Day 31 – Mighty Hanseatic Lübeck
Hamburg Who’s sick of trade deals? Well I am, so I hoped to spend today exploring the division of GermanyContinue Reading
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Day 30 – A Day of Riches in Lübeck
Lübeck We had a reasonably successful day, ticking off the things to see and do in Lübeck, although intermittent andContinue Reading
Day 29 – Finally Lübeck
Timmendorfer Strand to Lübeck, 20Km Please note: WP requires all comments without an email address or from a new emailContinue Reading
Day 28 – Along the Baltic Riviera
Neustadt to Timmendorfer Strand, 17Km I’ve changed a WP setting to remove the name and email address requirement for makingContinue Reading
Day 27 – Objective: Neustadt
Grömitz to Neustadt in Holstein, 17Km A pleasant start to the day on the Baltic Costa. It was dry, theContinue Reading
Day 26 – Süssau to Grömitz
Süssau to Grömitz, 21Km I took a taxi down to Süssau this morning because I didn’t feel like walking theContinue Reading
Day 25 – Another Island, Another Bridge
Fehmarn to Großenbrode, 17Km It feels rather remote in this northern corner of the most northerly state of Germany, Schleswig-Holstein.Continue Reading
Day 24 – Another Day, Another Island
Puttgarden to Fehmarn, 16Km Despite the forecast, today was a dry day. The clouds looked thunderous but if it rained,Continue Reading
Day 23 – A Light Drizzle to Start the Day
Maribo to Rødbyhavn, 21Km It’s the first time I can remember a stand off between a Camino path and aContinue Reading
Day 22 – Andris and his Gen-Z Daughters
Guldborg to Maribo, 25Km There’s not much happening in Guldborg on a Sunday evening. I drank a small beer inContinue Reading
Day 21 – Two Storstrøm Bridges
Vordingborg to Guldborg, 23Km I departed from the Hotel Vinhuset in Næstved this morning for the second and final time.Continue Reading
Day 20 – To Vordingborg and back
Næstved to Vordingborg, 23Km I got into a bit of a muddle deciding which stages to walk in this partContinue Reading
Day 19 – Moonlight Shadow
Skelby to Næstved, 16Km A small sense of urgency this morning because I had to take the 09:09 bus toContinue Reading
Day 18 – The Scenic Route to Næstved
Ringsted to Skelby, 22Km The pilgrim setting off from Ringsted is soon presented with a choice of route. There isContinue Reading
Day 17 – The Bruun de Neergaard Estate
Skjoldenæsholm to Ringsted, 17km The hotel at Skjoldenæsholm was an experience. It was a 16th century royal estate which wasContinue Reading
Day 16 – Rain Stopped Play
Roskilde to Skjoldenæsholm, 26Km It would have been such a great day today had it not been for the rain.Continue Reading
Day 15 – Bluetooth
Ishøj to Roskilde, 20Km The Danish Pilgrim Trail circumnavigates Ishøj. It’s hardly surprising because the town planners have built aContinue Reading
Day 14 – Walking in Denmark
Copenhagen to Ishøj, 22Km Mixed emotions: good to be walking again after four idle days but sad to leave CopenhagenContinue Reading
Day 13 – One More Cappuccino
Copenhagen I met Blanca for a cappuccino this morning, just like old times. We were fellow pilgrims in Japan inContinue Reading
Day 12 – Copenhagen
Night trains are perfect for a lot of things except for getting a good night’s sleep. In my Inter RailContinue Reading
Day 11 – Stockholm
In the early 1970s, Arthur Frommer published his eponymous travel guide, Europe on $5 a day. Free wheeling American touristsContinue Reading
Day 10 – Ferry to Stockholm
Today is a big change from yesterday. It’s sunny and warm. How quickly the weather changes on the Baltic Sea.Continue Reading
Day 9 – Mariehamn
Lemböte to Mariehamn, 23km I stayed the night in Valentina’s Italian Villa in Lemböte, Lemland. Valentina was charming and theContinue Reading
Day 8 – Lumparland & Lemland
Kökar to Lemböte, 23km The owner of the campsite gave me a lift to the ferry at 6am so IContinue Reading
Day 7 – A Day on Kökar Island
Rest Day I’m roughly in the middle of the archipelago so it was a good idea to stay two nightsContinue Reading
Day 6 – Goodbye to Finland
Korpo to Kökar, 4km After a lazy morning exploring Korpo “town” (essentially, the church), I said goodbye to Finland andContinue Reading
Day 5 – Nature in the Archipelago
Nagu to Korpo, 22Km Today’s walk took me across Nagu and Korpo islands and I took my third ferry betweenContinue Reading
Day 4 – The Shape of Water
Pensar to Nagu, 20Km It was an 8:30 ferry this morning from Pensar to Kirjais. Breakfast was very good butContinue Reading
Day 3 – Alone on the Edge of the Water
Kirjala to Pensar, 27km My breakfast provisions in the Waudevilla cabin were adequate in quantity if not in quality andContinue Reading
Day 2 – onto the archipelago
Turku to Kirjala, 25 km It would have been better to have walked a few more kilometres to Pargas whichContinue Reading
Day 1 – Hello to St Olav and his Waterway
Turku This year I’m making a Scandinavian pilgrimage, starting here in Finland then passing through Åland, Sweden. Denmark and ultimatelyContinue Reading
Day 40 – Goodbye to Germany
Lindau to Bregenz, 12Km I feel like a local here on Lake Constance having started my 2023 pilgrimage just acrossContinue Reading
Day 39 – To the shores of Lake Constance
Scheidegg to Lindau, 22Km Last night the innkeeper took my 80 euros in cash and I asked the time ofContinue Reading
Day 38 – Tomorrow belongs to me
Stiefenhofen to Scheidegg, 18Km Last night I read about five year old Gabriele Schwarz, whose memorial plaque is now attachedContinue Reading
Day 37 – Pilgrims Ahoy!
Weitnau to Stiefenhofen, 20Km Finally, a couple of pilgrims: two German men from Munich. I noticed them at breakfast inContinue Reading
Day 36 – The Gasthof Krone
Buchenberg to Weitnau, 17Km Today was forecast to be the coldest and wettest day of this unseasonably dreadful weather whichContinue Reading
Day 35 – Nationwide Alert Day
Bad Grönenbach to Altusried, 12Km I forgot to mention yesterday was Nationwide Alert Day here in Germany. At precisely 11:00Continue Reading
Day 34 – Foot Massage
Bad Grönenbach Rest Day This is a good rest day. I idled away an hour or two in the breakfastContinue Reading
Day 33 – Daily except Wednesday
Markt Rettenbach to Bad Grönenbach, 26Km There was no breakfast at the pilgrim house but that was fine because theContinue Reading
Day 32 – Bavarian Alps Ahead
Bad Wörishofen to Markt Rettenbach, 25Km I didn’t fancy standing in the Kloster’s Kneipp pool while taking breakfast this morningContinue Reading
Day 31 – Kneippland
Ettringen to Bad Wörishofen, 19Km As forecast, I woke at 6:00 to a steady rainfall and howling wind. AccuWeather thoughtContinue Reading
Day 30 – Summer’s End
Reinhardshofen to Ettringen, 25Km Today was the last hot day of summer. The temperature has soared into the high twentiesContinue Reading
Day 29 – Rag Doll
Augsburg to Reinhardshofen, 18Km I feel like one of those rag dolls that won’t stand up, whatever you do toContinue Reading
Day 28 – Train to Nowhere
Langweid am Lech to Augsburg, 21Km I dutifully woke up at 6:15 in Augsburg, caught the 07:37 train back toContinue Reading
Day 27 – Strange Days
Kloster Holzen to Langweid am Lech, 17Km I always enjoy staying in a monastery; it reminds me of my schoolContinue Reading
Day 26 – A night in the Kloster
Donauwörth to Kloster Holzen, 15Km That should have said Harburg to Kloster Holzen, 27Km but I felt slightly rough thisContinue Reading
Day 23 – and 24 and 25: once upon a time, in a country far, far away…
Wemding to Harburg, 17Km It’s no fun being ill with the Covid in a far away land (Bavaria) where wolvesContinue Reading
Day 22 – Intermission
0Km I’d barely dripped the four drops into the little hole on the Covid test card this morning when aContinue Reading
Day 21 – Reflections on Richard the Pilgrim
Gunzenhausen to Heidenheim, 17Km I took a Covid test yesterday evening and thankfully it was negative. Both times I gotContinue Reading
Day 20 – A pleasant day in Bavaria
Wernfels to Gunzenhausen, 22Km It was a decent breakfast in the Wernfels castle youth hostel this morning. The highlight wasContinue Reading
Day 19 – A night in Wernfels castle
Neukatzwang to Wernfels, 27Km Who doesn’t like a night in a 13th century castle, even if it’s a youth hostel,Continue Reading
Day 18 – The Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg to Neukatzwang, 13Km The last month has been the longest rest day ever, I’ve done my cat feeding dutiesContinue Reading
Day 17 – Schengen
Merzkirchen to Schengen, 20Km It was past 10 o’clock when I finally slapped on my suncream in dusty Merzkirchen thisContinue Reading
Day 16 – The Apostle Matthias and I
Triar to Merzkirchen, 29Km It’s bizarre to define a long stage of a pilgrimage without any accommodation closer than anContinue Reading
Day 15 – Trier, Germany’s Oldest City
Rest Day After a leisurely breakfast, I strolled down to St Peter’s Cathedral and visited the Pilgrim Office. They wereContinue Reading
Day 14 – Earth, Wind & Rain
Minden to Trier, 32Km Another rather pleasant walk today despite the weather. It was one of those days when youContinue Reading
Day 13 – A Triumph, Father Kneipp and then Luxembourg
Mettendorf to Minden, 30Km I shared the all too familiar experience of watching England lose a final, with three DutchContinue Reading
Day 12 – Another Day of Contrasts
Waxweiler to Mettendorf, 28Km Before I raid the breakfast buffet for my picnic lunch, I always announce my intentions andContinue Reading
Day 11 – Breakfast in Germany
Prüm to Waxweiller, 27Km The Germans take their breakfasts seriously. Hotels generally lay out an enormous buffet with a rangeContinue Reading
Day 10 – Thunderstorm Alert
Kronenburg to Prüm, 25Km The day started with an alert for thunderstorms and I wondered whether to stay in bed.Continue Reading
Day 9 – Today it’s Kronenburg
Blankenheim to Kronenburg, 25Km Blankenheim is not a place for late night revellers and there was nowhere to watch theContinue Reading
Day 8 – Into the Eifel
Bad Münstereifel to Blankenheim, 21Km This first stage within the Eifel region was a gentle warm up before the nextContinue Reading
Day 7 – After the Floods
Rheinbach to Bad Münstereifel, 27 Km Today’s stage was due to be 22Km but the Camino was once again divertedContinue Reading
Day 6 – Rheinbach, eventually
Bonn to Rheinbach, 30Km Germany has experienced extremely heavy rainfall in the past several weeks but that seems to haveContinue Reading
Day 5 – Sunday in Bonn
The Sternhotel in Bonn is good value if you don’t have a heavy suitcase and can reach the top floorContinue Reading
Day 4 – Walking up the Rhine
Brühl to Bonn, 22Km This Camino, which starts in Cologne, offers a choice of routes via Brühl or Bonn forContinue Reading
Day 3 – On My Way
Köln to Brühl, 18Km It felt good to get my backpack on this morning and start the walk, even ifContinue Reading
Day 2 – Four Seven Eleven
I started the day with a splash of the famous eau de Cologne in house number 4711 where the perfumeContinue Reading
Day 1 – The Via Coloniensis
Hello from Köln or is it Cologne? It doesn’t matter because I’m not staying for long. I’ve wanted to makeContinue Reading
Day 33 – The End
Lyon Airport Hotel We started the day with breakfast at the local boulangerie. I ordered three cafe au laits andContinue Reading
Day 32 – Le Puy-en-Velay
Saint Julien Chapteuil to Le Puy-en-Velay, 20Km It didn’t take long to exit rural France and start the crawl towardsContinue Reading
Day 31 – A fine walk across the Velay
Montfaucon-en-Velay to Saint Julien Chapteuil, 23Km Putting the room to one side, last night’s hotel was one star ok. WeContinue Reading
Day 30 – We are now en-Velay
Choron to Montfaucon-en-Velay, 19 Km The guide book promised us a relaxing stage today, “the area is sparsely populated, andContinue Reading
Day 29 – Deeper and Deeper into rural France
Bellegarde-Poussieu to Choron, 20Km We had to cross the Rhône one last time this morning. It’s now a very largeContinue Reading
Day 28 – Some Success Speaking French
La Côte-Saint-André to Bellegarde-Poussieu, 24Km We stayed in a superbe appartement last night and for once the Booking.com description matchedContinue Reading
Day 27 – Hector Berlioz Land
Le Pin (Charavines) to La Côte-Saint-André, 25Km It was rather a pity to leave Charavines behind, this morning. The lakeContinue Reading
Day 26 – Ups and Downs on the Pilgrimage
Romagnieu to Le Pin (Charavines), 20 Km Yesterday was a day of mostly downs except for the terrain, of course.Continue Reading
Day 25 – continuing through the French countryside
Yenne to Romagnieu, 22 Km Delighted accommodation last night, L’Hermitage in Yenne. We had a mini apartment in a smallContinue Reading
Day 24 – Beware Sunday
Chanaz to Yenne, 20Km I feel much refreshed now that I have a few days of walking with Robert andContinue Reading
Day 23 – Très difficile but then …
Seyssel to Chanaz, 27Km The band soon played Every Breath I take last night and although they weren’t quite inContinue Reading
Day 22 – Hot
Le Mont Sion to Seyssel, 38Km I didn’t intend to walk so far today but I stopped earlier than plannedContinue Reading
Day 21 – Bye Bye Switzerland
Geneva to Le Mont Sion, 27Km Dreadful night. 3hrs 47mins sleep. I was tired and fell asleep early but wasContinue Reading
Day 20 – The Black Hole of Geneva
Château de Bossey to Geneva, 24Km I left the Château behind and continued along the Via Jakobi which runs aroundContinue Reading
Day 19 – Rest day in the Château de Bossey
The man in the Gland pilgrim hostel sold me the Yellow guide to the Via Gebennensis. That’s the name ofContinue Reading
Day 18 – A day of two halves
Gland to Château de Bossey, 16Km The municipal hostel in Gland was a great stopover and probably the cheapest hostelContinue Reading
Day 17 – Continuing along the shores of Lake Geneva
Morges to Gland, 29Km I was slightly delayed this morning by a tick which wanted to come along for theContinue Reading
Day 16 – Saturday alongside Lake Geneva
Lausanne to Morges, 13Km along the shore I can’t believe how badly I speak French. So far on this tripContinue Reading
Day 15 – Another day, another lake
l’Ecorcheboeuf to Lausanne, 20Km Today was the final leg of the walk down to Lausanne on Lake Geneva. It wasContinue Reading
Day 14 – Terre des Âmes
Orsonnens to l’Ecorcheboeuf, 37Km We are now in the French speaking region of Switzerland and it feels like a differentContinue Reading
Day 13 – The Hay Trailer
Fribourg to Orsonnens, 24Km We spent the night in the excellent Couvent des Cordeliers in Fribourg where a pilgrim bunkContinue Reading
Day 12 – Into the French Zone
Rüeggisberg to Fribourg, 32Km and 524m elevation gain That’s a little grotto with St James in full pilgrim attire alongContinue Reading
Day 11 – A night on the farm
Thun to Rüeggisberg, 28Km and 676 elevation gain. We’re blessed with another fine walk today. The sun was shining, theContinue Reading
Day 10 – Thunder in Thun
Interlaken to Thun, 31Km and 701m elevation gain We didn’t stay in the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel, Interlaken. It lookedContinue Reading
Day 9 – The lost treasures of Interlaken
Brienzwiler to Interlaken, 26Km and 610m up A pilgrimage is full of chance meetings and sad partings. I met WalterContinue Reading
Day 8 – After 51 years the Brünig Pass again
Giswil to Brienzwiler, 21Km and 830m up We shared a delightful pilgrim house last night in Giswil and delightfully cheap,Continue Reading
Day 7 – The Hay Loft
Stans to Giswil, 25Km and 600m up It makes sense for Walter to phone and book the accommodation because IContinue Reading
Day 6 – A day of churches and chapels
Brunnen to Stans, 25Km and 770m gain The day started with a ferry across the lake at 09.19 and WalterContinue Reading
Day 5 – My knife goes home
Einsiedeln to Brunnen, 26Km Today was not a leisurely day in Switzerland. Eveline and I set off at 8am andContinue Reading
Day 4 – Black Madonna
Rapperswil to Einsiedeln, 17Km I’ll try to be informative today because the destination is Einsiedeln, pilgrim HQ in Switzerland andContinue Reading
Day 3 – Rapperswil again
Fischingen Abbey to Rapperswil, 33Km Whichever way we looked at the map, today was always going to be a hardContinue Reading
Pilgrimage 