The World is Quiet Here

13 April 2013 Burgos Cathedral this morning. I really wish I could upload photos from this connection, as I probably took a hundred or more. We spent about two hours wandering through this – superlatives fail me – magnificent? glorious? fantastical? – Gothic marvel in stone. I was a little disturbed by the decision to turn much of the structure […]

Boots still wet, and wind still howling, the long deathmarch through the industrial wastelands surrounding Burgos needs little in the way of narration. Suffice to say, it was not the most charming possible introduction to a city. The central portion of the old city is beautiful, but very trendy and expensive. The cathedral is beautiful – perhaps the most spectacular […]

11 April 2013 Felt much better after a good sleep and three boxes of orange juice. We left Belorado in good form and breakfasted in Tosantos. It was a sunny, if breezy still, walk through the countryside we´d come to expect – brilliant green farm fields in bowl-shaped valleys. We lunched in a picturesque truck stop in Villafranca Montes de […]

Patrick was correct, as it turns out. We found out that the local news reported sustained winds of 45 kph on the day we walked into Sto. Domingo.

10 April 2013 After the severe physical trail of yesterday, we were determined to take it easy, starting late and perhaps only going as far as Granon, or maybe Redecilla del Camino, some 11 km distant. Before setting out, we explored the Cathedral. Santo Domingo himself is buried in the crypt, and I knelt there for a while, imploring the […]

09 April 2013 When you think that the Camino can´t get more demanding, it usually does. We left Ventosa (which apparently means “windy”, which should have been our first clue) at about 7:30, despite our best efforts to be out the door by 7. By 9:30, we were drinking our cafe con leche´s in Najera, 10 km on. In Najera, […]

08 April 2013 Short, difficult day today. The roads were fairly easy, but all of us are feeling yesterday. Logrono is a big city, and getting in and out of the cities is a lot of walking on concrete. No fun. Cliff left first and was soon out of sight. Charlie is staying a couple of days in the city […]

07 April 2013 Having been to Mass in Los Arcos, today a rather large group of us set out first thing in the morning. We walked 28 km. From Los Arcos it was a delightfully easy 7 km to Sansol. Onward, we wlked over easy roads through olive groves and vinyards, culminating in a steep, undulating descent into our lunchtime […]

Given the continuing tech issues, my plan is to post short little posts to catch everybody up to date, and to add a “progress” to show where I am and where I´ve been. Still very little luck on the photo front, though I´ve now taken over 1200 photos. A couple of them are even good.

I´m currently in the town of Los Arcos. Four of us set off from Estella this morning in high spirits and falling snow. While it wasn´t heavy or constant, it was thick, gloopy stuff. Flakes the size of walnuts! It didn´t stick to the roads, but did most everywhere else. We climbed a bit of a hill today, so we […]

Just a quick note as we leave Estella. It´s been raining on and off since I arrived on the Camino, though yesterday was clear and gorgeous. This morning, however, the Camino has a new surprise for us. It´s snowing. It´s not sticking, mind, but big wet flakes of snow are falling everywhere. Buen Camino!

We continue to be confounded by technological problems. Lack of wifi is not allowing me to upload the several hundred photos I´ve taken. I´m blogging from the Albergue Municipal in Estella at the end of day 4, but what I´d like to do is tell you a little bit about yesterday. Truly, I haven´t yet processed it all, so I´ll […]

It´s funny, but the pilgrim hostels (“albergues”) either have wifi or a computer lab. With the lab, I can use a proper computer with a proper keyboard, but unfortunately I cannot upload my photos. So I´m here in Pamplona, after walking another 21.5km, staying at the Albergue Jesus y Maria, which is perhaps a block from the great Cathedral. Day […]

After my arrival in Roncesvalles, I quickly made friends with a young woman from Germany, who had the bunk above mine. She had walked through the snows from Saint Jean, and she helped me get oriented to albergue life. So Linda and I shared the pilgrim’s menu: first course of a wonderful potato soup (possibly they had once been introduced […]

No photos yet, sorry. The albergue in Roncesvalles has a computer room but no wifi that I can find, so I can´t upload my photos from the camera. I arrived here about an hour ago, and have had my first stamp on my pilgrim´s passport and a long, long shower. Items still to do include laundry and dinner. Getting here […]

When in April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower, When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath Exhales an air in every grove and heath Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun His half-course […]