Day 3 - Stage 3-4, Pamplona to Cizur Menor

O.K.... you  wouldn´t believe it... MJ has 27 miles under her feet!!!  Did read that right 27!!!  Janet has Less than 27 (she followed me in a taxi part of yesterday). Spent night in Pamplona, just arrived in Cizur Menor, outside of Pamplona by 6 miles... ooohhh, that means I´ve got 32 miles going now!!!  Janet did not take the taxi today.  Yes our feet are doing o.k.   More to come...

Day 1 - Stage 2, Ronsconvalles to Zubiri

O.k. walked 12 miles today.  Got up late, alarm wasn´t set right, started at 9am.  Ended at 7pm in Zubiri.... I have so many good things to say about today´s trail.  Can´t even put in words how beautiful it was... but it was Beautiful.  Through woods, forests, along a mountain ridge, next to really peaceful rolling green pastures with sheep, cows, sheep, horses, more sheep, over rivers, streams, and tiny bridges, down rocky trails, steep rocky trails, with lots of flowers, and color. We have lots of pictures and they will be up soon.  There were many metaphors for life on this trail... the main one for me today being about Baggage, and not because my pack weighs 20 lbs. At the end of the 12 miles it weighed 40.  It didn´t bother me really but as I walked through this really awesome place I couldn´t help think about the baggage we carry around in life.  You don´t realize how much clutter we have physically and mentally, and how much it consumes you and prevents you from seeing the really important stuff in life, the truly beautiful and meaningful stuff.  Note to Dewey, DO NOT go and empty the garage.  I know what you are thinking.  Well pictures are coming soon... then you will see what I mean.  Off to Pamplona tomorrow.

Buen Camino

And pictures....

Thank God the camera battery went dead... we took 383 pictures today... of which ONLY 250 were of the Sagrada Familia.  I promise to post more but then maybe a link to a web album would be easier.  (I think Janet has "mapped" every inch of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia... and boy is there a lot of detail there!)

Out on the town... Barcelona!

Today we took the train from Sant Cugat to Barcelona.  Walked part of Las Ramblas, had a coffee and a bite at  the Moko Cafe.  Janet then posed with one of the famous Ramblas mimes...

Other things we did, the Mercat...

Then the small church off of Plaza di Pie, The Cathederal, shopping, Roman columns, shopping, another Plaza, shopping, taxi to Sagrada Familia...

In Barcelona (o.k. Sant Cugat)... and boy are we tired!

The trip to Spain was great but boy are we tired!  When we got to London, Janet woke up and had a second wind, "I'm excited and will be up all day!!".  We got on the plane from London to Barcelona and crashed!! We were so tired we couldn't stay awake...still can barely stay awake.   


This evening we walked around Sant Cugat with Rosa and Jep, popped into the Monastery in Sant Cugat, popped into a couple of pastry shops... and we are now at home eating the pastries before dinner!

One day to go...

I left sunny, warm San Diego Friday to arrive in Iowa to cold drizzle.  Then woke up to SNOW on Saturday!!  SNOW!!  About 3", and big flakes too!  I'm really hoping spring has sprung in Spain because otherwise I am severely under prepared for cold weather!  We'll be wearing all 4 articles of clothing we brought.   Fortunately Jep informed us that his friend had just walked the route from Roncesvalles to Pamplona this week and that it was beautiful and great weather.... yeaa!  Very nice to hear that.


Janet and I leave tomorrow for Chicago... then we're off!  We can't wait, really looking forward to it.  Let the adventure begin!

Unpacking and Repacking... continued

O.k. I've unpacked, packed, and unpacked some more...  pack is still feeling on the heavy side.  I took my pack to the YMCA and weighed it this afternoon... 20 lbs!!   Not bad BUT that's without food or WATER!  Add two half liters of water and it's 25 lbs.  Hummm... so now I'm off to unload it one last time.  Janet's pack was 13.2 lbs yesterday... sans water, raincoat, and sandals.    Well my journey starts tomorrow morning.  I leaving to go to Iowa, where Janet and I will mull over our packs some more, and then we'll leave on Tuesday for Barcelona.... Oh boy!!

Packing and unpacking...

Spent the day packing my bag, then unpacking, packing it again... I'm trying to remove or reduce as much as I can.  Although my pack is a "small" pack, 35 Liter, it seems to hold a LOT!  I'm really not bringing that much... in fact you'll likely see many photos of me in the same t-shirt or pair of shorts (hopefully both!)  :)   My pack still feels heavier than I'd like to be carrying.  Well I'll give it another shot tomorrow....

Training continued

Today I "officially" measured my average walk...  3.3 miles every time Dewey and I walk down to Honey's for our coffee. We average about 3 to 4 trips a week to Honey's so ..(pull out calculator)... 9.9 to 13.2 miles per WEEK!  Now at that rate... (pull out calculator again).. I should be able to walk 470 miles in... oh, maybe two months?  O.k. maybe in 35 to 47 days without taking breaks... so add in blister time off, sore legs, swollen feet, having to pull Janet along with a rope, just plain grumpiness, Janet and I should be able to finish this trip by Thanksgiving.   ;)

Just to be clear...

This is NOT the road to Santiago!!  No way, no how...  

             El Camino del Rey:    Scary Path