history – camino times two

The Cheltenham Literature Festival (and a Bonus Book Review of Travels With a Stick)

October 17, 2019

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)

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Holloways

October 2, 2019

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

The Bridge of Hospital de Órbigo

November 26, 2018

The 13th-century stone bridge of Hospital de Órbigo is 200 meters long and boasts twenty arches, which now mostly rest on bare ground now that a dam blocks much of the Orbigo River, but the bridge survives because of the Camino-worthy legend of Don Suero de Quiñones. … More The Bridge of Hospital de Órbigo

Camino del Norte, Days 6-7: Basque Country

July 30, 2018

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, we … More Camino del Norte, Days 6-7: Basque Country

Le Puy-En-Velay

April 2, 2018

On the Monday after Easter three years ago, Eric and I arrived in Paris after an overnight flight. We took a train to Lyon, and then another one to Le Puy-en-Velay, one of the oldest starting points of the Way of Saint James, according to the twelfth-century guide for pilgrims—considered one of the earliest travel … More Le Puy-En-Velay

A Detour to Eunate

February 13, 2017

We were just ten kilometers from Puente La Reina, our stop for the night, but there was a side trip I was eager to take: The Church of Santa María of Eunate. … More A Detour to Eunate

The Unexpected Art of the Camino

September 28, 2016

The Camino isn’t just a walk across the countryside — it’s also a chance to see beautiful, spectacular, awe-inspiring art.But if you look carefully, not everything is majestic. … More The Unexpected Art of the Camino

The Figeac Alley (Almost Wordless Wednesday)

August 24, 2016

Another one of those magical places that doesn’t make it into the guide books… … More The Figeac Alley (Almost Wordless Wednesday)

The Church of the Sensory Overload

August 18, 2016

It was like your grandmother’s overcrowded knic-knack cabinet, where everything from the antique china to the snow globe she bought in Vegas is crammed onto a shelf and threatening to topple out at any minute. … More The Church of the Sensory Overload

The Chapel in the Middle of Nowhere

July 25, 2016

Small and weathered, with tiles missing from the roof and patches of stone visible in the thick, unadorned walls, it didn’t look like anyone had visited, let alone worshiped here, for centuries. Yet of course it was unlocked. … More The Chapel in the Middle of Nowhere

camino times two

walking together on the way of saint james

Tag: history