Walking the Camino de Santiago
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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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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In retrospect, it might have been better to spend two days in Paris and just one night in Vézelay. I only had seven sites in the city that I wanted to explore, and I still only managed to get to four of them. Up early to catch the 6:30 train to Sermizelles. I set an alarm, but it turned out […]
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After making it through border control at Charles de Gaul airport, I was pleased to find my checked bag actually made it this time. I spent a bit of time repacking everything into my backpack before going to the train station to head into Paris. I will definitely need to repack again when I’m not so hurried. I was on […]
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Easter morning began with me taking down the black mourning flag that had flown at Pistachio House since the day of Francine’s death. It was replaced by the flag of Burgundy (really Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), which is the first region in France through which I will walk. This has been our custom through our Caminos. As I walk, my lovely house sitters […]
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When in April the sweet showers fallAnd pierce the drought of March to the root, and allThe veins are bathed in liquor of such powerAs brings about the engendering of the flower,When also Zephyrus with his sweet breathExhales an air in every grove and heathUpon the tender shoots, and the young sunHis half-course in the sign of the Ram has […]
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This morning, I’m getting on an airplane to fly to Paris. God willing, I begin walking on pilgrimage from Vézelay, France, on April 9. It was Francine’s dream to walk the Camino from Vézelay ever since she heard about this route in 2022. We have been actively planning this pilgrimage walk since late 2023. Francine was an enthusiastic pilgrim – […]
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Training for my upcoming walk on the Via Lemovicensis has more or less concluded. I’ve repacked my bags for the flight, and the two days until I fly will be taken up with various housekeeping measures and preparation for and celebration of Good Friday and the great Vigil of Easter. Part of that training is walking a “virtual Camino”. Francine […]
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