The Great Journey… Begins

My ‘secret’ can now be revealed…not that anyone didn’t know what I was up to !!

I’d heard about a great walking Pilgrimage, the Camino to Santiago de Compostela http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago in North West Spain.. -Read the Wikipedia pages, it tells you all about it, and I’ll presume you now know as much as me !

I’d also decided that as I reached the grand ‘old’ age of 60 this year… I would celebrate by starting my pilgrimage that day – the 11th September ! However, as usual I didn’t want to do things like everyone else, and decided my pilgrimage would start in the famous pilgrim centre of Lourdes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lourdes , I would journey from one great pilgrim place, to another…

Walking in the footsteps of millions of pilgrims before me… and after me … and it all started on the 4th September as I stood at the village bus station, pack on my back awaiting the bus into Stockport… the journey begins…

I was setting off early , as I had decided to spend the weekend in London, at the ‘Tall Ships’ regatta,meeting my sister Kathleen, and generally taking it easy before I headed off to France….little did I know !

I’d put my things at Joseph’s new Wimbledon home, and went into London City  to meet him, we walked into a Spanish restaurant….to find… lots of the family there to greet and surprise me….they don’t like missing out on a party !!   Sisters,Sons,Grandsons,nephews,nieces and friends !! What a great surprise, I was overwhelmed … and for once speechless ! We partied on into the night, and in a pub across the road , Thanks everyone !

Over the next couple of days we visited the Regatta, went biking in Richmond Park, and a fun Sunday afternoon on Wimbledon Common…