Beyond Camino

01.01.2015 by Trish // Leave a Comment

So the adventure is over. Liz and I followed the Way of St James from St Jean Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela, tramped 780 kms.

1000km marker — Here we are with 100 km to go!!

I have been home 6 months, my blisters are well and truly healed and my toes have grown new toe nails quite nicely. My body, which succumbed to a cold the week I got back and insisted I lie in bed and watch iView on my iPad for a few days, eventually returned to normal. Even so, I was surprised how much time it did take to recover; I had thought I would return home and bounce right back into life. But as my doctor very nicely put it whenI sat miserably in his office, “What do you expect, you’re 60 years old and you’ve just walked 800km?” Thanks, well what I expected was to carry on just as I had before I left. What I hadn’t expected was the hole in my life now that my dream had actually become a reality. That dream of walking the Camino had been there for so long, a little voice in my heart that sometimes lay quietly, and sometimes screamed out, demanding attention, until I did something about it. And now what?

Yes, I am proud of myself for what I achieved and I hope that I inspired someone out there to take that first step on their own adventure. But I have inexplicably been left with a sadness and longing. On a recent trip to Melbourne I packed my back pack, lifted it up and settled it onto my back and it felt so good, so right, so much a part of me that I just wanted to set off again, start walking, rediscover that feeling of rightness. This is what my body was meant to do.

I know another adventure, another dream lies ahead. Liz is heading off to trek the 1300km Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage in Japan this year. I would love to do that, but it is something she wants to do on her own. It is amazing where her Camino has taken her and I am so proud of her.

A few years ago I did the Everest Base Camp trek with Jess, Liz’s sister , and Nepal is calling me again, the Annapurna trek.I loved writing Baguettes & Vegemite and became used to looking at the world through bloggers eyes. So while Baguettes & Vegemite Does Annapurna lies quietly in my heart, nudging me gently, I am going to continue with Baguettes & Vegemite. As regular readers know, food is an important part of my life, so I am going down a new path, Baguettes & Vegmite – My Food Thoughts & Inspirations.

I am not really sure where it is going to take me, I think I will just start walking and see where the path goes. I would love you to come along with me and see what inspires me to cook. I hope it will inspire you to get out of your cooking rut, try new foods, look for ways to add some zing to those old recipes, be adventurous!! And if you have time I would love you to share with me your inspirations , your recipes and your food memories. Press the Follow button and we can take this journey together.

London and home 26th – 30th May

09.24.2014 by Trish // Leave a Comment

True to form we managed to get lost walking from our hotel to the airport bus stop, but hey, what’s a few kms, a few more hills and stairs, when you have just walked 800kms!
We sat for an hour or so at the airport cafeteria, listened to an English family chattering about the holiday they had just had, how different their holiday was to ours. I was somewhat miffed by the guy who went on at some length about the mass he went to and all they did was talk about these pilgrims and what was so special about them anyway. Hmmmm let me think about that for half a second, perhaps because we walked 800kms to get there and he took a plane (yes, I know its the second time I have mentioned we just walked 800 kms, but I’m sorta proud of it)
And so we bid a very sad farewell to Spain, but on to London and Miss Saigon. London is my favourite city in this whole wide wonderful world. There is something about London that makes me feel so comfortable, like I am coming home. Must be my British heritage!
I love exploring the city, walking along the Thames, taking the tube to Picadilly Square to to buy tickets for a show, having a beer in the Punch & Judy in Convent Garden and watching the world go by, eating spaghetti and meatballs in Bella Italia, visiting the Tait and other galleries….so much to do!

Liz and I stayed near Camden, our first evening was spent at The Cock Tavern , obviously the local for that area. We discovered after a few minutes why the only empty table was empty. We made this discovery when a gentleman went through the door next to us and we were treated to the smell of the utility. Unfortunately it was 9:00pm, there were no other tables and we were waiting for the arrival of our landlord who had been delayed by a late train, so we spent the evening hoping the guys didn’t drink too much beer.

Despite this we loved exploring the high street of Camden, spent hours looking for English sim cards for our phone, the very very tiny sim card, eventually found one in a tiny, very dodgy looking shop, we never did manage to get those sim cards to work!!
We spent a wonderfully relaxing afternoon at another very English pub, popped in to use the thankfully clean toilets and were seduced by the smell of the roast pork. After 5 weeks of Spanish fare, we couldn’t resist a good old English roast dinner.

Miss Saigon was just as heartbreakingly sad as I remembered from 15 years ago, although I didn’t recall the pingpong balls from the bar scene in Bangkok back then. Times change!

Tickets and chocolates for the theatre in my new Harrod's bag — Tickets and chocolates for the theatre in my new Harrod’s bag

Miss Saigon
On our last day we had breakfast in Kings Cross station. Liz was relieved I didn’t tell the waiter that the advertised crispy prosciutto wasn’t crispy, and I was sorry the pianos in the station were being played, even though I can only play half of Baby Elephant Walk or Fur Elise. (About half way down my bucket list is an entry to learn to Land of Hope and Glory and play it on one of the pianos at Kings Cross Station) And we were both sad to leave London, always a special place for me.
The Eurostar to Paris, a day wandering the streets, stopping for wine and crepes, and all too soon we were on the Metro to Charles de Gaulle airport for our flight home.

Love looking at the French countryside from Eurostar

Crepes and wine on the streets of Paris

Our last week was so busy that I haven’t really had time to miss the Camino. I was told by a pilgrim that the real Camino starts when you get home, so that adventure lies ahead. We still have one part of the Camino to do, the climb up the mountain to place a stone at the Cruz de Ferro. So it’s not goodbye; thank you to everyone who followed and supported us along the Way,and Buen Camino to all our fellow pilgrims out there on the track, we will be back to join you.

Back to the real world – Santiago de Compostela 23rd – 26th May

09.22.2014 by Trish // Leave a Comment

So that’s it. The pilgrimage is over. Our backpacks sit lonely on the floor of our hotel room, walking sticks leaning forlornly in the corner. No more settling our packs our back, clipping the straps, grabbing our sticks and hitting the track.
I miss sitting in bed in the evening chatting with Liz about the next day, how far we might trek,where we will stay. I miss packing my backpack with the blister supplies on top for easy access, I even miss my afternoon ritual, easing off my boots and socks and inspecting my poor battered feet for the day’s damage. Actually, that’s getting a bit carried away, I don’t miss that at all!
Santiago de Compostela is a maze of windy streets with stairs and hills around every corner.

My blisters are healing, but my legs are still very sore, and every step is an effort. But I love exploring this beautiful city, especially the markets. Oh how I wish I had a kitchen and a week to cook all the gorgeous fresh produce. I did spend a delicious half hour with a young stall holder who despite his lack of English and my lack of Spanish managed to convey to me his passion for all things pork. I happily munched on the selection of hams before choosing one to take to a Spanish friend in London who misses this taste of her homeland.

What will we have for dinner, the octopus or the steak?

You never know what you will find around the corner.... — You never know what you will find around the corner….

Liz and I spent a day doing our own thing and despite the fact that there are probably a hundred hoodies of various designs and sayings, we both managed to come home with the exact same model.
I would dearly loved to have taken the bus to Finisterre on the coast, the true end of the Camino, to see the 0km sign. But it was a 12 hour day, 6 of them on the bus, so I reluctantly decided against that. Liz had already decided that a trip to McDonalds was more to her liking, so one of us was happy.
Each day I was drawn to the Plaza Obradoiro in front of the cathedral to watch the pilgrims arriving, the tears, the laughter, greeting friends who had become their Camino family.The cathedral is magnificent and for many pilgrims the spiritual culmination of their Camino, for me the spirit of the Way of St James was out there in the plaza.

Our last baguettes and vegemite in Spain

A pilgrim is grateful

05.24.2014 by Trish // Leave a Comment

Every day we have looked for something to be grateful for. Some days were easier than others.
1. We are grateful we arrived in Santiago happy and healthy.
2. We are grateful we had a warm bed and plenty of food to eat every day
3. We are grateful for family and friends who believed in us, who loved and supported us
4. We are grateful for the pilgrims we met along the way, those who inspired us, those who shared their stories and those who encouraged us with an understanding smile.
5. We are grateful for our walking sticks which helped us up and down countless hills
6. I am grateful for Compeed and Hikers wool which helped my battered feet get through many a day
7. And most of all I am grateful for D2, my daughter Liz, whose love, patience, optimism and wicked sense of humour gave me strength to keep going when I couldn’t find my own.
“Come on Mamá, let’s do this”