A week gone by.

Hi everyone this is Bea. It has been a week since we started in St Jean and I can't believe we are almost a quarter of the way in! The Camino is no doubt hard. In one week we have suffered many hardships. We climbed up hill in the pouring rain and the freezing cold through the pyrenees. We trudged through mucky muddy streams and waded through rivers. We sweated in the hot hot Spanish afternoon sun. We got eaten alive by mosquitoes in the forests. Not to mention the toil that seven days walking takes on your body. Muscle pain, shooting pain, headaches, blisters, callices, sunburn, insect bites, you name it we ve had it all in on week.  Every day there seems to be a new struggle. On Saturday all I wanted was for it to stop raining. On Monday all I wanted was some shade from the glaring sun. Today I got the shade but wanted there to be no insects. You always want what you don't have.

Reading all this you are probably wondering why are we putting up with all this? Why don't we just hop on the next train to the South of Spain and spend the next few weeks sunbathing and drinking cocktails on a hot beach.

The truth is I've enjoyed most of the week so far immensely. I can't say I ' ve enjoyed every secobd as that would be a lie. Who likes staying up all night due to the snoring of fellow pilgrims or getting ridiculous tan lines? I've enjoyed about 80% immensely. There are two things that make all the toils worth it to me. The first is the sights and the second is the people.
By walking though Spain you really see how beautiful the country is. The rolling countryside, the wheatfields, the mountains and the wild flowers provide spectaculaur views eery time you can afford to take your eyes off of your feet. Not to mention the beautiful architecture of the towns and villages we pass through. Everywhere you look looks like a postcard.

Secondly the people you meet in the hostels and along the way are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Everyone has their own story to tell and this is what makes the 23 kilometres or so everyday interesting to walk.

Along the way you get to kbkw familiar faces and although you are walkibg rhe Camino at your own pace you run into the same people at each hostel. Every evening is spent differently, chatting to new people, discovering the town, or eating the pilgrims meal.

Two people worth a mention are Zach and Adam. For the last five days or so we have been walking the way with them. Already I feel like I have known them a long time. Thy are tge exact opposite of each other and form a perfect balance. Zach is like the donkey in Shrek. He always has a joke, song, story or movie quote and is full of energy. He is training to be a priest and is an eternal optimist. Adam is very rational and full of facts. He is pragmatic and is able to put a good spin on any bad situation. He is very cobscientious of his actions and is constantly looking after others.

Congratulations if you have managed to read this far. I will finish by saying that although the Camino is difficult it is worth every step.