This report would normally start with the phrase: "Our traditional summer walk". However, I have to say that it will not be the case of this particular report. Although this summer walk can have
been ordinary and traditional for a lot of my
Our group walked on the way from Arles to Conques. Firstly, it is necessary to name all the participants of this fifth summer walk. To the well experienced pilgrims who conquered 1540 kilometres
during the
Our pilgrimage started in Marseille, or rather in its suburb. We indeed got there by plane and had the pleasure to enjoy the local airport, even sleeping there for a few hours. Thanks to these
lovely moments, we immediately absorbed the atmosphere of southern France – but just indoors. It was an absolutely different world for me, for I was a complete newbie – not just in
pilgrimage but also in the art history. I had never been to France before, and therefore, the country used to be for me just a land of a difficult language, baguettes, frog legs and their
consumers, and of course the medieval heritage and the
Fortunately, after Marseille, we continued to Arles by train, where we really started to walk. The whole trip led us to
These two weeks were of course dedicated not just to sport, fresh air, good food and gaining energy. We tried to discover France mainly through the objects that we met during the walk, such as the
church of Saint Trophime in Arles which touched us especially with its marvellous portal and its frontispiece with an imposing Maiestas Domini framed of a complex imagery. We also visited
the Musée de l’Arles et de la Provence antiques and saw countless numbers of late antique and early medieval sarcophagi there. Leaving our first kilometres behind us, we entered the Benedictine
church in
With our stop in Nîmes, we were further confronted with the remains of Roman Antiquity. One of the
Finally, we reached Conques, where we could contemplate the remaining medieval objects: the monastery church of Sainte Foy, the famous gilded
Even though the nature of France and its historical monuments were truly appealing, I think that what remains in our minds is still more complex. We will remember mainly the hospitality and kindness
of all the people we met. We did note all the objects that we saw however, in my notebook, the lead role belongs to the pictures of all the people on our way. Such as "Mr. Adorer of mosquitos" who was
able to live in an environment full of these displeasing insects; or, the indiscreet flirtish blonde with a pool, who gave us water; Mr. Experienced pilgrim who lives a positive life even
though it has not always been affable to him, or finally the monks in Conques, who looked after us in many ways – be it through delicious meals or friendly discussions. But of course, we met a lot
of other
Perhaps, the last thought of mine would be: We got in touch not just with a different land – its nature, habits and art, but we also accomplished to understand the mentality of the inhabitants and became friends with them.
Gajanè Achverdjan