...according to Augustine of Hippo*.
This blog is my record to what I have been calling pilgrimages of sorts. They do not necessarily have a religious purpose, but they do have an intention of seeing the world and people that God created and in seeing, understanding and appreciating.
The first such trip was in 2012 when we as a family drove across France and Italy in order to see some of the Churches in Ravenna. That story is here.
My second trip like this was in 2018 when I joined a party heading to Uganda to mark the 50th anniversary of the link between the Dioceses of Bristol and Uganda. That story, and a lot of my reflections both photographically and also in response to my further reading begin here. Some of the people I met in the villages and refugee camps have stayed in my mind since.
My third trip was going to be to some of the ancient cities of the Silk Road. I began, brimming with optimism, with a visit to the place where every adventure ought to begin, Daunt's Book in Marylebone. The room at the back, under the glass roof, where books are categorised by country is both beautiful and inspiring. I read around issues of the break up of the Soviet Union, the history of the back and forth along the Silk Road as religions and worldviews competed for attention and delved into history. Sadly, within a very few weeks of the planned trip COVID arrived and everything shut down. I had paid for the bulk of the trip, but the ABTA guarantee of that money expired in January 2022, forcing me to make a decision. I came to the conclusion that a long-distance trip was still (at that time) a health risk, and I also realised the footprint of such an expedition.
I opted, therefore, to use the change my plans and go walking in the Dolomites instead, and take the time to travel by train. I had little chance to research that trip in the same way, but I loved the chance to photograph the high mountains and explore some of the remains of First World War battle fields up on the summit plateaus.
My next 'pilgrimage of sorts' will be to walk the West Highland Way, accompanied by some writings of the Desert Fathers and their modern counterparts.
* There is some debate about whether Augustine actually said this or not, especially as he was not well travelled himself.