When my granddaughter, Cosi, asked me why I wanted to walk 400 miles, I said, “to listen.” I should have corrected and said, “It is 500 miles, like walking from your house to Lolo and Nana’s, then walking back to Fresno, and walking back to San Jose again.” I’m sure she might have said, “Your crazy,” and she might be right. Today I crossed the 500 miles milestone. I walked this far in 31 days with 2 days for rest. My knees are sore, and my muscles ache a little bit. Advil has become my friend and I have worn out a pair of shoes and put a pretty good dent in another pair, but I am thankful. Today was a short day and tomorrow as I enter Santiago it will be even shorter. It has been a wonderful journey, I think I have heard and seen God at work. But I will say on the Camino, and I believe in life, many times God works in wondrous and mysterious ways. Beholding the beauty of northern Spain is a gift and the Spanish people have been so kind to an American with lousy Spanish who points a lot...
The final day is not far, just 13 miles, but the thoughts and emotions are big. There are still a few hills to climb and there are more pilgrims on the trail, but mostly I was just grateful for strength, this great opportunity, friendship on the trail and back in California. Thank you so much for following along. The final route was really beautiful until you got into the city and the crowds took over. Santiago is a busy city and people are coming from all over the world. The square in front of the Cathedral is full of emotion as people enter and see this journey completed. Today as we were walking in, I met a couple from Singapore who I had met on the first day. We both had traveled over 500 miles and met again on the final day. It was so fun walking again with Henrik and Lone from Denmark. We laughed, cried, high fived our way to the Cathedral. At dinner tonight, I met 3 ladies who I had just met 2 days ago at breakfast. We are all grateful. Such big smiles. Tomorrow I leave for Pari...
A few days ago, posted about my trip to walk the French Way of the Camino Santiago. I used ChatGPT to write a short article about the history of the walk. I am starting at Roncesvalles instead of Saint Jean, still will have over 400 miles to Santiago. Follow along if you like. The French Way of the Camino de Santiago: A Timeless Pilgrimage The French Way, or Camino Francés, is the most well-known and historically important route of the Camino de Santiago, a centuries-old pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Spanning about 780 kilometers from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago, this route has shaped religious, cultural, and economic life in northern Spain for over a thousand years. The pilgrimage began in the 9th century, after the discovery of Saint James’s tomb. By the 11th and 12th centuries, the French Way became the main route, encouraged by the Christian Reconquista and supported by monasteries, churches, and hospices offer...
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