Trekcapri's Camino de Santiago: I'm On My Way

I recently purchased my plane tickets and I'm finally on my way to Spain to fullfill a dream of mine to walk the Camino de Santiago.   I'll arrive in Paris (luckily snagged a direct flight) where I'll spend one night before taking an early train to Bayonne and then on to St. Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP) where I'll start my Camino.  I booked a hotel (close to the Gare Monparnasse Train Station in Paris, two nights in SJPDP, one night in my first Refugio, Orisson, (to break up that first tough stage over the Pyrenees) and one night in Hotel Roncesvalles (I'm a really slow walker and wanted to ensure that I have a bed waiting for me after this long and difficult stage).  I have most of my packing list contents and as I train, I'll be testing out several shoes to see which one I'll be taking on my Camino. 

For more than a thousand years, pilgrims from all walks of life and from all over the world walk the Camino de Santiago.  Some people do it for spiritual/religous reasons while others do it for self-discovery and/or to have a grand walking adventure.  Although there are several camino routes to choose from, I will be taking the more popular Camino Frances route made famous by the movie, "The Way", starring Martin Sheen and his Actor/Director/Producer son, Emelio Estevez. I will walk 500 miles through 4 (Navarro, Rioja, Castille/Leon and Galacia) of Spain's 15 regions.  I last visited Spain in 2008 and I am so excited to return. Since I will retire in July after working 32 long years with the City of Los Angeles, I will have the luxory to walk my pilgrimage with no work restrictions.  After my Camino I plan to take a very cheap ($26) one-way flight from Santiago (after I walk onto Finisterre and Muxia) to Barcelona (my fly out City) where I will spend the rest of my weeks exploring the wonderful Spanish Region of Catalonia.  

Now that I've booked my airline tickets, I'll be posting more about my Camino de Santiago Journey. Until my next post, Buen Camino.

The Dream Lives On . . .