Day 2

My feet feel like they're going to fall off.  I'd actually like it if they did!   I thought day 2 would be easier but as it turns out my body is still a little upset with me because of day 1.  The last 7km today were really tough.  I was using my walking stick as a crutch to put the least amount of weight on my feet.  

It was very cold starting off this morning, below freezing for about the first 2 hours I'd say.  

I thought the second day would be so much easier, but as it turns out it was pretty difficult because of the condition of my feet and my knees started hurting halfway through the day, but we made it to Zubiri! 

We had dinner with a friendly Irish woman and her father and after pizza and wine I'm feeling much better.  Unfortunately, I had to pop the blister on my pinky toe (it was the size of my toe) and drain it.  The moleskin and athletic tape wrapping just wasn't cutting it :(. We'll see how m feet hold up tomorrow.  Another 20km and we'll be in Pamplona!  

Today I'm thankful for good weather, my walking stick, cheap wine ($1.85e a bottle!), getting to Mass, and our new Irish friends John and Jennifer. 

Here are some photos from day 2

Little villages we walked through

Lots of farms and most of the time cowbells were thinly sound; we consider cowbells our theme music for the Camino :)

Emily and our Irish friend John as we approach Zubiri, our stay for the night.  This photo is a real life representation of how we felt after the hike today... No sugar coating.  OUR FEET HURT!  

Day 1

Today was pretty miserable; I won't lie.  We overslept and woke up 7:05. Not too bad since we were planning to leave at 7:30 anyway.  The 16 mile hike through the Pyrenees was expected to take 7.5 hours.  It's an elevation change of 4,000' and some inclines are 16%, blah.  We left about 8 and were all layered up thinking it would be cold.  There was 80% chance of snow at the top. After half an hour hiking that grade we stopped and took off our jacket and fleece, leaving just an undershirt and t-shirt with my hiking pants.  This lasted the first two hours.  Everything was what I expected. I had been comparing it to hiking the Grand Canyon trail in one day and it felt just like that.  

Then came the wind... And the cold... And the rain.  The higher we got the worse the wind, rain, and cold got.  "Miserable" doesn't describe it. It was the worst hiking I've ever done and close to the worst I could imagine.  Emily was saying it probably would have felt warmer if it were snowing.  When we arrived at the albergue I went to sign my name on the registration and my handwriting looked like a kindergartner's.  I couldn't use my hands correctly because my fingers were so cold.  Emily's were the same.  

But that's okay, because that's what I signed up for!   

Here's what I learned today: 

1. Irish people are nice.

2. Hiking is miserable rainy, windy, temps in the 30s.  

Here's what I'm thankful for: 

1. Hot shower

2. Having my laundry washed and dried for $2.70e (did I mention the rain got in my bag and almost every article of clothing was wet?) 

Here are the pics from day 1

Pictures from the first two hours hike from saint jean.  

Here's the beautiful views of the Pyrenes, haha

Santiago 765km, HERE WE GO!

My feet pre-Camino...

Uh-oh... This what they look like the day BEFORE the Camino 

Day 2 pre-Camino LOURDES!

After the 4 hours in Paris we set south for   Lourdes. I'm happy to say that the French people I spoke with actually understood what I was saying when I pronounced "Lourdes" which never happened before when I was here!  

We arrived at 11:30pm, not the best time to find a place to stay so we figured we would just crash in the train station for a few hours and then hit the grotto at the break of dawn.  Good plan, except the train station was already locked for the night when we arrived.  Luckily Lourdes is a very safe place so we headed out in search for a cheap hotel or good place to wait it out till morn.   Come to find out the grotto and basilica grounds (including bathrooms!) are open all night!  It was so peaceful and beautiful there I even forgot how cold it was... for the first hour.  

(Sorry the photos are poor quality!)

When we arrived there were about 15 people praying... By 3am it was just me and Emily, very cold, and looking quite homeless.  About 4am we started walking around to keep warm, at 5am went in search of something warm to drink, at 6am gave up and went back to the grotto for Mass.   

Here are some photos around the basilica and grotto at 5am:

Here is the statue of our Lady of Lourdes at the entrance of the grounds.  She's all lit up so you can't see her well, but I took the photo to show all the flowers placed on the fence below her.

Here are the candles people light for their petitions. 

The giant one I lit for all the people and their intentions I'm bringing with me on the Camino.

Tomorrow starts El Camino de Santiago! I'm excited but I also wonder what in the world I've gotten myself into!

Day 1 pre-Camino PARIS!

Paris! Oh Paris is beautiful, but don't be deceived, it's also big, dirty, smoky, and  confusing.  Although I had been to the Miraculous Medal shrine twice before it still took us at least an hour to find the place. The metro lines are quite an elaborate system and the people aren't so helpful. 

Nonetheless we got to see Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Miraculous Medal shrine in the 4 hours we had in Paris!  Not bad at all!  Then we hopped a very expensive train to Lourdes.  I can't wait to see Lourdes again!  FYI some things have changed since I was here last... Everyone buys their train tickets online and in advance?! Living in Belize has given me a big set back in the area of planning ahead!  But at least my time in Belize will help me go with the flow when there are unexpected bumps in the road on this trip!

Incredibly I made the 10lb goal I set for myself! HERE WE GO!

Preparations

The more I read about this pilgrimage the more I realize how very unprepared I am!  Lucky for me I have a laid back pilgrimage partner and we'll be fine figuring it out as we go. 

I've been researching online and talking to people I know who have walked the Camino in the past. 
 The most common tip is to pack LIGHTLY.  I've heard that your pack should be 10% of your body weight.  For me this is 12.5 lbs.  I'm suddenly very happy I decided to bring a small daypack instead of a big camping pack.  But even with a daypack (that weighs less than 1lb empty)  I still have some essentials that are going to add up to 12.5 lbs quickly!  Here's my packing list for what will be in my bag:

sleeping bag

towel

1 pair of pants

2 shirts

pajamas

3 pairs socks and underwear

toiletries

raincoat

jacket

small journal

camera

ear plugs

safety pins and sewing kit

moleskin and athletic tape

flashlight

 2 water bottles

30 days wearing the same 2 outfits...  I think those clothes will be ready to be burned when I finish!

My goal is to keep it at 10 lbs.  I do not think this is possible, but I think if I have 10lbs as my goal I might end up with 12 or 13 in the end!  

Besides packing I've been looking at towns along the way and places to stay.  Unfortunately I don't have time to look up cool things to see in the different towns and villages, but I think lots of that kind of information will be passed amongst the pilgrims we meet along the way.  I discovered that although the Camino can be done in 30 days, mostly it's done in 34 or 38 days.  Luckily there are plenty of resources online, including the elevation for the different days, which will be very useful to know so we can push ourselves to walk further on days where it will be a relatively flat and easy hike.  

 

I've gotten several prayer request and each one makes me more excited about this pilgrimage and about the opportunity to bring you and your intentions with me!  If you haven't yet, please send your intentions as soon as possible as the week before I leave is going to be pretty hectic and I don't want anyone to get left out!    

Happy Thursday everyone, remember, it's almost Friday!  And Happy Independence Day to all my Belizean friends!