The World is Quiet Here

I´m currently in the town of Los Arcos. Four of us set off from Estella this morning in high spirits and falling snow. While it wasn´t heavy or constant, it was thick, gloopy stuff. Flakes the size of walnuts! It didn´t stick to the roads, but did most everywhere else. We climbed a bit of a hill today, so we […]

Just a quick note as we leave Estella. It´s been raining on and off since I arrived on the Camino, though yesterday was clear and gorgeous. This morning, however, the Camino has a new surprise for us. It´s snowing. It´s not sticking, mind, but big wet flakes of snow are falling everywhere. Buen Camino!

We continue to be confounded by technological problems. Lack of wifi is not allowing me to upload the several hundred photos I´ve taken. I´m blogging from the Albergue Municipal in Estella at the end of day 4, but what I´d like to do is tell you a little bit about yesterday. Truly, I haven´t yet processed it all, so I´ll […]

It´s funny, but the pilgrim hostels (“albergues”) either have wifi or a computer lab. With the lab, I can use a proper computer with a proper keyboard, but unfortunately I cannot upload my photos. So I´m here in Pamplona, after walking another 21.5km, staying at the Albergue Jesus y Maria, which is perhaps a block from the great Cathedral. Day […]

After my arrival in Roncesvalles, I quickly made friends with a young woman from Germany, who had the bunk above mine. She had walked through the snows from Saint Jean, and she helped me get oriented to albergue life. So Linda and I shared the pilgrim’s menu: first course of a wonderful potato soup (possibly they had once been introduced […]

No photos yet, sorry. The albergue in Roncesvalles has a computer room but no wifi that I can find, so I can´t upload my photos from the camera. I arrived here about an hour ago, and have had my first stamp on my pilgrim´s passport and a long, long shower. Items still to do include laundry and dinner. Getting here […]

When in April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower, When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath Exhales an air in every grove and heath Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun His half-course […]

In less than a day, my flight will be taking off. I’ve gone through various stages of nervousness, elation, and even fear in the past few days. More than once I’ve asked myself, “what, are you crazy, Thom?” Add to that the emotions that inevitably come with Holy Week – the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Stations of the Cross, […]

Time grows short! We`re back from Stations at church and doing all sorts of last minute errands. Among these are the dreaded final packing. I like to be all packed for trips at least a full day before going somewhere. This way, I tend to discover all the things I forgot still laying about the house. This post is also […]

Back in August, a buddy and I had what I called “an inadvertent Camino day”, where we sort of accidentally walked 25km. While there’s no such thing as a “typical” day on the Camino, 25km is a pretty fair shot at it. Well, today I intentionally walked 25km with full pack. Francine (who is a couple of weeks behind me […]