My Favorite Photos from Europe, Spring 2007

Strasborg, France


Neuschwanstein Castle

View from Neuschwanstein Castle
Camino Bound from Germany
At the pilgrim's office in Saint Jean Pied de PortLeaving San Juan de Ortega
Directional sign leaving Saint Jean Pied de Port
View from Albergue in Saint Jean Pied de Port
Camino Friends
San Juan de Ortega
Priest who served us soup after mass
Official end-of-day Camino Footwear
Sign along the way
Andrea in Pamplona, who entertained me for over an hour

The Only Constant is Change

Those of you who know me well know that I love change. I love variety. And I have no hesitation to change my course whenever it feels right. So those of you who know me well will not be surprised to hear that I am no longer in Spain.

The Camino has a very special place in my heart, borne of my experiences in 2005. My memories of walking into Santiago, of attending the pilgrim's mass at the cathedral, of celebrating with those I walked with, are closely and tenderly cherished. Part of my joy on the Camino this year was sharing with others what they might anticipate upon arrival into Santiago. And in sharing these memories, they became so much more real and alive to me. So much so that I wanted to keep them intact. Not to record over them. Not to push them back under a new set of memories. In short, I didn't want to walk back into Santiago again. Much to my surprise.

Around the same time this dawned on me, a very long awaited business deal finally came to the closing stage, and I had to bus ahead to a big city where I could print documents, and sign, fax, and mail them back to the US. What a great sense of relief and completion to reach this stage, after more than three years of waiting! Relief, but also disruption. A break in what was already not shaping up to be much of the spiritual journey I'd been seeking.

I make decisions quickly when I sense they are the right ones. And then I act even more quickly. So in short order I had a plane ticket back to Germany, and after a week in Germany I was on a flight back to Florida.

For those of you who were with me in spirit on this trip, this may be an abrupt end to a journey you were still on. For this I apologize. But I want you to know that you were indeed with me every step of the way. I felt your presence; I relied on your presence. Thank you.

The Camino still calls me; I can feel its lure and love. It is indeed a different place than it was in 2005, but then I, too, am different. I am certain we will meet again, the Camino and I. It's only a matter of time, as they say. Months or years, but I'll return again.