We have now been hiking for 12 days straight, and I am feeling like I am in the mental part of the stage. I am in the rountine of getting up early, having my bag packed and ready to go, walking by 7 am and doing it all over again the next day.
As we continue to walk, I am realizing that I don´t need much. Many people at this point in time, start dumping all the useless things they have in their packs. It feels liberating to get rid of baggage. The less I have, the happier I am.
We already walked through three regions in Spain: Basque, Navarra, and La Rijoa. We just entered the Castilla y León. We walked along beautiful vineyards, rolling hills filled with wheat and poppy flowers. The hike has become a rhythem for me. I repeat Poco ó Poco ( little by little) as I put one foot in front of the other. I listen to the sound of my boots hitting the gravel, poco ó poco. I am reminded how slow things are for me when I walk near a highway of fast moving cars and roaring engines, which is a complete contrast to the wind blowing through the wheat fields, and watching it ripple as if it were water.
The Camino forces me to live in a single moment, one step at a time.
I repeat over and over in my head, poco a poco ( little by little) as i put one foot in front of the other. I dream of the Albergue that we will be staying at in the evening. That I can take a shower and I cool down and relax before another hot day tomorrow.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
57 miles in
I finished five days of hiking, 57 miles total!
To recap, First day of the hike was hiking out of the city, St. Jean Pied de Port. This was the hardest day for me. The trail was a steep incline, going right up to the Pyranese. I felt as if I made a mistake, what the heck was I thinking! We split this hike up into two days lucky for me. Day two, the pinnacle. Another tough hike, but this time, we had friends. A mother/daughter team from Pennsylvania. The views were spectacular looking over the rolling, green land with the clouds below us, the cool mountain air blowing and the cow bells ringing. I periodically would look at the trail behind me to see what I accomplished for a little pat on the back.
I found myself emotional on this hike, very hard to explain why but that I was overwhelmed by what I was looking at, where I was, exhaustion, and the list goes on.
We hiked over the border into Spain, and stayed the night in Roncevalles for some rest--I really just hiked a mountain, incredible.
Day 3, hiked to the city of Zubiri. Great hike for me. I felt strong, my pace is a little faster, though my dad world disagree, lots of shade. Valerie and I worked out a water system, I grab it out of her bag, we drink, I put the water back in her bag.
At this point, w are starting to make lots of friends. There's, Neil, an opinionated Canadian guy who's done the Camino before. Karin, from Boston, rewarding herself for completing grad school. Meshae, from south africa, who's been walking already for 30 days, and has given me lots of blister advise, and of course, Christene and her 14 year old daughter from the US.
Day 4, we hiked into Pamplona. Another very beautiful hike along the spanish country side. I was so looking forward to Pamplona, but the weirdest thing was, as we walked though the busy city, I felt exposed.For the past few days, we'd been in smaller towns, where people were friendly and things moved slower. I walked with my nasty hiking and my frizzy hair along side the beautiful European woman and their sassy shoes. The great part of Pamplona--tapas, tapas, tapas. And the best question someone could ask me, white or red?
Today, my body is feeling tired. My legs hurt, my knees hurt, and my blisters are inevitable. But, we continue to meet more people and we continue to see our friends we've made along the way. We are staying in a "plush" alberge today. We have our own room, free wifi, hot shower where the water doesn't keep shutting off, washer and dryer, TV. Yes, these are normal things, but to us, this is luxury.
There really is so much to tell you, but, I'm hungry and ready for a glass of wine.
I can say this: It's a simple life, it moves slow, friendships are sincere, and conversations run deep.
Excuse the grammer and puncuatins, done all on my phone and I'm exhausted.
Buen Camino
To recap, First day of the hike was hiking out of the city, St. Jean Pied de Port. This was the hardest day for me. The trail was a steep incline, going right up to the Pyranese. I felt as if I made a mistake, what the heck was I thinking! We split this hike up into two days lucky for me. Day two, the pinnacle. Another tough hike, but this time, we had friends. A mother/daughter team from Pennsylvania. The views were spectacular looking over the rolling, green land with the clouds below us, the cool mountain air blowing and the cow bells ringing. I periodically would look at the trail behind me to see what I accomplished for a little pat on the back.
I found myself emotional on this hike, very hard to explain why but that I was overwhelmed by what I was looking at, where I was, exhaustion, and the list goes on.
We hiked over the border into Spain, and stayed the night in Roncevalles for some rest--I really just hiked a mountain, incredible.
Day 3, hiked to the city of Zubiri. Great hike for me. I felt strong, my pace is a little faster, though my dad world disagree, lots of shade. Valerie and I worked out a water system, I grab it out of her bag, we drink, I put the water back in her bag.
At this point, w are starting to make lots of friends. There's, Neil, an opinionated Canadian guy who's done the Camino before. Karin, from Boston, rewarding herself for completing grad school. Meshae, from south africa, who's been walking already for 30 days, and has given me lots of blister advise, and of course, Christene and her 14 year old daughter from the US.
Day 4, we hiked into Pamplona. Another very beautiful hike along the spanish country side. I was so looking forward to Pamplona, but the weirdest thing was, as we walked though the busy city, I felt exposed.For the past few days, we'd been in smaller towns, where people were friendly and things moved slower. I walked with my nasty hiking and my frizzy hair along side the beautiful European woman and their sassy shoes. The great part of Pamplona--tapas, tapas, tapas. And the best question someone could ask me, white or red?
Today, my body is feeling tired. My legs hurt, my knees hurt, and my blisters are inevitable. But, we continue to meet more people and we continue to see our friends we've made along the way. We are staying in a "plush" alberge today. We have our own room, free wifi, hot shower where the water doesn't keep shutting off, washer and dryer, TV. Yes, these are normal things, but to us, this is luxury.
There really is so much to tell you, but, I'm hungry and ready for a glass of wine.
I can say this: It's a simple life, it moves slow, friendships are sincere, and conversations run deep.
Excuse the grammer and puncuatins, done all on my phone and I'm exhausted.
Buen Camino
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Leaving St. Jean Pied de Port
After 30 hour of traveling, we made it to St. Jean Pied de Port. Still getting over jet/train lag. This is truely a beautiful city, almost wish I could stay one more day. However, we must walk, and it starts tomorrow early morning.
So far, the people here have been nothing short of amazing. I met a girl from San Francisco who up and quit her job to walk the Camino, a 77 year old german woman who already walked 400 miles and is part of it again, a gentleman with Parkinson's disease who bike all over Europe and now biking the Camino....and so may more inspirational people. We ate a really nice meal in the first Albergue of our trip, always served with wine and fresh french bread.
I look forward to meeting more people on the journey, and I will let you know how my body feels after tomorrows hike.
Au revoir!!
So far, the people here have been nothing short of amazing. I met a girl from San Francisco who up and quit her job to walk the Camino, a 77 year old german woman who already walked 400 miles and is part of it again, a gentleman with Parkinson's disease who bike all over Europe and now biking the Camino....and so may more inspirational people. We ate a really nice meal in the first Albergue of our trip, always served with wine and fresh french bread.
I look forward to meeting more people on the journey, and I will let you know how my body feels after tomorrows hike.
Au revoir!!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Packing my bag and leaving the U.S.
I'm packing my bags and debating on what to bring and what not to bring. Because, in two days from now, my dad, my sister in-law -- Valerie, and myself, will be flying into Paris, where we will then take an 8 hour train ride down to St. Jean Pied de Port, which is located close to the Spanish border in the southwestern part of France. From there, we start our 500 mile hike across northern Spain, along the Camino de Santiago, AKA, St. James Way. This pilgrimage has been walked for thousands of years by many Europeans. The final destination is in the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela. Here, we will arrive at the cathedral where the body of St. James is said to be buried.
You may ask, what on earth compels me to walk 500 miles? The answer is simply: I have no idea. Aside from the fact, at this point in time at least, I feel like it's a little crazy, I also feel that this will be a peaceful and meditative journey. I'm excited, scared, happy, and sad. Sad that I will be leaving my husband for 6 weeks. Sad to leave the comfort of my home, my dog, and my cat.
So, with that said, I married the most wonderful man. I married someone who gives me the freedom and strength to take such an adventure. Thank you, Stephen Slattery, I love you, I love you, I love you.
You may ask, what on earth compels me to walk 500 miles? The answer is simply: I have no idea. Aside from the fact, at this point in time at least, I feel like it's a little crazy, I also feel that this will be a peaceful and meditative journey. I'm excited, scared, happy, and sad. Sad that I will be leaving my husband for 6 weeks. Sad to leave the comfort of my home, my dog, and my cat.
So, with that said, I married the most wonderful man. I married someone who gives me the freedom and strength to take such an adventure. Thank you, Stephen Slattery, I love you, I love you, I love you.
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