Madrid, here I come!

Landed safely in Philadelphia and will be boarding my plane to Madrid in less than an hour. I know...I am
BORING you! Adios mis amigos.

Backpack ready!

Okay, I am leaving tomorrow and Have my backpack ready to go.  Think I will leave the walking stick behind and give myself one less thing to worry about.  Just purchased a photo upload connector for the iPad, and tested it out.  Now, to pack my tiny suitcase for the few days after the hike where I can wear makeup and cuter clothes! Yay!

Pre-Trip Ramblings

Hello friends & family!

This scallop shell design is The Camino de Santiago symbol

In less than a week, I head off to Spain, meeting up with some of my best friends from California to hike The Camino de Santiago!  My good friend, Marian Price, has organized this trip for us. "Us" being a group of 5 gals and two guys - most of whom already know each other, but I'm sure by the end of this trip, we'll all be great friends!

Marian is from Spain and travels back there each summer to reconnect with her family and friends.  She's been asking Chuck and I to come for a visit for as long as I can remember.  The last two summers, we were able to send India over (India and Marian's daughter, Sarah, are best friends).  This year, I am able to go!  Unfortunately, Chuck is too busy working on his movie to take time for more travels right now.  Sorry, Chuck.  But, thanks for being such a generous husband and encouraging me to take travel opportunities when they arise!

I'll try and post the day's photos and a little journal entry about each day while I'm in Spain.  I'm new to this blogging stuff, so maybe there's a way for you all to reply to my posts when you can?  I'm not sure.

Marian did The Camino last year
with some Spanish friends

Okay!  I've ordered some euros to be home delivered in the next couple of days and now I'm off to the bedroom to start packing my backpack and small suitcase!  My flight for Spain leaves next Tuesday, July 31st.  Marian picks me up at the Madrid airport and we meet up with buddy Jack Zwingli to drive up to our camino starting point.  I understand we will be walking about 18 miles the first day and similar distances over the next four days, stopping each afternoon/evening at small inns and/or a hostel or two. Not completely sure about our accommodations, as Marian has taken care of that for me and I've basically ignored her e-mails about that aspect of the planning.  I trust her completely to keep me safe from bedbugs and weirdos!

Oh, for those of you unfamiliar with The Camino de Santiago, here's a website that pretty much explains it all:

Camino de Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage Spain - The Way

www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/  We will be doing a 5-day walk on the Camino Ingles route, starting from the town of Ferrol and ending in Santiago.

Over and out for now,

Kim