Hi all sorry it’s been a while. Had a slight change of plan which I’m discovering is a regular occurrence on the Camino. I got a pretty severe dose of tonsilitis in Biarritz which rendered me near unconscious and unable to eat or drink for about 4 days. When I did start my walk two days after my plan I quickly realised that being sick was not an option if I was going to be able to complete this walk. I was so happy to get going but 10 km in and half way up a Pyrenese mountain side I soon became acutely aware of the fragility of the human body. At a tiny cafe on the mountain side were two fellow walkers who happened to be doctors from the US. They kindly looked at me and suggested that they check me out. I truly think they thought I was going to die on account that I get very red in the face even with no exercise. Anyway after checking my heart rate, blow pressure, temp etc the consensus was that I was suffering exhaustion even though I was in good condition. Then one doc checked my tonsils at which point I became a medical marvel. He calls to his wife and says “honey you have to come see this!” She rushes over has a squizz and says to me “my god we haven’t seen an infection this bad ever…and we work with homeless people!” As you can imagine I felt like a champion; a red faced infected tonsil freak!!! They went onto to inform me that under no circumstances was I to climb the rest of the mountain if I didn’t want to end up in hospital and not finish the Camino so after Crying and outrage that I would not walk the whole Camino and I was called a taxi which came and brought me to the next destination about 15km away. Anyway what’s a missed 15km out of 800km. The albergue here in Roncesvalles was clean and comfortable with about 72 people on a floor in cubicles of 4. This is where I started to meet fellow pilgrims. For identity purposes I won’t mention names but my first couple I have ‘the jacket and veneer’. The jacket so called because he pulls out a linen dinner jacket from his backpack and veneer because she has Hollywood teeth…white and impossibly perfect! They met on the Camino last year but veneer hurt her foot and cut short her trip. They kept in contact and decided to do the whole thing together this year. I felt like I was busting in on a romantic rendezvous, but how romantic could it be with 70odd other peeps in a room. Turns out my preconceived idea that these two were leg lost lovers was wrong. She is married with 2 children in the US and he’s married with 2 kids in UK!! A platonic love of the Camino it seems. However this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface….he is also a catholic priest!!! I know what you’re all thinking and yes I did yell “get the fuck out of here!!!” He was a married Anglican priest… left that church and converted to Catholicism…thus a married catholic priest!!! I was imagining what all Irish mammy’s would be thinking..”ahh sweet Jesus did you ever ” I will keep you updated on these two because I’m convinced there is something going on in the way of smeared scary infatuation type stuff…all very scandalous I hope!! Have met up with an Aussie who has the exact same backpack as me and therefore we bonded…its been great having a walking companion as the days a very long, hot and far more difficult than the guide books suggest. My walking poles (pacer poles) are a godsend as they act as propellers up a mountain and knees coming down. You really become aware of you’re weaknesses very quickly with an 8-9kg backpack on! Boots are great but like anything after 28 km walk my feet are sore at the end of the day. No blisters either….Vaseline on your feet before socks and shoes is the way forward (thanks for the advice Mam and dad). I’ve rearranged my pack about 700 times and I have a system now that makes me happy…for those of you who know my OCD with packing…well you can imagine!!! I have to say that you cannot have any style when walking! My utter outrage at the choice f clothes I was deciding on before leaving has gone out the window now. PRACTICALITY is key. You sweat your arse off during the day (about 2″ off my hips in 3 days) that you want your clothes to wash and dry by bed time as they are your outfit the next day. Keeping your pack light is key so one outfit to walk and one to change into + something warm and rain gear is about all you want to carry. This brings me to the fact that I also jettisoned anything Nonessential when I was sick..laptop etc included. They went ahead with my luggage to the end so thus I’m going to be slow in blogging! I’m glad I didn’t take it now as extra weight is painful!! I’m currently in Pamplona enjoying every minute. I’m also feeling much better but I’m as stiff and sore as everyone else!! This is extremely difficult but I’m loving every minute of it…and I’ll fill you in on a few of the fellow pilgrims next time…including the jacket and veneer if I see them in the next few days. Love you all Cathy xxx