#CaminoFrances Archives - Full-of-Grace

Full-of-Grace

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Tag: #CaminoFrances

Day 11 on the Camino: Najera to Grañón

Morning Challenges Morning broke in Najera with the weight of yesterday's mistakes still lingering. The sun had not yet fully risen as I set out, my feet speaking their own language. A new blister on my right foot, patched and padded with tissue in my sock. Small adjustments that made the difference between suffering and walking. The body learns its own wisdom on the Camino. Najera I reached Azofra early, stopping at a small bar for breakfast....

Camino Day 9: Stumbling Back to the Way

Fever Recovery in Logroño and Finding the Pilgrim Spirit Once More The drenched pillows speak of fever's night visit – my body, a furnace that consumes itself. Sweat-soaked blankets twisted into ropes from fitful sleep. Morning brings no clarity, only the strange constriction in my lower ribs that makes each breath a conscious act rather than the invisible gift it should be. This is how pilgrimage teaches – through presence and absence,...

Walking the Camino: Day 6 – Estella to Los Arcos (21 km)

A Morning of Mindful Beginnings I woke naturally at 5:15, before my alarm, but embraced a new approach today: not rushing. I remembered Lizzie, a colleague with whom I worked in a nursing home in Bray, who never hurried yet always finished on time. Taking her wisdom to heart, I slowly treated my blisters, packed methodically, and braided my hair without haste. Estella in the morning Leaving Estella shortly after 6:00, I walked through...

Walking the Camino: Day 5 – Puente la Reina to Estella

Early Morning Struggles and the Pilgrim's Call to Transcendence I woke before my alarm today, at quarter past five, my body somehow knowing the journey ahead demanded these early stolen moments. Despite what should have been the best sleep in a while, I felt a heaviness lingering in my bones—already struggling, already aware that today would ask more of me than yesterday. Morning streets of Puente la Reina At dinner last night, a Canadian...

A Pilgrim’s Progress: Day 4 on the Camino – Pamplona to Puente la Reina

From Dawn's First Light to Detours: Pamplona to Zariquiegui The fourth day of my Camino journey led me from Pamplona to Puente la Reina, a day marked by detours, reflections, and an unexpected encounter with grace upon the Mountain of Forgiveness. Pamplona famous for running of the bulls Sleep continues to elude me in the crowded albergues. Despite my exhaustion, sharing sleeping quarters with over 100 pilgrims makes rest difficult for my...

Day 3 on the Camino: From Zubiri to Pamplona

Restless Beginnings There's something deeply humbling about walking a path that millions have trodden before. As I make my way through the third day of my Camino journey, I'm reminded that some pilgrims wait decades to experience what I'm privileged to be doing for the second time. Leaving Zubiri behind The morning began with heavy eyelids, the aftermath of another restless night. Sleep evaded me yet again, likely due to those short, innocent...

Camino de Santiago Day 1: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles – A Pilgrim’s Journey

First Day on the Camino Frances: Crossing the Pyrenees The Scent of the Camino: Memories Reawakened What struck me in the morning was that familiar scent—the fragrance of aloe vera mingling with sulfurous earth, exhaling both perseverance and hope. Like an old friend, the Camino's perfume welcomed me back, awakening memories dormant for six years. Walking the Napoleon Route: Memories of 2019 vs. Reality In 2019, my mother's warning echoed in...

Return to the Way: First Day in Saint Jean Pied de Port

The Pilgrim Returns: Beginning the Camino Francés Again The Camino begins again, though in truth, it never really ended. Today I stand in Saint Jean Pied de Port, the traditional starting point of the Camino Francés, with the Pyrenees rising before me—ancient sentinels, slumbering yet watchful, their weathered peaks washing over the landscape like waves frozen in time. SJPdP welcomes the pilgrimms As I joined the flow of pilgrims gathering...

Camino de Santiago 2025: Finding Freedom on the French Way (Camino Francés)

Walking Unbound They say the Camino begins the moment you close your door behind you, not when you reach Saint-Jean-Pied-du-Port. So my pilgrimage started with a flight from Olsztyn Mazury Airport to London Stansted. Tonight I'm resting at the Holiday Inn Express, gathering my strength for tomorrow's early flight to Biarritz, then trains to Bayonne and finally Saint-Jean. Life has a peculiar way of stripping us down to essentials. Though my...