1.04.2009

Mute Monday: "W"



[ note: please participate in our cyber junk clearance on Tuesday and Wednesday--jes' load photos or make lists of all the old stuff' youse gettin' rid of to make way fer the new year...then let us know ya's got junk for show and tell...!]


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(None of these phots is of Aunty or any of Aunty's clan....but I did make this pilgrimage, The Way of St. James.)

17 comments:

Karen said...

I would love to go on an odyssey like that. What a fabulous adventure, superb scenery and great pictures Aunty. I loved this. Happy Mute Monday.

Bear said...

Um... shoe, boots, trekking, backpacking, hills, sore feet, castles, hills and hostels... where's the 'W' in all this? That's it, I'm walking.

Excellent journey Anunty, happy MM.

fishy said...

Aunty Belle,
You did this! I am uber impressed, I read about this pilgrimage when I got curious about the cockle shells in the architecture of this region. Beautiful photo journal, thanks for sharing and happy
Mute Monday.

Your posting got me to thinking about this cyber sale.....I actually have two copper cockleshell molds ...
I know you like copper but do you fetch home cockleshell things?

Aunty Belle said...

Hey thar' Romany Gypsy!
It is a fabulous adventure--my fervent wish fer all y'all, is tha some day ya can go do part of this pilgrimage.

Plenty of folks do it fer the history, the culture, art,architecture--I mean, some doan set out on The Way for religious reasons at all. YA meet all types, an that is the wonder of it.

I'se prayin' to git back on that "Camino" soon. It jes' gits in yore blood.

Hey Bear! Sure, walkin' but ...drum roll..walking "The Way of St. James" as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela is known. Did ya see the youtube clips? (one is a link behind a photo) Doan it make ya wanna put on yore boots an head out?? Idea! What about a Waterford pilgrim????


Fishy-Icthy, ya's read of this pilgrimage walk? Lemme tell ya' youse gonna DIE of delight iffin' ever ya git on that WAY of St. James. It begins most properly on one of four roads in France, over the Pyrenees into Spain, then across the Spain to the West, to the Atlantic.

The architecture is stunning, sublime. !!th cent abbeys, even romanesque churches, mountian hamlets that still doan have no cars, only oxen and donkeys...The flora ain't shabby: poppies, sunflowers, and --LOL--"hortensia" (Hydrangeas), Iris...MOAN... I need to go find mah boots, some FF miles....

Big Shamu said...

I am a walker. Mostly with dogs. The one walk I regret not making was walking up Masada. Someday I will go back.
You, however, walk all over me when it comes to dedication.
Happy Mute Monday.

Aunty Belle said...

Big Shamu, Sugar Pie, I yearn to go up Masada--mebbe ya could do a whole post on it fer us? WOULD LOVE THAT!

I ain't a walker ..in the regular sense of one who does it as sport. I'se a sloth, in truth. Too bookish. But somethin' happens when I git on a good trail that has import other than wearin' down mah feet to nubs.

Pam said...

Wow! I have never heard of this! And I go to a St. James church. I thought you were going for walking-stick but couldn't figure out what that symbol was. You must tell us more!!!!

Anonymous said...

I was going to guess Willingness to Travel. ;-)

Beautiful. Well and truly

Happy Mute Monday Aunty.

moi said...

I would love to walk all or part of this. How cool that you did so! This makes me itch to get outside right now, despite the temps. Which I think I'll do! Happy, happy!

h said...

This was superlative! You and Vixen are tied for best MM post this week.

Never heard of this jaunt either. You WALKED from Western Spain to Paris? Wowie!

Happy Mute Monday!

Aunty Belle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aunty Belle said...

Pamoc, Sweetie,

iffin' yosue goin' to a St. James church--an' I do too!!--the ya MUST ask St. JAmes to bring ya there---he will!

Ree, hey you Hotfessional!

I figgered mah "W" would confuse folks..the W in this post is "Walking the Way" (of St. James. THe title is on one of them books at the end of the post, an in mah tags...but it is a wee bit confusisn'


MOI! Mah Ms.Presidentia.

ain't this grand? It do make one wanna hit the trail! I did not do all of this--(see map in post). In 1999 one of mah sisters hung in thar wif me to do a good chunk of it.

We DID start in France at the foot of the Pyrenees, an took the old route that Charlemagne took over the mountains--it is beyond glorious! (so glorious that I did not mid a whit that it nearly kilt me daid. No.Kiddin'.)

Then we hiked on in segments for a week,skippin' over most of the meseta--we had only so much time an' the full Spanish part is 4 weeks-- for athletes. But at the end we did another whole week's unbroken trek...

then, Uncle didn't akshully believe Aunty done this, so I challenged him to come an see, so in 2005 we done it--near to kilt that man gettin' over the Pyrenees--a 13 hour press--his hand was shakin' when he finally got to that beer in the Posada in Roncesvalles! Then we hiked on fer two weeks, again skippin the middle mesta--oh it were heart stoppin' wonderful every day!

Troll-Man,

oh dear--no no no...Aunty DID NOT walk all the way from the edge of Spain to Paris. See comment to MOI above. We started in France at St. Jean Pied de Port, hiked over the Pryenees, then in segments,across Spain to Santiago de Compostela--

BUT someday I hope to do sections that are in France, south of Paris....starting in Vezelay.

I think we oughta organize a Blogger Trek!!

sparringK9 said...

whew! i feel like i just got back from the coolest adventure ever! id like to do this as a knight would have -on horseback and then you could camp instead of stay in the hostels (or whatever) great group of photos of an amazing trek. happy MM!

Bunny said...

Very cool! Someone I knew walked the Way of St. James and did a weekly email report to our local paper back north. It was really interesting to follow him in the paper (and on line).

Happy MM!

Jenny said...

walking is such a great way to truly connect with the earth/places and people.

darkfoam said...

awwwwww...
that makes me homesick for my days of backpacking, walking and hiking through europe..

Mr Q said...

I know exactly where you went.
Funny thing is that is the origin of all things .Q.
Heck, might as well be called Q country. I am no longer a cipher.