Lthnck55 off to SDC

[lthrnck55]

Beginning my 2nd Camino - SJPDP to SDC *** Update *** My wife is going with me. She has been training, losing weight, tickets are bought, gear is being purchased and tested. I am excited.

 

[Kanga]

Buen camino @lthrnck55 !

 

[lthrnck55]

Buen camino @lthrnck55 !

Can't Wait and Buen Camino to you!

 

[lthrnck55]

Seven months. It seems like a long time. At least it used to seem like a long time. I can remember when a week seemed like a long time. Sixty years ago, when somebody said, "Christmas is only a week away!", I looked at them funny and with puzzlement. A week was like an eternity. Now, I am fully aware that the next seven months will go by all too quickly,

Very soon I will be in a little town in the south of France. A beautiful town. St. Jean Pied de Port is like stepping back in time. Nestled in the foothills of the Basque country in the foothills of the Pyrenees just across the border from Spain. A traditional starting place many pilgrims use to begin their journey to Santiago de Compostela. Wake up early in the morning, a cup of cafe con leche and a french roll before making my way to the ancient church for the Pilgrims mass. Properly blessed, I and many like me will begin the ascent up the mountains following a path that has been trod by millions over the last thousand years. Charlemagne led his army this way in 778 a.d. and participated in battles that inspired the Song of Roland, the oldest surviving major work of French literature. But the soul of this trail is the imprint left by the faith of uncounted pilgrims on their way to the Field of Stars to pay their respects to the relics of the apostle St. James the Greater. Their faith and courage blazed the path that led to the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula that drove the Moorish invaders back to Africa and very likely saved Christianity on the continent of Europe and ultimately the world.

Very soon I will walk into Pamplona. A city rich in history made famous by Ernest Hemingway in one of his early novels The Sun Also Rises. Each year in July, as they have for centuries, Pamplona celebrates the festival of San Fermin. The Running of the Bulls dating back to 1591. The people and atmosphere and food and spirit are palpable throughout the year.

After leaving Pamplona, I come to Alto del Perdon, the Hill of Forgiveness. What a view!

The Way continues through many towns and villages to the city of Burgos, the historic capital of Castile. The cathedral there is awe inspiring. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984, it is a sight to behold and worth the journey all by itself.

Leaving Burgos, you find yourself on the Meseta. A plain of grass and fields that seem to extend forever with haunting endless span and beauty. As night falls and you walk into the evening hours you find yourself guided by the Milky Way stretching from horizon to horizon.

The Camino only gets better. The views, the people, the fellowship, the wine, the food and the blessings only become more welcoming as you make your way across Spain.

Seven more months.

 

[Kanga]

Great post @lthrnck55

 

[Kathy Jaudegis]

Wonderful post! I love it!

 

[nycwalking]

Post. Nice!

Buen camino.

 

[lthrnck55]

UPDATE --- My wife must have liked my post as well! She told me she wants to accompany me on this pilgrimage! God is good! Buen Camino To All!