Camino Norte 2024

Not English ( Spanish Class and Its Effect on Me )  My Spanish Teacher  Sister Marie Aimee is my Spanish teacher at King’s Preparatory High School. I am going into 9th grade.  Starting High School  I have left behind my K thru 8 elementary school of St Boniface, and am mixed in with others from all over the county. Some are from the suburbs, and some are from the city. Some live in nice houses which all look the same in suburban tracts. Some live in working-class neighborhoods where every house is different. Almost everyone here is Catholic. But we all, everyone of us, have one thing in common: We speak English.  Why Spanish My daily school load is six classes. I had only one choice which was either Spanish (supposed to be easy) or French (supposed to be unspellable). Sr Marie Aimee, as my Spanish teacher, is about to plunge me into another world where I will learn a new, to turn a phrase - “lingua franca”.  The Awakening  “How hard can Spanish be?”,...

 King's Preparatory High School I'm in a writing class which focuses on memoirs. I've been thinking about high school lately, and it may play a part in my upcoming Camino Norte. In high school, I was no jock. I had no athletic abilities whatsoever, and I think that infiltrated into my high school attitude. I was a bookworm, and enjoyed it.  Now I hike Caminos two to three times a year, racking up a couple of hundred miles of through-hiking every 12 months. What a difference!! Anyway with that in mind, here is the first of my HS memoirs. Each will give me pause for thought as I walk this summer from Bilbao Spain to ??? Oviedo ??? We shall see. -_________________________________________________________________________ Safe In The Library I spent three of my four years (freshman to junior / 9th - 11th grades) in high school at King’s Preparatory High School, an innovative Catholic school with a philosophy of inquisitiveness rather than memorization. The place where I always fe...

What Draws Me to This Song The nihilism in this song is over-powering. It is not like I feel this way, but the feelings are intensely raw, and at one point in my life - something that I needed to overcome. The Camino de Santiago was the vehicle for that recovery. Photo from Billboard OnLine Bring Me To Life by Evanescence How can you see  into my eyes like open doors?  Leading you down into my core  Where I've become  so numb  Without a soul  My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  Until you find it there  and lead it back home  Wake me up inside       (save me)  Call my name  and save me from the dark       (wake me up)  Bid my blood to run       (I can't wake up)  Before I come undone       (save me)  Save me from the nothing I've become  Now that I know what I'm without  You can't just leave me  Breathe into me  and ma...

Flight Travelocity itinerary number:  United: Confirmation Code Confirmation Email: google My Baltoro 75 Backpack Measurements: 25 x 14 x 9 ( not including waist band straps ) Carry-on Bag Requirements: Though you might find an inch or two of a difference with various airlines, the standard domestic carry-on luggage size is 22" x 14" x 9", which includes the handle and the wheels. This size limit ensures your bag — and ideally everyone else's — will be able to be stored safely in the overhead bin for your flight. Not a Plug for United, but those are my tickets. Rochester to Bilbao Total duration: 16h Rochester --> Dulles --> Brussels --> Bilbao Bilbao to Rochester Total duration: 18h 30m Bilbao --> Frankfurt --> Dulles --> Rochester Task List Entry Requirements: Currently, US citizens can travel to Europe for up to 90 days without any sort of travel authorization. Starting with 2025, US citizens visiting parts of Europe will need authorization f...

The Camino Norte Travel one of the oldest routes to take pilgrims to pay homage to the relics of St James in Santiago de Campostela. This camino may be older than the well-known and highly used Camino Francés. History Around 820 AD, medieval European kings started arriving at Santiago de Campostela to honor the tomb of St James. These kings used the northern route to avoid the still Moor-controlled other parts of Spain.  As the Spanish kings extended their conquests further south, the Camino Norte continued to increase in importance. At some point in time, though the Norte declined in popularity, use and significance. Today many pilgrims walk the Norte for vaious reasons, to include: avoiding the more crowded Camino Francés enjoying the beauty of the ocean and the mountains. My Pilgrimage Route Along the Camino Norte PV: País Vasco  (Basque Region) C: Cantabria Asturias Galicia From Irun on the French-Spanish border, the Camino Norte runs for 865 km ( approx 520 miles) al...

Initial Preparations Date Apr 5th, 2024 Total This Camino: 0 miles. Total 2024 Caminos: 103 miles Total All Caminos: 2103 miles Planes: $ 1500 Total Planes / Travel Insurance: $ 1500 Packing List Clothes Everything is quick dry nylon or such. NO COTTON! 2 pr hiking pants with removable lower leg section 2 pr undershorts 2 pr smart wool socks 2 pr shirts 1 outer heavy shirt 1 wool cap, 1 scarf, 2 buffs, 1 pr glove  liners Keane Walking Sandals (for breathability with the feet ) 1 pr running sneakers 1 pr flipflops 1 rain slick Electronics smart phone power adapter for Spain to USA Charging and USB cables Adapters Be very careful of voltage and/or current surges when connecting your electronics to wall outlets.  Best procedure is disconnect your device from the charging cord.  Insert the adapter into the wall outlet, then the power plug of your device into the adapter and only then, connect your device via the charging cable.  It is not uncomon for vo...