Pilgrim Days – Camino de Santiago

As a lead up to the release of my book “SU Camino…”, I’ve been posting here portions of my poetic portrayal of a pilgrim’s day on the Camino de Santiago, from my perspective, as we walked 40 kilometers per day on the Camino Francés during the hot summer month of July. Below, I’ve included that rendering in its entirety:

11540920_10206638112849934_2132594520823194943_n

Up into the Pyrenees from St Jean

Parts of parts: In his delightful Camino narrative “I’m Off Then”, Hape Kerkeling says the pilgrim’s day is a “microcosm” of one’s total Camino journey; hard to get going in the beginning and exhausted but happy in the end. The pilgrim, the thru-hiker, the spiritual-adventurer takes to the day, sluggish but expectant and experiences a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, day after day, Camino after Camino.

(more…)

Lone Ant

IMG_2136Sometimes on the Camino de Santiago you find yourself alone. Not one person ahead of you nor behind. Not too often during the busy months, but sometimes. You
are like that lone ant you see on the track, (more…)

On Goes the Camino

Version 2

And we’re—moving on: On goes the Camino, snaking through countryside, pueblo and city. Past grand cathedral and red corn poppies. Oh, the red corn poppies. The heat of the day presents itself before we are aware. Now we sweat (or perspire) and our pace slows. Should we rest in the shade or get our trek over for the day? There is no shade.

Amador County – Wine Tasting in the Rain

vineyard-rain-5406978

 

 

 

 

Northern California’s beauty is found even on a grey dreary day. El Niño’s influence was unmistakable during a recent quiet weekday visit in early January. The weather wet and cold, with periods of heavy downpour, still, undeterred, great friends treated Kathey and me to a wonderful day of wine tasting. What better pastime than to drive about Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley in the Sierra Nevada foothills, sipping classic zinfandels—originally from Croatia—and other varietals from Spain, (more…)

Camino Vistas

The morning hours prove delightful—once the senses have awoken. As the sun slowly rises a church steeple casts a shadow over its congregation and the vast countryside brightens before us. This time of day provides great lighting for those pictures we take back home, on camera or in our minds. Rolling wheat fields. A village in the distance. Pilgrims fore and aft. We are alive.