“Don’t let your fears load your pack,” Rick said to me on our third day on the Camino. He’d read this advice on a Camino Forum, but admitted he didn’t follow it close enough. As we walked along, he decided to heed this advice and let go of his bedbug spray. Years ago the hostels…
Month: May 2012
‘God: Is This the Right Way?’
The trail marker was ambiguous. I thought it pointed to the mowed path off to our right. My new friend Michel thought it meant we were to stay on the paved road we were on. I recalled that my map indicated we’d be walking along a road for most of the day, so I listened…
Everyone Walks Their Own Camino
Rémy and I placed our orders for paella at a cafe on the square in Pamplona. It had been a long day walking the Camino and we still had a few more kilometers to go. Our packs sat on the ground next to our table. As we sat sipping our beer, I saw Antoine walking…
Packing List: Hiking Shoes, Sunscreen, Rocks?
Rocks are not the first things I’d think to bring on a 480-mile pilgrimage walk across northern Spain. Hiking shoes, dry-wicking shirts, sunscreen: yes. But rocks? Though not shown on any packing list, I would wager that many of my fellow pilgrims along the route to Santiago de Compostela (a journey popularly known as the…
This Pilgrim´s Path
Note: This post was originally written by Rebecca Gallo and published on bustedhalo.com. Why would a woman with serious doubts about her Catholic faith embark on a 480-mile pilgrimagetrail across northern Spain? Maybe I’ll know by the time I finish. For now, the answer to that question is this: I just know it’s something I’m…
And She’s Off…Again
While most of you are sleeping soundly tonight, I’ll be 30,000 feet in the air trying to do the same. At 10pm, I leave JFK and head to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. From there, it’s a bit an adventure to get to my starting point for the Camino: St. Jean Pied-de-Port. Thursday, May…
A Test Run
I don’t know that I’ll ever shake that initial jolt of fear that shoots through me when I arrive alone in a foreign country. I follow the crowd through the terminal to baggage claim. Traveling only with carry-on luggage, this is where I abandon them. I look around to find the bus or train I…
RenaissanceRebecca 