These Holy Bones: Walking the Camino de Santiago

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I interview Danny, the owner and massage therapist of Camino Massages located in Santiago a few doors down from Camino Curry. Danny walked the Camino Norte in 2014 and knows the challenges that pilgrims face when walking day in and day out for more than thirty days. He gives tips on foot care and foot wear as well as insights on how to approach the pilgrimage to Santiago. I enjoyed speaking with Danny, and I think you'll enjoy listening to him as he shares his depth of knowledge about the Camino de Santiago. 

Send us Fan Mail400,000 steps with almost no conversation is a different kind of loud. From the plaza in front of the Santiago Cathedral, we sit down with Ron from Oregon right after he finishes a solo walk from Porto to Santiago, largely in silence, giving himself hours each day to think, remember, and let life catch up with him.Ron breaks down the practical side of a Portuguese Coastal Route Camino de Santiago pilgrimage: why the coast felt right, what a sustainable pace looks like (around 10 miles a day), and how simple routines like water breaks and staying fed can decide whether the walk stays joyful or turns into a grind. He also talks about looking ahead a few days for lodging, a small planning habit that can make the whole trip calmer.Then the conversation opens into the real reason he came back now. At 70, with a wife still working, a dog waiting at home, and kids approaching big transitions, he sees a closing window of freedom and chooses to take it. We also explore the stories that drew him to the Camino, including The Way and Walk With Sam, and the hope that a long, meaningful walk can help someone find a better direction, even if you can’t measure the impact. Ron shares the spiritual thread running under his steps too: prayer, gratitude, and the awareness that safety can change with one wrong move on cobblestones or roots.If you’ve been searching for a solo Camino de Santiago story, a Porto to Santiago route guide, or honest insight into why people do pilgrimages, this conversation brings it back to what matters: time, attention, and the courage to walk. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with your own reason for going.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, my good friend, Steven Lighty, and I discuss the many different facets of the Camino and what it takes to prepare for the long trek across Spain. Steve and his wife, Maryann, plan on walking the pilgrimage in a few years. Their preparation is essentially underway as they consider what route to travel and what to pack for their journey. It seems the Camino has their number, and it is very difficult not to answer once you've heard the call. 

Send us Fan MailI recorded this short episode in the Praza de Obradoiro, the plaza facing the western facade of the cathedral. I speak of some of the blessings attached to my tenth Camino. Each of the ten have deepened my understanding of what it means to be part of a pilgrim Church and a pilgrim people. We are headed home to Heaven and the more we understand the nature of our pilgrimage the more apt we are to travel light and to appreciate the simple things in our lives. Have a listen.

Send us Fan MailSven is a German journalist who has traveled the Camino de Santiago five times, twice on the Norte and three times on the Camino Frances. In this interview, Sven shares his love for Spain and the outdoors. He also shares simple but important advice on how to prepare for your Camino and how to enjoy the simple pleasures of the pilgrimage. If you are interested in walking the Camino de Santiago, you will want to listen to this episode. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Constantine, a pilgrim from Germany, spends time telling me about his most recent pilgrimage following the original route to Santiago, the Primitivo. We met in an albergue in Santiago at the end of our treks into the holy city. Constantine yearns for nature in contrast to his urban lifestyle back home in Germany. The Camino offers him nature and time to slow down and reflect. Take a few moments and enter into my conversation with Constantine--I think you'll enjoy it. 

Send us Fan MailI met Gabriel outside of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. He was sitting on the steps that lead down to the back entrance to the church. Although I felt self-conscious tapping him on the shoulder and asking him if he would like to be interviewed about his journey, I am so glad I did because Gabriel had a lot to share. He spoke candidly about his faith and his relationship with the Blessed Mother and his guardian angel. I think you will enjoy this one--have a listen.

Send us Fan MailThis episode is a wonderful tale of Kamal's call to walk the Camino Frances and to feed the fellow pilgrims he met at the albergues he stayed. Kamal is from the UK and had never heard of the pilgrimage. He tells of how it began to haunt his dreams and how he finally capitulated to the call. His forty day journey is filled with profound insights into the Camino and listeners will come away from this episode edified and inspired. Have a listen.

Send us Fan MailI met Marie and Giselle on the road to Santiago. It was a hot day on the Camino, and everyone was feeling the drain. We were only a few days away from the cathedral, and they agreed to be guests on the podcast once the pilgrimage was complete. Our conversation covers a lot of ground about the Camino and about life in general. Have a listen--I think you'll enjoy this episode.

Send us Fan MailI took a chance asking Juan Pablo to be a guest on the podcast. He was sitting in a park in the town of Portomarin writing in his journal, and I didn't want to bother him. I'm glad I did. He is originally from Argentina, but moved to Spain to study for an advanced degree. While in Spain, people encourage him to walk the Camino--if your Spanish, it's almost a mandate to travel to Santiago on foot. I enjoyed my conversation with Juan Pablo--John Paul--and think you will, too. Brew a pot of coffee, get comfortable in your favorite chair, and have a listen. Buen Camino. 

Send us Fan MailThis episode of These Holy Bones is a conversation with two young men from Belgium, Yelle and Laurens, who are childhood friends. I met them in a crowded restaurant the night before this interview. They graciously invited me to sit with them for dinner. In the spirit of the Camino, we shared food, conversation and laughter. Although this interview is relatively short, it conveys the heart of the Camino--a simple walk of faith and friendship.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Simon, a young Italian, speaks about his desire to encounter himself on the Camino Frances. Simon suggests walking without distractions--no music, no conversations--just the sound of your feet on the path and the thoughts in your head. I enjoyed speaking with Simon, and I think you will enjoy his youthful enthusiasm and idealism. Buen Camino!

Send us Fan MailIn this fourth episode of season two, I interview Claude from Paris, France. She explains how she was told that her Camino family would consist of the people with whom she began her journey--she would see them all along the way: in albergues, in bars, in restaurants and on the road as she traveled toward Santiago. This is exactly how Claude experienced the coming together of her Camino family. Have a listen and meet Claude on her way across Spain--she has insights to share not only about the Camino, but about life. 

Send us Fan MailThis past August, I spent the first night of my tenth pilgrimage in Hornillos del Camino. I met Julie, a twenty-three-year-old pilgrim from Denmark, who was on her second Camino traveling from Burgos to Santiago. Two years previous, she had walked the first part of the Camino Frances from St. Jean Pied de Port to Burgos. Have a listen as she tells me why she was walking The Way of Saint James. Buen Camino!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Father John Baptist and Father Jerome, two Dominican Friars from the Province of Saint Joseph in the United States, share their expectations of the road before we actually begin our trek across the Meseta. The interview was conducted in an albergue in Burgos on August 5th. Our conversation is filled with the excitement and the uncertainties commonly faced by most pilgrims venturing out on their first Camino. Have a listen and enjoy!

Send us Fan MailThis is the first episode of volume two of the podcast. In this episode, my wife, Karen, helps me to debrief after my tenth Camino, a walk of two hundred miles that included the Meseta-my favorite section of the Camino Frances. This was by far the most intense pilgrimage of the ten that I've walked--probably because I'm getting older and the joints are a bit more worn than in the past. My wife asks some good questions that help me reflect on another Camino. I hope you enjoy listening. Buen Camino!

Send us Fan MailJack Hitt's 1991 account of his Camino journey is a tale filled with quirky yet unforgettable characters. Hitt leaves a New York editing career to venture across Spain for a second time; his first pilgrimage was in 1981 after graduating from college. The book was later used by actor/writer/director Emilio Estevez for the movie The Way -- one of my all time favorites. I recommend Off The Road, especially coupled with the film, The Way for all Camino enthusiasts. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, a fellow Rhode Island pilgrim, James O'Connor, shares insights from his pilgrimage on the Frances in 2012 and his travels on the Portuguese Camino in 2024. His passion for the outdoors and his enthusiasm for his fellow pilgrim is at the heart of this interview. Have a listen. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, my wife Karen and I work through a packing list identifying what we deem necessary for the pilgrimage. Are most of these items essential? If I had to listen to only one podcast before leaving for the Camino, it would be "The Packing List."

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, my wife Karen and I discuss a daily approach to walking the Camino along with an approach to spending money on the road. Your pace is a very important aspect of the pilgrimage and should be considered before you take your first step. And of course you should consider a basic budget that can act as a guide for your spending on your walk to Santiago. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, my pastor, Father Stephen Battey, speaks about the Jubilee Year, and how we are to make sense of it. He touches on the essence of pilgrimage and how a pilgrim can approach the trek. His insights are invaluable. Have a listen, and God bless you!

Send us Fan Mail  Hello, and welcome to another episode of These Holy Bones, a podcast about the ancient pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago, where the bones of St. James are interred beneath the high altar. I'm your host, Robert Nerny, and on today's episode, I would like to do a book review  on Kevin Codd's book entitled To the Field of Stars.A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela. This was written in 2008, published by Erdmann's. It's about 270 pages. And it's a brill I think it's a brilliant book. I think it's it really is brilliant. I think it captures so many qualities of the Camino. I want to start with the quote.  It is on the cover of the book, and it's a quote from Martin Sheen, who is the famous actor,  and who stars in the movie The Way, which is about the Camino Francés, actually. He says, in this wonderful book, Father Cod brilliantly captures for us the essence of pilgrimage.  Through his spiritual and emotional trek, pilgrims are confronted with their own broken humanity and come face to face with the God they seek.  I love that quote. It sounds like Martin Sheen has walked the Camino for most of his life.I read before I go on the Camino and I think this is my perspective that if you have time, part of your preparation should be reading. A lot, I know that a lot of times you spend your preparation in REI or  some sporting goods store, but, and that's part of it.  But this will give you a sense, a deeper experience, I think, and it definitely gives you a sense of what's about to happen.But this book, you can read before the Camino, while you're on the Camino, and after the Camino. I think it just, it'll speak to you. At different points of your of your pilgrimage. And let me get right into it. In the introduction I love this introduction he is a very good writer. He's very very clear and super descriptive,  but not cumbersome.It's not prose that you have to like, muddle your way through. It's very clear, very easy to read, and it brings you places,  but he says in the second paragraph of the introduction, he says, I'm about to share here a story about stars at dance. May I advise you to exercise a modicum of caution in attending to what follows for the story of stars dancing over a field in a faraway land may so draw you away from the ordinary business of daily life.That you find yourself quite to your surprise in a new world of unexpected adventures and remarkable people and some very profound mysteries. Now that's definitely a Tolkien Tolkien esque type of passage. Bilbo Baggins says, it's a dangerous business photo going out of your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no no knowing where you'll be swept off to.So when I read that, I was like, Whoa,  he definitely has read the Lord of the Rings and it comes, actually, he does reference the Lord of the Rings in the book. I do this second page here of the introduction. I do the fact that he does reference Define a pilgrim. So  in my experience, there's no, it's hard to Categorize, the pilgrims that are on the Camino.It's impossible you don't categorize humanity you experience humanity, but I am going to read  from this, Introduction. He says a pilgrim is a believer Who travels to a holy place a place where god seems especially close To ask for pardon, to beg a favor, or to give thanks for blessings received. And so that's his definition of a pilgrim. I've met many pilgrims on the on the way on the road, and they probably wouldn't agree with this. They would maybe say that I'm here not as a believer, per se, definitely not as a Catholic, but I'm here because it appeals to me. It appeals to my sense of adventure, or it appeals to my interest in history, in culture, in language, in cuisine, but I'm definitely not here because I'm a Catholic,  wh

Send us Fan MailThis episode is devoted to the pack on your back. My wife, Karen, speaks about her packing experiences with specific recommendations on what to take and what to leave home. What you carry in your pack while on the Camino is an essential part of the pilgrimage. Don't underestimate this aspect of your preparation. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I go into some detail about how my wife and I ended up on the Camino de Santiago back during the summer of 2015 and how our pilgrimage was affirmed by a sign from God--no kidding! Well, at least that's my interpretation of the events. Like Jack Stanton in the movie The Way, I truly believe that no one does the Camino by accident--no one. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode I interview Adam and Gareth from New Zealand who talk about their night hike on the Meseta. The hike was illuminated by the grandeur of a blood-red moon. The two pilgrims completed the hike but not before dealing with the  early morning cold without tents or blankets. Adam and Gareth are a delight to listen to as they share their adventures on the Camino de Santiago. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Erik, a pilgrim from Kalamazoo, Michigan, speaks about the unexpected physical challenges of the pilgrimage. He also qualifies the trek as more of an interior journey rather than an exterior jaunt across northern Spain. Finally, he shares his love of the Spanish countryside with details about the flora and fauna encountered along the road. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I take some time to answer questions that my wife, Karen, has sent to me. It is the morning of July 23rd, and I am sitting in front of the majestic Leon Cathedral having my second Cappuccino of the day (I should really stick to one-a-day). It's the third week of the pilgrimage--the perfect time to stop and reflect on the journey thus far.

Send us Fan MailIn this third episode of These Holy Bones, Julio, a pilgrim from Mexico, explains his reasons for walking the Camino Frances. He also tells of his encounter with Diego, a Spanish pilgrim, who has walked the Camino several times but never for himself--always as a sacrifice for others. Diego's generous actions have a profound impact on how Julio understands the Camino as he continues his pilgrimage to Santiago. 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of These Holy Bones, I speak with Joseph, the owner of the albergue Beilari. He talks in his gentle manner about how he came to purchase the albergue and what hospitality means to him. 

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