across the famous cathedral. Camino veterans say that the first third of the trip is for the body. Most Camino walkers suffer blisters along with other aches and pains on the trip. My fitness regime and Walking forced me to slow down from my usual wheeled pace and to revel in the beauty around me. Crossing the Pyrenees Mountains, I listened to thousands of sheep on the slopes around me, their bells clanging on air currents. Across the flat Meseta, I passed acres of sunflowers lit by the sun, their faces bobbing up to glimpse at me in the wind. In the villages, storks stood sentinel on bell towers. In Santiago, priests chanted and sent a giant incense burner swinging like a pendulum Omtimes.com careful choice of shoes and other gear spared me most of that, for the first week anyway. On day eight, I had already walked more than 150 miles with no more January D Edition 2014