Walking the Camino de Santiago
Thoughts about the spiritual aspects of the Camino.
It’s true that every society is a product of its history. While in France I was mostly drawn to the Medieval, it’s hard to argue that the First World War doesn’t loom large. Every village has a war monument listing the honoured dead. Nearly every church has an altar or statue of Saint Joan of Arc, who became a symbol […]
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I arrived in Labastide-Murat after an exhausting 30 kilometers. The last little bit to the village was uphill, and I’m pretty sure an arthritic three-legged dachshund could’ve beat me. I was barely functioning when I arrived in the village church at 10 minutes before 3 o’clock. Fortunately, the door was open, and so I stumbled in seeking solace and rest. […]
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This morning I went for a walk, and I somehow ended up walking a Camino day as a pilgrim in my own town. I don’t know when exactly I made the decision, but I found that sometimes it’s worthwhile to be a pilgrim in your own hometown. My original plan, such as it was, was to go up and down […]
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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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Today is the Feast of Saint James the Greater, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as Santiago and in French as Saint Jacques. He was one of Christ’s Twelve Apostles. Saint James is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Seattle. May you have the joy of the feast! James and his brother John were natives of Galilee, sons of the […]
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We spent several hours exploring the medieval village of Conques. This included a walk around the great abbey church. Like many medieval constructions, there is ample evidence of additions, changes, and restorations. In fact, the church is under restoration right now. You can see some of the scaffolding on the right. It somehow reminded me of a quote by G.K. […]
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Among the many small shrines in the Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques, there is a statue of Saint Thomas Becket, one of my favourite saints. Finding a statue of him here was a surprise. The nearby sign includes a quote from a letter he wrote to a Bishop named Gilbert. The Image is below in the bonus slot, and […]
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I stepped into the abbey church of Sainte-Foy, still wearing my pack. After the quick morning pace and that last steep descent, my legs felt like rubber. Nevertheless, when I stepped into the church, with monks preparing the church for Mass and people already starting to gather, all of the aches and fatigue faded into nothing. Here’s what I later […]
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Today is the first 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. I received my pilgrim blessing from […]
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After Estaing, the Camino route I took followed the River Lot for several kilometers before striking inland and uphill. Although I was roadwalking, it was pleasant enough in the cool, misty morning air. It’s funny how sometimes a piece of terrain can affect me emotionally. This valley and river were my companions off and on for a solid week and […]
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