When writing here I have tried to make it relevant to one of the Camino Routes.  All that is about to change, I have wanted to write more often but…

But what?  I wouldn’t like the feed back if it wasn’t about the Camino?  Strange…I don’t normally react like this.

From now on there is going to be a lot more of me, a lot more walking routes in different countries, more information on other pilgrimage sites, reviews of walking gear – I buy a lot of this, reviews of GPS toys – because they really are toys, and my comments on what is happening in the world generally – a place to rant and a place to explore.

My worries about the feedback, well after I have a look at the statistics of the website I have nothing to worry about really.  Most people don’t read the blog section, most read the main pages of the web site and then the forum.

Before going on the Camino I though that I would meet new and interesting people, and I did.  I also discovered that the same type of people that annoy me at home annoyed me on the Camino.

For some reason I had thought that the type of people that annoyed me were particular to my country and society.  I found on the Camino that they were universal.  I was disappointed and naive.  No matter where I went the people were generally the same and fell into the usual categories.

This meant I had to change my outlook.  If the same people were always going to annoy me what could I do about it?  I don’t like to feel annoyed so something had to be done.

My solution was to act and treat the people that annoyed me differently.  Instead of trying to ignore them or get away from them as fast as possible I spent more time with them.  An extra 10 seconds, an extra minute – this was something that I had to do slowly.  I could not expect too much of myself in the beginning.

As I got to know them I cared, they still annoy me, but now I care at the same time and the balance seems to work for me.

The work that I do is very important to me.  My walking on the Camino became very important to me.  Then I reached Santiago de Compostela.  I did not walk.  I wanted what I could not have.  I wanted to keep walking.

Learning when to stop has been hard.  If I am ill I want to be well immediately and get back into life.  I do not want to rest.  Letting things go is not easy for me.  My life keeps changing and I want to hold on to the good bits and reject the rest.

Walking was good.  I was sad that it came to an end I took a little time and then had to move on to the next thing.  Nothing is ever the same again, life is always changing, it never stays the same, I never stay the same.

Working is good.  I am better at it when I take a rest.  When I stop work physically I do something to also stop work mentally.  Work is one of the main areas of my life – but not the only one.

I like to have some quiet time when I wake in the morning.  I take my morning coffee out into the garden and feel the trees and the plants that surround me.  My mornings are quiet for a short period before the rush of the day.

I feel grateful that I was born.  I look at my day ahead.  On the Camino I had a general idea of where I would like to finish that day, which town or city, sometimes even which hostel.

I stand outside feeling the fresh morning air and consider the important things in my day ahead.  I try to see if there is anything that I am avoiding.  Once done I consider my own happiness.  Do I spend enough time with my friends and family, do I treat my relationships well, have I been giving enough time to what I consider important?

Going back into the house I take the beauty of nature with me.  I see the beauty in my family as everyone goes about their own morning routines.

On the first day of the year I try to imagine where I am going this next year.  I write down what I want then I see it in my head, I take a couple of hours to do this and sometimes get quite detailed.  Often though it is a reminder of what is important in my life, usually my relationships.

On the Camino I had a small map on the back of my Pilgrims Passport it was not very detailed however it showed the main towns and the right general direction.

Having the small map reminded me of my destination.  Seeing the yellow arrows kept me on the path.  Occasionally I missed a marker or I got distracted, once I noticed I traced back and found a yellow arrow again.

I find my life goals easier to achieve when they are broken down into manageable chunks.  A goal that is so far off from where I am is just too frightening for me.  A goal that that is only for today is easier.

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This is an interesting one, I drive a BMW – however I feel like I have to tell everyone “it is quite old” – I work for myself doing something I like but I play that down a bit also.

I have a certain idea of success in my head, and much of that is connected emotionally to how much material goods I own or can buy if I wanted to.  Logically, when I think about it, my ideas of success are quite different from my emotional hooks.

I see a happy life, a balance between money and time, a happy family around me, time for friends – but sometimes even when I get there all I need is a Merc or big BMW to drive past me and I am back at that emotional place again.

This video identifies some of these problems in our daily life – however it is funny more than a solution to anything.

I think the above is another one of the reason that the Camino is so healthy and liberating – I rarely had any of these thoughts while walking – strange.

This is the view that most pilgrims first get of St Jean Pied de Port. I remember it quite clearly, I was wondering what was ahead of me. I had not read much about the Camino before heading off there for a month, my flat mate and college friend had been my sole source of information.

I had imagined me walking in wilderness, I had wondered how I would cope not talking to other people for days on end – oh I was so wrong about the whole experience. I was not committed to walking the whole Camino – I had decided if it was too hard or if I did not like it I was off somewhere else – I had money in the bank and a completely free sumer in front of me.

I had got the train overnight to Bayonne from Paris. While waiting to catch the local train to St Jean I saw others on the platform who looked like they could be potential pilgrims also. They had their rucksacks, some had walking staffs, some had the scallop shell hanging from their rucksack – they all seemed to eye each other warily. Little did we know that in the days ahead we would get used to just walking up to each other and easily starting conversations. Little did we know of what lay ahead.

Charlemagne was King of the Franks and the first Holy Roman Emperor. Born in 742 AD, he was a medieval king renowned for his accomplishments and charisma. For forty-seven years, King Charlemagne ruled most of western and central Europe.

Although a warrior with numerous geographical conquests during his reign, Charlemagne is nonetheless credited with introducing enlightenment to government unaccustomed to improving the lives of its citizenry. The King also invited scholars from all over Europe to initiate schools. Some of these institutions of learning are still in existence today and are among the most eminent universities on the continent.

Many persons unfamiliar with King Charlemagne’s vaunted place in history are nevertheless aware of his chess set. The Charlemagne chess set might just be the most famous chess set in the world, even though the consensus opinion is that the King never once played the game.

Legend has it that an exquisite set of chessmen was presented to King Charlemagne as a gift from Caliph Harun al-Rashid. This, by the way, is the very same caliph prominently featured in “The Thousand and One Arabian Nights” tales.

The lore surrounding the Charlemagne chess set assumed an added wrinkle when author Katherine Neville penned a postmodern thriller called “The Eight.” The novel follows a character named Catherine Velis, an accountant, on a dangerous mission to retrieve chess pieces stolen from the original Charlemagne set. In this fictional rendering, Neville dubs the chess set the Montglane Service.

So, what is the real truth behind this celebrated chess set? Does it even exist? At the Cabinet des Medailles, Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, sixteen pieces are on display with the official imprimatur as the Charlemagne chess set: two kings, two queens, four elephants, four knights, three chariots, and one foot soldier. The intricate pieces are carved from elephant ivory.

However, the dating of these chess pieces places their origins in the latter half of the eleventh century, more than two hundred years after King Charlemagne’s death. Based on the Norman military equipment featured on the chess pieces, it is believed they were made in Southern Italian workshops between 1050 and 1100.

Still, the so-called King Charlemagne chess set in France is expertly crafted from a time long passed. These chessmen have carved a sizeable niche in a storied chess history known for intriguing game pieces made from all kinds of materials, in all kinds of shapes and images, from all parts of the world. Remember the old adage: When the legend becomes the fact, print the legend.

Living as we do in the middle of the city we love to get out into the countryside at the weekend.  Last weekend being a long weekend, Monday was a public holiday, I decided last week that we needed a full weekend in the country walking and relaxing.

We have been to Connemara twice before and have good memories of each visit, however my memory of specific places is not so good.  I saw a hostel and booked us in without asking Anna.  Her memory is so much better than mine for the stuff we don’t like – I seem to work on an erase it all basis.

We stayed in a little town called Letterfrack.  I had forgotten that we had stopped their before to eat one day and that was not a pleasent experience.  I hate saying this but I don’t recommend it at all.  The hostel we stayed in is the same, it was fine but over priced for what you get – especially when the adverts for it say luxury – it isn’t.

This photo though is one of the magnificent views you will be treated to nearby on the coast.  The photos from this weekend are not so great as it rained quite a bit.