If you would like to e-mail me:- Ann Bishop See the Map of the entire Journey:- My Journey
Read my travel log and view photographs of the journey:- My Travel Log
My pilgrimage
It seems like a dream - my pilgrimage. The days travelling with just the company of my groom horse and, through the length of France and breadth Spain.
What can I say about the pilgrimage? It is so hard to describe in a few words that will encapsulate the emotions experienced along the way. For me the pilgrimage was a healing time to come to terms with my mother passing away. In a way it was a journey of memories. The places we visited; from little churches, villages, to the fields, rivers and huge landscapes. The generosity of the locals who sometimes had so little but always so generous in their giving. All these brought to mind pictures of my mother because there were so many little incidents, which I knew she would have enjoyed. From the landscapes and villages that would have inspired her to capture in watercolour paintings or sculptures. The last place I spent time was on the northern pilgrim route along the Bay of Biscay. My mother so enjoyed the sea and swimming. All this made me forget the ghastliness of her suffering. I was remembering her before the illness.
The journey was both healing and very emotional. My whole family lived the pilgrimage through my daily updates. My sister paid me a surprise visit when I was in the Meseta, Spain. My twin brother surprised me by welcoming me on my arrival in Santiago with my other brother, Father and both sister-in-laws and niece, we all cried. Sometimes during the pilgrimage I cried when remembering my mother as she had been before the illness took her away from us. I was able to begin to remember my mother in happier times when she had been my mother always there for her family both nurturing, loving, encouraging and always always supportive in whatever we set out to do.
They say the pilgrimage is not so much the journey but the experiences lived along the way. How right they are. The emotion bubbles up inside me even now, to think of how uplifting these events were. Some arriving just at the right moment when you begin to question have I taken on more than I can cope with, to being able to share with someone that moment, the pilgrimage, the country, the people and above all the amusing character of Pebbles. The ever faithful Horse who was the one who walked / trotted the whole way!! Never did she refuse anything. Every morning she was eager to be off sometimes taking off before we were quite ready or were we still asleep? Her amusing way of always wanting to steal our bread when we weren’t looking, helping herself to her feed if we were too slow! Believing the grass was greener under the tent or under where we were sitting!
Here I am sitting at home looking out over the apple orchard - the sun streaming through the window and a strong breeze blowing, Pebbles enjoying her well-earned rest. She still greets me every time I go out and see her. I am trying to share with you the magnitude and very moving experiencing of the pilgrimage. It was for me a very emotional few months full of memories of my mother before dementia took her away from us.
