Day 0 – Arrived in St. Jean Pied de Port

(I’m having some frustration with WiFi and have removed some photos. ) The travel by sitting is over – tedious flight from Toronto to Paris, bus from CDG to Orly airport, flight to Biarritz/Bayonne, where I had a cheap room (€35 without private bath at the Hotel Monte Carlo) near the train station. This morning…

My backpack – ready to go

Read this only if you like packing posts! The photo shows my stuff ready to go to the airport – backpack alongside a flat shoulder pouch with my valuables and guidebook, and a separate bag that I will check in for the flights and then discard when I arrive. The checked bag has my walking…

Clareing the decks for the Camino

Last week I wrapped up my contribution to the fall garden cleanup at home, backed up my computer, packed two completely separate bags and wardrobes, and flew to Toronto. Mississauga, actually. Even more actually, a hotel situated on a virtual island in the middle of the freeways and light industrial zones of the Mississauga-Toronto boundary.…

It’s about time to resume walking!

In order to challenge my still-wimpy foot, I set off with N to walk 10 km from Frenštát pod Radhoštĕm to Hukvaldy in the Czech Republic. The weather was dreary and dull with a high of 13 C, overcast skies, and occasional drops of rain. We each wore 2 pairs of lightweight pants, several layers…

Odds and ends – blah, blah, blah

The important news is that I have a sore foot. If you ask “why,” then you clearly did not read my last few posts in which I described my goal to walk 50 km/week in 2015 and my clomping around on hard sidewalks in old clunky hiking boots that I’ve now donated to the thrift…

First day of school, seniors’ edition

I signed up for over-55 yoga at a recreation centre 6 km away, planning to get up at 6:30 on Thursdays and walk there for an 8 a.m. class. Today was the first class. This week my sister-in-law came to visit from 500 km away. She is close to my age and has decided she…