Waked up at 6 am to find out that day breaks in only at 7 am at this longitude. So I waited a bit before hitting the road and in the meantime trying to upload the summary of the day to my blog with disappointing results. The bandwidth of the connection all of sudden dried up and the update could not get through for several attempts.

Never mind, I was eager to start the day’s walk anyway, and by 7:25 am I moved on in a brisk cool morning, skipping breakfast figuring to have some later on in a couple of hours’ time. The direction chosen the night before was on secondary paved road towards St. Vincent and Nay. The road almost immediately started to climb and the effort was rewarded by a magnificent panorama of the valley still covered by the morning mist.

At a junction near Nay a woman in a car asked me for directions, and made my day! I was surely a foreigner but I have to say I was also the only living being around. Because of my typical habit of memorizing the road map of the surroundings, I actually knew how to direct her correctly : the problem was still to make myself understood in my rusty French!

Nay is a beautiful town with a well landscaped riverside worth another visit some day. Across the river, a central promenade lined with cafes and bistrots, was too inviting to resist. I had a double espresso, in a corner table still very conscious about being a mature man with a huge backpack and dressed like a bum. Still I could not meet yet any other pilgrim on these roads, and the blending in with these nicely dressed people was not so easy. After a short while, I followed the road towards Arudy and the destination of the day near Sevignacq.

The road narrowed a bit and the indications suggested another 3 hours of solid walk, before reaching the planned overnight stay at the Hotel du Thermes au Secours. The road climbed furthermore and unrolled like a grey ribbon on the crest of a hilly range, dotted with rural mansions and farms.

The hotel was not located on the main road where I though it should have been, and I could not get directions over the phone for the lack of references that made sense to me. The hotelier, who later introduced himself as Jean-Pierre, as soon as he finally understood I was coming in on foot and was heading to Santiago, insisted to come and pick me up with his car. He also shared with me that he was a pilgrim once and did himself part of the Camino de la Plata from Seville to Salamanca, and was planning one day to continue to reach finally Santiago.

I was grateful of the courtesy since the road to the hotel was a diversion of more than 5 km from I was and the direction I wanted to go the following day. The diversion was well justified as soon we reached the place: a quintessence of French hospitality with all the must haves such as the flowers at the balcony, the ivy on the walls and an incredible peaceful landscaping. Not to mention a private bathroom with a bathtub! I slowly simmered in the hot water and fall asleep for some thirty minutes, with my heart pounding of joy for these simple gratifications.

While allowing myself with the pleasure of a cold French beer, I enjoyed also the company of a charming British couple, Jean and Alec Jessups, in a holiday trip to visit friends in France and Spain.  We stayed in contact for some time during my trip as they wanted to get my news and whether I managed to reach Santiago in one piece. Since they live not far from Canterbury, I made also plans to visit them in the UK if and when I shall embark on the journey along the via Francigena, from Canterbury to Rome.

At dinner, Jean-Pierre authored an exquisite beef composition, which I devoured in very good spirit and with a glass of excellent Bourgogne. For my foodie friends, the dish was a combination of beef filet with mushrooms and a reduit of beef stewed in red wine sauce. Delicious.

Worth mentioning the first signs of the Santiago pilgrimage: the lid of the dustbin in the room has a motif inspired by the St. James shell.

All in all the stage was 28.6km long which I covered in 6:18 hours of walking and 2 hours of rest. First lesson learned during today’s stage: never underestimate the distance especially if you are taking side roads. What was supposed to be an easy stroll, turned out to be the longest distance so far. Google Maps indicated 23km but I ended up with about 30!

Before landing, I made a mental note to buy some water at the airport, to get the first stamp on my pilgrim passport, to buy a French 3G SIM, and also some maps. None of these items could be even considered: the Lourdes airport is so tiny, that there were no shops, or any other offices for that matter at the arrival hall. Perhaps there were some at the departure hall but I was eager to start the walk at once, and to subtract me from the curiosity of the other folks ready to board on the buses directed to the city center, so I went off on my own. It was 12:50 pm on Sep 4. The first steps…..

The road was well indicated and so I moved on towards Ossun making a big detour around the airport. There is a peculiarity of airports of being designed only for people arriving by car or by other public transport: walkers do not represent a business target and therefore these odd people need to manage their balance on curbs and road rubbish to avoid the incoming vehicles and the questioning stares of the drivers. Around this rural airport there was evidently no reason to open amenity shops you could reach on foot. None of the shortlisted items I wanted to do were taken care, but I resolved anyway to reach Ossun first and then look for shops there. Maybe the midday timing was not the most appropriate, and most likely the simple fact that Ossun is not Paris, but I was barely the only human being around. I just managed to get my first stamp on my brand new pilgrim’s passport at the local post office and take a photo of the cozy village.

The first acknowledgement greeting came from a couple of bicycle riders that yelled me:  “Buen Camino!” and moved on quickly. I felt quite happy and encouraged. I also felt proud of being recognized as a Santiago pilgrim . Perhaps the two bikers who were carrying large bags and backpacks were also travelling to the same destination. So I yelled back something similar and continued my journey sidelined by green pastures and with the Pyrenees in the far background. Such bike pilgrims, I learned much later, are called “bicigrinos” and unless they travel on paved roads, are quite annoying when they appear all of sudden from behind at great speed on narrow trails and yelling to give way.

The only signs of life were horses and cows: both a bit surprised to see this strange guy walking by. All other humans in facts were either driving cars or tractors. The landscape is definitely rural, totally silent in the slow natural cycles. After a short while, I reached Pontacq, my first stage.

I have plenty of time to settle down and start counting my blessings but also my aches and pains. So far so good. The spirit is high and I start appreciating the small pleasures of a decent shower, a change of clean clothes, and sitting down at a cafe in the small village which was founded in 1630 by a local landlord.
Happiness was to find also a small shop selling wanderers’ maps and some fruits and chocolate to carry along the next day. Dinner at the hotel with a filet de poisson avec les haricot verts et fries.

At 8:30 I am ready for bed. Tomorrow’s stage is a long one through Nay and towards Sevignacq-Secours.

I am at the low-cost airport of Orio al Serio, near Bergamo, waiting to board the plane towards Lourdes and the adventure.
Determined to start the journey under the best auspices to learn the privilege of time against speed, I decided to go  through the motorway toll gates queuing patiently to pay cash instead of using the automatic cashless system. Nonetheless I made it perfectly on time to this tiny airport.

Ironically for someone starting on a long walk, the car rental return parking is located about 1.5km from the airport with no transfer shuttle. So I had my head start already, and by the time I reached the departure hall I was panting and worried on how would I be ready to walk my targeted 25 km per day for 42 days consecutively.

The temperature is a bit chilly with no sunshine. Will see when I land. Today the walking schedule calls for a short check-out stage of only 13.5km with the overnight planned in Pontacq (France).

Emptying the backpack of its content to familiarize with the process of repacking in the dark and to ensure nothing is left behind unintentionally. My guess is that at least 30% of this stuff will never be needed, and likely also a good share of the total weight. Difficult is to know upfront what exactly is it.

On the right two pairs of convertible long-short pants, 4 microfibre t-shirts and 3 underpants, socks with lining, rain coat and a long sleeved and hooded sweater with front zip. Covered in an orange sleeve bag, a pair of walking sticks, a present of my good friend Massimo. In the center, my sleeping gear, a pair of gloves and a poncho, a dirty laundry bag with a hanging line and pins and a small lunch box with a spoon-fork and a Swiss army knife, a quick-dry towel and toilet paper. On the left all the toiletries, first aid kit, slippers and sandals, torch light with spare batteries, electric and solar chargers, and the ultra light backpack. In addition I shall also use a belt pouch bag with few other amenities.

Near the towel there is also a clear bag with the stones given to me by my family and other dearest friends and to be left behind during the Camino to symbolize the letting go of the troubles of the soul.

Hope God will provide the real other necessities along the way.

A dear friend visited me with a bagful of essays, booklets, pamphlets and other random pieces of information on the Camino and it’s historical and spiritual significance. We talked about my purpose, my fears, and a little also about my expectations. I am shy about talking about my enthusiasm, and dreams, and so I opted to listen mostly to his shared experience and readings from all that immense knowledge scattered on the table.

“The Camino is for everyone: not for superheroes. The Camino is the sole teacher: through the first two stages, one will learn already much more than what any guidebook can tell. Trust and have faith. The Camino starts with the first step and you only need to keep walking. No one else can tell you more than your own ability to see and observe, your grateful  appreciation of the respectful silence of whoever listens, of the humility of whoever asks, and more than anything else of the patience that shall grow within.”

At dinner last night, a friend suggested: “Transformation can only happen if you pull yourself outside your area of comfort, and stay there long enough to become permanent”. True.

Nonetheless my experience has taught me, that in most cases, not necessarily anyone needs to “pull” oneself out there: it is the area of comfort that inevitably shrinks or modifies under the effects of the external changes in the environment, in the work and career life, even in the family or the outer circle of the loved ones. The aggravating component is the pace of change in these external factors. As human beings we manage change at the frequency of our heart beat, or our breathing cycles. The external change agents are now vibrating at gigahertz frequencies, in the name of modernity which apparently privileges speed against time.

How to prepare the personal “toolbox” for the changes to come, and their increasing pace?

My parents have taught me that serenity and happiness are children of sacrifice and commitment. I believe I have lived to this predicament. Actually these are ingredients that most of the times generate excellent outcomes. My personal experience has taught me how acceptance and let go of any attempt of control of the external agents, are even more fundamental predicaments. These are not always easy to follow in the daily burdens, but it’s already good to be aware and to keep the mind well open. A third set of “tools” is the rediscovery of the basics capabilities of the human being, which are hands that know how to make, legs that are able to take you wherever you want to be, a mind that is able to conceive vision and direction, and a spirit to glue all together and provide the essence of an universal belonging.

Whether it is now the case to “pull” myself into the unknown and likely uncomfortable zone, or to be “pushed” by external factors, being prepared is fundamental. I will try with sacrifice and commitment to stay away from reacting to the external changes and rely more on the basics of the existence; I will try with acceptance and letting go to focus on my vision and purpose; I will try to let God to indicate me the direction.

“God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the Courage to change the things I can,

and the Wisdom to know the difference”

While I keep myself occupied with the charting of the itinerary of my Camino via Google Maps and other media, it occurred to me that the planned breaks on my physical itinerary would probably coincide with the achievement of some inner journey breaks. I came up with the idea of charting also the following roadmap of the inner travel companions I will shall have to deal with along the way at personal level:  the Body, the Mind and the Spirit.

On this type of non-geographical maps, my engineering approach is stumbling with the choice of the targets to assign at each stage and it may well be that some of these definitions will need to me modified many times along the way.   The process of learning by heart the names of the many villages, towns and other landmarks to help my orientation seems to be a much easier task than preparing for the many varieties of feelings I will travel through in my inner road…..Anyway I want to give it a try for the time being.

The total itinerary of 43 days is now split in three phases:

• From Lourdes to St. Jean P-d-P (6 days)
• From St. Jean to Leon (20 days)
• From Leon to Finisterre (17 days)

I envision that in phase one the concentration will remain pretty much at physical level, as I have to deal with the inadequacies of my Body: small and big pains, blisters, sore knees and the likes will keep me occupied. As I move into the second stage the attention is expected to be shifted on the Mind to maintain the balance and the determination to continue. Finally in the third phase, the  Spirit will eventually be fully unleashed to reach a new elevation and balance. More or less……

After so much worrying, pondering and struggling, the resolution of searching for a human contact with the Camino, was the right thing to do. In the comfort of my keyboard and screen, the quest for where and how to find a bed to rest, has been restless but not yielding any appreciable results. Hostel booking sites were returning discouraging messages of the likes of “server down due to heavy traffic”, or “fully booked, sorry”, or again “try later, thank you”. Rowing against the bitter current of my natural adversion for the telephone, I finally dialed in. She answered in English with a cheer in her voice. “Are you the hostess?”, I asked, “Actually I am a volunteer, and am more than happy to deal with your fears. We have a bed for you, so you just need to concentrate on the true purpose of your Camino”. The relief was immediate and finally the peace if mind started to take possession of me. Now I know pretty much what my first 6 days will be like. These will serve my purpose as conditioners for my physical and mental training. No plans for the days beyond. I will learn the prayers of the contented spirit in appreciation of the simple blessings and the fulfillment of the few bare necessities.