The Pilgrimage

Auvergne Region, France

The Pilgrimage

Travel memoir by

Gregory E. Larson

          Walking through the outdoor area of the French café, I spied the large backpack leaning against the wall. The young woman who sat next to the backpack was deep into thought and writing in a notebook. There’s a story, I thought, but I decided not to pry or engage in questions.

          It was late in the evening in Riom, France, and my daughter, Carrie, and son-in-law, Blane, and I were hungry. Carrie and Blane asked the waitress if we could see a menu. Much to our surprise and embarrassment, two restaurant attendants came outside, carrying a large chalkboard with the handwritten menu in French. Blane pointed his phone at the chalkboard, attempting to use an app on his phone which translates the French into English. At the same time, the young woman stood up and said (in perfect English), “I can translate it for you and explain each item, if you would like. I am French, but I also speak English.”

          Blane responded, “This app also translates, but I would love to hear your descriptions.” The woman spent a couple of minutes going through the menu while the attendants held the board.

          Being Americans, when we heard “cheeseburger,” we all decided that sounded good, especially since they were not just any cheeseburgers, but St. Nectaire cheeseburgers which had a famous Auvergne regional cheese.

          Then Blane struck up the conversation with the young woman. “I see your backpack. It looks like you are on some type of journey. May I ask where you are going?”

          “I am on a pilgrimage to Spain, to Santiago de Compostela.”

          “Oh yes,” I interjected, “I’ve read about that, and I have watched a movie called “The Way,” which is a story about a man who makes the pilgrimage.” I also shared with her that another son-in-law, Michel, had ridden the pilgrimage on his bike from France to Spain.

         “I am from Moulin,” said the woman, “and I am not on a strict schedule, but I want to complete the journey this year.” She continued to tell us that she had befriended an elderly nun, and told the woman that she wanted to become a nun. The elderly nun very forcefully told her she believed that God had other plans, and that she should find some other way to honor Him.

          The young woman continued, “I am on this pilgrimage to reflect and decide what to do next.” When we left the restaurant, we told her that we would pray for her safe journey, and wished her well.

          We continued on our travels and I concluded that we were also on a sort of pilgrimage to see daughter Erica, and son-in-law Michel and their two daughters, Cecilia, and Lily-Marie. The youngest, Lily-Marie was to be baptized in a small church in rural France (Church of the Holy Innocents in Bussieres et Pruns, France)

Exterior Iron Cross
Church of the Holy Innocents
Bussieres ets Pruns, France

          The definition of pilgrim is “wayfarer who travels in in a foreign land,” or “one who seeks a holy shrine as the destination.” I decided that we were in fact on a pilgrimage, since we were traveling in a foreign land and our key destination was the baptismal ceremony.

Granddaughters Cecilia and Lily-Marie
with parents Erica and Michel

          In a way, we are all on a pilgrimage as we go through different phases of our lives. Each part being new or different, and we somehow find our way, only to be thrown into a new phase that doesn’t look the same as the last. I recently learned that the Arapaho tribe of native Americans have a spiritual belief that each person climbs four hills during their lifetime:

1.     Childhood

2.     Early Adulthood

3.     Mature Adulthood

4.     Elder

I like their belief, since each hill is a type of pilgrimage for each person to encounter, gain knowledge and proceed with the next phase of their life.

Children beginning their journey in life

          During our trip in France, I more clearly saw my “elder” phase as it contrasted with younger adulthood phases of my family and the childhood phases of the grandchildren. I am challenged with technology, especially with iPhones and apps. Blane and Carrie are not. They were constantly looking for things on our route, and Blane was the navigator as I drove the manual five-speed Spanish SUV. We worked well as a team. At the baptism, I saw the different generations of two families that lived on different continents, all on our life journeys.

Carrie and Blane in Paris

          As an elder, my energy level is lower than it used to be. While in Paris I enjoyed sitting on a balcony part of the time, reading a book or looking out over the city of Paris, while Carrie and Blane were out and about to see the sights. I was thoroughly content to sit still and take a visual journey across the chimneys and rooftops of Paris.

          Each of us are on our own pilgrimage with fascinating stories to tell.

Paris Rooftops
(Les Toits de Paris)
2023 original watercolor by
Gregory E. Larson