Historically, a pilgrimage is an act of religious devotion. Pilgrims demonstrate reverence through an act of sustained intention that prioritizes reflection and meditation. Many pilgrims also embark on their long walks seeking atonement for their wrongdoings. As I arrive in Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of the Camino routes (unless you walk on to […]
Read more "Yom Kippur in Santiago"I’ve arrived in Astorga, back on foot after biking from Burgos. It feels like I’m entering a final stage of this journey. They say the first part of the Camino is physical, the middle mental, and the final part spiritual. I do feel like a good bit of the past couple weeks was spent building […]
Read more "Pamplona to Astorga: My Camino adolescence comes to an end"I finally encountered another Deadhead on the Camino- a woman about my age from Philadelphia who had a stealie on her hat. These are some thoughts that came out of a nice conversation we had about Grateful Dead music and improvised, goalless adventures. I haven’t listened to much music on the Camino in an effort […]
Read more "Lessons from the Grateful dead"Turns out I haven’t had much energy in the evening to post here (been more likely to post pictures on Instagram: @acuriousloop) but do want to offload some thoughts about my first week of the Camino. The first stage carried us through the Pyrenees, Basque country/Navarra and into the Rioja region. For the most part […]
Read more "Camino First Quarter Stage"The descent from the Pyrenees through alpine forests and more pastoralia was challenging but pleasant. The overcast weather has been a blessing since it’s true the Camino is generally a very exposed trail and any amount of afternoon sun can get brutal quickly. We passed through several small quiet villages, occasionally stopping for a cafe […]
Read more "Roncesvalles to Pamplona: the Spanish Shire"Woke up feeling refreshed in the Airbnb I got to ensure quality jet lag refresh sleep. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a beautiful small mountain village. I drank my instant coffee and headed to the Pilgrims office in town to get my pilgrim credentials, which grant you access to the albergues, which are not open to tourists. The […]
Read more "SJPP to Roncesvalles"It’s been an epic day and a half of travel from NC to Paris for a quick traipse around the city to visit some old haunts and get bred fix. It’s been very exhausting but all went smoothly and I’m snugged up in my room in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port hoping for a big sleep so I can […]
Read more "back to france"Here it is: the official packing post; mostly to help myself get organized before launching off tomorrow. I am not bringing: I’m trying hard to err on the side of bringing less rather than more since anything I might need can be picked up in towns along the way.
Read more "Camino packing"I haven’t done much training for the Camino other than my regular routine of hiking, biking around town, and running a few miles a couple times per week. My understanding is any reasonably healthy person can walk the Camino, but extra training will make the first week less painful while the body acclimates to walking […]
Read more "Eno walk"Enjoying my last full day at home in Asheville before heading to Durham for a few days then launching off to Europe for 6 weeks, most of which will be spent walking the Camino de Santiago. The Camino is a network of pilgrimage paths that lead to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the […]
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A Curious Loop 