Today the tour led from Hummelo in the Achterhoek to Venlo. Right through a part of Germany. This led to complicated discussions about route determination. Until the German border, the ANWB junctions would put us on the right track. Then Google Maps would take over that task and finally complete the last part with Maps.me.
Difficult solutions to simple questions. How do you determine where your path will take you? There are writers from the ages before us who regard the journey through life as a pilgrimage. And vice versa: through a pilgrimage you eventually find the destination in your life. I grew up in a Protestant world. Rational, sometimes quite dogmatic and focused on what is written.
Devotion and mysticism
In the German town of Kevelaer we enter a Roman Catholic world. It is a real place of pilgrimage, dedicated to the veneration of Mary, the Comforter of the Afflicted. The chapel is tastefully decorated with flowers. I see devotion and mysticism, many people burn a candle here, pause for a moment to reflect on their thoughts and feelings. The walls of the church are black with soot from the candles.
In the priest’s house I receive a stamp in my pilgrim pass. I light a candle by the wall.