On 01MAR23, I will be flying from the United States to Gibraltar where I will meet my brother (VT class of 1986) and his wife on a 700-mile hike from Gibraltar through Seville (southwestern Spain) to Lisbon and Porto (Portugal) and on to Santiago de Compostela (northwestern Spain).
Each year 10s of thousands of pilgrims pass through Spain and Portugal on variations of the Camino de Santiago (which is Spanish for Way of Saint James). The cathedral within the city of Santiago de Compostela is said to contain the body of Saint James.
Our adventure is a rather significant variation of the Camino de Santiago. We have planned a route that passes through areas of deep historical interest, varied architecture and scenery, rich in culinary experiences and some pretty incredible wine.
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory which has long held a strategic role of guarding of the Straits of Gibraltar which connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It also hosts the only wild monkeys of Europe. Seville is where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel sent Columbus on his way to the Americas and just north of the city is the birthplace of the man who became Roman emperor Hadrian of Hadrian's Wall fame. Along the way, there are medieval castles, magnificent cathedrals, and examples of Moorish architecture.
This will be the hardest physical thing that I have ever attempted. My brother and his wife have done several long hikes like this, and I have followed their crazy "vacations" online and I have been intrigued. Part of the appeal of this to me is the challenge to do something exceptional and part of it is to see and experience new things. But perhaps the most appealing thing about this trip is its way of making things simple. I spend a lot of time following our Hokies, reading about politics, taking care of my responsibilities at home, etc. But when you are walking the Camino, all ... you ... have ... to ... do ... is ... take ... the ... next ... step. That simplicity has a lot of appeal to me at this stage of my life (76).
We will Vlog the entire journey at Rock2Santiago.com If you're interested in seeing what we're up to an all the amazing sites we'll see, please follow us and message us on that site – it really helps us navigate the many miles when we know folks are staying in touch back home.
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