Backpack decisions
Since the weather might be a bit colder in the mountains in September, I have to look critically to what type of clothes I am going to put in my backpack. I need to try to find the optimal balance between weight and comfort. In other words: for every piece of warm comfy clothing I have to ask myself whether I really need it, or whether it is better to leave it at home in order to reduce the weight of my backpack. It’s not an easy task!
How do I get to a tiny little village in Spain to start walking again?
I stopped my camino on June 3rd in the little village of La Isla. In September I need to get back to that village in order to re-start my walk towards Santiago de Compostela. To start, I will fly from Amsterdam to Bilbao on September 15th. I will arrive late afternoon, so most likely I will try to sleep in Bilbao at the Saint Clara convent that evening.
Next I need to travel to La Isla. Ribadesella is a bigger town not far from La Isla. Luckily, once a day there is a bus going directly from Bilbao to La Isla, arriving in the late afternoon. So, I need to find lodging in Ribadesella for September 16th. The day after I can take an early bus to La Isla, which is only half an hour from Ribadesella.
An alternative is to try to find a ride via Blablacar. Blablacar is a program that links car drivers to people who want to travel a specific route. It is an environmentally-friendly low-cost system that I have used before in France. Last May, I travelled with a very nice French couple to Hendaye at the Spanish border for a fixed price. Now I am trying to find a ride from Bilbao airport or Bilbao center to La Isla or Ribadesella on September 15th or 16th. That would make travelling a lot faster and easier!
Quiero hablar un poco de español
In the meanwhile, I am also trying to learn some Spanish. In May, I discovered that a lot of Spanish people, including the owners of hostels and pilgrim’s inns, do not speak English. I do not have an natural talent for languages, but I am now trying to practice Spanish daily. So, maybe, I will be able to have some conversations in Spanish next month.
Fundraising efforts
As before, my Chromosome 6 Project team is very actively trying to raise as much awareness as possible for our fundraising for rare chromosome 6 disorders. Aafke arranged an interview with a Dutch radio station (RTV Noord). For those of you who understand Dutch, you can listen to the interview here: https://www.rtvnoord.nl/radio/programma/20700/Karel-op-Noord/aflevering/25638 (from 14.01 minutes onwards). I also have been interviewed for a newspaper and a magazine, and Pauline, our irreplaceable and priceless chromosome 6 mother, has written an article for the Dutch Saint James association, which has more than 13,000 members.
Your help is needed and appreciated
Recently, we asked you for ideas on how we could improve fundraising. Thus far, no suggestions were emailed to our mailbox, chromosome6@umcg.nl.
Is there anyone out there who wants to share the text Pauline wrote with their national Saint James association / Facebook? Or with your local newspaper, together with your personal experiences with chromosome 6? If so, we are happy to translate Pauline’s text for you in whatever language is needed. Please let us know as soon as possible.
Animals on the Camino
In my previous posts, I gave you an impression of all the beds I have slept in and the food I have been eating. This time I made a collage of the pictures I have taken of animals that I met along the Camino.
With best wishes,
#ProfessorConny
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| Animals met along the Camino |
Do you want to support Professor Conny during her 1200 kilometre walk for Chromosome 6?
Please go to chromosome6.org/walkforchromosome6
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