“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)
Over on Twitter, the hashtag #CaminoTuesday is becoming a thing. Someone (I don’t know who) announces a new theme every week, and people post their photos and stories that fit. Today’s theme is “modern statuary and sculpture,” of which there are plenty of examples along the way. But for some reason, this previously unpublished photo from my … More The Pilgrim Statue of Astorga (#CaminoTuesday)
If you’ve walked the Camino de Santiago, you’ve likely encountered a holloway, though you may not know it. According to Atlas Obscura: “Appearing like trenches dragged into the earth, sunken lanes, also called hollow-ways or holloways, are centuries-old thoroughfares worn down by the traffic of time. They’re one of the few examples of human-made infrastructure … More Almost Wordless Wednesday: Holloways
I was sitting in a restaurant this week, waiting for friends to arrive and half watching the giant TVs overhead, when a report on a bull jumping a fence in Spain caught my attention. Perhaps you’ve seen it? During a festival in Caparroso, Navarre, a bull released into a ring made a mad dash for … More A Night at the Bullring
Give me my scallop shell of quiet, My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, immortal diet, My bottle of salvation, My gown of glory, hope’s true gage, And thus I’ll take my pilgrimage. — The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage by Sir Walter Ralegh (click here to read the full … More The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)
“Why are you walking?” It’s the second most popular question of the Camino, after only “where are you from?” Everyone had their own reason to put their life on hold, pare their belongings down to what fits in a pack, and set out on foot. I met people grieving the death of a spouse and … More Why Do We Walk? Summer Reading Book Reviews
My Instagram feed is full of people on the Camino del Norte (check out Nadine Walks and Ben Camino and OTCamino), and I am filled with both memories and a little jealousy. I want to be walking on cliffs overlooking moody oceans! (Oh, wait, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I spent last weekend … More My 5 Favorite Albergues on the Camino del Norte (that aren’t Güemes)
Today is the Catholic Feast of Corpus Christi. It’s not a date that draws a lot of attention in the United States, but four years ago I encountered it in full measure in Spain, where it seems no festival or saint or holy remembrance goes unacknowledged, and I’ve been curious about it ever since. We were … More Corpus Christi in Mazarife
When I came back from my first long hike on the Camino de Santiago, friends and family would politely ask, “how was your trip?” If you, too, have walked part of the Camino or come home from some other big adventure, you understand the dilemma. I could give a short, trite, insufficient answer. It was … More Why Your Friends at Home Don’t Care About Your Camino
