Tag: pilgrimage
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The Way of Saint Francis: Training Begins
I stopped for a quick photo this morning as Reg and I neared the top of the 500 foot climb behind our home. With our upcoming Italian pilgrimage (The Way of Saint Francis) just around the corner, today seemed like a good day to reacquaint ourselves with our backpacks. If the weather cooperates, we should…
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Hip, hip hooray for Marion!
If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again. Ian and Marion journeyed from their home in Oxford, England in spring 2013 to tackle the 500-plus mile Camino de Santiago. We met them on our first day out from Pamplona, Spain and we quickly became friends, enjoying laughs and stories over coffee, drinks, and…
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Life’s path redirected by chance meeting
Much like a well-worn trail, life provides a beautiful journey of highs and lows. We smile easily from the mountaintop where possibilities seem endless. It is when we gaze up from below, unsure where our path will lead, that our optimisim is challenged. We met James and Gitta while hiking the…
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Startling Rooftop Surprise: Camino de Santiago
We returned to the cathedral at 6pm for the final rooftop segment of our cathedral tour. After climbing 105 steps, we expected to be led out onto a courtyard type area atop the cathedral; a place where we could safely take in the view of the various towers and the surrounding Santiago cityscape. The views…
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Sweet Distraction: Camino de Santiago
What could be better than chocolate to soothe the leftover aches and pains of the Camino? Prior to leaving, my friend Annie recommended we try the hot chocolate while in Spain. ” It's like drinking a melted Hershey bar,” she wrote. When a light rain began to fall this morning, we ducked inside a…
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How to Say Goodbye? Camino de Santiago
This morning was different. As we tied our shoes and struggled into our backpacks, we knew this would be our last day of walking. Reaching Santiago was always the goal…until we started the Camino. I think we realized, after our first night in the Albergue outside of Pamplona, that this journey would be about so…
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Churches, Bell Towers and Steeples: Camino de Santiago
They've served as our guideposts for the past four weeks. Most often perched upon a hill, signaling yet another climb up to a new village. Mostly we've simply admired them in passing, sometimes peeking inside when the opportunity allowed. Often they have marked our destination for the evening. The churches of the Camino are as…
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Carryon couple plows toward Camino finish
On Monday, we will have spent 33 days and walked more than 400 miles on the Camino de Santiago. As we hang up (throw away?) our hiking shoes, some notes from the trek: Ways of Spain: The Spanish people take time for each other, especially family. The pace of life is slow in villages along…
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We Have a Winner!
Congratulations to Jamey who guessed drying shed! These “unofficial symbols” of the Galicia region of Spain are known as horreos. We were told they were used to dry corn and sure enough, when we peeked inside we saw corn. Traditionally, farmers stored and dried grain within the horreos. Sadly, they no longer offer…
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