One step at a time
My name is Steven Bloom. I started this blog when I was about to embark on the journey of a lifetime, visiting 88 temples on the island of Shikoku in Japan. It was fantastic, so in 2019 I went back and followed several of the beautiful Kumano Kodo routes on the Kii Peninsula.
During the Corona years I walked 1200km through Denmark following the Danish Pilgrimage.
In 2023 I stopped working and I decided to walk from Sagres on the Algarve in Portugal, to Rome in Italy, which led me to walking various paths in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.
Scroll down to see my latest posts, or my walking adventures (by trail).
Go to the blogSagres to Rome
When I stopped working in June 2022, my wife said that I needed a project! Whilst walking the Fisherman’s Trail, Camino Portuguese and Lighthouse Way during 2023, an idea developed that I should continue to Rome. That should take a few years! At the end of 2024, I have now walked 5 of an expected 8 stages to cover the more than 5.000 kms between Sagres and Rome. In 2025 I plan to continue from Toulouse to Vence in France, La Spezia to Rome in Italy, and fill in the missing bits in Spain and Portugal that I didn’t walk.
The eight stages
Latest posts
Day 13: Navarrenx to Saint-Palais 
September 7, 2024 Today I’m tired, both because of walking, but equally because I have spoken French all day. Another day primarily along roads, 28km and 600m elevation. My day of speaking French started at breakfast, with the owner of the hostel. We talked about many things, but what he stressed as being most important was that I… Read more >
Day 12: Oloron-Sainte-Marie to Navarrenx September 6, 2024 Another rainy day and another day downhill towards the Atlantic coast. A 22km walk, 300m elevation and a 120m fall in elevation from Oloron to Navarrenx. It was raining and 13 degrees when I went for breakfast and never reached over 20 degrees the whole day. Not even comparable to back home in Copenhagen where… Read more >
Day 11: Arudy to Oloron-Sainte-Marie September 5, 2024 It’s downhill from the Pyrenees foothills towards the Atlantic coast. Whilst today had an overall elevation of over 500m, I walked downhill pretty much all day, from 420m in Audry to 220m in Orolon. Over the past few days, the scenery has barely changed - lots of forest, farmland, corn fields and a few villages… Read more >
Day 10: Lestelle-Betharram to Arudy September 4, 2024 It rained all night. It rained all morning. It rained most of the afternoon. 30mm in 24 hours and on a day where I walked 29km and an elevation of 850m. Luckily I didn't have to check-out before 12 o'clock, but I hoped that the rain at least eased up before that, given the length… Read more >
Day 9: Lourdes to Lestelle-Betharram September 3, 2024 After yesterdays marathon 12 hour effort, today was a short day, only 17km and 380m in elevation. I slept late, and the lady at breakfast took a pity on me, and gave me two of everything at the French breakfast (2 coffee, 2 croissant and 2 pieces of baguette). I spent the morning walking around… Read more >
Day 8: Bagneres-du-Bigore to Lourdes September 2, 2024 Today I experienced the great and worst of walking. Spectacular (an understatement) views, good walkable paths and clear signage. But also paths so overgrown and often muddy that one could discuss whether they can be considered paths at all, and worse, paths in the middle of nowhere that were closed - without warning and without… Read more >My walking adventures
Explore
Temples and Shrines
Vajra and Ema, Tori gates and Shitenno, Jizo and Omikuji. There's a lot to learn about Japanese Temples and Shrines. Read some of the things I've learnt when in Japan, many that I'd wished I'd known the first time I visited.
Japan is just different
Plastic food, white gloves, love of trains, pachinoko, toilets, manholes, social distance and futons. Japan is just different in so many different ways. Read about some of the differences I've experienced in Japan during my visits.
About me
That I was just following my feet, was something I often thought about during my pilgrimage to Shikoku, Japan, in 2018. I walked for 38 days, and at times it felt like my feet were walking, and the rest of my body just following.