CaminoDiaries

Well I can see I am not cut out for this blogger gig as content is king and I have been a lazy writer for the last nine days. So much has happened in the last week it is difficult to summarize it all. May 10, 2010 The next morning Bogdan and I walked on to Viana. One thing you will notice as you walk the Camino is that in addition to the steady stream of yellow arrows that mark the way, Pilgrims also leaves signs of their own as memorials or to supplement the yellow arrows in areas that are poorly marked. Bogdan and I had the biggest laugh when we came across the “manure” arrow that someone creatively thought to craft from fresh horse droppings and sticks. May 11, 2010 The next morning we ... read more

Well it´s official. The Spanish headlines declared it the coldest weather in Navarra for the last 130 years. Cold, wet and muddy. Yesterday it was a very long haul from Pamplona up to the Alto de Perdon trudging through mud. I had poorly planned and did not bring any food in my pack, expecting to hit a Bar along the way and a bocadillo of ham and cheese. Once I was past the last town on the way up the hill I realized that there would be no place to eat until I came down the other side and after five hours of walking I was very hungry. The Camino always provides and I was fortunate to meet up'with a 71 year old New Zealander named Valerie who was very gracious in sharing her lunch with ... read more

I only got four hours of sleep last night, probably due to feeling a little excited and anxious about the journey. I had everything ready to go, having spent much time packing and unpacking, deciding what to take and what to leave behind. I remembered that on my first trip in 2001, with no idea what to expect, how much I over-packed trying to anticipate every need along the way. This time I am carrying a scant 20 pounds - thanks to experience and modern technology. However, the emotional baggage I carry this time is much heavier than it was in 2001. There’s a saying that on the Camino, everyone suffers - some physically and some emotionally. Although, I can’t anticipate what physical difficulties may lay ahead, I already sense the emotional ambushes that will happen ... read more