For these two feet, much thanks

(Shout out to my friends at the KOEB)

I read somewhere recently that you should start walking 5 kms/day (3 & change miles) to get your feet used to all the walking you will do on the Camino. So, this past Sunday, I made myself get up & walk that distance. There is a school nearby that takes up an entire block, & so one lap around it is 1/2 mile. Yesterday, I added an extra lap, & on Sunday, I'll be up to 4 miles. (I can't get to the paper that has that converted into kms because Misty is sitting on it. Cats.)

My body really protested this course of action for about 3 days, but I've noticed that the complaints are subsiding. Since I plan to add 1/2 mile every 3 days, I should be up to 10 miles/day by the time I leave. And yes, I'll be training with my backpack on too.

Speaking of which, I've decided that since I'm taking a walking stick, I might as well check something. I don't want to have the TSA think I'm a terrorist because I have a collapsable Eddie Bauer walking pole on my person. Of course, now I can also take a Swiss Army knife, shampoo, sunscreen, & insect repellent as well, all in the checked bag. I found a cheap duffel bag to put all this stuff in, which I will either mail to my hotel in Madrid or fold up & carry with me. Yes, I made sure I got a duffle bag that folds up quite nicely.

Speaking of my hotel in Madrid, I got the bright idea to look in my Lonely Planet: Madrid for hotel suggestions. After looking up several hotels, to no avail (either no availability or too expensive), I gave it on last try on the Hotel Ateneo in the Puerto Sol district. When I saw the pictures on the website, I thought "No way is this hotel in my price range." I then pretended to make a reservation & almost fell over: a double room for single use? 85 Euro! Then I knew it was too good to be true, so I looked up the hotel on www.tripadvisor.com . It scores a 4 out of 5! The candid pics look great! So, may I introduce the hotel I will stay at in Madrid:
http://www.hotel-ateneo.com/ Look up the reviews on Trip Advisor as well. (Use this forum for your travel needs; I don't book a hotel without checking here first.)

While I'm in Madrid, I think I'll stop by this place on Saturday: http://www.medinamayrit.com/ Take a nice hot "bath" & get a massage to wind down from the Camino. Mmmmmmm. Yes, I'm spoiled.