This is my first blog since the publication of my book KIWI ON THE CAMINO: A Walk that Changed My Life. It is listed on BalboaPress.com and Amazon.com (also Amazon.ca). An e-book will soon be available.
The book is about the 900 kilometre (500 miles) journey I undertook, with my husband in 2014, along the medieval pilgrimage trails of the Camino de Santiago and the Camino Finisterre. We walked the French route from St -Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, to the sacred site of the cathedral in Santiago where it is reputed that the remains of the martyred apostle St James are laid. We then walked the remaining 100 kilometers (68 miles) to the beach at Finisterre on the Atlantic Coast where it is believed that St James’ disciples brought his de-capitated body to be buried. The journey took us seven weeks and we met interesting people, made new friends, had lots of fun and laughter, and experienced pain, hunger, thirst and distress. The walk took us over mountains and through valleys and across the great Meseta, the breadbasket of Spain. Overall, was it a great experience. Absolutely.
I have tagged the wordpress blog site “Whereisbrianna” for that blog follows our journey along the two Caminos. I came up with the Name ‘Brianna’ as a combination of my husband and my names. I no longer use that blog site, but you may be interested in having a look. My blog entries were the notes I used to create KIWI ON THE CAMINO
Below is a short excerpt from near the beginning of KIWI ON THE CAMINO.
“Throughout the Camino, our pace will be set by our wills, our bodies, our mental state and perhaps even by events unanticipated at the start. We will be living for seven weeks without the so called essential trappings of a contemporary western lifestyle: no television, advertising, or purchased entertainment, life stripped down to what is necessary. My life on the Camino has already become simplified to what I carry on my back, the food, shelter and drink we might need and how and where these might be found. While longing for adventure and the spiritual, mental and physical challenge of a long walk, I know I also need to step outside the complexity of contemporary life, to let go of being over-responsible, to slow down to human speed, to notice and enjoy how my five senses respond to my environment. Moving at a human speed will help me remember that it is the small things of life that are important. I need to be more fully engaged in the present moment instead of constantly thinking ahead. In so doing, I will enjoy the gift of life which my normal frenetic activity precludes. I know I want to spend most of the daylight hours outside, among nature, experiencing what is lost to me in my predominantly indoor city life. I am yearning for solitude in a physical and spiritual space where I can hear my own thoughts. I want to be able to relax into each daily decision. My Camino and pilgrimage is about letting go and becoming. In my sixtieth year, on this pilgrimage, I have the time and space to reflect upon my life, to consider what might lie ahead and how I might best live whatever length of life I have remaining to me on this precious Earth. I want to trust and have faith that my journey will unfold in the way it needs to.”
Travel well through your life
Vivianne
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