<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>Russ said:
<BR>
<BR><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">My body, all by itself, was going about 120 miles per hour (200 km/hr).
<BR>Let's see... at that rate I
<BR>could have completed the whole Camino in about 4 hours! :-)</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BR>
<BR>Isn't that a hoot? When I flew from Santiago to Barcelona, I kept looking
<BR>down to see if I could find any landmarks. I think I saw some at the start
<BR>of the flight. But the speed difference was too bizarre. A friend from the
<BR>Camino said to me: "When one walks the camino, it gives the soul a chance to
<BR>catch up." I don't necessarily agree, but I thought it was a nice visual.
<BR>In the daily hustle of regular life, I imagine my soul taking breathers and
<BR>saying, "I'll catch up with you at the next refugio!" :-)
<BR>
<BR>Will you jump again soon?
<BR>
<BR></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">My plans now are for May again because of the almost perfect weather I
<BR>experienced this May. If not May, then it will probably be sometime in
<BR>Setember too as I don't relish the thoughts of walking in the heat of mid
<BR>summer.</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BR>
<BR>May was a grand time to walk, wasn't it? I forgot to ask you, after you
<BR>stopped walking, what did you do, where did you go?
<BR>
<BR></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I really enjoyed your other post here too. I can't seem to get enough of
<BR>hearing about others' experiences while on the Camino. Also, like you, I
<BR>have just recently heard back from a couple of good friends that I made on
<BR>the Camino. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel, and it also lets
<BR>me "relive" the experiences all over again!</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BR>
<BR>That is so true! I was able to have dinner with another friend from Spain
<BR>and we laughed and laughed over some of our whines and gripes. As I said
<BR>while walking, "Although I don't have kids, I imagine walking the Camino is
<BR>much like child birth. When you're in it, and your feet are screaming, you
<BR>think, 'well, this seemed like a good idea at the time.' But then, once
<BR>home, you say, 'what a wonderful thing to have experienced...what pain?!'"
<BR>Lets go again!
<BR>
<BR>Your story is a perfect example of the caliber of people one meets on the
<BR>path. I think someone mentioned this earlier, but I remember meeting a woman
<BR>from Denmark who pushed her two children in an outfitted pram. She was
<BR>helped through mud and such by many pilgrims and I'm sure was able to reach
<BR>Santiago. She alway skept a smile and a very genuine response of gratitude.
<BR>And the children were wonderful as well, and had a grand time!
<BR>
<BR>Take care Russ, much love,
<BR>Gabrielle</FONT></HTML>