Thank you for reading Buen Camino! I ordered this book prior to starting my second trip to Spain to walk the Camino Santiago. The book provides interesting information into the history of the way and Camino culture. The author has walked many different Camino routes and her experience and information are invaluable for those heading […]
Category: General Info
What Is a Pilgrim?
Caught somewhere between an adventure hiker and a religious zealot lies a pilgrim. Some of us are closer to the one than to the other, some of us aspire to be both. What I have found, though, is the majority of the pilgrims I have known are simpler souls who prefer to keep their allegiance […]
How Do You Get to Oviedo?
I suppose it was meant as a test, a test of how much I really wanted to walk the Camino Primitivo; the oldest of the medieval pilgrimage roads across northern Spain. I think I passed, but maybe there’s more than a few losing elements to this story. I arrived in Madrid mid-morning on Monday, with […]
Random Tips from “Buen Camino!”
Finding your boots – once you arrive at an albergue, you will be asked to remove your boots and leave your hiking poles inside the door, not bringing them into the dormitory. I have seen the horrified look of someone who had another pilgrim mistakenly pick up her boots. It’s not something you ever want […]
Book Review: Buen Camino! Tips From An American Pilgrim by Anne Born
Originally posted on Dragonfly and Prairie Dog 2013 and Beyond:
I was introduced to this book by my long-time friend Tina (it is going on nearly 20 years that we have been friends). Her good friend Anne Born walked the Way of St. James or more commonly known as the El Camino and wrote a book…
Buen Camino! Tips from an American Pilgrim
New BOOK Notice! Not a guidebook, no maps, no long-winded legends or history – just lots of stories and helpful suggestions to anyone planning their first Camino or just waiting to go back. Geared toward American Pilgrims, this book is a must-have, must-read. It’s the perfect companion to your standard guidebooks, like John Brierley, the […]
Seashell, poem by Anne Born (MY PRIZED POSSESSION Poetry and Prose Series)
Originally posted on Silver Birch Press:
Seashell by Anne Born I am a pilgrim. I choose To leave a predictable life, To carry so little, To walk for days and days, To pray in the presence of a saint In a sacred space. The symbol of this pilgrim Is not a full dinner served on…
Volunteering at the Albergue in Ribadiso
So, what is it like to volunteer on the Camino de Santiago in Spain? I thought it might be helpful if I gave you some quick background and an idea of what a day is like – then, you might say, “That’s neat. I could so do that, too!” I have walked the Camino on […]
The Road to Castrojeriz
It starts noticing you, I think, before you notice it. The Convent of San Antón. Impressive, even in ruins. As you approach, you can see the inconvenience of the road vs. the ruin. But the simple solution preserves them both. And the effect is both monumental and a little sad that what the nuns lost, […]
Roncesvalles to Zubiri (2014)
On our way out of town, we took a few photos next to the road marker: 790 km to Santiago de Compostela. It’s kind of a rite of passage, I guess, to show the first steps taken in one’s pilgrimage. I like to tell people though, that the pilgrimage starts when you decide to go, […]
Tumbleweed Pilgrim 