Walking the Camino de Santiago
Preparations and planning.
Just thirty days from now, Francine and I will be boarding an airplane for Spain to begin our third Camino. While this one will be quite a bit shorter than the others – two weeks as opposed to six – that doesn’t make it any less meaningful. This is a spiritual journey, as well as a physical one, and who […]
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After walking the Camino Francés in 2013 from Roncesvalles and in 2016 from St Jean, Francine and I were busy planning our next Spanish adventure for 2020. The plan was that I would walk the Francés from St Jean (or possibly Lourdes), while she took a flat in Burgos to work on her historical romance book about the Camino. When […]
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After getting some bunks at the Xunta Albergue and showering, we set off to explore the village of O Cebreiro. This is where we will be beginning our 2018 Galician Camino. The shops here have everything a pilgrim (or a tourist!) could want. In 2016 I picked up some mementos and post cards here. In 2018, we plan on getting […]
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The sharpest among you will notice a new countdown on the blog. More on that in a moment. The town of O Cebreiro is the start of the Camino in Galicia. The town stands at the top of the long climb out of the valley of El Bierzo, and the views into the valley from here are spectacular. More of […]
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Though it was a Sunday, finding a Mass anywhere in Castilla y León has proved a challenge, even in the cathedral cities. Nevertheless, I did manage to do so as we were leaving town. The Way from Cacabelos eventually runs back into the El Bierzo vineyards. The day was beautiful, and the countryside filled with stunning views. Date: 24 April […]
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Think this is a stream? A river? Think again. This is the Camino. This particular stretch was under several feet of water, and we had to divert to walking on the edge of the highway. Once, you know, we backtracked several hundred feet and then jumped across a ditch full of water. Date: 17 April 2016 Place: Between Calzadilla de […]
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We had breakfast in a brand-spanking new albergue / restaurant in Hontanas. With the explosion in pilgrim numbers over the past decades, we saw many new or refurbished places on the Camino. It still isn’t a candle to the number of hostels and inns of the High Middle Ages. Of course, in those days you also had to walk back […]
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Many apologies: there was no Camino Photo of the Day yesterday. My day was clouded under the influence of a migraine, and nothing useful could be done. Today, however, you have the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of Burgos Cathedral, where daily evening Mass is celebrated. After a pizza (!) dinner, this is where we went. In addition to the main altar […]
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We are spending the night in Sahagún. For those of you who are fans of “Babylon Five”, this will sound uncomfortably close to “Z’ha’dum“. It was a beautiful day for walking – cool and sunny. A welcome change from the recent weeks. We had our second breakfast at the Albergue Jacques de Molay in the village of Terradillos de Templarios, […]
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