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…
Author: renaissancerebecca
How Not to Lose Weight on the Via Podiensis
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…
Sightseeing in Le Puy-en-Velay
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…
Le Puy-en-Velay
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…
The Hidden Passageways of Lyon
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…
Camino training–in Lyon
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 Remembered or Learned in Madrid
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)…
Summer Plans Part 1 (or San Antón Part 2)
This summer marks the first year I will be able to travel for multiple weeks in Europe without having to: Quit my job. Find a job upon my return. Live off my savings. Why? Because I did a most stunning thing one year ago: I accepted a full-time teaching position. I’ve been on the planet long enough…
How to get to Europe for $183.53
If you want to go to Europe and think flights are too expensive, stop saying that. Here’s how I paid a grand total of $183.53 for a flight from Newark to Madrid (via Dublin) and returning to JFK (via Dublin). Apply for a Chase Sapphire Preferred card. There’s no annual fee for the first year,…
A Camino Surprise
“When you think of the Camino, what’s the typical scene you see in your head?” Michael asked me. We had been talking about walking the Camino de Santiago together next summer and Michael, true to form, was beginning his research. Or so I thought. “Well, there are lots of different scenes. It depends on which…
RenaissanceRebecca 