Pilgrimage Pt3.

German, Swiss, Argentinian and many many French. Relais Saint Jacques. Le Pu(y). The long day is over the rest of me begins again. Speaking to many many people happily for a breakfast over pain and confecture : abricot and fruit de la boisson. Café and peace.

In the dark I climbed the steep slopes watching for any appearance of the cathedral, showered in incandescent light, the incline was great and brought my body, without a map, directly to the doorway into my bastion for this only night. Free. All given for free. A man awaited me two hours past the curfew and helped me with smiles and nods towards the bed. Divinely ordered and clean. Perfect. No headaches. No nightime fears. No worries of flea bitten ungrateful soreness. I sit considering those black and white polished cobbles up the side of this ancient volcano and feel something better for yesterday's cloudy straining against the perpetual interlocking of modern transportation.

Striding up the pumace stoned relic. To the lord's prayer at Mass in solumn and sacred French. Blood of a sacrifice in a chalice begins a new journey from blood to wine to blood. The silence and tranquility in the vast and dramatic space; vernacular French ascends me from forty feet and more. The miracle of a wafer put on tongue. Corps de Christ but not do knowing of protocols in a language mystery. In the silence of creeking pews we observe a miracle. Part and part becoming wholly one.

Went to a mass this morning. Have just checked into my first accom. Off for a café noir and to chill prior to sight seeing. I leave in the morning heading out. Good vibes already. People truly helpful.

Come down from Les Capucin to Center Ville and a noisey morning headache after the tranquility of the cathedral notre dame. How different the past is with its kid gloves kissing sweet pea and modernity with its iron fisted gauntlet grasping broken thorny roses. Time for a café a la noir and strong. Thomas from Buenos Aires Argentina searches for patisserie creme anglais and Dieter the German goes up the avenue of adventure. Time to tune into french femme and fountain pouring eau out.

After a short Americano Thomas and I set off for the statue Notre-Dame sat on the top of a lava plug towering over the streets below. Is sits watching on this ancient throne. The focal point for humanity since we could conceive of a thought. The Cathedral is built as the doorway to this earthly ascent with all streets gollowing from the east. There is a crest and notch in a mountain in the east from which glorious sun light will well up into the spiritual place. Ancient this place is. Either to celebrate the solstice or equinox from a humanly realised early time. It has been passed down the aeons, for every, for everyone. You can feel its majestic symphony; the real sun shining on the red raw lava made solid and dense. The cone has vanished with the time and tides but the extension will feature after our civilisation has faded blank.