What Pilgrims Say

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Bourg St Pierre to Grand St Bernard Summit

Pilgrimages seem to prompt all kinds of behaviour and all sorts of writing - some good, some bad and some just plain bizarre, but occasionally we find examples that stand out for their ability to inspire, describe or even amuse. 

Here is one we found, but if you also spot a pilgrim item that you think you should be repeated, please let us know.

From John and Wendy - currently travelling to Rome - June 2008

"Of course we've had some highs and lows of emotions: if the weather's good, the route easygoing and we've just been to a good town or place to stay, life seems perfect. But rain, route difficulties, or boring/unpleasant towns or hotels can make life seem a real burden (why are we doing this? Will we manage to finish? How can we feel better?) gradually we learn from this process that we cannot control everything, we can only do what we can and what seems right at the moment we decide but there will be problems, mistakes and disappointments; these are not our fault, so we should not lose confidence. We should accept that there are also unexpected good things that happen, which we can treasure as our good fortune.

The pilgrimage experience provides a great stream of experiences, as if to test us, but in truth this is because we are moving along a path which we do not know, because we are "out of our box", freely taking what the world experience provides. The pilgrimage also gives us some time to reflect on our experiences and our reaction to them, and this is a rare opportunity which does not occur so often in "ordinary life".