Author: Baguettes cheese and wine

After a weekend of farewells and anxiety I am packed and ready to go.  My pack fully loaded weighs 8.6kgs. I will be getting rid of a lot of it after Paris and posting it on so by the time I start walking it will be lighter.  Final coffee up the road and off to the airport.  Next blog will be Paris.  Oh la la!!

The last couple of days are dragging and I know once I get in the plane time will fly but I am ready to go.  A few dinners out, farewell lunch and I am out of here.  

I am starting to count the sleeps.  12 to go and I am now getting more excited than I was before and my mind is wandering away from work even though there is still a lot to do.

I thought I would post a map of where I will be walking.

I get the train from Paris through Bayonne into St Jean Pied de Port and stay overnight and start my walk on Monday 11 September.  From then on anything could happen and I am ready!!

Below is the map of Spain and I will be walking the orange trail through Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, Astorga into Santiago.  The other maps are the journey broken up into days and kms so you can get an idea of approximately where I am.

Today I did my first walk with my backpack fully ladened with everything in it.  It weighs 7.6kgs.  I am happy with that.  Did a big walk and feel I will have no issues about going the distance with it on my back.   

Only 2 weeks to go 

Today I have learnt to do a Blog in anticipation of my big trip to Europe.  I say Europe but in actual fact, I am going to Paris and then getting a train down to St Jean Pied de Port and walking the Way of St James – the Camino de Compostella – from France across the top of Spain into Santiago – 800kms.

Two weeks until I fly out of Sydney off on my big adventure.  It has been a while since I travelled to the northern hemisphere and I am sure I will see a lot of changes but this will add to the experience and adventure I am about to embark on.