About This Blog...

I am the original Golden Girl along with my BFFs, Mina & Prescy, way before the TV show aired. An avid traveler - been there, done that - visiting all 7 continents I've done extraordinary things like jumping into a freezing Antarctic waters (not once but twice), can't swim but scuba dived the Great Barrier Reef, Hot Air Balloon rides, etc. Fantastic!!!

So now that I am in my 70th year, I am going to do the Camino Frances, a 500 mile walk from St. Jean Pied de Port in France crossing the Pyrenees at 1,400 ft. elevation & onward to the Northern part of Spain ending in Santiago de Compostela. I am hopeful that I can finish the walk in 35 days, 12-15 miles/day.

This is a pilgrimage to St. James. I have to thank Emilio Esteves for the movie "The Way". The 3 Catholic pilgrimage sites are so close geographically, St. James in Spain, Fatima in Portugal & Lourdes in France so those are my goals.

I read many books & blogs about the Camino & have learned a lot from other people. I can not believe the many hours of preparation, mentally, emotionally & physically that went into my quest. At times, I feel so confident but then so doubtful as to my ability to tackle a very arduous task. I am not a walker at all. I garden and ski downhill so training my body to walk many miles with a full backpack was a task.

I was in Redwood City, Ca for the birth of my Livia. She was my backpack, my trainer, & I just love the many hours we walked. She slept the 3-4 hours as I walked the San Francisco Bay Trail. Beautiful area....

And now, the time is here, the point of no return. I leave tomorrow, Sept. 2nd, from Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow, take a bus to Stansted Airport & fly to Biarritz, France. A bus to take me to St. Jean Pied de Port, register to get my Camino Passport the shell a peregrino carries attached to the backpack to ID myself as a pilgrim. The passport has to be stamped at every Albergue/Refugio for admission to stay overnight.

I am bringing with me a small stone from my house to deposit at the foot of the Cruz de Fierro as a symbol of shrugging the weight of my sins. I received a blessing from my Parish priest for this Camino, to keep me safe & to complete my CAMINO.

I am privileged to have been given a chance to do this.

BUEN CAMINO,
Josie