It has been some time since my last post and I apologize for that but I've just not had the energy or the spirit to write anything for several months. That's not to say I don't like blogging anymore...I'm just not going to be at it as often as I used to. I was particularly busy in May when I hiked the Camino Portugués for two weeks, walking from Porto to Santiago for approximately 250 kilometers. Certainly, the hike was a lot shorter than last year but I had such a wonderful time walking with my friends from Germany. In the next few weeks I hope to share some of of the stories from my journal and post some of the photos I took. Meanwhile, let's take a look back to some nice weather we had in April. In order to break in my new hiking boots and see if I was physically prepared for weeks of walking, I did a practice hike along the beach and dunes between Vauville and Biville. For the first time in many, many months, the sun came out and it was a perfect day for walking.
It must have been a special day for the local fans of poet Jacques Prévert as many of them were on the beach with sticks writing lines of his poetry in the sand.
Along the beach are several remains of German blockhouses including this one covered in grafitti and sinking slowly into the sands of time.
The Vauville Reserve is located at the foot of the coastal dunes. These dunes enclose several fresh water ponds which form a larger pool over 2,000 meters long.
Keeping to the path, it is easy to hike up the dunes to the village of Biville and its famous church which is a site of pilgrimage for the devotees and followers of the beatified Thomas Hélye whose remains can be found inside underneath the altar in a glass case !
Nearby is the Biville cross which has an amazing view over the ocean as well as the shrine to Our Lady. The day came to an end as I walked back to my car in Vauville.
If you are interested in seeing all of my Camino photos and can't wait for me to make a blog posting, click HERE.