The countdown begins!

On April 7, I’m jumping on a plane – destination Spain. Not to lie on a beach in the Costa Brava, mind you. I’m going to hike 780 kms – all the way from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostella. Well that’s the plan, anyway.

Finally here.

April 8 – 11: Actually, I had to have a sneaky little visit to Paris so that I could head south to the French side of the Pyrenees to begin this mammoth trek!

Don’t ask me about my 3 nights in Paris – sure it’s an amazing city but did I think it out properly first and consider that it was Easter weekend? No. So me and about two million others descended on the city of romance and I could barely move. My luggage, on the other hand, had got the message and decided to spend an extra night in Doha to avoid the congestion and leave me to explore Paris in two day old clothes…

Early mornings helped with the crowds though, so here I am at the Arc de Triomph – my favourite place in Paris – before the stampede of tourists descended.

I saw a lot of the city on foot, along with a little boat trip up the Seine.

Paris was so very beautiful, despite my whinging about the crowds, and I’d love to visit again one day, hopefully with my Greg, to explore at a more leisurely pace.

Meanwhile, filled with equal measures of excitement and trepidation, I was eager to begin my Camino.