Another “Way"

What started out as two weeks in the UK in the spring has morphed into four and a half.  It's really going to be like two holidays in one trip.

Some background...

On the Camino, if you're lucky, if the stars are aligned, if you're open to the possibilities, you meet your people.  The ones who are meant to make the journey with you.  Oh sure, you meet lots of people, almost impossible not to. Some you might walk with for a day or a few hours, some you share a meal with, maybe even a room.  Some you can't wait to leave in the dust.  But the ones that come into your life and stay are the people you are meant to meet. I was fortunate indeed to meet eight people with whom I've kept in touch, but six of them became my crew.  Of these people four live in the UK, the other two in Denmark.  And on the Camino, age means diddly squat.  I was the only single in our group of seven.  Two were a married couple a few years older than me (hereinafter referred to as P&A), the two girls from Denmark were 18 year old cousins, and the two British lads who led us all astray every chance they got were 28.

So of course when the idea of visiting the UK was being tossed around with a friend I contacted my Camino crew.  Perhaps we could get together?  I could come over a day or two before my friends.  No sooner had the suggestion been made and P&A told me they would collect me at the airport, I would stay with them, and really, only two days?  I must stay longer.  Not wanting to impose or wear out my welcome (being the polite Canadian that I am) I put it to them.  How long did they think?  Well, that depends on what was I wanting to do?  Day tripping in their area?  Some local day hikes?  A multi day walk? Ohhhh....now that sounds interesting.  We could go for a long walk, 'cause hey, that's what we do.

Of the many available, we have chosen The Cotswold Way.  Approximately 160 km through "pretty England" commencing in Chipping Campden and ending in Bath over 7days / 8nights.  And this isn't going to be any "up before the birds on the trail in the dark slug it out to find a bed in a grimy albergue" kind of walk.  Been there, done that, got the compostela to prove it.  This is a highly civilized stroll through the English countryside with pre-booked beds in B&B's, pubs or inns waiting at the end of each day.  Oh, and they transport your luggage so all you have to carry is a day pack.  Sounds positively decadent.  Sadly the lads can't join us.  Work and all that.  So after the walk we're hoping for a weekend reunion at P&A's -- followed by several days of recovery.

And then it will be off to meet my Canadian crew for The UK - Part 2.

P.S. -- As an aside, today I learned how to make the opening quotes in my title curl the right way...alt + [

Who knew?

Book Reviews:  They came highly recommended by Stephen King so I just finished a trilogy by Carsten Stroud -- Niceville, The Homecoming, and The Reckoning.  Luckily they were all readily available from the library so I read them one right after the other.  Yeah, by the end, it was a bit much but had I spaced them out between other books I would have been hard pressed to remember what the hell was going on.  Because there was a lot going on. When I finished Niceville I wished I had made a list of the various story lines and characters.  It was hard to keep them all straight. But Stroud did a really nice job tying it all together in The Homecoming.  A nice review for those coming back to it after a while, but also a nice way for the overwhelmed reader from Book 1 to get it all straightened out.  I enjoyed these books, loved some of the characters, even the ones who did some pretty heinous things, but I can't say I would rave about them.  Sorry, Steve.