Plantar Fasciitis and other things.

With only 12 days left before I leave for my Camino I had to address some issues this week.

I finally started walking again last Friday after a 2 week break due to simply being too busy with work and too much to do at home. Sadly after the first walk my Plantar Fasciitis acted up  badly . It had been minor the last couple of months but last week it was bad. So I finally caved and got a Cortisone injection Monday. The Podiatrist also gave me a night splint and some other tips to keep all under control. Now just fingers crossed it will do it's job. 

But I also had some fun things this week. I finally met (and had lunch with ) Patty, who is one part of the Bonita Springs Camino duo "Chicks with Sticks" ha ha. Patty and her friend are leaving for their 3rd Camino in July. 

She knows of several other locals that walk(ed) the Camino. We will try to get together with all after this summer's Caminos.

All pre work is now done. I have all my gear in order, have my Euro's, European sim card, booked all Hostels/Albergues and transportation. So I'm good to go. :)

On June 9th I will start my LONG trip from Bonita Springs to Saint Jean Pied de Port. 

2.5 hr drive to Miami airport, 10 hr flight to Madrid, 3.5 hr train to Pamplona and then the next day a 2 hr bus to Saint Jean Pied de Port. And then the day after........my 1st steps to cross the Pyrenees on the challenging Route Napoleon where, if the weather is good, I will be rewarded with this view :) 

10 km walk testing all gear and new camera features

I'm SOOOO ready to go !!!

viewing my daily YouTube video's

I'm sure there is a way to put my daily YouTube video's on my blog. I can do it on my laptop at home  but I can't figure out how to do it on my I pod.
So if you want to see my daily video's starting June 9th or 10th just check them out on YouTube.
I will post here the daily titles but it will most likely be :

D's camino 2016  day 1.  The next day same title but day 2 etc.
Sometimes there will be 2 video's and then I will simply add an A or B.

I can/will share them on Facebook too.

The privilege of being able to walk.

Wow what a crazy month it has been.!!!!

Last week Rick had an unfortunate accident (someone ran into him with a Golf Cart) and broke his leg badly. My son broke his ankle 3 weeks ago. These events made me aware again of the simple privilege of being able to......WALK !!!!! 

We all take it for granted until you deal daily with people who can't. 

With less then 4 weeks to go now before I leave for Spain my training schedule has been interrupted due to just being too busy with all at home. People on the Camino often say "The Camino provides you with all you need".  Maybe this was my hint that I needed a training break there my Plantar Fasciitis had been bothering me a lot lately. Due to the 2 week break it's a lot less now. Next week I will pick it up again slowly. I'm not afraid of  the distances anymore there I kept walking through the year. I KNOW I can do it. :)

Other things that I did the last 2 weeks. 

I had most gear from last year but what I missed was a phone. (last year Tom had a international working  phone with him for emergencies) 

So I bought an unlocked phone and just need to order a SIM card for Spain this weekend. 

I also bought a tiny blow dryer as my luxury item for this coming trip. Last year we carried ALL ourselves. This year I decided to carry 75% of all my gear (15 lbs) but will ship* my few luxury items (the other 25% and indeed about 5 lbs  ) One would think 5 lbs would not make a big difference carrying , but it does for your knees. Some people forward their entire backpack, but I actually like carrying one. But to have that 1 extra set of clothes and 1 extra pair of shoes/socks AND the blow dryer , will make for such a more comfortable trip. It's my treat to self this year. After 6 to 9 hours of hiking it feels AMAZING to shower, do your hair and a have a clean set of clothes :)

* on the Camino there are carrier services available that stop at every town and hostel/hotel. You can have 1 bag  picked up at your hotel and pay 5 to 7  Euro's  and it will be dropped of at your next hotel. 

Camino De Santiago - "The Pilgrim Song" - by Cecilia Samartin, bestselling novelist. I often sing along while walking:) It "fits" the serene vibe of the Camino!