SUNDAY 22ND AUGUST 2010
Just sitting here contemplating what lies in front of me on my Camino walk. It is said that it will be a life changing experience. This is what frightens me. I am happy the way I am and with my life. My recent surprise 70th. Birthday party was a revelation to me that so many friends would want to wish me well.
The preparations have started, I’m getting my rucksack loaded with all I will need for my travels. Lots of other things need doing like house insurance, travel insurance, ordering heating oil, getting the chimney swept and all the other nitty gritty household things that cant be put on hold.
UPDATE 9TH.JANUARY 2011
I NEVER EXPECTED THAT I WOULD BE AIRLIFTED HOME IN SEVERE PAIN. FOLLOWING AN OPERATION ON MY SPINE I AM VERY SLOWLY RECOVERING.
UPDATE 21ST. JULY 2013
Since my last update I have returned to the Camino. In September 2011 I travelled back to Lectoure, from where I had been repatriated from, because of my back injury. It was great to meet Veronique again, who had looked after me so well when I was in pain.
I walked from there to Logrono. Milestones on that walk were meeting by chance, two friends from last year Evelyn from France and Marceline from Switzerland, meeting for the first time, Ingrid from Holland and we are good friends since, arriving in St Jean -Pied-de-Pol. Most Irish people who walk a full Camino start here, and I had already walked 500 miles from Le Puy to get here. And of course the big achievement for me was at 71 years of age, less that one year after the serious spine operation, I walked the Napoleon Route over the Pyrenees. I continued walking to Logrono, meeting among others, Chris from Canada, Tom from Canada, Jill from America.I am still in contact with Chris and Jill, but have no contact details for Tom.
The following year September 2112 I returned to Logrono and walked to Santiago de Compostela meeting Nick from England and we are still in contact. I met lots of other people, and in fact counted 26 different nationalitys. I also me two Irish nurses, Virginia, from Mullingar and her friend from Wicklow.
Whwn I arrived in Santiago, it was a bit of an anticlimax for me. The following morning, I headed off to walk ti Finistere. It took me three days to walk there. On the first day I met another Pilgrim and we exchanged greetings "Holo" He asked if I understood English and I said that I did as I was from Ireland and he replied that he also was from Ireland. He asked where in Ireland I was from and I replied "Cork". So am I he said. This was my first meeting with Brendan from Fermoy . We walked together to Finistere and are still in contact.
I am now preparing to walk from Lisbon to Santiago, which I will start in September 2013.
