Anne walks 100km for her charities

I did it ! Here I am outside the cathedral in Santiago! What can I say? I couldn’t have done it without all of the love and support of you guys and the amazing team I walked with.
Can’t really explain how profound an experience it’s been. I sat outside in the early morning and made a call . There was a little dog walking around the square . His master appeared from under an arched doorway where he’d slept that night . Homelessness is everywhere. So if you know of anyone who would like to know about  my journey please share it with them.
Buon Camino

Yep been good . Cooler and damper than previous . We actually walked a bit together in a small group today . The Camino is quite amazing . Not really the physical exertion or the interesting and often beautiful surroundings .
But for me the connections and discussions that occur . Sometimes humorous - Nick’s weird dislike of anything pea related except mangetout because they’re underdeveloped! Weird coincidences - Ian and I have partial knee replacements from the same surgeon . Most powerful are those intimate moments . Being blessed in a sunny garden by a friar and looking round to find that half of us were sobbing . I know I’ll never forget this week and that I’ll never be quite the same.

Morning! Yesterday was day 3 . I found the last 6k or so really hard . It was really hot , I hadn’t managed to get much of a lunch ( no gluten free)  and my knee hurt! I was with a lively couple people so that made the difference . We look after each other’s needs as much as our own . The guy below is called Juan his little dog is Rita . He stamps passports and makes wooden jewellery to sell . Rita is half Yorkshire Terrier . He was very amused when I told him we came from Yorkshire !

Day 2 . Started and ended in beautiful sunshine. The walk was uphill over boulders at first . With misty a valley to our left . Our group soon spread out . My usual location is towards the  rear . There are many other pilgrims from all over the world. We nod, smile and wisheach other ‘Buon Camino’. In the photo I’m having my Camino passport stamped . At least 2 are needed every day . The gentleman at this spot provided wax stamps in many different colours along with a friendly quick wit .
In the evening a group
of us attended mass in the pilgrim’s church . Tom even provided the reading . 
A truly beautiful day finished with Tapas and wine . Our stomachs aren’t suffering like our feet.

Climbing the hill to paraphrase. Kate Bush. Yesterday was wonderful . We did around 27k  but felt quite elated . The weather was glorious and the forests smelt of wild thyme and eucalyptus. The group is really starting to gel . New friendships are being forged .  We are all in awe of Kate who continues to organise us with a smile and a firm hand . As a group we’ve raised over 42jk plus another 10 by the national choir guys . Your generosity is amazing. . Keep it up and spread the word ! X