Speaking of material things, the last few days I've been noticing significant wear on the heels of my hiking boots. They can't be fixed by a cobbler because the sole is so distinct (just like our souls are distinct). So I had to buy some new hiking boots.
You might think that this would be an easy process along the Camino de Santiago, that there would be plenty of REI-type shops along the trail. Nothing could be further from reality. There really is very little along the way specifically for the hiker, except food and lodging.
Many of the places I encounter along the way are hamlets, groupings of 5-20 houses with no commerce. Even the larger villages are inhabited by less than 15,000 people.
I think of Smithfield, my first pastorate. That town had a population of 10,000, but there was no place to buy hiking boots or hiking paraphernalia, not even at the outlet mall. One would have to go to Raleigh for all of that.
Well, it's true here as well. I was advised by Patrick at the train station to go to "Decathlon" in Montauban. It's a bigger town and has more selection that Moissac. He even drew a map for me. So I took a twenty minute train ride and then hiked three miles from the train station in Montauban to Decathlon.
The walk was fairly easy, especially since I passed two pastry shops and a fruit stand along the way. So I was able to keep munching most of the hike. See, I'm not totally against commerce!
Upon arriving at the huge shopping center, I witnessed how France is becoming like the United States. There were so many stores that I couldn't immediately find Decathlon. I asked God to help me find it, and presto -- there it was! Decathlon is the size of Dick's Sporting Goods. The mega-shopping center that houses Decathlon resembles Crossroads in Cary. It's built near the confluence of highways to attract more people to it. It even has a McDonalds, which was jam-packed for lunch (I ate elsewhere, with all respect to Ronald). At Montauban, McDonald's is alive and well, as you can see by the photo of the crowded drive-in.
I immediately noticed the huge selection in Decathlon and was able to buy the shoes that I needed. I am grateful that the store was there (without a huge selection, I may not have found my size), but am not happy about what it means to smaller, downtown stores.
Hiking back into town I saw about ten shuttered stores, that may have fallen victim to the mall. Perhaps that's just my editorializing.
Back at the train station I discovered that I was not heading back to Moissac by train, but by bus. The 1:45 bus showed up and it was all aboard. The A/C didn't work well, so it was a hot and sweaty 45-minute ride back. That wasn't bad, because I felt like I was hiking once again. We passed by some beautiful fields of yellow flowers.
Back in Moissac I was able to mail my winter hiking clothes home (it was 81° today!) and tour the cloister of the medieval monastery. Absolutely gorgeous. Here are some photos of the entrance (Christ at the Last Judgement) and the Cloister (notice how each capital is intricately carved).
The monastery was founded in the 8th century, and was eventually dissolved by the French Revolution in 1790 (though it had lost its charisma before then). The monks were adept at copying Bibles and manuscripts, and did it very artfully. I guess with the advent of the printing press they lost their steam.
Part of the monastery was torn down to make way for railroad tracks about 100 years ago. It's hard to believe that happened. Still, the most beautiful part is well preserved for everyone's cultural heritage.
If you've never seen a medieval monastery with a cloister, you should visit one. You don't even have to leave the States -- I'm serious!
In New York City you can visit "The Cloisters." Basically it's a cloister that was purchased in Europe and brought back to the USA and reconstructed, piece-by-piece. I know that's bad, but it does expose people to a great deal of beauty and it's a great place to visit. Their web site is:
http://m.ny.com/museums/cloisters.html
Enjoy!
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