DAY 1 UNTITLED AND THE REASONS WHY

I´M NOT SURE WHAT TO TITLE TODAY´S POST BECAUSE THEIR ARE SO MANY POSSIBILITIES.  LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES.... A NICE LEISURELY WALK GONE WILD.  THERE IS NO ROOM IN THE INN.  HOLY CRAP!  KEEP ON WALKIN´.  BAPTIZED BY FIRE!!  DANG, I´M IN GOOD SHAPE!, RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN!  WE WALKED HOW MANY MILES??

SO YOU CAN SEE THAT I HAD MANY INTERESTING TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM.  WE WERE VERY EXCITED TO ARRIVE SAFELY IN ST. JEAN PIED DE PORT YESTERDAY.  WE IMMEDIATELY WENT TO REGISTER FOR THE CAMINO AND RECEIVE A CAMINO ¨PASSPORT.¨  AFTER THAT WE NEEDED TO FIND AN ALBERGUE (DORMATORY) FOR THE NIGHT.  AS WE WALKED DOWN THE STREETS, A NICE ELDERLY LADY ASKED US (IN SPANISH) IF WE NEEDED A PLACE TO STAY FOR THE NIGHT.  WE SAID THAT WE WERE LOOKING--BUT FOR AN ALBERGUE.  SHE INVITED US INTO HER HOUSE AND OFFERED US AN INVITATION TO STAY.  IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL HOME WITH 4 LEVELS AND MANY ROOMS.  SHE SAID THAT WE COULD STAY AND SHE WOULD PROVIDE BREAKFAST AND A SACK LUNCH FOR THE NEXT DAY!  WE ACCEPTED!  THEN WE WALKED AROUND TOWN (IN THE RAIN) AND WAITED FOR THE RESTAURANTS TO OPEN.  NOBODY OPENS BEFORE 7PM---NO EXCEPTIONS!

WE HAD A GOOD MEAL AND AND GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP.  WE AROSE AT 6:30 AND HEADED DOWN STAIRS FOR  BREAKFAST.  WE WERE JOINED BY 2 SPAINARDS, 1 AMERICAN & 1 CANADIAN.  WE HAD A WONDERFUL CONVERSATION AND MY MOM ACTED AS TRANSLATOR AS NOT TO LEAVE ANYONE OUT OF THE CONVERSATION. lol!  WE PACKED UP OUR THINGS AND HEADED OUT.  LITTLE DID WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF A DAY WE WOULD HAVE...

WE WENT TO THE CAMINO ENTRANCE AND TOOK A FEW PICTURES BEFORE WE STARTED.  WITH EXCITEMENT WE TOOK OUR FIRST STEPS ON THE TRAIL.  IT HAD BEEN DRIZZLING ALL MORNING AND DIDN´T LOOK LIKE IT WOULD STOP.  WE HAD OUR RAIN JACKETS ON AND FELT GREAT!  MY MOM ASSURED ME THAT WE WOULD DO A SHORT JAUNT TODAY--ONLY 3 HRS.  I WAS GAME :)  NOW REMEMBER, WE WERE STRARTING OUR JOURNEY OVER THE PYRRENES MOUNTAINS.  MY MOM TOLD ME THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME STEP CLIMBING, BUT FOR SHORT DISTANCES.  YES, IT WAS STEP AND I CONCENTRATED CAREFULLY ON EACH STEP BECAUSE IT WAS MAINLY IN THE MUD.  AT LAST WE MADE IT TO ORROZON (SP?).  WE EAGERLY WENT INTO THE ONLY BUILDING IN TOWN AND THE ONLY ALBERGUE.  WE WERE GOING TO GET A BED AND REST FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY.  WE WOULD FINISH OUR CLIMB OVER THE MOUNTAINS TOMORROW.  OH NOOOOOO!  THERE WAS NO ROOM IN THE INN!  WE WERE TURNED AWAY BECAUSE THEY WERE COMPLETELY FULL.  OUR ONLY OPTION WAS TO KEEP WALKING TO THE NEXT TOWN--RONCEVEUX.  THE INN KEEPER TOLD US THAT WE COULD PROBABLY MAKE IT IN 6 HOURS.  HOLY CRAP!!!! DID HE SAY 6 HOURS??  YES HE DID!  WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND DECIDED THAT WE WOULD DO IT.  WE TOOK OFF OUR PACKS, PULLED OUT OUR SANDWICHES AND HEADED OUT.   IT WAS A NICE WALK IN THE RAIN.  THERE WAS FARMLAND ALL AROUND US AND BEAUTIFUL COWS AND SHEEP (YES, I SAID BEAUTIFUL).  THE GRASS WAS BEAUTIFUL, THE TREES WERE BEAUTIFUL AND MY SANDWICH WAS YUMMY!  (HAM & GOAT CHEESE)

NOW THIS IS WHERE MY BAPTISM BY FIRE COMES IN.... WE WALKED ABOUT 15 MILES---UP HILL ALL THE WAY!!!  AND WHILE DOING THIS, WE CARRIED BACKPACKS THAT WEIGH ABOUT 35 LBS!!!  DANG, I AM IN GOOD SHAPE!!  I HAD NO IDEA THAT I COULD DO THAT!  THE TRAILS SEEMED TO GO ON FOREVER AND IT CONTINUED TO RAIN.  I FELT LIKE WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS AS THE FOG WAS SO THICK.  WE COULD NOT SEE MORE THAN 20-30 YARDS AROUND US.  WE COULD HEAR THE COWS AND THEIR COWBELLS, BUT WE COULD NOT SEE THEM.  ONCE WE EVEN CAME FACE TO FACE WITH SOME ON THE ROAD AND THOUGHT THEY MIGHT CHARGE AT US.  THEY ARE HUGE!!

SO, I WE ARE DOING PRETTY GOOD AND FEELING PRETTY PROUD.  THE WIND IS BLOWING AND THE RAIN IS COMING DOWN HEAVILY.  THERE IS SO MUCH TO TELL YOU, BUT MY METER IS RUNNING SHORT.  I´M GONNA HAVE TO WRAP THIS UP.  WE DID HAVE TO STOP AND PUT ON ALL OF OUR RAIN GEAR AND MY MOM CHANGED HER SOCKS.  THIS WAS A CHORE IN ITSELF!  WE KEPT WALKING --UPHILL--UNTIL WE CAME TO THE LAST 5 MILES.  IT ABRUPTLY CHANGED AND NOW IT WAS STRAIGHT DOWNHILL!!  IF YOU HAVE EVER RIDDEN A SKI LIFT AND SEE HOW STEEP THE SLOPES ARE--WELL THAT´S WHAT WERE WALKING ON.  MY KNEES WERE STARTING TO ACHE.  AFTER SEVERAL FAILED ATTEMPTS TO EASE THE STRESS, I FINALLY FOUND A GOOD SOLUTION.... I WALKED BACKWARDS!  THE PAIN WAS GONE!  I CAN´T TELL YOU HOW FAR THIS LAST 5 MILES WAS.  IT FELT LIKE 20!  WE WERE COLD, WET AND HUNGRY.  

IN THE END, WE WALKED 20 MILES--ALMOST ALL UPHILL--CARRYING 35 LBS--IN 10 HOURS!  WE FOUND A BEAUTIFUL NEW ALBERGUE AND HAVE A DINNER RESERVATION AT 8:30PM.  AFTER THAT I´M SURE WE WILL DROP DEAD FOR THE NIGHT.

I HAVE TO CLOSE FOR NOW.  LOVE TO EVERYONE!!  YVETTE & YVONNE :)

We're getting closer

So, I was lucky enough to find internet access at the hotel we are staying at.  We made it to London after a long flight!  I think I've had enough of trying to sleep while sitting up!  We did have good company and plenty of laughs.  I sat next to a man from Maryland who is retired from the airlines and flies everywhere for free.  He and his wife and been to many other countries and I enjoyed hearing about their travels.  When we switched planes, we were lucky enough to sit next to another mother and daughter team from Philadelphia.  They were headed to London for a wedding.  They had us laughing the whole way!  The daughter had recently seen a TV show about the Camino trail and had lots of questions for us.  She is very excited to try it herself someday.  It was amazing at how curious people were about our trip.  Some had overheard our discussions and it started a chain of questions from everyone around us.  One of the most common questions was WHY?  We just chuckled and said, "Why not?!"  My mom explained that when she decided to go for the first time, it was because she felt like it was calling her.  She had read one of Shirley McClain's books where she mentioned going on the Camino.  After that, my mom could not get it out of her mind.

I'm loving the British accent here in London.  It's so fun to listen to.  I keep thinking that I might  be running into a member of the Royal family at any moment! LOL

Yesterday, we were exhausted and could hardly keep our eyes open.  When we firgured out the time, it was because we had basically stayed awake thru the night (AZ time)!  When we finally made it to our hotel, we both voted for a nap.  We had about 3 hours before dinner.  Then we met down in the bar area and had traditional Fish & Chips!  It was great!  We ate and decided to bed for the night--and it was only 7pm local time.  I felt like it was 3 am!  As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out--until 12 midnight.  My eyes opened and I was wide awake.  I decided to stop fighting it and turn on a movie.  Finally at 2:30am, I was ready to go back to sleep.  Woke up at 6:30, bright eyed and bushy tailed.  I was showered and packed even before my wake up call came in at 8am.  So, now I'm down in the lobby and my mom has joined me.  We are going to have breakfast and then make our way to the small airport nearby.  We are flying to Biarritz France today where we then catch a cab to St. Jean Pied de Port.  This is where we will find a place to spend the night before our official first day of walking tomorrow!  I'm ready to get on the trail and forget all this travel stuff.  Although, it has been really nice not to have any luggage to carry.  My backpack is heavy but easy to carry.

I haven't found a way to upload any videos or pics yet.  Hope to somewhere along the way!

Love to our family.  I miss Carlos and the boys already.  Wish they were here.

WONDERFUL & THOUGHTFUL FRIENDS

As I have prepared for this adventure, I have had some amazing support from family and friends!  So many have expressed words of encouragement and excitement for me.  I was especially touched when some close friends gathered together for a Bon Voyage dinner party in my honor.  We had a great night of company and conversation.  My generous hosts and dear friends, Brian & Sandi,  hired a personal chef for the evening and  he prepared a fabulous prime rib dinner!  Let me tell you... I felt so special :)  But, I was brought to tears when they presented me with a gift from the entire group.  They explained that they knew I was very limited as to what I could carry with me on the trail.  So after much thought they came up with this....

It was a beautiful box and inside was a rock and also a poem printed on a weathered piece of paper.  I mentioned once that there is a stop along the trail called La Cruz de Ferro where pilgrims (camino hikers) leave momentos.  It consists of a wooden pole about five feet high topped by a cross of iron , a replica of the original.  Over the years the base has been forming a mound. A legend says that when the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela was being built, pilgrims were asked to contribute by bringing stone. Today, the tradition is to leave a stone, brought from the place of your origin.  So, my friends and husband signed the rock and asked me to carry it and then leave it at the site to remind me that they would be there with me in spirit.  We should arrive at the place about 24 days into the hike.

This is the poem they included with my rock...

Think I'll journey out some day

To wondrous lands afar,

Or even chart a journey to

A distant blazing star.

But rest assured

That where my journey sees to take me to,

Always know that when I go,

This journey takes you too.

And so our journey goes by foot

To conquer mountains tall:

But when we tire,

Let's rest our journey,

Stretched in fields of flowers,

And bathe atop the mountain from the journey--

Oh, autumn showers!

Refreshed, our journey takes a turn-

We'll venture back for home,

But first we'll let the journey

Take a tangent just to roam.

And in the winding route,

This journey's bound to bide content,

But most of all take heed-

Let's make our journey life's event.

Thanks for your love and support. ~Yvette

I'M READY!!

I'm lucky to have an experience Camino hiker going with me on this trip.  My mom has already hiked the Camino two times and knows all the ins and outs.  She came over this morning and gave me some tips for packing my backpack.  As you can see, there's not much to take--especially for 6 weeks!  I already know what I'll be wearing when I leave this weekend.  Although, it's not hard to choose as I only have 2 outfits. The only real variety I'll have will be the 3 hats that I'm taking! LOL  If you're interested in knowing what exactly is in my pack, take a look at the previous entry.  I have a video to go with it.

We're excited to get started, but also are grateful for these last few days at home.  My mom woke up on Friday and discovered that she had been bitten by the flu bug :(  She has been feeling pretty bad and has a terrible cough.  With lots of rest and vitamins, she's hoping that she will be in tip top shape by the time we leave.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't catch it!

Camino Countdown:  5 days

Time to Pack

I'm hoping to upload videos--either when I'm gone or when I return.  You can find these on the TOP RIGHT side of the blog.

Here's the first one :) Time to Pack video

The Countdown...8 days

In one week, I will be leaving for what I hope will be one of the most amazing experiences of my life!  My mother & I will be walking 600 miles across Spain in just over 30 days.


We'll be following the Camino de Santiago which is an ancient pilgrimage trail that has been in use for over 1000 years.  There are several options for distance when walking on the Camino and we have chosen the longest!  We will start in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and end in Finisterre, Spain a.k.a THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.


We will be carrying everything on our back and if all goes well, we will never use any other kind of transportation besides our own two feet.


I have started this blog, because so many of our family and friends want to be able to follow our journey.  I'm not sure how much access we will have to the internet, but I hope to post as much as I can during our trip.


Enjoy :)