Walking the Camino de Santiago
Thoughts about the spiritual aspects of the Camino.
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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After visiting the church, I went back to the village square. I grabbed a seat at the outdoor café there and ordered myself a refreshing beverage. The beers I encountered in France tended to be on the light side, which was perfect for the hot weather. In fact, blondes and whites were by far the most common local beers I […]
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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 – Santiago. During this pilgrimage, I walked 1,633.8 km, or just over 1,015 miles. This doesn’t count walking around and exploring the many cities, towns, and villages where […]
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I made my first visit to the Cathedral this morning, attending the 9:30 Mass. it wasn’t very crowded, as most pilgrims attend the evening pilgrim Mass rather than one of the early morning ones. In addition to the Spanish celebrant, the Mass was concelebrated by two priests from the Archdiocese of Portland. It was odd to hear parts of the […]
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Today I completed the walking portion of my pilgrimage. I have yet to visit the cathedral and the tomb of the Apostle. That’s an adventure for tomorrow.. This morning, after a deep and blissful sleep, I woke up at about 7 AM. Breakfast began at 8:00, and I took it slowly. No sense in leaving before it was light out today. […]
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This morning I again woke up at 7:00 AM rather than my customary 5:00. Maybe seven is the new five? I suspect it is a combination of fatigue – I really need to lay on a couch for a couple of days – and the fewer hours of daylight. In any case, the albergue café didn’t start serving breakfast until […]
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Today was not a great day. It poured rain, I only managed about 17 km, and I’m homesick. After the monastery tour yesterday, Martha from Brooklyn and I headed over to a tiny chapel on the outskirts of town. This is the oldest part of the monastery complex, though it is not physically located at the “new” monastery, which was […]
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For such a relatively small town, Villafranca del Bierzo is full of churches, monasteries, and convents. This evening, I attempted to visit some of them. First I tried to get into the 17th century Convent de la Anunciada, which contains the tomb of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, but I was ultimately unsuccessful. Since this is still an actual Cistercian convent, I […]
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