Truckin’

We are leaving for our extended religious pilgrimage to Europe on Saturday: to say we are excited is an extreme understatement. Months of physical training, research, prayer and preparation can now be put to practical use. This week, we’re taking care of all the admin details surrounding an extended absence, getting final dental and doctor visits in, packing and re-packing, and then settling in for planes, trains, buses, automobiles, and–of course–walking.

Last Sunday our parish sent us off with a Pilgrim’s Blessing, an ancient rite of the Church which was very emotional for both Judy and me. We were called forward before the altar, promised to pray for our congregation while we are on the pilgrimage, and then the entire congregation called down God’s blessing on us for our safety, sanctity, and sanity (I may have made the last one up).

A recent commercial Stateside asks “Who glows?” Well, we are.

Our itinerary takes us on flights from Guadalajara to Los Angeles to Stockholm, with a overnight to account for time change. Next morning, off to Vilnius, Lithuania. I know it is not exactly on everybody’s bucket list, but I’ll explain why when we get there. After a day and a half there, we’ll take a bus to Warsaw and then a train to Krakow, Poland, where we’ll spend three days. From there it’s an early Sunday morning RyanAir flight to Lourdes, France, for a day and a half. Then some occasionally reliable French trains to Saint Jean Pied de Port, where we’ll begin the 800 kilometer (500 mile) walk to Santiago de Compostela, after a few days rest, on May 3rd. After arriving in Santiago (God willing) some thirty days (mas o meños) later, we’ll get a rental car and visit Muxia (a quiet pueblo on the Atlantic coast), travel down to Fatima, Portugal for a day or two, and then to Lisbon to start the flights home. The end of the trip is less exact: when you don’t know when you’ll be where, you need to leave the details to later.

Needless to say, my blog will be less about expat life and more about travel, which is (for us) an important aspect of expat life. In addition to all the usual fun of travel, we’ll be praying and offering thanks to God, so if you have a prayer request, share it with me via the comments function or private message, if you prefer.

Oh, and since I titled this Truckin’, let me end with an appropriate cut: