Visiting Buildings

Visiting Buildings

Byrichard

There is a rule that you should often visit churches and other buildings, if you are authorised to. You can often find something interesting. In the case of the Temple De Crans-près-Céligny it’s the kitsch paintings and blue colour.


Various images

Stained glass window

Angel and text

Angel and text

View from outside the church


The other reason is for the view when you are outside, especially on a clear day. You can see from Geneva and it’s Jet D’eau to the other side of the lake, with the Alps and occassional trains.


The third and superficial reason to visit is that you can get a Camino De Santiago Stamp. The stamp is inside the church, on the left as you enter. What’s amusing is that just one village away, in Celigny you can also get a Camino Stamp.


I have seen many intereting sites, in churches, which is why I like to visit them. It’s not about religion, but about culture and local context. In Gingins there is a very old tombstone, in another there is a block of marble that Michelangelo started to carve but never finished. In the church above the thing that struck me is the blue. Usually churches are painted white or left gray. This one is a strong blue. It’s lighter, and more vibrant. It feels warm. It has a wooden organ in the back but I forgot to photograph it.


Missing Bees


Today when I walked by some woods I noticed that the beehives have gone and I am not sure why. Was it because of the storm winds, where owners chose to keep the bees safe, or to avoid the coming rain? It’s a small detail with big consequences., When I have walked that path, in summer, with the sunflowers on the other side, I have seen a bee superhighway. If the bees have been moved permanently then it will be quieter.

Reading About The Camino De Santiago

Byrichard

Over the last month or so I have been reading Le Camino Seule, ou enfin presque and it is one of my favourite hiking books. It might simply be because it was written in French, by a french woman rather than in English by Brits or Americans but it made me feel more than other books. She often references Sylvain Tesson’s book Forêt de Sibérie, a book I read a few years ago.


I like the book because it’s about leaving life behind for 38 days to do a walk, to find herself, only to find that she doesn’t find herself, and that she has more questions than answers by the end of it. I like that it goes from location to location and day by day. I like the meetings that she speaks about, the people, the situations and more. I also like that she has choices to make, whether to walk the normal route, or to take the Primitivo.


When she spoke about the Camino Norte and Français I didn’t feel a desire to go for a walk but when she spoke of the Primitivo this is the part of the Camino that I would consider. It sounds more like the walking I am used to. Through mountains, clouds, remote villages and more.


I read this book during the solitude of a two year pandemic, where there is no end in sight. The people I have met during walks were pleasant and interesting to spend time with. It would be nice to go on such a trip, and to spend time with a community of people while doing something enjoyable like walking. It’s what I miss most from pre-pandemic life.


If you read this when the pandemic is over you will not understand. Pandemics are a moment where we can socialise, if we want to take a silly risk, or we can self-isolate to stay safe. I choose safety, but safety is solitude. When the pandemic ends I want to go on such walks, to spend time with people once again.