Damascus!  my longing for her is a lover's torment,
  let false friends importune, let critics condemn as they please!
A land where the pebbles are pearls and the soil is amber,
  and fragrant and heady as wine is the northerly breeze.
Her waters glide softly with rippling chains, yet unfettered,
  and healthy yet languid the zephyr that plays o'er her leas.

– Sharaf al-Din Abu’l-Mahasin
(quoted in The Travels of Ibn Battutah)

See more of my Syrian photos from 2006 on Flickr!

As hinted in my last post from two months ago(!!!), my return from pilgrimage and integration back into normal life has left me feeling too busy for some of the contemplative activities which give me joy: photography and writing are the two most relevant for a blogger.  Unless and until my situation changes, updates here will likely remain few.

That said, I’ve decided to take a bit of time to record some of my thoughts on a potential next pilgrimage.  I’d only been back home for a month or two when a fellow parishioner came up to me after church and asked where I was planning to go next.  At that point, I was still adjusting to life in Canada again, and hadn’t given it any thought.  She made a suggestion which I found really appealing, but there are a few other options that I’ve looked at in the past 30 months.  At this point, I’m not actively planning anything — I’ve got a full time job and commitments at church, so if I do head off again, it’s not likely to be any time soon.

(I suppose I ought to have typed “when” I do head off again.  Life as a long distance walking pilgrim is wonderful, and wonder-full.  The world is full of beauty and populated with generous and loving people dwelling in interesting places.)

Leaving Foncebadon in the snow

Although I’m far more interested in new experiences than repeating old favourites, the pilgrimage I’m most likely to undertake next is the Camino de Santiago in 2021.  My first Camino was in January and February of 2010, which was a Jubilee Year.  In 2021, the western feast of St James will fall on a Sunday, making this a Jubilee Year too.   Pascha will be very late that year, so I could begin walking in February and still be back home in Toronto for Forgiveness Vespers on March 14.  (Any non-Orthodox folks interested in joining me will be glad to know they’ll be home a few weeks before Holy Week.)

Domes of Spasa na Krovi

Another short (six week) option is the one suggested by my friend at church.  Her idea was that I go to Russia and visit the cities of the Golden Ring.  I’d visited Russia once before, for a week in 1999.  That time, I was part of a tour group that visited sites in the far west of the country.  We had a Russian-speaking guide, a bus and driver, and a fixed itinerary.  I’m very grateful to have had the chance to visit Valaam Monastery, Kizhi Pogost, St Petersburg, and many other places!  This visit was only ten years after the fall of Communism, and I’m eager to see the country now that a generation has passed.

This would be a very different experience.  I don’t know if it’s even possible to get a tourist visa unless you’re part of a registered tour group, but that kind of detail will wait until this particular pilgrimage enters the research stage.  At this point, I’ve determined that there are towns and villages spread along the route of the Golden Ring, most only 30 kms apart.  There might be a few nights that would require sleeping rough between towns, but this is one trip I will not do during the winter!  Yes, I’m Canadian and I actually enjoy walking in colder weather, but I’m not willing to carry enough equipment to survive sleeping outdoors during a Moscovite winter.

The walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) would be rather different for me.  Rather than having as its goal a traditional site of pilgrimage, this route from the southern-most tip of Great Britain to the northern-most would be an historical and cultural exploration.  The British History Podcast has kinda whet my appetite to see more of Great Britain than I already have, and there would certainly be opportunities to visit sites of pilgrimage along the way.  One advantage this has over the others I’ve done is that I know I will be readily understood by everyone I encounter.  (My comprehension of the local accents is not such a sure thing.)
I don’t know if I’ll ever actually do this.  It typically takes two to three months to do the walk, ten to fourteen days by bicycle.  At this point in my life, if I’m going to take that much time to walk, I’d rather do it as a pilgrim than as a tourist.

 

The final journey that I’ve been idly contemplating is also more of an adventure and less of a pilgrimage.  When I first started telling people of my plan to walk the Camino, two of my friends recommended the same author:  Patrick Leigh Fermor.

(One of them actually lent me his copies of A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water. Then when I was laid up in northern Italy, I met another long distance walker who told me that the final volume of Fermor’s journey had been published posthumously.  I bought The Broken Road from Amazon and read it with the Kindle app on my phone while I waited for medical approval to continue my pilgrimage.)

In 1933, when Fermor was 18, he dropped out of school and set out to walk from the Hook of Holland all the way to Constantinople.  (Technically İstanbul.  The Turkish government had renamed the city only three years earlier.)  He followed the course of the Rhine from the Atlantic to its source in the Bavarian Alps, and then picked up the Danube at its source and followed it to the Black Sea.  From there, he followed the coastline until he reached the great city.

As I mentioned earlier, the world is vast and beautiful.  I know that I can’t see everything, so I need to be selective.  Central Europe is an area about which I know very little, although the current chapter of Mike Duncan’s podcast Revolutions is filling in some of the gaps.  If I were to begin following the course of the Danube at its source near Donaueschingen in the Black Forest of Germany, I would pass through ten countries by the time I reached the Black Sea.  The capital cities of Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade all lie on the Danube.  If I were to do this, I’d also want to visit Prague, but that would require a side trip.

Most of my travels have taken place within the bounds of the Roman Empire.  The Danube was the northern-most border in continental Europe, just as Hadrian’s Wall was in Great Britain.  My Roman roamin’ includes England, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Makedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, the Holy Land, Jordan, and Egypt.  (And at this point, I just have to mention Mike Duncan’s awesome, award-winning podcast The History of Rome.)

Traversing the length of the Danube would be very satisfying to me from a strictly geographical sense.  As a bonus, roughly the last half of my journey would take me through traditional Orthodox lands. I know enough about Romania to REALLY want to visit.  Following the Danube would keep me on its border with Bulgaria, so perhaps I would take my leave of the river once I left Serbia.

Anyway, these are some of the travel / pilgrimage options I am playing with.  The most “immediate” of them is still three years away, so this post should not be taken as an indication that I’m going away any time soon.  (With the caveat, learned the hard way, “If the Lord wills.”)

If you have any suggestions about possible destinations or pilgrimages, please leave a comment for me!  (Grabarka is already on my list, and I’d love to visit the Caucasus region some day…)

I don’t use any of my cameras very often these days. When I’m at work, my mental clock is always tick-tick-tick-ticking, and once I get home all I want to do is sit and relax.

A week ago, one of my Facebook friends invited me to participate in a photo challenge. “Seven days, seven black and white photos. No explanations, no people.” I took four new photos, and re-used three I had previously published on Flickr. The first one was also the least satisfying of the bunch, but here are all seven.

A Close Shave

clothesline

Lines

The Daily Grind

Our Father

….and there was war in heaven.

ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.

One of the things I love about my job delivering bread is the amount of time I have to myself in the truck. Over the years, I have developed an extensive list of podcasts that I listen to. Some update on a daily basis, others weekly, and still others only a few times per year.

While I doubt that these will appeal to everyone, I’m also pretty sure that people in my social media circles will find something of interest here. The brief descriptions are taken from the respective podcast’s website or Wikipedia. (Please note that some podcasts contain strong language.)

99% Invisible
99% Invisible is about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.

Alice Isn’t Dead
A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman.

Common Sense with Dan Carlin
Dangerously thoughtful. Common Sense with Dan Carlin isn’t a show for everyone, and that’s what makes it so great. It’s a smart, deep, passionate, engaging, inquisitive and of course, politically Martian view of news and current events. There’s nothing else like it.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Hardcore History is Carlin’s forum for exploring topics throughout world history. The focus of each episode varies widely from show to show but they are generally centered on specific historical events and are discussed in a “theater of the mind” style. New episodes are released approximately every four to seven months.

Decode the News
Decode the News is a podcast that’s focused on breaking down the week’s major news stories on a critical level, and giving you cutting edge sociological tools to better help you critically consume the media. This is not a weekly digest. It is not a show where you will hear the same talking points from yet another perspective. Instead, this is a weekly analysis on the way the news shapes you with the goal of teaching you how to recognize what and why that is happening.

Glory to God
Thoughts and reflections on Orthodox theology and life.
Fr. Stephen Freeman is the priest at St. Anne Orthodox Church (OCA) in Oak Ridge, TN. His weblog Glory to God for all Things, has quickly become one of the most read Orthodox sites on the web, being translated frequently in Romanian, French, and Serbian, by enthusiastic readers.

History of Philosophy in India
In this series of episodes, co-authored with Jonardon Ganeri (Professor of Philosophy at NYU, Visiting Professor at King’s College London and Professorial Research Associate at SOAS – and author of numerous books and articles on Indian philosophy), Peter considers the rich philosophical tradition of India. The podcasts cover the first thousand years of the history of Indian philosophy, beginning with Vedic literature (including the Upanisads) and ending with the maturation of Buddhist and Jain thought. This timespan will be divided into three ages: the early period of the Vedas and classical Hindu epics, and the emergence of critique from the Buddhists and Jains; the Age of the Sutra, a period of increasing systematicity in which several schools of thought emerged from the brahminical tradition; and finally a look at the critiques of these schools from the Buddhist and Jain traditions.

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy at the LMU in Munich and at King’s College London, takes listeners through the history of philosophy, “without any gaps.” The series looks at the ideas, lives and historical context of the major philosophers as well as the lesser-known figures of the tradition.

History on Fire
History on Fire is a podcast by author and university history professor Daniele Bolelli. Whether you like history or not, if you care about bravery, wisdom, passion, larger than life characters and some of the most emotionally intense moments in human experience, you have come to the right place. Bolelli shall be your guide in a journey to the place where history and epic collide.

Ideas with Paul Kennedy
Ideas is eclectic in form and content. We cover social issues, culture and the arts, geopolitics, history, biography, science and technology, and the humanities. Most of our programs are documentaries in which thoughts are gathered, contexts explored, and connections made.

In Our Time
In Our Time is a live BBC radio discussion series exploring the history of ideas, presented by Melvyn Bragg since 15 October 1998. Each programme covers a specific historical, philosophical, religious, cultural or scientific topic. Bragg hosts discussion of the week’s subject featuring what he has characterised as “three absolutely top-class academics” on the subject.

Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill
Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill is a weekly podcast hosted by investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill and produced by First Look Media. The podcast uses interviews, round table discussions, and journalistic narrative to present investigative reporting, analysis and commentary on topics such as war, national security, the media, the environment, criminal justice, government, and politics.

Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu
Comedians and longtime friends W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu navigate the dumpster fire that is the US political landscape. Join Hari, Kamau and their guests every week as they discuss how to move forward, how to be an active part of the resistance, and how to stay joyful in the face of the unknown.

Q: The Podcast
Get ready to meet the artists you’re talking about, and the ones you’ll soon love. Whatever you’re into — be it music, TV, film, visual art, theatre, or comedy — q is there. Expect deep insight, and big surprises. Because on q, arts and entertainment get personal.

Quirks and Quarks
The show consists of several segments each week, most of which involve the host interviewing a scientist about a recent discovery or publication, combined with in-depth documentaries; however, from time to time the show does a special “Question Show” episode, during which the format consists of scientists answering questions submitted by listeners.

Revisionist History
Welcome to Revisionist History a new podcast from Malcolm Gladwell and Panoply Media. Each week for 10 weeks, Revisionist History will go back and reinterpret something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood.
“Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.”

Revolutions
A weekly podcast series by Mike Duncan examining great political revolutions.

Roads From Emmaus
Exploring the Intersection Between Place, Communion, and Revelation:
Produced in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, this podcast features sermons and other talks about the exploration and engagement of Christian faith with the world. Jesus Christ both journeyed with His disciples on the road to the Biblical Emmaus and broke bread with them, thus revealing Himself as both our fellow traveler and the incarnate Word of God.

Spark
Spark is an ongoing conversation about our rapidly changing world. Along with you, host Nora Young explores how technology, innovation and design affects our lives.

TED Radio Hour
The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas: astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, new ways to think and create. Based on Talks given by riveting speakers on the world-renowned TED stage, each show is centered on a common theme – such as the source of happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts, or inexplicable connections. The TED Radio Hour is hosted by Guy Raz, and is a co-production of NPR & TED.

Tell Me Something I Don’t Know
Tell Me Something I Don’t Know is live journalism wrapped in a game-show package and hosted by Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books and host of Freakonomics Radio. Stephen has always had a mission: to tell you the things you thought you knew but didn’t; and things you never thought you wanted to know, but do. Now, he has a new way of doing just that. TMSIDK is still journalism, still factual — but disguised in the most entertaining, unexpected, and occasionally ridiculous conversation you’re likely to hear.
Guest presenters come on stage before a live audience and try to wow Stephen and his co-host(s) with a fascinating fact, a historical wrinkle, a new line of research — anything, really, as long as it’s interesting, useful and true (or at least true-ish). There’s a real-time human fact-checker on hand to sort fact from fiction.

The Allusionist
Linguistic adventures with Helen Zaltzman.

The Areopagus
Historic Christianity Encounters Other Religious Traditions:
When the early apostles or our Lord encountered people who didn’t oppose them but believed differently when it came to faith, how were they engaged? We have one example in the book of Acts with the Apostle Paul’s encounter at The Areopagus or Mars Hill. This podcast is about the encounter of historic Christianity with other religious traditions. We’ll have many topics and frequent guests and we promise informative, irenic discussions without compromising Truth.

The British History Podcast
The British History Podcast is a chronological telling of the story of Britain. I started in the Ice Age, and I’ve been steadily moving forward ever since. The focus of this podcast is upon the human drama that is played out in history. Rather than providing a dry recount of dates and names, I am doing my best to provide a three dimensional image of what these people, places, and events were like. The people I’m speaking about were real flesh and blood individuals with dreams, fears, and flaws. And where the information is available, I intend to highlight those aspects for you.

The History of Byzantium
The History of Byzantium is a podcast dedicated to the story of the Roman Empire from the collapse of the West in 476 to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Byzantine history is fascinating, world changing and largely forgotten. Listen and discover who they were.
The show was created to continue the narrative established by Mike Duncan’s wonderful podcast The History of Rome. I have tried to remain faithful to Mike’s structure of half hour instalments told from a state-centric perspective. My innovation is to pause the narrative at the end of each century to take time to cover wider issues to do with Byzantium. I’ve also taken time to produce feature length episodes on the most dramatic incidents.

The History of Rome
A weekly podcast tracing the history of the Roman Empire, beginning with Aeneas’s arrival in Italy and ending with the exile of Romulus Augustulus, last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Now complete!

The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)
Atop the Eiffel Tower, a lonely janitor stumbles into a series of alternately surreal and comic adventures as he becomes part of a mystery: what is the secret behind the wildly popular, bizarrely impossible live radio variety show being broadcast from the tower’s top?

The Weird History Podcast
Weird History is a podcast focusing on out-of-the-way, obscure, weird, and forgotten corners of history from Joe Streckert, an independent journalist in Portland, Oregon. New episodes appear on Monday.

The World in Words
The World in Words is a podcast about languages and the people who speak them. What happens to the brain on bilingualism? Does it matter that so many languages are dying out? Should we fear the rise of global English? Is the United States losing its linguistic cohesion? Why are Chinese tech words so inventive? Why does Icelandic have so many cool swearwords? Patrick Cox and Nina Porzucki bring you stories from the world’s linguistic frontlines.

Through a Monk’s Eyes
Looking at the World from the Celtic Shores of Scotland—and Elsewhere:
Have you ever wondered what the world looks like through a monk’s eyes? Priest-monk Seraphim shares his stories of the places he visits and the people he meets as he travels the world to found the first Orthodox monastery in the Celtic Isles of Scotland in a thousand years. The Monastery is dedicated to All Celtic Saints, and you may support its founding at MullMonastery.com.

Under the Influence
As the marketing world shifts from a century of overt one-way messaging to a new-world order of two-way dialogue, we leave the age of persuasion and enter the era of influence.
The first 50 years of modern advertising was based on hard-sell. The next 50 years was persuasion through creativity and media tonnage. But as advertising squeezed into the 21 century, it was forced to shed its elbowing ways and become a delicate dialogue. The goal is no longer to triumph by weight, but to win by influence.
Welcome to Under the Influence. An exploration of that critical shift.

Welcome to Night Vale
Welcome to Night Vale is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.
Turn on your radio and hide.

What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law
Elizabeth Joh is an Intro to Constitutional Law professor and most of the time this is a pretty straightforward job. But with Trump in office, everything has changed. Hosted by acclaimed podcaster Roman Mars (99% Invisible, co-founder Radiotopia), this show is a weekly, fun, casual Con Law 101 class that uses the tumultuous and erratic activities of the executive branch under Trump to teach us all about the US Constitution.

Within the Wires
The hit audio drama Within the Wires returns with a new story told through found audio from an alternate universe. Season two, “Museum Audio Tours,” tells its story in the guise of ten audio museum guides. Over the course of a decade of worldwide exhibitions, these walkthroughs unravel the complex story of a mysterious disappearance of an artist’s mentor.
Want to listen from the beginning? Season One, “Relaxation Cassettes,” takes the form of an audio course on full body relaxation issued by The Institute to you, (the listener) a nameless medical inmate. Who is this narrator? Is she relaying something more than just relaxation techniques, and is she to be trusted? And are there subliminal messages hidden within the music? As listeners move through the relaxation curriculum a deeper and more personal story unravels.

(Still reading? Wow, you must have almost as much time on your hands as I do!)