Marist Music

Sr Diane and a parishioner at Fort William

Brs Michael and Gerry at Melbourne Airport

At Fort William

View from my bedroom window Ben Nevis highest mountain in Scotland

At Inverlochy Castle

Myself and Fr Roddy McAuley parish priest of Caol as we sang our Marist songs on my departure

Famillie Guingamp Herry

War Memorial Pordic France

Pierre Herry

Herry parish church 1853 Pordic Brittany

Our Lady statue Notre Dame St Jean Pied de Port

Town wall St Jean Pied de Port

Walk of the citadelle guarding St Jean Pied de Port

Afternoon of Day 1 View from Refuge Orisson

Foothills of the Pyrenees

Me at Roland's fountain. Roland died near in rearguard of Charlemagne's army 770

Sheep some wearing bells. A beautiful soft sound across the meadows

From the bridge leaving Zubiri in the Navarra district NE Spain

Church of St Stephen. Early 13th C.

Bell of St Stephen's church

Mary and Jesus in the church of St Stephen

Very near border of France and Spain. No security checks.

Sanchez VII, 1154-1234 King of Navarra brother in law and good friend and ally of Richard 1 of England

One of the many ancient bridges some back to Roman times.

This really is one hell of a sculpture!

I asked Dad first!

Inside Pamploma Cathedral

13th C stone statue of Mary. I found this statue much more approachable than later Spanish Renaissance art.

Exquisite small organ in the Blessed Sacrament chapel Pamploma Cathedral

On a mountain range after leaving Pamploma. Note the wind turbines - some 40 of them on this range.

Note Spanish spelling of Sydney (Sidney)

Our Lady's Church Eunate, 2 km off Pilgrims' Way. Built 1170. Possible burial site of pilgrims who didn't make it.

AFL semi-final afternoons were never like this!

God forbid that I should glory, but in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Where I went to Sunday mass, church of St Michael the Archangel

Outside my bedroom window

Arched doorway of an even older church C970, looking out into an olive grove.

Chains - ancient symbol in Navarra coat of arms

Very old Roman bridge

Early morning heading west, the best time of the day for walking

This was a truly beautiful place to pray - in spite of the lady at the entrance collecting money and doing a suduko. A C12 church of the Holy Sepulchre in a small town of Torres del Rio.

I'm eating well, all by pointing!

A sore knee was never so good. Week long festival of St Mateo. Correct local spelling..see the bottle

A small bottle of rioja and one of these for 2 euros.

One of the many bands at Logrono Festival celebrating St Matheo and the Rioja wine region

No wonder the bands sound better early in the day

Exquisite carving

Inside the Gothic church of Our Lady, Najera, Spain

Monastery cloister

From a hill overlooking Burgos cathedral

From a hill overlooking Burgos cathedral

St Bruno founder of the Carthusians, done in polychrome wood by Manuel Pereira C17

Big lectern in the monks' choir

Detail of St James from the altar backdrop or 'reredos'

Note the fine lace work of the sculpture. Exquisite!

Statue of St James, replica referred to in the Blog (Day 16 Burgos)

Annunciation by Pedro Berruguete (1450-1504)

Notes about Berruguete Annunciation

The ancient pilgrim entrance to Burgos

El Cid's travelling chest

One of the sacristies in Burgos cathedral

Street musicians Ponferada

Entrance to Knights' Templar castle Ponferada

Knights' Templar castle Ponferada

I think the White Knights were the good guys. I remember selling them in my dad's milk bar C1958, a very popular confectionery line.

From the wall of the knights' templar castle Ponferrada

entrance to the Virgin of the Holm Oak church. Note the ancient stone image of Mary and the guy in blue jeans, a beggar, very common outside churches.

Still early morning for the Spanish (see time on clock) and all is quiet.

Just outside my hotel. The shop sell outdoor and camping gear.

Samos Benedictine monastery in Spain has just had an exhibition commemorating Salvado and his mission to the Australian aborigines. Salvado, born in 1814, was a monk of the community.

Samos, oldest Spanish Benedictine monastery

Alphonce 11 who did much to establish the Camino and gave land to establish an early church &, I think, a monastery in Samos. As you might guess, he was also good at slaying Moors.

A beautiful little church

An important abbot who did much to upgrade the education of the monks.

A photo of pumpkins growing well below a bridge. The larger ones would singly fill a wheelbarrow.

Choir book Samos monastery C1670.

Entrance to the monastery church

Fountain in the cloister

Relic of St Benedict - his tibia (lower leg bone).

Replica of an early clinic/dispensaryfor the local people; original, like most of the early monastery, destroyed by fire.

river running alongside the Samos monastery

Some monuments to St James and the Camino pilgrims.

A small wayside chapel

May be a mistake in the middle of the day ...but!

A Galician 'horreo' for the storage of carn and other agricultural products away from rodents.

Two contented cows under a tree out of the rain; I wouldn't mind joining them.

One of my most memorable places because of the greeting of the old parish priest outside the church.

Altar sanctuary after Mass tonight. the big censor can just be seen above the bright candelabra.

Sanctuary of St James cathedral with censor.

The ceremony at the end of Mass. I had an excellent seat.

In line going up behind the altar to give St James a hug and whisper a prayer.

the achievement of pilgrims celebrating arrival at the cathedral was infectious

Myself and Roger Guffey from near St Louis Missouri. Over the last month we kept bumping into each other so shared a meal & said goodbye last night.

Benedictine monastery which rivalled the power, beauty and wealth of the cathedral until thery were suppressed. AMDG!!

Hear little galician music; this is the exception.

As can be seen the cathedral of St James is having a facelift.

Although restoration work is going on they've hung enormous drapes to give people an idea of the reality.

A harp busker tuning up. I asked permission to photo

T-shirt designs. I particularly liked the top one.

My lunch being prepared at the Santiago de Compostela market

Entrance to the luxury Parador Hotel adjacent to the cathedral. It says ' for Catholic Kings'. You mightn't need to be a Catholic nowadays, but you still need to be as rich as a king to stay there.

Graveyard at Roybridge Roy Bridge area of Lochaber is of considerable significance in the family of Mary Mackillop