“There are no beds.” “There are too many people.” The rumors flew up the Way faster than I could walk, carried by Radio Camino. They were shared over pilgrim menus and café con leche, baguettes and French cheese plates. Even when I’m home, if I see them ripple out across the Facebook groups and discussionContinue reading “Beating the Camino Bed Race”
Tag Archives: travel tips
My Camino Family
Before we left to walk the Camino de Santiago the first time in 2015, I read everything I could, including plenty of Camino memoirs. I was desperate for practical information and advice. How would I know where to sleep? Where would I find food? What if I needed a bathroom in the middle of theContinue reading “My Camino Family”
Local Life on the Camino (#CaminoTuesday)
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine I was in the small village of Urtega, just past Alto del Perdon, when I met an American pilgrim I’ll call Callie. She’d started her Camino pilgrimage in Pamplona, and so this was her first day onContinue reading “Local Life on the Camino (#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)”
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)”
Walking the Camino as a Couple
The idea that Eric and I spent 79 days together, 24/7, walking across two countries, fascinates people. (It fascinated people we met on the Camino, too. I can’t count how often someone would ask “you’re walking all this way together…and you’re still married?”)
Planes, Trains, and Spain: How to Get to the Camino de Santiago
Your pilgrimage begins as soon as you walk out your door, says a popular Camino mantra. Historically, that’s true. After all, the original pilgrims to Santiago didn’t have the choice to hop on a plane or train to get to a well-marked and collectively-accepted starting point. They just picked up their belongings and started walking.Continue reading “Planes, Trains, and Spain: How to Get to the Camino de Santiago”