Last week, on New Years Eve, the Twitter world had a #CaminoTuesday theme of “The Old and The New.” I didn’t have time to write up a whole blog post, but I did share this: Here are the photos bigger, in case you’re curious: And that got me thinking about bridges, and how importantContinue reading “Beautiful Bridges of the Camino de Santiago”
Category Archives: Camino del Norte
A Walk Above the Ocean (#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,Continue reading “A Walk Above the Ocean (#CaminoTuesday)”
My 5 Favorite Albergues on the Camino del Norte (that aren’t Güemes)
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 weekendContinue reading “My 5 Favorite Albergues on the Camino del Norte (that aren’t Güemes)”
Camino del Norte, Day 12: Everyone Stops in Güemes
Noja to Güemes: 16 km One of the great things about the Camino de Santiago is that you can walk as far as you want to in a day. With plenty of towns and hostels along the various ways, there aren’t limiting “stages” that you must follow. If you want to walk 5 kilometers orContinue reading “Camino del Norte, Day 12: Everyone Stops in Güemes”
Camino del Norte, Day 11: All in a Day’s Walk
Liendo to Noja: 20 km What is the Camino del Norte like? Lots of people have asked me that, and there’s no one good way to answer. So here is the story of a typical day on the Camino del Norte, full of moments of breathtaking beauty, mixed in with moments of fear, confusion, surprise,Continue reading “Camino del Norte, Day 11: All in a Day’s Walk”
Camino del Norte, Days 9-10: Cantabria
Pobeña to Castro Urdiales: 15 km Castro Urdiales to Liendo: 25 km “I’d forgotten this part of Camino life,” I wrote in my journal on the 9th day of walking. “When the magic becomes normal, the feeling that walking is the way that I live now. The steady pattern of walk-eat-sleep-repeat. Take care of your feet.Continue reading “Camino del Norte, Days 9-10: Cantabria”
Camino del Norte, Day 8: The Shortcut
Larrebetzu to Pobena: 46 km Did we really walk 46 kilometers in a day? Of course not. This was the Day of The Shortcut. When Eric and I walked our first Camino, we were purists. The familiar mantra “Walk your own Camino” meant that it was meant to be walked, and I confess I feltContinue reading “Camino del Norte, Day 8: The Shortcut”
3 Camino del Norte Packing Essentials
Packing for a Camino always feels like a mix of research and guessing. Will I need this, or will it just add extra weight to my pack? Will I miss it? Can I wait and get it in France/Spain if I need it? When I walked the Camino del Norte this spring, my packing listContinue reading “3 Camino del Norte Packing Essentials”
Camino del Norte, Days 6-7: Basque Country
Zenarruza to Guernica: 18 km; Guernica to Larrabetzu: 17 km If I’m ever going to finish the stories of Camino del Norte, I need to start combining days. And actually, when I think about the end of our first week, these two shorter-distance Camino walks had a lot in common. For thirty-five total kilometers, weContinue reading “Camino del Norte, Days 6-7: Basque Country”
Camino del Norte, Day 5: The Monastery
Bario Ibiri to Monasterio de Zenarruza: 27 km The final stretch of trail to Zenarruza was steep and paved in what’s called the “original road,” which may look pretty, but any Camino pilgrim will tell you is the absolute worst thing to walk on. Cobblestones are uneven, sinking over time into an ankle-breaking, knee-destroying obstacleContinue reading “Camino del Norte, Day 5: The Monastery”
camino times two 