They say to write about what you know. So, I wrote Billy, A ’70s Story. Billy is a fictional interpretation of my teen years living in the New York metropolitan area. I graduated from Queen of Peace Catholic High School, North Arlington, NJ, in June 1972 and went to Manhattan College in September 1972. I got caught up in buying and selling marijuana, then LSD and other hallucinogenic pills. I dropped out of college during the second semester and hitchhiked to Denver, Colorado

The Camino de Santiago gets in your blood. It is a journey of reflection, unexpected connections, and personal transformation. For years, I have shared those footsteps with you through my memoirs, Another Camino Story and My Way on the Camino Portuguese. But today, I am stepping onto a completely different kind of path. I am incredibly excited to announce the release of my debut novel, Billy: A ’70s Story, officially launching this Tuesday, September 1, 2026. From Pilgrim Tra

Sunday, April 7, 2024 It is nice when a hostel has a continental breakfast available for its guests, whether free or for a nominal fee; it doesn’t matter. It is best to start the day with food in your belly. When you leave to walk, it could be a while before another opportunity to eat arises. It can be hard to find something open in the early morning or during siesta time in the afternoon. Many businesses are closed on Sunday. Businesses that are open on Sunday usually open

Saturday, April 6, 2024 My phone alarm went off at 6 a.m. After morning routines and rearranging my backpack, I went down for the...

Friday, April 5, 2024 I arrived in Lisbon about 10:45 a.m. and headed for baggage claim, hoping my backpack arrived intact. My first...

Thursday, April 4, 2024 My Camino Portuguese started after many months of waiting. The anticipation grew as the departure date grew...

A New Adventure Begins The Camino de Santiago gets in your blood. It starts with a calling. Somehow, you learn about this special...

Prologue 620 km (390 miles) from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela. 260 km (160 miles) from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. In...

I had a great experience walking the Camino Frances in the fall of 2021. When I returned home I kept thinking that I wanted to do it...

I am happy to announce that the paperback version of my book, Another Camino Story, is now available on Amazon. Click Here to get your...

It has been a few days since I’ve posted anything on my blog. My apologies. It’s just very tedious for me to try to type out everything on a cell phone. I do post photographs every day on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/jfseegers. Please visit to see some of the pictures I’ve been taking. I will say this is one of the greatest experiences of my life and I’m really enjoying the trip. Although it is not always easy, it is very rewarding. Rick, Dave and I are getting along pre

9/29/2021 Yesterday we arrived in Burgos. We took a path to avoid walking through the industrial area on the outskirts of town. Walked around their very small airport. Once we entered the city we walked along a beautiful park running along side a river, a very peaceful place to walk. Burgos is a big city filled with Medieval architecture and art, The Burgos Cathdral is magnificent and we are fortunate to have a hotel room over looking the plaza. Last night we had the pleasure

Today was a good day walking with cool temperatures and no rain. Finally, after nine days of walking we were together the entire day. Rick decided not to walk as fast and Dave slowed down as well. My knee was feeling better and I could keep up. We had time to stop and enjoy the scenery, the sunflower fields and much more. Several Spanish speaking pilgrims passed us playing Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire. Obviously American country music fans. Dave told them to check out The Highw

Monday September 20, 2021 We were up at 6AM and gathered our things to head out for the day. It is now a little after 7AM. Rick and Dave have left for Puenta de la Riena. I am waiting behind for the Post Office to open to ship back some items to lighten my pack by about ten pounds. This will be the first day starting off on my own and I feel a little apprehensive. We have.been starting off together. It took me 45 minutes to an hour to find the post office. The streets in Pamp

Sunday September 20, 2021 Today we are in Pamplona after thirteen miles which was easier then the last couple days. Yet, there were many rises and descents. The Walk went through quaint Spanish villages and through forested areas as we followed a river. We arrived in Pamplona about two thirty which gave us time to relax a bit before going out to explore the town. It was nice to have time to see the city. I can see why Hemingway liked visiting Pamplona. We stopped in the Cafe

We left our room in St Jean Pied de Port about 6:30 AM to start waking the Camino de Santiago after a two night stay in SJPDP. We were excited about beginning the adventure. Since it was still dark we wore our headlamps so we could see the markers, either a yellow arrow or a scallop shell. We headed up the hill which became steeper with each step. Rick always walks like he’s on a mission to get somewhere quickly and pulled ahead with Dave walking along side. It wasn’t long be

Rick and I left Orlando for a 741AM departure to JFK Airport, leaving the house about 5AM. I was up at 330 to have time to shower and have a cup of coffee. Also, to make sure I had everything I needed. We landed about 1040. We hung out at a Buffalo Wild Wings in the airport for a bite to eat and wait for Dave. Rick bought a deck of cards and we played some Rummy to pass the time. Dave arrived about 1PM. The flight to Paris was at 630, giving Rick and Dave a chance to catch up

It looks like the world is slowly finding a way back to normalcy after more than a year with covid-19. The Spanish borders have opened to Americans. Masks are no longer needed outdoors in Spain and over 50% of the adult population of Spain have a least one vaccination shot. Albergues/hostels are allowed 50% occupancy. At this time, plans are to depart for Paris on September 14 to begin this adventure delayed for over a year. May and September are described as the best months

I set up a Google Alerts for the terms “Camino de Santiago” hoping to learn more about the “Way of Saint James,” an experience I look...

It’s still not clear when the European borders, especially France and Spain, will open for travel from the United States. Due to the...