Author: Thom

Last night was the first time I sang “Ultreïa” on this Camino. It was in the darkened church after compline, and we processed around the interior of the church singing it before ending up before a carving of the blessed Virgin Mary. And then we sang the Salve Regina. This morning I stayed for breakfast in the refectory. I continue […]

Today was a half day, and I got a late start, not leaving the grandma house gîte until a quarter after seven. It has been raining most of the night and into the morning. Although it wasn’t raining when I left, out of an abundance of caution I donned, for the first time on the Camino, my strawberry troll. On […]

Today marked the beginning of my second week on Camino. During the first week, I walked 151.4 km, give or take. This second week started with a great day! Two very big climbs, but oh so worth it. After a hearty breakfast at the gîte, I left at just after 6:30. For the first time in days, there was daylight […]

Today was largely a walk from one river valley to the next. It ended up being the hottest day yet, and by the time I arrived at my gîte, I may very well have had heat exhaustion. Once again, I started early. This time, I managed a sit-down breakfast of yogurt and pain au chocolat before leaving at just before […]

Today I once again decided to leave early – just before 6 AM – to try to beat the afternoon heat. This time, however, I had a pain au chocolate in my hand. After a moment of panic at not being able to find an unlocked door to get out of my gîte, I finally found a door I hadn’t […]

Last night’s dinner included a regional specialty called aligot. I can’t decide whether this is cheesy mashed potatoes or potato-y cheese. The consistency is really odd, but it’s awfully good. Met a couple of new pilgrims including Alex from Sweden who is also walking all the way to Santiago. I also met an Anglican priest from Connecticut named Merrick. He […]

Domaine du Sauvage sits in the middle of Gévaudan, a remote region only sparsely inhabited until the 19th century. I left there about 5:45 in the morning in the dark, with the full panoply of the Milky Way visible overhead. Even today it seems isolated, and I can well imagine the terror that the beast would have inflicted amongst the […]

Today was a story of unexpected grace and of seizing opportunities.  Last night I had dinner with several French pilgrims, and we discussed the logistics of today’s walk. Specifically, we talked about how to best beat the heat while also dealing with the fact that there is very little in the way of support today.  We learned that one of […]

Woke up early, much to my surprise, but it meant that I was packed and ready to go in plenty of time to pray lauds before breakfast began at 6:45.  Had my first communal breakfast at a gîte and learned some things. In France (or, perhaps, in this region of France) at breakfast coffee comes in bowls. I heartily approve […]