“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them, and it’s much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world!” —Neil Gaiman Friends, I don’t want to scare you, but there are just 12 days left before Christmas. (And if you celebrate Hanukkah, you don’t even … More The 12 Camino Books of Christmas
The cathedral of Santa María in León has walls that soar almost 100 feet high and are filled with almost 2000 square feet of stained glass, spread over 130 church windows and 3 rose windows. To stand inside and survey what look like walls of glass, supporting a roof of stone, is to understand why … More The Architectural Wonder: the Cathedral of León
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine I was in the small village of Urtega, just past Alto del Perdon, when I met an American pilgrim I’ll call Callie. She’d started her Camino pilgrimage in Pamplona, and so this was her first day on … More Local Life on the Camino (#CaminoTuesday)
We’re gearing up for Thanksgiving here in the US (umm, tomorrow already? Guess I’ll be going to the grocery store as soon as this note is written). This year, I have a lot to be thankful for, including another year of this blog and the enthusiasm of all of you who follow it. Hard to … More Give the Gift of the Camino AND Shop Small this Saturday
The first time I came across a church along the Chemin du Puy that charged admission*, I laughed and walked out. I was a pilgrim, not a tourist. I would swallow those words later, like so many of my early attitudes on the Camino de Santiago, when I started to understand that France’s nationalized churches … More Pilgrim or Tourist (#CaminoTuesday)
“The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.” – Hellen Keller Walking through L’Aubrac was like walking through the legends and stories Eric read as a kid. Five days after leaving Le Puy, we reached the true highlands of the Massif Central, irregular rolling hills of open, … More The Day I Almost Quit the Camino (#CaminoTuesday)
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” Jacques Cousteau The climb was called Purgatorio for a reason. It was short—just 300 meters, but with 100 meters of elevation gain, it was less an uphill walk and more a hold-onto-tree-branches-to-pull-yourself-up ascent. But then I emerged from the trees, … More A Walk Above the Ocean (#CaminoTuesday)
It’s always the stone that reminds me. The almost concave steps in the abbey at Conques and the bridge in Cahors. The deep dip in the sill of the doorway of the tiny Eglise de Sensaq. The cobblestones worn to a slippery shine at the edge of the Monasterio de Zenarruza. Stone is supposed to … More The Worn Stones of a Timeless Camino (#CaminoTuesday)
“It is a monastic life. You wake up, you walk. When you arrive, you take care of your feet, you take care of your basic needs, and you eat. Do it day after day, and it becomes a meditation.” These were the words of a wise gite host, Sylvain, in Saint-Come-d’Olt, just seven days into … More Camino Foot Care (#CaminoTuesday)
The email came as a surprise. “I am getting in touch to invite you to this year’s Cheltenham for a panel event about modern pilgrimages.” “This year’s Cheltenham”…as in the Cheltenham Literature Festival, in Cheltenham, England. The oldest festival of its kind in the world, Cheltenham is a big deal. It draws tens of thousands of people … More The Cheltenham Literature Festival (and a Bonus Book Review of Travels With a Stick)
