The Camino journey continues this week...

After 2 days checking out Porto it was time for me to get back to the Camino. I decided to hop ahead via the metro to Vila do Conde as everything between was city walking. I had planned on taking the bus to Rates (37km/22 miles: not sure how much was walking and how much was via the metro - guessing about half) since the marked Camino route does not go directly through Vila do Conde and to catch up with Bobbie. I asked a man about where to catch the bus and he, instead, gave me directions to get to the Camino - I was meant to walk to Rates. This section was all on road surface and I was very glad I took the metro for part of the way. It rained a bit throughout the day but the sun was shining upon my arrival in the early afternoon and gave me time to let my wet gear dry. Another lady from Germany had already arrived and was drying her things as well. Later in the evening 4 more pilgrims arrived - the most I had ever seen at any one time so far. I was a bit sad that I would not catch up to Bobbie and I wished her all the best and I hope she finds what she is looking for on the Camino - Bom Caminho until we meet again, my friend.

The next day was a 25km (15 mile) day and it was a great day for hiking. The sun was out, the temperature was comfortable and I took plenty of breaks along the way. The only downside was the 4km hill I had to climb at the very end to the Tamel albergue. This albergue became busy very quickly as pilgrims made their way up the hill. From this point on I would be lodging with two nurses from Germany (with a few exceptions). Though we would be basically taking the same path, we did not walk together. From Porto on my actual walking would be done solo, which gave me more time to reflect. The albergue was extremely full tonight as a large group of pilgrims from Italy arrived. I also met Hannah here. Hannah is from Finland and is in her late 60's and walks bent over due to an accident in which her back was injured when she was 17. She has walked the Frances route with her sister before but now she is walking solo. It is truly inspirational to see the conditions that various people overcome to make their pilgrimages.

I logged another 25km (15 mile) day the following day and made my way to Ponte de Lima through Barcelos and arrived very early to my destination for the day. In Barcelos I discovered the story as to why the cock (rooster) is the symbol of Portugal and the influence of St. James in Portugal. Since I had arrived early to Ponte de Lime and the albergue would not open until 5:00 p.m., I had time to explore the town for a bit. Ponte de Lima was a great little town! The bridge (Ponte) over the river Lima is an ancient Roman bridge. The street along the river had many mercados (markets) and shops. I was exploring the markets when I ran into Bobbie, apparently she had been having some feet issue and she had walked two short days. As we caught up on our journeys, we explored Ponte de Lima together. Later in the evening we went to dinner and discussed matters of the heart and soul with each other over a bottle of wine. By the time dinner and our conversation was over, Bobbie decided to head to Switzerland to see about a guy she had met on the Frances Camino to see if there was anything more to their relationship than friends (he wanted there to be, she was not sure). So, as quickly as we found each other again, we would each go our separate ways once more. Every night there are more and more pilgrims staying at the albergues and I think the nights of just a few of us are now done.

The path I experienced the next day reminded me of portions of the Appalachian Trail and my sister would have really enjoyed this 19km (11 mile) section. Though it was shorter than other days there were quite a few boulder scrambles that were pretty steep. I pushed through the uphill (running out of water) to beat the rain that started once I hit the descent. Rubiaes was a small town that hosted 2 cafes with one also being the grocery store. The store shelves (along the walls only) were packed with various food items and I was amazed how much different stuff could be stuffed in such a small place. It was good that I, and others, had made our supply purchases that evening as Hannah came in very late and we all offered her something from our bags. The pilgrim life is pretty simple and one that leads to helping other pilgrims in their time of need.

The next day was my final 25km (15m) in Portugal. As I have traveled through this country, I have come to love the pace and passion of it. Though people have told me that the Portuguese are standoffish, I did not find that to be true. Everywhere I went I was greeted and had many conversations. Perhaps it was because I was on the Camino, that I cannot be sure of; however, their interactions with me has made me feel like a friend visiting through their country, not an unwanted tourist. As I passed through Valenca into Tuy I said goodbye to Portugal and hello to Spain and the last 100km(ish) of my pilgrimage. Valenca and Tuy are each on opposite sides of the river that forms the border between Portugal and Spain. They each have great things to explore. The fortress in Valenca is a must see as well as the cathedral in Tuy.  As a special treat to myself I stayed in a hotel and washed up my clothes. My traveler's tip to everyone is that a bidet makes a mighty fine wash tub.

My first day walking in Spain brought new way markers that showed the mileage remaining to Santiago. On one hand it is nice to see how much farther you have the go and on the other it can make the kms drag when you thought you had gone farther than you had. The 23km (14 miles) I walked to Mos were pretty good, though the morning seemed to drag. The straight 3km walk through an industrial area I thought would never end and I was glad to find a cafe for lunch immediately after. I do not find the Spanish as inviting as the Portuguese and I am a bit disappointed. I also have to be aware that shops open later in the morning and close in the early afternoons for siesta and that they close fairly early in the evenings, despite having siesta in the afternoon. Rachel, Katiana (the nurses from Germany) and I went to dinner at the local bar. We had arrived a bit too early (7:00 p.m.) for dinner but had a few drinks until the cook arrived. It was good that we did arrive early as it was the "big" football (soccer) game and the entire town (very small village) turned out to watch the game. It was fun to witness the friendly rivalry between family members and tables as the two teams faced off. This was also the first place I had seen that had Halloween decorations out - what a nice surprise.

Pontevedra was the next day's destination and was a 28km (17 mile) walk. The mornings have been getting colder and today was the first day I had to wear my jacket. I had avoided it as long as I could as I could not fit my cast in the sleeve on my left arm, but was kept sufficiently warm despite being open and just hanging onto my elbow. To my dismay I passed the albergue in Pontevedra and walked an extra 3 or 4km I did not need to. I ran into the German nurses as they arrived and we discussed our day as they did their laundry and I updated my journal. Pontevedra is a fairly industrial town and there was not much to see except the old Roman bridge which I would cross over the next morning. I was very tired from the day's long walk and after dinner with Rachel, Katiana, and Ulga (Russia) I hit the sack.

This week's walking offered a lot of introspection and was an eventful internal week for me.

CAUTION: MEDITATION ZONE
I got into a zone while walking where I was subconsciously counting to 100 with my footsteps over and over. I was not keeping track and I would get lost in thought and not realize that I was even doing it, but every once in a while I would notice that I was counting again (still). I also started to stop and touch each crucero (cross) I passed to give thanks for making it there and releasing everything behind me in the previous section. Along with the subconscious counting mantra, this little ritual became part of my walking meditation.

GHOST FROM THE PAST: CROSSING OVER
My last night in Porto I had a dream about my ex. It always bothers me the next morning when I dream of him as I always think I have dealt with all the issues from that past relationship; however, this dream made me realize that there was one thing I had not resolved internally. During our marriage there was an incident in which he had already removed himself emotionally from our relationship but in which he blamed me for the cause. Of course at the time, being the "good wife", I took the blame. From that point on I felt I was not the woman I should or could be for him. That incident emotionally left me in a perpetual feeling of inadequacy and I too started to withdraw emotionally from our relationship. So, in the dream this incident came up again, however the response changed. I did not take the blame and I pointed out that he had already removed himself emotionally from our relationship and that there was nothing I could do or say to remedy the situation nor bring him back to the road we both once shared - the end was inevitable and I was not inadequate as a person or woman. It is too bad that honesty and clarity could not have prevailed on that day as it would have saved us both a few years and a lot of tears.

After this dream and thinking back to the original incident, I decided it was time to let go of the feelings that I should have been a better wife and done more, that I was in some way inadequate as a person and woman. Now was the time to let go of that past. I know that I have a lot to offer others. I know that I have my strengths and weaknesses. I know that I am worth loving. I know that I can be that special someone to that special someone who will allow me to show my weaknesses and accept them along with my strengths.

PHOTO OP: CLEARER PICTURE OF THE MIND
As the thoughts ebbed and flowed through my mind, surfacing and submerging while I walked along the path there were a few things that came to the forefront of my thoughts. The big decisions I made this week:
1. I will return to the US sooner than I had planned.
2. I will not return to Mississippi to live (I will visit).
3. I will look for a new career working with special events planning and/or organization.
I realize that some of you may be surprised by these decisions and some of you will not. Some of you may be a bit disappointed as well. Know that these decisions are what I feel I need to do and that these decisions bring a clarity to my mind and a peace to my heart. Now to work on my "exit strategy" and to come up with a plan for these decisions while I finish my Camino.

This week I continued my Camino journey...

The next morning I decided that my body had not recovered enough to hike on and I spent an extra day in Santarem. While there I sent a package of items I could live without to lighten my load further and decided to scout the path for tomorrow as I have another 30km day ahead of me. Since my feet were still quite sore I did not do as much exploring of the city as I might normally do and I failed to scout out my route. Santarem is "famous" for having the most Gothic churches in Portugal. I did see a few of them in my wanderings. There were two museums that I would have liked to have seen but they were closed on Monday, one was about time and the other was about the local archeology.

The day after the day of rest I got up early and headed out at 7:00 a.m. sharp as I knew it was going to be another long day to make it to Golega. The weather forecast was for sunny weather and I was not disappointed. The start of the day, however, I did get a bit frustrated as I made my way to the Porto del Sol where the path of the Camino came through. The Porto del Sol is a local historical park area, which I assumed I could explore on my way out of town, but that was not to be done as the park would not open until 9:00 a.m. I asked a local if the Camino went through the park and they indicated it did and that it would not open until 9:00. I sighed and turned around and went to a cafe for a tea and a pastry. I found it unbelievable that they would close of a path that pilgrims needed to take and after my small breakfast I decided to go back and look around a bit more - low and behold there was a path AROUND the park! Deep breath - everything happens for a reason. As I wound my way through the grape draped farmlands a fellow pilgrim came up behind me. He was a tall guy and took big steps; however, he slowed a bit to chat with me "for a while" and I increased my steps to keep up with him. It turned out that we ended up spending the entire day walking and talking together. Even though, I initially thought I had wasted the first hour of the day, it ended up being what I needed. I am not sure how those 30km (18 miles) might have gone without the distraction of a fellow pilgrim. Again, I was sore at the end but I was not miserable like I was two days before.

The next morning, knowing we had a long day ahead of us, we got up early and awoke to a misty morning. My new found friend, Tom (from England), was going to get some coffee and a danish before heading out and I knew he would catch up to me soon and so I set off to find my way out of town. Before I got out of town the mist turned to a soft rain and I stopped to put on my rain gear and the new system to keep my cast dry. As I made my way to the lane that took me out of town Tom caught up to me and we walked together for the remainder of the day. We walked past beautiful quintas, some abandoned and some restored, remarking how great it would be to own one (or more)and to make a pilgrim albergue for this portion of the Camino. As a side note: the reason so many km need to be done each day on this portion of the Camino is that there are no pilgrim hostels (albergues) and one is forced to make it to a town/city with proper lodging. This also makes this portion of the Camino more expensive as the albergues are usually around 5Euros. Further along the path the light rain turned to a downpour. It was at this point that the mostly flat path we had been walking from Lisbon came to an end. We now entered a eucalyptus forest which was full of steep ups and downs on old washed out logging roads. Tom was very patient with me, waiting for me to crest the inclines and giving time and support for the crying bouts that occasionally occurred through the forest. Once through the forest we still had quite a ways to go to make it to Tomar. Tom was a trooper and stayed with me as I sludged through the rain and mud to our destination. We walked 32km (19 miles) today and I was unsure if I could keep up the needed pace to make it to Porto.

At breakfast the next morning I explained to Tom that I could not continue the 30km+ days (6 more in route) and that I would take a rest day in Tomar and either continue on from Tomar or skip ahead. I hoped that I might see him further on, but made my goodbyes in case. I spent a lovely day in Tomar and would recommend anyone walking the Camino to take a zero-day here. Tomar is home to the Convent of Christ, which was originally the base of the Poor Knights of Jesus Christ, formerly known as the Knights of the Order of the Temple, a.k.a Knights Templar. Why this jewel did not get into Dan Brown's The daVinci Code, I will never know. The castle and citadel were beyond amazing! I spent 6 hours wandering through this extensive complex learning about its history (during and after the Knights Templar). I also found many visual references to the Knights Templar throughout the city. As I toured around the city I learned that there is also a huge feast festival, Festa dos Tabuleiro (Festival of Trays), that is held every 4 years, with last year being the most recent. During this festival the citizens compete for the best decorated streets, which they adorn with flower garlands and the pictures I saw were beautiful. During the final day of the festival, ladies parade through the street with these huge tray-hats on their heads that hold 30 loaves of bread, corn, decorative flowers, and topped with a crown. More information about the festival can be found here. I would like to return to witness this festival in the future - 2015 is the next one. This afternoon I met Ann, from England, a travel writer, who has been visiting the city. We enjoyed a dinner out and had lovely conversation. Though I did quite a bit of walking today, it was a relaxing day and Tomar was definitely a jewel.

See Tomar pictures here.

I had decided during my tour on the previous day that I would skip ahead to Porto so that I would not have the extremely long days and to help on my budget as spending the extra days in cities to rest was quickly becoming expensive. The train ride to Porto was pretty uneventful and I decided to take a couple of days to explore the large city before getting back to the Camino.

I took two days to explore the historic city of Porto. Porto is most famous for port wine and has quite a few cellars and tours you can take as well as a museum all about port. This is another city I caught the hop-on-hop-off bus as Porto is a sprawling city. I stopped by the cathedral to get my sello (stamp) for my pilgrim credencial and I found a Camino shell that I have been looking for since Lisbon. The shell is a large scallop with the symbol of Santiago's sword on it. This shell indicates to others that one is on a pilgrimage on the Camino to Santiago. I was hoping to finding one while I was in Lisbon but I could not find one in any of the religious or tourist shops I scoured. Along the path I would check into the religious shops but not find any of the shells, but had been unsuccessful in my search. Therefore, I was very surprised as I walked by a shop near my hostel and they were being displayed in the front window! To learn more about the Camino, the symbols and the pilgrimage you can read here. I also meet Bobbie, from Arizona, at my hostel. Bobbie had already completed the Frances route of the Camino and had time left over so she came to Porto to do the Portugesa route. We enjoyed dinner together and chatted about our pilgrim experience to this point. She will head out the day before I do, and we talked about possibly meeting up again later on the trail. Other sights I enjoyed in Porto was the Tram Museum, St. Francis Cathedral and museum, Clergio Tower, and a street market. My last night in Porto I ended up playing tour guide to Ty, a girl from Korea, and a couple, Alex & Joe from Canada. I find it funny that almost everywhere I go people ask me for directions, or I become an unofficial guide of the area.

See Porto pictures here.

Though I was a bit disappointed for not pushing through the 30km+ days and I actually only hiked 2 days this week, I really am glad that I decided to jump ahead to Porto. I was not enjoying those long days and I feel if I had tried to continue that I would have become frustrated and given up all together. I look forward to the shorter days and cheaper lodgings. 

I traveled from the Netherlands to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Lisbon is one of my favorite cities and has some great sights to see. Since I had been to Lisbon previously, I planned to enjoy a day out to Sintra. If you have never journeyed to Lisbon, I would put down on your "don't miss list" the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (tile museum), the Museu de Marioneta (puppet museum) and the Casa de Fado. I still have not seen the Museu Nacional dos Coches (coach museum) as the first time I went there was not sufficient time and this time it was closed, but it is still on my list. Of course any visit to Lisbon would not be complete without a tour of Belem.

I made Lisbon my home for a couple of days, intending to get some starter walks in for the Camino and to see some of the sights I had previously missed. Some of you may be wondering exactly what this Camino thing is. The Camino de Santiago de Compestela (St. James Way) is a bunch of pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compestela in Spain. There are many routes that one can take to the cathedral that houses the remains of St. James. The most famous/popular is the French Route. If any of you have seen The Way, that is along the French Route. If you have not seen the movie, it is worth the price to rent it or watch it on Netflix. The route I will be hiking is the Portuguesa Route and I plan to walk from Lisbon to Santiago in 3 - 4 weeks. People jump on a pilgrimage for as many reasons as there are people on the route. I met one man that had been walking different routes since July, when his 3rd divorce was finalized, another man that walked every year as a type of emotional, physical and spiritual detox, I met two girls who were seeking a closer relationship to God, another lady was walking as a memorial to her sister. Me? I wanted to get a clear picture of what I should be doing for the next part of my year long journey.

My first full day in Lisbon I found my way to the Se Cathedral. This is the starting point for the Camino from Lisbon and I got my first stamp on my Pilgrim's Credentials. This first day of following the yellow spray painted arrows was a bit nerve wracking. I quickly lost the arrows due to construction and made my way towards the tile museum, which was noted as being along the path, when I found them again. I tried to follow the arrows the best I could through Lisbon to the park with the aquarium but lost them somewhere along the way. Since I knew where I was to head, I stopped at the aquarium and enjoyed the sea life and learned more about sea turtles at the special exhibit. From the aquarium I walked along the river walk towards my destination of Sacavem to knock off the first 11km (6 miles) of the Camino. I made it to Sacavem and did not notice that I had passed right by the train station, luckily, a kind old man gave me a ride. Too bad I had to redo those 2km in the next portion of my hike. (As a side note to the markers, I later learned that though the markers may not be very often, they were always marked whenever a turn off from the path you are on was made - had I known this, I might not have been quite as stressed the first day).

Lisbon Photos

My second day in Lisbon, I had planned on going to Sintra; unfortunately, this was the morning that I slipped on the tile sidewalks and broke my wrist. I made my first ever foreign ER visit and though there was some waiting, overall I was pleased with the service. In total time I was in and out within 2 hours, that included waiting, 2 x-rays and my cast. After my ordeal, I was not really up to doing much and made my way back to the hostel where I met a fellow who had walked 2 of the routes of the Camino. He and I spoke for quite a while and he encouraged me to carry on with the hike as I had been a bit discouraged about the markers and the missed station the day before. I vowed to just take it one day at a time and decided that I would head back to Sacavem the next day.

The next morning I took the train to Sacavem and headed to the bridge I knew I had to cross (again) and ran into a fellow pilgrim who was headed to Fatima (blue arrows), which follows the Camino until Santarem. Angel was his name, and he was my angel for a few days. Angel is from Espana (Spain) and knew very little English so we spoke a lot by hand gestures and drawings. This is the man that has been walking since his divorce in July. I am not sure if it is because I am a woman or because I had a cast on my arm, but Angel (and others later on) seemed to feel that he should look after me and we walked together. Since he is a "veteran" to the way of life on the Camino, it was comforting to watch how he found our lodgings for the night and it was nice to have a pal to have dinner with. This first full day was a 27km (16 miles) day to Vila Franca de Xira, my feet hurt and I was exhausted.

The second full day of the hike was mainly on road surfaces and was a 20km (12 miles) day to Azambuja. I had left before Angel, knowing he would catch up to me, which he did, and we walked the remainder of the day together. The last 3km of today's hike was extremely difficult as my feet were still sore from the previous day and I found myself doubtful that I could keep up the pace I would need to for the next sections. Azambuja was a very homey little town. It was a Saturday night and there was live music in the park, which many families came to enjoy. It was a wonderful evening of dancing and laughing in which the locals made me feel a part of their community.

The next morning I got an early start as it was my first 30km+ (18+ miles) day. On my way out of town I saw Angel eating breakfast in a cafe, thinking I would see him later as he passed me, I waved to him through the window and headed out. The morning walk was beautiful, the fog was rising through the hills and a lot of the walk was on old Roman roads along the river. Today was the first day of rain - luckily it was only for a short while (1.5 hours) and I realized that I was not totally prepared for the rain and my cast - I would have to think of another strategy later on. Not realizing it was Sunday, I thought I would be able to find a cafe for lunch in the small towns I would pass through today - I thought wrong. I was glad I had some nuts, dried fruit, and cereal bars, but if I had known, I would have planned a bit better. I met a girl from the Netherlands today as well - she and I leapfrogged for most of the afternoon. In a way it was good that we were doing this as the afternoon turned into a very hot, long, afternoon and we each had our little "breakdowns" on the path and we encouraged each other to make it to our final destination of Santarem. Neither of us thought we would ever make it through the grape and corn fields - we both even ran out of water. We were miserable and the last 4km of the 32km (19 miles) for the day was all uphill. Once I made it to town, it took me another hour or so to find the pension I was planning on staying for the night. My entire body hurt and I was unsure if I could do another day like this as it was physically and mentally demanding. I decided I would wait until the morning to make any decisions. I also never saw Angel today and this is the town in which our paths will split. I hope he finds what he needs to complete his journey.

So far on my Camino I have not had as much reflection time to clear the cobwebs as I had hoped. There were a few times in the past three days that I did get into a meditative state of mind, I just hope it becomes more regular as it makes the miles go by quicker and my mind clearer. I did get to reflect a bit on my life fulfillment meter and I wondered if there is a different career path I could take that would intrigue and stimulate me on a more constant basis. If so, what would that be? And why don't I just know what it is? Shouldn't everyone know what they want to be when they grow up? I wonder why have I never been able to pin-point that in my life. More cobweb clearing will be needed.

Quick update: I slipped and fell and broke my left arm while I was in Lisbon. Nothing serious, should be all better in 4 weeks and I can remove the cast myself. Note to all: if in Lisbon and it rains, walk in the streets and not on the sidewalks. That is all.

Just the little sliver if bone an the right side on the end of the ulna.

This will not impact my walk much. Though it makes packing my pack and donning my bra a bit difficult. :-)

Still in the Netherlands, the land of bikes and giants (ok just a lot of tall people), my adventures this week took me to De Hoge Veluwe. I took the bus to this Dutch National Park and asked the driver which stop I needed to get off at and he said Otterloo. As we got closer to Otterloo I was surprised when I saw 4 stops listed. One of the stops displayed Kantor De Hoge Veluwe and so I figured that was the center. What it turned out to be was the main office - oops. I strolled through the parking lot making my way to the building and ran into a gentleman doing the same from his car. I asked him if this was the main center and he explained it was the office but perhaps they could help me. It turned out that he was actually from the US and had moved to the Netherlands 20 years ago and he teaches English. So, he escorts me to the main lobby and I meet another very nice man who immediately takes control of my situation. He tells me that they will let me into the park free of charge since they cannot take money at this location. He also goes to the back and brings me a bunch of literature about the park, all in English. He shows me where to go on the map and where to get one of the white bikes (fiets) to enjoy the park. I thank him for all of his help and learn from the English instructor that the guy was the President/Director and we all have a laugh about me being an actress testing their English language skills.

I found the bikes and pick one out. There are 30km or so of paved bike trails throughout the park. It was a great way to enjoy a large portion of the park as there is just no way you could walk all around in a day. You can drive or ride horseback around/through the park as well, but the free bikes are the best!

There are two awesome museums in the park. One is the Kroller-Muller art museum, with a huge collection of Vincent van Gogh artwork and a large sculpture garden, and the other is the Museonder underground museum. The hunting lodge was closed for renovations when I was there and wished I could have had a chance to see it.

The landscape throughout the park is varied. You can see sand drift, heathland, peat bogs and dense woods. Boar, deer, squirrel, badger, fox, sheep and more are in the area. I did see a deer and quite a few birds.

This week I also went to the NEMO museum in Amsterdam. Luck was still with me as it was Science & Industry Weekend and there was no admission. This science museum is a hands on experience and loads of fun with loads of information. I also made my way to the Anne Frank house, but there were too many people, so opted not to explore. Other things I would highly recommend, which I have seen on a previous trip, are the Rijksmuseum and the van Gogh museum.

For the next 4 - 6 weeks I will be walking El Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela and making my way back to the Netherlands. I will not be taking my keyboard along with me and therefore I will not be posting large blog updates during that time. I do however have some of my favorite stories you can read in that period of time. Please browse through the following list and pick one or two that you would like to do or introduce your significant other/kids to. If you have read/seen/done these things already, pick one (or more) to do again.

Book Series:
- Apprentice Adept (7) - Piers Anthony
- Incarnations of Immortality (8) - Piers Anthony
- Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit (3/4) - J. R. R. Tolken (if you read The Hobbit, read it first)
- Harry Potter (7) - J. K. Rawlings
- Chronicles of Narnia (7) - C. S. Lewis (great one to read to kids)
- Jurrasic Park (2) - Michael Crichton
- Ghattis Tales (3) - Gayle Greene
- Egyptian (River God, etc.) (4) - Wilbur Smith
- Hitchhikers Guide (3) - Douglas Adams
- Hannibal Lecter (3) - Thomas Harris
- Tears of Artamon (3) - Sarah Ash
- Kingkiller Chronicles (2 so far) - Patrick Rothfuss

If you read any of this series for the first time:
1. What did you like about the series?
2. What did you wish was different about the series?
3. What would have made the series better?
4. How did you feel after reading the books?
5. Had you heard of the books/author before?
6. Did the series get better as it went along?
7. Would you recommend the series to another?
8. What series would you recommend?

If you read a series for the second time:
1. Was it how you remembered it?
2. Were there things you noticed this time that you didn't the last?
3. How have you changed since the last reading? Did this affect your perspective?
4. Were you bored reading it a second (or more) time?
5. Was the experience better, worse, or about the same?
6. What series would you recommend?

Books vs. movies:
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- Into Thin Air
- Wizard of Oz
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- Harry Potter
- The Narnia Series (so far)
- Jurrasic Park Series
- Hitchhikers Guide
- Hannibal Lecter

Immediately after reading the book, watch the corresponding movie.
1. Did you wish there was something in the movie that was in the book?
2. Did you notice details that were different that you didn't notice previously?
3. Did the movie change or add something? Was it for the better?
4. Did you experience the same feeling from the movie as you did the book?
5. Was there something that was done better in the movie than in the book?
6. Did the movie to justice to the book?
7. Have you ever experienced a movie that was better than its book?
8. What book/movie comparison would you recommend?

TV Series (for extra fun):
- Arrested Development
- Firefly (and the movie Serenity afterwards)
- Battlestar Galactica (old/new/vs)
- Futurama

I look forward to reading your "reviews" and to the list of new books to read! Bom Camino!