Ok, heres where we stand.

Arrived: safe and sound and growing like a weed...one granddaughter.  So this means it's safe for me to run away for a bit.  Only so I can hurry back.  She is drop dead beautiful, but then again, she is "my" grandbaby so of course she is!!  Sheesh...sound like all grandparents everywhere don't I!

I'm watching you!

In just over a week, 10 days and a wake up, I leave.  Found a very reasonable flight to Madrid.  Had cheaper two weeks back (but no grandbaby in sight yet).  Also found much more expensive at the beginning of the week...like between $150 and 200 more!  Airlines!  I don't normally gamble, but when pricing flights, it feels like I'm rolling dice.  Glad to have found the slightly cheaper as the diff will cover the cost of getting from Madrid to St. Jean Pied du Port (SJPP) and part of the cost of the return from Santiago to Madrid.

Speaking of the travel to and from Madrid, I'm beginning to feel like the John Candy movie, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and in this case we get to include busses!  My flight gets in too late to grab the train to Pamplona, so it's looking like the autobus is the way to Pamplona...then another bus to Roncesvalles and taxi (!) to SJPP on the French side of the border.  For the return, I'm looking into the sleeper train from Santiago de Componstella (SDC).  On that end it will save another night somewhere and get me to Madrid with plenty of time to spare for the return flight.

Just spent the last 40 minutes reassuring my hubby that I'm not falling off the map!  Showing him other peoples blogs and photos as well as maps of the various routes.  Ray you are ever the reluctant pilgrim, even the reluctant stay at home pilgrim!!  Too funny.

Well, gotta get my butt moving, as I've got a raft load of things to do...I've got house guests for the last three days before I leave!  Such is life.  It'll probably help with the nerves, having to be busy taking care of others right before hand. And then I'm off for a bit!