Author: Jennifer Hofmann

Getting started

In the morning, we picked up our shoes from their assigned room and departed, walking beneath the stone arches of this bastion of medieval hospitality. Before leaving Roncesvalles, we (Marisela, Katrin, and I) stopped at the infamous road sign that reads: SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELLA 790.

A daunting prospect, despite knowing the distance is in kilometers.

But walking a mere 22km (13.8mi) this day would teach me about limits. I would recognize when it’s time to stop — and discover the consequences of ignoring this knowing.

Continue reading “Day 3: Roncesvalles to Zubiri — Finding enlightenment by going @ss over teakettle” →

I’m writing like a maniac, for one. Maybe you’ve noticed? 🙂

Walking

For two, the arrival of spring is making me itchy to walk. I just want to walk and walk and walk and walk not come home for 7 weeks. And this is just not like me! I’m a homebody, a couch potato, a weekend hiker (but nothing more strenuous than 4 miles on flat terrain). Seriously!

If you are thinking about doing the Camino, beware. You might not be able to stuff back in the urge to just be out there walking, ever again.

Continue reading “What’s happening now almost a year after my Camino” →

Before dinner, we went to the special Pilgrims’ Mass. It was held in the church attached to the albergue, an ancient edifice for pilgrims that has existed since the 1100s.

Many of the churches in Spain are cavernous and echo-y, constructed with stone and masonry of an almost identical color throughout the North. To enter one is to feel like you’re traveling through time, back to the Middle Ages. I was moved again and again by the realization that millions of souls had been here before me and the awareness of years of incense accumulated on these walls.

Continue reading “A surprising insight from a Spanish priest (Day 2) Roncesvalles” →

Getting on our way

Technically, at its highest point, the “lower” route to Roncesvalles (ron-cess-ba-yes) is 395 meters lower in elevation than the traditional Napoleon route.

This fact leads most people to conclude that the walk is a breeze. It’s not. Not even close.

The reason: An unforgiving 45° angle. Uphill.

Continue reading “Day 2: Valcarlos to Roncesvalles – The BIG climb” →

A word of caution to the reader: While the following post contains a powerful spiritual insight that I received on the Camino, the circumstances involved a suffering animal.

You may want to pass on this one if you have a soft spot for critters. I just wanted to give you advance notice. This was the most upsetting — and revelatory — event of my Camino.

If there’s an Entity that decides when and how lessons are meted out, I give credit for the timing of what happened on my very first day.

Continue reading “The Cat (Day 1: Saint Jean to Valcarlos)” →

Waking up

After a sound and solid night’s sleep, and the memory of the previous days’ warm sunshine, I awoke to rain. I felt so excited to be starting at last, the damp skies seemed a tiny matter. Today my Camino journey would begin.

The theme for the day was discovery. I discovered two things in particular this day — what it was like to walk as a real pilgrim and what amazing people my fellow pilgrims were.

Continue reading “Day 1: Saint Jean Pied de Port, France to (oops, not Orrison) Valcarlos, Spain” →

Waking up

My first full day in France was a rest day. Almost vacation-like. I wanted to get oriented, rested, and heart-nourished before beginning the biggest walk of my life. That exact intention revealed itself and the day filled up with myriad blessings.

When the sun was barely up, everyone at the albergue was on a tear to get out. If you’ve read anything about the Day 1 route, you know it terrorizes many in anticipation. The facts: a very steep grade, the highest elevation on the entire route, changeable weather, and a remote 23km path with no rest stops along the way. For some, Day 1 to Roncesvalles makes or breaks the pilgrim (or at least dents the pride) crossing this mountain pass over the Pyrenées.

Continue reading “A nourishing rest day in Saint Jean Pied de Port” →

“You’re leaving tomorrow,” the Pilgrim Center volunteer half-asked, half-instructed me.

“Uh… Umm… No, I think I will stay in Saint Jean a second day before I start walking to Santiago. I haven’t slept for 24 hours. J’ai besoin de dormir.”

He frowned slightly and said in French, “It’s good to get going right away.”

Continue reading “Arriving in Saint Jean Pied de Port and getting right in the head” →

In the Biarritz Airport, I recognized my first fellow pilgrims.

Being alone and far from home, I nearly grabbed that first girl I saw. She had short-cropped, sandy hair and a flushed, cherubic face that said “I spend time outdoors,” but I knew she was a pilgrim from her pack. I asked if she was going to Saint Jean. She was and told me there was an Irish guy outside waiting for the bus that would take us to the train. In a whirlwind five minutes, I suddenly had friends and direction!

Continue reading “Getting from Biarritz to Saint Jean Pied de Port (or how to be a noob)” →