We found our way to the hotel Casa Etxezuria, a beautiful 19th century Spanish villa in Valcarlos-Luzaide, and were greeted by the owners with the surprising news that our luggage had arrived! 
 
We settled into our room and lounged on the terrace throughout the day, with the beautiful sight of grazing cows in lush meadows and the gorgeous Pyrenees mountains—the boundary between Spain and France—in the far distance. I kept my focus on the elevated ankle and felt the healing of the peaceful, quiet countryside. The whispers of the Camino de Santiago were calling. 
 
That evening, I was able to use the walking sticks for the climb up the steep, long hill to the restaurant. We decided to begin the walk through the Pyrenees on the Camino the following day—albeit me on a sore, bruised and still swollen ankle. I had a fleeting thought I could permanently damage the ankle. Instead, I continued to focus on its healing, calling upon my connection to The Blessed Mother for guidance.
 
After dinner, Tom and I prepared and organized all our belongings for eight days of walking the Camino. We had learned to be efficient from our previous travels and to keep our luggage to a minimum. 
 
The next morning I was ready. I did not have a back-up plan—I just had to take the first step. Period