Segovia at night - Plaza Mayor - Cathedral

Life is good.

Looking good although carrying a HEAVY load - Segovia

Just a small assortment of delicious temptations

In Segovia tonight

Arrived in Madrid today, met up with sisters to travel to Segovia and will begin the walk on the Via De la Plata on Monday. After that its onwards to the French Camino for me and to the Basque coastline for them....

Fast train

The fast train to Segovia

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Madrid

The Madrid train station: Turtles.

Not sure if the Peabody ducks are competitors?

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Up in the air

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Anticipation

And so it begins, I've started my second round of packing. First pass was complete last weekend and weighed in at about 14lbs. A little over the recommended weight threshold. I have to shed some before I start to walk. I'm begining to mentally prepare for some pain and some long hours (in which one spends a lot of time thinking and avoiding thinking....).

I am reviewing notes from the first walk, two years ago, and came across this excited entry:

FROM 2010: Have been in transit for the last 36+hrs. Now finally, in Portugal, and just had a lovely nightcap with Angie and Toni. A wonderful red port by the name of Mesao. The bartender at the hotel has told me I can buy a bottle of it at the supermarket down the street.~
´´Hmmm...,´´ I muse, ´´I would love to do that, but I´m walking to Santiago and don´t want to add any more weight to my overloaded backpack´.
´´No problem,´´ he says, ´´just pour some into your water bottle´´.
Quite right there dude, I think, quite right....

It is time again!

About two years ago we returned from the Portuguese walk to Santiago. It was a different type of trip and one that I knew I would need to do again. This time, my sisters and I will meet in Madrid and walk for a few days on the Via de la Plata before we part ways and they go to Northern Spain and I to Southern France. The French route will be waiting for me and I will be looking forward to long days of walking and uninterrupted vistas. And maybe missing California....