At it Again!! The Camino Continues ...

It's been almost seventeen months since I walked the final kilometers into Santiago, "completing" my Camino. Seventeen months since the days of mountains and albergues and blisters and pilgrims, of late night laughter over Spanish sangria and insightful prayer inside ancient churches. They say that Santiago is not the end, but rather the beginning of your Camino; I know this is true of my journey. I would have never dreamed while sitting in the Cathedral of St. James that my life would have taken the turns it has: some heartbreaking and others that fill me with emense joy and purpose; but with each mountain my path encounters and each beautiful poppy field I skip through, I bring with me the courage, strength, stamina, and faith I acquired on my Camino. And in less than seventeen hours, I shall be reunited with the pilgrims that stayed by my side through rainy forests and windy mountains, through dirt road cow parades and chicken church funerals, every step from the start -- and my heart couldn't be more happy. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I am off to the Netherlands to find Vera!! And then we will head to Kraków to find Jarek and Gosia. It shall be a Camino reunion!!! I can't wait for all the reminiscing, life sharing, and adventures that are sure to come over the next couple weeks. 

Here we are in Santiago -- reunion pictures coming soon! 

Ready to get my travel on! I worked nights all weekend, left work at five am on Monday, went home to shower and grab my things, and then headed to the airport -- which reminds me ... 

Thanks to this amazing guy ⬆️⬆️⬆️ for delivering me safely to the airport -- and for being so wonderful and supportive of my wanderlust tendencies. ❤️

After a quick breakfast and coffee in St. Louis I flew to Toronto, Canada where I took a much needed nap. Of course there are no beds in the terminals and I wasn't about to spend money on a lounge bed for five hours, so I curled up in a quiet, out of the way corner next to a huge window where I watched the planes take off until I fell into a peaceful and non-disturbed sleep. Now I'm all rested and ready to go!!

I searched for a t shirt / magnet that said "I Came All the Way to Canada and All I Took Was a Nap" but surprisingly they didn't have such a souvenir ... so I had to settle for this one ...

And now I'm settled in my seat, ready for flight!! 

Get ready, Vera!! I'll be to you in a little less than eight hours!!! 

Buen Camino ❤️