There’s an article in The Guardian today about how the small towns of Spain were affected by COVID-19. Specifically, the writer explores Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a name familiar to most pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago. It’s worth a read. This is the home of “the chicken church” — the cathedral knownContinue reading “Santo Domingo de la Calzada and COVID-19”
Tag Archives: travel
Practicing Acceptance in the Time of Covid-19
Practice acceptance, my husband would remind me when the Camino got the best of me. When the gites were full, the markets were closed, and the rain just would. not. stop. You know, all of the times when traveling through new places didn’t line up with my plans. Practice acceptance, I remind myself now,Continue reading “Practicing Acceptance in the Time of Covid-19”
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)”
Pilgrim or Tourist (#CaminoTuesday)
The first time I came across a church along the Chemin du Puy that charged admission*, I laughed and walked out. I was a pilgrim, not a tourist. I would swallow those words later, like so many of my early attitudes on the Camino de Santiago, when I started to understand that France’s nationalized churchesContinue reading “Pilgrim or Tourist (#CaminoTuesday)”
The Worn Stones of a Timeless Camino (#CaminoTuesday)
It’s always the stone that reminds me. The almost concave steps in the abbey at Conques and the bridge in Cahors. The deep dip in the sill of the doorway of the tiny Eglise de Sensaq. The cobblestones worn to a slippery shine at the edge of the Monasterio de Zenarruza. Stone is supposed toContinue reading “The Worn Stones of a Timeless Camino (#CaminoTuesday)”
The Cheltenham Literature Festival (and a Bonus Book Review of Travels With a Stick)
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 peopleContinue reading “The Cheltenham Literature Festival (and a Bonus Book Review of Travels With a Stick)”
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”
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”
Away, Away From Men and Towns (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)
Away, away, from men and towns, To the wild wood and the downs— To the silent wilderness Where the soul need not repress its music (from An Invitation, by Percy Bysshe Shelley) April is National Poetry Month. Last Monday was Earth Day. And here in Seattle, there’s spring in the air. So it’s no surprise myContinue reading “Away, Away From Men and Towns (An Almost Wordless Wednesday)”
camino times two 