My hands are shaking as I step onto the bus and hand the driver my money. My face gives nothing away, but my stomach is clenched and mouth dry. "Am I ready? I don't want to go back to the 'real world'. I don't want this to end." The world moves so fast. Have I really … Continue reading Finisterre > Santiago
The crack of a rifle shot. That was the first thing I heard as I left my albergue at 6:30AM. I had planned on leaving an hour earlier, but had slept through my alarm for the first time since I've been here. I'm glad I did. Another shot cut across the silence, this one closer … Continue reading Día Cuatro + 31
I can sense the change of gears clicking in. Tomorrow I reach Finisterre - the end of this world I have been living in. The day after, I press on just a little further for the heck of it. Then I catch a bus to Portugal. Surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly), I have mixed emotions … Continue reading Día Tres + 31
I was already working out the wording of how I would write up this blog post without stressing Mum out too much. "Tonight was the first night I slept outdoors..." Nope, I'm sure she still would have freaked (as would Karen and a few others, I'm sure). I wasn't too keen on the idea myself. … Continue reading Día Dos + 31
Sometimes it's the little things. Sharing Vegemite with four unwilling and ungrateful friends (I don't get what their problem was? I grew up on that black spreadable goodness! 😉). Walking through the cathedral square and being greeted nine, eleven, more! times by pilgrims I have walked with or met along the Way. Having Burger King … Continue reading Día Uno + 31
Tomorrow I finish the Camino de Santiago. I try to stay in the moment. I concentrate on deliberately soaking in the people around me, the landscape I'm crossing, the buildings I pass and roads I walk down, but like a gravitational pull I can't avoid, my mind is being drawn back to the thought: tomorrow … Continue reading Día Treinta / Day Thirty
I know this is late. I tried writing it a few times over already but just can't get the story to sound right, and then my days continue on and it all snowballs and I still haven't written and ohmygoodnesswheredoIevenstart. So this will be a quick one I think.. Keep it simple instead Naomi Joy. … Continue reading Día Veintiocho / Day Twenty Eight
I just met Mary. She's another one of my angels, and she doesn't even know it. As I write this, it's just after 11AM, and I've been walking with Domenico, sorting out our pride. So much for all the 'personal/spiritual growth' we've had so far! We started out from Sarria with hoards of people. So … Continue reading Día Veintisiete / Day Twenty Seven
Three hours. I sat in a cafe for three hours Becka. I told you I'd give you a buzz for your birthday, I found a place with semi-decent wifi, I sat down and called you at your 6:00PM. And again, and again. And again. Three hours. I am glad you had a good party though! … Continue reading Día Veintiséis / Day Twenty Six
I love you. I'll start right there. Every message, quick facetime call, comment, email... I know how busy the real world is; how easy it is to get caught up in another day; to say to yourself, "I'll send her that message later" and then not get around to it 'till the next day, or … Continue reading Día Veinticinco / Day Twenty Five
Yes, that is a watermelon in my bag. Technically half a watermelon. I bought it last night for after our broccoli miso soup but we forgot to eat it, and stubbornness took over this morning: no way was I leaving it behind. So what if watermelons are 'heavy'? Genius, Naomi. You are a genius. I'm … Continue reading Día Veinticuatro / Day Twenty Four
No head bopping to the guy next to me this morning; my bunk bed was up against a wall, which I sincerely appreciated. And that "I'm a grown woman" statement? Not entirely true. We had chocolate ice cream for breakfast. We'd bought a kilo worth of that Vienetta ice cream cake roll thingy for after … Continue reading Día Veintitres / Day Twenty Three
Have you ever slept in bunk beds pushed right up beside each other so that the body next to you belongs to a German in his underwear? I have. And I don't know what was going on with my brain; perhaps it was just in shock from so much skin beside me, but when I … Continue reading Día Veintidós / Day Twenty Two
In my hearty conversation with the second Australian Jess a few days back, she told me to be careful what I ask God for... He'll always answer my prayers, but generally not how I expect or necessarily 'want' Him to. I understood her more fully this morning. Today marks a year since I last gave my … Continue reading Día Veintiuno / Day Twenty One
It's 27 past midnight, and the fireworks that lasted for at least eighteen minutes have just stopped. I was woken up by such a loud crash and echoing boom that my mind went straight to thoughts of Syria, Turkey, war zones, terrorism... Maybe it was the toy gun I was shooting earlier at the fiesta, … Continue reading Día Venti / Day Twenty
I love that my facebook feed has recently been swamped by all these #itsokaytotalk posts, because even from the other side of the world, I have been musing on similar themes. In the hustle and bustle of life, it's easy to get caught up in the day to day. So quickly, between all these spheres … Continue reading Día Diecinueve / Day Nineteen
I'm still thinking about that KFC.. So good! Seeing as this was my first rest day, I went all out. TWO sugar syrup coated, coconut stuffed buns for breakfast, Burger King for lunch, pizza for dinner, and tiramisu and ice cream for dessert. And of course, plenty of coffee and wine throughout the day. At … Continue reading Día Dieciocho / Day Eighteen
This post was meant to be a body appreciation one. Despite the heat and the mountains, the rain and the blisters, a heavy pack and hard, rocky ground, my body has carried me 500km. Thank you to my knees, who have not given out. Thank you to my ankles - I know you didn't like the … Continue reading Día Diecisiete / Day Seventeen
"Lo siento, Mamá y Papá" - that thing that I thought would not happen, happened... I ran out of water. And then the mercy of strangers brought me to tears. According to the neon signs flashing on street corners, it reached 36-37'C. I knew it was going to be another hot one, so I learned … Continue reading Día Dieciséis / Day Sixteen
Tonight I am grateful for God having better plans than I do. Today I wanted to do 43km - we had planned on doing a marathon day to get Frank and Paolo to Leon by Thursday. It started off beautifully. Picturesque sunrise, fields upon fields of sunflowers, hues of pink and purple and blue and … Continue reading Día Quince / Day Fifteen
Two weeks of walking already down, and just about halfway through. We've got a few big days coming up and yesterday's 8:30am start killed me, so I set out at 6:15 in the moonlight. I was alone with my thoughts, and determined to think deeply and do some soul searching, find revelations and growth and … Continue reading Día Catorce / Day Fourteen
Cansado: the Spanish adjective for tired, weary, worn out, fatigued. Also the definition of Day Thirteen of my Camino pilgrimage. We had a solid three hours of sleep last night. Totally worth it. The boys were pretty slow in getting themselves together, so by the time we got out of the hotel and had breakfast, it … Continue reading Día Trece / Day Thirteen
Where to start... Maybe with: the timely touch of a friend is good for the soul. The morning was misty and quiet as I left the albergue with my Italian posse. As per usual, we stopped at the first cafe we came across for an espresso and excuse for a rest. Jess and Janey walked … Continue reading Día Doce / Day Twelve
I don't like grief. I don't like death, or break ups, or the loss of a loved one in any capacity. It's a pretty shitty thing, but I think I'm slowly getting better at it. I read a story once about how grief comes in waves - at first, they just about drown you and … Continue reading Día Once / Day Eleven
We started out beside a surprisingly busy highway under damp grey skies. The morning was a more reflective one than we seemed to have had so far; the cool, fine mist that hung low over us was perfect weather to turn inward and walk with our own thoughts for a while. I guess this is pretty natural … Continue reading Día Diez / Day Ten
Today wasn't captured by many photos, but it was captured in many moments. I woke a little grumpy again - sore body, not enough sleep, semi-tired of facing the same thing schedule again, and my friends came to the rescue. Domenico is a funky Buddhist Italian who is teaching me words and ideas and that penne … Continue reading Día Nueve / Day Nine
I am tired. I am even bordering cranky.. I need more sleep, but I need to walk. I've been walking for over a week now, and moved my poor tired feet two hundred kilometres across a country. That photo is totally just for show. I'm not that happy in real life. In real life, my toes … Continue reading Día Ocho / Day Eight
I know you're all dying to read the next post - sorry for the wait; I didn't have wifi at last night's albergue. It was attached to a beautiful old cathedral and works by donation (generally we pay 8-12€ a night), so was a little old-school and totally sweet. For dinner we had a community … Continue reading Día Siete / Day Seven
No one day is the same as the next. Maybe this is why we should always be thankful for today: there will never be another exactly like it, and we can never really know exactly what to expect. It seems everyone started out early today to beat the merciless sun. We were walking just after … Continue reading Día Seis / Day Six
Oh man. I am a summer girl through and through. Ten times out of ten I'll choose hot over cold, regardless of how hot, how dry, how humid, when, where, all those details... I love the heat. I thrive on it! But Saturday, 13th August 2016, is apparently an exception. Italians have a brilliant way … Continue reading Día Cinco / Day Five
