In the summer 2025, Al Jirak and his friend Jeff Palzer (along with a few of their children) explored some new Camino territory on the Portugues route to see if it was a good fit for future Father & Son Pilgrimages.
Camino Portugues 2025
July 25, 2025
Another year, another Camino. With much gratefulness to God, my dear wife, family, business partners and friends, I am heading back to Spain for another round. This time we will be on the Camino...
July 27, 2025
We are sitting in the DFW airport in Dallas, Texas as we watch the minutes tick by. We had a 3 hour layover in New York before the 7 hour trek to Lisbon. That cushy 3 hours has been cut to 1 hour...
July 29, 2025
Jude has proved to be quite the social butterfly and I can see him making a lot of friends throughout this pilgrimage. On the much feared 7 hour overseas flight, Jude wanted to be reassigned to be...
July 29, 2025
If Portugal were a Yelp review, it might’ve gotten two stars from us that day. Maybe three, if we were feeling generous and slightly less hangry. But the truth is, it wasn’t entirely Portugal’s...
July 31, 2025
Now this was a Camino day for the highlight reel. We started at 5:30am on a stretch of path full of shaded forests draped along a peaceful river. It was cool, calm, and kind to our feet. And by...
August 02, 2025
The girls slipped out long before dawn to walk with Jeff and his daughter, their headlamps bobbing away. Gus and Jude kept me company for all of five minutes. Just long enough to spot an...
August 03, 2025
I have a prayer I say before each Camino - let’s call it the “Al Camino” prayer. Lord, let enough things go wrong to make our trip exciting and memorable, but not so many that they ruin our...
August 04, 2025
Today was another beautiful walk filled with forests and quaint little towns. By early afternoon we rolled into Padrón, cradle of one of the oldest James legends and, allegedly, the most happening...
August 06, 2025
Eight kilometers. That’s all that separates O Milladoiro from Santiago de Compostela. Most pilgrims shrug and press on, eager to hit the cathedral before their feet realize what’s happening. After a...
August 07, 2025
Our last push into Santiago always gets billed as “just a short day,” but let’s be honest: five hilly miles on pilgrimage legs still count. Add in a night of sauna-style “air-conditioned” lodging...
August 12, 2025
You know, after a few rounds on the Camino, you start collecting favorite places like little souvenirs. For me, the Navarre region—from the rolling hills and vineyards near Pamplona all the way to...