A journey begins with a single step …
… are common on the Camino. As you are walking from East to West the sun is always behind you. As a result early morning starts result in long shadows like these. It also means that the backs of your legs will acquire a fine “Camino tan” as you journey across Spain. There can also…
… is a big thing on the Camino as it is in Spain in general. A tradition of the Camino evening is the “Pilgrims Meal” – a set three course meal of entree, main and dessert. It comes complete with wine. In most places this means a full bottle regardless of whether there is one…
… offered openly and with good intentions is worthy of being accepted in kind. After the first two days my left knee started to complain. Not due to a specific incident, more just the repeated careful steps up and – mainly – down hills. While leaving Puente La Riene, heading for Estella, crossing this iconic…
… here in Spain we are appreciated. Not by cheers and not by everyone but regularly we get a “Buen Camino” from a local. It is hard not to repeat the phrase back to them (aren’t we all on a journey?) but a friendly “Gracias” is now habit. I also appreciate the symbols of our…
… after yesterday’s challenging finish to the walk we started this day with some trepidation. We left Zubiri in rain but with the promise of clearer skies as we headed to Pamplona. Along with the traditional way markers of shells and yellow arrows (sometimes a little more discrete than one would like), there are those…
… greeted us on our first day of going the right direction. We awoke to two inches of snow from overnight. Christmas postcard material. The snow on the ground remained for half they day then the blue sky came out. Warm. And then the long slog into Zubiri. The path was full of slippery jagged…
… we were all ready to go on day one of our Camino. A transfer to SJPDP and then walk back to Roncesvalles for a nights stay and be ready for day two. The transport did not arrive. After some calls to the tour operator we came up with the plan of starting to walk…
… we will get very used to these signs over the next few weeks. They will guide us from St Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela (and beyond). This was one of the first we saw as we explored SJPDP (as the locals call it) and it was exciting – and emotional) to see one…
… as far as the eye can see (well almost). The beach at Biarritz on a cloudy Monday morning is deserted. Yesterday was sunnier and there were more people there including some brave surfers. Today’s tasks were to explore in which we succeeded. Tomorrow will bring more adventures. We head to St Jean Pied-de-Port. Highlights…
… everyone brings baggage to the Camino. As well as the physical kilograms of clothing, gear and stuff there is the emotional sort. Some people hide that baggage away – the challenges, people they have left behind, what they will come back to. Others may share their thoughts willingly – hoping for feedback, ideas or…