2022 and the New Year

You might have noticed some improvements to the blog over the last few days. I am glad to have a few days annual leave which allowed me the opportunity to revamp the design. As we are getting closer to 2022 and the New Year, it was high time to make the site presentable. So after a few hours of watching YouTube and reading, I changed the theme and some detail. I am not entirely done, but I am getting there. If you find anything that stands out, please let me know.

Ok, so I have a confession to make. This blog won’t be entirely about the Camino de Santiago. If you want to make an quick exit now, I won’t hold it against you. But, I will talk about the Camino first, only if you promise to stick around!

1. From Lowe Alpine to Osprey

I have been using Lowe Alpine backpacks since my 2015 Camino Francés. I love them – The 35 – 45 Airzone pack (video below) has been great to me over the years. This pack has plenty of room, has a great ventilation system and is very comfortable. So what’s the problem? I ordinarily would have no issue with Lowe Alpine but on my last Camino in September, I had some issues with the shoulder straps. So I am giving my Osprey Talon 33l an opportunity and taking her out on some practice walks before my Camino Portugués in April. It has a lower capacity compared to the Lowe Alpine but this will give me a challenge to reduce what I am carrying come 2022. And hey, if it isn’t the pack for me, I will go back to Lowe Alpine.

2. Camino Portugués – April 2022

In my last post, I explained that my next Camino would be from Porto to Santiago with my brother. I am really looking forward to walking in Portugal again. I don’t remember much from my walk from Lisbon in September 2019 as I didn’t journal. If I ever do walk from Lisbon again, I know now what *not* to do. Walking from A Guarda in 2018 was fun, it isn’t a challenging route and from Porto it can be walked in 10-12 days. So this is something to looking forward to.

3. More of the same for 2022?

As we approach the end of the year, it looks like 2022 will have “more of the same”. I am nearly 2 years of mostly working at home which was appealing to me to begin with. We were all in this together – I had no objections. The lack of the daily commute put a smile on my face each morning and put an extra €10 in my back pocket. That was March 2020, this is December 2021. In that time I have become lethargic, I have little motivation and each day passes like the second on a clock. The only passion I have is the Camino. I’m quietly figuring out how to be the best person I can be – the one I am on the Camino.