IT ALWAYS RAINS IN SANTIAGO

Thursday, September 18th.
(pictures will be posted in November)

A welcome sight to a returning pilgrim.

It still rains in Santiago!

An overnight flight brought me from Philadelphia to Madrid. There is a three hour wait for the flight to Santiago. While removing my hiking boots for the security check in, I find I am next to another person dressed just like me and carrying the same back pack and poles.  Her name is Kathy, she is from Minnesota. We spend the next hours together sharing stories and learning about lives. A Camino yet to happen is our common bond. When we arrive at Santiago, I'm the one who knows the way! We take the Airport bus to Galicia Praza. I know the location of her hotel and we walk toward it. It  is only drizzling a little bit. And then in true Santiago Style the heavens open and the rain floods down.  We stop to put on our rain gear over our back packs.  We arrive at Kathy's hotel where a friend and fellow walker is waiting for her. We say our "Buen Camino's" and I move on to my hotel. I can feel the grin on my face. I am so happy and grateful to be here again. Rain is a challenge I know I can overcome. Tomorrow my friend, Jan, arrives from Scotland.

THE CAMINO IS IN MY BLOOD

Last year I walked the Camino Frances starting in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and ending in Santiago de Compostela.  It was an exhilarating experience.  And like the fish in the eddy teased by the bait, I was hooked.  Since my return from that trip I have immersed myself in learning more about Spain, the language and the people.  And I have been planning a return trip…not just to Spain but to walk another Camino.  I learned that there are more than 10 different routes known as Caminos. Can you see where this is going for the next 10 years? 

So I will take on the mantle of the pilgrim soon.  The route I have chosen for this trip is the Camino Ingles (the English route). This Camino begins in Ferrol on the Atlantic Coast/Biscay Bay area of Galicia. It is the place where Pilgrims from England and Scotland and Northern Europe landed to begin their trek to Santiago. Ferrol was also the last place given on the “shipping forecast” on BBC radio 4 that I listened to everyday, twice a day for nearly six years while resident in Ireland and then Scotland.  Ferrol was a familiar name but an unknown place. And now that will change. 

My friend and former neighbor in Scotland, Jan will meet me in Spain and we will do the walk together.  In looking at the statistics about the routes and the travelers, the Camino Ingles is not as well traveled compared to Camino Frances.  For every one person who walks the The Ingles, thirty five people walk The Frances. Last year more than 150,000 walked the Frances route. So I think this route will be quieter, fewer pilgrims, perhaps a little more meditative.  It will be shorter.   This year the walk is only a 110 km or about 66 miles.  However the backpack will not be any lighter. 

Last year as I walked I experienced challenges along the way that needed to be resolved….route changes, physical pain, emotional highs and lows and a challenge to my resolve to complete the journey.  This year my intention is to walk for a college classmate and friend who will be experiencing many challenges over the next few months. The outcome that I am hoping for is that my friend Valerie will follow along on this journey.  From the journey she is making we will share our strength to walk among friends at a very big college reunion. 

Buen Camino,