Walking the Camino de Santiago
I left my little monastery hostel room this morning at about 6:30. Nothing in the immediate neighborhood was open for breakfast, so I took one final tour around the monastery building to get to the Camino. I was definitely slow in getting out of town – today is meant to be a short day in preparation of the big days […]
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Once again, the forecast called for all rain all day. When I left the gîte at past 7:30 AM, it was raining steadily and cold. I was the only pilgrim at the gîte last night. There were also two young ladies from the poetry festival, though I only actually ever saw one of them. They were just starting to set […]
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Just after 10:30 that morning, I was walking down a dirt road through a forest that gave me serious Mirkwood vibes – all spindly trees wrapped in thick, gray-green moss – when I suddenly realized that I had left my Camino shell medal at the gîte this morning. I was so upset and angry at myself that I actually texted […]
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The little village church of Notre Dame des Noyeraies de Cras (Our Lady of the Walnut Groves in Cras) was unfortunately locked up tight. The heat outside was already fierce, and we certainly could have used a few moments of rest inside the cool air of the church. Instead, we had to settle for the shade of the porch and […]
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I probably spent far too much time on that little bench. As I was packing up to go, Bruno caught up with me and sat down for a little rest. I moved on, confident he would catch up with me again. Soon, I was roadwalking, before coming to a little gate and entering a path through the woods again. I […]
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After dinner, we headed back to the gîte and beheld Rocamadour. I wish I had a better camera – I had to zoom pretty heavily to get the image. You can clearly see the three levels of the place: the medieval village at the bottom, the sanctuary district in the middle with its basilica and shrine to the Black Madonna, […]
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Rocamadour’s Stations of the Cross end at this grotto, which contains a life-sized sculpture of Christ being laid into the tomb. I’m posting two photos today, one of the approach and one of the actual sculpture. Hopefully, from this, you can get a feel for the immensity and power of this final station, very near to the top of the […]
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For the next few days (through the Thanksgiving break), I’ll be posting some of the spectacular views from Rocamadour. As I explored the various chapels and passages in Rocamadour’s Sanctuary level, I was particularly struck by this view of the neighbouring cliffs through this lovely arched window. Date: 01 September 2023 Place: Rocamadour, Lot Département, Region of Occitanie, France Maps! […]
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This is the first chapel in Rocamadour’s Sanctuary district. It’s appropriate that it is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, since it is by Baptism that one enters into the Church. There’s a lovely little sign in three languages describing the place, and it ends with this suggestion, “This is the ideal opportunity to renew your baptismal vows.” I just […]
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This is the entrance to the church of Notre Dame de Rocamadour. Within is the little statue known as the Black Madonna – more on that in coming days. The first small chapel was built into the cliff here in 1105. We don’t know exactly when the Black Madonna made her first appearance, but the first miracle attributed to her […]
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