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Camino de Santiago
  • Sarah Koch
  • Jon Koch
  • Sarah Koch
  • Jon Koch

Camino de Santiago

"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking."
-Friedrich Nietzsche.
Walking is slow and deliberate. Getting to deep conversations can be too. Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 14, 2022
  • Camino de Santiago

    On our way

    June 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After a very long day of dividing and conquering a college orientation and a trip to Illinois to drop off Daisy Dog at “grandma camp” and then a long drive ahead of the storms down to Indy for a short night of rest…we are now off! (That was a long sentence.) Aiden met a few classmates and has his classes set for next year. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane and Jon got to see his mom for a quick lunch before we leave. (We owe her a huge mound of thanks for taking the dog for us so that poor Daisy doesn’t have to sit in a kennel for three weeks.) Our cat, on the other hand, may end up feral by the time we return. (Don’t worry, we have a neighbor girl who said she’d keep him fed.)Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    12

    Arrive in Paris

    June 15, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We arrived in Paris after about 5 hours of sleep in the past three days. (The flight put us in Paris at 2am Indy time but 7 am Paris time- since it is pretty hard to sleep on a plane and I was distracted by the plane’s trivia game (I felt the need to smoke PJ whoever that was) none of us slept that night and the check in for our room was 3pm. That meant we had the whole day with all our stuff to wander. Aiden got an A on his test on French public transportation and he proved it by confidently getting us into the city. Since the point of the trip is to walk with all we need for the trip on our backs I decided we couldn’t really complain. But it is HOT in Paris and always crowded. We rented bikes and decided to hit the top sites all around the city since Jon and I decided that popping up from the subway doesn’t give you a good feel for where you are (we’ve done that method of site seeing here before but both times it was winter and cold). The biking seemed like a good idea because Paris is supposed to be a bike friendly town but I felt like cars and pedestrians were just daring me to play chicken with them and I always chickened out. I decided biking around Paris is not as romantic as it sounds. The trail on the Seine is fine but the Champs Elysees by bike is not for the faint of heart (more power to you, Tour de France riders. That’s some bumpy cobblestone!). I had never seen the Arc de Triomphe so close up and it was a lot bigger than I thought! Napoleon is still taking revenge on the foreign cultures because Jon got his ATM card eaten by a machine at Napoleon’s tomb. Now we are a little concerned about how to acquire cash for the little alburgues in Spain. We still have one more but now we are hesitant to use it.

    Aiden and Ollie’s French has been useful to me and especially their knowledge of culture and history. Aiden even understood the significance of the bike locks on the bridge to Sainte Chapelle. I would have missed that detail had he not known. Madame Blaz has done her job! We even ate baguette hot dogs today because Aiden did a presentation on them for school once. Ollie always acts like he doesn’t pay attention in school but he definitely can pick up where Aiden leaves off. He’s pretty sharp.

    We are staying in a hostel because we had to really spread the grant money thin since I did the budget 2 years ago. We have our own room and many families are here but in true French style what they advertised as air conditioning is really just a fan that doesn’t stay on and a window that doesn’t open all the way. It is hot. (Did I mention that?!) The cool breezes of the Pyrenees will be welcome.    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    11

    Art Day

    June 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We had early morning tickets to see some art so after a lovely breakfast and good strong coffee we hit the bikes again and risked our lives in the Paris streets. We were 30 minutes late for our time slot but Aiden said it was very Parisian of us to be late. It didn’t matter anyway because no one even checked our tickets! (Note to self, just walk in like you belong there and save the dough!) Here’s where Daniel shined. He has read every Rick Riorden book on the planet and really knows his Greek and Roman gods. The Mona Lisa was in the new room which is nice considering the last time we were there she was in a dark hallway. I prefer the big art anyway over her. The Wedding at Cana is more my style.

    Then Saint Chappelle- I heard Daniel walk in and say “whoa!” That says it all.    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    Parisian hostel
    Bordeaux Hilton RiverviewOur breakfast room in ParisDaniel misunderstood the point of the wading pool11

    South toward the trail

    June 17, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    It was a confusing and tense morning of ticket and train matching. What would have been a simple fix in the old days of lots of station masters who can answer questions is now just a guy you wait in line for an hour to talk to who has no power to touch a Eurrail pass. I think God solved the problem for us. I think. 🤔 I activated our passes but according to my app it called my activation date my first day of travel (we get four) That leaves us one day short. I had reservations to get on the train today and I had activated the passes yesterday but my misunderstanding of what “activation” meant has us messed up. They say on the trail “the Way” will provide. The ticket collector was satisfied with the reservation tickets and didn’t actually check my Eurrail pass. That gives us back a day. The Way did provide. (Before you think I’m getting too mystical, read John 14:6. That’s my understanding of The Way.)

    So now we are getting out of the city on the TGV going 300 km/hr for a smaller, slower town. Jon and I have never been to Bordeaux and since the train from Paris to St Jean ran though here anyway we decided to get off and look around. Paris, a city known for style and fashion was hard for me with my three practical zero fashion hiking outfits and no makeup or styling products. I’m sure I looked like a homeless person to them but on the trail I think I’ll fit right in.

    I think the whole world is in a heat wave right now. It’s 104 F in Bordeaux. Yuck. It will cool off before the hike but it will also be rainy. Hmmmmm. Which is better?!

    On the upside, our two rooms in the Hilton are luxurious compared to that one room in the hostel in Paris. (These were way cheaper too!)

    I also saw another couple that was dressed like us- probably other Camino hikers. Slobs unite!

    We went to the old town of Bordeaux which turns out was settled by the Romans. I drank from an ancient Roman well (I’m sure the water was fine) and we stumbled on a cathedral that was built in 800’s. No… not 1800’s! My bucket list thing was to put my 104F feet into the Miroir d eau.

    Considering Europe is known for their lack of ice and tepid beer I’m surviving considerably better than I’d have thought. I just really want an ice cold water though.    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    First stamp
    Hoosiers on the Camino provided shells for us indicating pilgrim status.The Way provided frozen ice cream snacks in our way out of townView from our alburgue door

    Hiking into the clouds- Orrison

    June 19, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We left our sweet little pension in St Jean and headed into the Pyrenees this morning. Wait- let me talk about the pension before I forget. Last night I went to sleep listening to the laughter and murmurs of the bar down the street and happy pilgrims about to begin their journey. I woke this morning to the sounds of pilgrims on their way down the street and at 7am when I set my alarm, the church bell drowned out my artificial ring tone- calling everyone in. Soon sounds of singing drifted down the street into our window. It was lovely.

    Last night was hot… remember… 108 degrees yesterday?! And Jon and I only had a window. The boys slept in the attic and had an air conditioner and when I went up to wake them up their room was actually chilly!!! At least THEY had a good night’s sleep.

    The heat wave broke today and although it is still very very humid, the temperature was suitable and an answer to my prayers. We left at 9am and the breezes from the mountains kept us moving higher. I could NOT have done today’s hike with yesterday’s temperatures. The Way provided.

    We are staying the night in an ancient shepherd’s house in an alburgue. There is a community meal tonight and we ordered sandwiches for our lunch tomorrow. I made all of these plans months ago at Christmas so it has been hard for me to remember what I planned which has been fun because it’s like a surprise for me!

    The community meal felt like a scene from an old epic poem. We all sat and ate as a community at the hearth of a large stone fireplace and everyone introduced themselves and explained why they were there. The conversation was really cool-listening to stories of people from all over. I sat by a young 20’s German kid who quit his job as an engineer for Mercedes’ Benz to live on a commune and teach yoga. The dinner was chicken soup and veggies with a basque cake. I was starving and it was delicious. Even Daniel ate his veggies!

    Oh also huge shout out to Jon for Fathers Day. I am grateful that he is willing to follow me on this crazy adventure! (And we really do make a good travel team- ask us to clean out the garage together and that’s a different story.)

    It didn’t rain today. Will the weatherman be wrong again tomorrow?!    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    11Sun!!!1Albergue1Daniel got some weird sketchy gum from a vending machineOllie went for the jelly beans in a can1Ollie befriending a house3Dinner

    Orrison to Roncesvalles

    June 20, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    There were no storms or rain today in the Pyrenees as the weatherman predicted but we did walk through the clouds.

    Breakfast was a small pilgrims breakfast of bread and jam. I think the boys had hoped for more. But we grabbed our sandwiches for lunch and took off up the mountain following the yellow arrows. Most of us were prepared with waterproof backpack covers but Jon sent his pack ahead with a courier because he was worried about his backpack getting soaked. He went with nostalgia when he chose his backpack because it’s the pack he had carried through Europe many times. He didn’t have a cover for his as a result like the rest of us. He enjoyed a pack-free hike today as a result.

    We climbed and climbed into the clouds- only seeing sunshine at the very top before heading back down on the other side. My hair and raincoat were soaked but everything else stayed dry. Along the way we could hear the baaa’s of sheep and mooo’s of cows and especially the eerie sounds of the low ringing from the bells they wore around their necks. We could only see them when they were very close because the fog was so thick but we knew they were around us.

    They trail was tough but as we climbed higher and higher there were safety stops for shelter in storms or for calling for help. I think many people have died en route (we saw a few memorials) and this is a modern solution. Wells for water are plentiful too. There was even a food truck in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. It was on our map and a true landmark on the trail. We bought a mid morning granola bar from him and used his WC (a rock behind the truck) and got another stamp and felt refreshed for a few more hours of hiking.

    We made it to the old monastery in Roncesvalles by 1:30 and reunited with many of our Orisson friends. The alburgue is very old (end of 12th century) practical and clean. Extremely efficient. No shoes inside at all! We sleep in cubbies of 4 bunks in huge rooms. Each room holds 100 people. I used my Z-quill to sleep last night and it worked great so I think I’m going that route again tonight to drown out the snorers.

    We had a snack on the patio of fried food and beer while we waited for the room to open at 2pm and now await the evening meal by showering and taking an afternoon siesta. (We are in Spain by the way now.)

    Dinner was a 3 course meal (The hungry pilgrims were very pleased except for the poor vegetarian at our table). Again we sat with some fun Americans we roomed with last night in Orisson (one is a middle school math teacher) and a fun German woman we met in Orisson. I’ll be sad to lose them when we pass them up in Pamplona.

    Speaking of… I have heard rumors of fires driving pilgrims off the road near Pamplona. That could be the next obstacle.    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    Pilgrims chapel in Roncesvalles.old
    Witches woods monumentAt the end of the trail when I realized I should have taken a picture of the spineCatchin' crawdads1Kitty heaven

    Rocesvalles to Zubiri

    June 21, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today was test of our endurance. The mountains of the Pyrenees in our last two days were hard but we were starting with fresh legs. Today I started sore and it was a long 22 km hike through the foothills on what the boys dubbed the spine of the Pyrenees. Some kind of seismic uplift created a sideways shale spine of rocks which was our trail. I didn’t get a good picture of it but it was brutal on the feet. I just yearned for flat ground. Twenty two km isn’t easy but it’s even harder balancing on spikey rocks. But we did it and the waters of Zubiri was a great reward in the shadow of a 12th c. bridge. Our hostel is clean and new and has laundry with free soap so we couldn’t pass that chance up. The little yard has a clothesline for us to use.

    We kept leap-frogging with people we knew on the trail the whole way here. The first part of the hike was beautiful going through woods (one of the areas has a sign that said that it was called “witches woods” because 9 witches were burned at the stake there! Spooky!!!), little farm towns and playing with the cats who greeted us knowing that pilgrims often bring food and head rubs. Daniel was in Heaven. We bought lunch at a Mercado and I carried a grande baguette a few hours (it kept rubbing into low pine tree branches on the trail but don’t tell my people- what they don’t know won’t hurt them). We ate it at an outdoor restaurant with a few other familiar faces from the trail.

    Dinner was the ONLY restaurant in Zubiri but thankfully we got there before the crowd and got a table. We told the next wave of people (again- friends from the trail) to drink lots of beer because it was going to be a long wait. We ate off the pilgrim’s menu but thankfully we had some choices. I had paella and flan. The wine was a mere 2 euros a glass. Since we are early, Jon and the boys are playing cribbage in our little backyard with astroturf. (Btw, we keep running into a Korean mom and son who cook their food wherever they land! Tonight they are also in our albergue. They are carrying carrots and rice in their packs. Impressive!)    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago

    Yo soy Juan

    June 21, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Buenos noches.
    Esta es mi primera Relive Video. Te gusta?
    Y me afeite.

    See translation
  • Camino de Santiago

    End of roncessvalles to zubiri

    June 21, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    I keep forgetting to start recording at the beginning of our hike. Oh well. This one is from tuesday, when we (most of us) were feeling pretty good. For a time, Ollie carried my pack and daniel carried two - his and Ollie’s — to try to help me overcome some feet and blister problems (and just keep up in general). Bless them.Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    Ollie found a guitar at our last albergue
    Getting a stamp1Daniel wanted a workout and carried two packsUrban food trucks1Always throwing rocks11Not deterred

    Zubiri to Pamplona

    June 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We have a wrench in the plan. It changes everything. I’ll get to that in a minute.

    Yesterday started well again. I think we were in a very nice groove of hiking by 9am and we felt like we were making good time. Jon has had some feet issues that has slowed him down a bit but he’s a trooper and isn’t complaining. He bought new boots for the trip and didn’t quite break them in enough. Also he has a heat rash all over his feet which also has turned into blisters. On the other hand Aiden brought a pair of hole-y sneakers (which I was horrified to see him wearing when it was too late at the airport because I asked him if he needed new shoes). His feet are fine and so are the rest of ours. Go figure. We got a stamp a few hours into our hike by a volunteer at a church who was also giving advice. Our goal was to stay ahead of the ladies group who had no image of athleticism but somehow was always on our tail catching up to us when we had just seen them doing yoga in a town square. How do they do it?!

    We always seem to drag after lunch and the last two hours are rough. But we made it to Pamplona by 2pm and checked into our air conditioned hotel!! Yay!!! Ollie and I went to the train station to get jet out reservations for Sarria. Here’s the snafu. No reservations available. Not for a week! We can’t get on a train!!!! The renfe site wouldn’t let me book the tickets ahead of time using my Eurail pass so it had to be in person. I worried about this part of the trip but assumed they could add more cars on a train if it fills up. Nope. I think it’s a combination of fires south blocking the trail, pope announcement that he’s going to Santiago, and maybe some construction on a route. It’s the trifecta of problems for us. In fact there are no trains to northwest spain at all. So… what do we do? Here’s our plan so far. We booked another night in Pamplona to rest and decide. Today we talk to the pilgrim’s office and make a solid plan. To be continued….    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    View from our hotel windows.
    Awesome pilgrim helper dudeDonner kebab

    Stuck in Pamplona

    June 23, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I left off this journal yesterday not knowing if we were going to get out of Pamplona and if we would even finish our journey. We went to bed after a few prayers a very lovely bottle of local wine (the waitress for some reason gave me the whole bottle?!) and slept in a great hotel with air conditioning and was served a genuine all you can eat breakfast (the boys made good on that deal) and suddenly the answer was in front of us. We needed to ask the pilgrims office for help. It just so happened to be right around the corner from our hotel. The pilgrims office helper called around and typed into his computer like a mad man and threw out the wild idea of taking an over night bus to Sarria. We had to decide how badly we wanted to finish this. Our other option was to head to the Mediterranean and sit in Barcelona for a week. Everyone agreed to continue on. I guess we are on a mission (dare I say “from God”?!). We leave tonight at 10:30pm and get to Sarria at 10:33am tomorrow. Then we start hiking again. Now, I know my limits. And there is no way I can do a 24km hike after a red eye bus ride. So we booked a taxi service to get us right at the 100km mark outside Santiago so our compestellas are still legit. We hike 10km (much easier) and stay in an apartment in Pontmarin and we are back on track with timing. I had already canceled all of my hotel and albergue bookings so we wouldn’t lose money when I thought we wouldn’t make it. So now we hike like real pilgrims with no plans and hope for the best. Buen Camino! (God is protecting us and helping is through the journey! I kind of think these frustrations are all a part of his plan to teach us. The boys definitely learned how to handle set backs. No one panicked. No one argued. We just worked it out and the answer was presented to us.)

    So what did we do with our time today? We walked around town and saw the running of the bulls road and the stadium. We saw the wall and the park. We sat in a cafe for hours while it rained and had hot chocolate and churros. It was a day of resting our legs. Jon bought some new shoes and socks and is already free of his heat rash. Oh. Also, I insisted on Donner Kebab for dinner. I lived in that stuff when Jon worked in Germany and I roamed the streets of Heidelberg every day. It was a fond trip down memory lane for me. Tomorrow we catch up to our schedule and are back on track.    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    1100km marker1Got 3 stamps today!1Daniel can sleep anywhere

    Back on the trail. Portomarin

    June 24, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    After a rough night of buses and transfers and masks and more buses, we made it to Sarria. The taxi was waiting for me with a sign. (I’ve always wanted that!) We had him take us to the 100km (to go) marker and we hiked from there in very little sleep. It was only about 8km and everyone was a trooper. It was a beautiful hike and perfect weather. The crowds are thicker and the pilgrims are less athletic. (I saw a3 year old hiking!)

    We took the bus to Sarria (the train was broken) with some girls from Boston and they had been traveling for 36 hours. They missed their train and there was no chance of getting on another one. They looked beat.

    It feels good to be back on the trail and I’m glad we chose to continue. When you have a goal in mind, it is hard to let go. We are all tired and ready for bed at 6pm but glad to be back in action. By the way, our housing tonight is an entire apartment with 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms. We decided to go to the grocery store and pick up frozen pizzas for dinner rather than wait for the Spanish eating time of 7pm. It was a good move but the bar outside my window is a bit raucous. I bet I’m so tired it won’t matter. Daniel is already asleep. He can sleep anywhere and he sure is tired. (Even he admitted though that he’s glad to be back on the trail.)    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago

    Video: portomarin a palais de rai

    June 25, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Today’s video. Some sun. Some rain. Then some sun again. Many peregrinos. A parade of ~60 SEATs. (Like an old fashioned beetle, but with an even smaller air cooled engine.) An albergue run by CRU volunteers that provided shelter, snacks, drinks and old spanish farmhouse ambience…started by an american in 1990 who raised funds to buy the house. 25 km.Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    3My favorite food so farWhat are these things?It felt like Vegas! Flashing "open" signGuy walking his cowWelcome missionariesFree lemonade!66km to go!Ollie's new credentialPalas de ReiCrazy parade of weird cars

    Portomarin to Palas de Rei

    June 25, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The trail today seemed crowded when we started. I have a feeling there will be more and more pilgrims the closer we get to Santiago. Ollie said with disgust “ugh, there are so many sinners around here!” By the time we got past a humongous group of Spanish teenagers we were feeling less like we were in a shopping mall. I ran into the Boston girls and we were glad we all made it after that rough bus ride ride to Sarria.

    We miss our friends from the beginning. It’s harder to make friends on the trail now because there are more people and more places to stay. In Orisson to Roncessvalles there were only one place each so everyone knew the same people. Now we are all spread out and we don’t all eat together at night. I’m so glad we started in St Jean to get that experience. The trip to Sarria was annoying but I don’t regret the decision to start there.

    The way had good temps today. We enjoyed a steady stride and stopped twice -once for coffee and and an amazing egg casserole and once for a sandwich which we all shared. We never even ate our lunch but no one seemed hungry. We made it to our apartment by 3:15. Not bad. It was our longest day yet but tomorrow will be even longer.

    To break up the monotony the Way found ways to entertain us today. Once we stumbled into a cute little centuries old barn turned missionary center. They gave out free coffee and cookies and lemonade. It was bought years ago by an American and run by volunteers from all over the world who want to spread the Gospel. It was the perfect cozy respite out of a drizzle of rain. Then we were greeted on the road by a crazy parade of 60 little cars all in different colors in a parade honking and waving and playing La Cucaracha in their horn. Many had a wicker picnic basket strapped to the roof and some also had a bottle of wine up there too. They were all happy to see the pilgrims and enjoyed the attention we gave them as they drove past.

    It did start to downpour at about 6km to go. But it stopped soon after and I was mostly dry by the time we walked into town.

    One sad thing did happen today. Ollie lost his pilgrim’s passport. I started a new one for him with a postcard on the trail but we aren’t sure what it means for his compestella and it was a cool souvenir and proof of a cool accomplishment. I posted that it was lost on the Americans on the Camino Facebook page. And one lady reminded him that the Camino is really in your heart, not on paper. Ollie says he’s fine with it but as his mom I feel bad for him. Who knows? Maybe the Way will provide. We know that penance and a piece of paper does not grant forgiveness and that only comes through the grace of God. But you know… it’s still fun. We did get him a Spanish credential at the church in Palas de Rei. Now his is different which makes it special. He is behind in stamps but he can still collect the stamps along the way. (You have to have at least 100km worth of stamps by Santiago.

    Speaking of collecting stamps. It’s like an ancient game of Pokemon Go. It is fun to get the cool ones. I have one with a guy rocking on his guitar. That one is my favorite.    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    Out the door by 7:30
    2Doggie1New member of the famCivil guard protecting the pilgrims (and giving out stamps)1KittiesCheese factoryFarmers market1Cool cafe with great musicLizardBored pilgrims will buy anything

    Palais de Rei to Arzua

    June 26, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Today was a 30km day. (That’s 18.6 miles for you English people). We were on the trail by 7:30 which is about half an hour better than our best leave time yet. This is our longest day. Tomorrow should (should?!) be a piece of cake. (Unless we are so sore from today that we can’t move.)

    We walked through a lot of industrial areas today. It wasn’t the most thrilling of the legs. It was long and a bit boring at times. We had to find ways of amusing ourselves so there was a cherry spitting contest after we scored some cherries from a farmers market. There was the school drive playlist sing along - the CD Jon never removed from his car in the 6 years he drove all three boys to school in the mornings. Aiden opened up a can of olives in anchovy paste he bought in a vending machine. And also a can of licorice stuffed with weird colored flavors. I bought a cup of corned nuts from a roadside stand to eat because I was bored. Daniel aways walks with a croissant in his hand to keep himself amused and full of calories. We also were entertained by a singing Irish couple on the trail just when I was about to lose my mind. The Way must have known we needed a diversion.

    Of course we are always amused by the dogs and cats that greet us in every town. We also noticed more weird wildlife this hike- probably because there were fewer things to look at in the distance. We saw a cool green lizard, a really weird octopus mushroom, a big pinching beetle, and some flowers that seemed different.

    Two days left. Oh, and before I forget, this hotel is really cool. A centuries old building gone modern. I’ll post more pictures in the next footprint because I can only do 20 at a time.    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    Inspirational!
    Shepherd

    Arzua to O Pedrouzo

    June 27, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I feel like the entertainment on the trail is becoming about the people rather than the scenery. We’re walking through small towns that are sweet and scenic but by this time we feel like we’ve seen it. The eucalyptus forests smell good and harkened us back to our California days but we’re over that now too. The volume of people on the trail is greater now and the characters are coming out. Today there was a basque walking the Camino on stilts. Ollie says they use stilts to shepherd their flocks so he must be doing it to represent his culture. I walked with “Springfield”(That’s what I call them) today- a couple who live in Springfield Illinois. They started in St Jean and have done the whole thing. There was also “Holland” who started in Holland and has done over 3000km and is almost done. He was having a bad day. I think he’s struggling to return to normal life after walking for the past 148 days straight. He’s two days out from being done, that’s they only reason I can come up with to be having a bad day. Then there’s a man we’ve passed every day now for the last three days. (We pass him every morning which means he walks hours longer than we do to catch up at night and gets up earlier than us to get back in the trail.) He walks with a struggle- one step for every five I can take. I can tell he has to think about the movement every step he takes. He has scars all over his head from surgery. I am embarrassed that all I can think to say is “Buen Camino” as I pass him. There has to be more I can come up with in my limited Spanish to encourage him. I pray he makes it.

    My feet are sore and my shins are killing me but I’ve got 18 km left to go. Tomorrow will feel awesome!    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    122

    We made it! Santiago at last!

    June 28, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today was a good day for most of us. For Jon, it was a test of his grit. As I mentioned briefly, Jon’s feet and legs have not been in a great place. Today his leg and knee were really bothering him. He pretty much limped the whole 18km today. He has grit and he clenched his teeth and did it! The rest of us had to watch him walk in pain. Thankfully, we all made it! The last part of the trip is such a strange experience. I thought it would be like seeing the Emerald City from far off and we would go running to the steps of the cathedral. Actually it was a windy path through downtrodden urban neighborhoods and you couldn’t even see the steeple until you rounded the corner of a bunch of old buildings and suddenly it was there. Not what I imagined. I guess though it is a metaphor and this whole trip is a pilgrimage for self reflection. I know Martin Luther would roll his eyes at me for wanting the compestella but honestly, I think God understands our need for physical gestures to help us believe and understand the heavenly gestures. Why else would He use water and wine and bread? He knows we are weak minded and need something physical to hold onto. The pilgrimage and piece of paper in the end aren’t necessary for forgiveness and grace. But they help us get to the right place to receive forgiveness and believe that it is true.

    I don’t know if it is something I’d frame in my house but I do know I will treasure it and use it to remember this awesome adventure of bonding as a family and sending off our first born into the world. The boys talked for 180km to each other- to us- And hopefully in their heads with God. I feel good about how we solved problems and worked as a team. I’m satisfied with my Camino and feel grateful for this opportunity. What an adventure!

    This evening we went to mass. It was all in Spanish but we knew the order of service and could tell what was happening. They swung the botafumiero at the end which is a special treat. The cathedral was amazing. What a grand finale!

    (By the way, funny that thousands of years of pilgrimage on a holy trail doesn’t trump modern necessities. The trail is clearly moved to go around an airport runway. Funny!)    Read more

    Trip end
    July 2, 2022
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