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The Route Day by Day
Next Pilgrimage - Estimated Start Date 01 November 2016
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- Current Home Page
- 2007-2008 Via Francigena
- 2008-2009 Aachen to Santiago de Compostela
- 2009-2010 Route of St Andrew
- 2010-2011 Royal Road to Mexico
- 2011-2012 Route to Jerusalem
- 2012-2013 Buenos Aires to Mexico City
- 2014 Day by Day Saint Louis to Chimayo
- 2014-2015 The Amber Road
- 2015-2016 North American Martyrs
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La Fe Catolica Viva
A wee bit about me...
- Winter Pilgrim
- I love to simply travel, I love to travel simply. I lived in Europe for the last 8 years and learned enough German and French to be adequately conversant. I picked up a bit of Italian while walking to Rome. Languages certainly help make travel simpler.
I became a pilgrim in October 2007
My name is Ann Sieben. I'm American by birth and global in existance. I was in
In December 2007, I began a longer pilgrimage from
After that, I found that there were still many miles in my legs. I chose a route with Aix la Chapelle (aka
The life of a winter pilgrim suits me just fine. As winter approached, I prepared to walk the next ancient path discovering the world at a comfortable pace, meeting people, experiencing an interesting world in a slightly non-traditional way. Another winter, another walk; I walked from Kyiv, Ukraine to Patras, Greece along the general route of St Andrew in the first century.
A silent pilgrim does the world no good, so I've given talks and spoken to many diverse groups about these pilgrimages. A recurring, slightly cynical, comment was often made - 'sure something like this might be able to be done in Europe, but not in the US...it's not in our culture, no one would open their door to a pilgrim.;
It saddened me to hear this, and I disagreed. To demonstrate that North Americans are just as kind as Europeans, I set out last autumn from my home in Denver, Colorado to Mexico City on yet another historical path. The early Spanish settlers established a Royal Road from Mexico City as far north as Taos, New Mexico, a little over 100 miles south of Denver. What a success!! Americans are just as friendly as Europeans. So are Mexicans.
Just when I thought my pilgrim life was a thing of the past, the Arab Spring allowed inspiration to enter my heart with the possibility to walk across the history of North Africa. While full of trials and tribulations - barred from entering Algeria, prematurely expelled from Libya, and hurried across the Sinai - the fact that the world is really full of good people was underscored with more great success.
o City, this time through South and Central America. Follow along...Shortly after arrival at the pilgrim destination, I was inspired again by the Empress of the Americas and am compelled to make a long journey again to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexic
Be a pilgrim =)
Posts
6 comments:
You look superb! So glad there is now some snow for you. Bet you are using different muscles now!
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Holy Trinity in Oconto. My parishioners were a little surprised by your presence but are no strangers to hospitality. The first Mass in northeastern Wisconsin was celebrated here in 1669. The early missionary priests would be familiar with the journey you are making. Hopefully you meet only friendly wolves. And nice people. Godspeed.
Happy New Year my pilgrim friend. I wish you beautiful pathways, fresh snow, crisp air not too cold and kind and generous hostos along your route.
Ann, it was a great honor meeting you today. Without knowing it, you gave me a chance to open my heart again. I know this was a once in a lifetime opportunity & I am so happy to have been the one fortunate enough to have it. The lesson I took away from our short encounter with each other is something I know I could never learn anywhere else. Thank you for trusting me :)
- Danielle in Escanaba, Mi <3
Ann, I am so glad that my children and I got the chance to meet and visit with you for a while.. You are an inspiration to everyone who is blessed to meet you! My son has not stopped talking about you! Meeting you is something we will always remember and cherish.. Thank you! Safe travels!:)
-Michelle, Ian and Isla
St. Charles Borromeo, Rapid River, mi
Happy New Year Ann,
I've enjoyed reading your posts and just now saw that I could add comments and communicate back. Glad to hear that for the most part people are treating you well (except for that grumpy grumpster in the big SUV).
Hurray for snow and it's quiet, beauty, and crunchy sound it makes. I'm dreaming up a kid's Winter Pilgrim dress up doll book...you know the kind that used to have some waxy cardboard pages with the character in some location and you dressed the character with plastic cut outs of clothes that magically adhered to the character and could be pulled away without tearing. Only in the Winter Pilgrim dress up doll book there's a picture of you, always with the same clothes on and the children pick cut outs of different locations and shrines to paste behind you!
It's freezing here in Oregon, with ice covering every limb and leaf...nothing is moving, we're all quietly stuck where we are....and I'm loving it. Thinking of you out in the cold...making the miles...seeing what there is to see...and connecting the people from town to town to town. Rock on Ann.
Mary Warner
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