We are ready for the Off!

We are as ready as we will ever be for the next grand adventure. Alan has said we cannot blog on a daily basis as he is only taking his phone and does not intend to spend lots of time in Internet Cafes either. This is probably why we are looking a bit sad at the moment. But that is all that's wrong with us.

Alan was invited to a Birthday Brunch Party today. He had a great time he said and came back telling us that he need not eat again until Paris!! Not that we believe him.

On the way back he went via the cemetery to pay his respects to a chap who had his funeral on Friday. As we all had to sit here waiting for "Send my bag.com" to collect our bags for the UK Alan could not attend the funeral. As luck would have it he met the widow at the grave side too.

He then went and sat with Hanna for quite a bit, as it will be some time before he can do so again.

Most of Friday was spent repacking the rucksack. Alan took the trouble to weigh each item again and deliberated was it necessary, could it also do two or more functions. So it was that he saved a few hundred grams overall. Enough he said, to justify taking some boot polish kit weighing 75 grams!!! Crazy bugger for we have not read any blogs where people have taken shoe polish stuff on the Camino. Many have taken shaving kit which he is not, but shoe polish?

His neighbours who are looking after the flat while he is away, even gave him a pair of trousers which were 75 grams lighter than the ones he had intended to take. So now we are packed up and weigh 13.5 kilos. This is one and a half kilos more than he had aimed for, but better than the 15 which we took on our first Pilgrims exercise.

One of the last things he did today was to down load an audio book on to his phone. George, who you may remember came with us to the USA, had given him last week a book by Paul Coelho, called the "Pilgrimage" in English, "Auf dem Jakobsweg" in German. The book was first published in 1987 is quite interesting Alan says and since he had not finished it, thought it might be fun to listen to it on the train journey through France tomorrow. Well he was late getting to the Brunch Party because of this and still didn't know how to get access to the book. Well V at the party gave him the clue how to do so, so you could say he is now a happy teddy bear.

He has also got a St James Bible App on the phone and  some Gregorian Chant too, to set the mood, he says, at the various shrines we will visit along the way. Alan also manufactured a set of three small laminated pilgrim prayer cards and says that by the time we get to Santiago we will all know them by heart!

Which is more than we can say for our French and Spanish which will be needed next, there are hardly any phrases we can remember in either language and Alan keeps wanting to break into Arabic instead. Still we believe that with a friendly smile we shall easily charm the pants off of everyone we meet.

We intend to Skype with Christopher, while we are away. Alan has practised with his mum yesterday. So if you can Skype do look us up. 

All that's left to say now is Buen Camino, till we meet again.

Pilgrim's Progress!

August 1971

16071 days later

 I've been a bit remiss in keeping you all up to date for which I apologise. I had thought that I had written a blog about my pilgrimage to Kleve ages ago! Getting old and forgetful!

Well I did walk to Kleve from 15th February till 19th February and had a good time doing it. As luck would have it, the week before I set off I had sinusitis, which laid me low. So I was not as fit as I wanted when I set off. However the weather was kind and all the going was flat. The major drawback was that the route was mainly on cycle paths which followed the main roads. Continuous tarmac walking leads to blisters and I was no exception.

However, they are nothing new to an infantryman and if dealt with correctly are not a hindrance. It looks worse than it felt in the photo, but no one has died from a blister. Well unless they get infected, then you might I suppose.

I had chosen Kleve to walk to as I felt it could easily be managed in five days and along the way is Kevelaer which is North Rhine Westphalia's main pilgrim destination. Accommodation was in small hotels and this was in fact the main deciding factor about how far I walked each day. Being a walking pilgrim in modern built up Germany is not that simple or cheap to organise either. They had it easier in the Middle Ages I think.

My aim was to walk around 20 kilometres per day, it was generally less and to practice washing my clothes at the end of each day. Navigation planning was done on a cycle map  and the actual navigation was then done by Google Maps on my smart phone. I carried the phone in a sleeve pocket on my left arm, so it was near my ear and the female voice told me which way to go. Now those that know me, know that I do not like being told were to go by a woman, but I have not yet found out how to change the voice to a male one! The amusing thing was, that the woman (who speaks English as my phone's language is such) was totally unable to pronounce the German street names. This caused me much amusement, but also some confusion until I realised what she was trying to tell me. Imagine if you will, an old codger all on his own, with a pack on his back walking along the road and suddenly a soft woman's voice, out of nowhere, gives him directions and the old codger bursts out laughing, not knowing which way to turn!

Hanna and Jamie Bear came too.

I stopped at most way side crosses and shrines to offer up a prayer.

In Kevelaer, V came to have a meal with me. She knew Kevelaer better than I did and on our walk to the shrine we passed a Teddy Bear and Dolls shop! Well they had a "Pilgrim Bear" with a neckerchief saying so and a little rucksack on his back. Needless to say I went in and bought him to add to my collection, plus a neckerchief for Hanna Bear. They only had one left, but I ordered one for Jamie Bear too which they sent me a week later.

Fynn

He now has a pilgrim hat too.

Hanna with her new scarf, proclaiming her to be a pilgrim.

The shrine to Mary in Kevelaer

The candle on the right I lit for Hanna.

Upon my return by train from Kleve I started to plan the next pilgrim's exercise which was to be to Aachen via Cologne. This being further was a little more ambitious, particularly the first leg which was 30 kilometres to Neuss.

Sadly fate intervened and I caught another cold and had a severe bout of sinusitis so that I was laid low one day before I was due to depart. There was no way I felt up to walking 30 kilometres the next day, so I capitulated, took to my bed for three days, only really surfacing to cancel all my booked accommodation. This time I had booked accommodation in German Youth Hostels, in Neuss, Cologne and Aachen. The fact that I had cancelled my planned trip laid my morale low too, for I do not normally give up. It has taken me a good week to get over this latest bout of sinusitis and a bit longer for my morale to return to its normal cheerful "gung ho" can do self.

Now I am in the final phase of preparation prior to departure for the Camino. I have revised my packing list and so have managed to get the pack down to around 13 kilos including a new small camera and lunch rations for the day. I have written a new Will and last letters, just in case. My only problem which is not quite solved is finding a suitable garage to store my car in. I viewed one today, but am not 100% happy with it, nor do I think the owners will let me rent it. They kept going on about receiving the rent in cash each month? Not something I shall be able to do.

I had brunch with V and A today, after which  they helped me to take the before and after photos you see above. What is really interesting is that in the 1971 photo I am carrying a Karrimor pack which at the time was the best thing for load carrying since sliced bread. It was loaded with kit for a trek in the Scottish mountains, which included cooking gear and rations for five days, the heavier part of a two man tent, a petrol cooker and a pint bottle of petrol. I did not weigh it at the time, but believe it was close to 30 kilos in all. Today's picture shows a pack which weighs 13 kilos. I for one will not be complaining about the weight of my pack while on the Camino!

I set off on 20 April by train to the South of France. Once I have walked via Santiago to Finis Terrae I shall take a bus to Santander and then a ferry to England to walk the Pilgrim's Way from Farnham to Canterbury. In France and Spain I shall not be Blogging often, but will post progress reports on Facebook and Twitter. 

You may remember from an earlier Blog that I am walking to Santiago not just for my own soul, but for that of Hanna, my dear departed. To this end I have two stones which I am taking on the journey. The first and larger stone I have inscribed with her name and comes from opposite the house where she was born. This I will leave on the Camino at the Cruz de Ferro which is atop of Monte Irago on the St James Way. The other smaller one which comes from her grave I will cast into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Finisterrae. From where I will pick up a new one to return with.

Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross of the Saviour, one day weigh the balance in favour of my good deeds when the deeds of my life are judged. Let it be so.

(traditional pilgrim’s prayer at Cruz de Ferro)

Buen Camino

If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail!

Preparation and planning is essential for any adventurous undertaking. In effect I have been planning and preparing myself for the Camino since last August and am now in the last stages of it all. 

It started with the purchase of hiking boots in August and since then I have used the offers and sales in my local outdoor clothing shop to buy the very latest high tech clothing and a decent sized rucksack. Today I have had another session of packing the gear and weighing it. I discovered that I could save 20 grams in weight between certain T-shirts for example. All along I have been aiming at getting my rucksack not to weigh more than 15 kilos, including the camera iPad and full water bottle! My ideal would be 12 kilos.

I am well aware that conventional wisdom says no more than 10 kilos and some advocate only 10% of body weight. The latter is harsh and since one can expect to loose up to 10 kilos in body weight on the journey, not practical. 

During my time as a mountaineering instructor at a Junior Infantrymen's Battalion I used to carry at least 30 kilos up and down the mountains. This included part of a two man tent and rations/water for five days at a time, though. Now in my planning none of this is necessary. Nor do I have to lug the heavy Army issue kit either. All my kit is light and doubly effective. Yet even so getting it all down to the ideal limit is hard. 

A good friend was so concerned about the weight that he has lent me his Lumix DMC TZ31 camera. I hate to admit it, but in weight alone this camera saves me well over 1300 grams and it is probably closer to two kilos when I consider the spare batteries and charging unit, each of which is lighter than my NIKON version.

Well everything on the bed, now packed weighs 14.7 kilos!!

The other part of my preparation has been training to walk the distance with the weight and of course, care of my feet. After all my feet are what will carry me the distance. Although I am infantry by training, I can't say that I have looked after my feet very well over the years.

During the circumnavigation I went bare foot and built up a thick layer of hard dead skin on the soles and edges of my feet. I remember well when Hanna and I met in Sri Lanka during this time, that she had real problems in the temples going barefoot as the stone and rock was so hot! I on the other hand never felt a thing!

The other day I gave myself a decent foot bath and scrubbed off all or most of the hard skin. Two days ago I treated myself to a session with  a chiropodist. This was fun and my feet felt like new afterwards, so much so that I have booked two more sessions before I depart. 

The other part of my preparation has been to try and learn some Spanish and to this end I have started a short course. I have also found an App to download onto my phone, which may help. Mind you there are some phrases they suggest under the heading of flirting that I will not be using!!

Next week I start stage two of my training and will set off to walk to Kleve. I shall walk about 20 kilometres each day and return by train on Friday. I hope the weather is kind, but am happy for it to rain, so that I can test out my poncho and other rain gear. I shall also attempt to Blog via iPad as part of the exercise as well as take pictures with the borrowed camera.

If this part of my preparation goes well and I enjoy it, always the deciding factor, I may well consider similar walk-abouts in March.

The road to hell!!

The road to hell is paved with good intentions!  I said last year that I would always be around in Mönchengladbach  on important anniversaries. (Read http://karmavoyages.com/?p=126 ) As I sat by Hanna's grave the other day and contemplated my year ahead, I realised that I was not going to be in Mönchengladbach  for any of the days I said I would be!

On Hanna's birthday this year I shall start to walk the Camino, so I will be in France. I shall be on the Camino on the anniversary of our first meeting, crossing over from France to Spain.  On the anniversary of her death I shall be sailing up the North Sea.

In August my grandson Christopher will be starting school and sadly I shall be at sea then too. :-( And it is highly likely that I shall be in America on All Saints Day  1st November too!

So much for my good intentions. What it does show though, is that I am getting on with my life and that it is full of travel, adventure and I hope excitement.

A Truly Happy Christmas

The Welcome at my Front Door

I was perhaps a little premature with my thoughts of a "Trostloses" Christmas. Mine was anything but. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that one should attack anniversaries and special days which are tinged with loss and sadness or else they will attack you. In many respects I have always done this, thus even though I am alone now, and there is no one to share it with, I have decorated my home for Christmas. 

My Living Room 2014

My Childhood Crib collected by my Oma

It put me in a better frame of mind. However, before Christmas there was Christopher's sixth birthday and this year he asked for "Hook" also known as "Tow Mader" from Cars. A bit more difficult than a simple Smartie truck, but I gave it my best shot and he must have liked it as he began to demolish it from the start!

The Birthday Cake

Christmas Eve I visited Hanna before the evenings festivities and then back at home I got ready for my main event. An unexpected phone call wishing me a Merry Christmas from a fellow circumnavigater at this time, both surprised and delighted me. Now, although I had told a certain person on the Friday night before Christmas, in the Christmas Market over a Glühwein, that I intended to be alone; by Monday they did not take "No" for an answer. I was informed by email that at a family conference over the weekend, they had all agreed that I was to share their Christmas. 

After much deliberation I agreed and it turned out to be the best decision and probably one of the best times I have had in this sad year of mine. To protect the innocent they shall be known as my ET family and they have two charming and handsome sons who had grown beards just to make me feel welcome. They collected me on the way back from Church and even drove me home again in the early hours of the morning! I can honestly say that I had a Happy Christmas as they all made me feel like part of the family. A passage from the Old Testament was chosen and read by one of the sons, which put our celebrations into context. We had a lovely meal with stimulating conversation in English and German. Then there was the giving of presents, each of us taking it in turns to unwrap and show what we had been given. After which we played games and pulled Christmas Crackers that I had brought. I have to say the jokes are lost on most Germans and even though I try to explain that they are really meant for 8 year olds and as many English jokes, are based on puns and word association, it is all lost in translation. 

The next morning my head told me I had drunk far too much red wine, but the Christmas Cheer did not leave me. I got up early to go to the morning service at Christ Church in Düsseldorf. I knew of this Church, but had never been before, but on this Special Day I had a need to attend an Anglican Service and sing English Carols.

Well the service was a little too modern English for me. I am a very catholic Anglican and was brought up on the King James Bible and The Book of Common Prayer. I have quite a number of different copies of both. My oldest Book of Common Prayer, which I treasure, is 171 years old from 1843! I do love the language of it all. Does this make me a stick in the mud? Perhaps. When I pray alone, I use modern speech I suppose, though at times I have been known to attempt to pray in the language of the Book of Common Prayer. But no it is the ritual and language of formal services which I enjoy, for it takes me back to my time as an 8 year old Choir boy and the many services I enjoyed then. In all honesty I don't need the Church to make me believe. When you have sailed an ocean alone, you have been close to and know God. 
Anyway the Christmas Morning Service was nice enough. There is a nice small congregation where they all seem to know each other. The Sermon was to my liking, given by a locum, and he was ably and beautifully assisted by two lovely female toddler sisters.   

After the service I took a short walk in the sunshine along the banks of the Rhine, returning home via Hanna for a late lunch.

On Boxing Day I had decided to go for a nice long walk in the Eifel and try out my new rucksack which I had bought as a Christmas present to myself. Sadly I slept through the alarm so was quite late starting. 

I had put about 7 kilos in the bag, which is not as much as I will take on the Camino, but just enough to get a feel for the new bag. 

The Ruhr at Obermaubach

I walked a circular route of about 10 kilometres. starting and ending in Obermaubach. It was a lovely day and I had good views over the valley and enjoyed being alone in the woods.

I found a nice little Woodland Chapel, which was open and so sat for a while in thoughtful prayer, before continuing on my journey. I had a pick-nick lunch, but as I was late starting did not do the whole initially planned route, as this would have meant me ending the walk in the dark. I shall return another day for it really was a nice walk and one I can do again and again. The bag too was a good choice and fit comfortably. When I think back to some of the rucksacks I have owned over the years, this is perhaps the best. 

Winter has set in, in earnest now as it has snowed here. It may stay a while, but will not last that long. It never does here. It is just a pity it was not a bit earlier to give us all a white Christmas.

My year then is ending on a high note after all. It is a year where I have been shown love and friendship from more than one unexpected quarter.  At my 50th Birthday party (some 18 years ago) I made a speech in which I said, that the mark of a man (or woman) is not the wealth he has accrued, nor the power he has, but the quality of the friends he gathers on his journey through life.   I have been reminded of this since Hanna died when V & A rescued me on that first Sunday. Then again by my visits to Neuss, Hameln, Fittleworth in Sussex, Milford in Connecticut and Malta. I am indeed a lucky man with the many good friends I have gathered around me, though I used to lament that many of them did not live in Mönchengladbach, but were strewn around the World. Now I know different, for the year has shown me that I  have made some really good friends in the town where I have chosen to live too.

I

Have yourself a Merry Christmas

Since returning from Malta I have tended to be a bit listless and can't seem to motivate myself to look forward to Christmas. This is especially so since I have been unable to get the family to come together around my dining table this year! So what's the point of it all?

I am reminded from this sad circumstance of another life time where my first wife, and to my shame I supported her, engineered a major break in the family so that we would not have to share Christmas together. It was entirely contrived and should not have been allowed. Much like this year. That Christmas was to my mind "trostlos", as the Germans would say. I left her in the January to divorce her later.

Consequently I have not written any Christmas cards either. I have made about 30 cards from photos I have taken, but I can't seem to find the words needed to write them. I have received a few and I dare say that I must at least send out some cards to my friends who are not on-line, but even that seems a daunting task. It has been made more so since I have received a card from a good friend whom I had forgotten to inform that Hanna has passed on!!

When walking around town I have stopped for a Glühwein in the Christmas Market. But other than a feeling of nostalgia, eating and drinking alone in public has never turned me on. Thankfully I have many good friends and so I am not sinking into an abyss of melancholy and despair, but Christmas cheer is still missing in my house.

I did bake my Christmas muffins which I distribute to all my neighbours on St Nicholas Eve and enjoyed playing St Nick for now the 11th time.

One of my undoubted highlights of the pre Christmas party scene, though, has been the Phileas Fogg Club Christmas party. A, a stalwart member of the group, kindly hosted it at her house again. We played silly games and sang Christmas Carols until the wee hours of the morning. It helped that A had a piano and that P was able to accompany us on it. M, in an effort to prove he could cook too, made a delicious East German soup which gave us a solid base to drink the Glühwein, almost until the cows came home. V, one of our longest serving members, presented us all with a self made guardian angel piece of jewellery. Mine now adorns my new Pilgrim's rucksack. Some of those who were unable to attend this party met one evening in the Christmas Market for a Glühwein or two, which I also found pleasant. Then my former English Class in Kempen surprised me by inviting me to their Christmas Party which was also a very nice affair. It was good to see that this group is also staying together.

I have decorated my house for Christmas since I do have a reputation as a Christmas Freak to maintain. See http://karmavoyager.blogspot.de/2011/01/christmas-freak.html#.VJPvxsAAA

I shall not be alone either at Christmas spending it with friends, so I dare say it is time I did motivate myself to get into the Christmas Spirit. To my mind it will not come until I have attended the Christmas Mass on Christmas Eve.

I shall put my Christmas Tree up today, which will help put me in the mood, though I will no longer be able to keep it till Candlemas (2 February) for two reasons. Firstly I shall be holding a dinner party in January for 10 friends and need the space to put up the table and secondly, that without Hanna's garden rubbish bin to use, I need to put the tree out for the tree collection on 17 January.

So it leaves me just to wish all my friends and readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with good health and happiness.

The Malta Experience

It is damn cold here in Germany now and so I think back to my nice time on Malta and Gozo rather fondly and wish I was there, instead of here. My personal history with Malta goes back to 1968 when, as a young soldier, I transited there on my way to Cyprus. I was billeted in transit accommodation in RAF Luqa airport, took a taxi with comrades into the then, Red Light district of Valletta. It was my first experience of a medieval city, but though I was fascinated by it, I was more fascinated by Strait Street, which seemed to get steeper the more I drank, for we started the evening’s entertainment at the bottom and worked our way up to the top!

My next trip was in 1995 when I joined Hanna and two of her daughters there, on their annual summer holiday. Hanna as the widow of a Maltese, had spent virtually all her summer holidays with her three daughters there, and so knew it well. It was she who showed me the historic places and the beaches, but I introduced her to “L” my friend, who as luck would have it, had also now married a Maltese and was living in Malta. The Red Light district of Strait Street was history and I discovered that Hanna’s in-laws had a house there at the top end of it.

My next visit was in 2002 when I sailed there on the return leg of my circumnavigation. It was a poignant moment for me sailing into the Marasamxet harbour. I recognised all the land marks and knew now some of its long history. “L” came on board and before I left she took me to lunch in the old British Officer’s Club on Manoel Island and now the Malta Yacht Club.

My visit this time had been planned to be with Hanna in 2010. We had booked the flat in Senglea with “L”, but sadly Hanna had to go into hospital and then was told she could no longer fly as it was a danger to her health. The holiday was cancelled, but now I felt I should go.

If, like me, you enjoy history and clambering over ancient rubble, if you also enjoy sunshine and blue skies and the sea, then Malta is a must see for you.

“L’s” flat in Senglea is blessed with a view to die for. This flat now had no history with Hanna and me, to make it a sad memory for me. It was something new and so a new beginning for me. I was content there. I kept it as a quiet place, there was no TV and I did not turn the radio on. In the evenings I checked my pictures or read a book. Or just sat in the balmy evening and enjoyed the view. It is now MY special place and one I will keep returning to. Insha’Allah!

Malta lies half way between Europe and Arabia! Geographically it is closer to Arabia, but in culture and mentality it is clearly European Mediterranean. The language alone has its roots in Arabic. The people are friendly and speak English as a second language, though I have an impression that the standard of English spoken has deteriorated since my first visit. I found on this visit that Malta had changed and was still changing. It is now a member of the EU, uses the Euro as currency and everywhere one goes, one can see huge sums of EU money being used to renovate and improve the infrastructure. Malta has three World Heritage properties on the UNESCO list and seven properties inscribed on the tentative list. For such a small archipelago this is quite something.

Malta and Gozo have ancient ruins which are older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids. They also have some of the finest medieval structures I know and if you like Baroque Churches those too. The British Empire history and buildings are also there to see and enjoy. The Film industry discovered the archipelago some time ago, and use it regularly. Popeye was made there and you can visit his village, for example.

New hotel complexes have sprung up in many places where once there were none. Holiday camps too in Mellhia Bay, one of which is being enlarged, according to an article I read in the Malta times. So you will find many places to stay which will suit your taste and pocket.

The cruise liners have also discovered the islands and almost every day one of these monstrous floating cities (sometimes two) puts into the Grand Harbour and the grockles pour like a plague of locusts over the island and Valletta in particular. If you gather from this that I hate mass tourism then you are correct. For the locals it must be quite something else in the summer months. But I am and have always been a loner and hate crowds. This should not put you off going, for I am sure it is no worse than the crowds elsewhere in Italy or Spain.

If you like eating out then there are many fine restaurants in both Gozo and Malta and I only had one bad experience in Gozo. In Senglea I ate out only once from choice, for I wanted to enjoy the view from the flat and I also enjoy cooking and hate eating alone in a restaurant. In Gozo with my friend “A” I ate out more often and she showed me some nice places with lots of atmosphere.

So if you have never been, now is the time to go. If you have been before then “L” has said that “friends of friends” are welcome in the flat. You need only send me an email and I will make the connection and electronically at least, introduce you to “L”.