Pilgrims on the Way

The rain predicted for the next week suddenly vanished from the forecast this morning. Despite my best efforts, however, my shoes were still not fully dry. Also, weirdly, the straps of my hiking poles were still damp. That’s a new one. When I left at 8 AM, the air was cold and a clammy mist clung to the ground. I […]

It was so cold in our little country gîte last night that my shoes did not fully dry out from yesterday. There’s nothing worse on a Camino than slipping your feet into vaguely damp shoes. It was a slow morning. We didn’t actually leave until 8:30, which might be a new record for me. But again, today was supposed to […]

The only other pilgrim at the chambres d’hôte I stayed last night was Laurent, who began from his home near Paris back in March. I first met him on the day I walked into Périgueux. He’s doing a long day today – at least 36 km – so I doubt I will see him again, unless we overlap at Saint-Jean, […]

When I started packing my bag this morning, it was clear that the rains had returned in force. It was storming. According to the weather app, the rain would continue all day. By the time Herve and I left about 7:30, I could see a little sliver of blue on the horizon, but it was certainly pouring as we set […]

Ten I think in the gîte last night, including one Spanish cyclist. Breakfast at 7:00. Rain is predicted for today and pretty much the next week. And possibly thunderstorms. Looks like I’ll be living in my poncho for a while.  A group of us left at about 7:50 in the morning. Today is Christian’s last day – he walked to […]

The advantage to having experienced pilgrims as hospitaleros is that they understand intimately the needs and desires of pilgrims. Case in point: breakfast began at 6 AM today, and despite the usual conversations and packing up, I was out the door at 7:30 sharp. And I wasn’t even the first one out. Philippe at least was out the door before […]

We had five pilgrims in the gîte last night, three French (Christian, Luc, and Louis-Marie), Philippe the Belgian, and me. That’s pretty much been the ratio through most of this Camino: mostly French, with a minority of other Europeans, primarily from Belgium and the Netherlands… and me. I know that there is another American (from Seattle, no less!) walking about […]

After two long days walking, I’ve planned for two relatively short days. Part of that of course is just geography – where are the villages where I can stay? Some of it, though, is my own Camino rhythm. Breakfast at the gîte this morning wasn’t even served until close to 7:30, so it was about 8:20 before I left. A […]

Didn’t sleep well last night, so it was already after 7:30 when I left. A long day today. It was cold and overcast when I left. The forecast called for rain this afternoon, and I could well believe it. I anticipated that most of today will involve walking out of Limoges and it suburbs. After a bit of a false […]