Via Lemovicensis: the Meaning of Memory yesterday afternoon and this morning, I basically ate through almost my entire food stash. I may need to rethink how I'm doing this. A cool, crisp, cloudless morning. I left the gîte sometime after...

Of wounds and ruins and lunch.

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Spain has recently outpaced the US in GDP growth, emerging as one of the fastest-growing major advanced economies. As of 2024–2025, Spain’s economy is growing at a rate over 3% annually, exceeding the US (~2%) and Eurozone (~1%) averages.

Donald is such an uninformed idiot.

Plus there was a castle.

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It's been so interesting to watch this unfold. Barnes & Noble and other big book chains shut indies down in the the 1990s (and on) and then Amazon came along and ate up all the book market share. Now people tired of big corporations are creating demand for more indies

Via Lemovicensis: Graces in all Abundance but we let breakfast drag on a bit too long. Wim, Judith, and I set out after 8 AM. We were further distracted by a house in the town decorated like a cake. Finally, though, we managed to find the rou...

Simple but difficult.

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Via Lemovicensis: an Overture of Artillery and Medieval Marvels so many people and things this morning, Francine most of all. It was already after seven by the time I left my room, and I was keenly on the hunt for breakfast – not to mention the Camino route. Br...

Unexpectedly long and unexpectedly beautiful.

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Via Lemovicensis: a Tale of Two Towns is the very epitome of a hospitalero. Breakfast was amazing, and at one point we spontaneously broke out singing "Ultreïa!" He apparently is a friend of Jean-Claude, who wrote the verses and music to ...

Contrasts and continuity

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Via Lemovicensis: Slowly, Slowly night, I actually slept through the night. In fact, I somewhat overslept, not leaving until almost 7:30 AM. The air was crisp, but nothing like as cold as the past few days. The skies were overcast, t...

A short walk through the French countryside.

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Via Lemovicensis: the Tale of the Man who Lost Everything and Walked through the Long Grass morning as I prayed lauds, Maas read over a letter written by a friend of his to him before he left for Camino. It is a fairytale about a man who lost everything and so went for a long walk. He said h...

Living through God's poetry.

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Via Lemovicensis: a Pretty Perfect Walking Day breakfast I reconnected with Judith, who also stayed at Espace Bernadette Soubirous last night. The place is so enormous, though, I never saw her until this morning. But here's the single most impo...

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Via Lemovicensis: Bernadette jet lag might be a thing of the past. I did wake up around 4 AM, but I quickly fell back to sleep. I think I probably got nine hours of sleep last night, which is crazy. The long hours of walking migh...

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The American president counts Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un as his friends while denouncing the Pope.

i will vote for any candidate who offers up this slogan

Via Lemovicensis: What do you Mean, He's been Arrested? was a cold foggy morning when I left the charming and hospitable Le Coeur du Chemin. I'd had an early breakfast after lauds and said goodbye to the owner, Ruud, as well as pilgrims Joes and Judith. It...

Mostly forest, with a twist ending.

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On the highway

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Via Lemovicensis: Endless Fields and Closed Churches I was up at 4:30 AM, which is a definite improvement over the previous days. I prayed lauds in the big dining room. Breakfast began at six. It was a hearty breakfast, perfect for a long day: scrambled egg whites and solid Dutch bread. I had a lovely conversation with the proprietors, Rene and Yvonne

Another long day. Shorter days are coming.

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Via Lemovicensis: Walking in Sunshine yesterday, I was awake at about 3 AM. This time, however, I was able to get back to sleep, and it was past six when I went to the common room for breakfast. Somehow, I still managed to be the first one there. There were eventually six of us for breakfast, plus the hospi. I couldn't really enjoy i

On the move!

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Via Lemovicensis: Books Never Written I don't get jet lag flying to Europe. I might be a bit blurry on my first day, but I settle down after that. And yet, this time, here I am on day two waking up at 3 AM. Despite my best efforts, I coul...

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Via Lemovicensis: Lauds in Paris, Vespers in Vézelay it might have been better to spend two days in Paris and just one night in Vézelay. I only had seven sites in the city that I wanted to explore, and I still only managed to get to four of them. Up ...

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Via Lemovicensis: Travel Day to Paris morning began with me taking down the black mourning flag that had flown at Pistachio House since the day of Francine's death. It was replaced by the flag of Burgundy (really Bourgogne-Franche-Comté),...

Just another manic Monday…

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Quite a contrast to start my feed this morning.

Putting aside Steven’s (correct) comments for a moment, the escalating hysteria in Trump’s tweets about Iran & Hormuz really gives away that Trump’s figured out Iran is collapsing the global economy, and Trump knows he has no way to fix it.

My concern is what does the desperate man do

And I'm Off! April the sweet showers fallAnd pierce the drought of March to the root, and allThe veins are bathed in liquor of such powerAs brings about the engendering of the flower,When also Zephyrus with his sw...

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Pilgrimage I’m getting on an airplane to fly to Paris. God willing, I begin walking on pilgrimage from Vézelay, France, on April 9. It was Francine’s dream to walk the Camino from Vézelay ever since she…

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Christus Resurréxit! Resurréxit Vere! The Paschal Homily of Saint John Chrysostom, circa AD 400: anyone is devout and a lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival. If anyone is a wise servant, let him, rejoicing, e…

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The Whole Earth Keeps Silence From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday, found in today’s Office of Readings: strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keep…

From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday, found in today’s Office of Readings.

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Thank you so much, Father! Ultreïa!

Via Lemovicensis: Training Wrapup for my upcoming walk on the Via Lemovicensis has more or less concluded. I've repacked my bags for the flight, and the two days until I fly will be taken up with various housekeeping measures and prep...

From the Camino blog.

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That's home. That's us.

This image of home just came down from the Artemis II crew.

Taken after their translunar injection burn, there are aurorae at top right and lower left, and zodiacal light at lower right.

Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman