The trip is not over

Dear readers,

The last time I worked on a blog post for several days, and was finally close to publishing it, and all of a sudden, it disappeared into cyberspace. So I am not doing the blog anymore, check me out on Facebook. It is much simpler. We are in Florence now, heading to Bolzano and Venice next. We decided to take advantage of the full 90 days that the EU will allow us. Signing off for now,
Jessica

Sierra Nevada National Park

So I keep thinking that I will write blogposts on a rainy day. But we really have not had very many of those.  I can count them on one hand. We had a rainy day in Granada, and we were lucky that our AirBNB was right in the middle of the old city and tourist district. We had 5 restaurants on our block! But the rain always affects our moods, and we also discovered that we could not get tickets to the Alhambra. They are sold out till the end of November. This is the high season for visiting the Alhambra. I had no idea. We managed to sneak in the back gate of the gardens, and tour the grounds, but could not get into the palace. It will be a good excuse to come back.

Of course, we had to see some Flamenco there, and saw the best male Flamenco dancer so far. I will not get into the debate of where Flamenco originated. All three cities, Sevilla, Granada, and Cordoba, claim to be the birthplace of Flamenco, but it is an art that came from the gypsies in Spain, and they move around a lot.

Resting tired feet in the river during a trailside lunch.

We also explored the Sierra Nevada National Park, and took a long hike. We met a German family on the trail, and they took some good pictures. We were too busy and scared just getting home on this trail. It ended up being a little more challenging than we expected. A wonderful adventure though.

One of five hanging bridges on the hike.

David is about 8 feet above this rushing river. Can you see the handles they put into the rock?

Andalucia

Traveling with a partner is always an experience. In this case, David and I are learning how to be retired together. We are entering a new phase of our relationship, where we are together most of the time. We are letting go of the stress that we had when we were working. Amazingly enough, we are communicating with each other even better than we did in the past.

The rhythm of our days is relaxed, but we still have chores and errands, even as tourists. In the last two weeks, we have been to five different cities: Faro, Sevilla, Gibraltar, Cordoba, and Granada. In each new town, first we have to find our Airbnb, usually in a residential part of town. Then we find the tourist office and get a map, so we do not depend on google maps in my phone all the time for our explorations. Next comes the grocery store. Sometimes it is not easy to find one, and sometimes it is a small convenience grocery. But it is always an experience. The airbnb kitchens are pretty basic, but they usually have olive oil and salt. So I have been carrying vinegar and pepper from town to town in my pack. We usually cook one or two meals at home in a town, just to save money. It can be a little challenging to buy just the right amount of food to use in three or four days. Coffee usually gets carried to the next town.

Laundry is another chore. Because we are only carrying backpacks for our three months on the road, we have to do laundry about every 5 days. Some of our airbnbs have washing machines, but usually we wash it by hand. They never have dryers, but most of them have drying racks. The apartment in Granada has been a little challenging. It has been raining yesterday and today, so the balcony won't work. I washed the laundry in the bidet. Then David erected a line in the bathroom from the shower rod which fell down, now the line is in the living room.

My (David's) reaction to the clothesline falling down in the bathroom...

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Now that I have shown you the boring details of being on tour, I can move on to some highlights. Sevilla was the place that we learned about Flamenco. We went to Flamenco shows three nights in a row! You may have seen some videos I posted on Facebook. We loved it. Sevilla claims that they are the birthplace of Flamenco, but so do Cordoba and Granada. Of course, Granada has had gypsies living in the nearby caves for centuries, and this art form definitely had gypsy origins. There are several things I realized about it. First of all, it is not just dancing. You need a guitarist and a singer, as well. Second, the rhythm is important, and exhibited by clapping and the guitar, as well as the shoes on the wooden stage. Third, it is not always happy, it is usually expressing some angst and sadness. Most of the venues are small and intimate. Here in Granada, some of them are in the caves. Check out this video of a local troupe:
https://youtu.be/H26Z1MyZjQs

This group was our favorite, the last night in Seville,  Tablao Flamenco Pura Esencia

Sevilla was also the city of grand monuments. We visited Las Setas, so called because it looked like mushrooms. It was on the site of Roman ruins, still on view in the ground floor. It is the product of an architect competition, won by Jurgen Mayer from Berlin. It is a large wooden structure, supported by steel, truly amazing. It offers wonderful views of the city in 360 degrees, from the walkways on the fourth level. It was significant for us, because usually we are looking for the old stuff.

Next stop was Gibraltar. David really wanted to go there because of the physician Stephen Maturin in the Patrick O'Brian books. The border between Spain and Gibraltar is still maintained carefully, so that you take a bus to the last Spanish town and then walk over the border. It is slightly unreal to walk into a British enclave after being in Spain all this time. We got lost trying to find our Airbnb, and a random stranger heard us talking outside her house, and came to help us. I just have to put in a comment about the random kindness of strangers. It is amazing how many times it has helped us. People are kind, and go out of their way to help us. Like the lady who gave us two Euros to go in the pay toilet (really?) Or the lady who got a tissue out of her purse because there was no toilet paper in the public restroom. Or the tourist information folks that give us all kinds of hints. Or Napoleon in Salema Beach who cleaned our fish, gave us advice, and translated for our landlady. Or the Airbnb host that bought a new cafeterra to put on the stove because we did not like the Nescafe coffee pot.

Our place in Gibraltar was close to the Nature Reserve on the Upper Rock, so we had two days of hiking through it. Both days involved lots of steps, but the Mediterranean steps on the steep side of the rock were a little scary.

Steps up the Charles V wall, guarded by Macaque Ape, but pretty harmless

On the Mediterranean steps- This section had a wall on the side. We did not take pictures on the scary section where there was no wall.

The little specks in the water are ships far below.

Cordoba was surprising in the patios (courtyards) we found. They were having a festival of floral displays, so many of the patios were open without entrance fees. They also had a competition to decide which floral artists could exhibit. And of course, we had to see more Flamenco to compare Cordoba to Sevilla.

Palacio Viana

Cotton as a flower in Andalucia

The cotton tornado

Flamenco in Cordoba (note the bored guests)

Time for bed. I will continue with Andalucia in my next post. We are in Granada tonight. Hiking in the Sierra Nevada tomorrow. Life is full, with many kind strangers along the way.

Portugal

Wow, it has been quite a while since I posted. I guess being a tourist keeps me pretty busy. I am also the travel agent, and that involves some online work. However, all the places we have stayed have good internet, so I cannot claim that I am out of touch. It just takes me a while to process all that we are doing, and I am learning how to truly relax. Sitting at a computer reminds me too much of work.

After four days of relaxing in Santiago de Compostela, hiding from the rain, cooking, taking small walks around town to eat tapas and shop for groceries, we left Spain to join our friends Greg and Wendy in Portugal. We took a bus, and then a train to Peso de Regua in the Douro Valley of Portugal. This is where most of the grapes come from in Portugal, especially in Port wine.

It is always fun to meet up with people you know and love when you have been away in a foreign country. We had a great time sharing entrees and tapas together with Wendy and Greg. We had one of my favorite meals in a place that had 6 tables. They had only one seating a night, and the menu was written by hand in a small notebook.

If it looks like all we do is eat, let me just say that it is an important thing. Thank goodness for the translations. It was really fun to eat in a foursome, because we ordered several dishes and shared them all. The owner of the Tasca da Quinta also explained why he had two grades of olive oil, and gave us each a small bottle of the best olive oil. I am still carrying it in my backpack from place to place, since we are cooking with it! Portugal uses most of their olives for olive oil. They also produce over 50% of the world's cork, so of course, David had to get a cork hat.



After a trip to the top of the mountains, we visited a small winery, and also took a sail down the Douro River, which showed us the vineyards that produce Port.

The next day we headed to the Algarve in Southern Portugal, with Greg driving a rental car. The weather in the Algarve was perfect, and we rewarded ourselves with a fantastic seafood dinner overlooking the ocean. The next day we went on a long hike down the coast, then drove to the southwestern-most point of Europe, Cabo de San Vicente, to watch the sunset. It was too chilly for comfort, and we were hungry, so we vowed to come back the next night, which we did, with snacks, wine, and warm clothes. Some of the scenes:

On the rooftop deck of our "cottage"

At Cabo de San Vicente

Our cottage across from the beach

David grilled a fresh fish in this typical grill one night

On our roftop deck

the walk down Salema Beach

After Wendy and Greg left for the US,  David and I had three more days at the beach. The weather was perfect for lounging on the beach. We did another coastal hike along the cliffs. There was also a fishmonger who drove into the village at 9:00 am tooting his horn. We bought his fresh fish twice while we were there. We ate some amazing seafood in this town, but the last night I had a hankering for pizza, with a view of the beach. It was hard to leave the Algarve, but it was time to get back to Spain.

Does anyone remember the time David's chair fell over at Douthat?  

On a beach walk, town of Salema in the background

El Camino de Santiago

There is no rule that says a travel blog has to be chronological. We spent several more days in Barcelona, and I may post some pictures of that period later. But today, I must talk about the Camino.  We are now in Santiago de Compostela, which is the end point of the Camino, where the bones of St. James are stored. We are very pleased with ourselves because we hiked on the Camino for 7 days, covering 100 kilometers, or 60 miles. It was a pleasant way to spend a week.  Even though we are happily relaxing in our own little AirBNB apartment, we realize we miss the physical exertion, and the sense of purpose that began every day.

So on September 18th, we left Barcelona and flew to Santiago. Santiago has a population of 96,000, that is swelled by the hundreds of pilgrims that arrive every day. It is a quaint old town, with narrow streets, and many restaurants. There are many churches, so even though the Cathedral is under restoration, and holding Masses, there are churches all over the city where they have Masses for the Pilgrims, in various languages.

After a night here in a small hotel, we walked across town with our packs to the bus station, and took a bus to Ponferrada. Our original plan was to bus to Sarria, and hike the last 100 kilometers of the Camino, back to Santiago. But our first night here, we encountered two different people that told us it was too crowded, and would not give us a good impression of the Camino. Evidently, you can get a certificate of completing the Camino (and thereby have your sins forgiven), by walking the last 100 km, and many people do that.

There is a saying on the Camino, "Everyone walks their own Camino." So there are tour companies that line up hotels for every stop along the way.  There are also public "albergues" or hostels in many small villages. Some pilgrims walk until they are tired, with their pack on their back, and trust that the albergue will have a bed for them. David and I decided that we loved the idea of someone transporting our packs to the next hostel, but that meant we had to decide the night before where we were staying the next night. We also decided that 15 km, or a bit less than 10 miles, was a good day's walk for us, since we had already walked a couple of 12 or 13 mile hikes at Douthat State Park in August. Early on, while we were planning the trip, we decided to stay in the albergues, instead of hotels.

Every albergue was different. We stayed in two public albergues, one in a monastery that had over 50 beds in one huge room (fortunately only 20 people stayed that night), and a municipal albergue that had 12 beds to a room. They all had showers. One night we stayed in an albergue that had private rooms, so I could get a good night's sleep. Even with earplugs, the snoring could wake me up in the communal rooms. Some had kitchens for people to cook in, but we always went to a restaurant for dinner. They offered a pilgrim's meal, three courses plus a bottle of wine, for ten euros. Usually there was a choice of entree, but sometimes not. Our favorite experiences were in the small towns.

I was happy that I knew a bit of Spanish, but many shopkeepers and servers knew enough English to take care of our needs. Many of our fellow pilgrims also spoke some English. Our fellow hikers were French, British, Australian, German, Austrian, Belgian, Japanese, Irish, Ukrainian, Polish, and American. Many were doing the whole 700 mile trek, and many were doing it for the second time. Some were like us, and just doing it for a period of time. The ages ranged from 17 to mid-seventies.

Walking up and down hills, sometimes on a path next to a road, but usually through woods or vineyards, gave me a lot of time to think. We also sang and talked. I was very glad to have a companion at my side. I thought a lot about what retirement will mean for me, what makes me feel good about myself, and what I want to focus on right now. I want to be kind, have more patience, and show forgiveness. I want to also do those things with myself. I want to let people live in all the various ways that they do, and not judge them. I want to allow everyone to walk their own Camino.

Some highlights, day by day.

Ponferrada:

Templar Knights 

Castle

One of the Camino signs at the beginning of our hike. We never got lost. There were Camino signs at every fork. Sometimes we would wonder if we were on the right path going through a town, and then we would see a scallop shell or a yellow arrow painted on a wall or the road to guide us.

La Siesta was the smoothie trailer that we encountered next to the stream, in the woods near Cacabelos. And he had vegan food!!

Before we left Santiago for Ponferrada, we loaded up for lunch at the market. I had two packs on for the bus trip.

David enjoying an end of the hike beer at our albergue in Cacabelos.

Day 2 of the hike:

Just one of many churches we saw in the countryside. Notice that they have to climb stairs to a porch to ring the bells. There were also very small chapels as well, on the side of the Camino.

We walked through vineyards of ripe grapes all day, and one of the grape pickers offered us each a bunch of grapes to eat. They were really sweet!

I do not have any pictures of Pereje, one of our favorite villages. They had a municipal albergue there, one restaurant, and maybe 10 houses. It started raining that afternoon, so that restaurant was very busy, but we had our first pilgrim meal there: A pitcher of wine, lentil soup, trout, french fries and salad, and flan for 10 euros. The same waiter took care of everyone all afternoon and evening, and also served the coffee and Santiago cake the next morning.

Dairy cows in Las Herrerias. They all wear bells, and we heard them all day long, but fortunately not at night. We got a private room in an albergue here, so we got a good night's sleep without the snoring of other folks. We were still on the path by 9:00 am.

Here is the beginning of the climb to O Cebreiro, a 600 meter climb in 8 km. We were so tired when we got there, we forgot to take pictures. It is a really old medieval town, that has a couple of old thatched structures. Many tour buses drive up there, and several tourists took pictures of us because we looked like real pilgrims!

Breakfast cafe where I started drinking cafe con leche!

This was our only day of really vile weather, as our British friends called it. We stayed in an albergue the previous night that did not have a restaurant in the same village. So breakfast was a 3 km hike away. It was raining hard, and windy. So we took a taxi to the next town to get our breakfast. By the time we had coffee and toast with butter and jam, we were ready to brave the weather. My hat did not keep the rain off my glasses, so eventually I hiked without my glasses. Fortunately, it was a wide clear path. When we were really soaking wet and miserable, we stopped at a cafe for coffee and sandwiches. We stayed there over an hour, till our pants were dry. By the time we left, the rain was mostly gone.

Day 5 -This region had so much slate, they used it on porches, fences, and roofs. Notice the yellow arrow painted on the stone wall.

The path followed a river or a stream most days. Here is an old sluice gate and old mill.

Our first view of the monastery at Samos, where we spent the night.

One of the inner courtyards of the monastery, which we toured. Only 8 monks live in this monastery from the 12th century in 11,000 square meters. At least they have an albergue in part of it, and a mass for pilgrims every evening. Much of it was destroyed by a fire in 1951 which started in their distillery. It has been completely restored.

David giving me a foot massage in Sarria, on the terrace of the albergue

Arriving in Santiago

In Santiago for three days of relaxation 

Happily receiving a foot massage, on the last day of the hike