It will soon be time to take off for Lisbon for the start of my Camino Portuguès. Libson to Santiago de Compostela, all 630 km of it. Hush, don’t tell certain members of my family about the distance. There is some concern about ancient me going all that way. But as I point out it is western Europe, a very civilized civilization with excellent public transport if needed.
This is an update to my April blog about how I needed to do a Camino equipment redo. I am actually quite encouraged as I have dealt with most of the items I set out in that blog:
Footwear: I now have a pair of Merrell walking shoes. I had said I was going to wear the ones I used last year on the Camino Nova Scotia; however, they got a big thumbs-down from my orthotics technician. He was great and entered into my Camino-adventure spirit. I went back and showed him the new proposed shoes and he A-OKed them!
So with the new orthotics and shoes, I now have some thin socks in Merino wool to wear under the hiking socks. It really is a comfy ride!
I have my very own quite expensive walking poles and I have been learning the technique on the flat and up and down hill.
A fancy new backpack. Very comfortable, a bit larger than I need but I just have to have the discipline not to fill it up.
A high tech T shirt – that means it was expensive for a T shirt by my standards but it really is soft and light and rather delightful.
A rather posh bandana. Very harmonious colours.
A soft bag to put clothing in that can double as a pillow.
This one is a bit of a gamble-experiment: a simple but charming shift dress to wear in the evenings AND as a night gown…..
A bag to keep my valuables (passport, credit cards etc.) with me at all times: from Lululemon, waist bag that can also be worn cross-body for evening wear, in a toned-down leopard print.
Even got a soap from a visit to Banff from the Rocky Mountain soap company that, they assure me, can be used to wash my body, my hair, my clothes and even dishes if I had to!
You may be asking ‘is this Camino prep or a Julia shopping trip?’…good question, well the shopping is fun and there is the hidden fashionista that does manifest from time to time, even on a hiking pilgrim trail- apparently.
And this morning I managed to get a hotel reservation for me and my Camino buddy. For two nights in Lisbon when we arrive, near the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major which is the departure point for pilgrims. (Mary Major? I will try and find out about her and report back.)
Am I ready? What still needs to be sorted? A cover bag for my backpack in case I have to check it for the plane, that extra size may catch me up. And the pharmacy department. I now take a variety of supplements: vits and minerals – can I get a multivit one pill a day to look after that? Well sort of and oh my, those pills are heavy. It is all about keeping things light and compact as I will be carrying all this on my back.
Still a work in progress and I am reading José Saramago’s book ‘Journey to Portugal’. He should know, Portugues and a Nobel Prize for Literature.
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