Beauty of the Trail

The Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) begins in St. Jean Pied de Port in France and ends in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.  The pilgrimage is 800km or nearly 500 miles which I will walk over 35 days plus two additional "rest" days.  I will begin my journey on August 30th flying to Paris, staying overnight there, and continuing by train the following day to Bayonne then St. Jean Pied de Port.   This allows for travel delays which have been fairly common lately due to canceled flights, transportation strikes, etc.  September 2nd is my first day of walking.  I am VERY excited to finally be getting close as I have been walking 12-20 miles a day for about 6-8 months now in preparation.  I've walked in the cold, the dark, the heat and the rain.  I've encountered rabbits, snakes, lots of bugs, and have already worn through one pair of shoes "practicing."  My brother-in-law and nephew walked the entire Camino when my nephew was just 14!  This is a trip I have wanted to do for a long time and I finally decided that I am the closest I will ever be (since I live in Italy at the moment), and I have the time to devote to this journey.    This time next month I will be over halfway through - fingers crossed!