Things that make me go HMMM & T-36 To My Camino

   I thought I'd start off this post with a few interesting signs that I've seen since arriving in Europe last Sunday.  People often ask me what Europe is like and how does it compare to the U.S.  That is often a very difficult question to answer... because each country in Europe is truly unique and different from America in a multitude of ways.  The best place to start is England, since that is where I am at the moment.  I've written about this before, but my fascination with all things British never really goes away!  Perhaps, this is rooted in the fact that I'm married to a truly wonderful Brit (Estalita) and the reality that my three children are half British!  While flying across the North Atlantic on Saturday night for what I counted to be my 18th trip across the pond to Europe...I began to think about all the familiar and unfamiliar things I might encounter in the UK before heading over to France and Spain later in the week.  First, I will touch on the familiar.  The reality of the familiar really hit me yesterday while standing in line at the sports shop to purchase some socks.  As I stood there ready to purchase my socks with several other customers at the counter, the shop keeper looked us all over and got on the intercom and said to her colleagues "there is a massive queue at the till, please come and help."  Without even missing a beat, I knew that massive queue at the till is the British version of Hey, we have a big line here at the register.... get up here ASAP!!

Even though we share a common language with England, it can take some time to get used to all the different accents, figures of speech, vocabulary, and colloquialisms.  Here are some pics of the usual and the unusual as it relates to life in this island nation.

                        The familiar- Steak & Ale pie with chips (fries), gravy, HP          sauce, & mushy peas

                                      The familiar- What's left of my Full English breakfast- 
                             Normal fare- fried eggs, beans, toast, cooked tomatoes & mushrooms
                                       Bangars (sausages) & the best bacon in the world!!              

                                      The Unusual- Actual sign in Chelsea area of London
                                       "No Dog Fouling"-- Not sure exactly how we'd say it...
                                        but I'm pretty sure it would be different from this.

                         The Unusual- Actual sign on the  toilet of train bathroom en route
                                            from London to Chester (Nappies are diapers)

                         The Unusual- Prices can be very high in Europe, especially places
                          like London;  36 pounds for 12-24 hours parking at a Holiday Inn
                          36 pounds = about 53 U.S. dollars

                              Welcome to Part 2 of my first Post

776.2, 482.3, or about 1,000,000 depending on how you look at it.  These numbers have danced around in my head over the last 6 or 7 years as I repeatedly visualized and contemplated the journey that I'm about to go on.  Should I do it?  Could I do it?  Would I be able to fit it into a busy work/life/family schedule?  Would my family and friends understand my desire to do something so off the wall?  Why do I need to do it?  Are there  justifiable reasons to spend that much money, be away from  family so long, and put my middle aged body through a month of torture?   776.2 kilometers, 482.3 miles, or about 1 million steps stand in the way of me completing my first Camino de Santiago, also known as the "The Way of St. James."  I've decided to embark on the Camino Frances, an ancient pilgrim path that runs through a small part of France and most of the northwest region of Spain.  The Camino actually served as the backdrop and story line for a 2010 film called "The Way" starring Martin Sheen.

Here is a brief history of the Camino.  There is some anecdotal testimony that James (an apostle of Jesus & the brother of the apostle John) spent a brief period of his life traveling through Spain and ministering to people shortly after the time that Christ dwelled on  earth.  James is said to have preached the Gospel along "The Way" before returning to Jerusalem where he was ultimately martyred for the cause of Christ.  His body was said to be laid to rest in Santiago, Spain.   My walk will begin in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and end at the cathedral in Santiago, a Spanish city where many believe James is buried. 

There are various reasons that one might have for attempting this pilgrimage.  Some do it for religious reasons.  Others travel the Camino to get in better physical shape, to experience the beautiful landscapes and history of the Basque region, or to reflect on some personal aspect of their lives.  Still, others may simply do it for the experience or fun of it.  

 In America, we might explain a journey like this with various "pop culture" language and phrases like "Bucket List",  "Mid-Life Crisis", "Taking a Time-Out", or "Hitting the Pause Button."  For me, the chance to walk the Camino is very layered.  It is an opportunity to push myself through an immense physical challenge, and a wonderful opportunity to meet people from all walks of life.  It allows me to satisfy my interest & passion for foreign cultures, food, history, landscapes, etc... The Camino will hopefully allow me to hear myself think.  In a fast paced culture like America, where many of us are seemingly married to our jobs, technology, media outlets, digital electronics, cell phones, etc... "The Way" represents an opportunity for me to be less connected to the external world and grow more connected to my inner self.  I hope the Camino will offer me time for profound reflection, after a very long, stressful, and mostly frustrating year at my job.  I also want to do the Camino because I CAN.  I am so blessed with wonderful friends, a truly supportive family, and I'm grateful to the Lord that I CAN breathe, walk, talk, and have the financial means to do something like this.  Finally, this journey for me is also about taking the time to honor and remember friends and family members that I've lost throughout my life, especially my father.  My dad was killed by a drunk driver when I was just shy of my 3rd birthday.  I've never really taken the time to grieve for his passing. 

Thus, my goals are clear and the vision for my Camino has been set forth.  I'm ready to get started, and I have no expectations in regards to what I might face over the next month or so.  I hope you'll join me as I chronicle my time and travels on the Camino over the next 4 weeks.  As I packed my bags this afternoon here in northern England, I couldn't help but think of the words of one of my favorite poets.

My house says to me, "Do not leave me, for here dwells your past."

And the road says to me, "Come and follow me, for I am your future."

And I say to both my house and the road, "I have no past, nor have a future.

If I stay here, there is a going in my staying; and if I go there is a staying in my going.

Only love and death will change all things."

Kahlil Gibran

                                           Lights Out.