Get to Know the Camino del Mar
Years ago, I remember staring at a map of the different Caminos. OK, that part is hardly unusual, even today. But at that time I was focused on the blank space on the northern coast between Ribadeo, where the Camino del Norte veers inland, and Ferrol, where the Camino Inglés begins. Wouldn’t it be cool, […]
Nobody Beats the House: On Tarasteix and Lourdes
He made the bells toll. The image remains vivid: cramped into a wooden belltower, students and other visitors wedged around me, and the bells clanging rambunctiously overhead. Never mind the sound; the noise churned the bones, surged upward into the teeth, and then poured into the hairs on your forearms. More than any of that, […]
News and Notes from the Mar
It’s awesome to be back on the Camiño do Mar, and to really see the route taking shape. When I came here the first time, it was like a treasure hunt, cobbling together an almost useless map with comments from a handful of forum members, and then searching assiduously at every trail intersection for a […]
News and Notes from the Norte
This is my first time back on the first half of the Norte since COVID. It’s good to be back! The walk remains as stunning as ever. Some assorted observations on developments, changes, and other stuff on the stages I’ve walked (Irún-Ribadeo). I’ll revisit some of this down the road, once I’m home and can […]
A Rookie Mistake on the GR653 in Barran
Calling it a rookie mistake would be an insult to rookies everywhere. In my defense, meager as it is, I hadn’t made things easy on myself. Here is the hourly log of the events leading to the “mistake.” Thursday, 4pm – After the last meeting of the year ran long, I finally bolted downhill to […]
A Spring Break Pilgrimage on the Camino de Madrid
I’ve just completed the Camino de Madrid. (OK, flight delays cost me Madrid-Tres Cantos, so technically the walk was Tres Cantos to Sahagún. Someday I’ll fill in that gap. I only had the spring break week to make the pilgrimage, so it was a whirlwind affair, but I loved it, and found myself frequently wondering […]
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 […]
Two New Episodes of the Camino Podcast
At long last, I have returned my attention to producing new episodes of The Camino Podcast! There are two new episodes available, with more to come. If you’re new to the podcast, it’s housed on Soundcloud, but available from all the major podcast services, so pick your distributor of choice and subscribe. Here are some […]
Pilgrimage: An Annotated Bibliography, Part 3
Pilgrimage: A Medieval Cure for Modern Ills, available for pre-order on Kindle now, available for free through Kindle Unlimited, available in paperback on January 6! I have a new book coming out on January 6. Did you know that? In case you didn’t, let me write that again: I have a new book coming out […]
Pilgrimage: An Annotated Bibliography, Part 2
Pilgrimage: A Medieval Cure for Modern Ills, available for pre-order on Kindle now, available for free through Kindle Unlimited, available in paperback on January 6! I have a new book coming out on January 6. Did you know that? In case you didn’t, let me write that again: I have a new book coming out […]