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I took a break from the Camino and explored Bilbao from the medieval Casco Viejo to the ultra-modern Guggenheim Museum. There were people everywhere enjoying the sights and food on a pleasant sunny day. I had my coffee at a nice place down from the Carlton hotel and then Peter and I visited the Guggenheim.Continue reading “Day 7. R and R in Bilbao”

I hope many of you had a chance to watch The Way, Emilio Estevez’ film starring his dad Martin which takes place along the Camino Francés. It was re-released Tuesday for a one day run. It gives a good feel for both the camaraderie and the inner reflection and self-discovery which can occur on theContinue reading “Day 6. Push to Bilbao”

Today’s walk brought us to Gernika, the village bombed by German and Italian warplanes during the Spanish Civil War. We crossed through Bolibar, the ancestral home of Simon Bolivar where we visited a museum commemorating the city’s history and its famous son. We hiked a solid 16 miles of good trail through hilly farming countryside.Continue reading “Day 5.”

Today celebrates the feast day of San Isidro, Isidore the Laborer, patron Saint of farmers and by extension, those who live and work in the countryside. Luis, who runs the Pikua Landetxia Casa Rural where Peter and I spent the night, considers himself a country worker but laments that he does not get to celebrateContinue reading “Day 4. Happy San Isidro Day”

I woke up this morning and fitted a plastic cover over my backpack because rain was predicted all day until late afternoon. I stepped out of the hotel and a vicious wind ripped my plastic cover off. I went back inside to do some more engineering, then went over to Peter’s hotel. My cover survived.Continue reading “Day 3: Lessons in Geology”

I arose at 6:30 and after a quick shower, began reorganizing my backpack and day bag. It takes a few days to get used to the new routine and I wanted to make sure that the items I would need throughout the day were easily accessible. This included placing my Hefty trash can liner whichContinue reading “Day Two: My first “stamp” of the trip”

Day One was a very long day. It started on Thursday at 6 am in Houston and ended up on Friday at 6 pm in Pasaia at the Donibanea Hotel. I arrived at San Sebastián airport, which is actually located in Hondarribia, next to Irun, the Basque city next to France and the official startContinue reading “Day One: the Camino del Norte begins”

The Camino calls. It is almost time to go. Time is a funny thing, as I learned when I retired and discovered I had more “time” to really think about it. Time is as real as the Colorado River that I rafted down a couple weeks ago: flowing, everchanging, evermoving, yet ungraspable. With help fromContinue reading “Heartbeats and Eternal Life”

When I wrote the last post about a month ago, it was on the eve of arriving in Santiago de Compostela. A couple days ago, I sat down and read through all my posts, with a map at my side to help remember the routes and villages I visited. I went through my photos toContinue reading “This is the last post from last year’s Camino de Jaime along the Camino Frances: The next stage of the Camino”

Let’s start with yesterday: Lisa and I walked from Palas de Rei to Arzua, vía Melide, a town well known for its pulperías, or octopus restaurants. Pulpo Gallego is a popular dish throughout Spain. The octopus is boiled until firm but tender and then spiced with paprika and coarse salt and drizzled with olive oil.Continue reading “Today, and Tomorrow”