Cologne (Koln)

As I arrive in Cologne, let me share this prayer of my pilgrimage here. The relics of the Three Kings have been in this famous cathedral since 1164 (pic below). The prayer was written by Bernard Henrichs and I have carried with me to this point.

Lord and God!

You created us for a lifelong journey to you.

Each one of us takes a different path, over mountains and through valleys, through joy and sorrow and need.

May the three Holy Kings guide us in our wanderings, as their faith, knowledge and determination guided them through many perils on their way to you.

They saw you, knelt before you, offering up their gifts, and paid homage to you.

They were filled with the joy of finding you.

Lord and God!

We thank you for granting us the freedom to seek and find you, our life's goal.

Grant us the faith, strength and trust we need to follow in the path of the Three Kings.

Give us courage when we are at risk of taking easier but false paths.

Let us experience the joy of being with you at the end of our journey,

so that we may be eternally surrounded by your love.

We ask this, through Jesus Christ our Lord,

the destination of every pilgrimage. Amen

It is a strange thing to share a personal pilgrimage with friends and strangers alike. I hope that my journey so far inspires you to continue to do great things in your life.

This page is dedicated to our seminarians - great men who are on a great journey that requires great faith, strength, trust and courage.

Half way point.

I am writing this page travelling from Paris France to Cologne (Köln) in Germany via Brussels. Just a day’s outing really. The Thalys train is wonderful – clean and efficient, with internet access, a bar, reclining seats...and yes the view at 308 kms an hour. I now know why Troy likes trains so much, and there are no airport hassles. Loving it!

It gives me gentle time to reflect on my journey so far. So what have I learnt? Here are some of my reflections as I cross the halfway point of my journey:

1. To ‘get away’ one does not have to leave where one is, but leaving one’s familiar and safe surrounds allows us new insights into ourselves and the world.

2. As large as the world is, it is nothing compared to the capability of each individual.

3. Responsible risk taking enlivens the mind and the heart.

4. Being grateful for succeeding in responsible risk taking enlivens the soul.

5. When travelling forward, stop occasionally and look back to see the view.

6. Having one’s head in the skies is alright as long as one’s feet are firm on the ground.

 7. We do not own our journey of life, but we do determine our ultimate destination, and when that gets difficult, the Saints are always there. 

This page is dedicated to you, who are still journeying with me. Pace e bene.

Leaving France

 The time has come to say "aur revoir" to Paris and France.

Yes, I am off to Germany but only a small part of it before moving to Austria for a short while.

 These are some of my favorite spots in Paris. Yes I was getting playful with my camera, starting with Pont Alexander 111 and Le Louvre. 

 I loved this fountain (right) at La Defence (left) and of course the building itself is spectacular. Such a contrast with

the older Paris. La Defence and the boulevard is one most beautiful modern spaces in the world I believe. Behind this fountain is a small vineyard, and yes, L 'Arche de Triomphe is in the distance. (double click to get the pic). 

Talk about something old and new.

In case your eyesight is like mine. I have included a close up of the Le Arche.

As I travel on, may your journeys be safe.

This page is dedicated to travellers and free spirited people with generous hearts.

Amiens, Villers-Bretonneux

Made it at last, though, like the War itself, all things did not go to plan. So we learn to overcome and adapt, and that is what I did. The first pics are of the Villers-Bretonneux War Memorial and Cemetery. It is beautifully maintained. 11,000 names are recorded here from northern France in WW1, mostly of those soldiers unnamed and unknown, but forever remembered.   

By the time I arrived in Amiens, I missed the connecting train to Villers-Bretonneux by 10 minutes. That was after an unnamed woman called Barbara did not turn up to meet for my guided tour of the battlefields. While all this was going on and not going on, I missed Louise (Callinan) and her role as Sr Angelica in Paris with the opera. What does that say - a priest and a nun  and St Barbara who is the Patron Saint of Warfare Officers, not getting to schedule? The Church is still safe in 2011, I am sure.

After my struggles to get to the battlefield sites, this is how I felt, like the famous Weeping Angel in Notre Dame de Amiens.This Cathedral is one of the five famous Cathedrals of France, and one which honors Australians. It is truly magnificent, and if one has to 'waste' time while waiting for tour guides, then is is a good place to do it. This page is dedicated to our war dead - Lest We Forget.

More Dead French People

I know I said last page that I was going north to visit Australian WW1 War Memorials. Well, that did not happen for two reasons: the continuing cold rain and my inability to read train timetables correctly. In truth, this was my first time train failure. I will get their tomorrow, all being well.

I did find more dead French other people though - at the famous Pere-Lachaise Cemetary. The above pics make this look like an ancient Roman, Greek, Gothic, modern - village, for the dead, really. It is 43 hectares and is the largest cemetary in Paris. It has often been said that if we want to now the history of a place, go to where the dead are buried. Many famous statesmen and women, musicians and artistes are resting here. I have included Rossini, Chopin, Edith Piaf "The Little Sparrow", Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde.

Morrison's unpretentious grave has a day guard posted to it, while Oscar's gets steam cleaned every Monday to wash away the messages and lipstick kisses that eventually smother the tomb. (double click to make it bigger and you will see what I mean. You may also see an empty bottle lying on Morrison's grave. Apparently it is not the guard's task to keep it tidy.) 

I am not a morbid character really, but there is something intruiging about the way civilisations honour their dead. So many people are more famous in death than they were in their lives, and we tend to build mourning structures that show our constant struggle with our mortality. Remember, there are no real estate prices in Heaven.

I will finish this page with a happier yet equally as quiet pic: that of a Deaf Community march past the famous Pompidou Centre.

This page is dedicated to my dear friend Leo Callinan RIP, who hightened my love of good music...and to his daughter Louise who I am trying to contact while in Paris. I know you are reading this Blog Louise, so put 'Angelica's' habit aside and contact me.

  

Tour de France de Richard

I have experienced my first wet day, a day of soft rain, since I left Oz in late June. (Pic is of the Tower in the rain). It justified my bringing a coat and small umbrella. I am determined to use everything I packed as I have had to carry it all over the world. My travelling rule is that for anything I buy clothes wise, I have to take something out. Lucky for me I packed old socks and jocks!

I happily discovered a new museum in Paris, Le Cité de Architecture et Patrione. Loved it. It contains the history of French architecture since the Middle Ages to the present. One whole floor contains replica casts to actual size of the major portals and main features of all the famous churches in France.

It demonstrates the development of the architecture and the change in spiritual formation of the people. I was astounded. These pics do not do it justice, but I have to share them. These copies of little monks, 200 of them, support the tombs of ... some famous dead people ... oops, I forgot who they are. I will get back to you on that.

This page is dedicated to those who died alone, or have no one to remember them. May they rest in peace.

Paris, France

Out of the Middle East and now in central Europe. What a difference a day makes.

Please revisit my Egypt pages as I have now been able to include the pics. Thank you.

I arrived safely and on time, experiencing clouds and green landscapes once again. I am now swiftly moving from Arabic to French, but am comforted by the fact that the croissant was a Turkish invent. I feel so profound with all my new knowledge!

My time back in Paris has been spent discovering new places for me and revisiting some of the familiar.

I visited the Basilica  of St Denys (Patron of Paris.  St Genevieve is the Patroness and her site is the base of the Pantheon). I loved the Rose Window. I also spent some time at the Pantheon and re learnt much of the French patriotic history. A very inspiring building and also challenging as it symbolises the removal of the sacred and the disproportionate placement of the secular in the journey of mankind in France. I also found that movement symbolised and realised by the the enormous presence of young people sitting on church steps while Mass was being celebrated , beer and water sellers vying their trades, and many tourists treating holy places as photo opportunities.

I loved the contrast and the passion with art in Paris. Two of my pics show the old and the new generations at work.

I finish this page with a proven shot of me in Paris. The blessings of Notre Dame be with you.

Tomorrow I venture north to the World War 11 Australian sites - that is if I can get the trains to work for me.

This page is dedicated to Fr Mieteck RIP.

Leaving Jordan

Jordan has been an unexpected delight. After the hustle and bustle of Egypt, these friendly people, wide spaces, spectacular sites both natural and man made, have made this a real treat.

I have been having huge dramas with internet access and mobilr phone issues, which make me feel a bit isolated. The phone thing is causing me some angst as everytime I make an enquiry it seems to cost me $$$, and I still have no service and I think the battery has died, which makes plugging it in locally difficult.

I leave for France in the morning and hope I can get better responses, including better email access etc there.

Here are some of more pics from Jordan to say farewell.

This page is dedicated to Jordan, the Switzerland of the Middle East. Next Blog from France, with any luck.

Partying in Petra, Jordan (with pics )

Petra was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Jordan. This is a World Heritage Site http://www.petrapark.com/ that should not be missed. It is truly amazing.

Built 2200 years ago as a city carved into sandstone, on the main trading routes between the ancient world. It is a collective of Temples to ancient Gods, funeral monuments to ancient kings and their poor. It was a trading centre as well as a demonstration of Nabataean power and wealth. The most famous pic is of the Treasury. I have included it full on and also through the famous Siq which leads to the city.

The Siq is very narrow and winding watercourse created by flooding through sandstone and supports the most amazing water system of ancient times, the principles of which are still used today. Yeah for the plumbers!

To get to the Rose City (Petra), one has to walk, or horse, or cart, or donkey, or camel through the Siq. At the end of that part of the journey is the spectacular Treasury.

We then walk on through the city to discover royal tombs and Roman and Crusader additions.

These pics are just supposed to get your attention. Enjoy.

This page is dedicated to all tradesmen and women. Thank you.

Wadi Rum, Jordan (with pics )

I have arrived in Jordan and in one sense it is a whole new world. Certainly there is the Middle Eastern ambiance, but the Jordanian spirit and countryside is hugely different.

We spent a night and half day in Aqaba and it is a relatively clean and modern port side city. We have a new guide, Rabie, who is very well travelled and educated, but once again passionately patriotic. He has lived in Australia and the USA, where he spent his formative years. He is young, fit and extremely knowledgeable.

Rabie led us into Wadi Rum, an amazing desert valley with timeless landscapes. We spent the night out there camping with a Bedouin tribe. We shared their lifestyle, for the main part, and then witnessed a spectacular sunset and sunrise before hiking the wadi and trekking, cameling and 4 wheel driving into deeper spaces. This has been a real highlight. My pics show me watching the sunset from atop of the second peak which I climbed on my own (that pic also shows the moon over top). The other pics are me camel riding in the Wadi and then 4 wheeling driving. Yes, that flag appears again and I will not let it alone. Proud little Aussie I am.

Tomorrow we trek into Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This city was carved into a chasm around 2000 years ago and is the main reason why I wanted to travel to Jordan. Wish me luck.

Love having pics again. I am going to include them in my Egypt Blog pages if you would like to re track.

This page is dedicated to the many Bedouin who are shaping new lives in Jordan while managing well some of the most beautiful environments I have been walking through.

Leaving Egypt

I am currently (was at the time of writing) at the port city of Nuweiba which is an Egyptian port that services the Gulf of Aqaba. We are preparing to leave Egypt after 8 full and adventurous days. We are departing for the Jordanian port city of Aqaba which is our entry point for the six day adventure in Jordan ahead. By Egyptian timing, that should mean we leave at 4pm and arrive at 6pm (as I write this). The reality was that we left at 7pm and arrived at 10pm!!!!!!!!!!!! What the? Could it have something to do with this mystery Egyptian road sign?

My biggest disappointment with Egypt was the poor internet capability which meant I could not get my news out with pics (this version has been corrected with pics). The second disappointment was the filth and rubbish.

Enough of that though. Egypt was wonderful and I have completed many things on my wish list of life. When I last wrote I was in Luxor, way down south. We joined our cruise boat from there and sailed up to Aswan. Each day we spent in temples and bazaars, on the Nile and soaking up the Egyptian culture outside of Cairo. Cairo is a city of 20 plus million people and the mess and chaos has to be seen to be believed.

The historic sites speak for themselves I think, so I have spent a fair bit of time trying to capture the day to day life of Egypt. My pics show Bedouin families, country farmers and their livestock, the poor and the unsure, just trying to make a living. Each pic makes me value Australia so much.

My last day here was spent arising at 1.30am and hiking for three hours to the top of Mount Sinai to watch the sun rising (Mt Sinai & sunrise pics). I did it and I am so pleased I did. While dodging camels in the dark I was able to pray for all the people who have come into my life over the past 25 years My theme was ‘my birth’ (family and friends), ‘my baptism’(my Catholic faith), and ‘my ordination 25 years ago’ (my role in the Church and contribution to the world). Yes, I needed a long walk ascending 2300 meters to the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments. (Pic of the Bedouin lad wearing my cap, and yes, I bought a pyramid from him at the top of the Mount). I have now completed all major mountain walks connected to my faith – Sinai, Tabor, Mount of Beatitudes, Mount of Olives, Golgotha, and very soon Nebo in Jordan where Moses died. My life has not been wasted and I felt a great sense of peace as I said my Office this morning on top of Mt Sinai as the sun rose. I find it hard to believe I have achieved so much personally, and I have more to do. But what will that be?

Our guide in Egypt was Khayed but we called him “Charlie”. Here is a pic of him hard at work at he back of our bus. In fairness, he was just getting over the end of Ramadan. He was married with two young children. He was helpful in leading us into the insights of Egyptian politics, the Moslem culture, the social strata and his own hopes for his country of which he is enormously proud.

As I leave Egypt I dedicate this page to Khaled and his family hoping his plans and dreams come to fruition too.