Tag Archives: Camino de Santiago

Why Do We Walk? Summer Reading Book Reviews

“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 Continue reading “Why Do We Walk? Summer Reading Book Reviews”

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)”

Corpus Christi in Mazarife

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 wereContinue reading “Corpus Christi in Mazarife”

Why Your Friends at Home Don’t Care About Your Camino

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 wasContinue reading “Why Your Friends at Home Don’t Care About Your Camino”

The Retablo of Navarette

Retablo: a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally retablo is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether a large altarpiece painting or an elaborate wooden structure with sculptures. (from Wikipedia) A few days ago IContinue reading “The Retablo of Navarette”

The Importance of Rest Days

When we first set out to walk the Way of St James from Le Puy, France, all the way to Santiago and then on to Finisterre, I knew in theory we would need rest days along the way. I understood that a person can’t—well, shouldn’t—walk a thousand miles without stopping to re-fuel now and then.Continue reading “The Importance of Rest Days”

Making Reservations on the Chemin du Puy (the Le Puy Camino)

I started to suspect that I’d been misinformed before we even started walking. At the Pilgrim’s Welcome Gathering in Le Puy-en-Velay, Eric and I struck up a conversation with a friendly French woman who asked how far we would walk the next day. I told her the name of the town where we thought weContinue reading “Making Reservations on the Chemin du Puy (the Le Puy Camino)”

Why I Walked the Camino de Santiago

I’ve written about a lot of things on this blog over the past three years, but I’m not sure I’ve ever gone back to the basics and explained how I got here in the first place. (Or if I did, it was so long ago and is so buried in the archives that it’s worthContinue reading “Why I Walked the Camino de Santiago”

Is Walking the Camino Going to be the Status Symbol of 2019?

When people ask me why I took a three-month sabbatical from my life in 2015 to walk the Camino de Santiago, I try to describe the sense of burnout and mental exhaustion I was feeling. Postmodern adulting had burned me to a crisp, destroyed my attention span, and left me far too attached to myContinue reading “Is Walking the Camino Going to be the Status Symbol of 2019?”