Lucca 7/20

Last night in Camaiore at a place called Oratorio il Colosseo. The address was misprinted as the address of a local restaurant. After waiting a bit and the restaurant opened, I found out from the owner where the place for pilgrims was located. It wasn't a place dedicated for pilgrims as much as a place to help people in need of a place to stay. It was difficult to find the person in charge at first, but after asking a few of the people there, I eventually did. There was one room dedicated to pilgrims, while other rooms seem to have been catechism classes for children.  Other rooms seemed to be dedicated to people in need. A young couple, she pregnant and he dressed like a rapper; a Muslims woman with her young son; others who came in and out. It wasn't a very clean place nor did I feel so safe. Then again I wonder what they thought of me with my backpack and walking stick all sweaty and tired after a day walking. I had to remind myself that if somehow I think that I am better than any on these that I am falling to the sin of pride and not very much taking up the mind of Jesus. The people there were just as much pilgrims on a journey needing help as I was - any any of us are.

The only really strange thing was that the room for pilgrims, beside the one bed and two bunk beds had - of all things - a treadmill. Maybe pilgrims wanted to what?....walk a bit while relaxing in the room? 

While the past couple of cities have been a little run down and the places not so clean, Lucca is beautiful. Before even checking into the Ostello di San Frediano, a huge "youth" hostel (well...mostly youths, but not all) I walking into 3 churches along the way that were breathtaking. I still haven't seen the cathedral yet where I have to get my pilgrim stamp on my credentials (credenziale). There are many tourists; I hear mostly German and Italian. There was even a family from San Francisco at the table next to me on the piazza. That night at the pizzeria/restaurant where I found a nice cheap fixed price meal, there was even a group from Russia  with a tour guide who was also fluent in Italian - at least it sounded like Rusian. 

At one  table were the same four pilgrims that I had met in Sarzana. Gabriele  (aka Mario) and Paola - two Italians living in Switzerland - Jasmin (aka Heidi), a true Swiss, and Willie (pronounced Villie), originally from South Africa, but living in London. They were doing a portion of the Via Francigena together after having done other parts of it previously. It was good to see some familiar faces. I was backing up to take a picture of the Byzantine mosaic on this church when I heard my name called out. A pleasant surprise.