Packing and last minute items

I've mentioned to a few people that I'll be going on El Camino de Santiago.  Their first response is typically, "You're not taking your kids are you?" to which I reply "That's the plan."  It's not your typical trip, but I'm sure that is what Gisela, my wife, was thinking when she picked this adventure.

So, on Sunday, we fly from Santa Barbara to SFO to FRA to CDG (Paris) and to spend a few days of sight seeing and getting adjusted to the time change.  From Paris, we will drive to Lourdes for a night and then make our way to Pamplona to start or Camino.  We have scheduled roughly 22 to 23 days of walking, but that can easily change.  Our plans are completely flexible other than the first four days and our last night in Lisbon.

We have decided to skip hiking over the Pyrenees as I don't want a mutiny on the first day.  Our first official act of the trip was to get our first stamp in our Credencial del Peregrino at the Santa Barbara Mission.  I'll try to post pictures and thoughts along the way, but I'm more of a numbers person than a writer, so my apologies in advance.

Everyone seems to have a reason to walk El Camino, such as death of a loved one, divorce or other major life event that requires much thought and reflection.  For me, I'd like to give my wife and children a memorable month together with the single goal of making it to the next night's stay, and little by little, make our way across Spain.  El Camino is a pilgrimage which I'm still trying to define in my terms.  Once we start, I'll have a better idea of what this means.