Walking the Camino de Santiago

Updated:  Tim survived his night without heat and sent these pictures which he asked me to add.  Enjoy! Today was supposed to be a short walk to my next albergue.  Maybe I was enjoying the walk too much or perhaps I typed the address into the GPS incorrectly, but, regardless, I overshot the town and ended up in the middle of nowhere before I realized what had happened.  The concept of heading back over the mountain was not a good one.  I was feeling good and doing what pilgrims do... walking toward Santiago! The place I found is another free-offering pilgrim house.  This one is run by an Italian group and some part of the Italian Catholic Church.  There are lots of pictures of various popes and reconstruction of this building.  Tonight we will be cooking pasta together.  Tomorrow will now become my short day, as I made more progress today. The interesting part of this place is that there is no electricity here, by design.  We will eat by...

Leaving the big city early this morning, I intended to get back in alignment with the stages in my travel book.  The challenge would be to secure a bed tonight in the planned town. The walk leaving the city was a bit grueling.  There were more industrial areas and big highways to cross - not a lot for us pilgrims nor any services.   Finally, I reached a town where I could grab some breakfast.  The best part was again gathering with my fellow family members as they joined me at the restaurant.  When I arrived at my planned stop, all the albergues I checked were completely full.  The only two options were to try the municipal albergue or walk 6.8 miles more to the next town. I waffled and then, digging deep, clicked on  booking.com  and booked lodging in the next town down the road.  Leaving town again, I joined up with a Brazilian friend and we walked the additional 6+ miles together. This made it another 18-mile ...

Today’s walk started in a very small town.  It was so small, in fact, that they didn’t have a store or any restaurants.  It was j ust one of the little towns along the Camino.  (Evidently the previous town had an amazing hamburger place that folks were all raving about this morning.    Who knew?) However, my town had a bed for me and that was more important.  Today was also “Ladies Day” as I enjoyed conversations with a couple of women doing the Camino.   It is fun to hear all the stories of why folks are doing this journey.   The company passes the time quickly.  We also found the most amazing small restaurant in the middle of nowhere.   Best pilgrim food so far!   The day’s walk ended as we dropped back into civilization and the city of Burgos.  You start by walking the perimeter of the airport and then into a large industrial area.  That gives way to a large downtown with lots shops. ...

Being Sunday, I thought a small devotional would be appropriate.  This is one of my favorites from Max Lucado.   It is called I Choose and modified slightly for the Camino.   It’s as quiet as it gets in the albergue.  It’s early.  For the next 12 hours I’ll be exposed to the demands of walking The Way.  It’s now that I must make a choice.   And so, I choose… I choose love.  I will love God and what God loves. I choose joy. I choose peace.   I will live forgiven. I choose patience.   Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I’ll thank God for a moment to pray. I choose kindness, for that’s how God has treated me. I choose goodness. I choose faithfulness.  Today I’ll keep my promises. My wife will not question my love. I choose gentleness.  If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. I choose self-control.  I will be impassioned only by my faith and influenced only by God. Love, joy, ...

I started the Camino with a couple of self-imposed “rules” for the trip. I wanted to walk the entire route carrying my gear and I didn’t want to pre-book all my rooms.  I wanted to see what God had planned. So far, I have carried my backpack the entire way; however, as noted before, I started booking lodging ahead due to the crowds and planned tour groups. Today I arrived a bit early at my booked albergue and waited until 13:00 when they opened.  Around opening time, a man showed up with his cellphone and translated that they would not be opening today.  Seems the hot water heater died and they couldn’t open to guests.  What about my paid reservations?   What about options?  He just kept saying no rooms.   I checked a few places in town and found “no room in the inn” in this city, so I made the decision to keep walking to the next city.  Why not?  It will position me for the next 3 nights where I know I...

This morning came early as I was staying in another albergue with lots of beds, so it was early to bed and early to rise.  As I was waiting for the dawn, I checked my blog and was delighted by my balcony people’s comments!  I can’t tell you how much strength comes from your encouragement and enthusiasm for my adventure. For those who don’t know Balcony People, by Joyce Landorf Heatherley, you might want to check it out.  It was one of my mom’s favorite books.  It is a good reminder that we need each other and the support of people cheering us on from the balcony.  This is God’s plan. When I walked into town yesterday, the area seemed a bit rundown.   However, leaving today I passed a beautiful trail by the river and what resembles Sedona, Arizona.  It was a good reminder that we are to build our lives on the rock of our Lord.   I also saw another big reconstruction project underway at the town cathedral. ...