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 […]
Tag: travel
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 […]
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 […]
What is Breakfast Like on the Way to The Abbey?
I am spending a week volunteering at the restoration of a 12th century fortress on the Camino de Santiago just outside Pamplona in the magnificent countryside of Navarre. I greet passing pilgrims who walk by while the new owner of the property works on the project. They are on their way to Santiago de Compostela […]
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, […]
Hospital de Órbigo to Murias (2012)
Before we left the glorious Albergue Verde, we asked the hospitaleros about the next stop. When you walk off-season like we do, this can be the best information you get all day: where do we stop next? The answer was simple. They recommended we pass up staying in the larger town of Astorga and stop […]