As usual, I start my trip to Spain uncertain of whether I will blog daily or not. It can be a chore, for sure, but I am always glad that I did. So I’ll try again.

Also, as usual, I start my trip uncertain of why I am going, and feeling a bit sheepish and self-indulgent about it.

I lied. I do know why I go. It is an adventure in my comfortable life. It motivates me to stay fit at home. Walking for hours, through cities, villages, forest and side roads in a foreign but safe country, gives me a sense of freedom, independence, and even youth! Well, timelessness, if not youth.

The “pilgrim” community is a motley collection of interesting people who have been my online companions through pandemic years, as well as being ephemeral friends in person in Spain – walk and chat for an hour or three, never to be seen again. Or maybe becoming fast friends for a short period.

And so it goes. I’m flying to Madrid, popping into the city to get a fast train, and arriving 2 hours later in Valencia. I plan 2 nights there, then start walking west on the Camino de Requena to Cuenca, and then head north on the Ruta de la Lana to Burgos. That would take 30 days, 600 km. My kids and husband are very impressed with my detailed spreadsheet with towns, villages, distances between them, accommodation options, and miscellaneous notes.

Of course, circumstances could change, so my plans would have to change too!

A day or two before Cuenca, I hope to meet up with a forum friend who is starting on a different variant to the Lana.