to Padron. It was one of those great moments!
Our flight to Lisbon was scheduled to leave at 7:30 p.m. Karin's son was going to drive us all to the airport so she asked that we be at her house by 3:30 p.m. I thought this was a little on the early side since we didn't really have to be at the airport until 5:30. I was hoping to work half a day to preserve another half day vacation for another time but with the early departure, that plan wasn't looking too good. When I left the office Wednesday evening, I told everyone I might come in if I got everything done the night before but not to count on it.
I need everything to be in perfect condition before I leave for vacation. The house has to be clean, the laundry done and everything just right so that when I come home, it's a pleasure to walk in the door. With the move, that wasn't really an option but I did want everything to be at least as good as it could be. Taking off all day on Thursday was looking like my only option to be sure that beds were made, dishes put away and all that.
Wednesday evening, I took my pack and all of its contents into my room and spread everything out on the bed. I carefully repackaged everything into brand new plastic zip lock bags by category. Medical supplies in one, foot care in another, personal care items in still another and so on. Zip lock bags make great "stuff sacks." Not only do they keep things organized, they also keep things dry.
I packed each day's wardrobe into one bag. This was a tip from one of the Camino websites and it seemed like a good idea. Rather than opening a bra bag then looking for a tops bag then the pants bag, everything for the day was in one place. Once I got the day's attire all bagged up, I squeezed out the air then zipped it up. This was actually kind of fun, the compressed packages really were compact. It reminded me of those commercials for those storage bags that you pop your stuff in then suck out all the air with a vacuum. I got the same result for the cost of a few baggies!
Other than packing, I don't remember much about that last night at home other than staying up late. I always try to stay up late when I have an all-night flight the next day in the hope that I'll sleep on the plane. It doesn't happen but I still hope! I did make the decision to take the next day off though. If I went into the office, I wouldn't get back home until around 1:30 p.m. which would pretty much allow me just enough time to run home, grab my stuff and head off to Karin's. Too much pressure! I don't remember how I slept or how much I slept that night nor do I recall specifically how I spent my morning. Likely I spent the morning in my usual leisurely fashion, drinking coffee, checking the news and reading and replying to the many e-mails I received wishing me a good trip.
I also packed a dollar store carrying bag with some throw away clothes I would wear for our one night in Porto. I would wear throw away clothes on the plane as well. This would save having to hand wash my hiking clothes until the journey actually began. It's a shame the idea hit as late as it did. Had I thought of it sooner, I could have put together some slightly more fashionable outfits from my Goodwill bags!
Just to make sure I had everything, later in the morning, I took my pack, emptied it out and then repacked everything. I think I needed to kill time more than anything. All that was left to do was wait to get to Karin's to put my Camino stick, little scissors and knife in a large shipping tube she brought home from work. This was a good tip picked up from a Camino forum. We knew the sticks would have to be checked but since we planned on carrying on our backpacks, this was a great way to transport the knives and other forbidden items as well.
One thing I remember well about that day. My son, an avid poker player who actually makes money doing it both at the Casinos and online, collects poker chips. He came out with a few of his favorites and asked me to pick one to take with me for good luck. I chose a bright pink one and put it inside my travel wallet. I would carry it near my heart the entire time. It was just a touching moment for me.
It was time to go. I threw my pack and my stick in the car and headed over to Karin's house. The journey was about to begin!
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