It is late in the afternoon …

 It is late in the afternoon … of … Sunday 13^th October 2024 

Pilgrimage

I discovered that my imagination came alive when I moved away from the immediate world around me

Kazuo Ishiguro

Ciao, Pellegrini !  

In September & October 2019 …

The Pilgrims were out rambling on The Way of St Francis: from Florence via Assisi to Rome.

A gentle stroll of some 530 kilometres (330 miles).

A mere 17,300 metres of ascent; equivalent to climbing Everest … Twice!!

Who ever knew Northern Italy was so flat?

 

Heading into St Peter’s Square, Rome

#Journey’s End

 Five years on ...

In October 2024 The Pellegrini will be back in the Old Country; Italy.

This time it is Sicily.

The Magna Via Francigena.

What did Andrea Camilleri, the author of Inspector Montalbano, say about Sicily:

“Sicily has suffered 13 foreign dominations from which she has taken both the best and the worst.

The sequence of different cultures has made Sicily a fascinating place, quite unlike any other.”

The Magna Via, which follows ancient drovers’ paths, became a pilgrimage in 2017 and is little known outside Italy.

As for the walk, the story is simply told:

1. Saturday 5 October: Start at the cathedral in Palermo
2. Head slightly southeast.
3. Sunday 13 October: End at the cathedral in Agrigento.

So .. What of the Spirit of the Magna?

It is beautifully encapsulated in the walk’s Motto …

Mettici Manu: 

Never remain still, be committed to changing whatever you can  - with a smile on your face

 As always on Pilgrimage … we will be Trusting the Statistics to the Reverend Susan.

All we need to know is that on average each day we be strolling:

·         23 kilometres (14 miles)

·         850 metres (2,750 feet)

The Guidebook is purchased and the GPS downloaded.

But I sense we won’t be needing to check the way all that often.

For the route is well signposted: little stencilled pilgrim figures, Magna Via stickers, a splash of red and white paint.

Along the way we will taking in the stunning Countryside:

 

The Sicani Mountains are named for the ancient people who lived here before Greek colonisation.

As the Guidebook says: 

There’s a wild beauty to the landscape and a complexity to its folds, uplifts and rugged forms.

And amazing Villages:

Sutera

Naturally; there will be time for Cathedrals:

Monreale Cathedral

And for Temples too:

The Valley of Temples near Agrigento dates back to the 6^th century BC when it was one of the wealthiest cities in Ancient Greece.

The Temple of Concordia, named after the goddess of harmony

" One of the best-preserved Greek Temples in the world "

 Of course, there will be all the Regular Features of Pilgrimage.

The Daily Blog will be up & running.

Don’t worry: as always, we Never let the Facts get in the way of What Really Happened !!!

The Local Food:

Fresh cannoli at Caffè del Corso Biscari, Santa Cristina Gela

 The well-deserved Messina Grande (or two) at the End of the Day:

And a glass (or several) of Marsala, Sicily’s dessert wine:

As Dr Johnson (almost) said:

When a man is tired of Dessert Wine, he is tired of Life

There will be – how could it possibly be otherwise ? – one of the famous Rest Days.

This time it will at the completion of the walk, at Agrigento.

Will Frank himself be singing a song at the far end of Via Atena in Piazza Sinatra?

Fear not, Pellegrini; the Lavanderia has already been identified …

 

The Wise Pilgrim always has a freshly washed & ironed shirt !

If we have enough breath, the Big Issues will be Discussed & … Resolved (??!!) :  

Brexit Benefits

Global Warming

Keir or Rishi, Joe or Donald 

The Economics of Deer Farming in New Zealand

   And our all-time favourite: What is Happiness ?

Well  … Discussed anyway !!!

---

It is late in the afternoon … of …  Sunday 13^th October 2024

There is only one place in the world to be !

The Pellegrini have reached the bar in the piazza just by the Cattedrale di San Gerlando in Agrigento; with its views across the Mediterranean to the coast of Africa.

Sciavuru di Vanedda

The Question is: 

Will YOU be there ?

And as you are Deciding (to say Yes; obviously !) ...

May an Ol’ Pilgrim say: 

I want to look back and say,

“I can’t believe I did that”

NOT

“I wish I had done that!

 

I really would like You to come along !!

So,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you

Safe in the palm of His hand.

As we say in Sicily … 

Amuni, off we go !

We are expecting You !!

ciao, Ricardo 

 PS

 How could I possibly forget to tell you …

The Rough Guide to Sicily could not be clearer:

 

Eating a genuine Sicilian ice-cream is one of the world’s most indulgent gastronomic experiences.

Look out for Produzione Propria: made on the premises.

Le Cuspidi

Piazza Cavour, 19, Agrigento

 Google Review:

"Best ICE-CREAM and BEST SERVICE of the whole Sicily! 

Niccio was amazing helping us with the language, giving suggestions of the menu and making us feel really important as a customer.

THANKS! We will come back."

Ricardo Advises:

Ice-cream is vital for survival.

The Dinosaurs didn’t have it … and just look what happened to them !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memories

- even your most precious ones -

Fade surprisingly quickly

 

But I don’t go along with that 

The Memories I value most 

I don’t ever see them fading 

Kazuo Ishiguro

Hola a todas y todos !

The Camino dos Faros ( C de F ) is over !

#JobDone

Where:

Out on The Camino there are only the 3 Questions:

Q1: Where did you Start? Malpica 

Q2: Where did you Finish? Finisterre

Q3:  Read on, dear reader, read on … …

When: Monday 3^rd October to Tuesday 11^th October 2022

Who: The Lighthouse Lovelies

Jackie & Jeff, Jan & Mark, the Boy from t’ North - Roger, the novitiate - David & Ol’ Ric

With an age range of 61 to 75 and an average age of 67

---

As always, The Reverend Susan’s Statistics tell what is a simple tale.

Total Walked:

Walked: 1,242 kilometres (771 miles)

like walking from Exeter, Devon to John O’Groats at the northern tip of mainland Scotland   

Ascent: 41,525 metres (136,236 feet)

like climbing Everest 4 ½ times

 

The C de F is a tough ol’ walk.

Including as compared with the Camino to Santiago back in 2017 and the Way of St Francis in 2019:

Kilometres per day: 23 - Santiago: 26, St Francis: 19

Metres of Ascent per day: 760 - Santiago: 180, St Francis: 620

But as well as the raw Stats on length and ascent, the walking surface of the C de F is hugely demanding.

The Boulder Fields - where progress can all too readily slow to barely a kilometre per hour - will be long, long be remembered !

And none of the Lighthouse Lovelies will ever forget the Leap of Death or the Wall of Death:

 

On the afternoon of Day 1 and on Day 2 even the most experienced walker had to dig deep !! 

Day 2: Praia de Ninons - via Corme - to Ponteceso started with Boots on the Ground at 09.15.

Almost 11 hours later – the longest day I have ever walked and with Fitbit reporting it was a 50,000+ steps day - we were scurrying up Avenue Eduardo Pondal to get back to the Royale TYM bar before it stopped serving food at 20.00 hours.

After a (second) well-deserved Estrella I went to the petrol station next door to buy some aqua con gaz.

 

The gentleman behind the counter asked me how the walk was going.

Challenging, I said. 

I shall long remember what he then told me:

God comes to Galicia for rest & relaxation !!

 ---

But as we look back, what are the other Memories that won’t fade ?

The stunning Beaches:

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime

And, departing, leave behind us,

Footprints on the sands of time

Longfellow

And Bays:

The spectacular Landscapes, not least looking backwards:

 

Did we really walk down there ??!!

Of course, the Lighthouses:

And the Churches, where Pilgrims have visited for a thousand years:

The Camaraderie of the Lighthouse Lovelies:

 

The morning shop in Eroski for the communal picnic ingredients:

No one ever wasted their time watching Supermarket Sweep & the much-missed Dale Winton !

The always much looked forward to … Rest Day visit to the Lavanderia:

 

 

The Wise Pilgrim always has a clean shirt to hand

The well-deserved Estrella Galicia Grande:

And the truly delicious Galician food:

 

---

And if I was to be allowed One Final Memory … …

 

The C de F is an incredibly isolated geography.

Communities are just about hanging on. You really do sense you are out on the Edge of the World.

Fellow Pilgrims are very, very few in number. I doubt if we saw even a dozen across the whole walk.

But … there is plenty of bird life.

 

A Siege of Herons

On the final day we had completed the climb up Monte Veladoiro and the descent down to the Praia de Mar de Fora.

As we were strolling across the dunes behind the beach, and with (just) the slog up Monte de Facho still to come, I was struggling.

It was a very hot afternoon; and I knew I had the beginnings of a Camino Cold.

I thought of what my Mum so often used to say to me:

Anxiety is the name for the distance between Ego and the Deep Self.

Meanwhile … … Toughen up, Richard !!

As the Lovelies turned on to the boardwalk that would take us to the village of A Insua, I looked across the bay to the hill beyond.

And there it was …

Long believed to have been extinct since the early 19^th century, but recently bred in captivity and released along the Costa da Morte …

A ( some say, allegorical ) Spanish Sea Eagle

 

As an only child, I’ve long admired Eagles – for they fly alone.

(It is Pigeons that flock together !)

The Eagle is the only bird that when a storm comes will fly towards it.

Storms wait for all of us: anxiety and fear come at us wave by wave, without warning.We can run and hide and wait for it to pass. Or, we can become the Eagle we all have in us. And face the fears head on … …

 

The Eagle was closely watching my travails.

Fortunately – and just like me – the Eagle was an avid Bible reader:

I pressed on and soon Journey's End - the Faro Fisterra -  came into view:

---

Out on The Camino there are only the 3 Questions:

Q1: Where did you Start? Malpica

Q2: Where did you Finish? Finisterre

Q3:  So, Ol’ Ric: You’re now in (please; the early stages of) your 8th decade.

Why do you go on Pilgrimage ?

Well, I hope that the Blog will have provided some part of the Answer:

Walking with friends

The Challenge and Privilege of being outdoors for day after day

Meeting with Sea Eagles !!

But there is Another Reason … …

As you may know, the Wise Pilgrim should always carry a Memory of Home.

For me, it is a Pebble.

This time it was from the beach on the Western Esplanade out towards the Lagoon, down at Hove Actually. 

And the End Of Walk, the Pebble ceremony.

Throwing the Pebble down the cliff at the End of the World.

 

Take Them With You

 

If someone you love

did not make it on that trip

you can take it

for them 

with them.

 

If someone you love

did not witness that milestone

you can show them 

anytime you like.

 

If someone you love

did not get to do their living

you can finish those dreams 

on their behalf.

 

The beautiful thing about love

you see

is that death 

need not stop life.

 

If you carry someone

in your heart

you can take them with you

 

anywhere you like.

 

Loss by Donna Ashworth

 

The Toast was: To all those who walk with us in spirit only

There are two Caminos, one external and one internal

The external reaches its destination; the internal never does 

To live on in the hearts of others is not to die

So,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you

Safe in the palm of His hand.

 

See you soon!!

 

Adiós, Ol’ Ric

 

 PS

No End of Walk blog would ever be complete without a Thought from The King:

Elvis is absolutely right, isn’t he … …

If you are free in the first two weeks of October 2024, you might like to join Don Ricardo on

 

 A Walk back in the Old Country