My Camino walk starts tomorrow when I arrive in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France ) just over the border from Spain. But the adventure began more than 30 hours ago when I left my home in Boulder and headed for the airport. Three planes, four airports, 2 buses, and two countries later I find myself in Bayonne, France. One train ride remains and then I start walking. The attached link to photos on my Flickr site offer a glimpse of what I saw and did along the way.

I experienced an interesting array of emotions today. When I arrived in Madrid after an overnight flight I was tired, but I managed to successfully navigate Customs and then getting from one terminal to another across the vast expanse that is the Madrid airport. I even asked for directions in Spanish. But when I reached Terminal 4 I was flooded with a sense of sadness and loneliness. I was in a strange place full of people who were mostly speaking something other than English and everyone I know and love were thousands of miles away on the other side of an ocean. I felt like crying. But then I reached Bilbao and started walking through the city in search of the bus station and I was re-energized and filled with a new sense of confidence. Mostly I was able to watch all of that unfold without judgement. Just observing. And now I’m ready for bed. Tomorrow is a big day!

https://www.flickr.com/gp/rogerlynn/0Y3X9H9To7