"I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger..."

"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin." 
 ~ the Savage, "Brave New World"

I love this quote so much I'm tempted to get it tattooed across my back. But that sounds a little uncomfortable; and maybe dangerous. (No irony there.) Maybe I'll get it printed on a t-shirt. Regardless, they are words to live by, especially when I'm feeling open and brave.

After the last newsletter, where I wrote about my all-Czech bike trip, I visited with my old friend Bryony, who, last you heard, was becoming a nun. Well, that's so 2004. After a good seven years in the monastery, she's out and about now, has hair and visits friends in France, where I met up with her. We visited Montsegur (photos below,) where we first met.

After a few days on my own I met up with Lucie again, and we traveled for a week in the Cevennes mountains. We didn't know where we were headed from one day to the next or where we'd stay the night. That's a delightful way to travel, if you have the time and get the chance. Recommended.

Much love to you,
Dave


The impressive mountain-top fortress of Montsegur, one of the last hold-outs of the Cathars, a religion that dared to stand up to both the Catholic church and the King of France. Bad combination. After some nine months siege by up to 10,000  troops, those who refused to renounce their "heretical" beliefs were burned on an open fire - all 220 of them. This photo is an "HDR" image, combining three photos at different exposures. "HDR" stands for "Kinda Fake Looking." But cool anyway.



Another HDR image from the fortress, looking towards the sunset. It is a really beautiful area, and the mountains are forested, steep, and spectacular. It's in the foothills of the Pyrenees. (On Google maps.)



Nearby is this intermittent spring, which cycles over a 90-minute period between a rushing river and a mere trickle. Something to do with natural siphons and suctions and whatever. When it's going full blast the stones steps are underwater.



A canal boat in Carcassonne. Or is it a car, with a canal boat attached?



I wild camped next to this little stream.



LovelyLucie, back in Nimes. She's a good sport, that young woman. "Bullfights" are common in this part of France, but the bulls are only pestered and irritated - they aren't killed.



Our first night of wild camping overlooking a beautiful valley.



There was an amazing view from the top of this mountain. That's the Mediterranean on the horizon.



An impressive canyon area called Cirque de Navacelles. You can see where a river had circled this little island in the ancient past. I've seen the same type of formations in Utah and Arizona.



I found this really interesting. The pepper shaker must have been knocked over, and as it rolled it created that near-perfect semi-circle with the dots of pepper.



A river cuts its way through the rock to form this canyon.



Oh, these horses were fun and affectionate.



This is a picture of Lucie before she had fleas. Or as she was getting them. We petted these horses, and later a dog, and the next morning Lucie was covered in flea bites. I escaped unscathed, which I attribute to good taste on the flea's part.



Wow.



The reason we smell so good here is cuz we just took a bath in the river.



Another ancient little village in an improbable location.



I'm telling ya, she's a good sport. Lucie was kind of excited that we had a flat tire, so she could help change it. This was a wild camping site, sort of. Technically it was a park you pay admission to get into. As we drove in at night through the exit (the entrance was closed) we were wondering why we thought it was OK. But it was.



Down the hill from the van, we hiked through these great rock formations. The park is called "Montpellier la Vieux."



Another HDR photo. One reason to use this technique is when there are strong shadows and very bright areas in the same photo. It allows for them all to be exposed correctly.



I have no idea what Lucie is doing to this rock, but he seems happy about it.



It's a really rugged landscape.




"Contemplate the wonders of creation, the Divine dimension of their being, not as a dim configuration that is presented to you from a distance, but as the reality in which you live." ~ Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
(In the beautiful and deep Gorges du Tarn.)



Amazing cliffs rise on both sides of the Gorges du Tarn.



The GPS indicates how windy the switchbacks are as we climb out of the canyon to look for a wild camping spot. That blue line is the Tarn River on the right side.



A viewpoint from edge of the gorge.



I can't imagine how long it's taken the river to cut into that rock.



Now that's a lovely view. (We wild camped here.)



The next day Lucie insisted on us renting a canoe for a couple of hours. Fun!



"It takes grace in our time to keep our minds open to wonder, to be ready for the tug from God, the push from the Spirit, and the revelation of deep things from the hearts of ordinary people. It takes grace, but it is a great gift." ~ Lewis B. Smede
Our last night of camping before I took Lucie to Avignon. We had an amazing 360 degree view from here, and the stars were incredible.



I thought I was really over caves. But now I'm so over being over caves. This Aven Armand cave was unlike any I've ever seen. Amazing!



These stalactites grow at the rate of an inch per century. The tallest one is 100 feet (30 meters) tall.



The cave is 4 million years old.



I call this photograph "Love." But I call all my photographs that, so you can draw your own conclusions. I think we see what we're looking for.
"We don't see the world as it is, we see the world as we are." ~ Anais Nin



After dropping Lucie off at the Avignon bus station for her 20-hour trip to Prague, I went back to the fantastic Pont du Gard. Mind-blowing!



After dark I took this photo from the same place where Lucie and I had swam 10 days before. I also saw three foxes as I walked under the bridge to this spot.


(The End)

"Dancing lessons from God."

"Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God." 
 ~ Kurt Vonnegut 

I had an unusual travel suggestion just last week. My friend Lucie, who I know from India, guides tour buses of Czech bike riders on holidays in France. We agreed to meet for at least a day, and she said, "Maybe you can come on a bike ride with the group." Hmmm, that doesn't seem likely, but maybe. I realized soon after I arrived at the Monster Campground from Hell that I was the only non-Czech, and few people in the group spoke more than a few words of English. After the one hour introduction meeting, 100% in Czech, I had the privilege of trying to introduce myself using a few words of Czech. Sweating. Bullets.

I was sure I wouldn't be with the group for long, and said so. To my delight and surprise - I loved it, and stayed the whole week. We would take the bus (with bikes on a trailer) to cities or villages, mostly in the Provence area, walk around town, ride our bikes to a pickup point, swim in the rivers and the sea. What's not to like? People were really friendly, the bike rides were easy but spectacular, and I was reminded of how much I don't know about how the world works or what I'll like. The world looks more friendly right now, and my heart is more open. And Czech people rock.

I've put off writing in part because I want to write next about a challenging topic: "Love and Longing." So far, I only have the title sorted. The rest of it won't be so easy. Next time!

Too much love,
Dave

p.s. All these photos are with my little Canon S90, which only works at full wide-angle. My big camera, the Canon 7D is in England being repaired as we speak.


Oh, this Pont du Gard bridge, 160 feet tall, blows me away. It was built by the Romans in the 1st century A.D., and is still standing, largely as it did when it was built. It was part of a 31-mile aqueduct carrying water from a spring to Nimes. It carried an astonishing 44 million gallons of water per day, while dropping a mere 56 feet over 31 miles, and only one inch in the span you see here. Spectacular.




LovelyLucie, my own personal guide and translator. She speaks fluent English, fluent French, and also works as a professional Korean translator. She would explain the day's itinerary to the group on the bus, all in Czech, while I listened to music on headphones. Then I'd follow her around like a puppy cuz I had no idea where we were going, how long it would take, or how to get there. Perfect!




Lucie suggested some lines in Czech, and I wrote how it sounds to me. I had to avoid saying, "Ahoy matey!", cuz that's what comes to mind.




Someone is a frickin' genius. This former bauxite mine, beautiful as it is, becomes the three-dimensional canvas on which images, with music, are projected. It's now called "Carrières de Lumières," and shows an amazing program called "Gauguin - Van Gogh, painters of colour." The term "bauxite," by the way, comes from the nearby village of Le Baux.



















This is one of the entrances to the mine.



These video images and sounds of waterfalls were surprisingly lifelike.



One short film featured nature and astronomical scenes.



More Roman ruins. This is another ancient aqueduct.



Google Street? What does that mean?



Considering how little time I spend in a church, and my very cynical views about the dynamics of organized religions, I'm surprised by how much I'm moved by the worshippers and their whole-hearted wonder and awe that brings them, for centuries, into these beautiful places.















Lucie has a little one-on-one time with God.







This is the Camargue area of France, where the giant Rhone river empties into the Mediterranean. Ten percent of the world's flamingoes live here.



This is the town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where legend has it that the three saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Jacobe, came for a visit after finding Jesus tomb empty. It's become a major pilgrimage site.



Dark-skinned Saint Sarah, patron saint of the gypsies, is represented in the statue on the left. There is an annual gypsy gathering in May that should be quite a scene. I'd love to go.



Candles in the crypt of Saint Sarah.



In southern France when buildings get old they just get more beautiful. Check out old buildings where you live and see if that's true there as well.



Inside a vintner's shop/warehouse.



A candy store in Nimes.



This is the "base camp" where the bike tour was based. We had some amazing, intense storms come through that week. I'm down to one bike since Jen left - and now I've given this bike to Lucie.



I've seen a lot of caves and wasn't so interested in another one. But after a walk through a narrow passage led to this massive cavern, it was overwhelming. To the lower left you can just make out the staircase. The room is HUGE.







A stalactite, illuminated from behind.



This beautiful village is Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.



A different view from inside the town walls.



This guy is SO French, I want to hug him. But I'm not sure he'd get it. Someone explained to me that France isn't a hugging country - it's a kiss-on-the-cheek country. In fact, the French word "embrasser" means to kiss, even though it's essentially the same word as our "embrace" in English.



The stadium in Arles, built by the Romans in the 1st century, which held about 20,000 people. Gladiator fights in France! Who knew.



In medieval times the stadium was converted into a fortified village. Imagine trying to restore an ancient building like this. Restore it to what?



The front door the Church of St. Trophime in Arles.



The famous cafe where Van Gogh painted his famous what's-it-called-again painting. Yeah, that one.



Central Montpellier at sunset.



Montpellier nightlife.



A, um, church in Montpellier.



Another impressive Roman ruin - this is the Maison Carrée in Nimes, built in 16 B.C. My sources at Wikipedia tell me it's "one of the best preserved temples to be found anywhere in the territory of the former Roman Empire."



The symbol for Roman rule in Nimes was this crocodile, with a rope or chain around its neck. It was a reference to Rome's conquering of Egypt, symbolized by the tethering of this beast of the Nile.


(The End)