Advertise on podcast: These Holy Bones: Walking the Camino de Santiago

Send us Fan Mail My novel about the Camino de Santiago is finally out and available on Amazon. It took me ten years, on and off, to write A Walk with Wilson Burroughs, a story about three juvenile offenders who are offered a chance to commute their sentences if they walk the Camino Frances. The protagonist of the novel, Shorty Lopez, tells the story in the first person. It's a Young Adult piece of fiction but has an appeal for adults, too. The book is available in paperback and as an ebook. In this episode, I talk about the novel's origin and its development. I also read a sample from Chapter Nine wherein the boys run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Have a listen.

Send us Fan Mail The first episode of season three is an interview with my 10-year-old granddaughter, Harper-Lee. We recently completed a fifteen-day pilgrimage that began in Leon. I had been promising to take Harper on the Camino when she turned 10 years old. Well, she's 10, so we packed our backpacks and headed for Spain. Harper talks about her expectations, her challenges, her favorite meals and the lessons learned. Her 10-year-old perspective is both charming and insightful. Have a listen.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, my good friend and fellow pilgrim, Father John Baptist Ku, discusses miracles from a Thomistic perspective. Some people may think that miracles are a thing of the past, but Father Ku argues that miracles are part of God's plan even in this modern age. Father Ku is a Catholic theologian with years of teaching experience. He is worth listening to. So grab a cup of coffee, put your feet up and plug in for the next forty minutes. Buen Camino.

Send us Fan Mail At the end of a very long walk, many pilgrims have a need to talk about their pilgrimage, to process the many hours spent on the road to Santiago. In the pilgrims office where a pilgrim gets the final stamp on the credential and receives the Compostela, there is another office, the Camino Companion Office, wherein a pilgrim can go and discuss the journey that they've just completed with volunteers like Sister Mary and Margaret from Scotland. The office offers an opportunity to meet other pilgrims, the opportunity to pray about the walk, and a chance to have a cup of tea with kindred spirits.

Send us Fan Mail At the very end of Camino 2025, Father Jerome and I spent time discussing his pilgrimage from Burgos to Leon, and then from Sarria to Santiago--a total of 200 miles on the Camino Frances. Our discussion took place on the patio of Camino Curry, my new favorite restaurant in Santiago owned by Kamal and his family. Father Jerome's reflections spring from his deep faith in the Catholic tradition and his pastoral perspective as a Dominican priest. I enjoyed walking with him and appreciate his commitment to prayer. I think you'll enjoy this episode.

Send us Fan Mail In 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 Mail 400,000 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 Mail In 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 Mail I 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 Mail Sven 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 Mail In 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 Mail I 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 Mail This 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 Mail I 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 Mail I 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.