Give me a Break

If there is one trip-prep of which I can be certain, it is that my trekking shoes are getting broken in.

Each time I wear them, they feel better and I feel better knowing that all the quirks can be worked out long enough in advance.

I took my feet, in those shoes, to New York City for a few days this week.  It was school vacation and my daughter fulfilled a promise made two years ago, of more "family" trips. The girls are at a reasonably good age now and I know that in a year or two it may become "Nonni who?" so I jumped at the chance when it was offered. 

Our trip into the city was flawless.  No traffic either way.  The car got parked in a garage near our hotel and we logged on miles, literally, walking most of the time.  Our hotel, one I have used in the past, did not disappoint.  If you ever want a good valued, Euro-style hotel, right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the Roger Smith is it.  Where else in that city will you be addressed by your name by the front desk staff for instance? 

Starting on Monday afternoon, we covered all of the highlights, the things that as a New Yorker, I always took for granted but this time, allowed myself to see in new eyes, those of a set of pre-teens who were determined to make as many memories and as many Instagram posts as time would allow.

Wednesday brought us a special gift.  The outside temperature soared to 76 degrees.  On February 20th!  A nice break from Winter. 

No Further Explanation

The decision to take on the challenge of walking part of the Camino de Santiago in April was an important one.  I had a good long time to contemplate how and why to celebrate a milestone birthday.

The reasons were obvious to me. I've worked hard on getting my body ready for a new life.  Right now, I can say with confidence that I have lost at least sixty pounds of unwanted weight since last year and will, in fact, be celebrating a year since my bariatric adventure began.  Within that year, I also celebrated my seventieth birthday.  Both events, I reckon, are worthy of being marked by something extraordinary.  

People walk the Camino for various reasons.  The full Camino, done by pilgrims for centuries, stretches over 500 kilometers.  The Camino de Santiago known in English as The Way of Saint James among other names,is a network serving pilgrimages to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The town of Compostela, is in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried here. Many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. Others, simply for exercise or the challenge of having completed something that they find to be life-altering, no matter the reason.  The modern-day "pilgrims" come to the route from all parts of the world, all cultures, all ages, and all shapes and sizes.  Some only make it part of the way, stopping their journey for reasons that they may not have anticipated when they started out.  For most of those who enter the route, backpacks and hostels become their way of life for at least thirty days.  

For people like myself and my husband, the last one hundred kilometers will suffice.  We won't be backpacking, nor will we be hosteling, but we will "qualify" for the much-desired "Compostela" when we arrive at the end of our journey.  At that point, we will have to present proof of our having completed the route and we will have to state our intentions, whether they be religious or otherwise.  At this point in our journey, the days before our departure, we find that we are called upon to state those same intentions, by curious friends, acquaintances, and family members.  When I'm asked, I'm never quite sure what to say.  I know, in my heart, what the answer is, but I am not always willing to share those innermost thoughts.  But, I will tell you, that when thoughts have been shared, the responses have not always been, shall I say, thoughtful or even sensitive.  Both my husband and I have been told that we're "crazy" or that the choice would not be his or hers. 
We've been "warned" about blisters, foot problems, lack of stamina, difficulty.  You name it, we've been "advised".  As if we don't already know all of that!  As if we are looking for an easy way to spend a week in the Spring.  

I've decided to stop trying to make other people happy.  I've decided to look deeply into why we are doing this in the first place.  I'm not going to answer any more questions regarding our motivation.  It's like the old saying....."if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it". 
So, perhaps my future blogs will reveal some answers.  Perhaps, not.  This is MY Camino and My journey.

But, I did look for some help and found it in a forum.  A woman of my same age, who, incidentally, is doing her second solo Camino, when summarizing her motives, simply says that she doesn't want to die without having done this.  Buen Camino!

Now it Begins

I'm cold. All the time.  Feet, hands, nose and big time, my neck.  It's a side-effect of my bariatric surgery.  The one that will have its first birthday in two weeks. So, I have joined the throngs of people who are looking for signs of Spring, hoping that the worst of the Winter has passed and that we soon will be enjoying warmer weather and brighter days.  This means that April can't be that far away, can it?

The very fact that people are talking about April brings me a tad bit of fear along with the excitement. It means that we have to, in earnest, start getting our bodies and minds ready for our Camino.

My trekking shoes have been purchased and the breaking in phase is well under way.  The sun hat is waiting and some bits have been put aside, ready to be stricken from the list of those things that we now think may be important enough to make it into luggage.  Back packs are ready to be packed. Socks have yet to be purchased as are Joe's shoes.  In other words, things are well under-way.

The Camino walk that we will take is known as the St. Francis Way.  It isn't the toughest of the walks that make up the Camino Santiago, but it does qualify us for the certificate that will prove that we have undertaken 100 kilometers, some 63 miles of the Way.  For us, it will be just as challenging as it will be for those who bravely take on the entire route, all 500 kilometers.  They will have an experience that I am sure, will differ in many ways from ours.  For instance, most of the "pilgrims" on their route will be staying in hostels every night.  We will be staying in hotels, already booked by an agency.  The only snoring I will have to hear will be my own husband's.  We'll have our own room, our own bathroom, and the luxury of not having to haul everything we own in a heavy pack on our backs as we walk every day.  Our luggage will be moved from hotel to hotel along the way.  We simply are not "young" people any longer.

So, it's time to start the process, to get serious about the big "challenge" and to not second-guess ourselves.  The Camino awaits and we'll be there.

Tomorrow, it's shoe fitting time for Joe!!  We're heading back to REI in Hingham and we better come home with those important first steps......