First sighting of Santiago This is my first time approaching Santiago de Compostela from the south. On the Camino Frances, the entry to the city is less charming and seems to be walking through an endless suburbia of busy roads. On this route, topping the brow of a hill on small roads, there it is in all [...]
Sow's ears Sorry I haven't posted for several days. I always need to find a reliable source for Wifi and it isn't always available when walking the Camino. I was in Orense and trying all sort of tapas, including Pig's ears. Three generation from the family run this restaurant including a nineteen-year-old who is washing these ears [...]
In my book "My Camino Walk - A Way to Healing," (IslandCatEditions 2016 Kindle, Kobo, iTunes) I had written that, when walking, the rhythm of the pace can cause a tune going through my head. It is not always a voluntary choice and there's nothing you can do to change it. Back in 2010, it was "Ten Green Bottles." [...]
Was feeling congested during the night from my cold and not looking forward to walking especially as the weather is forecasted cold. Normally I would be on the road by 7.30 a.m One possibility was to take a train one stage beyond. Procrastination has its advantages. By the time I had had breakfast at a local cafe and found [...]
I would like to say that I left my luxury suite in Puebla de Sanabria well-rested and in good shape. The reality is that I have caught a cold. I imagine it is from the accumulated changes in temperatures. Around Easter Week, temperatures were in the high twenties - low thirties in the whole of Spain. This is usually [...]
A view from my hotel The reality is that, despite the reflection I see in the mirror, just occasionally I should act my full consecutive number of years. I took the day off and booked myself into the Posada de las Misas in Puebla de Sanabria. Quite apart from the spectacular view, it has a full-size jacuzzi [...]
Lentil Stew Several days ago, I found myself by accident staying at a old farm house called Casa Camino in a small community called Riego del Camino run by three young women: an Italian who speaks with a remarkably Scottish accent, a Scots woman and an Irish woman. When I say by accident, I don't plan where [...]
In my best-selling book entitled "My Camino Walk-- A Way to Healing," I had made two statements that I am wondering whether they are the truth. I had said that one needs the contrast of walking through industrial parks or along major highways to truly appreciate the beauty of nature. I take that back because I am fully aware [...]
It's as if I have started a new journey and, because I have moved on, I will be sorry not to see the people that I have got to know during the past two weeks. However, I realize that it's important not being attached to certain outcomes. It's just more baggage just as heavy as the physical stuff one [...]
I have a guidebook for the Via de la Plata that is sparse on detail, descriptive passages, possibly exaggerated, that might make Etobicoke look like a garden city, and divides the journey into 'manageable' stages. Although to date I have enjoyed immensely the landscapes, rolling hills and flatlands hypnotically beautiful, looking ahead there are consecutive stretches of 40 kilometre [...]
