(Click here to see part one of this tour!) My "book tour" with Pilgrim Paths fit organically--and even surprisingly--with the actual walking I did with the group, starting from the first day. While my primary purpose in Italy was to host a group of 12 older adults as they walked the Way of St. Francis, … Continue reading Pilgrim Paths to Assisi goes on tour (Part 2)
How to find lodging on the Way of St. Francis
The Way of St Francis has many levels of accommodations for pilgrims, from hostels to hotels and everything in between, including rifugios (mountain hostels) agriturismo, convents (monasteries) guest apartments and bed & breakfasts, just to name a few. San Pietro in Vignetto. One of the few pilgrim-only hostels, also a Donativo. Run by the Association … Continue reading How to find lodging on the Way of St. Francis
Using GPX Tracks
Walking the Way of St. Francis is a challenging and deeply rewarding pilgrimage. Florence to Rome, it covers 350 miles (over 550 kilometers) of beautiful vistas, charming villages and hilltop towns as well as rugged forests and mountains. However, navigating it can be tricky; the route is actually a consortium of up to eight different … Continue reading Using GPX Tracks
Learning to follow the signs on the Camino
My first day on the Camino Frances started with breakfast at the Albergue Beilari, in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The lights had come on early and by 6:30 my fellow pilgrims were seated at the long tables in the dining room, ready to eat and start the day. I sleepily got myself up and dressed, headed downstairs to … Continue reading Learning to follow the signs on the Camino
Book sales top 1,000
Last September I published my own book, The Walk of a Lifetime: 500 Miles on the Camino de Santiago, and set the modest goal of selling 1,000 copies in my first year. I'm happy to say that I crossed that milestone early this month, after only ten months, and I'm celebrating. Like many other authors, … Continue reading Book sales top 1,000
Walking the Camino: the inner preparation
From the first that I heard about walking the Camino de Santiago, (and the Camino Frances in particular) I understood it to be a unique spiritual experience and one I would actually dream about for 20 years. This means that the inner preparation for the pilgrimage began decades before that cool and wet March morning in … Continue reading Walking the Camino: the inner preparation
Solitude and mind clarification: Walking the Meseta on the Camino de Santiago
Several pilgrims I met before Burgos told me they planned to skip the Meseta, the broad central Spanish plain. They had heard it was long, dull and monotonous. They were going to take the bus to Leon, cutting out, at very least, seven days of walking. I would not have skipped it for anything. The … Continue reading Solitude and mind clarification: Walking the Meseta on the Camino de Santiago
Feet, Shoes and Mud
Take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snows in the fields and woods, if you would keep your spirits up. Deal with brute nature. Be cold and hungry and weary.Henry David Thoreau--On the Duty of Civil Disobedience My hiking shoes finally gave out on the snowy final trek into Burgos, my 12th day of … Continue reading Feet, Shoes and Mud
Camino Magic
I was in a funk: not enough sleep and not enough caffeine. I had left Puenta La Reina that morning just before sunup on my fifth day of walking, a full moon hanging in the sky directly ahead of me as I crossed the bridge out of town. Now it was mid-morning and I was … Continue reading Camino Magic
How I packed for 500 miles–and what I learned along the Way
On the Camino de Santiago—or any other long-distance trek—bragging rights belong to the person who has the least. I understood this in principle before I left for my six-week, 500-mile pilgrimage on the Camino Frances in the spring of 2018; but after my very first day—24 kilometers (about 15 miles) climbing over the Pyrenees—I understood it … Continue reading How I packed for 500 miles–and what I learned along the Way
Russ Eanes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.