Here we go again!

I am getting ready, doing last minute things -washing my old camino clothes, my sleeping bag, wearing my hiking boots everywhere but to bed, and dreaming about being on the way . Tomorrow I leave for Paris, on Tuesday Kathleen O'Connor joins me and we take the train to Le Puy to start our walk. 

The map above shows the major pilgrim routes to Santiago. In 2007 I started in Arles and walked to Santiago. This time my hope is to walk from Le Puy to Santiago and on to Finisterre. I say hope because I learned an important lesson the first time, -you never know what will happen.  That is the joy and terror of the walk. Really, terror is too strong. It's somewhere between surprise and shock. That is what I loved- realizing how little control I have over almost everything. What fun and what a relief.

Everyone asks me why go back to the SAME place?! I think there are two questions in that question.

First -why go back. I knew on the plane coming home in 2007 that I would go back as soon as I could. It is so beautiful, in every way. Being outside, seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting something new every day. Feeling the weather, good or bad. Being alive. I have to go back. Also, I realize how much more I have to learn.

And why the SAME place- I don't think it will be the same. I'm walking a little different route. I am walking in the spring with flowers and green fields, the last time was fall, with figs and golden fields. But most importantly, there will be a brand new set of pilgrims. It's the pilgrims that provide the character of the camino. The ones who give it flavor. It won't be the same at all. I think right now, there are people packing, checking train schedules, getting ready to walk. And as if by magic, we will all meet and perhaps become friends. (Or maybe we will annoy each other and we will look for ways to get away.) You just never know.

What I do know, is that as I walk, I will remember my first camino friends, because it was them who made the walk so lovely and it's because of them I want to go back.

It won't be long now.

Mary/mom

xoxo

PS. We have a full map this time! Thanks to my son-in-law, Benji for scanning it and helping me put it up here.