Geneva

Lovely train ride, smooth and fast on the TVG. Warmer here than in Paris, where I woke in time to see a pink sunrise behind Notre Dame. The shock of the morning was not finding my camera charger and extra battery. As a result we spent a wild 3-4 hours this afternoon tearing about Geneva on foot looking for a replacement charger. At the 7th store we were referred to, I found one, not as compact as the one I left behind, but it will do. I should perhaps have bought a new camera (by the time I paid for this). I seriously considered trying to travel without pictures.

Al this was accomplished by trying to communicate in a mix of French and English. We had beer in front of the Cathedral to celebrate and decompress, and walked by the beautiful lake and investigated restaurants, finishing with a lovely Italian pasta, pizza, and Chianti meal in a place on Rue de Lausanne not far from the Youth Hostel. We havent seen anyone even half as old as we are here at the hostel yet, but we are finding the ethnic diversity of Geneva fascinating. We are in a room with bunks--6 beds, and have not yet seen our roommates.

As I sit in the lobby writing this, however, people keep pouring in.

Hoping to hear from more of you!

Tomorrow will be an easy day here before we start our walk.

Paris, day 2

A second good day in Paris, and got our boat ride this time. Still a bit jet-lagged and cold enough that we wore our mountain parkas all day. By TGV to Geneva tomorrow and 2 nights at youth hostel before walking to Beaumont, France on Sunday.

No, I can't send pictures as there is no way to get them from camera to iPod, on which I am typing with 1 finger. I gave up on phone as Vodaphone is no longer in France, so I gave SFR (French phone company) the phone.

All is well in Paris

I am sitting in the lounge at Hotel Esmeralda, and all is well. We've done lots of walking already from Notre Dame to the Tuileries and Place Vendome, then Isle St.Louis to the Marais and Place Des Vosges, a detour in unsuccessful search for a boatride and back to the hotel.

It is chilly. We are bundled up.

Linnea and Kent
Pilgrims on the road of life


On Sep 11, 2012, at 10:20

Through security with no hitches! The hardest part is over, maybe? Thanks for all the good wishes. Ultreia!


Linnea and Kent

Pilgrims on the road of life

Countdown!

Maybe the last photos.  Here is Kent celebrating finishing one stage of the little bathroom with champagne.

And here I am wearing 3 shirts, one of my pairs of pants, my Mexican dress, and my "evening shoes."

Three more days before we fly to Paris. We are making last minute preparations, including testing whether I can post to the blog from my iPod. Alas, no photos from this iPod.  I'll see if I can get a "departure" photo before we leave.  Also note I added a gadget in the upper left corner, so you can subscribe (that is be notified of subsequent posts).  This may be an alternative to my email list.  I'll see.  Meanwhile, exploring the capabilities of my iPod, I have downloaded (for free) and started reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, 1879, an account of his travels in a region not far from where where we will be walking.

I didn't realize that this quote was from Stevenson's Virginibus Puerisque, 1881:

"Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."

How perfect for a pilgrimage!  I also didn't realize that the title of Steinbeck's  Travels with Charley, a book my mother and I read together and loved years ago was inspired by Travels with a Donkey.

Chemin Geneva-Le Puy 2012 Preparations

Chemin Geneva-Le Puy 2012

Beginning on September 16, 2012, Kent and I will begin walking the Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle from Geneva, Switzerland to Le Puy-en-Velay, a major starting point for pilgrims headed to Santiago de Compostela, and where I began walking in April 2010.  I hope to post updates from time to time.

All my clothes (l to r): black fleece, rain parka, 3 pr. underpants and 2 bras, 5 shirts (1sleeveless, 2 short-sleeved knits, 1 long-sleeved knit, 1 buttoned long-sleeved), 1 Mexican dress, 1 small silk scarf (to dress me up and cheer me up), 1 pink bandanna (handkerchief, head cover, napkin, washcloth), hat, 2 pr. hiking pants (1 w/ zip-off legs). On bottom. Rain pants, cheap plastic poncho, bath towel, light shoes and socks, boots and 3 pr. socks.  Still need to add books, maps, phone, ipod, charger, camera, batteries and SD cards, toiletries.  Pack, fanny pack, pack cover, hydration pack, and water bottle.

Santiago!

I am writing this almost one year later.  Eva, Yoko, and I arrived in Santiago on 10/10/10.  I hurried ahead, as I had already walked from Santiago to Monte de Gozo and Sann Marcos.  It seemed to take forever to get to the center of town, past the places I had walked during my stay at the Hotel Arenal for the IBBY conference in September.  I kept meeting pilgrims heading back to the outskirts, compostelas in hand. There was a long queue out the door to the pilgrim office.  I was still wearing my pack as I waited.  Once I had my compostela in hand, I headed to the turismo, and was told what I already knew, that there were no rooms in the city center.  Not only was it 10/10/10, it was a holiday weekend.  As I stood wondering what to do next, a man asked if I needed a room.  I asked him if I could look, and he led me just a few doors up the street to an adequate room with 3 beds and bath down the hall.  I paid him on the spot, and ran back to look for Eva and Yoko, whom I found in line at the pilgrim office.

We celebrated our completion of the Camino that night!  I attended the pilgrim mass, which was overflowing the Cathedral.  It was kind of a let down.

I wanted to hug the saint, but that queue stretched all around the square.  Instead I spent the next day wandering through the city, exploring, and savoring my accomplishment.  After two nights, Eva flew home, and Yoko decided to accompany me on the walk to Finisterre, so we set out once more, pilgrims again, on what was to be quite a long difficult walk, as my various aches and pains were finally catching up with me.  Still, it was a beautiful walk, but 4 days would have been better than three to make the journey.

When I returned alone to Santiago, I did stand in line to hug the Saint, and as I did so, I suddenly was overwhelmed with tears.  I finally felt my pilgrimage had ended.

At least for now...

Day 23 on the Camino, past Sarria

There have been some days of rain, but walking in Galicia is beautiful.  Climbing up over O Cebreiro was a highlight, beautiful in the early morning.  Today I walked from Triacastela to Barbedelos.

Yoko, Linnea, and Eva in Villafranca del Bierzo

The day of Foncebadon I met Yoko and Eva and we walked together to Ponferrada.  It has been good to have companions on the walk.

All day rain!

from Faba to O Cebreiro at dawn

Heading up to O  Cebreiro

At Barbedelos with Jean Paul, Marie Christine, and Eva and Yoko and a German man

Another rainy day, but actually very good and beautiful walking. Hip pain went away, whether from prayers you have all be sending or a dose of Eva´s 400 mg ibuprofen. The first pain free day in a long long time. A couple of sore toes on the left foot, otherwise very good, even walking in the rain, and going a long way before a stop for a second breakfast about 11:30 a.m. Even though I mention wine and chocolate a lot, I am really getting a pretty well-balanced diet. A bit heavy on eggs, cheese, and jamon, no doubt, but I guess I am burning up those calories. For an afternoon snack today I had the ubiquitous ensalada mixta, which is lettuce, tomatoes (getting some really delicious fresh tomatoes these days), onion, olives, tuna, asparagus, with oil and vinegar dressing. Occasionally yummy soup. Last night it was macaroni in tomato and meat sauce followed by chicken and potatoes, and ice cream for dessert. What I have not seen on any menu, broccoli, zucchini (although I have seen them growing in the fields), Anyway, I am doing quite well with food, and have pretty much stopped buying and carrying bread and cheese since it is easier to just stop at a cafe or bar, and they come pretty frequently, although today it was a good 12 km before we found one.



We walked through some beautiful woodsy sections today. Some quite steep. Up on stony tracks with mossy stone walls lining them, and huge beautiful old chestnut trees. Sometimes it was quite slippery. At the first bar in a long long time this morning, about 8 km from Sarria, the place was packed with wet peregrinos and their backpacks, all sitting around a long wooden table. It was about 11:30 -- we got a late start, not waking up until nearly 8 a.m. this morning, and nearly 8 before we headed out of Triacastela. Oh, I saw I beautiful great blue heron in a stream just outside of Triacastela. Anyway, when it is 11:30 I am never sure whether it is time for another cafe con leche or beer. So, this morning it was beer and a freshly made tortilla (eggs) with Spanish ham sprinkled on top. Very good.

That got me through the next 8 km to Sarria, where I had ensalada mixta and sampled some pulpo (spicy octopus) off a neighboring diner´s plate. We then decided to continue another 4 to 5 km to this little village of Barbadelos, and to stay at a private albergue, which costs more and is pretty spartan, but has a nice dining room where I hope to have a good supper. All in all, it was a beautiful day of walking. Galicia is very green, unlike the meseta through which I was previously walking.



I have been meeting more of the same people again on the trail and in the cafes -- including the Spanish young men who took my picture. Many people are hoping to reach Santiago by Sunday, which will be 10/10/10. So I suspect there will be an even larger than usual crush of pilgrims arriving. We will see. I think we can easily make that -- 4 more days of walking, whether in rain or not. At least walking in the rain is not hot, except when scaling hills, and there have been a few today. Yoko and Eva and I all get very hot, and end up having to take off layers as we climb up, and then put them back on as it starts raining harder, or we get cold when we stop.



I am sitting here now wearing my fleece jacket and longsleeved shirt, and my fingers are getting numb. I´m ready for a cup of hot tea, but I think I can get dinner in another hour. I am in a room with 14 bunk beds, nice bathrooms down a circular staircase that will be fun to navigate at 3 or 4 a.m. I am in a top bunk next to a window with a beautiful view out over a green valley with a big eucalyptus with birds maybe 50 feet away. I´m going to sign off and climb under the covers -- they did provide an extra heavy blanket -- and look out the window and try to stay awake until dinner time.



Thinking of all of you as I walk. It is good to have found some congenial walking companions -- we are quite an unlikely combination, but get along well.

Our last day of walking -- almost to Santiago!