The Catherdral
The first two photos were taken at sunset, and this was taken this morning from the medieval part of Oloron as we climbed out of town.
I took this photo in the church and it actually turned out in a very dark room. Quite a beautiful church.
We finally left Oloron, but really liked what we saw here. This is also the town to turn off to walk towards St Jean Pied de Port and to Lourdes. Who knows what the future holds?
As we climbed up the the Aspe valley the views were worth the effort.
The little villages were quite picturesque with all the shutters and doors painted. They can come to my house anytime and paint away! We are looking at the colours with a plan to change ours when we return home.
We made a few new friends as we passed.
This one for Ken.
The dogs for Bryan. We often meet locals out walking and when they have animals with them then it’s much easier to stop and talk as the dogs usually are pretty friendly. The black one on the right is named Snow:)
About here we picked up a head wind. We expected cold winds as the pass was covered in snow just three days ago, but these were very surprisingly warm.
Hey Dennis, here’s a ride for you! I believe this climb has been used on the Tour de France.
The last 3 kms were along the top of a cliff that climbed and dropped to the river. Sure glad it wasn’t raining!
Then we arrived and enjoyed a late lunch, Moroccan stew no less. We are staying in the monastery in the distance.
Where I presently sit writing.
And where I’ll sleep tonight. There is a pilgrim welcome at 18:30 and dinner follows. Guess I’ll need a drink first;)
Unknowns and new realities: in her comments posted earlier, Gabi from the Alzheimer’s Society in Victoria noted a number of parallels she saw as she read through our blog (thanks, Gabi!). Tonight we are staying in a monastery, where we expect things to be very simple, and according to our guide there would be no wifi available in this town. Surprise! The wifi here is great! Last night where it was supposed to be great, it was poor. Tonight we are sharing our room (it has a great view) with a lovely German lady who wants to hear more about our cause, and we may have other roommates as well. There are at least 7 pilgrims here tonight, the most we’ve seen yet. Two nights up the road, our destination is almost fully booked, so we know that we will be sharing a dorm room that night as well. These are all part of a Camino experience...flexibility and willingness to go with the flow are important. Often these dorm experiences turn out to be very memorable, and I suspect tonight will be too. As Gabi so astutely noted, unknowns and new realities, and the need to be flexible, adjust, and go with the flow are commonplace for people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. It’s not always easy, but is usually rewarding
Bon Chemin!
Beautiful vistas and it sounds like a happening monastery. Enjoy the company and shared table. The cathedral at Oloron reminds us of the Abbey at Cluny - it looked beautiful bathed in the red glow of the setting sun. May tomorrow's climb bring more delights. The road is rising to meet you!!
ReplyDeleteI have always liked to watch the changing vistas as you approach the foot hills areas of the mountains. Such a freshness to the landscape and a sharpness to the vegetation really gets my attention and I am glad you have finally arrived at this part of your journey. Eat well and sleep well tonight - enjoy the higher elevations you will be encountering tomorrow. Hope the warm winds continue to greet you and encourage you along the way.
ReplyDeleteCheers for now. Dad