Paris

So I will start by apologizing in advance… the next few days I am traveling from Pittsburgh to Chicago to Cincinnati and back to Pittsburgh; my chances to write may be limited but I will do my best to find a little time each day.

4 June 2013… Paris

I spent a day in Paris before taking the train to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, what an amazing city. I was given a ring for good luck from the Gypsy Queen (that’s for you Aoífe!), had dinner at a wonderful little restaurant recommended by a friend, attended Vespers at Notre Dame, and sat by the Seine as a wrote in my journal. I walked all around Paris that day, it was weird to be away from my wife, but I was so anxious and excited to get on that train the next morning.

I see pilgrims.

As I was making my way to the train this morning, I saw my first fellow pilgrims. The scallop shell sewn on a backpack or the guidebook sticking out of a pocket reveals your identity. Instantly I felt relieve because I knew that I would not be alone. I never thought, truly, that I would be but it was nice to have visual confirmation.

Now none of them are in the same train car as me, but the ride has been pleasant. The car is quiet, so I have been able to add my prayers to the little book of prayers that I am carrying to Compostela. I took a little bit of a nap, which I need because I have not slept well or much since leaving Austin and my last night’s sleep there was awful.

The French countryside is a sight to see. So many pretty little villages, the stone steeple of a church rising above the town, and the random chateau perched on a hill keeping watch over all that surrounds it.

Traveling by train was definitely the way to go. I will transfer trains in Bordeaux St. Jean and then catch a bus from Bayonne to St. Jean Pied de Port. I am quite certain that I will see many more pilgrims there and that makes me smile.

This is something that I am doing by myself, but I will not be alone and that is fitting because we are creatures created to be in relationship with each other and God. And sometimes in the most passing of interactions or relationships, the most holy encounters can occur. This is a gift from God and we should be glad in it.

A day in Paris, on the Way

So I just sat down at Le Gorille Blanc to have a pichet au vin. It is off the beaten path down an alley, but my mom loves gorillas so I did not think that I could pass it up.

Today, my first full day away from home on this journey has been a fantastic day. Hotel checkin was smooth. And thanks to Jody finding the right train and making the most of my half day plus in Paris has gone off without a hitch. After just the 8 hours I have been here so far, I am in love with this city. I can see why Hemingway referred to her as a ‘moveable feast’, the beauty of Paris is in the small things that change the day from mundane into extraordinary.

The sun through the trees, the mist from the fountain at the octagon pool on your face, the feel of worn cobblestones beneath your feet, the gentle sounds of conversations in your ears.

This is a wonderful city.

After taking the train from my hotel; I made my way to the Eiffel Tower and then to Les Cocettes for a fabulous lunch. Then I walked the Seine from the tower to Jardines toulliers to the Louvre to Saint-Germain L’Auxerrois to Notre Dame to the Bastille and now here.

I missed the roof tours at Notre Dame but I did get the chance to worship at Vespers. It was a beautiful experience. Worshipping in another language really speaks to my heart. I was on the verge of tears a few times and I felt the Spirit in the beauty of the chanting and the singing. The Magnificat was overflowing with the Holy Spirit.

Today was a day of unknowns much like a lot of this pilgrimage will be. I did not know the words to the Our Father or to the Magnificat, but my heart and soul knew the prayer.

On the baptismal font at the Cathedral are the words *I am the Way which seeks travelers*. Our lives whether we mean for them to be or not is a call to pilgrimage, a call from the everyday to the Holy, a call to walk with Christ in all that we do.

All we have to do is say yes and follow the Way.