Walking the Camino de Santiago
We left Portomarín in fog and mist that persisted for several hours. There’s something magical about the misty Galician forests that even highway walking can’t dispel. The dew condensed in hair and beard, and fell on us from the trees. The day was constant hills. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly exploring the Celtic pre-Roman ruins of Castromaior. Inhabited […]
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Of the 30,000 or so steps we took today to arrive in Portomarín, these 58 were probably the most difficult, coming as they did at the end of the day. The Camino climbs these steps into the town. They are made from the remaining stones of the ancient Roman bridge that used to cross the river here. Speaking of bridges, […]
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We left the village of Samos as the clocks were striking 8 AM. First, the monastery bells, then a moment later the clocktower at the town hall, and finally a distant church. Most of the day’s walk was through a tapestry of forest and farmland. It was absolutely lovely. Magical. We passed through innumerable places that explored the hazy difference […]
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Today we walked about 17 km from Filloval to Samos. Last night’s sleep was a little rough thanks to a German pilgrim with a mighty snore! So we started late and sauntered through a haunting forest landscape dotted with tiny rural villages and tottering ruins. It began raining about noon, and by the time we arrived at Samos in the […]
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Distances on the Camino are often a matter of conjecture rather than fact. For example, according to the Michelin map today we walked 16.9 km. The guidebook pegs it at 16.5 km. My Fitbit, on the other hand, puts it closer to 21 km. In any case, we are in the tiny hamlet of Filloval. And when I say tiny, […]
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After three days of airplanes, buses, and one miraculous taxi, we have finally arrived at the start of our pilgrimage. It is late in the evening on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. We have obtained our pilgrim shells, and we attended Mass in the local church of Santa Maria a Real do Cebreiro. The church is named after […]
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It is the eleventh hour of our twenty-hour Atlanta layover. We spent much of it getting our Madrid boarding passes, getting to a hotel, and sleeping. Before that, however, and before our flight, our Camino began with one of those crazy bits of rhyme the Lord seems to love throwing our way. We took a Lyft to Sea-Tac airport. Pedro […]
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Give me my scallop shell of quiet, My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, immortal diet, My bottle of salvation, My gown of glory, hope’s true gage, And thus I’ll take my pilgrimage. (from “The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage”, attributed to Sir Walter Raleigh)
» Read moreWe thought we’d try something new. This is a (rather disjointed) attempt to put together a video about how we train for the Camino. I blather, Francine makes funny faces, and we walk. And eat second breakfast. Our Training plan for 2016.
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