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”
Tag Archives: Camino de Santiago
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”
We Have a Title!
My Camino story is one step closer to publication! After a couple weeks of winging ideas around, the incredible team at Mountaineers Books and I have finalized the title: Walking to the End of the World: A Thousand Miles on the Camino de Santiago It’s a lot of words, but it captures perfectly the thingsContinue reading “We Have a Title!”
Pilgrim Strong: An Interview with Author Steve Watkins
There are dozens of books written about people’s personal experience on the Camino. Today, a new one will be added to the list, and I’m particularly excited about it. This is Pilgrim Strong, by my friend (and tattoo buddy) Steve Watkins. Steve walked the Camino Frances (St Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago) in the fall ofContinue reading “Pilgrim Strong: An Interview with Author Steve Watkins”
To Saunter in the Mountains
“People ought to saunter in the mountains – not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, theyContinue reading “To Saunter in the Mountains”
Saint James Matamoros: the Fake News of the Last Millennium
It’s impossible to walk the Way of Saint James, the Camino de Santiago, without encountering images of Saint James. Which makes sense – we are on a journey to his recognized grave, after all. Without James the Greater, brother of John and the first of Jesus’ disciples to be martyred, there would never have beenContinue reading “Saint James Matamoros: the Fake News of the Last Millennium”
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