Picture of Abbey and Medieval Road

The Medieval Road between the Abbey & The Abbey (Monday in the Sun)
Cemetary

Tuesday at the Abbey

Many of our group are on the "Pilgrimage"; either a 3 mile or 7 mile exploration of the Isle of Iona. I cannot do this with the stints in my legs, but am glad for some let down time. Bill went on the 7 mile. I am glad the stroke did not affect his physical stamina. He has spent his life taking excellent care of his body and it is paying off, Worship has been lovely. The biggest surprise to me is the Iona Community. I was expecting Nuns and Monks. Instead there is a group of 20 somethings that are either resident staff or volunteers. They are on 2-3 year assignments. They are talented and reflective. I am amazed at the richness in the answers and possibilities they bring to my spiritual yearnings. I am curiously looking at my surprise and appreciation. I am discovering a "reverse ageism" I did not know I held. I knew I held certain thoughts and beliefs; but I thought they were truth and factual data. A shifting of position in me. This is a good thing.

This is a wonderful Pilgrimage for me. Getting re-acquainted with old friends and embracing new ones. This is a "Thin Place". Thanks go to Sharon, Kathie and Leif.

Thin places retrospect

It is a bit hard to describe visiting places that have such a vast history. In the U.S. We are awed by 200-300 year old places, on this journey in was not unusual to be in the rhelm of several thousand years old. There was, of course, the majesty of Stonehenge in all of its glory. Our three separate visits into the stones gave us perspective of spacing & height, light & shadow and amazement at the ancients that built it. It was also amazing to see the details such as axe & dagger markings from 1500 B.C.! In addition to the stones we experienced burial mounds, the cursus, Avebury stones, Woodhenge & Durrington Walls history & the Tor in Glastonbury. Moving through history we enjoyed castle ruins and churches that celebrate a 1000 year history. All are such testaments to our ancestors.
Then there were the people of today. Barb, Emma and I throughly enjoyed meals with our group of fellow travelers, hikes through many a pasture, car rides through beautiful "highways", and conversations that ranged from the ordinary to the extrodinary where we got to know each other better. In such time we too built upon our own history of experiences. What an amazing time we each had!

Not everything on pilgrimage is serious business...

Yesterday, while visiting Chalice Well, I had to, well, you know, use the facilities. To my surprise, and right next to the hand drying machine, this sign was posted. I can now honestly say that, thanks to the vigilance of the British Toilet Association, this is the first award winning loo I've ever seen. Uh, congrats? Sympathies? I'm baffled!

Train ride to Glasgow

Bill and Sharon at a special visit to the Stones.

Eleven of us are traveling by train to Glasgow from Salisbury. Turned in the rental car-an adventure. Barb, Heidi and Emma left us to begin a Caribbean Disney Cruise. The rest of us are headed to Iona Abbey. We spend the night in Glasgow and head to the Abbey tomorrow through Friday.

What an adventure. The stones and everything were wonderful and the fellow travelers on the pilgrimage are grand. We are having a lovely time ad enjoying ourselves as we learn much.

Well, fellow travelers, our group is traveling today by train, taxi, and foot from southern England to Scotland. Tomorrow we will add to our list of "Modes of Travel for Pilgrims"--by taking 2 ferries, 1 bus and as many footsteps as it takes to walk from the shoreline of Iona to our lodging in the Abbey. (Some of our amazing group may decide also to walk across the water from Mull to Iona...!).

Our time yesterday was spent in Glastonbury, thus completing the "bury tour"--Salisbury, Avebury, Glastonbury. This photo is of the Tor, with a 500' elevation and an ancient Cretan-style labyrinth that circumnavigates the hill. This has probably been used by pilgrims for centuries, is now overgrown, but did offer us glimpses of its former inspiration. The photo was taken from a beautiful garden known as Chalice Well, which offers free and delicious iron-rich water to all who are thirsty. It offered us pilgrims opportunity for gratitude, drinking in God's creativity, and many hours of contemplation...refreshing!

Our last day near Stonehenge ended with a final look at the Stones, a lovely dinner at our favorite local pub (just down the road from Sting's home ~ no, he didn't invite us in), and a boisterous party hosted by the ever-generous Sally and Paul, complete with mountains of clotted cream, drinks aplenty, and laughter all around :-)

I like pilgrimage... :-)

Pilgrims at Salisbury Cathedral's new baptismal font ~ What a day of seeing (again) the power and impact of communal efforts! In the early 1200s, it took the community of Salisbury only 38 years to build this amazingly detailed and intricately decorated cathedral. We toured -- first with a guide, then wandering on our own -- followed by a gentle Evensong which led us quietly to a boisterous sharing of a meal...kinda like the ups and downs of those original disciples. Throughout the day, there were repeated "thin moments" for me...from watching our group's varied responses to the heavy and traditional Christian overtones of the cathedral, to enjoying a light rain refreshing the earth, to the laughter and conversation with our shared meals, to pondering the placement of this brand new modern baptismal font right in the middle of a medieval cathedral. God, apparently, IS still speaking :-)