On the Seventh Day She Rested

Hard to believe I've been walking just a week! In many ways it feels much longer. 

I've walked around 100 miles and today I decided to take it a little easy and end my day early at lunch. It's a scorcher anyway, so I'm glad to avoid it.

It's going very good although the road has its ups and downs (literally and figuratively). The first couple days your body is in pain. Your legs, feet, back, hips. You focus on every step. Trying to find patches of grass to walk on instead of jagged rocks. 

Then there is the race. All sorts of people are walking the camino and some are about going far and getting there fast. I find myself constantly slowing myself down. This is about the journey, not the distance or the speed. 

And sometimes you get lost. The other day I was following what I though were signs I was going the right direction, but it ended up being the bike path that brought me to the main road. D'oh! 

So many lessons learned along the camino. Time to think. But there is always a little inspiration along the way for weary travelers.

Here are a few highlights from the past week. Morning stroll next to a spring:

Walking with the bulls in pleasant Pamplona:

Passing the place where the wind and the stars meet:

Walking around the church ancient stones barefoot. A place linked to the Knights Templar. 

Eating off the vine! Grapes. Almonds, figs, berries, walnuts: YUM. 

Walking through beautiful villages.

And farms and fields: 

It's been an interesting journey this far. Only 400 miles left to go.....

Meditation of the week:

Get lost. Something reoccurring I've noticed the last week is how easily it is for me to lose things or leave them behind. Sometimes it's on purpose, other times it's accidental. Most of the time I go on knowing I can either do without it or buy a new one. Other times I bite the bullet and go back. Either way it's amazing what you can make so without! What could you stand to lose?