“I haven’t been walking too far each day,” I told Dominic, my walking companion for the past two hours.  “But you walk fast!” he said. “Well, in the mornings, yes. But in the afternoons, not really. And if there’s a climb? I go like this,” I said, slowing my pace, putting my head down, and…

We could say our heroine walked alone on the afternoon of her seventh day on the Via Podiensis, but that would only be partially true. Though she was mostly devoid of human companionship on that day, she did manage to find companionship of another kind.  On Saturday, June 24, 2017, after a lunch of bread,…

Tuesday, June 20, Day 3: Monistrol d’Allier to La Clauze (19.2 km/12 miles) Our heroine has the habit of getting into trouble on the third day of her Caminos. We recall her first Camino when, at the suggestion of new Camino friends, she walked past her intended stop of Zubiri in favor of a promised…

Sunday, June 18, 2017, Le Puy-en-Velay, France In Le Puy-en-Velay, pilgrims are encouraged to begin their journey by attending a pilgrim mass that is offered daily at 7 a.m. Many attend whether they are religious or not.    I climbed the steps to the cathedral at 6:50 a.m. greeted by a smiling David. Fifteen pilgrims…

Despite walking 12-15 miles per day, I have never lost weight while doing a Camino. Dinner last night at the Gite d’Étape LaGrange will help you understand why. Along the Camino routes in France, a pilgrim can stay at “gîtes.” They are privately owned by a local families. Rooms have 2-4 beds in them, but…

Last we left our heroine, she was about to spend her first night in her small cabin on the hill in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. She arrived to find the door more than a few feet in a jar. She walked in and saw that her roommate Isabelle had already gone to sleep, and left the…

Girl leaves Lyon, France to head to her Camino starting point: Le Puy-en-Velay. One train and one un-air-conditioned bus later, she arrives. She hikes up out of the city 15 minutes to her cabin home away from home. She arrives two hours before she planned, and the owners are not there. There is a note…

Girl visits third largest city in France. Decides she wants some nature. And some information. And some company. So signs up for the 1015 tour of the Parc de la Tête d’Or that meets at her hostel.  Only one other person shows up for the tour: Michelle is an American from Colorado traveling Europe solo…

I think the best practice for the Camino is traveling around Europe the week prior. More specifically: Go to Lyon and head towards the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière at the top of the hill. See some stairs and think, “They don’t look that bad.” Get to the top of the stairs, and find even…

Things I’ve learned or recently recalled: 1) Do not wear convertible hiking pants through airport security. Zippers. Snaps. Don’t do it. 2) Fly home via Dublin if at all possible. They do US customs at the Dublin airport, so you just walk off the plane as usual when you arrive back in the US. 3)…