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  • Users: John Finn
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  1. John Finn

    The Devil's Directives

    (This is advice from Old Nick for prospective pilgrims. Not to be taken seriously of course - in fact, do the exact opposite.) There is no need to train for the Camino. No need for regular long walks, preferably with some climbing involved, for a few months beforehand. Once you start on the...
  2. John Finn

    The Beatitudes of the Pilgrim

    This morning I stopped off at the 13th century Church of St Stephen at Zabaldika, about 10kms before Pamplona on the Camino Frances. Well worth visiting. It has a very interesting altar and there is a statue of St Joseph holding the infant Jesus, which is unusual. You can also climb to the top...
  3. John Finn

    "The Mind Quieted, The Body in Motion, The Spirit Entranced"

    This morning's Sunday Miscellany program on Ireland's RTE Radio 1 had a very nice piece by Sligo writer Brian Leyden on walking the Camino. And while it was inspired by a trek on the Camino del Norte, the sentiments apply to any of the Caminos - which is why I'm posting it here. This is the link...
  4. John Finn

    Bringing The Camino home - an Interview with John Brierley

    This interview with John Brierley by Greg Daly of The Irish Catholic newspaper may be of interest: https://www.irishcatholic.com/bringing-the-camino-home/
  5. John Finn

    Words to Live By

    This lovely article was written by Fr Ronald Rolheiser in the Catholic Herald (which I subscribe to despite being a life-long agnostic). He quotes wise words by Pablo d'Ors and then goes on to give his own "bucket list". I'm shoehorning it into this forum as he mentions walking the Camino, so...
  6. John Finn

    Staying at Orisson - An Irish Analogy

    This will only make sense to Irish readers. A Twitter acquaintance said that staying at Orisson is like driving from Dublin to Cork and staying overnight in Naas :)
  7. John Finn

    León to Sarria - a blogpost

    https://carrigmanblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/27/camino-de-santiago-leon-to-sarria/
  8. John Finn

    A Marching Song for Those Long Meseta Stretches

    I doubt if there is any man of a certain age (those of us weaned on the Roman epic movies of the 1960s starring Charlton Heston et al) who, when striding purposefully across the Meseta, does not at some stage imagine himself in the uniform of a Roman legionary. The Emperor Trajan marched his...
  9. John Finn

    Selfies with Saint James

    In Santiago Cathedral yesterday I noticed a most regrettable phenomenon - tourists taking selfies with the statue of St James. As readers may know, it is customary to ascend the gilded statue of the saint on the baroque altar from behind and give it a hug. Thence one descends to the crypt where...
  10. John Finn

    Don Elias Valina Sampedro's Camino Frances Thesis

    I was in O Cebreiro yesterday and paid my respects at the church to the great Don Elias without whom the Camino Frances wouldn't be what it is today. Does anyone know if his thesis on the Camino which he did at the University of Salamanca is available in English translation anywhere?
  11. John Finn

    León to Astorga: via Villar de Mazarife or San Martín del Camino?

    I'm wondering which route to take for this two-day stretch - Brierley recommends one stage from León to Villar de Mazarife and then the next stage from there to Astorga. The alternative would be to go from León to San Martín del Camino and thence on to Astorga the next day. I'm guessing...
  12. John Finn

    Excellent Camino Article

    This has been posted before but I think it deserves another mention as it will be of interest to anyone doing the Camino this year. It is one of the finest pieces I've read about the walk. It was written jointly by Jeff Carver, a high school teacher in New Orleans and Josh Jeter a lawyer in...
  13. John Finn

    It's that time of year ....

    .... when I start planning my next Camino trip. I take the Brierley guide down from the bookshelf and with pen and paper to hand I write "Day 1". This year Day 1 will be from Leon to Villar de Mazarife and my final walking day, Day 8, will be from Triacastela to Sarria. That will complete my...
  14. John Finn

    Orisson Refugio - A Philosophical/Literary Footnote

    The Orisson Refugio is justly famous as a stop for either a short break before heading on to Roncesvalles or as a place to stay the night. The magnificent views to be obtained (on a good day!) while sipping a coffee on the terrace is one of the highlights of the Camino Frances. What very few...
  15. John Finn

    Look Around You!

    I find it extrordinary how few pilgrims seem to take the time to stop and look back where they've come from. Their heads are fixed in forward mode (and in many cases seemingly on the few yards directly in front of them). Are they afraid that like Lot's wife they might be turned into a pillar of...
  16. John Finn

    A few drops of rain won't harm you!

    Walking from Logrono to Najera today I came across several walkers in full poncho mode. One guy even had a rainproof overtrousers on. Torrential rain? Not at all. The weather was overcast and blustery and there were a few drops of rain but nothing serious. Why do some people break out all their...
  17. John Finn

    Google Translate Offline

    Android users should know that they can download the Spanish (or any other) language pack on the Google Translate app. It can prove very useful if your Spanish is a bit rusty or non-existent and you will not incur expensive data charges. This is how to do it...
  18. John Finn

    An account of my trek from St Jean to Logroño

    https://carrigmanblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/camino-de-santiago-st-jean-pied-de-port-to-logrono/

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