Advice for preparing to walk the Camino, Top Ten Tips In the Spring of 2017, I walked the 500 miles of the Camino Frances. For me, like many others, it was the experience of a lifetime. It’s a sojourn I would commend it to all, old, young, fit, feeble,Read More →
Camino de Santiago – Camino Frances Prologue Welcome to our Camino de Santiago Blog. In the Spring of ’17, I walked the Camino Francis trail of the Camino de Santiago. Through out this journal, made up of a series of posts, I’ve captured my thoughts, observations and experiences along theRead More →
The Camino Journal – Pre-Trip Notes A few months back I decided to walk the breadth of Spain to spend a springtime enjoying the culture, the food and the weather of the Spanish countryside. It seemed like the perfect sojourn for one seeking alternatives to the retiree ‘daily grind’. TheRead More →
Madrid, at last! The third leg to a five leg beginning: Anchorage to Seattle, Seattle to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Madrid, Madrid to Pamplona and Pamplona to St Jean (SJPP). (Camino de Santiago – Madrid) 15 hours of flying, countless hours in airports and buses. Only thing left is aRead More →
Day 2 in Madrid I really enjoy watching the euro cup soccer champion tournament, their talent and professionalism never ceases to amaze me. The two teams I cheer on to win are Bayern-Munchen and Barcelona; they usually do. The team I usually cheer to loose is Real Madrid, they usuallyRead More →
Travel Legs Four and Five Today I traveled from Madrid to Pamplona by first class train, it was another indulgence, but only cost ~$10 more than a cattle car fair. All was very orderly and timely; very neat, and an easy way to get around. From Pamplona I took aRead More →
Camino Gut Check 15 April – Vanishing Minutes: Monday morning I woke up to a message on my cellphone that my new ‘pay as you go’ account was down to 5 Euros, from 45 the previous day. Forty Euros just vanished as I was about to head into the PyreneesRead More →
Day 2 along the Trail 16-17 April – (Camino de Santiago Zubiri). Traveling on the highways with my wife is always a harrowing experience. Neither of us believes the other has any driving skills and we live in terror every time the other takes control at the wheel. I thinkRead More →
Rest Town #1 18 April Arriving in Pamplona to the south, I missed the grand entrance through the protection of the city citadel walls. It made for an interesting experience as I walked through the park along the river with strolling families and sportsmen – not the traditional scene of Peligrinos.Read More →
Estella 18- 20 April Time to catch up on the Blog as I sit here in a cafe in the ancient Camino town of Estella with it’s three churches, all representing the separate and distinct interests of its mixed inhabitants. I’m consuming the ‘Menu del Dia” of Pallela, Pollo conRead More →
Longrono and Najera 21 -23 Apr, Quick recap and the previous three days. The terrain is definitely changing from the rolling hills and greenery of the mountains, to more open plains and sharp crested hills. There are even a few dusty mesas on the horizon. The agriculture is now changingRead More →
St Dom, Belorado, Atapuerca 24 – 26 April – Atapuerca, It’s where Camino heaven and hell collide. I arrived in this non-descript little village after 18.6 miles of humping through the rain and snow flurries and finally, finally found a place to stay; the previous villages were ‘completo’ (booked). WhenRead More →
The City of Burgos 28 April – My last posting about all cathedrals blending together was premature. I’ve met one of the original ‘Shock and Awe’ religious sites on the camino tour – the Burgos Cathedral. Words and photos can not do it justice. Regal, beautiful, ornate are descriptive termsRead More →
The Meseta 29 April- Short posting today extracted from my Face Book posting of the same day. I was half delirious from a long, hot day on the trail and was enjoying the moment after a bellyful of beer after finally finding the town and a bed to sleep in.Read More →
Spaniards 2 May – The Spaniards I’ve come to meet are some of the most generous, gracious, distinguished and happy people I’ve met. I don’t know if it’s because I travel in a bubble along the Camino and the only ones we meet are those dedicated to the welfare ofRead More →
It’s all about your feet! 3 May – Last night before turning out the lights I noted my left foot was still swollen. Normally the swelling goes down after a few hours off the road….the fatigue and tightness in the foot doesn’t. Naturally, I took some Motrin, shrugged it offRead More →
Rest Day 3 6 May – Two nights in one of Castile-Leon’s biggest cities (Leon) provokes insightful contemplation of a brutally stark contrast between life on the Camino and life. As a Caminoite, one floats through time and space as a mere observer, effected by neither. (Lost in Leon) One’sRead More →
Back to the Foothills 8 May – Finally, the trail is leading us out of the Meseta – the miles and miles of wheat fields that turned into roads, city suburbs and industrial parks. What started out as a beautiful and contemplative trail (dirt Yellow Brick Road) turned into asphaltRead More →
Templar Castle 10 May, Today I finally saw an honest to god Templar Castle. Not the ones you see on TV or the movies or one of those ancient places that everybody claims was one….but doesn’t really know. It was basic, not much to it. Just like a modern dayRead More →
The Iron Cross So I made it up to the Iron Cross: Of it’s own physical accord, it’s not too impressive, just a very tall pole supporting a small Iron Cross on top a rubble of stones. However, it’s simplify can be disarming. The pole is wrapped with paper prayers,Read More →