The Paths we Take. . .

As long as I can remember, I have always been intrigued by pathways.  When you see one doesn’t it just make you want to see where it may lead you?

Creating various paths in your garden makes it more inviting.

Whenever you explore a pathway you never know what you might find or who you might meet. 

Recently we walked 110 km. of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.  Along the way we treaded upon many a paths.

In this post I will share pathways as well as a little about the people we met.

Just gotta ask, “does this back pack make my butt look fat?”  lol!

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This pathway led us through a dense forest where the tree trunks were covered with moss and ivy.  A winding trail that took us across a wood planked bridge.

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This one led us along a path lined with a stone wall.

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The first night (yes, we started at night.  Something we realized afterwards that you don’t do).  We almost had to sleep on the ground.  That’s a story for another post.  We only crossed paths with one pilgrim that evening. (Should have been our first clue about not hiking at night) He had a dog with leather tied around his feet and a sign on his humble one man tent that said, “For Rent”.

Often we would trod past water.  It tempted us to stop and dip our feet.  But we knew that we must trek forward,

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When this coke machine crossed my path I knew then that I COULD make it!  Hee-hee!

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We crossed this stone path at dusk.  It didn’t get dark until between 10-10:30 p.m.

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We walked through cemeteries.

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Some paths were steep while others meandered.

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Many stone paths led us through quaint villages.  Sometimes the farmers would be outside to encourage us or just to say, “hola”.

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Sometimes we passed (very close I might add) cows along the path.

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We met one 71 year old  man from Portugal.  He had started from the beginning, 800 km.  His name was Emilio.  He was an amazing man who was on day 25 of walking.  He could out walk even our daughter and sil.

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At times we saw lots of pilgrims.  Often visiting along the way.  Whenever someone passed you would hear the words, “Bueno Camino!”

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We met a couple from Germany that had walked 1/3 of the camino in ‘2009’.  They returned in ‘2011’ and walked another third.  This year they finished.

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One couple were on their honeymoon.

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We met a large group from Ireland.  They walk the Camino every year.  People sponsor them and they raise money for MS.  A disease that seems to be prevalent in their country.

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We met a lot of people from Virginia Tech.  The Spanish teacher seemed to be staying in the same places we were each evening.  She told us that they teach a class on the Camino and that they had asked her to come along.

In the end, this is where all of our many paths led us.  Simply Breathtaking!

 

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I hope that you find many paths to explore in your lifetime.  With the Lords blessing, hopefully we’ll stay on the right path.

hugs,

Jann

23 comments

Kris said...

Wow Jann! What a trip that must have been!!! Such beautiful "paths" you took. What an adventure!!!
Loved this post! That cemetery! Wow!!
xo Kris

FABBY'S LIVING said...

OMG Jenn, I am green with sweet envy, as I always wanted to go to the Santiago Path in Spain! Very happy for you and your family, what a wonderful trip and the photos are great..and your butt does not look fat Darling, plus, I'm sure it got smaller from all the walking you did! Thanks for sharing.
Big hugs,
FABBY

Winnie said...

Jann - this is such a wonderful post!!
These photos are amazing, it's like being a party of your trip.
THANK you for sharing them with us :)

Dana@Mid2Mod said...

Beautiful post, Jann.

Nancy said...

This was a wonderful post. Thank you so much for taking us along. So much adventure. God is good to allow us to see His awesome creation. I have been to some places that I only dreamed I'd go. So happy you were able to share this with family. Blessings to you and yours!

Gayle said...

Oh MY! What a wonderful adventure you had - I love that you went to see the less trodden path than what most tourists do - you must have made great memories!

The Boston Lady said...

This is tremendous! Good for all of you for doing this adventure together - something to cherish for sure. Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing. Ann

Ann@A Sentimental Life said...

Jann, how gorgeous and what a lifetime adventure! Good for you!

living from glory to glory said...

Dear Jann, I am impressed with your endurance and adventure. All I can say is WOW! The pictures are so amazing like they speak a thousand words to me.
Blessings, Roxy

cynthia lee designs said...

Jann...beautiful photos! What an amazing trip you had!
hugs,
Cindy

NanaDiana said...

Jann-What beautiful, beautiful photos. That is a trip that will fill you with memories for years to come. Amazing - xo Diana

Micupoftea said...

WHAT AN Adventure!!! Wow, fascinating post.

Debra at HOMESPUN: http://www.thehomespun.com said...

I enjoyed this hike and didn't even work up a sweat! :)

I think my favorite is that meandering photo with the beautiful rocky moss covered wall though everything was so much fun to see! :)

Cindy The Victorian Journey said...

Thank you for sharing such beautiful pic's. Enjoying your paths with you.
Hugs, Cindy

Art and Sand said...

Beautiful hike and ending . . . wonderful way to spend a vacation . . . and, with your daughter and SIL . . . perfect!

thanks for the glimpse into your vacation

Rose L said...

I think there was a movie about that pathway and the journeys of people on it! Congratulations

Nell at njschout said...

How wonderful to explore a country on foot. Glad you could enjoy that.

tibby said...

The minute I saw your 3rd pic with the stone bridge I wondered if you were in my country. Hope you enjoyed it.
Been thinking of doing the pilgrimage myself lately.
How did you like Galicia? It's one of my favourite green places. The is a stone water mill with 4 acres of forest surrounding it, I've had my eye on for 2 years.
XOXO,
Cristina

tibby said...

Rose L. Yes, Emilio Estevez made a movie with Martin Sheen doing the path.

tibby said...

Post about the food ;-)

Arleens favorite home said...

What butt. Nice back pack!!! glad you had fun. Love your blog!

Arleens favorite home said...

What butt. Nice back pack!!! glad you had fun. Love your blog!

Cynthia said...

What a gorgeous post and I enjoyed it very much. You seem to have had a great time. It is nice to see people doing that for MS, all of us that have it appreciate anyone that can do anything to help us battle this illness.

Cynthia

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