Friday, May 25, 2012

Getting there...where?

When we first arrived at the Madrid airport, we didn't have our trekking poles, and we weren't sure where our friend John was. After locating the poles (they would arrive on the next flight, of course, because we missed a connection in London), we left the "secure" part of the airport...and located John! We all had a late lunch together, then decided to spend the night in Madrid instead of proceeding with our earlier plans. We took a bus into the city, found an inn with three single beds in one room, then went out to explore madrid a little bit. We had coffee in the Plaza Mayor, Adam and John got fried octopus sandwiches, we perused a gourmet market, and after showering and napping, we headed back out for more food and exploration. It took awhile to find a restaurant that offered some vegetarian options(my stipulation) and was outside(john's preference), but we did it! And the paella was great, the fries were tasty, and I couldn't pass up sangria in Spain. The next morning we took the metro back to the airport, sprinting to the bus counter to find that the bus would leave in an hour. The bus ride to Pamplona was nice, with each of us getting more nap time. The countryside was beautiful--greener than Madrid. From Pamplona we took a bus through the mountains to roncesvalles, where we hopped into a taxi van with 8 other people and went down the mountain to saint jean pied de port. Which is where we began our Camino. More on that later--we are going to see Pamplona as peregrinos!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Planning on Packing

First, what we are not packing
Tent
Sleeping pads
Sleeping bags
Cell phones
IPods, or iPad, or laptops

Rachel's Packing List
Clothes
1 dress* (black)
2 tops (one racer back*, one short-sleeved*)
1 pair of athletic shorts*
2 pairs of underwear*
1 sports bra*
2 pairs of socks* (Smart Wool brand)
1 pair of yoga pants*
1 pair of flip flops (black)
Hiking shoes (Keen Targhee II)
Light rain jacket (Sierra Design)
Jacket (insert of the Columbia Bugaboo parka)
Floppy, wide-brimmed hat from Target

*synthetic (vs. cotton)

Hygiene/ Toiletries/ Meds
Contacts (+ contact case and solution**)
Glasses (+ case)
Toothbrush and toothpaste**
Shampoo**
Body gel**
Loofah
Sunblock**
Body Glide
Chapstick
Toilet paper
Liquid detergent**
Hand sanitizer**
Ibuprofen
Anti-diarrhea pills
Allergy medication
A couple of hair bands and bobby pins
Bandaids/moleskin

**travel size

Food
Nalgene plastic water bottle
a couple of Clif Bars
drink packets (like Crystal Light)

Misc.
Backpack (Osprey 50L)
Backpack cover (Sea to Summit)
Silk sleeping bag liner
1 stuff sack
Headlamp
Earplugs
Sunglasses
1/2 a drying towel (Aqua Dry, for cars)
2 trekking poles
Paperback book
Journal (pen and pencil)
Camera (+ battery charger)
Some type of money belt (with i.d., passport, and money)

Adam's Packing List
Clothes
2 t-shirts*
1 button down shirt*
1 pair of zip-off pants
1 pair of shorts
3 pairs of socks
Crocs
Hiking shoes (Merrell Moab Ventilators)
Lightweight rain jacket
Straw hat
Bandanna

Hygiene/ Toiletries/ Meds
Loofah
1/2 a drying towel (Aqua Dry, for cars)
Toothbrush (+ toothpaste**)
Body gel**
Shampoo**
Sunblock
Body glide
Ibuprofen
Toilet paper
Bandaids/moleskin

Food
Emergency Clif bar
Drink packets

Misc. 
2 trekking poles
Headlamp
Watch
Sea-to-summit waterproof stuff sacks (1 for clothes, 1 for food, etc.)
Extra ziploc bags
Sunglasses
Earplugs
Silk sleep sack
Backpack cover
Backpack
Camino guidebook (John Brierly's A Guidebook to the Camino de Santiago)

And pebbles to place here!