An Unexpected Encounter from: IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. Day 140 Baimorto, Galicia. October, 2018. 10 days ago I was spending the night at La Ferraire Albergue and the owner/hospitalero Sergio and I had several conversations about various aspects of The Camino and we seemed to agree on everything. In fact it …
Learning To Cut Turf (Peat) The Old Fashioned Way: A few weeks into a 3,000 kilometer pilgrimage from County Clare, Ireland to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, I was in the middle of a 30K walk in Cork, from Millstreet to Bweeng, on a sunny day with scattered clouds across the deep blue sky. As the …
Learning The Art of Cutting Turf (Peat) In Ireland: Read More »
On a cold day on the 31st day of the Camino Levante we arrived in Rionegro del Puente and made a beeline for Teo’s restaurant, Me Gusta Comer (I like to eat). Teo suggested we take a seat by the roaring stove fire and relax. Why not. Following his direction, after a 5 hour long …
Perhaps the Finest Meñu Del Dia on Camino Sanabres Or Any Camino: Read More »
One of the most special moments on The Camino is an unexpected, unplanned encounter with an old friends or Camino buddie. Having walked many Caminos it has happened repeatedly to me, so it doesn’t surprise me anymore when it happens. However, my latest Camino which I am walking now is Camino Levante, sometimes called “The …
“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!” Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote We entered …
There are many special places and moments on The Camino. Cruz de Ferro (The Iron Cross) in the west of Castilla y Leon Province is perhaps the most spiritual for me. All three of my experiences there have been noteworthy, though this most recent one was a most powerful emotional experience. Seven years ago, while …
One of most humbling stays on this or any Camino: Following the serene River Sil and its wonderful wineries. This is my second Camino Invierno and a highlight of my first pilgrimage on The Winter Way was a stay in A Rua in the home of Asun. I prayed she was still around and servicing …
IT’S A SMALL WORLD. The Camino has a magical way of connecting like minded souls: One of the nicest things about global traveling is chance meetings with the same people in two totally different places. Well this time it’s three chance meetings across 3 continents; Uganda, Spain, and Nepal: In October, 2019, walking on the …
It’s A Small World-Uganda to the Camino to Nepal Read More »
Canterbury to Rome to Assisi Day 93 Faggio di San Francesco/The Tree of Saint Francis: Walking from Poggio San Bustone to Piediluco started out through the quiet red and gold forested countryside. There was a hard to find turn up an unusually steep narrow and winding rocky path two hundred meters where I reached the …
Its A Long Way From Tipperary to Santiago. Day 92: I woke at 4:45AM, noticing my Hungarian friend, Agi, was gone. I noted to thank her for being so quiet. Leaving Mansilla de las Mulas at 5:22 it was still dark passing tiny Gloria, a middle aged woman from Ecuador. As always in The Meseta …
The Quest To Walk 50 Kilometers In A Day: Tipperary to Santiago Day 92 Read More »
A Merry Christmas friends and fellow Pilgrims. A Christmas (Camino) small miracle from 2019: A few days before Christmas, Mika of Japan and I were walking in the Annapurna region of Nepal from Tadapani to Chomrong, on the Annapurna Sancturary Trek. We made it early and had lunch at a tea house enjoying the spectacular …
Its A Long Way From Tipperary To Santiago. Day 94 After yesterday’s 54K walk, a much needed rest day was taken in Hospital de Orbigo. So I expected to have fresh legs today but no just the opposite. The moment I left Albergue Verde I felt sluggish and struggled the first hour to Santibáñez de …
IT’S A LONG WAY FROM TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO. 2018 August 18 Just a few days before Santiago, walking just before dawn through the hilly forest between Triancastela and Sarria., my body fatigued, the feet aching, but at least the infected decaying tooth better after a week of antibiotics. This is my 6th Camino but the …
A Camino moment. Tomorrow I start a long Camino to Santiago with a 30 day trek across Manaslu and Annapurna. Then to the west of Ireland to start a 3+ month walk from my ancestral home to Santiago, Spain. At the permit office in Kathmandu a smiling woman approached me, Silvia Martellotti from Italy, a …
IT’S A SMALL WORLD: Kathmandu and The Camino de Santiago Read More »
Camino Frances to Ireland To Camino Portuguese: The Joy of meeting an old friend or previous Camino friend while walking The Camino. I’ve heard of this happening but never to me until today on my 65th day of my 2016 Camino from Le Puy en Velay, France to Santiago and on to Porto, Portugal. I …
Its A Long Way From Tipperary to Santiago. Day 80 Puente La Reina to Estella Yesterday I walked into Estella around 11:15 grateful that an early start got me there before the blistering 35C (95F) of the afternoon. I was winging it on where to stay and the Municipal Albergue was in a great location …
Walking up Alto de Perdon, one of the great view points on Camino Francis I pass this older couple and we chat. Jose Maria and Encarnacion are from Madrid and both 82 years old. This is the 30th Camino for them. Roncesvalles to Santiago each time. 765K (475 miles). They have walked every year for …
Inspirational Octogenarians on The Camino. TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO DAY 78 Read More »
I read a recent Americans onThe Camino post by Julie Fancher who was struggling emotionally and physically on The Camino which consequently made me think of 4 special Camino buddies who I think of whenever I am finding the going difficult: Dani, a 74 year old French woman that could not weigh more than 70 …
As my journey from Nairobi to Johannesburg is ending I found myself thinking about my Camino Via de la Plata which I was planning to start in Sevilla, Spain in 10 days. Then during a visit yesterday to the local witchdoctor in the little village of Matsoaing, Lesotho, I learned there was a Church of …
I believe there is a Spirit on The Camino. A guardian angel of sorts that if you calm yourself and open your heart and soul she will provide. On September 5 I connected with her. My story starts the day before. I was walking from Belorado to Ages and met up with Jessica from Boulder, Colorado …