Pilgrims together

I responded to Milette’s invitation to take a Golden Voyages pilgrimage to Western Europe in October 1998. Time does not permit me in this tribute to do justice to the deeply spiritual moments we shared during the pilgrimage. Those reflections are recorded elsewhere. But I can describe one particular image of Milette that spoke a thousand words. We were in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. She held aloft the Golden Voyages banner, deep navy blue with gold trim shining in the sunlight, to signal to her tour group to stay together. I was standing next to her and remember clearly how her eyes sparkled when she looked back at the group and called out, “Follow me!” That to me conveyed the sum-total of what Golden Voyages meant to her: it was a job, a mission and a calling.

 

Yet our off-hours (after the tours) were just as enriching. We enjoyed discovering beauty in ordinary situations and kept our cameras busily employed.

 

In Alassio, Italy, we were walking down a charming cobbled street lined with row-houses. We were quite alone except for a nun coming uphill. Suddenly she said, “Stop right there, Lynne, and stand still.“ Before I could speak, she darted across the street and clicked away; then she came back, pleased with herself. She said, “I always wanted to take a picture of you with a nun walking behind you. And,” she exclaimed, “her veil was flying in the breeze!” She offered no further explanation and I didn’t need one. But we loved the result of my Flying Nun picture.