The year is coming to the end and the last weeks have been very different. In November I worked as a volunteer, for 3 weeks, in the Pilgrim Office in Santiago. So different to see the office from the other side. The Pilgrim Office has been moved downstairs and seems to be having some teething problems. The work was not heavy as the numbers were dropping off, the first 2 weeks there were about 150 people per day but by the end there were only about 50 per day, these were a mix of Spaniards who had walked from Sarria and other nationalities who had walked a long way, many from Saint Jean or Seville, but others who had walked much further, from: Le Puy; Paris; Zurich and other points across Europe. There were some very interesting people, one man had kept a pictorial diary of his walk from Arles, he said he wasn't an artist but the pictures were lovely. Another man came straight to the office from the hospital because he had collapsed near Arzua and nearly died. So many stories!
There are building works going on at the Cathedral, this has resulted in the Botifumeiro being cancelled over December, this caused a lot of disappointment. There is still an expectation that it 'flies' every Sunday.
The Christmas trees went up whilst I was there!
Now I am in England, I am spending most of December here, visiting friends and places I haven't been to before. I haven't walked much recently but I was taken on a 9 mile walk in Hampshire. I survived, just:)
The good and the bad of walking in England, the traditional English countryside and those awful stiles. I always used to think they were a good idea but now that I struggle to get up and down I'm not so sure.
On Tuesday we went to Shrewsbury, somewhere I didn't know. I still don't know it well; we stopped for coffee near Ludlow at a great place. I've forgotten the name but it was something like Ludlow Village Food and we had a wonderful time looking at the food, and buying some of it. We got to Shrewsbury at 1.30 and knowing that many places stop serving food about 2 we rushed to find somewhere to eat. We found a fantastic restaurant; The Peach Tree, the food and the service were
wonderful. I'm now trying to work out how I can return to Shrewsbury:)
By the time we finished lunch the Abbey was shut so we just wandered up the main street.
Lots of black and white houses!
Now it's Malvern, next week the Peaks.
I'm in a cottage in the little village of Youlgreave.
It was a superb day for walking, though rather muddy under foot. Why do cows always congregate around gates? They even seem to congregate around narrow gates on footpaths that they couldn't dream of passing through.
The swans are on a lake in the Haddon estate, so typically English.
Haddon Hall in the distance and the Gatehouse.
A closer view of Haddon Hall, I'm sure this house was used in the film of Northanger Abbey, unfortunately it was closed so I don't know if they used the inside as well.
I hate stiles but I think these stone wall stiles are easier to cope with than the wooden ones in the south.
I picked some narrow branches to use as a 'Christmas Tree' they fit well in the corner of the sitting room and look quite elegant, I think, and my little Christmas scenes are all my own work. I'm happy with my Christmas decorations.
