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Category: Camino

Caminho Português: The missing Days

I got a bit lazy… I got a bit tired to post all the days, especially towards the end of the trip. Honestly, a number of days I went to bed not knowing if my feet would take the walking the next day. But the kilometers got shorter and I reaffirmed my determination to walk…

Caminho Português: Porto

We made it! Just a quick post now and then I’ll write about our last few days. Time for some R&R. Especially for my feet…

Caminho Português: Day 14 & 15

To Paradise Yesterday was another long day because I booked at a hostel in “Paradise”, at a former watermill. The water was freezing which is great for pilgrim feet. Rich and I admired the great rock schist around too, although that proved a bit complicated to explain to our German host. Yep. Lots of pilgrims…

Caminho Português: Day 12 & 13

Onward from Coimbra We headed out very early from Coimbra due to expected afternoon temperatures of 87. It was reminiscent of our early morning departures on the Camino Frances, but no headlamps needed. We have been left behind by our old crowd of pilgrims due to the extra day in Coimbra. No worries! We have…

Caminho Português: Day 9 -11

Conímbriga and Coimbra It’s been a bit tough but we made it to Coimbra and our rest day. We spent the previous night in a beautiful modern hostel in the backyard of a suburban home near the Roman ruins of Conímbriga. Coming out of the town of Alvorge that morning a little…

Caminho Português: Days 6, 7 & 8

Miserable distances Well, if I had a chance to go back in time I would advise myself to start in Tomar and skip all the stages out from Lisbon. The previous 3 stages were absurdly long, repeatedly over 30km (20 miles). We made it into Tomar (really cool hostel) but we were so exhausted we…

Caminho Português: Day 5

Golegã – 34km, too many Today we passed some pilgrim graffiti that really struck a chord – “My feet hurt, my shoulders are wasted…” It was written on a wall in the middle of a corn field. Lots of vineyards and corn fields and mud. We got caught in rain so the ponchos made an appearance…

Caminho Português: Day 3 & 4

Valada and Santarém Yesterday we got off to an early start at about 6:45. It’s a good thing too because we ended up with a 33km walk and a bit too much sun. There were some nice sections of the walk with amazing birds (storks) and some really ugly sections. In Azambuja…

Caminho Português: Day 2

Vila Franca de Xira The home of Portuguese bull fighting, V.F. de Xira is a very nice town on left bank of the Tejo River. Below we are hanging out at a cafe in the town park. We had an inauspicious start to the day. We went to the train station and realized we…

Caminho Português: Day 1

Out of Lisbon Ai, ai, ai! My feet! ~17 miles today has gotten us up the Tejo estuary a way. An interesting day, but rather too long. We walked out of the historic district through the Alfama district with its twisted little streets. Eventually finding the river again after much tromping and traffic avoidance. There…

We’re officially pilgrims again

We made it Lisboa without incident and after stashing our backpacks at our hostel we headed over to the Lisbon Cathedral (Sé) to get our pilgrim passports. Rich picked out a pizza restaurant with nice shady seats under some orange trees for us to relax, have lunch and fill out the pilgrim passport. It’s…

Here we go again!

We’re off to Portugal on Wednesday for our next pilgrimage adventure. Rich and I are walking the Lisbon to Porto section of the Portuguese Central route to Santiago as a “30th anniversary Camino” or caminho, as it is spelled in Portuguese. My left foot snuck into my photo (in the uncropped version) as if…

1361 pilgrims arrived in Santiago with us yesterday

We arrived in Santiago de Compostela yesterday and successfully received our Compostela certificate from the pilgrim office. We’re done with hostels now (woo-hoo!) and have very nice rooms a few steps from the cathedral. We’ve crossed paths with pilgrim friends and already had a few goodbyes as everyone goes on their way…

Down to the last 19km

We’ve arrived in O Pedrouzo. Tomorrow we’ll walk the final 19 km into Santiago. Today we self-medicated along the trail with ibuprofen and chocolate, making frequent stops to rest achy feet…

To Portomarin, Palas de Rei and Ribadiso

The walking days are long, but full of beauty. This pilgrim is too tired to post much…

Day 8 -– to Sarria and a little beyond

Welcome to Galicia! Saw this on a store front. So true!! Very fragrant and lots of brown squishy stuff…

The Last BIG Descent

Monday morning Mary and I set off in the dark for the descent from O Cebreiro to Triacastela. Tristan needed to opt for a taxi again. Even Mary was wearing her sandals since her big toe was too swollen for her hiking shoes. We did have a good day though. Here’s a few photos…

Views of O Cebreiro

I haven’t had good enough internet to upload photos for a few days. We’re still here; still walking. On Sunday we made it to O Cebreiro, albeit by taxi. Tristan and Mary have been having some foot issues and the extreme uphill and unfavorable weather forecast led us to take a taxi. It…

Cruz de Ferro and the Bierzo valley

We had just a beautiful atmosphere at the Cruz de Ferro yesterday morning. The sunrise was brilliant and the pilgrims respectful. A few km from the cross we encountered a very unique hostel and hospitaleiro Tomás. We stopped to play with his kitten Carbonita. Tristan offered to have Carbonita join our pilgrimage but it…

Astorga to Foncebadón Day 3

Our visit to Astorga was lovely. Mary and I took the bus to cut short what would have been a 31km day, but Tristan walked the whole way. Our hostess Patrícia and her son Gabriel at the hostel Só por Hoje (“Just for today”) were lovely and welcoming. We had a lively pilgrim dinner…

First sunrise on the Camino

On our way from Villar de Mazarife to Astorga, Wednesday. We’re headed for those mountains…

Footsore pilgrims

We left later than we should have after a sleepless night. It turns out that having a hostel window that overlooks the main thoroughfare in old León makes for a noisy night. I also accidentally gave the baggage transport company that is handling Mary’s suitcase transfer the wrong pick up address. Whoops! That…

The Pilgrims Have Safely Arrived!

The pilgrims have safely arrived in León, Spain…

All Saints’ Camino – It’s Happening!

After almost 2 years of planning and a one year delay, my dream of leading a small group of pilgrims from All Saints’ Episcopal Church looks like it will finally be realized. God-willing, 4 of us will set out for Spain in 19 days. We’ll be beginning our pilgrimage in the…

A Day of Remembrance

Today is Memorial Day. Yesterday during “Zoom” church we viewed a moving video tribute to friends and family of church members who lost their lives in service to out country. It was striking to read about the deaths of uncles, nephews and fathers of people I know. I don’t know of…

A Coronavirus Camino, Virtually

Well the unthinkable has happened and we are all living the Coronavirus nightmare. The Camino in Spain is shutdown as Spain fights its battle against infection and death. I’ve been monitoring the official pilgrim channels and blogs and it is hard to imagine how exactly the trails will be re-opened to pilgrims. They…

To Bring or Not To Bring a Sleeping Bag – Camino Francés

To bring or not to bring a sleeping bag. This is an important and personal question for any pilgrim looking to minimize the weight of their pack. The quick answer depends entirely on the season you plan to walk. If you are walking in winter, spring, or even in May, I would definitely recommend a…

The 4 Essential Gear Items for Your Camino de Santiago

Research and preparation for your Camino de Santiago will go a long way to making your trek more enjoyable and stress free once you’re on your way. I’ve put together a few points of opinion and advice for the 4 most important gear choice below…

The Way of St. James – Legend & History

Briefly, legend (as of the 12th century) has it that St. James the Greater, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, went to northwest Spain to preach and convert people to Christianity. Returning to Palestine, he was taken prisoner and decapitated by Herod Agrippa in AD 44. His disciples stole the body and took him…

Images of the Camino

I just needed to share these two photo essays. I especially love Drew Robinson’s amazing photography, but also how he shares his Camino so well through those photos. The images over the Pyrenees are just as I remember and he captures the immensity of the sky all along the trail…