Monthly Archives: September 2011

Walking into the Future: Pamplona to Puente La Reina

Posted on September 25, 2011 by The Son

We spent a few hours yesterday in a café-bar in Pamplona.  The woman tending bar there thought I looked like a certain actor.  I left to get a haircut.  Several places offered them for 30 Euros, but I found one … Continue reading →

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Real Obstacles

Posted on September 24, 2011 by The Son

I don’t mind pain.  It’s damage that concerns me. Today I seem to have struck a new collective bargaining agreement with the unions that operate my right calf, but the left is implacably opposed to my designs.  In past days … Continue reading →

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In Pamplona… no bull

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Inge

Finally got Internet and permission to use lap top. What can I say about the past few days? I absolutely loved Saint Jean Pied de Port. I was in high spirits with looking, tasting, and walking up and down the … Continue reading →

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Roncesvalles to Zubiri to Pamplona

Posted on September 22, 2011 by The Son

Waking Up in Roncesvalles Roncesvalles, Spain.  Wednesday.  The monastery’s automated klieg lights flipped on at 6a.m.  Like a small child, I thought if I put my hands over my eyes, the lights would go away.  The showers operated on a … Continue reading →

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“It is the first stage, to Roncesvalles, that breaks people”

Posted on September 21, 2011 by The Son

St. Jean Pied de Port, France.  Monday.  A charming village marks the beginning of the Camino Frances, the French Camino that is the most popular of the routes to Santiago de Compostela.  We’re still in Basque Country, but the Spanish … Continue reading →

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Bilbao and the Bus to Bayonne

Posted on September 19, 2011 by The Son

On the bus to Bayonne, 7:30a.m. The rain continues, but the fog and mist add a cozy spice to the mountainous terrain and lush forest of the Pyrenees. Julio took us to a wok restaurant last night, in a largely … Continue reading →

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Lisbon, Part 1 of 2

Posted on September 17, 2011 by The Son

Lisbon.  The adventure begins.  It was a six-hour flight from Newark, which left early, at 6p.m., so that we could start the day when everyone was beyond ready to go to sleep, at midnight Newark time.  I caught maybe an … Continue reading →

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Shutting Up My Boss

Posted on September 17, 2011 by The Son

The Voice of the Boss To take time off for the Camino, I first had to get permission from my boss.  It wouldn’t be easy.  My boss is what Yiddish speakers call a nudge. What’s a camino? he said. A … Continue reading →

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Letting Go of the Life We Have Planned

Posted on September 17, 2011 by The Son

It wasn’t I who actually decided to walk across Spain.  That was decided, in a manner of speaking, for me.  My mother, whose ovarian cancer of a decade ago appears to have returned in unknown measure, told me in July … Continue reading →

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Tearful farewell

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Inge

Yesterday, I was running last errands, getting things ready and house sitter in place. I whittled 3.5 more pounds off my back pack. The sleeping bag was too bulky and heavy and I exchanged it for a nice, light, small, … Continue reading →

Posted in Camino Preparation | 2 Comments