Via Podiensis Podcast Series

Over on The Camino Podcast, I’m now three episodes into a series focused on the Via Podiensis. It’s a fun way to build on the work with my new Cicerone guidebook, and it has kind of taken on a life of its own. My original plan was to carry forward the framework that I followed with the Camino Francés series of episodes, combining conversations with different pilgrims on two different chunks of the route in each episode.

Instead, I’ve settled into a different flow, with only one pilgrim conversation per episode. That, in turn, is combined with an interview with someone who has relevant expertise on a topic or issue related to the specific stage of the Via Podiensis featured. The idea is to combine breadth and depth, or the practical and the conceptual.

From a production perspective, this effectively doubled the number of episodes devoted to this series. That’s a bit of a risk, as some pilgrims may just have less interest in a French route, and so they might check out after a while. I hope, though, that you’ll stick around. One of the best parts about pilgrimage, to me, is how it not only brings together lots of different people, but also a ton of disparate topics. It’s a conduit through which I continue to learn about all kinds of new things, and the podcast is the place where I share those discoveries.

Episode 60 – The Via Podiensis, Part 1 – A Saint and His Very Good Dog 

In this first episode in a new series, Chloe Rose Stuart-Ulin joins to discuss getting started on the pilgrimage from Le Puy-en-Velay, walking through the first four stages to Aumont-Aubrac. After that, Louise Marshall, an art historian from the University of Sydney, shares insights into Saint Roch, a key figure on the French branches of the Camino who is often confused with James.

Some links to works and other stuff discussed in this episode:

• • Chloe Rose’s Via Podiensis Site
  • Louise Marshall’s Home Page

Episode 62 – The Via Podiensis, Part 2 – The Aubrac Mood

In this second episode in the series, Melinda Lusmore of I Love Walking in France joins to discuss 80 fabulous kilometers of the chemin, linking Aumont-Aubrac and Estaing. While the scenery is stunning, and the villages are charming, the real stars of this section are the Aubrac cattle that grace the fields along the way. In service to that, Michelle Crawford of Bedias Creek Farms, a rancher who specializes in the Aubrac breed, shares insights from her close work with these bovine beauties.

Some links to works and other stuff discussed in this episode:

• • Melinda Lusmore’s I Love Walking in France
  • Michelle Crawford’s Bedias Creek Farms

Episode 63 – The Via Podiensis, Part 3 – Stolen Relics and Closed Mines

In the third part of this series, we journey today from the Lot River to the Célé River, and from the village of Estaing to the town of Figeac. Bennett Voyles, the author of Onward, Backward! -or- A Ramble to Santiago, joins to help guide us through this section, while offering stories from his family’s walk and his own research on the route. He is followed by two historians who share their expertise on two important stops in this section. First, Dr. Patrick Geary, author of Furta Sacra, discusses the theft of relics in the Middle Ages, and the specific legend of Saint Foy’s translation to Conques, one of the major highlights on the Via Podiensis. By contrast, the town of Decazeville, which sits further on in this section, is viewed by many walkers as a place worth bypassing. Dr. Donald Reid, author of The Miners of Decazeville, describes the history of this influential town, and the reasons that pilgrims should give it a closer look.

Some links to works and other stuff discussed in this episode:

• • Bennett Voyles’s Onward, Backward!
  • Patrick Geary’s Furta Sacra
  • Donald Reid’s The Miners of Decazeville