Getting ready to go

Well, it’s four days till departure, and I thought I should get my penguins website going. This year, I will be starting in Almería, mediterranean coastal city in the south and east of Málaga. I had originally planned to meet up with three or four other people, since it is a very solitary route. We don’t know each other in the face to face sense, but have friends in common and have been in contact through the internet. Well, one thing led to another, and we are now a merry band of 13 or 14! We will all meet up on Friday the 13th, in the Bar Entremares in Almería, get to know each other a bit, and then set out the next day. We will probably spread out in the first couple of days since the albergues are small (usually around 8 beds), but it will be fun to start out at the same place.

This branch of the Camino Mozárabe starts in Almería, goes through Granada and Córdoba, and joins up with the Via de la Plata in Mérida. Those are all great cities to visit, so I will have some touring time as well.

I am not going to be able to walk into Santiago this year, unfortunately. It's 1400 km from Almería and I only have a month to walk, so I will have to stop somewhere in the middle. Not sure I like that, but oh well.

My pre-Camino jitters have started and I have finally found my backpack and started going through my stuff, tossing out expired betadine, mangled gaiters, and hoping to find my favorite FITS socks, which have mysteriously disappeared!Read more