The photos last week caught my attention. The chapel, covered in snow. The lone pilgrim, covered in a poncho but soldiering on. I knew this place, and the people who guarded pilgrims along this stretch of road. Although when I’d passed by, the sky was grey and full of rain, not snow. From Walking toContinue reading “The Abbey”
Author Archives: beth jusino
Progress (Almost Wordless Wednesday)
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” — Barack Obama When Eric and I set out from Le Puy, Santiago de Compostela seemed impossibly far away. A thousand miles? It was easy to get discouraged and believe I couldn’t do it. But the thingContinue reading “Progress (Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
The Ugly American
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about a story that will be in Walking to the End of the World. Linda, my developmental editor who was generally right about everything, expressed some concern about keeping this anecdote in the final book. She worried that it would make me seem too critical and would turn readersContinue reading “The Ugly American”
Is There a New American Pilgrimage Trail?
A few years ago, if you’d asked me about pilgrimages, I would have had to dig back into history. The word pilgrimage seemed archaic, more appropriate for Chaucer than the twenty-first century, and carrying a backpack for days wasn’t my thing. After I fell in love with the Camino de Santiago, though, the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon*Continue reading “Is There a New American Pilgrimage Trail?”
Cows of the Camino
When our thousand-mile Camino trek ended, Eric and I took a train east, from Santiago to Irun. The hills of Galicia and then the plains of the Meseta sped by in a blur of landscapes without details. This was the only way I’d seen the world for years, I realized, from moving metal boxes thatContinue reading “Cows of the Camino”
The Surprising Story Behind the Sculpture on Alto del Perdón
Twelve kilometers after Pamplona, past the fields of grasses splashed with red poppies (or the fields of dry dirt, depending on the time of year), the crumbling monasteries, and the towering hay bales, and up a steep set of switchbacks, the Camino Frances arrives at Alto de Perdón, the Mount of Forgiveness. I’ve stoodContinue reading “The Surprising Story Behind the Sculpture on Alto del Perdón”
My Camino Miracle
Happy 2018! I’m so excited to finally be able to say “my book releases this year.” To celebrate, I want to share one of the most meaningful memories of my Camino journey. It happened on the infamous Day I Walked Over the Pyrenees. As soon as we crossed the Nive River, the road started toContinue reading “My Camino Miracle”
Why Walk to Finisterre?
When Eric and I approached Santiago de Compostela two years ago, the crowds of people around us grew by the day, as did their anticipation. Together we counted down “the last hundred” kilometers to Santiago, where the remains of Saint James waited for us in an enormous cathedral. On the morning of our arrival inContinue reading “Why Walk to Finisterre?”
The Monastery of Light
Laurel and I stopped for the night in Azofra, a tiny town between Logroño and Burgos. The town’s major claim to Camino fame is that the municipal albergue has two-person cubicles AND a fountain in the courtyard where pilgrims can soak tired feet. When we arrived, our new friend, John, mentioned that Azofra offered anotherContinue reading “The Monastery of Light”
7 Camino Gratitudes
It’s Thanksgiving week here in the United States, a time set aside for family and feasting, and hopefully a time to reflect on the gifts we’ve been given. In that spirit, I’ve been thinking about my Camino Gratitudes: the things I now appreciate (or appreciate more) because I have been a pilgrim to Santiago. InContinue reading “7 Camino Gratitudes”
camino times two 