Back to the... Camino

My next Camino

Last year I went on two longer backpacking trips, one crossing Scotland and one in Michigan, USA. My feet weren't to bad but on both those trips I ended up having back problems, the last one I even had to end prematurely when I woke one morning and could hardly move. It was very difficult to pack my tent and gear. This past winter I've been wondering if backpacking without having to set up and take down my tent every day would make things easier for me. Somehow I have to figure out what causes these problems. So, I started thinking of going back to the camino, where I can stay in an albergue every night.
For a long time I have wanted to visit the South of Spain. Granada with the Alhambra, the Mezquita in Córdoba, Cádiz... there is just so much to see there! Imagine my excitement when I found out about the Camino Mozárabe . There are 3 different starting points, Málaga, Jaen or Almería. Almería passes both Granada and Córdoba, and also is one of the longest Spanish caminos. It starts on the coast almost as far as you can go in the southeast of Spain.
Yes, it is far, close to 1400 kilometers or 870 miles. I recently got 6 cortisone shots, three in each foot, so I'm hoping that will help. But I don't have to walk all the way to Santiago de Compostela, I'll just walk as far as it feels ok. On the other hand, if I do make it to SdC, there's always the option to continue to Fisterra, just another 93 kilometers.

The plan

However, before I start walking there are all these other places I want to visit in Andalucía. In two days I fly to Málaga, where I'll start my speed tour of the south. Five days of early plane/train/bus trips and one day of sight-seeing, sleep and repeat. And after that I probably need to rest before I even start walking the camino!