The Road Begines

Hi all,
Well the anxiety got the better of me on Sunday morning, after seeing several Camino walkers pass me in the street, together with the thought of another day in a large city was enough to motivate me out of my hotel room a day early. I've just completed my forth day on the Camino, today 30km, the others averaging 25km. I'm sore in both legs from my toes to my behind but in good shape considering no preparation for trekking. My pack and equipment including boots are not suited to this type of hike but I'm adapting well. Some days I've walked alone for some time and it's great and others with other pilgrims from all over the globe. Today myself and a Duch guy walked and shared our stories and philosophies. We left at 4am and walked until 1.30pm, so the first 3 hours hike was by the stars as it's dark here until 7.30ish. There is a comradery starting to unfold amungst the group that are averaging 25km days and diners at night are becoming more enjoyable before we jam into double bunk dormitories for a few hours Kip.
At this stage with niggling injuries your just hoping that your body adapts and blisters stay manageable so you can keep moving.
Love to all talk soon.

Sacred Jewels

Pamplona, bride and groom walked into view as I took this shot.

Bishops Palace ( old feelings of secret societies and hidden truths).

This was unnerving, I knocked on this huge ancient door and pressed a bell. Pushed open the door to an inner courtyard and after some jabbering I was given my Credencial del peregrine or my pilgrims passport which enables me to stay at pensions(dormitories) designated for pilgrims where I get my stamps at each point along the way of the Camino de Compostela. Again I haven't spoken English to a sole for days, got to tell you it is getting to me this constant solitude within large crowds. Occasionally I see other Pilgrims with there tell tale Camino symbol of Scollop shells on there backpacks as they push through the tourist crowds destined for there next stop. Shit I feel very under done guys, these people move like serious hikers and there packs are half the size of mine. I'm not sure what else I can jettison and I suppose some training may have been advisable. Well there seems to be a theme building for me here and I don't won't to say to much before I've even completed one leg of this journey. I've simply got to take a leap of faith on Monday morning the 4th of April and head out on the road alone and see if I can get through day one. My first leg is 24km ish from Pamplona to Puente la Reina.
Wish me well, blessing to all.

Inspector Montalbano seen in Modica eating mucho chocolate.

Barcelona a sea of people

Hi all, well I've managed to post home excess clothing at quite a cost and very little confidence of there arrival and the experience was a lesson in patience, needless to say I won't complain about our postal system again. Barcelona is filled with magnificent buildings from Gaudi to Gothic, however after 6 weeks of these ancient Roman, Greek, Norman and Arab wonders they're all feeling very heavy energetically to me and i'm sure much to your relief i cant be stuffed taking to many snap shots. I'm feeling more than a little challenged with what lies ahead for me as I near the start of the Camino, however I long for space and time to reflect and think with a clear head without someone up my cranny every waking moment of the day. Definitely nervous and at the moment it looks like I will be on the road alone in a few days from now.
Talk soon,
Cheers

Sacred Jewels

Little B & B in Modica Sicily (famous for it's chocolates mmmmmmm) my last night.

Goodbye Sicily, beautiful to look at but hard to love.

JIJI and SKEFF jaded but ready for more adventure.

Shit a few stairs and I'm stuffed, confidence not high for the Pyrenees.

Goodbye Sicily, hello Spain.

Hi Tribe, well the last three weeks have been intense to say the least.
During this time I have completed the 14 days PDC intensive program here in Sicily at Villa Francesca, been smashed by a fever and virus that has left me quite low in energy and several pound lighter and managed to finish the circumnavigation of this Island with my trusty companion JiJi in our now very crusty, gutless but reliable Fiat. I have just managed to buy a ticket, board a plane to Barcelona make my way into the central city and find a room for two nights without understanding one word of the process. Sicily as a whole is a land of contracts,every region has a different feel and vista, filled with dramatic land scape, breathtaking views, unfathomably inconsiderate and reckless motorists and no obvious pattern of form for how day to day life takes place. There is no central shopping district in any town, the signage and directions are uncomprehendable, traffic regulations are non existent or appear optional and forget about relying on Internet data. There is either no signal and if there is there is little if any infomation available. They say that the Sicilians invented there own hand signals and sign language so they could communicate to each other when they were forced to speak Italian instead of there own dialect and i feel i this place is functioning behind closed doors, you simply are in dark when your outside looking in. Barcelona definitely looks and feels like I imagined a large European city would look like. I'm certainly working through levels of overwhelm as i navigate my way around, as you all know I can get lost in my own back yard.
First nights task, get a micro sim card, find a laundromat and locate a post office so I can return gear that simply won't make the Camino as I'm carrying to Much weight. I am completely rudderless without my IPAD to tract locations down and fact find so after being told for the third time that I must have a contract to get Internet access ive handed the process over to spirit and got out of the way. As your reading this obviously the 4th attempt was a charm, an Angel in a shop here booted my system back to life. In a city of 1.6 million people the first two people I happen to meet that helped me out in a laundramat were two Melbournites, god bless em. In the morning Im going to try and find the post office and the main train station so I can buy my ticket to Pamplona which is roughly 4 hours Away. From there I will see how my recovery is and start the Camino. Love to all, talk soon.

Sacred Jewels