Phil Cousineau's The Art of Pilgrimage is an international bestseller in at least ten languages and for more than two decades it has served as an introduction and handbook for many pilgrims on how to get the most out of their journey. In this episode, Phil reflects on the book's impact and offers deep insights into the phenomenon of pilgrimage, including some practical advice on how to be more perceptive, engaged, and aware travelers.
Dec 18, 2019•57 min
Galicia, the northwest corner of Spain and the home of Santiago de Compostela, is beloved by most pilgrims. It is a place ensconced in legend, with stories ranging from its Celtic origins to the persistence of witches and the Santa Compaña. This episode explores the region's history and stories. Dr. Sharif Gemie, author of Galicia: A Concise History, provides a survey of Galicia from its disputed origins to its contemporary cultural resurgence. Dr. Kristin Valentine follows with a description of...
Dec 14, 2019•56 min
Edwin Mullins has spent the better part of his life associated with the Camino de Santiago, with his first book on the subject--The Pilgrimage to Santiago--appearing in 1974. In his more recent publication, The Four Roads to Heaven: France and the Santiago Pilgrimage, Mullins lays out the history and highlights of the four major Chemins de Saint-Jacques. This episode features a conversation with Mullins about his experiences with the Camino, spanning more than five decades, focusing in particula...
Dec 11, 2019•55 min
While walking the Camino de Santiago is demanding in and of itself, the completion of pilgrimage poses a special challenge. The mixed emotions a pilgrim often feels when arriving in Santiago are often a precursor to the prolonged slump that can occur at home. This episode focuses on the process of return, and the steps a pilgrim can take to make their pilgrimage a genuinely transformative experience--should they so desire it! Alexander John Shaia, author of Returning from Camino, offers practica...
Dec 09, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Most people only experience the Camino as pilgrims. However, there are many ways to engage with the pilgrim road, and a number of these include rich volunteer opportunities. This episode focuses on three different possibilities. The Ditch Pigs are an annual clean-up crew, organized by Rebekah Scott, and two members of this year's group--Amelia and Jim--bring us into the middle of the action. The most common form of giving back for pilgrims is to serve as hospitaleros; Julie-Ann Milne trains hosp...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Soldiers are hardly a new phenomenon on the Camino de Santiago; indeed, the pilgrimage originated hand in glove with the military initiative to reconquer the Iberian peninsula from the Moors. Today, though, a new movement is taking place to bring more veterans to pilgrimage, as a potential rite of passage to mark their re-entry into civilian life. Brad Genereux has been a key catalyst in this work, taking his own experience--which he wrote about in A Soldier to Santiago--and extending it outward...
Nov 30, 2019•1 hr 5 min
The Camino de Santiago has a powerful gravitational pull. It draws many back for multiple pilgrimages; in some cases, it reorganizes individuals' lives. That is certainly the case for the two people featured in this episode. John Brierley first walked the Camino three decades ago. In that first pilgrimage, he quickly realized he would become a guidebook writer, and indeed, he has become the most read English-language author in that realm (see caminoguides.com for more). Rebekah Scott, meanwhile,...
Nov 22, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Pardon the bait and switch, but this is not a new episode of the Camino Podcast. (It'll be back, I swear!) Instead, I'd like to share the first episode of my new podcast series, Sea to Shining Sea, focused on the American Discovery Trail--the first coast-to-coast, non-motorized trail across the USA. In this episode, I interview one of the route's founders, Eric Seaborg, and then the first continuous through-hikers of the route, Ken and Marcia Powers (aka "Gottawalk"). Future episodes will be pos...
Aug 05, 2019•1 hr 9 min
While walking pilgrims remain the dominant demographic on the Camino, bike pilgrims constitute an increasingly significant part of the community. Despite--or perhaps because of that--a great deal of tension exists between the two groups, and dialogue is often limited to a dinging bike bell and a "buen camino." This episode digs into the bike pilgrim experience, focusing both on practical considerations that anyone contemplating this approach should factor into their planning, as well as broader ...
Jun 24, 2017•1 hr 12 min
Along with hosting the Camino Podcast, Dave Whitson is also the co-author of The Northern Caminos guidebook with Laura Perazzoli. In this episode, Dave and Laura reflect on their summer spent re-walking the Caminos del Norte, Primitivo, and Inglés, and also their first experiences on the Ruta do Mar, Camino Salvador, Camino Vasco, and Ruta Vadiniense. Along the way, they share stories detailing a dog attack, an encounter with the True Cross, and the best albergue ever.
Nov 08, 2016•1 hr 26 min
The Generalissimo Francisco Franco ruled Spain for the better part of four decades and had a profound impact on the country over that time. He also had a tremendous impact on the Camino de Santiago. Indeed, his time in power coincides with the acceleration of the Camino's rebirth, which kicked off in earnest in 1879 and culminated in the Jubilee year of 1993. Dr. Stanley Payne is one of Franco's biographers and in this episode he shares his expertise on Franco's rise to power and relationship wi...
Nov 06, 2016•1 hr 5 min
Johnnie Walker is one of the most prominent names associated with the Camino de Santiago these days. Ever since moving to Santiago de Compostela, Johnnie has taken an active role in re-shaping the English-speaking pilgrim's experience in the city, and he has recently emerged as a prolific guidebook author as well. In this episode, Johnnie shares how he got started as a pilgrim, picked up his nom de plume, and his affection for the Camino Inglés. He's followed by our first return guest, Brian Bou...
Nov 05, 2016•58 min
While your pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago might "officially" begin in St Jean Pied-de-Port, or Pamplona, or Sarria (or any number of other possibilities!), the reality is that it actually begins at home. The physical demands of pilgrimage are best met by a careful and extended training process in the months preceding your departure. But how best to do that? Sheri Goodwin, an experienced "trek trainer" (www.desktotrek.com) shares some insights and strategies for getting yourself ready for t...
Oct 22, 2016•1 hr
Let's re-walk the Camino Francés together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. Today's episode focuses on the glorious return to the mountains. After a week or so spent in the flatter meseta, this section of the Camino Francés, connecting León and O Cebreiro, involves two significant ascents with a stroll through the Bierzo valley in between. Rod ...
Oct 19, 2016•1 hr 21 min
For medieval pilgrims, arrival in Santiago meant the midpoint of their journey, not the end. Today's pilgrims typically wrap up their walk in Santiago or on the coast and then return home by train or plane. While that change is certainly more convenient, is something lost in the bargain? Jen Hofmann completed her return trip this summer, walking east from Finisterre to St Jean Pied-de-Port, in pursuit of completion. This episode also features an interview with Dr. Michael Potter from the Univers...
Oct 02, 2016•1 hr 12 min
David Gitlitz and Linda Davidson are the co-authors of The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook, a work that developed out of their research and student trips over the course of three decades. Having first walked to Santiago in 1974, while Spain was still under Franco's rule, David and Linda have witnessed some dramatic changes on the Camino. They were present when the first yellow arrows were painted between Roncesvalles and Pamplona and they fondly recall never encounter...
Aug 29, 2016•1 hr 3 min
Let's re-walk the Camino Francés together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. This episode focuses on the meseta, probably the least-loved section of the Camino Francés. Many pilgrims are advised to skip this stretch if strapped for time, but what are they missing? Quite a lot, actually! Miguel Cura of Toronto, Canada gets us started in Burgos, t...
Jun 22, 2016•1 hr 7 min
Let's re-walk the Camino Francés together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. This episode picks up where Episode 15 left off, in Los Arcos. Deb Roush of Melbourne, Australia shares stories on the next three stages, leading us into Santo Domingo de la Calzada; David Smith of Dublin, Ireland (clearskiescamino.com) picks up the trail from there and...
Jun 22, 2016•1 hr
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago, released in 2013, is a tremendously influential documentary on the Camino. The film follows seven pilgrims along their journey to Santiago, documenting their experiences while also capturing the beautiful scenery of the way. This episode seeks to get some of the stories behind the film. First, Lydia Smith, the director/producer, describes the process behind getting the film made and her thoughts on its broader impact (caminodocumentary.org). Then, Jack G...
Jun 15, 2016•1 hr 19 min
While there are, of course, many roads to Rome, the most famous pilgrim road to Rome is the Via Francigena, which originates in Canterbury, England and proceeds in a southeasterly direction through France and Switzerland en route to Italy. It's a diverse route with many highlights, moving past the white cliffs of Dover, and through the vineyards of France, the Swiss Alps, and the rolling hills of Tuscany. One of the major forces in bringing the Via Francigena back to prominence is Paul Chinn, wh...
Jun 13, 2016•1 hr 25 min
One doesn't have to fly across an ocean to walk a sacred track. All across the USA, routes new and old are emerging that replicate the Camino experience in some form or guide believers and trekkers to significant destinations. This episode focuses on one of the most prominent examples of this trend: the California mission walk. This route follows El Camino Real, the historic itinerary connecting California's 21 Spanish missions that were established in the 18th and 19th centuries. Two through-hi...
Jun 11, 2016•1 hr 2 min
The Camino Francés is an 800-km showcase of brilliant church and cathedral architecture, documenting the history of this art form from early pre-Romanesque roots through to more contemporary expressions. The highlights are almost certainly the great Romanesque and Gothic works, though the ultimate target, Santiago de Compostela's cathedral, is most closely associated with its Baroque facade. In this episode, Kathleen Ashley, the author of Being a Pilgrim: Art and Ritual on the Medieval Routes to...
May 31, 2016•1 hr 13 min
Pilgrimage has long held a close connection with music, but the present is showing signs of recapturing the brilliance of its medieval peak. This episode features three distinct manifestations of that trend. First, Ellen Waterston (www.writingranch.com) discusses the upcoming world premiere of her Camino opera, Vía Láctea, taking place in Bend, Oregon June 10-12. Then, Dane Johansen, an acclaimed cellist, shares his story of walking the Camino Francés with his cello on his back, performing in ch...
May 29, 2016•54 min
Let's re-walk the Camino Francés together! Whereas many of the pilgrim interviews on the podcast take a thematic approach, focusing on a few big picture issues, this series of episodes will dig more into the specifics of walking. In this episode, conversations center on the first six stages of the Camino Francés. Cathy Diaz reflects on the first part of the pilgrimage, between St Jean Pied de Port and Pamplona/Cizur Menor, and then Rebecca Gallo picks it up from there, carrying on to Los Arcos.
May 23, 2016•1 hr 14 min
Imagine walking on the Camino with a parent, a child, or a spouse. Many pilgrims are making their adventure all the more intense by mixing family with pilgrimage, and this episode examines that experience. First, Capitan Bradley (author of Man of a Certain Age) and Brianna Hill describe walking the Camino Francés as a father-daughter duo. Then, Bob and Cindi Klee reflect on their time spent walking the same route together as a married couple. Both pilgrim pairs offer some suggestions for those a...
May 23, 2016•1 hr 6 min
The Camino Francés cuts through a region rich in history and legend, and those two are interwoven in the two great epic poems set in part along the way: The Song of Roland and the Poem of El Cid. John K. Moore Jr., an Associate Professor of Spanish and Camino expert helps to contextualize these poems--and the Camino--within their historical era, highlighting the way that Roland, El Cid, and even Santiago fit within the Christian reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula.
May 19, 2016•56 min
The Camino inspires a lot of stories. Why? Brian Bouldrey, a senior lecturer in Northwestern University's English Department and the keynote speaker at this year's APOC National Gathering, suggests in this episode that, for modern pilgrims, storytelling offers a new way of "walking" back home. Meanwhile, Mathew Kuefler, a medieval history professor at San Diego State University, shares some stories from O Cebreiro's peak in the Middle Ages, focusing in particular on the Eucharist miracle and cla...
Feb 24, 2016•59 min
Have you ever dreamed--maybe a fleeting thought, maybe a nagging desire--of uprooting yourself from wherever "home" is and relocating to the Camino? This episode focuses on two pilgrims who made the move. In 2005, Rom Bates and his wife Aideen moved from Ireland to Moissac, France, in order to open a gite d'etape--Gite Ultreia--on the GR-65 (http://www.ultreiamoissac.com/). A year later, Rebekah Scott and her husband Paddy left Pittsburgh, USA and established the "Peaceable Kingdom" in Moratinos...
Feb 06, 2016•1 hr 8 min
Jack Hitt's Off the Road: A Modern-day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain is one of the earliest English-language pilgrimage accounts from the contemporary resurgence of the Camino, focused on Jack's walk in 1991. It also became a source of inspiration for Emilio Estevez's film, The Way, and readers of the book will quickly recognize characters and patches of dialogue in the movie. Jack offers a number of reflections on his experiences on the Camino in 1981, 1991, and 2013, as well as some...
Jan 31, 2016•1 hr 18 min
If your Camino begins in St Jean Pied-de-Port, or Roncesvalles, or even Pamplona, then it also begins in the Basque Country. Spread across southern France and northern Spain, the Basque Country is the ancestral—and contemporary—homeland of the Basque people, an indigenous European ethnic group with a long and fascinating history. To gain some understanding of what makes the Basques unique, this episode features an interview with Mark Kurlansky (www.markkurlansky.com), author of The Basque Histor...
Jan 19, 2016•49 min
