a wandering woman writes

Monday, September 03, 2007

Walking

"Walking", by Henry David Thoreau:

I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks, -- who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering, which word is beautifully derived "from idle people who roved about the country, in the Middle Ages, and asked charity, under pretense of going a la Sainte Terre," to the Holy Land, till the children exclaimed, "There goes a Sainte-Terrer," a Saunterer, a Holy-Lander.

They who never go to the Holy Land in their walks, as they pretend, are indeed mere idlers and vagabonds; but they who do go there are saunterers in the good sense, such as I mean. Some, however, would derive the word from sans terre, without land or a home, which, therefore, in the good sense, will mean, having no particular home, but equally at home everywhere.

For this is the secret of successful sauntering.


When I offered to gather up (unrelated) favorites for a friend the other day, I found this Thoreau quote hiding as the long-ago tagged first favorite on my bookmark list.

Timely.

Seems I'm going for a walk.

Today is one of those days I will long remember. Today I spoke with one of my clients, the last client whose buy-in I wanted to secure. He immediately agreed to a busy September and a very quiet October.

I leave September 23 or 24 for a 5-week saunter along the Camino de Santiago. I hope to start with the Camino Aragonés and finish with a walk from Santiago to Finisterre.

As soon as this incredible stroke of perfect timing and delicious luck sinks in, I'll be back to blog about the getting-ready.

How's tomorrow for you?

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posted by Erin at 8:42 PM

6 Comments:

  • There's something to be said for a good walk. For me, though, a pilgrimage is a bit much. Although, I've never taken a pilgrimage, so who am I to say anything about it?

    Does the bar/cafe Milenios still exist, just off the Plaza Mayor, past the Burger King, a block or two down on the left -- I think (it's been seven years)?

    By Blogger JMH, at 3:50 AM  

  • Ah, but a pilgrimage is just a really good walk, isn't it?

    I don't know the bar you mention, JMH. If you mean a dance club, there is one a few blocks down on the left, can't think of the name of it....It's right next to the outdoors place I am headed to buy my Camino stuff. If you mean a bar, tapas eating, bar type place, then it's gone.
    But you meant the dance club, didn't you? ;)

    By Blogger Erin, at 9:41 AM  

  • I wish you an amazing time in your Camino. Please greet the Atlantic Ocean for me from Finisterre!
    Did you know that your blog just won a prize? Check it out here:

    http://groundhogyears.blogspot.com/2007/09/blog-solidario.html

    Cheers! :)

    By Blogger tonicito, at 9:12 PM  

  • Wow, thanks, Tonicito!!

    By Blogger Erin, at 8:45 PM  

  • Congrats on both!!

    The award and, even better, the ultimate wander for the wandering woman!!

    I will rely on your excellent advice when I take that long walk myself someday.

    We will miss your blog posts, but can't wait for what you write for the next few months -- I expect it will take that long to decompress, soak the feet, catch up on work, and beguile us with tales from the trail.

    Suerte!!

    Ann in KC

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:02 PM  

  • Thank you, Ann! I'm here til the 19th, and hoping to blog til I go...then maybe find internet a couple of times on the road...
    I felt better telling Kiva I'd AWOL for 5 weeks having kind of sort of led you to them...to handle my share. :)

    By Blogger Erin, at 9:45 PM  

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