For the last few days I’ve been trying to process my feelings about completing the Camino de Santiago Adventure. It’s a big task. Not sure I can do it in just a few days. In fact not sure I can do it at all.

Our Camino journey is just one incredible adventure on our Grand Adventure world tour. We are so lucky to be leading this life and sometimes, like now, it’s good to stop and really absorb our own reality.

(Note – many people are asking where we go next. Check the end of this blog for upcoming adventure details)

What have we learned?  I think we learned some valuable things, but we also reconfirmed things we already knew. For instance –

We learned how amazing the human body is. Even in our Fabulous Fifties our bodies did not fail us. It was about day 12 when one morning I got up to get ready to go and my body acknowledged it. I think that morning my body said “Oh – I get it. You intend to do this long walk EVERY day. Okay now I understand. I can do that. Let’s go.”

We reconfirmed our mental need to have a day off or a do nothing day from time to time. These days I believe make living a full-time travel life possible. Otherwise the mental fatigue of the Grand Adventure really takes a toll.  After awhile in this travel life you don’t feel the need to see and do every monument and tourism hotspot. Just enjoying putting your feet up and relaxing becomes a cherished and fabulous day.

(Note – did you know you can click on any photo in our blogs and Pin directly to Pinterest? Give it a try!)

We learned what an amazing and wide range of people it is who tackle a Camino walk. We met some fascinating people from all over the world, many who will live in our memories forever. I can’t think of any other experience we have ever had where it included so many people from so many cultures speaking so many languages but all sharing the same goal. That was a wonderful and inspiring lesson- one our world leaders should learn.  We are all in this together.

And yet we reconfirmed how much we enjoy each other’s company and most of our time was spent just us on the trail doing what we do best – being together. After almost 35 years of marriage we got that down.

While news of natural disasters unfolded in our online news services we were blessed with great weather, spectacular scenery, countless sunrises and sunsets and vast and varietal geography reminding us what a remarkable planet this is and how we need to nourish and care for it. And we need to do it now.

While I spent time taking and editing photos or writing and editing blogs – Arne spent time tracking and calculating data. And boy did he collect a lot of data to share;

41 days

489 mile

1,355,229 steps

224 walking hours (37 walking days and four rest days)

2 days of rain 39 dry days

55 Euro per day lodging and 45 euro per day food

47,400 Feet elevation gain overall

Longest day 19.5 miles. Shortest day 5 miles.  Average miles per day 13.2. Average elevation per day 1280 Feet.

Cheapest lodging g $24 Euro. Most expensive $100 euro.

Not everyone can or wants to do a walking adventure like the Camino.  But if you have considered it I have this piece of advice – do it sooner rather than later.  Do it your way and don’t let others tell you what’s best. But most of all – do it.  Don’t spend your life thinking about it and regret later that you didn’t get to it.

We will continue to process within ourselves this experience and what this milestone means. But in the meantime, our Grand Adventure goes on.  We have planes to catch and new adventures ahead.

We fly to Barcelona for a week before saying goodbye to Europe as our Schengen days have run out.  We have been in Spain almost two months- the longest we have spent in any country since leaving the USA.

(Note – other than Reading Wednesday I’m going to take a week off from blogging while in Barcelona.  Watch for a blog from Tunisia next)

So where to next? Here is the plan;

One week in Tunisia to visit our friend Leslie and then a month in Morocco where we will be joined by our friends Steve and Sarah. Morocco has long been on my list and I can’t wait!

On our 35th wedding Anniversary on November 27th we arrive for  a 12 day Adventure tour in Namibia before heading to South Africa for Christmas.

On New Years Eve we fly to Sri Lanka for three weeks, then a quick five days in India and a week in Bangladesh visiting our friend Natalie before flying to the Maldives for almost a month.  We plan to relax and do nothing here.

Next it’s a week in Guam (by way of Singapore) visiting our niece Bekah and her husband Davy.  Then three weeks in Australia and then three weeks in Bali and Lombok where we will be joined by our friends John and Carole.

This brings us to the end of April at which time we plan to take a 26 day re-positioning cruise back to the USA for a two-month visit before heading off again. We look forward to seeing friends and family then.

So there you have it.  Lots of great adventures and blogs on the horizon! As usual, thank you for your continued interest and support.  We are humbled and blessed and grateful each and everyday.

It’s truly a FABULOUS life. Buen Camino

The Camino odyssey is almost over. One more sleep. I’m conflicted about it coming to an end. What an amazing experience. I want to remember all the special moments and my favorite things of this journey.  There are so many and my brain is overfull!

You might remember I wrote a blog discussing my favorite things from the first half of the journey. So here today, with only one day to go, are some special memories from the second half.

Leon Cathedral

Leon – by the time we hit Leon our bodies were in the groove and we were feeling great but we still enjoyed a day off in this town. The ancient city and the wonderful food and wine of Spain made Leon

Puenta de Orbigo

a great memory

Possibly my favorite historic site of the whole Camino was the spectacular Puente de Orbigo bridge with its 19 arches that inspired the story of Don Quixote.

I loved the little town of Rabanal del Camino where

Sunrise over Rabanal

we went to vespers in a crumbling ancient church and then watched the sunrise the next morning over the village as we hiked up to Cruz de Ferro.

Cruz de Ferro

Cruz de Ferro was a touching moment. Monumental in reaching it, and emotional too. A quiet and spiritual place for many pilgrims.

The incredible

Astorga left and Ponferrada right

cathedral in Astorga and the castle in Ponferrada both were unforgettably beautiful and ancient.

We didn’t need a day off

Villafranca

physically but are glad we took an extra day in the great valley village of Villafranca where I soaked my feet in the Rio Burbia on a gorgeous sunny day.  We also had a fabulous and memorable authentic Spanish meal here.

Ever since our very cold and wet crossing of the

Moonset in the Galician Mountains

Pyrenees on Day Two we have been prepared to get wet crossing the final mountain range into Galicia.  But Mother Nature has been so kind to us and our ponchos have stayed in the pack.  Our two day crossing of the Galacian Mountains could not have been more spectacular.

Portomarin medieval town undeewater

The historic village of Portomarin and the story of how they moved the town and flooded the valley for a reservoir during the 1960’s was fascinating.  Because of Spain’s drought the reservoir was empty and the remains of the medieval village visible.  One of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.

Traversing Spain on foot gives a unique opportunity to live and breathe the unique and varied cultures of this country. Learning about the indigenous Basque people as well as the surprising ancient Celtic history of Galicia has been just fascinating.

The same goes for the variety of scenery and topography we have conquered and enjoyed.  Mountains to plains, forests and seas, Spain is a wealth of beauty blessed by Mother Nature.

We have also learned so much about the vast

Grapes – one of Spain’s biggest crops.

Spanish agricultural life, and it has been a unique and beautiful time to walk through Spain, as corn and grapes and wheat and beets and nuts and so much more are harvested from this rich land.

And so our journey ends. Tomorrow we arrive in Santiago. I’m not sure how I feel about it coming to an end. I know I will need a few days to process it – and then I promise to share some final thoughts. But until then, one more day. #onemoreday

Buen Camino!

477 miles walked. 12 miles to go.

Ô, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.

We came prepared to withstand all weather and for our preparedness we were blessed by the sun.

Sunset from Acebo Day 29

The poncho has been out only twice in forty-one days and nights. The coat only during early morning chill. Our days have been golden and except for two, dry.

Sunrise in Ventosa Day 11

Our journey has taken us over mountains, across rivers, and through rolling plains and vineyards. Past ancient cathedrals and over roads and bridges traversed by thousands before us over the ages.

Sunrise Puente La Reina Day 5

Moon set leaving Viduedo Day 36

Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos sunrise Day 23

And the sun shone. We watched it rise in all its glory, brightening our path and showing us “the way”. We watched it set in a pink halo, kissing the earth at the end of another miraculous day.  And on one most incredible morning high on a mountain we watched the harvest moon set and the sun rise simultaneously. Glory hallelujah.

Sunset in Linares Day 34

Sunrise over Villafranca Day 33

Sunrise. Sunset. 41 days and nights on the Camino de Santiago. Our time is waning. The days are getting shorter. Fall is in full swing. It was summer when we started – now a different season as we make our way west, closer and closer to Santiago de Compostela. A handful more walks.  Our goal in sight.  Our walk of a lifetime – a memory to cherish.

Three days to go

Miles walked 447.  42 to go.

Buen Camino!

My dear friend Suzanne sent me this passage the other day – John Muir’s message for the saunterer;

Today’s view

Hiking – “I don’t like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”

– John Muir

Today is the perfect day for me to share it. Today we sauntered. There have been other sauntering days, but today it was purposeful. We only had seven miles to cover. The terrain was easy. The weather spectacular. Our mood mellow.  A good day.

At 4300 feet and marking 400 miles

We went over the second highest peak of our journey at 4300 feet in the Galician mountains. The view is breathtaking. We passed the 400 mile mark and we once again wonder how this happened?  How has our life’s decisions brought us to this day? Sauntering across Spain on this glorious fall day?

Tomorrow we begin the descent, and we also enter the home stretch. It will take some time to process all that has happened. I’m trying to not think too much about what’s next. Just staying in the moment and sauntering.

Buen Camino!

402 miles walked. 87 mile six to go.