Walking the Camino de Santiago
When I started packing my bag this morning, it was clear that the rains had returned in force. It was storming. According to the weather app, the rain would continue all day. By the time Herve and I left about 7:30, I could see a little sliver of blue on the horizon, but it was certainly pouring as we set […]
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Ten I think in the gîte last night, including one Spanish cyclist. Breakfast at 7:00. Rain is predicted for today and pretty much the next week. And possibly thunderstorms. Looks like I’ll be living in my poncho for a while. A group of us left at about 7:50 in the morning. Today is Christian’s last day – he walked to […]
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The advantage to having experienced pilgrims as hospitaleros is that they understand intimately the needs and desires of pilgrims. Case in point: breakfast began at 6 AM today, and despite the usual conversations and packing up, I was out the door at 7:30 sharp. And I wasn’t even the first one out. Philippe at least was out the door before […]
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We had five pilgrims in the gîte last night, three French (Christian, Luc, and Louis-Marie), Philippe the Belgian, and me. That’s pretty much been the ratio through most of this Camino: mostly French, with a minority of other Europeans, primarily from Belgium and the Netherlands… and me. I know that there is another American (from Seattle, no less!) walking about […]
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After two long days walking, I’ve planned for two relatively short days. Part of that of course is just geography – where are the villages where I can stay? Some of it, though, is my own Camino rhythm. Breakfast at the gîte this morning wasn’t even served until close to 7:30, so it was about 8:20 before I left. A […]
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It was drizzling when I woke up, but soon stopped. The forecast called for more rain, possibly thunderstorms. Rain gear today, then. It was also a great deal warmer in the morning than it had been the past few weeks. So, rain gear tied around my waist to start. Not exactly an elegant look. My fleece started the day packed […]
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Didn’t sleep well last night, so it was already after 7:30 when I left. A long day today. It was cold and overcast when I left. The forecast called for rain this afternoon, and I could well believe it. I anticipated that most of today will involve walking out of Limoges and it suburbs. After a bit of a false […]
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There were four of us in the gîte last night: Philippe and me, a French woman named Martín, and a taciturn Frenchman named Jean-Michel. I saw from the gîte’s guestbook that Wim and Tineke had been there the night before. The morning started with me pulling a tick out of Philippe’s backside, so you know it’s going to be one […]
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The gîte I stayed at last night is actually a farm and restaurant primarily. Almost everything I had for dinner last night was raised on the farm. It was absolutely amazing, and Francine would have adored the place. I left just after 7:30, and the first goal was to road walk about 2 km or so to the town of […]
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Another cold and clear morning. Philip and I left the gîte just before 8 AM – this is getting to be a habit – and headed backwards on the Camino to a place we thought we might be able to get breakfast. Indeed, I was able to get a croissant, but sadly no coffee. And then it was road walking […]
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