Showing posts with label Santiago de Compostela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santiago de Compostela. Show all posts

Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Doors

During our three months in France I took many photographs. 

Sometimes there would be a theme to what I was going to photograph. 
 
Most of the time I was looking for photos for "postcards" that as Monsieur Honey would say "tells a story" and there were times when I would just shoot and click.

One day on one of my "bla bla" walks with my friend Madame M  (generally we walked in silence but on occassion we would discuss family, friends and the world) she told me about a "Belgian saying" ...

"Veranderen van voordeur!" 

Literal translation is "change the front door"!

This saying is used when you celebrate a milestone birthday i.e. your personal odometer flips from one decade into another decade.

Next year this will be happening to me and I'm changing my front door... I 'll let you guess what the new number will be!

So I have been thinking about this quite a lot as I was looking at all "My French Door" postcards. 

Some very old and in need of repair, others more modern and colourful.

For me though I don't think it has anything to do with external appearances.

Oh yes I could fight the natural aging process by buying into all the hype of cosmetic surgery such as "face and boob lifts, tummy tucks", Botox  and the other treatments with their "Fountain of Youth" promises made by the plethora of beauty products on the market; but I think I'll save my pennies/dollars/euros and add then to my adventure piggy bank!


Age is where your heart is!

For those of you who know me well... I will still do some maintenance... I'm not ready to wear "Gray" hair and I will continue to put on my face everyday... In other words put myself together.

It's not that I'm so vain as in the lyrics of Carly Simon's song "You're So Vain"  rather I've always believed that you never know who you might run into... your next employer, a new best friend, etc...

                                  












                                               











      
                             


 

So the changing of my "Front" door next year will be about fulfilling a personal commitment to try something new ... 

I plan on walking part of the Pilgramage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Anyone else up for the challenge?


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Un pied devant l'autre

One foot in front of the other...


  ...  that is what it will take to complete our walk to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

We (Madame M and I) each have a personal goal for our own reasons to walk parts of the Pilgramage route.
We are in the researching stages of when, where and what part of the trail we will complete...and there is the training.


Madame M loves to walk or you could say she maybe even be a bit obsessed with walking and has encouraged me to join her during our stay in France.

Our walks (which are usually daily, unless Monsieur Honey and I have something planned)) vary in length from 8 to 12 kilometers over some undulating terrain.

We usually know where we are and only on a couple of occasions have we felt "Lost"... but we know all roads lead to Dégagnac.


This post is a compilation of "Postcards" from various walks over the past week...

 
    Le Frau ... The forest


We usually don't follow the many guide books available at the local Tourist offices suggesting various walks in the area. 
This past week, we decided to follow one called "Circuit des Églises" which started in Dégagnac and directed us to Rampoux and ended in Lavercantiere.


   
    The route directed us through some rugged terrain ...

And walking allows us to see and observe much more than if we were using other modes of transportation.

    Church in Dégagnac 

    Church doors in Rampoux

    Church in Lavercantiere  

   
    Walking brings you closer to nature ... 
    here we found Kermit the Frog croaking!




   Lavender...

    Wild orchids...





    My friend "Madame M" may we catch a train back home?