That's all folks

Well, this last post is coming a bit late, but better late than never. James and I arrived in Santiago on Sunday the 23rd along with a veritable herd of other pilgrims to the holy city. It was really cool to watch the distance markers on the roadside count down to the single digits as we walked toward the cathedral. With about 2km left to go we stopped and a got a place to stay and then kept on walking right into the cathedral.

The cathedral was amazing (as are almost all European churches), but it had a special effect because it was the ending point of the pilgrimage. We were finally there! After 30 days of walking 764km (~470miles) we were finally there. It was time for the fiesta to begin......

There was an unbelievable amount to see and do in Santiago. From going to Mass in the Cathedral (especially on the Feast Day of St James, the 25th), having Mass at the tomb of St James the Apostle in the crypt of the cathedral, to dancing in the streets, seeing the fireworks at the cathedral at night, and especially meeting up with all the pilgrims we met along the way. Seeing all the people we met all at once and in one place at the end of the trip was one of the greatest parts for me. We spent from Sunday till Wednesday checking out Santiago and we finally left Spain on Thursday morning.

For more information about the city and cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, check out this page and the links it provides on the bottom.

As a closing note, I just want to say that I could not have been more blessed to have made the journey that I did, with the people made it with. If I had to attempt to isolate one theme from this whole trip, it would have to be the Providence of God, or more simply, having people and places show up in your life almost out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, who end up having a profound affect on you. I am deeply grateful to everyone who helped me in any way to make this trip and especially to everyone who read and posted to this blog. Your comments ranged from inspirational to outlandish, but they were all great.

I will be taking a break from the blogging business for a while, although I may start up again in the fall, depending on whether or not I have anything useful to say, which remains to be seen. Please pray for me during these next few weeks as I jump through the last few hoops to become a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Chicago. You can be assured of mine for you.

God Bless,


Tom Byrne

I´m still alive...........

Alright! I finally found a computer that I can use for more than 30 seconds, so here is an update on my life. We are currently less that 40km away from Santiago! That means that we will be rolling in there on Sunday the 23rd, two days before the Feast. It is going to be awesome.

The last couple of weeks have been insane, not only becuase of the gross amount of distance we have travelled and the sky high temperatures, but also because of the awesome stuff we have seen. We saw the cathedrals in Burgos, Leon, and Astorga which are each masterpieces on their own right. We also saw two huge Benedictine monasteries, the older of which was founded in the 6th century, I believe. There have also been the natural wonders too. We are currently in the northwest of Spain, in an area called Galicia. It is very celtic and reminds me a lot of Ireland. There are tons of farms, green fields, mountains, cool air, and especially rain. It was a welcome relief to get to this region and get out of the scorching heat.

We have also met a ton of cool people. For the last two weeks of so we have been walking with a group of American seminarians and a family (four sisters and their brother) from Texas. It has been great to have some other Americans around, especially because many of them speak fluent Spanish.

Many, many thanks to everyone who has posted on the wall. Your comments have been awesome and have given me a great boost to finish this Camino. Pray for me as I arrive in Santiago, and be sure that I will do the same for you. See you in a week.

Estamos en Burgos

Hola, Americanos! James and I have reached Burgos, the second large city on the Camino. So far we have walked 286 kilometers, which converts to 178 miles, in a total of twelve days. It has pretty hot and pretty crazy, but I have already had the time of my life. We have met so many people from all around the world, including the US. It is amazing to be at the dinner table and have conversations going on in four of five different languages at the same time.

I am already starting to crave American food again....... The other day while walking, all I thought about was getting a Taco Bell Crunch Wrap Supreme as soon as I got back to the US. I mean, like I am going to get picked up from the airport, and I am going to drive directly to Taco Bell. First of all, Taco Bell does not exist in Europe. Second of all, the only food they eat over here in Spain is bread, coffee, sausage, and rice.......... Fine. They eat more than that, but that was a pretty good summary.

Last rant of today concerns............THE SIESTA. My dreaded enemy. I had heard stories about the siesta before I came over here, and they have all come true. Have you ever been in an American town and have EVERYTHING close up from 2:30 until 5 or 6 at night? No, I didn´t think so. Well, in Spain, that happens. Not only do they close up, they board up everything. Metal gates locked, huge shutters across every window, and no one outside the house. I feel like I am walking through ghost towns if I am out in the afternoon. People just do not mess around with the siesta. When it´s on.......it´s on.

Alright, I am off to check out the cathedral here in the city. It is supposed to be one of the most magnificent in all of Spain. More updates as they come to me and as I find computers to use.

Eat a crunch wrap for me.