Heading Out

When we went to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago we did very little preparation. We booked a flight to Lisbon - seemed to make sense - because we needed to get to the NW corner of Spain - Lisbon was the closest airport. We researched the Camino de Santiago - and intended to intersect the "French Way" approx. 107kms - more then enough kms to insure we received our compenstellas. We had applied for our credentials, the little book for gathering stamps along the way, but that was it. We arrived in Lisbon, started trying to travel in a North Easterly direction from Lisbon towards a little town in Eastern Spain and soon learned that you really can't do that (at least not without a lot of extra travel). Navigating with a map about two inches square ripped out of a free tourist pamphlet we tripped over "The Portuguese Way" and successfully made our way to Santiago de Compestella. No big deal. For this trip, we have taken a compass course, walked all summer long, or so it seems, bought gear, obtained two guide books, have two GPSs, and rather than feeling extremely prepared, we find ourselves a wee bit intimidated. We are adding to our gear with an IPad and hope to update as we walk along, depending on the kindness of strangers with unsecured wireless.Wish us luck!

Jane and Anita