As I write this post we are in the midst of preparing to leave for Portugal in less than a week. The bed in the guest room is hidden under a rubble of items that may or may not make the journey with us. It is a bit of a packing nightmare.
We will walk from Porto to Santiago over the course of about 11 or 12 days. Then travel by bus or train to Lisbon for a couple of days before flying to Crete where we have rented an apartment for a month.
For the time that we are walking we will each have a small backpack with our daily needs inside - not too heavy! Our clothes and other items for Crete will be in one suitcase that we will ship everyday at a cost of 3 to 7 euros. There is a 15 kilogram limit on the suitcase so we will be very limited as to what we can take with us. I am struggling with this! Of course I know the old adage - take half as many clothes and twice as much money, but it is really difficult trying to weed out what is necessary and what is not.
Our training for this long walk has been limited and it worries me a bit that we are not physically ready. The summer temperatures here in the Okanagan were extreme which resulted in the worse wild fire period in our province's history. The smoke was so intense that it was impossible to be outside for any length of time - especially doing anything physical. The plan is to do our best and to listen to our bodies. We will walk as much as is comfortable everyday and then if necessary take public transportation to our destination for the day. Our much younger and fitter friend is joining us and I suspect he will walk the whole way.
No matter how it goes I know that we will enjoy the experience of seeing Portugal and Spain at a relaxed pace and will meet fellow pilgrims who will become friends.
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Have a another wonderful Camino! A few days ago I was just re-reading your 2012 Camino blog and enjoying the memories of meeting both of you at L'Esprit du Chemin on your birthday and my last hospitalera day there and then often enough on the trail to become part of a larger Camino Family. I look forward to reading your Camino blog and 'walk' along with you.
I am off again on Oct12 to Salamanca where I will be a hospitalera at the municipal albergue for the last two weeks of October, then I will be walking the month of November from Logrono to Ponferrada. Can't stop walking!!!
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