Walking the Camino de Santiago
Noel is the very epitome of a hospitalero. Breakfast was amazing, and at one point we spontaneously broke out singing “Ultreïa!” He apparently is a friend of Jean-Claude, who wrote the verses and music to the song. He also gifted each of us with a small wooden Camino shell which I will treasure is a symbol of true hospitality. Francine […]
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Last night, I actually slept through the night. In fact, I somewhat overslept, not leaving until almost 7:30 AM. The air was crisp, but nothing like as cold as the past few days. The skies were overcast, though there was no rain predicted. Yesterday’s socks had not quite finished drying after last night’s washing, so I had them hanging on […]
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This morning as I prayed lauds, Maas read over a letter written by a friend of his to him before he left for Camino. It is a fairytale about a man who lost everything and so went for a long walk. He said he read it again every morning, like a prayer, because it was so moving for him. He […]
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At breakfast I reconnected with Judith, who also stayed at Espace Bernadette Soubirous last night. The place is so enormous, though, I never saw her until this morning. But here’s the single most important thing to know about breakfast: there was coffee. Going in, I knew that today was going to be a long day – more than 30 km. […]
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The jet lag might be a thing of the past. I did wake up around 4 AM, but I quickly fell back to sleep. I think I probably got nine hours of sleep last night, which is crazy. The long hours of walking might be catching up with me. I didn’t leave until about 7:45, and Judith was still at […]
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It was a cold foggy morning when I left the charming and hospitable Le Coeur du Chemin. I’d had an early breakfast after lauds and said goodbye to the owner, Ruud, as well as pilgrims Joes and Judith. It’s possible I may see Judith in Nevers tomorrow, but unless he changes his mind and takes the Camino Francés rather than […]
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Today was a very short day. I had been anticipating 16 km, but apparently the gîte is about 3 km before the actual town. Effectively a half day. After lauds, breakfast was out of my food stash, as the village of Saint-Révérien is definitely a village in decline. The only café has been shuttered, and it stands next to the […]
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Today I was up at 4:30 AM, which is a definite improvement over the previous days. I prayed lauds in the big dining room. Breakfast began at six. It was a hearty breakfast, perfect for a long day: scrambled egg whites and solid Dutch bread. I had a lovely conversation with the proprietors, Rene and Yvonne. We talked about the […]
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Like yesterday, I was awake at about 3 AM. This time, however, I was able to get back to sleep, and it was past six when I went to the common room for breakfast. Somehow, I still managed to be the first one there. There were eventually six of us for breakfast, plus the hospi. I couldn’t really enjoy it […]
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Normally I don’t get jet lag flying to Europe. I might be a bit blurry on my first day, but I settle down after that. And yet, this time, here I am on day two waking up at 3 AM. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get back to sleep. By 5 AM, I had given up. Today was a […]
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