facts and figures

First of all, I don't mean this to be in any way and expression of dismay or a request for sympathy, it is just an observation of a fact. Truth can set us free.

Last Thursday I visited a vascular surgeon for my (so far) fairly mild case of varicose veins. I fell over a few weeks ago and the injury to my leg became infected. My GP said the varicose veins could predispose me to infections, so it was worth looking at.

The surgeon had a look and gave me some options. These were based on his calculation that I have a likelihood of remaining on this earth for 26 more years. When I walked the Camino I calculated 20, so it is good to get a bit extra from the surgeon. I know we are recommended to take one day at a time, but I find it useful to consider

Sinning Across Spain

Last Thursday I listened to a talk by Ailsa Piper and Fr Tony Doherty about the Camino in Spain and the book "Sinning Across Spain" that Ailsa has written.

Ailsa had already walked the Camino Frances, and she then read about a medieval practice of paying people to walk a pilgrimage on behalf of them. She planned to walk the Camino for a second time, this time from Granada to Santiago. Before leaving, she published an advertisement asking people for sins they would like her to carry for them.

I had the impression that Ailsa expected this to be lighthearted, but she was surprised to receive extremely serious and personal descriptions of sins and also surprised by the effect of her pilgrimage on some of these people. Food for thought.

Saint Cirq Lapopie

I enjoyed a lunch last Saturday with a group of people interested in the Camino de Santiago. Some of the discussion was about Camino routes in France, such as the Camino Aragonese, which comes from Le Voie d'Arles.
Another interesting route is Le Voie du Puy, which goes past the village of Saint Cirq Lapopie, which has been voted the prettiest village in France.

These routes are not as much travelled as the Camino Frances in Spain, but they also look interesting.