Apr 27
The passing group of monks never actually stop walking, but when they see what I’m up to, they crane their necks, ooh and aah over my sketch, and wish me ganbatte a hundred times as they pass.
Most of all, what I want to remember from Temple 58 is its classic tiered roof. While it means my first day on the circuit will be longer than it should, I can’t help but drop everything and sketch the temple.
Before arriving on Shodoshima, I’d been wondering if there would be any connections between this pilgrimage and the one I did last year. Here in a souvenir shop on the island, it seems I’ve found my answer.
Words and photos only tell so much – I love that this video captures sounds, too: the crunch of our boots on the path, the ever-present din of cowbells, and the cheers and claps that often erupt in front of the cathedral in Santiago.
It’s been a few months now since I hung up my hiking shoes for the last time, but I was reminded of my questions about what it means to be a pilgrim again this morning after reading a powerful commencement speech by Nipun Mehta.
I’ve been grateful to feel at home in Madrid, to not only have my own room again, but a desk to write at and an armchair to read in, all while sounds of the city and afternoon sunshine waft in through open windows.
It’s only my fourth day on the Camino de Santiago trail, but already I can feel it happening–that strange process whereby what I’m doing now becomes all I’ve ever done; as though I’ve always been walking through rural Spanish countryside.
Leopold’s role in both books and real life has produced a kind of aura around the cafe, an aura of legendary and unmissable proportions that seems to draw in every tourist in Bombay. For me, too, it became another mecca on my literary pilgrimage around the world.
Hello! My name is Candace and I'm a traveling writer, photographer, and sketch artist. Four years ago, I fell in love...but with the world, not "the one." This journey has taken me from a pearl farm in the South Pacific to a rickshaw run across India. The Great Affair is all about seeking inspiration, opening yourself up to the world, and falling in love with the adventure it offers. I'm glad you're here!
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