In preparation for The Trek, Kate and I have been doing a lot of urban trekking in the last few days. On Tuesday we walked around London for about 6 hours. Although we were mainly wandering aimlessly, we managed to stumble upon many of the famous sights - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc. - and, in a more even happy coincidence, managed to wander into a lovely area virtually devoid of tourists and chock full of cute little shops and restaurants.
Yesterday we arrived in Madrid from London, after waking up late and leaving in a frenzy. Today we spent the day walking around the city and getting some last minute goodies for the trip. Just what we need - more weight in our packs. We hve spent the evenings enjoying the fact that we are not yet sleeping on the ground, although we might be better off there. Last night we think we saw someone picking lice out of their friend´s hair in the common area of the hostel.
Right now, Kate and I are getting ready to leave our hostel in Madrid - a lovely place that smells slightly of dead animal or rotting fish - and hit the open road. Or anyway we will be sitting on a bus for 5 hours as we head into the backcountry. We will arrive in Pamplona, a city famous for the running of the bulls, but the only running that will be going on during our visit will be from the police when they tell us we aren´t allowed to sleep in the train station.
Tomorrow the plan is to figure out how to get from Pamplona to a small village called Roncesvalles on the French border, where we then have to take a cab to St. Jean-Pied-de-Port so that we can walk back to Roncesvalles. It makes perfect sense. But since we swore we would begin the trek in France, this is the best (and apparently, cheapest) way to do it.
Long story short, I´m not sure when I´ll have the internet again. So until some undetermined time - ciao.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
The Beginning
Well, here I am. I've made it. And assuming that Kate didn't miss her plane or anything, we are well on our way to beginning the walk, but still at least 3 or four days away. My bag is already very heavy...
The plane ride was relatively uneventful, except for the unfortunate fact that the food made me sick, which made the flight significantly less enjoyable. But it's all part of the adventure, I suppose. That was around the time I started cursing the vulnerability of our bodies, wondering if this was a good idea after all, and generally wishing I was at home watching Law and Order.
Once I was able to get some fresh air, see the tiny European cars and was once again riding the rails, I felt much better. I made it to the hostel, but not before spending most of my money on transportation. What they say about London being expensive - it's true. The fact that a dollar is worth less than half of a pound also does not help.
Not to be immodest, but after one day I am a fairly well accomplished tube rider - that's the subway to you yanks. Since I had trouble justifying the £4 - $8, at least - to ride the tube from the train station to the hostel, but also had no idea how to walk there (and, quite honestly - and ironically - had no desire to do so). So instead I sprang for the day pass and resolved to ride enough to make the price seem less like extortion.
After checking in at the hostel and drinking a bowl of chicken soup I made from a packet and a cup of freezedried store brand coffee, I went off to see some sights, since Kate probably isn't really into acting like a tourist. I found a free walking tour and met up with that group.
Our guide was a cheerful Londoner, probably younger than me, and I actually learned quite a lot about the city's history (especially considering the scarcity of my previous knowledge). After 3 1/2 hours of standing in the cold rain - during which time I discovered to my delight that my new jacket seems to be very water resistant - it was time to come back to the hostel and get out of the inhospitable weather.
Right now I am sitting here and counting the money I have left - £9 41p - and considering whether it would be prudent to eat dinner or not. I do have three packets of delicious chicken water left over...
The plane ride was relatively uneventful, except for the unfortunate fact that the food made me sick, which made the flight significantly less enjoyable. But it's all part of the adventure, I suppose. That was around the time I started cursing the vulnerability of our bodies, wondering if this was a good idea after all, and generally wishing I was at home watching Law and Order.
Once I was able to get some fresh air, see the tiny European cars and was once again riding the rails, I felt much better. I made it to the hostel, but not before spending most of my money on transportation. What they say about London being expensive - it's true. The fact that a dollar is worth less than half of a pound also does not help.
Not to be immodest, but after one day I am a fairly well accomplished tube rider - that's the subway to you yanks. Since I had trouble justifying the £4 - $8, at least - to ride the tube from the train station to the hostel, but also had no idea how to walk there (and, quite honestly - and ironically - had no desire to do so). So instead I sprang for the day pass and resolved to ride enough to make the price seem less like extortion.
After checking in at the hostel and drinking a bowl of chicken soup I made from a packet and a cup of freezedried store brand coffee, I went off to see some sights, since Kate probably isn't really into acting like a tourist. I found a free walking tour and met up with that group.
Our guide was a cheerful Londoner, probably younger than me, and I actually learned quite a lot about the city's history (especially considering the scarcity of my previous knowledge). After 3 1/2 hours of standing in the cold rain - during which time I discovered to my delight that my new jacket seems to be very water resistant - it was time to come back to the hostel and get out of the inhospitable weather.
Right now I am sitting here and counting the money I have left - £9 41p - and considering whether it would be prudent to eat dinner or not. I do have three packets of delicious chicken water left over...
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Motivation
As you probably already know by now, I am spending this summer walking. Almost every day for as long as it takes I will wake up, roll up my sleeping bag, and walk between 10 and 15 miles a day, depending. In my backpack, which can't weigh more than 15 pounds, will be everything I need (hopefully).
The route we will be traveling is known as el Camino de Santiago de Compostela. After flying to London and somehow making our way to the mainland, we will begin our walk from the small village of St. Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyranees. From there, we will cros the Spanish border and walk across all of Northern Spain, finally arriving in Santiago de Compostela, where the bones of St. James are held. From there, assuming we still have time, we will continue on for another few days to the Atlantic coast before returning home.
Other than that, we don't know a whole lot about what we can expect, how the weather will be, or even where we will be sleeping. It will be hot. And in the end we will have walked well over 500 miles. Other than that, we'll see.
Of all of the people I have told about this trip, I have invariably gotten one of two responses:
1) Why in the world would you want to do something like that?! or
2) That's so amazing
No one has really thought that this is a perfectly normal and rational post-graduation plan (if it can really be classified as a plan). And, despite the fact that something like 100,000 people a year undertake at least some part of what we are about to, I like to think that it is a unique opportunity. If it was one of my friends or relatives, I would be interested to see what a trip like this would really be like.
So I have created this "blog" - a word I have some disdain for - in an attempt to share my experiences, assuming there are people who are interested in reading about them. Since we only have a vague idea of the kinds of villages we will be passing through, it is hard for me to know how often I will be able to update or check my email. Hopefully at least once a week.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them or email them to me and I will try my best to answer them.
Love,
Heather
The route we will be traveling is known as el Camino de Santiago de Compostela. After flying to London and somehow making our way to the mainland, we will begin our walk from the small village of St. Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Pyranees. From there, we will cros the Spanish border and walk across all of Northern Spain, finally arriving in Santiago de Compostela, where the bones of St. James are held. From there, assuming we still have time, we will continue on for another few days to the Atlantic coast before returning home.
Other than that, we don't know a whole lot about what we can expect, how the weather will be, or even where we will be sleeping. It will be hot. And in the end we will have walked well over 500 miles. Other than that, we'll see.
When Kate first suggested, in an off-hand sort of way, that we should maybe, kind of walk across Spain this summer, I don't think either of us actually thought it would happen. But, even though it was only a quasi-serious suggestion, I think we were both so taken with the idea that we both kept thinking about it. When The Trek came up again in our conversation a few weeks later, neither of us were sure whether we were just idly chatting or actually planning to devote 2 months of our lives to walking 500 miles on a religious pilgrimage - when neither of us are actually religious.
"I hope you were serious," I said to her, "because I am."
"Oh no, I was serious."
So here we are, only a few months later, and probably utterly unprepared. But that is all part of the adventure.
"I hope you were serious," I said to her, "because I am."
"Oh no, I was serious."
So here we are, only a few months later, and probably utterly unprepared. But that is all part of the adventure.
Of all of the people I have told about this trip, I have invariably gotten one of two responses:
1) Why in the world would you want to do something like that?! or
2) That's so amazing
No one has really thought that this is a perfectly normal and rational post-graduation plan (if it can really be classified as a plan). And, despite the fact that something like 100,000 people a year undertake at least some part of what we are about to, I like to think that it is a unique opportunity. If it was one of my friends or relatives, I would be interested to see what a trip like this would really be like.
So I have created this "blog" - a word I have some disdain for - in an attempt to share my experiences, assuming there are people who are interested in reading about them. Since we only have a vague idea of the kinds of villages we will be passing through, it is hard for me to know how often I will be able to update or check my email. Hopefully at least once a week.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them or email them to me and I will try my best to answer them.
Love,
Heather
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