Changes

I figure I should put a little something here for those of you who were following our blog. We have decided to attempt to write a book on our adventure so you will have to stay tuned for that. As for this blog here goes.

We found many things on the Camino but the most important thing we found was ourselves. I know it sounds like a bad cliche but truly that happened to us. it gave us the opportunity to see just who we truly were and who we could become.

The Camino doesn't hold any magical powers it does not make you become more than who you are nor does it change you. What it does is it gives you a platform in which you can find your true self, a blank canvas in which you can chose what colors you want to paint. It gives you the opportunity to be who you truly are.

Each one of us walking was there for our own reasons. Each one of us had a goal in mind. What none of us realized was that in the time we would walk the path of St. James we would transform ourselves into someone far more than we could have expected, if and only if we chose to do so. You see in life you have a choice, always have a choice and it is you who decides to accept what is offered to you or decline it. No one else writes your story nor choses your path because in the end the decision is always yours to make.

Though our reasons for walking may have been different we were all united by a single and common goal... To reach Santiago by the grace of God, the Creator or simply by the kindness of strangers.

I became on the Camino, what exactly is yet to be seen. I won't say right now as we are still processing all that we have learned along the Camino. It was an amazing experience one that I hope you whom are reading have the opportunity to do. I am so glad I had the opportunity to do this walk and even more that I was receptive to all it had to offer.

As I said before there is no magic on the Camino, it is simply a walk like any other. The magic does not lie in the ground which you walk on, nor the sky that you walk under it is in the kindness of strangers along the Camino, it is in the strength you will find to walk day in and day out. The magic is within you and always has been.. The camino simply allows you the time to re-connect with who you are and who you have always been.

Good luck finding your way and remember when the path is unclear follow the bright signs... they may not always be in plain sight but if you look hard enough you will always find your yellow arrow!

Viviana

Toe tally

greetings again. i realize now that we never gave the final toll on our feet etc. As it stands i have lost 3 toes nails. although one of the replaced nails does not look like it is too stable....so we shall see. Viviana lost one little fellow. all will be sadly missed but they are in a better place. I still cannot feel my big toe. i suppose i have to see someone about it...not sure who deals with that kind of thing? there is occasional pain from that same area on top of the foot but the ankle seems better. i also managed to mess up my one shoulder...from swinging my back pack onto my back all the time. i guess i used the same shoulder all the time...ooops! no chins ups for me for awhile (like that was ever going to happen...ha, ha!). Apparently we are both having lower back pain...our bodies are slow to the draw, not sure why? I am constantly getting charlie horses in my calves...not sure the body knows we have stopped the 25km a day thing just yet. we feel we walked as much in Italy with all the touring around. we actually rested less in Italy than on the camino. the good news is we both lost weight, enough we are happy with, considering we ate ourselves silly in Italy. Gelato every day cannot be good but soooo good!

adjusting to being back is still very strange for us. life is much more complicated now. the bills were here when we got home....is there no decency in the world! ah well, time to pay the piper or in this case the bank. we are accepting donations. or we will clean your home which ever.

ciao, ciao,
K

Standing room only

Greetings....we are home!! i realize we did not blog as we hoped to. a few factors played a role, 1. we were too damn tired to fart let alone write while on the camino, 2. when we did manage to find internet it was crazy expensive and limited use was an issue with regards to truly writing our little hearts out. 3. if we were not walking in one country we were walking and touring in another country, Italy....either way we were out and about and doing what we seem to do best, eating!

now to recount some moments in Italy. as the title of the blog suggests there may be some issues with regards to standing....how you might ask? apparently in Italy it costs more to sit and eat, drink etc. than it does to stand. now we are not talking a little amount difference but it can be quite significant, depending on your budget of course, but just the fact that they feel the need to charge more, got our "goat". so after a long camino and some well needed rest, we were set to the test in Italy having to stand everywhere to eat or drink, our feet rebelled quite a bit, let me tell you. i personally find it barbaric to stand to drink a lovely coffee or consume a wee snack. since we had the fashion left overs from the camino we had no trouble just sitting our butts where ever we could. although in Venezia it is illegal to eat in public places, this way you can spend all your tourist dollars to the max eating, drinking there, cheeky buggers!

our Italian tour took us to Napoli, Amalfi coastal hike (yep...hike!), Pompeii, Island of Ishcia, Roma, Volterra, Siena, San Giamano, La Spezia-Cinque Terre- yet another hike!, Venezia, Volta Montana-various villages in the surrounding area and finally Milano. we felt we could get a little of each region, including the local food specialties, let's face it, we cannot go somewhere and not try what they feel is the best pasta, wine, dessert etc. it is a difficult thing but we managed to do our very best.

as the food change so did the scenery, people, and architecture. My favourite region was Toscana-Tuscany, beautiful beyond words and the food....aaaahhhh fabulous. my favourite city is Venezia, nothing beats the water combined with canals, bridges, secret little corners....never a dull moment. we met some amazing people as well and hope that one day they will visit us here in Canada so we can return their kindness.

We are glad to be back home. I know that might sound strange but i feel we have lived a lifetime with this trip. so many lessons, so much pain, beauty, and extremes. i am excited to start new ventures and most of all trying to appreciate what we have in our country. we may not have the history, the architecture, style but we do have liberties and freedoms that others will never know in their lifetime....that is worth more than 1,000+ year old buildings etc. I will miss the history but not enough to sacrifice my safety and well being. I will have to just visit when i miss the old stone.

there is more reflection i am sure that will come to me as the weeks move along. i look forward to it and hope that it will bring about some interesting conversations with some of you.

Ciao, ciao,
K