A Little bit of History

Oddly enough (to me) not every one knows about the "camino" This amazes me because it is constantly on my mind. I walked some of it a few years ago and I decided then that I would return and start in St Jean Pied De Port in the south of France and walk to Santiago de Compostela all in one visit.

I love to walk more than anything especially on the hills, in a forest or quiet country roads. I have always found that walking is not only good for our body's but more importantly for our minds, To me it is like meditation in a way.
I have been asked why am I doing it, is it for charity ? Am I going on pilgrimage? Am I going with others?  I don't have a specific answer as to why I am doing it. It is not for charity, or am I going on a pilgrimage and I am going alone just me and my backpack.  I like the idea of going alone with just a few essentials to see me through each day, with nothing on my mind but reaching my destination. I have no expectations. I know it will be challenging, and hard at times. I know it will be lonely. I know that I will get tired, get blisters, sore, emotional and a myriad  of other feelings. I also know I am strong, fit, determined and very stubborn  so that will help I hope !! I will take it one day at a time, I will enjoy walking and meeting with people especially those I have chatted with on the camino forum. I hope to cook a bit as well whenever I can have use of a kitchen in the alburgues along the way. I love spanish food and hopefully I will collect a few recipes along the way too. 2 weeks from tomorrow I fly to Biarritz. I can't wait !!!!!!!

I almost forgot the little bit of history ...

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known in English as The Way of St James, are walking and cycling pilgrimage paths. The walking trails come from all Europe, some start and finish in Spain, and they all converge on Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain as their destination. For more than 1,000 years pilgrims have traveled along the many Caminos to Santiago.

The most popular Camino walking trail is the Camino Frances This part of the Camino de Santiago traditionally starts in St Jean Pied de Port in France and finishes in Santiago de Compostela about 780km later, after traveling the breadth of Northern Spain, (In Santiago you can collect your Compostela).  However you can start anywhere and even continue past Santiago to the sea at Finisterre. Cape Finisterre was thought to be the end of the world in medieval times.

Map showing the camino frances

Today thousands of Christian pilgrims and non-Christian pilgrims each year set out from their homes, or from popular starting points across Europe. The most popular route is the French Way or Camino Francéson which most pilgrims start from either Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees or from Roncesvalles on the Spanish side. However many pilgrims begin further afield from cities such as Le Puy or St. Albain.

These modern-day pilgrims walk for weeks or months to visit the city of Santiago de Compostela. Some pilgrims travel on horseback, many also come by bicycle. In addition to people on a religious pilgrimage there are many travellers and hikers who walk the route for non-religious reasons such as for enjoyment, travel, sport or simply the challenge of weeks of walking in a foreign land.

Santiago se Compostela Cathedral 

Love is .... sharing the first tomato from the greenhouse.

 Once upon a time on a sunny morning.....
"There are tomatoes ready in the greenhouse"
"I seen that"
"Well are you going to pick them"
"Ah no sure you grew them and fed and watered them, you pick the first one"
" will you go up and get them I left them there for you to pick"
"I won't"
" come on so and we will get them "
He picks the first tomato of this years crop and offers it
" here you go taste that "
" No you take the first bite "  so he takes the first bite
"Oh God that is lovely" he say's  then hands it to her
"divine" say's she "well worth waiting for"

and so it goes until next year. It is one of the great rewards of growing veg, getting to taste the first of the tomatoes, the spuds and beans and of course the figs which were devoured a couple of weeks ago.

I have only 3 weeks to go until I leave for Biarritz. The fear/excitement has left me now and I feel pretty good. I feel ready now, that is to say I am pretty calm and have it sussed !!!! The weather has been pretty good this week and I have been out walking early in the morning. It has become like a meditation.  One foot in front of the other, repeat repeat repeat. I have a pretty good stride and walk 8 mile in just under 2 hours. There is a flow about it, no change in the motion or the speed. I am not sure where my mind is when I walk but I never feel tired or that I need to stop.
I have noticed Ray is starting to look at the calender now just as I have stopped. The time seems to be flying by, I asked was he counting down the days to get shut of me for a while. All I got was a smile, typical man "No comment"
I expect he is worrying just a tad as I am not the best at taking care of my stuff. I never fail to leave a book, glasses or phone charger behind in  a hotel. Some times I go into panic thinking I have lost my purse (I have done on occasion). If we are going away I usually have to go back into the house for something I left behind. I laugh as I write because I never had to think, my other half has always sorted it all out for me. You can see now why he is slightly worried. Well don't sweat  the small stuff!! I have it covered I think!!!!
I have my gear all laid out and here is the plan. Everything has a place in the bag and that is where it will be kept day in day out until I return home. Soooo if I need something as I walk along the road I will know where it is. Hey Presto, Open sesame, Abrica Dabra open the bag as opposed to empty the whole thing out on the road and I have what I want. WTF? you might think but I really am not the best at minding things, but hey!! There are going to be changes on the camino and I may come home with everything I left with. Ina eat your heart out. It has been suggested that I wear dog tags so if I get lost someone may post me home :-)
It will be all go for the next 3 weeks. I will have loads of "tommy-toes" to preserve one way or another. Some more walking a little cycling and I fear a little trimming from my back pack to keep the weight in check, It will all come together and one foot will go in front of the other...

Everything is ready to pack now !!

Best tomatoes in town

August Already !!!!

I thought in February that August would never come, and here it is the 2nd already. I have lost the excitement somewhere over the last few weeks and am searching endlessly for it.  I have also lost a couple of posts from the blog, obviously deleted them while playing around here trying to decide how I would like the page to look. In the middle of all this mayhem I have been to Westport again to cycle the greenway with Ray and Kathleen and had a great weekend. I have been on antibiotics for a chest infection and have had a tummy bug for the last few days. I have not been for a walk since sunday and feel my world is going belly up this morning.
In my world when all is not well I put flour to the clouds, but that is causing some problems too!!! What you may ask. Weight gain I answer ! Logical I hear you say!! Well that had to stop. It is not as if I have sorted out the backpack weight problem (wrote about that on the missing post ) and I need to gain weight. I really would have liked to lose 10 lbs but instead I gained 5, so cupcakes are not on the menu. Someone please tell me how a beautiful light as a feather dainty little cupcake causes weigh gain ??
I have now moved on from cakes and bread to jams chutneys and pickles. My rhubarb was abundant so we now have lots of rhubarb and ginger, rhubarb and vanilla (yummy) jam and rhubarb chutney and spring rhubarb relish. I have preserved some of our raspberries in brandy and syrup for christmas if they last that long. Yesterday I made red pepper relish and some tomato and red pepper chutney. It is starting to look like most of my tomatoes are going to come in when I go away. I just can't see Ray making chutneys and roasted tomato ketchup in september.
Where is all this leading ??? to my present state of mind. I am full of apprehension about this trip and here are the main problems
1. 38 days is a long time to be away from all that is familiar and all that I love.
2. Am I as fit as I think ?
3. I may have lost my mind as well as my excitement and blog posts.
4. Will I be able to contend with life on the camino?
5. Will I die of loneliness?

I am hoping when I read this back later that I will say to myself "build a bridge woman you will be grand you are  losing your mind is all that is wrong with you" I am breathing a heavy sigh of relief as I write this just realising I have that lost my mind already. I have now managed to knock one of the 5 main problems of the list. Sure everyone thinks I am nuts doing this camino anyway.
If I can get Ray to agree to collecting the elderberries, wild plums, damsons and crab apples while I am away and just freeze them until I return I will chillax a little bit, or maybe my timing is wrong for going will I wait another year....?

Garden rewards