Walking the Camino de Santiago
Thoughts about the spiritual aspects of the Camino.
Breakfast at 7, out the door by 8. At this point, I’ve either reserved or sent reservation requests for every place but one left in France. How very different the Camino in France is from that in Spain! In Spain, the only places I reserve are Roncesvalles (because it’s required) and Santiago, because it’s crowded). In France, you are pretty […]
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Today’s start was very slow. Fortunately, it’s meant to be another relatively short day in preparation for tomorrow’s long haul. The first stop was the Mairie (town hall) to pay for last night and get stamps in our pilgrim credentials. They didn’t open until 8:30, which in part explains our slow morning. And then we had to hunt up some […]
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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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Between yesterday afternoon and this morning, I basically ate through almost my entire food stash. I may need to rethink how I’m doing this. A cool, crisp, cloudless morning. I left the gîte sometime after 7:30 AM in no particular hurry. The little lake looked lovely in the morning light, and I passed several fisherman as I retraced last night’s […]
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Scattered and unfocused this morning. It took me way too long to pack up. One year ago, sometime close to midnight, after the great Easter Vigil, we took Francine to the emergency room. I knew the day would come. That doesn’t make it any easier. It’s hard to remember now, but at the time I was certain the doctors would […]
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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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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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This morning, I received my pilgrim blessing from my pastor at Saint Patrick, the Very Rev. David Mulholland. The last time he gave me this blessing, I was accompanied by my beautiful bride. Although she no longer walks the earth, I very much feel like she is walking with me on this pilgrimage. I will carry with me the pilgrim […]
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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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