Hola......
Have been bushing up on my Spanish, a little bit of practicing as we walked today. It's important visiting another country to know some of the phases. We am getting ready to walk a pilgrimage that is over a thousand years old and is walked by over 100,000 pilgrims every year.

I’ve been getting lots of questions about what the pilgrimage is and what it’s all about so I’m going to try and answer them all right here, front and center.

FAQ SECTION:

When do you leave? I leave Perth on May 19th and return July 7th.
How many km's is the journey? Starting in Saint Jean Pied du Port, France and ending in Santiago de Compostela Spain it is 800km. Once we get there though we plan to add on an additional 80km and walk to a town on the coast called Finisterre. Before people knew that the world was round Finisterre was called the end of the known world and directly translates to ‘End of the World’. So, I am going to walk to the end of the world.

Where do you sleep? There are pilgrim hostels (alberques) in every town along the route that will board a pilgrim with the appropriate credencials for a very small fee or by donation.

Who are you going with, are you going alone? No I am going with a friend Gael, but we are doing it independently not with a tour group. However a pilgrim is never truly alone because this is such a well travelled route. It is rare that you are ever out of sight of another pilgrim and you eat dinner with everyone else in the hostel every evening. We'll be fine!
How long will it take you? We are counting on 35 days with some rest days built in. We can stay multiple nights in one place should we need the rest or just find any one place particularly beautiful. We are not in a rush. There is also the option of taking a bus between towns if needed.

Is it safe? Yes, it is very safe. There are some treacherous parts of the hike when going through the Pyrenees as well as the normal strain on your body from walking long distances every day. There are very few, if any, reports of danger from people on the way. It is a very sacred and respected thing to be a pilgrim and people honor you for it.

How far do you walk everyday? The correct answer is however far you feel like you can safely go. This is on average 25 km's per day. Some days will be less, some more but everyday will be based on how I feel. I don’t intend to overextend.

What do you hope to get out of it? I have no idea! I just do not know. Clarity of mind? Some grand epiphany? Spiritual enlightenment? Just a nice lovely long walk? No clue. But there is a saying on the Camino " that the Camino will provide " so perhaps along the way I will be enlighten and will find some direction.
Buen Camino......