I will be away and also get a better picture of the refuges available to me on the way.

There is so much written about the refuges -- and yet almost all the information is about lice in the beds, the lack of heating -- and the snoring of other pilgrims!

And then -- I came across an excellent detailed account of a pilgrim who had made the pilgrimage in winter..........

All of a sudden I am starting to shiver in my boots!
Instead of these idyllic pictures of pathways and refuges, dusty roads and warm sunshine..........

Stories of walkers getting lost in the mist, literally getting blown off course on the highest peaks, being warned against walking alone, freezing to death (the last case as recent as April 2007!) or slipping on the snow and breaking ankles and having to be rescued by search parties, had me feeling a little nervous..............

Starting to count the sleeps .....
(the ones that are left in a comfortable bed!!) and still looking for a 'hook' for my book about the Camino.........

Another day of reading about another thousand people’s experiences on the Camino…..
I know – not quite a thousand – but the lists of books and the entries on the internet do seem endless.

A few websites brighten up my day with their weird and wonderful translations from every language imaginable -- such as " after all of these years it [the website -sic] developed, includings all the importants informations to the pilgrims who wishes to cross the way by feet, by contributions of a great number of pilgrims that assimilated the spirit of the Camino de Santiago: "helping each others", --- or the Confraternity of St James who inform their readers that "The office computer, stolen during the night of 11-12 January 2008, has now been replaced, and e-mails should be reaching us again. "

There are many sites and blogs with excellent hints and tips, but after conscientiously studying these and memorising such life saving important bits as

" 1. Cemeteries in France are not kept locked, and nearly all have a tap of drinking water near the gate (in case anyone is overcome during a funeral). Spanish cemeteries are kept locked, and probably don't have a water supply anyway. (truly helpful, that one!)

2. Make your broad-brimmed hat a fabric one which you can dunk in streams: there's nothing to beat the impromptu shower this gives you. (At temperatures of minus freezing? I don't think so, but thanks!)

3. Chuck your laundry into the shower-base as you undress, then trample on it while you shampoo and soap. It will be half-washed by the time you emerge. (Has this man ever looked down at the shower-base of a public shower? Yuck!)

4. If you're cooking for yourself, and find it difficult to shop for one, look out for what previous pilgrims have left in the store cupboard, and leave behind for later comers what you can't carry away. (Reminds me of a reluctantly single male friend of mine who looks for a shopping trolley at the super market that has a grocery list in it that had been left behind. He had been told to always have a grocery list when he goes shopping, but cannot be bothered to write one, so he buys his groceries off other shopping people's lists! Make for interesting purchases.)

5. If you're walking westwards on a busy road early in the morning, remember that the on-coming drivers have the rising sun in their eyes and may find it hard to see you: take extra care. " and so on and so on, I was soon reminded of the days before my first child was born and I was bombarded by well-meaning friends and family members who came laden with books of every shape and size pontificating on how the baby should be washed, fed, clothed, spoken to, sung to, carried.......... I very quickly realised that I could choose to go mad with the overload of conflicting information and make a miserable mess of raising my new-born, or I could do what all the strong and wise women in my family who came before me did, and follow my natural instinct.

And then, every now and then I come across a book or an internet entry that keeps me mesmerised for hours – I want to read every sentence on every page and learn what I can from their experience. Beautiful descriptions of the route, funny little stories about people they met along the way, experiences in the refuges, spiritual awakenings along the route.

One such discovery I made that had me stop in my tracks for a few quiet moments today was the writing of another woman who had walked the Way on her own, [b]Susan Kenney -- in particular it was the lovely little story she had picked up along the way about picking up stones and putting them on the cairns on the side of the road, that appealed to me. You see, I am such a stone collector myself -- and the thought has fleetingly crossed my mind a (ridiculous) number of times, leaving a niggling little reminder every time, that I would have to address the potentially 'heavy' problem and make a decision before I leave on how I am going to discipline myself and not succumb to this (weight collecting) compulsive habit of mine. I loved her little story and will take it with me, because it means I can indulge in my weakness, but make it count for all those very special people in my life who will be with me in spirit on my journey. -- Have a look at the story, and tell me if you agree that it is lovely --

Stone by Stone

The next day I left in the stillness of the winter morning to walk 34 kilometers alone. It was a gorgeous sunny day. The terrain was easy with only one a small mountain range to challenge me. For some reason on this day I noticed neat piles of stones placed on the edge of the path or piled on top of the concrete markers that were decorated with a blue tile imbedded with a scallop shell symbol indicating the way to Santiago. I assumed the piles of stones were placed by the pilgrims before me and wanting to be a part of a historic ritual, I added a stone of my own. Even though I didn’t understand why I did this, I felt like I was a part of something very special.
Around 3:00 p.m. I arrived in the city of Estella, which means star in Spanish. Located at the point where the Camino Frances meets with the Camino Arles route joining the two paths to Santiago, it brings pilgrims from different routes together.
Later that afternoon, I arrived at the refugio and introduced myself to the others who had journeyed from the four corners of the world. They were gathered here from Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Holland, Switzerland and Madrid. The refugio had no cooking facilities available so some of us decided to go out together for a pilgrim’s meal at a local restaurant.
Everyone was from a different country and so the conversation was a feast of many languages. Luckily for me, someone was always able to translate what was being said into English. During a lull in the conversation, I asked if anyone at the table knew the reasons for the piles of stones left along the way. Sitting directly across from me, Andreas, a young German pilgrim smiled with anticipation and told me he knew a story about the stones. Speaking slowly, he explained. "It is said, if you pick up a stone and put some of your sorrow into it, when you place the stone down you leave some of your sorrow behind.”
I was moved. The story resonated with me. If I could leave my sorrow on the Camino, surely it would create more space in my heart for love. The next day, as soon as I went outside to begin walking, the first thing I did was to pick up a stone. I wasn’t sure how to put my sorrow into a stone, so I just imagined I could. Holding the stone in my hand as I walked, I caressed the smooth edges with my fingers like I was rubbing the sorrow into it. After a few minutes, I carefully set the stone down on the side of the path, letting go of my sorrow with it. Almost immediately, my heart opened up for more love and it felt so good that I wanted to pick up another stone right away. So I did, but this time I thought about putting the sorrow of my daughters into the stone. Seeing a small round stone, I picked it up for my oldest daughter Tara. I held it for a while as I walked, putting her sorrow into it and then I placed it down on the path. The next stone I picked up was for middle daughter Meghan. I held the stone close to my heart imagining her sorrow was moving into the stone, and then I gently placed it down too. Finally, I picked up a stone for Simone, my youngest daughter. With intention, I put her sorrow into the stone too. Never at any time did I suppose I knew exactly what their sorrow was, I only knew they possessed it. This was my secret gift to them. It was perfect. This would soon become a daily ritual for me.
Two weeks later and having picked up supplies for the journey to climb O’Cebreiro, I returned to the refugio in Villa Franca. When I opened the door to go inside, sitting there at the table was the German pilgrim, Andreas who had told me the story of the sorrow stones. The first thing I mentioned to him was the profound impact his story had on me. I was shocked when he said, “I don’t actually believe in sorrow stones." I was so stunned by this comment, I couldn’t speak. “It’s just a story a friend told me that I was sharing with you.” For me, the ritual of leaving my own sorrow and the sorrow of others along the Camino had changed my life. Hearing this, I came to a full realization of the true power of believing in something. It was my faith in the possibility that I could put sorrow into a stone, that had made it real for me. Now I knew that it didn’t matter if Andreas believed in the stones or not. In the end, what’s important is whatever I believe.

Ah! But then I wade through the next thirty books and entries of drivel – stories about extra terrestrial visits and conversations with the spirits abound (– one of the most famous of these probably Shirley McLain’s book, The Camino) a popular best seller whose only merit I can see -- so far, is that it is by a well –known actress who is known for her dabbling in the supernatural; or detailed accounts of every step, every blister, every fallen leaf along the way that have me yawning after ten minutes; – or even worse– the juvenile gushings about the joy, the liberation, the enlightenment, the visions, oooooooooooh! My Gosh! One gusher -- who has actually had a book published about her experiences along the Camino, writes:

“Le Chemin de Saint Jacques is the way of life, the way of space, the way of infinity. No room for sadness, no rooms for narrow mindedness, for rigid hearts and minds, or pettiness, or rancour or envy. It is the moment of adventure, of the launch of ecstasy, rupture with the past, entry into the new, from this stage in your life where you will always be pushed to go a little further, , a little higher, a little better a little purer, clearer, more beautiful. It is an immense fortune to light the flame which had been sleeping for so long. It is the road of life, of love and infinity. It is the way of my love for you --- and all my life I have dreamed of meeting this love”………

One of the main reasons the original pilgrims walked to Santiago de Compostela, was to obtain indulgences from the church -- to shorten their time in purgatory after their death and on their way to eternal life. This started in 1189 when Pope Alexander III declared Santiago de Compostela a Holy City, along with Jerusalem and Rome. According to his edit the pilgrims who made the pilgrimage and reached Santiago, were assured of having halved their time in purgatory and those who accomplished it in a Holy Year, could actually bypass purgatory altogether. I am dreading arriving at a refuge late in the afternoon, just before the sunset, when my legs will no more, and my feet are crying out for a rest, cold and wet and tired, and finding only one other person in the dormitory of the refuge and it turns out to be a gusher. Surely that would count for at least ten years reprieve from Purgatory -- or would that in fact be an early dress rehearsal for Purgatory itself? I have to admit I would rather not find out!

I realise that to have a book published in a market that is so saturated with books and publications, I might have to either sell my soul and devise some gimmick that will let the book stand out in a sea of clones, or I will have to stumble across a brilliant angle that no one has noticed before.

Many thousands have done the pilgrimage and continue to do it every year. Over the years the numbers grow exponentially and at a rampant rate. I would need to confirm the numbers, but they are phenomenal. From about 7 000 in the beginning of the 90's, the figures have shot off the page, and by 2007 they exceeded 25 000 people who had walked the last 100km of the pilgrimage. (One only has to complete the last 100km to Santiago de Compostela in order to be acknowledged as having 'done it'! Not nearly as many as that walk the entire 'official' Camino, namely from Saint Jean-Pied-du-Port). These days more people complete the pilgrimage on bicycle than on foot. Then there are the Harley pilgrims, the grey nomads in their camper vans and the gap year youngsters with their i-pods plugged in and thumbs tapping a running commentary on their mobile phones every step of the way, the Japanese tourists who follow the little yellow flag of their guide and the Americans with their support teams racing ahead to prepare the meals and the beds, the English who come across the channel in ferries and the Belgians who race down the highways from the grey low skies of the north. They come from every corner of the world to walk the Way of St James. Every religion, every faith, every colour and every language – and just about one in every ten, it seems, goes back home and writes a book or a website or a blog on their own personal pilgrimage.

I never thought about that when I listened to my heart telling me the time was right to finally take the road this year and more particularly, right now. I did not think twice about the time of year in which I am going to do the walk – but had I thought about it, I would have most certainly chosen exactly the same date that I have – 11 February -- even after reading all the many horror stories about the loneliness, the mist, the wind, the rain, the snow, the cold, the deaths of pilgrims who get lost in the mountains at this time of the year. Perhaps the ‘theme’ for my book -- the theme which will make my book stand out in the plethora of printed Camino stories out there, will come to me in the same way – out of nowhere, from a deep subconscious gut feel, an instinctive notion, a revelation in a vivid dream, a passing remark by a friend – yes, I am ready and waiting -- perhaps that answer will come to me any day now.

On being prepared : The devil is in the detail

2009-09-27T18:53:00.000+02:00

……and the train ticket to Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port, my starting block, is booked, bought and paid for. C’est parti

The dye is cast and the numbers read 9 and 2 and the big red cross is noted on my calendar – last night I bought my train ticket to Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port online. It was actually quite a dramatic little moment in the build-up to the pilgrimage to which I am now completed committed. I have bought hundreds of plane and train tickets on the internet over the last twenty years; tickets that took me around the world to destinations that were sometimes exotic, sometimes hum-drum, where journeys of adventure or discovery –or duty and work awaited me, where I thrilled at the anticipation of meeting people, or dreaded the confrontation with those I would rather not have crossed the paths of my life. We don’t even think twice anymore about it: open the website, look for the cheapest (and not necessarily the most convenient!) fare and route, type in our details, our credit card number, note the date on our on-line calendar , and voila! -- we then forget about it until a day or two before the journey when we have to pack and get ready.

So it was interesting for me to find that my fingers actually hovered over the keys before committing to the letters that spelled out the date and time and place of departure and desired destination. I first did it all in my usual rushed, impulsive and haphazard way – continuing on to page two and then page three to fill in the payment details. Then, suddenly, as a stillness, a calmness descended around me, I slowed down and reflected. The mood changed. I felt the gravitas of the moment. I was about to click on the point of no return. Even though I had been training walking for the last two months, even though I have been reading and doing research like I have not done for any project for a very long time, even though I have spent days looking for and buying everything I need for the walk, and a whole day of packing, unpacking, packing and weighing my rucksack, even though my route is planned and my calendar blocked out for the next two months, clicking on the last [i]Suivant[/i]> on the last page of the process in buying a single, one-way, €31,30 train ticket from Bergerac (24) to Saint Jean Pied de Port (64), caused me a full moment of hesitation. It was almost as if the train ticket was the final proof of commitment, the point of no return --- and [i]that[/i] for a second class, two-stop-and-change train ticket, and one that is changeable and refundable to boot![/b]

[quote] BERGERAC - ST JEAN PIED DE PORT 1 passager 31.30 €
Aller : 11h29 - BERGERAC
12h45 - 12h45> 13h14 via BORDEAUX ST JEAN
65749 2e classe Sans réservation
13h14 - BORDEAUX ST JEAN
14h54 - 14h54> 15h06 via BAYONNE
08515 2e classe Non fumeur Place(s) assise(s)
15h06 - BAYONNE
16h19 - 16h19> Null via ST JEAN PIED DE PORT
67335 2e classe Sans réservation
Samedi 09 Février
1e Passager (26 à 59 ans) Tarif normal Billet échangeable et remboursable soumis à conditions.
Loisir Service d'échange et de remboursement gratuit jusqu'à la veille du départ, avec retenue de 10€ le jour du départ, non échangeable et non remboursable après départ.
Voiture 15 - Place 25 Salle basse - Fenêtre - Duo côte à côte
Tarif normal Billet échangeable et remboursable soumis à conditions.

[/quote]

But – it is done --- as I said, the dye is cast. I leave on Saturday 9 February 2008 from Bergerac and arrive in Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port at 4:20 in the afternoon. Because it is so late in the day, I have decided to spend a full day to give myself enough time to look around, drink in the atmosphere, pick up my Pilgrim Passport, and make doubly sure that I am well acquainted with Napoleon’s Route, the way across the Pyrenees which I will be walking, starting Monday 11 February.

A Camino thought

2009-09-27T18:52:00.000+02:00

"Once we experience and feel this inter-dependence of all living beings,
we will cease to hurt, humiliate, exploit and kill another. We will want
to free all sentient beings from suffering. This is karuna, compassion,
which in turn gives rise to the responsibility to create happiness and
its causes for all."
Suresh Jindal; Interdependence of All Living Beings; The Times of India
(New Delhi); Nov 13, 2003.

karuna = compassion --- from the Sanskrit

Hola! from Cezur Menor

2009-09-27T18:51:00.001+02:00

- having survived the Pyrenees crossing and walked into Spain!

- Just a very quick note to say after three days of walking for between 9 and 11 hours over rocks, through forests, over mountains, through mud, over more rocks, over more mountains, and more rocks, uphill and down hill, and over more mountains, and moire rocks, starting at 7-8 in the morning and watching the sun come up over the mountains and finishing in a little refuge with bunk bed which I share with the only four other people on the entire camino at the moment '' a lovely young 24 year old German boy who is doing it for the third time, a lovely young Japanese boy doing it for the first time, and two women from East Germany --- twin sisters --- --- well, what was East Germany --- let´s not split hairs here --- communist and tough and hoping to have a life changing experience and to be baptised at the end if it (the camino, not the life changing experience --- or is that the other way round?) ----- my body is sore --- as to be expected, my feet are very sore --- as to be expected , I am in Cizur Menor -- not too far past Pamplona '' but far enough to have almost broken the camel´s back (that´s mine, i.e.) but it is the most amazing experience --- and I mean THE MOST amazing experience. getting to the refuge tonight I walked in to find the boys had made a delicious meal of pasta and mince and onions and garlic and a huge bowl of mixed salad and they had left just one (big) portion of everything "in case Wilna arrives tonight"!!!---- it was just beautiful --- and I almost cried . I often almost cry on this walk -- and often do --- and I shall tell all about it when I am back.
-
- Buen Camino my friend!

a few days on.... and still smiling

2009-09-27T18:50:00.001+02:00

wish I had more opportunity energy so that when I do get to internet --- few and far between -- I can write a little more as to what an incredible experience this is. --- just simply amazing

Coming down with a cold I think ''' hot and cold shivers all day. Will have an early night (although all nights are early nights!!) and take few disprin and hopefully feel good again tomorrow.

Funny how aching bones and feet and muscles and everything short of collapse makes a bad shivering cold seem not quite that major!!
Everything becomes relative here!

In Estella tonight ---- and let me assure you there are some huge hills still ahead!! Just because they are not snow capped mountains, does not make then easuer. Today looked easy but the climbs were some of the hardest!
Over 100km!!!
only 700 kilometers to go!

wow! '''
thanks for the bit of news '' so enjoy reading what is happening!

A short note to home

2009-09-27T18:47:00.000+02:00

another day and another wonderful experience.

I slept in Los Arcos last night and meant to sleep in Viana tonight --- about 22km -- and then only 11 tomorrow to Lagrouna (??? is that where I am -- not sure! -- something like that! tired brain!!) but then the refuge in Viana which is supposed to be open all year, was closed -- so I had to push on and do the rest -- so 32 kilometers today --- a tough one!

I had meant to rest every four or five days for a day but somehow it doesn´t work like that --- one is so tired in the evening when you stop that all you want to do is sleep -- but in the morning you wake up and get dressed and put your ruck sack on and get going --- some kind of momentum and rhythm that you cannot easily break. And like tonight I did ask the old monks who run the refuge whether I could stay two nights and have a rest day tomorrow, but they asked if it is for medical reasons and I said no, so they said, no you have to go on. Walk the camino!

So --- I think I might book into a hotel somewhere tomorrow night -- otherwise I am afraid -- and I never thought I would say this! -- I will be one day ahead of the others and that would be very sad. But I shall see --- somewhere we would have parted ways anyway by a day or two --- it is just so nice knowing they are either ahead or behind and one is not totally alone. Also, there are more and more other pilgrims now on the road --- coming from other directions, other routes --- southern spain, northern spain, and people starting much further along the way and I must say I have been so spoilt with the company up to now -- we feel like a little family when we all arrive at different times at the refuges -- it has been very special -- and I have not seen any other pilgrim that I feel I want to get to know better...

Anyway --- you asked what does one do when you arrive of an evening --- well, you take your ruck sack off first of all!!!, you then pay your €3 or 4 or 5 or 6 for the night and get your stamp in your pilgrims passport. You are then taken to the dormitory and shown your bed for the night --- or if you are lucky and come first, you can choose your own. I pick the bottom bunk always --- definitely no energy to get on the top bunk! -- and one reasonably near a heater --- if there is a heater in the dorm!

Then I take my shoes off (and put them outside the dorm if possible!) and socks and rub my feet --- aching feet--- unload my moneybag and camera around my waist, take stuff out of pockets like phones and maps and notebook (my camera´s card --- TWO gigabytes!! was full today!!! AAAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! Cannot take pics and won´t get to a place where to download on cd for another several days!!!!!!!!!!!!) and then head for the showers and if possible and no one objects I stand under the hot water (so far hot water everywhere) for at least half an hour! wonderful! I then wash all the clothes I wore for the day and either go hang them over an available heater of if lucky, put them in a coin operated dryer --- I only have one change of underwear so if I want to change every day, I wash every day --- I am totally drenched by the first hour and all day --- not a very good state of affairs --- but it is around 0´´C in the mornings and evenings, and does not go much higher than about 10 during the day -- and the wind blowing a lot of time is straight off the arctic.

Then it is quickly out to look for a food shop for something for dinner and also (something that weighs nothing!) for the following day for breakfast and for along the way, back to the refuge, make something to eat, chat a little and go to bed and sleep! In bed most nights around nine -- and fast asleep straight away.

so that for the pva every night --- and now must go -- [b]another time more about how this is THE way to keep the spirit alive, my sweetest Pierre!

Better go and take my clothes out the dryer --- and off to bed. Thanks for the little texts and messages and calls --- much much appreciated. Marc -- sent you a text today -- just check on all your phones in case I did not send it to the right phone!

Lots and lots of love

ww xx
buen camino!

A note to my two fellow pilgrims

2009-09-27T18:46:00.000+02:00

Dear Akira-san and Son of Thor ---

problemo!!

I am in Logrono --- as the refuge in Vania was closed and I could not find anyone who could open it --- I tried calling and spoke to different people who all tried, but we could not get the man. The hotel -- very smart hotel! --- offered me a room for 167 for the night for the five of us --- as I knew Marina and Kamil and Barbara and Loanna (I met them on the road this morning --- they also slept in Los Arcos last night!!) were somewhere behind me --- but I could not commit as I did not know if they would afford so much. So all I could do was continue --- another almost three hours --- the last bit into Logrono is very long!!

Now -- the refuge here is very nice --- excellent. BUT they will not let me stay a second night and I had promised you food for tomorrow night --- so I am going to cook something and leave it in the fridge for you guys for tomorrow night --- so p`lease do come to the refuge tomorrow (Sunday) and get the food out of the fridge and warm it up for you --- and I hope you enjoy!

You will just have to get a loaf of bread to have with it --- and fry eggs to eat with it ---the little shop is across the road --- not sure whether it will be open as it is Sunday-- hopè so!

I shall not go far tomorrow --- really need a rest for a half day at least! ---- so I am sure you guys will catch up with me again --- I hope so!!

lots of love
and Buen Camino ---
Wilna

Ten days done

2009-09-27T18:45:00.000+02:00

Today was a beautiful walk -- gently and easy and so amazing in the thick mist -- could sometimes not see too far --- quite wonderful to walk inside a cloud!

But my right leg became so painful that I just wanted to sit down. Tried to stop in one of the villages but they were renovating and would not let me stay. So I sat outside and cried a little bit and then picked myself up again and walked to that little place that does not have a name.

There the people -- real "new age" people with incense and whale song music -- like something out of the hippy 60's -- they let me in and let me take a bed to sleep for an hour and offered me lunch of fabulous thick lentil soup with sausage bits in, and a chair by the fire --- absolutely fantastic!

So after a few hours I decided to go on --- discovered my neurofen tablets in my bag -- enough to knock you out -- and walked without too much pain to Belorado --- the man here, Juan, at Cuatro something is wonderful --- and hey! there is a man here at the refugio tonight who started on 1 November 2007 and has walked the Northern camino, then the Portuguese camino and now the Franceses backwards - on his way back home to the Czech republic!! How amazing is that! --- wish we could understand each other!

I may rest a bit tomorrow --- really donñ´t want to but if my leg does not get better I will be in trouble. Damn old body!!!!

I saw Marina today but no idea where she ended up tonight --- she was going to Belorado but is not here. Also saw Barabara and Loanna --- they are in Belorado tonight but probably in a hotel. The two Spanish boys are here tonight -- David and Tonio, and also the Finnish boy Markus.

lots of love and buen camino until I see you all again!

Disaster strikes in Belorado

2009-09-27T18:43:00.000+02:00

Oh well --- one of those things that happens --

two days ago -- on that horrible stony (more stony than normal -- if that is possible ?? -- why does NO ONE write anywhere about the stones? Here everyone agrees that is the hardest thing about the camino ----- but on that day made worse because of the gale force winds off the snow capped mountains that bump you all over the show) I got shin splints in my right leg -- not at the top under the knee, but at the bottom end of the tibia where all the calf muscles --- yes!! I actually do have those! and we never knew, did we? -- come together and are attached to the bone -- well, those tendons have started tearing loose from the bone and inflammation set in and the pain -- well, I challenge any pilgrim to tell me there can be worse! ---

I think I mentioned yesterday? that I passed -- or should I say limped past a most amazing man -- Valero -- from Italy -- he started in St Jean Pied de Port FIVE days ago!! and is already here -- he walks between 40 and 50 kilometers a day -- incredible! and he walks in sandals! no socks -- just sandals. I commented on this and he said only the first three days were bad, but his blisters are OK now -- his heels look like something out of a horror picture, but as I have young and sensitive readers of this message, I will not go into details -- and he said to me "at least I have not had tendinitis -- that is far worse!" Perhaps he was just kind -- but then, having the problem, I think perhaps not.

Anyway, went to the doctor this morning --- wonderful medical service wherever you go -- for free if you are a pilgrim -- and she shook her head, prescirbed anti-inflammatories and pain killers and a special elastic thingy to go around my leg and said three to four days rest. Must be kidding. I will go dotty (I know -- no comments from the peanut gallery, please.....)

Thank goodness --- or St Iago -- or both -- I happen to have found a fantastic refuge last night where Juan is totally happy for me to stay as long as it takes. (most refuges will not let you stay unless the doctor confirms that if you continue you will die along the way in the next four hours and a cart will have to come fetch you and take you to the morgue and the hospilalero will have to fill out a thousand forms for the Spanish bureaucracy because he was the last to see you alive).

Yesterday, when I limped badly -- leaning very heavily on my two sticks, John and Jill (first day out for Jill -- as madam does not get up early, and on this trip you have to, so she has been riding comfortably on my back all this way, while John has been doing all the hard work of pushing and balancing and keeping company... --- thanks guys, the bestest gift those turned out to be!)) I tried at the first village to get a bit of rest and sympathy in a refuge and they would not let me in as they were renovating --- an occupational hazard in winter on the pilgrim's´s route -- and the next village had no refuge and the third, 12 kilometers further up the hill, had one --- a wonderfully weird hippy new age kind of place where the incense smelt suspicioully like kif and the warmth came from two a huge iron stoves in the corner, and they warmly welcomed me in and let me sleep for a couple of hours, then offered me a steaming bowl of lentils and wine and were quite upset when I said I felt better and could keep going for another few hours.

So here I am --- all the others have left --- Markus the Finnish boy, the two Spanish boys who admonished me to stay as long as possible as the one, David had tendinitis on the third day and they had to stop for five days before he could walk again --- and a young Japànese watch maker from Tokyo - Tashi - and this incredible guy Rene from the Czech republic -- who has walked the camino from Le Puy to Santiago along the northern route, then down -- in reverse to Seville, then across to Portugal and up the Portuguese camino and now the Franceses camino -- in reverse--- back to the Czech republic. He is 34 --- walks in just normal clothes and normal trainers -- albeit his fifth pair -- but fabulous guy. (He was in the bunk next to mine last night and hardly snores -- so extra brownie points for that!!) --- have I written about the snoring? Next time --- I am contemplating writing a symphony using the snores of pilgrims on the camino!!

Last night the hospilalero Juan -- a former chef -- made us all a feast --- chicken soup, white beans and tripe (Terence, you have not tasted tripe until you taste the tripe in this region!), pork chops, fried eggs kindly donated by a dozen chickens in the back garden,, big potatoes cooked in their skins and served with a vinegar and oil and herb dressing, chicken pieces in a wonderful sauce (not the same chickens) , fruit salad and of course wine --- the best la Rioja (Marc and Sacha --- you will HAVE to come and see where your favourtie wine comes from!)-- the area through which I have been walking these last four days and am now leaving. Fabulous!

Tonight Juan and I are going to work together to prepare the meal for the pilgrims that arrive today --- as long as he does not ask me to kill one of the cute little Flopsy´s or Mopsy´s -- or even the mentioned Henny Penny in the back garden for the pot -- I am hoping Thorsten and Akira and Kamil will pitch up today -- they were behind me because of Thorsten´s knee and Akira´s leg -- it would be great to see them again!

So -- I have just been asked will I go back to France?
Go back to France? -- just because this silly ageing body of mine cannot keep up with my young agile mind (lol)???

NO! I suppose it is difficult for anyone who has not done this pilgrimage to understand what it does to you --
but there is no way one stops -- I shall wait the one or two or even three days required to get my leg stand-on-able again and I shall continue on the way --- fortunately I have calculated stop and rest days in my plan --- and I am still on track even if I stop for three days here -- which I hope will not be the case. I have seen now that unless there is something seriously stopping you from walking, one does not stop just for fun or sightseeing --- just does not work that way. So the day's rest I had planned turned out to be a good thing for such emergencies such as this one. But as as soon as I can, I continue on the Road under the stars.

This is just the most amazing experience --- I know I say that every day -- but it continues to be the most wonderful thing I have done -- and I so wish you could all experience what I do every day as well --- even just one day of it is enough to change your life.

And before I go --- thank you thank you thank you all for the emails and text messages every day --- it is really great to wake up and find all these encouraging messages! Terrie --- yours are very special -- every morning first thing! you are amazing! Thank you my friend!

I don´t have my phone on ring so I don´t know when calls or messages come in -- when you walk the last thing you want is a ringing phone, and when you get to the refuge at night, ringing phones are enough to be thrown out on the street! But I have my phone with me all the way and do not always feel the vibration in my pocket -- but I get the messages and appreciate them so much. It is sometimes hard to remember there is a world out there somewhere -- other than the contrails of the planes on the clear days and the occasional times when the way goes close to big routes, but I carry my loved ones in my pocket with me all the way.

Buen Camino my friends -- hamba kahle

A note from Terrie ---- the reason I continue to walk ---

2009-09-27T18:42:00.000+02:00

When I was at the tennis recently there was a young man with the following words on his T shirt " death is not an option". I commented to my sister that I would like a T shirt with that message on it.

Well, my friends, it's good news. Today I went to see the oncologist who had the results of my recent CT scan and blood tests. He was able to show me the scan on his computer screen. It shows that all the tumours have either disappeared or are dead (it's an OK option for those little suckers!) How about that!

When I commented that that might mean he was out of a job, he cautioned me not to be so hasty. Yes, they are gone after three months of chemotherapy treatment, but he recommends that I stay on chemotherapy for another nine months. He says that research shows that patients on treatment live longer than those who are not, and that we should remember the saying "when you're on a good thing, stick to it". That was a Mortein ad, wasn't it? Anyway the 'living longer' argument certainly has some appeal, so I agreed to continue on the chemo for another 9 months.

He has taken me off one of the three chemo drugs that I have been on - the one that destroyed my platelets. So hopefully the platelet count will increase and I won't have to keep eating black pudding! Actually, to be truthful, I stopped a while ago. It was too much - eating it every single day.

So, it's back to the chemo regime tomorrow morning, bright and early at 8am. It hasn't stopped me going to Melbourne to the tennis, or body surfing at Wollongong City Beach and beating my brother-in-law to the sand on a couple of waves! So, I guess I can live with it for a while. Periodical scans will keep an eye on things and if it's still all clear after 9 months then I guess I can have a break.

Thank you all for reading my news and for the support you always provide for me. I believe my excellent results are a combination of many elements, not the least being the magnificent support, encouragement and friendship I get from you all.

I'll talk to you all again soon.

A note from Sacha

2009-09-27T18:41:00.000+02:00

“When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don’t even understand the language the people speak. So you are like a child just out of the womb. You begin to attach much more importance to the things around you because your survival depends upon them. You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in difficult situations. And you accept any small favour from the gods with great delight, as if it were an episode you would remember for the rest of your life. At the same time, since all things are new, you see only the beauty in them, and you feel happy to be alive… always walk forward, adapting oneself to new situations and receiving in return all of the thousands of blessings that life generously offers to those who seek them.” – Paulo Coelho

----
Thanks Wilna for all your email updates and information - can't wait to hear all about it in person. Wishing you all the best and that your experiences continue to be more than you could hope for.

Happy & Safe travelling
Sacha xxx

A quick update in a pistachio shell

2009-09-27T18:39:00.000+02:00

I find myself in Caldizilla de la cuerna (or something!) and although one of the smallest hamlets yet, here is internet! But very basic --- I suspect there is a little boy behind the wall blowing on the coals to keep them going to provide the steam to generate the power to work this very archaic piece of equipment --- except one never sees little boys --- or little girls -- no children in this country -- no idea where they are.

In fact no idea where the people are --- I continue to walk through one village after the next that looks like an abandoned set on the Universal studios plot -- ghost towns all of them. Very eerie. Far off in the distance one sees big trucks on the highways and occasionally one hears a train somewhere in the distance (no -- to be honest, I have only heard a train twice -- or is that two trains?) but no people! Just in the big city such as Burgos were there lots of people --- lots of traffic and smells and noise as well, and hard to stay calm! One forgets very quickly what it is like to live in a word full of people.

Today was another exquisite experience -- walking the last more than 18 kilometers on a relatively straight and almost flat path (very stony! everywhere very stony! Impossibly and agonisingly stony!) across a landscape so beautiful it takes your breath away. The skies -- which have been pouring buckets on me these past few days, were alive with blue grey white charcoal clouds in magnificent formations and every now and then a bright spot light of sun breaks through making the green fields and red clay mud and and almost black trees that dot the horizon such vivid and intense colours that you have to stop and look and look again.

(This part is a plateau and because of its flatness, the guidebooks warn that you might get bored. Bored? I shake my head at such a thought -- and wonder about mankind........ but this is an update, not a dissertation, so mum's the word......for now)

Such bliss this morning being able to stop and sit down and take the back pack off for a little while and enjoy my feast of sausage and bread and fruit --- I found these last few days with all the constant rain one has to continue and somehow then forgets to stop to eat --- and while I sat there just enjoying the splendour of this incredible countryside, a little cat --- so gorgeous in snow white and tiger stripes and the most captivating yellow eyes came out of nowhere, ´talking´all the way -- all the time --- little happy meows ---- and sat on my leg to be stroked and cuddled. Every now and then she would hop off and go hunt an insect or throw a stone in the air and try to catch it and then come back for more cuddles. It was so special! I have no idea where she came from -- there was nothing for miles and miles --- really nothing -- no farms, houses, no villages --- for 18 kilometers this Way of Aquitaine as it is called is completely bare of human life. Just kilometre after kilometre of newly sewn or newly ploughed wheat fields. When it is was time to get up and put my food away and return the ruck sack to my back, I was worried the little cat would follow me --- not sure what I would have done if she did. But she stayed and sat on the side of the path watching me until we could no longer see each other. I think perhaps she was the soul of another peregrina of another time...

My aches and pains have become part of the daily existence. There but not unbearable. Early morning is the hardest -- if hard it is at all. Until I have warmed up after a few kilometers, the feet hurt, the knees hurt, the back feels the weight of the bag. Then all the hurt disappears as the mist starts to lift and the muscles and joints warm up -- and only late in the day when the body senses a refuge ´s wide open welcoming door close, the feet start complaining again -- not from the walking or the constant bearing of weight mile after mile,. but from the ever-present stones! There must be more stones under foot on this walk than there are stars in the sky. And of course with the rain, one has to look extra carefully where to put your feet on every step -- the soil is such clay -- clinging to the soles of the shoes and making you feel after a little while like you are walking on stilts!

But what amazing things these boots of mine are! Last night, after three days of solid rain, they were so wet they must have weighed about seven kilograms each -- but inside they are as dry as bone -- brilliant! Yesterday was a 45.7 kilometres walk --- the longest yet for one day! --- not by choice, I assure you -- but because there was not a single refuge open. I eventually ended up in a little hostal -- a very basic little hotel --- and had the amazing luxury of a bath!!!!! with hot hot water!!!!! --- after a very very strange experience.

There are so many little anecdotes and myths and legends about the devil appearing to pilgrims and trying to steer them off course (or some such wicked things) --- well, my friends, I saw him last night. From far far away I saw this strange sight -- a man standing in the middle of the road which was running alongside the pilgrim´s path. He seemed not to move even when cars came past -- just stood there holding an umbrella. I thought it must be a mirage --- too many kilometers in one day -- I had been walking almost 11 hours and was obviously hallucinating. But when I got closer I saw that it was in fact a man -- smartly dressed with black trousers and black leather shoes, a white shirt and tie and what looked like an expensive raincoat. He was holding an umbrella over his head, but --- regardless of the cars passing at speed and him having stood in the middle of the road, his clothes seemed incredibly dry! A big bald head with longish hair curling over the back of his raincoat, a big nose -- he really did look like a good model for a stone gargoyle... When I came close to him, he walked across the road towards me and fell in step with me on the pilgrim's´way --- stones (have a mentioned the stones???!!) and mud and all -- and him in his smart black leather shoes. He asked me where I had walked from and when I told him he would not believe me that I had walked so far. He then said there is no refuge open in the next village --- about another kilometer or so. I said I know there is a refuge open --- one has to get the key from the bar across the square. He said no -- I will have to come and stay in his house. Now this is of course all in Spanish and I am afraid that my Spanish is not even ten words better than it was when I started this journey... I said no thank you I will stay in the refuge. He got angry and said the refuge is closed and if I pay him (much rubbing of fingers and mention of dinero´s) I can stay in his house. I said again no thank you. He then returned to the more comfortable tarmac of the road and started walking a little faster than me. When I arrived wet and tired at the bar across the square about half hour later, guess who was standing at the bar, drinking a glass of wine, but the gargoyle man himself. I went up top the bar owner and asked for the refuge key and he said no, refuge closed. I said it has to be opened upon request but he shouted at me and told me to go to the next town )another ten kilometers) -- there was no room for me in this village. Well --- I could see why a pilgrim would lose their way or renounce their faith or do something silly --- not hard to be tempted to do anything when you have walked 11 hours in the pouring rain and cold and mist and past that many closed refuge doors, but you would be proud of me --- I smiled and turned around and walked to the other side of the town and booked into a hostal --- THE hostal of BATH!! and HOT WATER!! fame!!

Fortunately for me I so love the rain --- and the pitta patta sound of the drops on my poncho provide a wonderful background rhythm to the squelching of my boots in the mud and my stick marking the pace. I am just so grateful that the rain did not come before in the mountainous parts where going up hill and downhill could have become a tricky -- if not hilarious maneouvre!

I have not even started to talk about my epiphanies, or my many moments of tears -- of joy and wonder and awe --- nor have I brought you up to date of my fellow pilgrims ---
there is so much to tell and share -- but for tonight this is all, folks! --- I shall now go wash my clothes and then go look for a little place

Please keep the little text messages and msm´s coming --- they are fantastically encouraging and energising!

Lots of love to you all..................

Keep the spirit alive! And Buen Camino!

Ponderings on the way

2009-09-27T18:35:00.000+02:00

not too often I get an internet along the way -- they are there but mostly do not work or are so slow and archaic that it is just not worth the effort.

Not that there is not so much much to tell and write down --- rest assured -- it is quite obviously why everyone who does this pilgrimage feels the needs to write a book about the experience.

And tonight my fingers are completely frozen so the spelling may leave a lot to be desired..........
the temperature outside is way below zero and yesterday and this morning it snowed -- with a strong wind which is blowing straight off the snow capped mountains lying to the north and in front of me now ---
in a day or two I will be going up those mountains and it is quite interesting how it is an exciting rather than a frightening thought.......

the camino must be getting to me after all......

My one fellow pilgrim, Akira, is leaving tomorrow from Asturga to Madrid from where he is flying back to Japan tomorrow night --- we have walked together these last two days and tomorrow he will walk the last 15 km to Asturga ( Nici will no doubt correct the names as she follows my route on Google earth -- and I do so get the Spànish names completely wrong --- but really -- somehow it is just not important which town or village I am in, nor what day of the week or date it is.........) --- anyway -- he will walk the 15 km to there to catch a bus to Madrid and off to Japan tomorrow night... Most of the rest of the fellow pilgrims I have met on the way stayed behind in Leon two days ago to sight see and visit dentists and do all those sort of things..

I had to have my shoes repaired --- they started top show some wear and I was concerned about the snow and rain ahead -- and I was so lucky to find a cobbler who really knows his stuff --- he practically took my shoes completely apart and rebuilt them on the sides where the problem was -- 45 minutes he worked without a break -- and what did he charge me -- Euros 4!!! quite quite amazing! One never ceases to be surprised by the incredible things that happen on the way of Santiago.

I have to admit to you all that I have had two really bad days--- -- going into a city is never a pleasant experience, but going into Leon was a day in purgatory. Having to walk alongside huge national motorways with large trucks and cars going at 150 kph flying past one, is not an experience I wish on anyone --- especially when your feet are on fire and your legs feel wonky and you have just walked 30 km over stones and more stones and more stones.

And a lot of the way the ´way´was literally the ditch along the highway -- so a matter of balancing on one incline then the other, rubbish strewn all the way and often foul smelling water running in the ditch between your legs.
----I took pics --- yes, you know what that means --- I intend to write to the king of Spain and tell him what I think of this bad treatment of pilgrims.... Usually when one gets close to big roads --- fortunately not very often -- the truck drivers are very sweet and honk on their horns once or twice and wave to the pilgrims --- it is encouraging and heartening --- but when it happens along the national highways, it means the honking nearly deafens your right ear and leaves it singing for half an hour later and they are going much too fast and too close for you to take your eyes off the ditch for one second to wave back. Not good.

Then -- Leon was absolutely beautiful and I had a moment to go look at the most amazing cathedral there, -- and the refugio in Leon was a Benedictine monastery -- which meant curfew at 9pm straight after vespers -- and also meant women and men slept apart which was pure bliss --- no snoring!!!! --- but also meant breakfast at dawn --before 6am --- and no talking in between lights out and lights on --- but once again leaving the city is nightmare. It takes about two hours to get out of the city -- and usually through the worst part of the city -- the industrial parts where signs are often difficult to find and one can easily take the wrong route. Fortunately I did not, but, immediately after the first village outside the city., I did take the wrong turn -- could not find a yellow arrow or a shell sign anywhere, and continued walking regardless -- as there were some footprints in the mud and that is always a sign pilgrims when that way before you. I continued walking for about 6 km and came to an area where there were a lot of new houses -- but obviously not a village -- no church or bell towers with stork nests and storks tuck-tuck-tucking away--- and when I finally found a person to ask where i was, the poor man was totally confused. I was so far off the Camino track he did not even know how to advise me to get back on it. The only thing I could do was turn around ---. the nightmare of any pilgrim --- and get back to the point where I had gone wrong. Difficult to explain what that does to ones spirit. The way is hard and demanding enough --- but to walk backwards is killing. And all of a sudden your 24 km walk of the day becomes a 34 km walk for the day --- a huge difference --- especially when you body is already sore and your feet already pulp.

Anyway, I got to the village where Akira and I had agreed to meet last night and there he was -- the only other pilgrim in the Refugio, with a glass of wine ready for me, a chair by the heater (the temperatures have suddenly fallen drastically and the streams are frozen and the hoar frost on my fleece making long silver strands that are beautiful...) and he cooked the most amazing meal for the two of us ---a cauliflower and carrot soup (trust me, it was divine!) and fish and rice --- I went to bed last night and for the first time since starting the camino, slept right through the night. Bliss.

This morning he taped my feet for me --- Japanese style -- and how I wish I had known of this technique before!!! --- and for the first time in days every step was not pure agony --- and we walked at an easy pace the 18 kilometers to this refugio --- the oldest refugio on the camino, built in the 11 th century and just the most gorgeous little place. There are about ten other pilgrims, but it is one of those evenings where i cannot even be bothered to find out where they are from or where they started or who they are... The hospitalero, Freda, is a gorgeous vivacious dynamo of a woman, probably my age, from, Belgium, who did the camino and wanted to come back and go the job as hospitalero here --- charming and interesting and lovely. Akira and I shared our bottle of wine with her --- sitting outside in the freezing courtyard and sharing stories and friendship and wine. The way of the camino.

This continues to be an incredible experience. I realise more and more that one cannot -- not ever-- explain or describe to anyone else what the experience is like. Everyone´s camino is their personal pilgrimage. Everyone experiences different things in different ways. See different things along the way. Lives a different reality. Everyone understands different signs differently. Interprets different events according to their own frame of reference, to their own life experience and history.

But everyone´s life is changed by it.

I look forward to coming home and writing about my camino. and sharing with you all what it meant to me. What I experienced. What I lived over these five six weeks.
One thing I do know is that I so wish that everyone of my friends could live this camino with me. It is so incredibly wonderful --- such a unique privilege to be doing what I am doing.

It is something everyone should have the opportunity once in their lives to do.

For now, I think I must go warm my fingers and possibly go go to bed early tonight and hope for a quiet night with not too much snoring in the dormitory and too often that the blanket slides off the top of my sleeping bag and leaves my waking up a little ball of ice..... and tomorrow morning at 6 I shall bid a sad farewell to my fellow pilgrim Akira and see him on his way as he sets off with his torch, long before the the sun fights its way through the mist and the birds start to sing, and then later set off myself on the next wonderful stage of the Camino --- yet another day and another 30 km closer to Santiago.
Buen Camino
and Keep the Spirit Alive!

A sweet note from a fellow pilgrim

2009-09-27T18:34:00.000+02:00

Dear Wilna
Today I got so many things.
Any way I am still on my cammino.

I want to talk with you so much!

See you, may be, on the day after tomorrow.

_________________________________________________________________
「初音ミク」の妹分「鏡音リン」をLive Search で画像検索！

The night before entering the splendid city.....

2009-09-27T18:32:00.000+02:00

I am standing at the only internet terminal I could find -- about 500 meters away from the municipal refugio of Monte de Gozo --- the little town on the hill outside Santiago. Tomorrow I shall get up at 6am and walk down the hill --- (and over the two more hills I saw coming here tonight!--- NOTHING is flat in Spain!!) and at dawn I shall stand on the square in from of the cathedral of Santiago.
I have done it!

800 kilometers in 36 days (or, 836km if you count in the twice I got lost and did the extra 12 and 24 kilometers) and here I am. And not even a chair to sit on in front of the monitor so standing on my two sore feet writing to share the moment with you all!

The last two days were quite eventful.

They say that everyone cries at least once on the camino. Well, you all know me --- I have cried many times --- mostly from joy and awe and wonder and being overwhelmed. Once in despair when my feet were such agony I could not give one more step and the refugio denied me entry as they were renovating. A couple of times in anger and quite a few times in sadness or sorrow.

These last few days it was almost as if those many many waves that came over me daily and left me feeling completely overwhelmed over the last 36 days, turned tide and washed over me once again but from the other direction and accompanied with such a strong back wash that I found it hard to stay grounded.

I have left so many things behind me on this way under the stars and over the stones. (I did mention the stones, did I not?)

I have carried my own stones with me and left them on the way. I have carried stones for just about everyone I love with me and left those along the way as well. I have learned things about myself that are sometimes frightening, sometimes joyful, almost always surprising.

I have found so many answers to questions that I never even knew I had.

I have made some very special friends, met some very interesting people and learned much about mankind I never knew before. And I have finally found my faith --- the answers I have sought for more than half a century were here on the Way, and I am so eternally grateful that they were waiting patiently there for me to come find them in my own time and in my own way.

and hey! I almost lost a hand in this whole process!

Well, not exactly a hand, but almost two fingers.

Well --- OK! not two fingers --- but two chunks out of two fingers! They say never to look a gift horse in the mouth. Should be never leave a gift in the mouth of a horse. I was walking along through this beautiful eucalyptus forest when I came upon a lovely horse. As I had not encountered anyone other than a few cyclists (Hola! Buen Camino!) and passed or let past a few groups of tourigrinos (as opposed to peregrinos) for a number of hours, I of course stopped to talk to the horse. He was very happy about that and came and stuck his head through the wire fencing, nudging my chest as he did so -- which I assumed in horse language meant "What do you have for me, peregrina?" As it happens I carry with me little packets of sugar ----which I get every time I have a hot chocolate for breakfast somewhere in a little place on the way and take with me to have with my lemons -- which I also collect on the way, but not in the same legal manner as the sugar----, so I took one of these out and poured the sugar in my open palm to offer to the horse. Humph! He liked the idea of this -- but little did I know his preferred tidbit is "Human hand con sugar" --- seems the two go very well together. It was not really funny. A horse´s bite is definitely worse than his neigh. He has big teeth. And a strong jaw. And everything I shouted and tried to get my hand out of this vise like grip was in vain. And do not laugh, but only when I knocked him on the nose and threatened to write to the king of Spain about this when I write to him about the dogs, did he let go (I know --- sounds far fetched, but far fetched things happen on the camino) -- but alas, he let go go, but not without taking two chunks of my meat with him to chew on later, no doubt -- with the last of the sugar grains left in his cheek. So, at last the one thing I had not used from my backpack as yet on the entire journey has come in handy -- the Mercurochrome! My thumb and pinkie will never be the same, but look quite dashingly dramatic all covered in red!

I had a call from Kamil yesterday!! He called from the door of the cathedral of Santiago´--- he made it!! You remember my telling of little rotund Kamil -- the doctor from Berlin who, when I met him on his first day (he started in Pamplona) he was inconsolable and crying --- his backpack was gouging holes in his back, his feet were covered in blisters and the insides of his legs were so chafed raw that they almost bled. --- Well --- after a good meal and much advice from fellow pilgrims, we got his feet fixed up, him wearing his pyjamas to protect his legs and his backpack frame removed to stop the broken bits sticking into his back --- and he walked the distance and reached Santiago! He made me promise to let him know when I am near so he can be there to welcome me in the square tomorrow. Brilliant!

It will be wonderful to see who is there in the square tomorrow --- at this stage I am not sure at all who is behind me and who is in front --- but I know we will al be meeting this weekend. I lost Mike (Marcus Antoine -- the Brazilian restaurant owner I met a few days ago and who calls me La Principessa and has been leaving messages for me all along the way) but I think he has gone on to Finisterre and from there down to Lisbon. The Canadian couple David and Marilyn are still a few days behind I believe, and the three Latvians and Patrick and Chris and Klaus should be there already. Amazing how exciting the thought can be to meet these fellow pilgrims again....

I shall also miss Thorsten and Akira --- darn it, you two!! You should be here waiting for me in Monto de Gozo tonight to walk into the square together tomorrow morning!

I still wanted to tell you about the scarf that has shrunk and the camino on a C.V. and crossing the roads and -------------------- well, lots lots more, but I have three minutes left on the machine and no money on my purse and my feet are saying Rest Time! --- so until the next time --- from Santiago itself! ---

Stay safe and happy and Hamba Kahle and Buen Camino!

Stress fractures

2009-09-27T18:31:00.000+02:00

Stress fractures are tiny cracks in a bone. Stress fractures are caused by the repetitive application of force, often by overuse — such as repeatedly jumping up and down or running long distances. Stress fractures also can arise from normal use of a bone that's been weakened by a condition such as osteoporosis.

Stress fractures are most common in the weight-bearing bones of the lower leg and foot. Track and field athletes are particularly susceptible to stress fractures, but anyone can experience a stress fracture. If you're starting a new exercise program, for example, you may be at risk if you do too much too soon.

Your doctor might diagnose a stress fracture with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or another imaging technique. Treatment often involves icing the affected area and plenty of rest. Severe stress fractures may require splinting, casting or surgical insertion of a pin into the bone to promote healing.

# Suddenly shift from a sedentary lifestyle to an active training regimen — such as a military recruit subjected to intense marching exercises — or rapidly increase your exercise length and intensity

Fatigue fractures. If a normal bone is subjected to overuse or repetitive stress beyond its ability to repair itself, it may crack. This is known as a fatigue fracture. These fractures often occur during high-impact activities such as running and jumping, but they can also occur as a result of prolonged activities such as hiking or walking.

Santiago de Compostela

2009-09-27T18:29:00.000+02:00

"Now comes the time for contemplation and reflection"--- That is what Mauro -- a dashing, larger than life Italian from Milano whom I encountered along the way -- in the rain, sidestepping deep puddles in the muddy path, on the way from Tricastela, to be exact -- said to me this morning, as we stood on the cathedral steps and watched one of the Easter-Good Friday processions make their laborious and painful way past us -- bare feet over the cold grey stones, carrying statues and crosses weighing hundreds of kilograms on their shoulders, to the rhythmic dirge-like beat of a hundred drummers, dressed in dark purple high pointed hoods.....

It was on the tip of my tongue to reply "But that is what we have done for the last 40 days, Mauro!", but then looked at this man who constantly looks like he has just stepped out a top fashion magazine, and realised the comment would be meaningless. Mauro has been keeping constant -- and I mean constant -- contact with everyone he knows in Milano -- on his mobile phone in the one hand -- and whilst filming the entire way with his video camera in the other hand -- no mean feat when you consider he also had to find his way through cow pats and villages where tractors could come round the corner at any time and cloud bursts and up mountains and down mountains and looking out for mad Spanish cyclists and madder singing barbarians....

Mauro and I were watching the procession but also keeping a lookout for pilgrims we know who still have to arrive. There are quite a few still to arrive and we would like to be there in the square in front of the cathedral, when they do. It is such a special moment!

One of the friends we look forward to welcoming is C-- a fifty-something guy from Bavaria who, I think, I have mentioned before. I met him for the first time in Belorado and he nearly brought the refugio´s roof down that night with his snoring. We had to shake him awake and threaten him with slow strangulation if he dared snore again. And, like a reformed smoker, he then became fanatical about anyone else snoring --- patrolled the dormitories at night and shouted at everyone who dared even give a little grunt in their sleep! It was always such a theatrical performance every time a new person joined the group -- to see whether they were going to snore and what Chris was going to do about it!

Anyway -- C is one of those incredibly inspiring people on the Camino -- one of the many one meets daily-- but very special. C has always been in a wheel chair and was not supposed to ever walk. He is successful as a flower grower and has a large export business which he runs from the confines of a chair. About five years ago he decided that there has to be more to life than sitting in a chair and decided that he was going to walk. He started off with one step after weeks of attempts, pain, frustration, tears and anger. The one step became two after months, and more and more and gradually he forced himself to stay upright and exercise his legs to develop the atrophied muscles and -- well, we are waiting in front of the cathedral of Santiago for C to arrive --- he has walked from Pamplona -- so just over 600km -- and he has done it with a smile and a song and always a helpful hand for anyone along the way. I have known him now for weeks and have had so many hours of conversation with him over that time, and yesterday, from another fellow pilgrim, I heard about this act of immense will power and courage. Chris never mentioned it to me. Amazing

It was in fact over lunch yesterday that I heard the story of C --- I was talking to P --- a huge Swede -- a mountain ranger/shipbuilder and all sorts and who has now started a programme for 14-17 year old boys who are first offenders and instead of them going to a reform institution or worse, he takes them on a tall ship around the world for a year to rehabilitate them..... another long wonderful story.

Anyway, P and I were one of the first ten pilgrims to arrive at the door of the oldest hotel -- and number one hotel in all of Spain, if not Europe -- which is across the square of the cathedral. The custom, since the 14th century -- since when the hotel has been there, is that the first ten pilgrims who are at the door one hour before breakfast or lunch or dinner, may come into the hotel and get a free meal. it is wonderful! Of course we are taken right past the posh crisp white table cloths of the restaurant and the monocled and fur-clad patrons there, and through the kitchen, where we get a tray and the chef comes and gives us whatever is on the menu of the day --- yesterday our lunch consisted of a big bowl of fresh delicious Salade Nicoise, roast chicken and rosti potatoes, fresh fruit salad and creme anglaise for dessert, bread and water and bottles of wine -- as much as we want. We then take our trays and go another flight down and in a gorgeous little stonewalled room -- probably the same where pilgrims have been eating their free meals for the last 7 centuries, we sat round a round (of course) table and enjoyed a delicious free meal!

But now I must go again --- Terence has flown in from England to come fetch me !!!! (I think he and the children were worried I was going to turn around and walk back!) (Would I ever do such a thing???..........)---- but they made him land in Asturia -- which is about 5-6 hours drive away from Santiago -- and I need to go sweet talk the man at the Santiago airport to let him keep his plane there for three days and not just one afternoon.

I shall let you know if my sweet talking skills still work....
and tell you about N, the South African Merino farmer-- and hugging Saint James and why the local cheeses look like young (very young) women´s breasts.........

Stay well and happy -- and buen camino!

A last !Hola! from a pilgrim

2009-09-27T18:24:00.000+02:00

A last hola from a pilgrim

I am back home --- the river is in full flood, the skies are grey and heavy with rain---- and only the rain is stopping it from snowing, for the temperatures apparently have not been above 5' for the last few weeks --- but I spent a heavenly two hours floating in a hot hot bath Monday afternoon when I got back and I am wearing different clothes to those I have been wearing for 40 days -- albeit that I had some difficulty finding something that did not fall off the moment I put it on ----

(no! I exaggerate -- of course not something I usually do, but it was tempting for a minute there........)

---I don't quite look like a toothpick, Nix -- nor like Forest Gump --(mmmmmm --- at least, I don't think I do!) but the scale does show that I have lost 6 kilos -- which I think is pretty mean, considering that I burnt 260,890 calories for each 4 calories that I consumed over a period of forty days (and I only consumed 16 calories per day!), and by my rough calculations that should not cause the scale dial to go one little line further than about 54kg --- but I suppose you will all say my mathematical calculative capabilities have never been my prime asset, (and in fact, if you remember, by last count, we never did confirm what those prime assets actually were!) so perhaps I was a little over zealous in my expectations of weight loss on the camino --- However, what it does tell me categorically is that that programme you all so love watching, The Biggest Loser, is a scam! Lots of exercise and little healthy food does not result in weight loss. I am now quite convinced those contestants all went for surgery! Believe me. I have a nose for these things!

and it feels very strange to be back.

Except...........(Akira! Help! I do not see any yellow arrows showing me which way to go...............)

As mentioned ---
Terence flew into Spain -- and called me from Asturia. -- The nearest airport (apart from Santiago which is just too big and busy and difficult to get time slots that suit) was O Coruna - about 80 km from Santiago, but the airport would not let him park his plane there for more than one day. (don't ask --- no one could figure out that rule). So they sent him on to Asturia -- which is roughly 6 hours' drive --- or more importantly, about twenty days' hard walking from Santiago.

So I said he had to go explain nicely to them that he needed to get to Santiago and their reasoning was no good. He explained that he had come to fetch me -- who had just completed the camino -- -- the result of which was that he got to stay one night, but had to go fetch the plane on Saturday. ---- well, to cut a loooooong story a little shorter (for those of you who do not speed read) I practised my non-Spanish sweet talking, the receptionist at the hotel then practised her Spanish sweet talking --- all about me having walked for 40 days to get to Santiago for Easter and the Pilgrims' mass on Easter Sunday and him having flown all the way from England to be there as well to spend Easter with me and take me home and prevent me from keeping on walking and the end of the story was that the man relented and allowed the plane to stay until Monday morning. So Terence got back into the plane in Asturia and flew to O Coruna from where he took a taxi and arrived in Santiago late on Friday afternoon.

Just before he arrived I was walking through the town looking for a place to eat something when I bumped into David and Marilyn --- the delightful Canadian couple I had met much earlier on the Way and not seen for almost two weeks. It was a wonderful reunion and in no time we were sipping wine and exchanging stories of the last two weeks' walk.

Next thing Nakkie arrived -- the South African merino sheep farmer from Volksrust -- and heard all her stories as well. Chrissie, the young German graphic artist with whom sh had walked most of the way after meeting somewhere near the start, was frantically trying to find a hairdresser as she wanted to change her look before going back on Saturday morning --- her long blond tresses had to go and she wanted a short black head of hair (reminded me of someone I know....) -- and the poor girl was so disappointed when she could not find a hairdresser open.

So we sat there, like four old Camino veterans, shaking our heads at the millions of pilgrims streaming past us into the city and up the steps towards the cathedral -- half of Spain don their backpacks and walking shoes and poncho's and grab a stick - or a bicycle and walk or ride during the Semana Santa -- Holy Week to be in Santiago for Easter -- some walk 100km, some walk 10km, some walk for one day only or two days and some walk for the whole week, but from Friday and over the weekend they flooded into the city, all heading straight for the cathedral, and to give St Iago or St James his hug. (If he weren't a saint before, he would have to be one by now -- anyone who gets hugged by so many wet, bedraggled smelly pilgrims deserves some special recognition!).

When Terence finally arrived we headed for the 6 0' clock mass which turned out to be vespers (so I am told) when all the priests chant their offices for the day (not in Georgian chant, as I heard in the mountains in the monastery in Rabenal el Camino --- just before that horrendous climb over Al Acebo mountain in the middle of the hurricane -- but rather a spot of [b]ecclesiastical karaoke[/b][i], as David termed it, more like!)

I was so excited to have him then experience one of the Easter processions -- something that will get its own chapter --- but then it had started to rain again as it can only do in Galicia!!! So all three processions of Friday night were cancelled -- 6pm, 8:30 and 11:30pm. That was the biggest disappointment for me -- on Saturday there was only one procession programmed -- for 9:30pm and it poured with rain all day and night. So he never got to experience one of those spine chilling medieval processions -- he will have to go back........ But it was fabulous having Terence come to Santiago and see the arriving pilgrims, meet some of the characters and good friends I had made along the way and hear the many stories from everyone about their experiences. He was in awe. Had he not heard it from the others, I think he would still not believe that I had actually done it!! -- but now he understands so much better what the walk entailed, what it demanded, who the people are who do it, what it means to those who completed it. On the first day I commented on someone coming past -- pointed out to him that is probably someone who has only done the last 30km or so, and at least 20 of those 30 by bus, and then pointing to another pilgrim coming in who had clearly walked the entire camino; but explaining that each person's camino is their personal achievement -- no two people have had the same experience. Very soon he became the expert in judging the duration and distance the different pilgrims had done -- by their shoes, their clothes, their backpacks, their sticks, the lines on their faces, their bodyweight and mostly by their gait. He even became a good judge of limps -- if they were old limps, recent limps, blister limps or damaged feet or knee limps!

The best was on Sunday morning when we went to the cathedral early for Easter mass and the swinging of the giant butefumeiro -- incense burner -- which they have been doing since the beginning of time -- in an attempt to lessen the smell of the pilgrims in the cathedral --- another bit of showmanship where 8 people swing on a rope on the one end and a giant -- and I mean GIANT incense burner swings on the other end of the rope the entire width of the cathedral. How people do not get decapitated -- well, perhaps they do, but none on this occasion --- is a mystery. But -- because it was Easter Sunday and the first mass of the day, I then met almost all the fellow pilgrims I had not seen before and who were just arriving in Santiago then in time for Easter mass! Oh joy! there was Stephan (who was in Astorga for two days with a messed up knee the same time I was there with my messed up feet -- he then took a bus to Sarria and walked the last 100km only) and his girlfriend Helen, lovely Florian, and Luis and Sergei (the two that talked me the last 10km into Leon when my feet were almost at their worst) and Uwe who walked the camino as a promise when his daughter went into remission with Hodgkins, and Terence -- the young Sydneysider who brought sunshine wherever he walked on the Way --- and C! ---the man I got to know way back in Belorado who was in a wheel chair all his life and forced himself to start walking five years ago --- he finished on Easter Sunday and I was there to welcome him! We cried on each other's shoulders and laughed and totally misbehaved, considering we were in church --- but --- One of those many unique moments that one cannot describe in words.............

On Monday morning David and Marilyn joined Terence and myself and we drove to O Coruna and Terence kindly flew us back -- in 3 and half hours we completed the distance that had taken us seven weeks to walk -- no blisters, no aching joints, no backpacks weighing us down, no mountains to climb, no rivers to forge, no mud to slip and slide in, no wind to fight against, no 50 bed dormitories to sleep in and listen to night symphonies in Snoring in B#, no stones, no stopping along the way to picnic on bread and cheese and sausage and lemons and sugar, no curfews, no ice cold showers, no voltaren cream and Ibrupofen tablets to swallow, no stones, no stamps to be collected in the pilgrims' passport, no closed refugio doors, no pilgrims' menus, no plastic raingear to put on in a hurry and in a gale force wind, no dogs on chains, no biting horses, no eucalyptus forests, no stones (did I ever mention the stones on the way?), no friendly Hola! or Buen Camio! or Buen Viaje! along the way, no packing sleeping bags or washing socks or typing on Sanish keyboards, no wending your way through a conversation in 9 different languages, ----and no looking for the little yeallow arrow pointing the way!!

Getting used to 'real life' again is not going to be too easy --- perhaps just as well that David and Marilyn joined me -- for the last two and half days we could talk at will about our exepriences, our thoughts, our memories, the people we encountered, the places we walked through -- we could start every sentence every moment of the day with something that referred to the Camino. What bliss!

(As Terence pointed out when I said to him the hardest is going to be not to talk about it all the time and everywhere, non-stop, relating everything that happens or is said to the Camino --- he said, rather than the first thing you say, always make it the third thing you say..... -- Good advice! I most certainly will try!)

You have all been wonderful reading and responding to my e-mails over the last 7 weeks. I have often mentioned how heartening it was to get your messages and your msm's--- I so looked forward to finding a refugio with an internet/computer stuck somewhere in a back corner and really felt bereft when, sometimes, for days on end, there was no internet available anywhere --- not to check the internet, not to be in contact with the 'real' world, not to do anything other than read the little messages from all of you! --- and every morning, roughly ten minutes before my alarm buzzer on my mobile phone went off at 06:15am under my pillow, the buzzer gave three short buzzes -- a text message from Terrie! -- I loved those little buzzes -- knowing it is my dear friend with a short little message of encouragement and praise and lots of love. After that I was ready to climb the Pyrenees or Al Acebo or O Cebrero every day! And then, usually just as I was on the top of a mountain and stopping to look back over the magnificent landscape I had had just spent 4-5 hours crossing, another three short buzzes and a little text from Pierre or Nici to say -- Well done! You are great! SO proud of you! xxxx -- almost as if they knew exactly where I was finding myself.

And, although I keep repeating myself, I specifically wanted to thank you all again for that. I know one of you commented that the whole thing seemed a bit like bashing my wall against a brick wall, and then Marc made a very interesting and thought provoking observation. He said that no one really understood -- had an inkling of a notion, could even begin to imagine, or appreciate, let alone envisage what I was doing.

You read the messages, he said, and all the way through you say "Wow!!" "This is amazing!!" "How does she do it? I could never do that!" -- but ten minutes later you have stopped thinking about it and you continue what you were doing and do not even wonder about me busy walking -- and still walking hours later, and then still walking more hours later, because it is just something you cannot even begin to relate to.

Nothing in your own frame of reference can even remotely be compared to someone getting up every morning before dawn, getting dressed in the same clothes you have been wearing for 7 weeks (hoping they dried on the heater before the heating was switched off during the night), putting an 8 kilo back pack on your back, setting off in the dark, alone, in the mist or rain or snow, and walking over mountainous landscapes on stony ancient pathways for the next 8 to 11 hours or until sunset, day after day after day, for 36 days.

Marc so rightly observed that when he, Nici and Pierre and Sacha and Mat crossed the African continent and travelled in a truck through 23+ countries, swept the flies off little mounds on a wooden trestle table in the markets to see if it was rotten meat or fish underneath that could be cooked for their meal, slept under the stars, passed baby elephants along the main road that had been killed by vehicles, washed in a bucket of water, had to pay soldiers to accompany them and drive through the bush to evade wars going on ---( and yes, you are so right March -- -- even I, who 'lived' every moment of those months with you and met you on the way twice for a brief spell, cannot begin to list what you experienced during those ten months) -- no one they have told these experiences to have been able to grasp what it is they lived during those months -- because nobody they know have ever done anything similar, so it is beyond their ken.

I appreciate that what he says is true. One can only imagine something that is within your frame of reference.

So yes, Marc --- I realise when I see some of the reactions of people that hear about the Camino, that unless someone has done the same thing themselves, they cannot relate to what I am writing as I sit here -- and therefore cannot really appreciate or for that matter, be very interested in my story. You are correct -- and I agree with you completely. It will be my next challenge now to tell the story in such a way that people will understand a little of what the Camino is about and will, even if just in the reading, find it -- not like head bashing -- on the contrary!, nor alien and incomprehensible, but rather interesting and hopefully also inspiring. Thank you my angel for pointing that out to me --- before I put my head down and start writing my story, that was probably the best and most practical advice anyone could give have given me.

It is so true. You may well have walked or run a marathon and done three times what I did in a day, but did you do that with a backpack on your back and did you do that for 36 consecutive days? We often talked in the evenings about different reactions from people we knew, and many pilgrims commented on friends saying that the Camino is not a difficult hike for a seasoned or avid hiker. There are much more demanding and gruelling walks or climbs or treks or hikes. The 42km Otter trail, for instance, was mentioned by a South African, as being far more demanding than the 800km Camino.

That may be so, and I grant that you are talking of a gruelling and difficult six days' trekking and I do not think that I would be able to complete it.. But has anyone ever done the otter trail non stop 19 times in a row? -- for that is what we are talking about. It is not so much the physical demand the Camino makes on one -- it is the mental demand that is the test -- and a mental demand, at that, that is made unrelentingly hour after hour, day after day, week after week....

The first night I arrived in St Jean Pied de Port and I had the wonderful good fortune to meet my wonderful fellow pilgrim, Thorsten, before starting the climb over the Pyrenees the following day and setting off on the pilgrimage, we talked about what lay ahead and I mentioned the fact that the furthest I had ever walked, without a backpack, and on smooth tarred roads, was ten kilometers. Thorsten, who had walked the Camino before, then told me --

"It is not a physical challenge. It is a mental challenge. Your body can do anything your mind tells it to do. If you are strong in your mind, you will finish the Camino."

He was telling me what I have been preaching for years! All these years, all over the world, I have been giving motivational talks saying exactly that. Mind over Matter. The Power of the Mind. Of course I knew what he was talking about. In fact, this was the main reason why I was walking the Camino I wanted to do something that would not be easy for me,, that would be a true challenge, that would be very demanding, that would be way out of my comfort zone, that would test my own tenets that I have been pontificating for years. I wanted to do something that would really test my belief that the mind is in fact the most powerful tool known to man. So yes! of course I knew what Thorsten was talking about!

Wrong! I was half way up the 3000 metre Pyrenees mountain when I found that all that jargon is much easier said than done. I had to talk very hard to myself. I had to dig very deep to find the resolve, the courage, the energy and the strength to push myself to go on. Every single day thereafter there was at least one moment when I found a new proof of the power of the mind -- when it was my mind and only my mind that got me through that moment ------ I shall be writing more about that --- about how, all along the Camino -- a pathway which never gets easy, never lets up, never gives an inch, never shows mercy -- and importantly a pathway where one can in fact 'get off' at any moment, at any stage, where one can send your backpack ahead by vehicle, or hop onto a taxi or a bus or a train when the going gets a bit hard -- and still get to the end and claim victory, so where one is constantly given a too-easy choice of continuing or not, how this is surely the greatest test of Mind over Matter, the greatest proof of the Power of the Mind.

And there, my dear friends, supporters and encouragers, is where my little accounts have to end. I have to get back into the real world now -- a little chateau is awaiting my spit and polish -- my first guests start arriving next week -- and much is to be done, after the long winter hibernation, to get it back to a warm welcoming gleaming and sparkling place for people to come enjoy. I shall also start working immediately on completing my book -- and I hope these little weekly messages have whetted your appetite to read it when it is finally published! I have also already had the little local gallery owner knocking on my door and wanting a date for the exhibition of my paintings and photographs of the Camino (Yikes!), so the next few months will be wonderfully busy and exciting!

(Remember -- I dedicated my pilgrimage, my Camino, to my dear friend, Terrie Baxter, and any and all proceeds from the book, the exhibition and speaking will go to the charity of her choice -- which is the Australian Cancer Research Foundation).

Thank you All, for being there for me!

I wish you all a Buen Camino -- a most wonderful journey through life!

The story so far

2009-09-27T18:21:00.000+02:00

The Way of Stars and Stones -- Thoughts on a pilgrimage

Second print!

Just a few more opinions of the book ...

A very special day! Thank you to each and every one of you!

Buen Camino, Christine!

Breaking news :: The Pope in Santiago

And on Facebook ...

In Die Volksblad

From Tonight, entertainment guide, Independent News and Media

A stumbled-upon review -- on an Indian website!

The Pick of the Page-Turners -- Pat Candido at The Herald

In the footsteps of pilgrims . . .

It is not about the destination. It is about the journey...

An interview with Leyla Giray, of Women on the Road

Not an uncommon comment!

An important message from the Australian Cancer Research Foundation

A Reader's message --

Pelgrimstog pragtig beskryf Stoffel Cilliers in Volksblad vir Book SA - Reviews

A reflection...

A beautiful message from a reader of The Way of Stars and Stones

Why walk alone? Look at the Pilgrim Statistics and tell me if you still wonder!

Le livre sur amazon en France!

Two reviews on amazon.com

More readers' reviews

Excerpt from The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage

More Comments about the book

The passing days and months are eternal travellers in time...

One step at a time is good walking -- Chinese proverb.

“Pilgrimage into the Heart: The Inner Teachings of El Camino de las Estrellas”

More comments!

Lancement du livre de Wilna Wilkinson at Aquitaine Langues, hosted by Albert Croce

An excerpt from The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage

“We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace”--- Peggy Tabor Millin

Where can you buy the book?

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust

Choosing a guide book for your Camino

More Comments about the book

A smile on the Way!

The Cape Argus -- Dan Brown -- Malema ---- and The Way of Stars and Stones

"The last living Templar" -- or so they say....

A few faces on the Camino

Read all about the book .......

and a few comments....

First Review! Oor mense en hul lewens SARIE October 2009

And at last the promise is kept

A little madness? - but all for a good cause!

Why make this pilgrimage?

The Shell of the Camino Pilgrim Some interesting observations from the Net about the Scallop Shell - the symbol of the Camino

A glimpse of what to expect? The is exciting -- but scary stuff!

On being prepared : The devil is in the detail

A Camino thought

Hola! from Cezur Menor

a few days on.... and still smiling

A short note to home

A note to my two fellow pilgrims

Ten days done

Disaster strikes in Belorado

A note from Terrie ---- the reason I continue to walk ---

A note from Sacha

A quick update in a pistachio shell

Ponderings on the way

A sweet note from a fellow pilgrim

The night before entering the splendid city.....

Stress fractures

Santiago de Compostela

A last !Hola! from a pilgrim

The story so far