The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, under the gray, rain threatening Galician skies appeared more medieval than I could have ever imagined. Although the structure was dark and heavy the mood of the entering pilgrims was light, lifted by a… Read More ›
Just minutes after starting today’s hike it began to rain so I pulled out my blue raincoat and draped it over me and my pack. The coat is not made to be worn over me and my pack so… Read More ›
Many alburgues will only allow you to spend one night in their facility and by 8AM they expect you to be back on the trail. By 8AM Sue and an ill German pilgrim had managed to hike no further… Read More ›
Today we crossed the 400 kilometer (250 mile) mark or halfway point of the Camino Frances. We are also halfway across the hot, dry and monotonous “Meseta” – but I don’t really see it that way. I see… Read More ›
The Spanish sun glared through my sunglasses as I looked up at Sue lifting the barbed wire to widen the gap between the fence and the piercing metal that crowned it. Christine squeezed under the wire and swung her leg over the top of the fence. Her descent… Read More ›
In the long, dark room with over a hundred pilgrims sleeping, snoring and making other natural body sounds, I weave my way through an obstacle course of backpacks resting at the foot of bunks. It’s early, 5:25AM, but Sue and… Read More ›
It’s amazing how a loose, multi-national group like the pilgrims walking “The Way” can form such rapid friendships and a communication network; a kind of “coconut telegraph”. It’s also amazing how easy it is to have your hiking plans derailed… Read More ›
Pamplona Spain is famous for being a watering hole and inspiration for Ernest Hemingway as well as the place where you can “run with the bulls”. Based on the photos I’ve seen around town it’s also a place where excessive… Read More ›
It’s still dark outside but I’m awake and ready to start walking. Yet I lay here quietly in my bunk like a good Camino Pilgrim – breakfast isn’t served until six-thirty. Today is my first day on the Camino… Read More ›
The morning air still has the pleasant coolness that the night brings but the sun’s rays are starting to peek over the mountains and that will soon change. The beer trucks are parked in the roadway while their muscular drivers… Read More ›
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