As some of you may know, last year I walked part of the Camino de Santiago which is a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried there. This year I am walking a different route to Santiago starting in Portugal and I have had several requests to give updates about the trip.

The Camino is a spiritual journey walked by kings and queens, popes, and ordinary folk like you and me. It is a journey where pilgrims can reflect on life, the wonders of nature and the universe, or other myriad of reasons, some as simple as just losing weight. This was one of the reasons given by one of the pilgrims in the movie “The Way”. If you have not yet seen this movie with Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez, you can check out the video below.

This year I am walking the Camino Portugues. This route goes through Portugal heading North and ends at the same cathedral. As before, I am taking this journey with many of my friends from Las Vegas and a few from California and Florida. Most of us are leaving for Europe on July 24th. We are all very busy trying to pack and remember all the things we could possibly need while away from home without a convenient store to pick up last minute items. There are so many things to think of: bandaids, walking poles, first aid kit, items to support sore body parts, protein bars, proper hydration just to name a few. Where is my hat, hand cleanser, tissues, sunscreen, supplements, nail clipper, scissors, phone chargers, electrical adaptors? Where’s my passport??? Oh, I have to pay all my bills before I leave? What makes all of this worth the journey? Here are a few pictures from last year.