France

If you do anything in your life, do the Camino

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Resting half pigeon helped me throughout the camino

Resting half pigeon helped me throughout the camino

There are many ¨caminos¨ (aka: The Way), both official and unofficial. I choose to start on the more popular Camino Frances that makes its way across northern Spain from the French border finishing in Finisterre. I walked for 10 days averaging 15 miles (about 24 kilometers) per day. Although I was alone for the first seven days (my friend Natalie joined for the final three days), I was never truly alone. There were other pilgrims from all over the world who I could talk to either while walking or at the end of the day over a beer and tapas.

One of the reoccurring reminders I received on the camino (which came with an Australian accent) was to make sure I was doing my camino. This reminded me that there was no right or wrong way to do it.

  • If I needed to only walk 8 miles the second day because of tired, unadjusted feet, it´s okay.

  • If I needed to stay in private hostel instead of a 100 bed per room public hostel, it´s okay.

  • If I stopped for an hour to read a book and eat lunch at 10am, it´s okay.

  • If I needed to take a taxi on the last day because of hurricane-like winds and rains, it´s okay.

These decisions were part of my camino. After a few days walking, observing other´s caminos I found my own rhythm and inner compass. No matter what, I was always progressing.

If you´re interested to learn more about the camino there are many books and a movie with Martin Sheen (who is from Galicia!) called The Way. Paulo Coelho first was inspired to write after walking the Camino Frances. His first book was The Pilgrimage. Maybe you will be inspired by these works, but ultimately it´s up to you to choose your way.

Noticing the Obvious

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Travels through France started well. Julie and I met at the airport and spent the next four days exploring Paris. Our travel styles match well. Julie likes to find interesting, off the beaten path, non-touristy activities and I like to keep costs down as much as possible — the two go together well!

Or goal everyday in France is to enjoy things we sometimes take for granted or might ot notice at all. This reminded me of an experince I had at the Vipassana Centre that was surrounded by several large wind turbines. Everyday we saw the huge blade spinning with the wind creating energy. However, it was not until the last day that I noticed not only do the blades move, but the top of the turbine also spins depending on the direction of the wind! It’s  interesting what we miss even when we think we are completely aware.

Sometimes the obvious goes unnoticed. Here are a few photos of how we stayed busy in Paris, appreciating the ordinary without spending more than a few Euro on a new baguette for the day.

Triangle pose at the Louvre

Triangle pose at the Louvre

 

Sidewalk art with a seated twist. " what would you do for love?"

Sidewalk art with a seated twist. ” what would you do for love?”

 

Warrior Two in front of beautiful red door of Notre Dame. It was on a busy street with many people passing by, we were the only ones who stopped to appreciated the bold door!

Warrior Two in front of beautiful red door of Notre Dame. It was on a busy street with many people passing by, we were the only ones who stopped to appreciated the bold door!