The day started with an hour of packing exercise – packing and re-arranging and re-packing my things to optimize the arrangement. It is amazing how many ways you can stuff 31 Litres of stuff into a bag and still not be satisfied. I swung it on my back, fastened the hip belt, clicked the sternum…
The tolls of pre-journey excitement, a 20-hour journey and a 9-hour time change have left me a touch incoherent. The flight to Toronto had an unhappy dog who seemed to be soiling his little travel house, judging from his whining and the aroma. Poor guy. On the flight to Munich a nice East European woman…
Leave house for husband to enjoy in solitary splendour in my absence. Catch bus to airport. Fly to Bilbao. Stay overnight. Go to Guggenheim Museum. Afternoon bus to Pamplona, overnight at Albergue Curazon Puro. Get ride to St. Jean Pied de Port. Stay at Albergue Beilari where I’ll meet other pilgrims at the communal dinner. Start…
Don’t read this unless you LOVE camino packing minutia. You’ve been warned! The time is drawing close and I’ve got everything ready. Several times over. My husband was away so I was free to indulge myself in camino preparations, with no one laughing as I wore my backpack around the house over my pyjamas. I…
The kitchen has been finished, two sets of visitors have come and gone, we’ve held a celebratory end-of-summer party, the fall weather has that crisp feel in the mornings, and I am counting the days. First, the kitchen. After only 14 months of food preparation in the laundry room, we have moved the centre of…
We walked into Santiago de Compostela on Thursday afternoon. Only the little scallop shells on the sidewalks, and the occasional sign post, were there to keep us on track while navigating the modern roads into the city. Finally, into the old part, down a hill, through a passage and into the large open square facing…
I have occasionally mentioned my quest for a personal fashion niche. My prayers have been answered, on the camino, no less! A photo very similar to this may appear in the January 25, 2013, issue of Paris Match, if the fashion editors don’t notice it. No names were exchanged. Here are a few more fashion…
The finest restaurants in the world are at the end of a 25 km walk. All along the pilgrimage, restaurants, bars, and pensions offer a Menu del Dia to pilgrims for a price of €8 to €12. This price includes a choice of starter such as soup, spaghetti or salad; main course of thin steak…
Seeing Clarely 