Walking the Camino de Santiago
Today is the second anniversary of my arrival in Santiago following my thousand-mile walking pilgrimage on the Via Podiensis and Camino Francés. From August 18 through October 23, 2023, I walked from Le Puy-en-Velay in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain on pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostle Saint James the Greater. Last year on this date, I […]
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On the Camino you see a lot of random art and graffiti, which I often highlight on this blog. There are also many cairns on the route, some for wayfinding, but most often as a personal expression. Sometimes, it’s difficult to tell what’s intentionally art and what isn’t. This horse head is affixed to a stone in the woods, perhaps […]
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As we passed the cemetery, the climb began. We soon walked under this long bridge. I wasn’t sure whether it was for pedestrians or for cars, but it definitely made for a dramatic exit from Gramat. Date: 01 September 2023 Place: leaving Gramat, Lot Département, Region of Occitanie, France Maps! The site I’ve been using for my daily maps, Gronze.com, […]
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I met Dominque on my first day walking, and we stayed in the same gîtes any number of times. I’m usually pretty bad at selfies with friends I meet along the Way, so I had resolved to be better about it on this Camino. This was only marginally successful, I’m afraid. The photo was taken at 8:00 in the morning […]
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For the final photo of the day, we have a small group of pilgrims, including Dominique and Paul, walking down the arcade past the garden of Le Grand Couvent de Gramat to dinner. There’s something jarring, yet somehow comforting, about pilgrims walking in their hiking clothes and Crocs down through this elegant space. The clothes may change from century to […]
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This classical statue of Our Lady with the child Jesus stands in the open garden of Le Grand Couvent de Gramat. I thought she had a rather pensive face, as if she was well aware of the sufferings that both she and her son would face. And yet, looked at another way, perhaps she has the knowing smile of a […]
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This morning started very much the same way yesterday did. I was actually awakened by an alarm from one of the nearby tents just before five. The Templar chant started five minutes later, and my backpack was already half packed. I was completely ready to go by 6. Last night, I discovered I had a hotspot on my left foot. […]
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Reveille came at 5 AM in the form of Templar chant over loudspeakers, followed shortly thereafter by actual bagpipes. As you might imagine, breaking camp was an exercise in controlled chaos. But at least there was hot coffee. We started at about 7 AM. This is more like a procession with backpacks than any pilgrimage I’ve been on. Our group […]
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A relatively smooth trip to Tulsa. On the first leg to Dallas, I sat next to an enormous man wearing an enormous cowboy hat. Fortunately, on the second leg the seat next to me was empty. My old friend Shelly picked me up from the airport in Tulsa. I haven’t seen her or her kids in years. Hung out with […]
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Several years ago now, some friends of ours (and fellow parishioners) up and moved to Oklahoma. Shortly after Francine’s death, they reached out to invite me to join them on a short annual pilgrimage that takes place in the hills of Oklahoma. This is called the Three Hearts pilgrimage, and it ends at the Abbey of Our Lady of the Annunciation of […]
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