Rest Day in St. Jean

It's mid afternoon and we have just returned from a picnic lunch in a local park.  It is sunny, warm, and beautiful here in St. Jean, and it's great to have a rest day before we begin our first day on the Camino St. Jacques (that's French for "the way of St. James" - for those of you who didn't pay attention during high school French classes!).  We slept oddly well last night - oddly because we were awake briefly at 3 a.m., and well because after that we fell deeply asleep until 8:30 a.m.

Our hotel room is simple and spartan, with a view on the local river, and its falls noisily cascading directly below our window.  Shut the windows, however, and it's as quiet as can be.

After a simple breakfast of fresh croissants, baguettes, orange juice, and coffee, we spent the morning walking around the walls of St. Jean, which is a fortress town once important for repelling Spanish invasions.  The following pictures are taken either of or from the walls, with the flower picture taken looking down at the flowers growing out of the wall...

Later in the morning we explored a bit more of the town and bought food for our picnic lunch as well as for our lunch tomorrow.  Many of the stores were closed because it's Sunday and church bells rang on and off during the morning.  It also meant that every cafe in town was busy with locals out for lunch, all in all a very cosy atmosphere.  Pictured below is your typical local street in town, once you're off the main drags...

The rest of the day will be spent reading and relaxing, with a pilgrim's dinner at 6 (every town along the way offers these 3 course meals, including wine, at greatly reduced prices), and hopefully a good night's rest.  Strange to think that as we sit down to dinner, our Gateway church family will be in various stages of getting ready to attend worship, led today by my good friend and colleague Anthony.  We'll be thinking of you (at least a little), with thanks for the opportunity given us to enjoy this sabbatical and pilgrimage!   And we'll be leaving and walking each day with the following pilgrim's prayer in our hearts and minds:

Guardian of my soul

Guide me on my way this day.

Keep me safe from harm.

Deepen my relationship with you,

your earth, and all your family.

Strengthen your love within me

that I may be a presence of your peace

in our world.  Amen.

(By Tom Pfeffer & Joyce Rupp)