What to bring?

I have been asked a few times if it is possible to carry everything you need for the Camino on your back and often people are very surprised, when I tell them that I intend to carry no more than roughly 6-7 kgs INCLUDING the backpack.

So what do I bring you may ask? I bring:

2 pairs of short running tight, dryfit (one pair to wear, when done walking I wash said pair and wear the other pair for the rest of the day and the next until done walking. And then I repeat.)

2 tank tops (also dryfit, will be used the same way as the tights)

2 pairs of tight boxers (also dryfit, will be used the same way as the tights)

2 sports bras (also dryfit, will be used the same way as the tights)

1 regular bra (I guess this is more of a nice to have item, than need to have)

4 pairs of hiking socks (gives me the option to change halfway during the hike if they are too wet, uncomfortable or whatever. I am hoping this is one of the things I can do to keep blisters to an absolute minimum)

4 pairs of sock liners (wil be wearing two pairs of socks to prevent friction which can cause blister)

1 long sleeved light blouse for colder nights/mornings and also to use if I happen to get sunburnt

Hiking shoes (obviously!)

Backpack (Also quiiiite obvious. I have named her Ursula by the way)

1 pair of (horrible and uuugly) crocs to wear in the shower and at the hostel/village, when done walking. I promise I will toss them when I reach Santiago de Compostela. They will not return to Denmark.

Light summer dress for the times when I am sick of wearing tight lycra at the albergues. Also more of a luxury than anything else, I guess. Will also come in handy during the last week when I head to San Sebastian.

Silk liner (It will be warm during night time so I have chosen a silk liner instead of a regular sleeping bag)

Bed bug sheet for the mattrass

Poncho (covers me AND the backpack at the same time. Win-win)

Big plastic bag (will be using it for storage of my bagpack at the albergues so I can hopefully avoid travelling with uninvited guests i.e bed bugs!)

6 x safety pins (if my clothes won't be dry in the morning I can use these to attach the items to my backpack so it can dry while I walk. Besides that, safety pins will probably always come in handy)

Tissues (or I guess they are more like wipes. For cleaning hands and such when a sink is not available)

Toiletpaper

Tooth paste + tooth bursh

Laundry detergent

Shampoo

Conditioner (again luxury but I need it every now and then or my hair will be totalle unmanageable. It comes in a small container so is not that heavy!)

Face cream (I need it for my dry skin unfortunately)

Hairband

Razor (huurray for vanity ;-) Luckily it doesn't weigh much)

Sun glasses

Glasses

Contact lenses

Compeed

Foot cream (blister prevention. Will apply it in the morning before I put on my socks)

Needle and thread (good for many thing but mainly for "fixing" blisters)

1 x Towel

Earplugs (am bound to run into snores!)

Eyemask

Bug repellent to wear during night (yes, I am almost terified of getting bed bugs with me back home! I have also treated my backpack with some chemicals not available in DK that is supposed to kill them off if they set foot on my backpack! Let's hope it works)

Heart rate monitor and watch (not necessary but I like numbers. :-))

Scarf (for multiple use. Filled with clothes so it works like a pillow, sun protection, for cold evenings etc.)

Passport

Cash

Visa

Mastercard (in case I lose my Visa. Obviously I won't store them the same place.)

A laminated list of albergues along the route

Health insurance papers

Travel documents

Iphone (camera and computer and mp3 player in one)

Small flashlight

Spork (spoon and fork in one)

Portable sink (will probably come in handu when people are queing at the sinks in order to do their laundry plus for soaking them sore sore feet)

It seems like a lot of stuff but it actually doesn't take up a lot of space nor does it weigh an awful lot. I will probably regret bringing some of my "luxury items" when I am tired, my feet are sore, the back is aching and it is hot and I feel miserable.

In the last minute I chose not to bring the pair of trousers since I doubt I will be needing them. It won't get cold and I can deal with bare legs and chilly weather. If it starts raining it is probably more comfortable with bare legs versus long pants. If I regret I am sure they sell pants in Spain.

When I arrive I will need to buy sun screen (will not chgeck in my bag so can not bring too much liquid) and a hat so I can protect my ears, face and hair from the sun. I am thinking a sombrero will be perfect, haha.

That is it for now. Enjoy your weekend perople. I will be on my way later today. Weee! :-

Training for the Camino

Since I have never hiked 350 kms during two weeks I obviously don't know what it takes physically to walk 25-30 kms a day so many days in a row but also here the mighty Internet has proven to be of great help. I have read many blogs and forums (fora?) in order to get a picture of how to prepare for the Camino. Not surprisingly there are as many opinions as people so I ended up doing what I thought would work out for ME. Thus, I have done nothing but laying on the couch eating chocolate and ice cream the last few months ;-)

Clearly not me ;-)

I am somewhat active already. I bike everywhere (when my bike is not stolen that is! Grrr.) Attend the gym on a regular basis (at least three times a week) where I spin, do cardio and lift weights and every now and then I also crossfit. So it is fair to state that my overall condition is not excellent but also not too bad. Since I don't believe in walking the Camino before actually being in Spain I have focused on walking at least six kilometres  every second day or so the last few months. So basically not overdoing anything. Besides that I have tried to get stronger since I figure I will need muscle mass in the legs obviously but also in the upper body due to the fact that I have to carry a backpack where most of the weight is placed on the hips/lower back. Apart from that I haven't done much else so  I hope that will be sufficient. The last week I have started walking longer (roughly 10-13 kms everyday) with my backpack to get a sense of what it will be like. So far I haven't experienced any blisters, pain or other unpleasant things so I am quite certain I am prepared and luckily I am very stubborn so I am not likely to give up simply because of a few blisters and sore feet. 

Only two days to go and I am very excited. :-)

Nope, not me either but isn't she adorable?

The Route

 

It has been a while since my last post so I am guessing it is about time to post another one.

 

This time I will write a little about the route I have planned to take. I am still not sure where I am going to start but I know for a fact that I will end up in Santiago de Compostela (which is where the terrible train accident happened last week. In the light of the recent accidents with public transportation all over Europe I guess it is a good thing I will walk to Santiago. :-))

I will start my journey around Leon but I am still not certain whether Leon will be my starting point or I will choose a village further away. I would like to walk the last 350 kms of the Camino (it seems like a good number) however, from the road from Leon to Santiago de Compostela is only around 320 kms! I will decide once I arrive to Spain. Go with the flow listen to my gut feeling which makes perfect sense since that is one of my “tasks” along the way. Furthermore, I will be walking on my own out of choice more than anything else. For me personally that is the way it should be since it is MY journey and I want to be completely selfish about it. So only I can decide what pace I will be waling, how far I will be walking, when to stop for food and so on.

 

 

What I do know about the journey is that I leave Friday august 9 from Copenhagen airport at 18.05 towards Madrid with a stopover in Frankfurt. I will arrive in Spain close to midnight so I have booked a hotel close to the airport for the first night. Saturday morning I will get on a bus towards Léon and around 4 hours later I will arrive. I will spend the day sightseeing and staying at a pilgrimage hostel (or albergue as they are called) and the Sunday morning the fun begins. I hope to finish my in 2 weeks, meaning I will arrive in Santiago de Compostela august 25. It should be very possible to do and I might even finish earlier.

 
The trip is getting closer and soon I will not be sitting at a desk all day long but instead be walking in Spain looking for shells to point the way I am supposed to go. I am a little terrified by it (will I be able to walk so many kms day after day? Will I be able to walk the right way? Will I be lonely? Will I be able to get a bed to sleep in every night and so on) BUT more than anything I am very excited about my journey and I can’t wait for it to begin.

 

By the way I have named my backpack Ursula. Seems like a fitting name!

 

Introduction

 

TADA! My very first blog post! For quite some time I have actually been wanting to start a blog, but I have come to realise, that I am not quite certain I lead a life that is interesting enough for me to have a blog.
 
However, from august 9 until 31 this might change since I will be walking the last 350 kms of Santiago de Camino. I hope to do this in two weeks. But then what about the last week, the clever reader might think? The last week I will be enjoying life in the Northern part of Spain and possible a day or two in France as well. As with this trip in general I will not be planning a lot but will try to follow my gut feeling and instincts more than I normally do. This will probably prove to be a bigger challenge than the actually walk for a control freak such as myself. ;-)
 
The following weeks until my departure I will write about among other things why I choose to spend my precious vacation walking on dusty roads in Spain and lodging with strangers in less than luxurious (ahem!) hostels. I better start coming up with sound reasons.
 
A blog without pictures are boring, so I will obviously be posting lots of those along the way. I am guessing that the closer I get to Santiago (and therefore the more exhaustion kicks in) the more pictures and the fewer words I will post. Luckily, a picture says more than a thousand words.

 

First, a picture of my travelling companion. I will be spending a lot of time with her and I am guessing that I will be hating her at times wishing she would leave me alone, other times hardly notice her but hopefully I will be grateful for her coming along. I just hope she won’t gain too much wait prior to departure. I still haven’t named her, which is close to a crime in my opinion but I haven’t been able to come up with a suitable name. Any ideas among you readers? I would love to hear them and hey, there might be a price to the one with the winning name.

 

 

Comfortable footwear is of high importance I have been told and I hope I have found the pair that suits me. I have worn them in and used them in climate and conditions somewhat close to what I will experience in Spain but no matter what I will probably end up with sore feet and blister (although hopefully not too many!) either way but none the less I still tried a lot of various shoes and boots before I finally chose the lucky pair. Below you will find a picture of my shoes. They are not pretty, they were not cheap, they are a size and a half bigger than what I usually wear but they feel comfortable and like the better choice among the rest. I chose shoes instead of boots since I will be walking in august in the blistering heat and since I won’t be climbing in mountains I chose comfort over ankle protection. Knowing my clumsiness I might be a bad choice, though.

 

 

Well, trying out shoes I learned quite a lot. For instance one guy clearly did not listen to ME and MY needs but kept insisting that I should buy boots AND that I should go with boots 3 sizes (!!!) my normal size. And the reason; because that is what HE found comfortable. Erm, ok! I tried on his suggested boots out of politeness and I could hardly lift them or walk in them since they were so big! Needless to say he did not get my money. ;-) Another thing learned: Hikers are very serious people and a comment such as “do they come in pink?” is frowned upon even if it was perfectly clear, that I was joking. And no, they only came in the dreadful brown colour, but after a few days they will probably be grey from all the dust anyways.

Finally a picture about some of the stuff I will be bringing. I will be posting more about this I am certain. And yes, that is a portable sink. Bet you don't own such a thing, eh?

 

 

That is all for now. Chapeau if you made it all the way down here!

 

P.S I promise I will make the design of this blog waaay more interesting. Once I figure out how to do that, that is!