Walking the Camino de Santiago
Thoughts about the spiritual aspects of the Camino.
Simply delightful. There’s just something about this home in Villamayor del Río that caught my attention. It might be the gorgeous blue colour of the crumbling plaster, faded in time to a rustic patina. It might be the potted garden out front or the large central dutch door that leads directly into the kitchen. Or perhaps it’s the combination that […]
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Pilgrims and parishioners mix in the Cathedral square in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. We are but passing through, but for many of these young Catholics, they are passing through the sacrament of Confirmation and joining the Church Militant – that portion of the communion of saints still walking upon the earth. And no doubt some of them will take […]
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I cannot remember taking this photo, and I certainly don’t know if this is part of some monument or just a plinth on a highway bridge. But for me, this image displays one of the deep strands of the Camino. There is a dignity and a quiet majesty surrounding structures in decay. They speak of the past with weary visages […]
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This sign is posted in the common room of the Municipal Albergue in Azofra. You will see or hear variations of this phrase all along the Camino. It’s not only a good explanation of the difference between a pilgrim and a tourist when you travel, it’s a pretty good rule of thumb for life. Particularly when you recall the words […]
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This is one of the reasons I love Spain’s churches so much. To orient you, you’re standing in the middle of the nave of Santa María de Viana, looking down the north transept to a side chapel – and there were many side chapels. If you look up above the chapel, you can see the original Gothic walls and window. […]
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A month ago today, May 2, we arrived in Santiago de Compostela. I still haven’t uploaded all of the photos to Flickr. Perhaps in my head this will be the action that ends the Camino, though it’s long over. I also haven’t finished unpacking, either physically or mentally.
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It is now eighteen days after our arrival in Santiago. I’ve been back to my previous life and job for two full weeks now. Early on, somebody asked me “how’s re-entry been?” I’m not sure I gave a coherent answer at the time, and I’m not sure I’m going to give one now, either. In short, it’s been difficult. I […]
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Only 17.5 km today, but the last 8 km included a rough, rocky climb of almost 700 m as we left El Bierzo behind and entered our fourth Spanish kingdom: Galicia. We left early and had our second breakfast in Vega de Valcarce. By the time we stopped for a drink at a funky albergue/bar in La Faba called “El […]
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After Rabanal, we crested the Cordillera Cantábrica at Cruz de Ferro. Traditionally, one leaves a stone at the foot of the cross there. This is the accompanying prayer: Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross of the Savior, one day weigh the balance in favor of my […]
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We arrived in Rabanal del Camino three years to the day since the last time we were here, though not by any conscious design on our part. We have been walking with a young Dutchman named Stijn, and we ran into our old friend Rebecca again a couple of times during today’s walk. It has become a glorious, sunny afternoon. […]
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