22 days to departure! 😀 It’s been a rather surreal seven months since that fateful day back in August. Things happen in life sometimes that you just can’t make up. Unless you write novels. Ha. Such as… A few days before Christmas I receive a photo, via text, of Cindy in a cast! What the…
In Retrospect… And Looking Forward
It’s hard to believe I’ve been home for almost two months now. Many tears shed, much reminiscing, (so many great memories) and ruminating; and asking questions that may never have answers. I’ve had enough time to get past the why’s and feeling sad, and though I still have a fair amount of recovery time and…
Estella to Los Arcos – And A Surprise Festival
Day Seven – August 15 It was dark and other pilgrims were still sleeping, so we were repacking our backpacks with just the light of our phones while trying to make as little noise as possible. Cindy went out to use the bathroom and had forgotten to take her key, so she had to wait…
Puenta la Reina to Estella – The Longest Three Kilometers Ever
Day six – Aug 14 After a good night’s sleep – because… air-conditioning, ha! – we got another early start, leaving our Albergue before daylight. We retraced steps we’d taken yesterday in exploring the quaint little town and headed toward the bridge leading us out and on our way to Estella. Being as early as…
Pamplona to Puenta la Reina – 434m Up & 538m Down
Day five – Aug 13 We thought we scored big when we found that we had the bunk at the end of the large room next to a window! There was also a fan! Well, we soon discovered that the fan wasn’t very effective plus it was loud and it wanted to travel – across…
Zubiri to Pamplona – Another Hot Day!
Day four – Aug 12. The most interesting thing about Zubiri is the bridge that you cross over into the town which is more industrial than the ones we’ve walked through the past few days (there’s a magnesium factory on the outskirts where many of the locals work). The bridge is Romanesque and called Punta…
Roncesvalles and the Slog to Zubiri
Day three, Aug 11. Though the second half of the trek over the Pyrenees seemed long – mostly because of the heat – we arrived in Roncesvalles by early afternoon. The check-in process was quick and efficient, plus Cindy and I were lucky to have bed assignments in the same ‘pod’. Having been recently renovated,…
Buenos dias, España!
A late arrival in Madrid and a few days in Pamplona… After a relaxing stopover in D.C., we checked out of our hotel and arrived at our gate several hours early. Being members of an airline family (Jeff, a retired United pilot; Justin, a Delta pilot; Cindy, a retired Delta flight attendant, and her husband,…
A Little Background…
The Camino de Santiago – also known as the Way of St James – began as a Christian pilgrimage in the Middle Ages traveled (mostly) by Europeans. Pilgrims walked the route in hopes of reducing punishment for their sins. (This should be one of the reasons I’m walking – ha.) There are many routes to…
Puzzles, Pottery & Peonies
I am fortunate to have a lovely friend (Beth) who lives on Orcas Island – the largest of the San Juan archipelago – and every year she invites another dear friend (Mary) and I to visit for a few days. There is always something new to do or see whenever we make the trek up….