Lay awake in bed last night realising that we're now fully paid up for our trip and it's only 5 and a half weeks till we go!!! Rather exciting.
We are both carrying a couple of injuries though so it's going to be thorough work on those knees for both of us, still a little on Teresa's shoulder and management of my arch issue. Oh joy.
No doubt we'll be fine though.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
A necessary piece of kit.
On a walking trip, you would be forgiven for thinking that the most necessary piece of kit would be your walking boots/shoes and you would be right, but as I've discovered, when flying especially on a low cost carrier a bag that holds your poles is up there just as important unless you want to spend as much extra money as on a pair of skis or a set of golf clubs!
The first time Teresa and I headed off to walk the Camino, transporting our poles wasn't a problem. I attached mine to my rucksack and no one queried it. We were travelling by Eurostar and the French trains. Therefore when we flew by Ryanair, I never gave it a thought until the night before when I suddenly panicked and realised that the baggage I'd packed just couldn't accommodate the poles. A call to Teresa revealed that she too had been in ignorant bliss and on being made aware realised that she had no baggage, apart from a mega case that would suit.
A quick rummage in the attic and a complete repack meant that I could accommodate both sets and off we went. Last year we did the same. No real problem except that my bag is of the carry variety with no wheels so not ideal. A few months ago Teresa bought a new case and today I followed so I'm now the proud owner of a soft shell lilac Kipling bag and I love it. I'd taken all the measurements with me and as this one was a big reduction (and I've always wanted a Kipling bag) it was the ideal choice. A red Esprit bag was a close contender but it was bigger and therefore likely to tempt me into packing too much.
The great thing is that I don't have to wait till May, I can try it out in about 10 days when I head off for 4 days walking in Mallorca. Can't wait.
The first time Teresa and I headed off to walk the Camino, transporting our poles wasn't a problem. I attached mine to my rucksack and no one queried it. We were travelling by Eurostar and the French trains. Therefore when we flew by Ryanair, I never gave it a thought until the night before when I suddenly panicked and realised that the baggage I'd packed just couldn't accommodate the poles. A call to Teresa revealed that she too had been in ignorant bliss and on being made aware realised that she had no baggage, apart from a mega case that would suit.
A quick rummage in the attic and a complete repack meant that I could accommodate both sets and off we went. Last year we did the same. No real problem except that my bag is of the carry variety with no wheels so not ideal. A few months ago Teresa bought a new case and today I followed so I'm now the proud owner of a soft shell lilac Kipling bag and I love it. I'd taken all the measurements with me and as this one was a big reduction (and I've always wanted a Kipling bag) it was the ideal choice. A red Esprit bag was a close contender but it was bigger and therefore likely to tempt me into packing too much.
The great thing is that I don't have to wait till May, I can try it out in about 10 days when I head off for 4 days walking in Mallorca. Can't wait.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Film set on the Camino de Santiago
In Feb, Martin Sheen (one of my Favourite actors and the wonderful President Bartlet in the 'West Wing') is staring in a drama called 'The Way'. It's described as an intimate drama set on The Camino de Santiago where Sheen plays an American Doctor who comes to France to collect the remains of his estranged son who was killed walking the trail in the Pyrenees. He then decides to complete the trail himself. To get a flavour have a look at http://www.theway-themovie.com
This is the route Teresa and I are doing. However, this is only the section that starts in Spain and we've not got there yet. Scenery looks fab though. We'll be watching with interest.
This is the route Teresa and I are doing. However, this is only the section that starts in Spain and we've not got there yet. Scenery looks fab though. We'll be watching with interest.
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Look out Camino, here we come.
The next section is now booked, how exciting is that? Teresa and I head out (from Gatwick this time) to fly to Toulouse on May 5th to walk the next part of this fabulous trail.
Our trip sees us start with an overnight in Toulouse and much of the next day there too due to plane and train times but this gives us a chance to relax and explore a new city for both of us. No doubt wine, food and coffee will play it's part as we wander the streets of this Southern French city. Then in the late afternoon of the 6th we catch the train to Cahors.
This is one of Cahors iconic sights, the amazing Valentre Bridge spans the Lot River and was built in the 1300's. It is considered an exceptional example of medieval defense architecture.
As we walked down into Cahors at the end of the last walk we could see it clearly from some distance away and it was, in fact, the only thing I knew about Cahors at that time.
It is one of the most photographed sites in France and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
The foundations of the Pont Valentre bridge were laid in 1308, but it was not completed until 1378 and legend has it that the bridge took so long to build that the architect got frustrated and sought the devil's help in completing it, promising his soul in return.
When the bridge was nearing completion the architect had second thoughts and bet the devil that he could not bring water for the last batch of mortar in a container of the architect’s choice. The devil accepted the challenge but the architect chose a sieve so the devil lost the bet. The devil was so annoyed that once the bridge was completed he broke off one of the stones from the central tower every night forcing the townspeople to constantly repair it. That's a way of getting your own back!!
When restoration work was carried out the architect (Paul Gout) heard of the legend and replaced the missing stone with a sculpture of the devil which is still visible today.
After checking into our hotel and having that cooling beer, we headed off to have a look at it and discovered that our walk in May will take us across the bridge and up a steep climb just after we come off it on the other side.
The sight to our right will be what we'll see as we look back from the other side of the bridge. A few worth savouring as we make sure we are composed for the climb up. Somehow on this walk, we always start off climbing out of a valley, guess it's because most settlements are down there. I'm sure regular stops on the climb up will be needed so we ensure we get a great view of this wonderful bridge at all stages..... Well, at least that's my excuse.
On the left, a beautiful scallop shell crafted into the stone to indicate the Via Podiensis which is the route travelled by pilgrims starting in or passing through Le Puy-en-Velay which is where we started in Sept 2008.
It's also the GR65, the first French route to be created, and is currently by far the most used.
Walking trails like this does give you a taste for doing even more of them. The GR20 has always appealed, that's the one
that traverses Corsica diagonally from north to south. It's 180km long with variation in height of about 10 000 metres and can be walked in 15 days. It's known as the toughest long distance trail in Europe so perhaps some more intense training may be needed!!
Our trip sees us start with an overnight in Toulouse and much of the next day there too due to plane and train times but this gives us a chance to relax and explore a new city for both of us. No doubt wine, food and coffee will play it's part as we wander the streets of this Southern French city. Then in the late afternoon of the 6th we catch the train to Cahors.
As we walked down into Cahors at the end of the last walk we could see it clearly from some distance away and it was, in fact, the only thing I knew about Cahors at that time.
It is one of the most photographed sites in France and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
The foundations of the Pont Valentre bridge were laid in 1308, but it was not completed until 1378 and legend has it that the bridge took so long to build that the architect got frustrated and sought the devil's help in completing it, promising his soul in return.
When the bridge was nearing completion the architect had second thoughts and bet the devil that he could not bring water for the last batch of mortar in a container of the architect’s choice. The devil accepted the challenge but the architect chose a sieve so the devil lost the bet. The devil was so annoyed that once the bridge was completed he broke off one of the stones from the central tower every night forcing the townspeople to constantly repair it. That's a way of getting your own back!!
When restoration work was carried out the architect (Paul Gout) heard of the legend and replaced the missing stone with a sculpture of the devil which is still visible today.
After checking into our hotel and having that cooling beer, we headed off to have a look at it and discovered that our walk in May will take us across the bridge and up a steep climb just after we come off it on the other side.
The sight to our right will be what we'll see as we look back from the other side of the bridge. A few worth savouring as we make sure we are composed for the climb up. Somehow on this walk, we always start off climbing out of a valley, guess it's because most settlements are down there. I'm sure regular stops on the climb up will be needed so we ensure we get a great view of this wonderful bridge at all stages..... Well, at least that's my excuse.
On the left, a beautiful scallop shell crafted into the stone to indicate the Via Podiensis which is the route travelled by pilgrims starting in or passing through Le Puy-en-Velay which is where we started in Sept 2008.
It's also the GR65, the first French route to be created, and is currently by far the most used.
Walking trails like this does give you a taste for doing even more of them. The GR20 has always appealed, that's the one
that traverses Corsica diagonally from north to south. It's 180km long with variation in height of about 10 000 metres and can be walked in 15 days. It's known as the toughest long distance trail in Europe so perhaps some more intense training may be needed!!
Food for thought....
This blog has sporadic postings mainly because much as Teresa and I would love to be walking it continuously, life dictates that we do it in sections and at present that means once a year. So as the next section beckons, I fund myself re-reading all the past postings and experiencing many emotions.
There was relief that 3 sections in we have never had to drown each other out with those ipods mentioned in blog number one. Joy and hilarity as just reading words and looking at photos reminded me of the great times and the funny things that had happened.
Would you want to get on the wrong side of this lady on the right?
Respect for Mark and his experience of walking from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago in one go but also gratitude that we have all of those wonderful sights and experiences ahead of us. Gratitude also for Ann at World Walks who books all our accommodation and arranges for our baggage to be taken from place to place so we can do it the easier way - we've roughed it enough in the past. And of course excitement for what's ahead as we walk from Cahors to Lectoure.
There was relief that 3 sections in we have never had to drown each other out with those ipods mentioned in blog number one. Joy and hilarity as just reading words and looking at photos reminded me of the great times and the funny things that had happened.
Would you want to get on the wrong side of this lady on the right?
Respect for Mark and his experience of walking from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago in one go but also gratitude that we have all of those wonderful sights and experiences ahead of us. Gratitude also for Ann at World Walks who books all our accommodation and arranges for our baggage to be taken from place to place so we can do it the easier way - we've roughed it enough in the past. And of course excitement for what's ahead as we walk from Cahors to Lectoure.
The view as we walked down into Cahors on the final day of section 3
Monday, 7 February 2011
New blog but not quite up to date yet!
Have finally managed to set up a separate blog for Teresa and my adventures on the Camino. It took a while to do as all blog posts of all my interests were on one blog so a lot of exporting and importing needed to be done but at last I've got there. Would love to hear what you think so please do comment below and do follow too.
I'm really pleased with it but of course now realise how incomplete it is. Bear with me but I do promise to update it bringing you all the wonderful stories etc from all three sections to date and those glorious photos and then pledge to keep it going regularly.
I'm really pleased with it but of course now realise how incomplete it is. Bear with me but I do promise to update it bringing you all the wonderful stories etc from all three sections to date and those glorious photos and then pledge to keep it going regularly.
Monday, 17 May 2010
Balance paid
The balance of the trip is paid and Chris, Teresa and I talked about this walking adventure as we made our way along the Grand Union Canal yesterday. Little did we know as we walked, that the weather in the UK is currently better than that of the southern part of France and Spain where the Camino goes. I've told Ann from World Walks to please get things sorted for June 23rd.It feels good to be this close as now we can get excited. Really looking forward to showing Chris around Conques, such a pretty place.
If you having nothing to tie you to the UK or wherever you may be when you read this...and if you enjoy walking, you may want to set up a business getting walkers back and forth to their walks on the Camino. Again we face a taxi bill of about 120 euros to get from Cahors back to Rodez. At least this time it's split 3 ways!!
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