I left my daughter's on Tuesday and headed to Council Grove, KS to see the museums and historical sites (23) in this small Kansas town. Boy was I disappointed when nothing was open on Tuesday. I drove around town and saw the sites that were accessable and then made my way towards Topeka via the Skyline Mill Creek Scenic Route (which is old hwy K10). While in Topeka I tried to catch up with my friend but it just didn't happen. Hopefully the next time I come through we can get together. Since I had no luck reaching/finding her, I went on down the road and stopped in Atchison, KS for the night. As I arrived into town I stopped at the Santa Fe Depot (Visitor's Center & Museum) and found out a lot of information about the railroad and its importance to the town of Atchison.

After spending the night, I explored this little historic town. Many of the places were closed but the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum was open for business. The house was built by AE's grandfather in 1861 (original portion) and she grew up in the house. AE was a woman of spirit and a true adventurer. I also realized that she and my youngest son share a birthday. There are many wonderful historic homes to see in this town and if you happen to be going in that direction, it is well worth the time to explore.

While at the AE Museum, I met a couple from St. Joseph, MO. Since I was heading that direction, I asked them what, if anything, I should stop and see in St. Jo, or just pass it by. They recommended that I go to the Pony Express Museum and the Patee House Museum. The Patee was closed (only open on weekends during the winter) but you can take a picture of the place Jesse James was shot and killed, just behind the Patee House. Down the street from there is the Pony Express Museum. This museum is great and gives not only the history of the short lived Pony Express, but also information about frontier life. I didn't realize that the Pony Express only ran for 18 months before the transcontinental telegraph line was completed. There is a lot more you can see in St. Jo (Glore Psychiatric Museum sounded interesting), but since I had purchased a Route 36 CD, I was itchin' to get on the road to see what other things I could find along the way to Hannibal, MO.

Along Route 36 in Missouri one can find the town where sliced bread was invented, the childhood town of Walt Disney, a covered bridge and a giant flying goose (among some other facinating trivia). The CD, which I purchased for $6.00 was a wealth of information of historic areas one can travel too off of Route 36. At the end of my days journey I arrived at Hannibal and tucked in at a hotel that overlooked the Mississippi River.

Hannibal, MO is the home town of Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain. Even in winter, this historic town has enough to do to fill an entire day. I explored the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, which included the homes and information about the people that inspired stories we all love to read. I even got a personalized tour of the cave that Tom and Becky got lost in. After I got my fill of Mark Twain I went to the birthplace of the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown (closed for the winter) and drove around Hannibal to see the wonderful houses and imagine life as it might have been during its hayday. Since my day was filled with Hannibal attractions, I spent another night along the mighty Mississip.

I woke up early and headed out of Hannibal along the Great River Road towards St Louis. Though a bit windy, this road was awesome and offered some wonderful views of the Mississippi as well as some great little towns along the way. I stopped in Clarksville to see the glassworks, but since they had so many kids coming that day (Eagle watching weekend) I did not get to view the artisians at work. I did however, explore the little town and found some wonderful shops. Once I made it to St. Louis, I stopped to see the Gateway Arch and get a Hard Rock pin for my collection. As many times as I had been through St. Louis (many, many, many), I had never taken the time to stop at the arch. I was glad I finally got to stop at this American icon. From the Arch, I jumped back on the road and caught the Great River Road in Illinoise (just across the river from St. Louis) and continued this wonderful, scenic journey following the Mississippi River. Driving along, enjoying the trip, I saw a sign that indicated the home of Popeye is ahead. Sounding intersting, I took a side trip into the little town of Chester, IL. Chester is where the cartoonist, Elzie Crisler Segar, was born and raised and where he got the inspiration for his characters of the famous cartoon family (as a side note for my comic friends - Metropolis, IL is where Superman was inspired). After stopping at the Spinach Can (museum & collectibles) I drove around Chester taking pictures of the various character statues. Chester was a great find along the way. If you happen to be in that area the weekend after Labor Day there is an annual Popeye's Picnic (3-day) event that sounds too good to miss! In the later afternoon I made my way to Cairo, IL and found a place to stop for the night.

After driving around Cairo and checking out the famous houses and places there, I crossed the Ohio River (convergence of the Ohio into the Mississippi) and entered the Bluegrass state of Kentucky. I stopped to take a few pictures at the site of Fort Jefferson which overlooks the Mississippi and now has a memorial cross there. My next intended stop at the Wickliffe Mounds was closed, so I kept on trucking into Tennessee. After I passed through Jackson, TN I found out that there was a Casey Jones Museum and I was a bit bummed that I had unknowingly passed it by. I found this out while I was at the Pinson Mounds outside of Jackson. The mound complex was large and I made the suggestion that the museum rent out bikes for those that don't want to walk 5 miles to see the entire complex. After eating my lunch I continued my southerly path into the northeastern corner of Mississippi and headed east into Alabama. I stopped at the AL Music Hall of Fame; however, it too was closed and so I found a room for the night in nearby Tuscumbia.

I knew not much would be open on Sunday and took a scenic route through the Appalachian Mountains in AL and made my way to Phenix City. Fort Mitchell was open and since I had arrived in the mid afternoon I took my time learning about the history of the area and more information about the Federal Road (had learned quite a bit from the volunteer at the Locust Stand on the Natchez Trace).

This week has been full of discovery in history and in the project I have been working on for the last year. The project had basically stalled and I was not sure which direction I was going to take with it and I had thought perhaps it had fizzled out. I struggled with how I wanted to approach it and how I wanted it to progress and could never get a real clear picture of exactly how it was to evolve. This week I gained much clarity and I have started to take detailed notes and putting things together. There are times I find I have to stop and write things down, least I forget them later - I now always keep my notebook on hand. I hope this momentum continues so that I can share it with you all soon.

First, I apologize that I did not take any pictures with my ipod and have none to post for the 2nd weeks journey and you will have to wait to see the pictures I took with my camera later.

Secondly, I am a bit frustrated with Weebly as I had written most of this post and it crashed and everything was lost. But hopefully this new post, with a different direction, will be better. :-)

After the very enjoyable weekend of visiting with friends and family, I left Jackson and headed in a general westerly direction toward my final destination of the Grand Canyon. Along the way I will stop at as many historical markers and sites as I could stand and continued to stay off the interstates as much as possible.

I started from Jackson towards Louisiana via the Natchez Trace Parkway. This beautiful drive actually runs all the way from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. I have traveled this road many times while I lived in MS but never grow tired of this relaxing scenic drive. Even though I have stopped at all the markers and sites on the parkway before, I stopped again to refresh my memory. At the Locust Stand I received a personalized tour from a volunteer (I was the only person braving the cool rainy morning). I did not stop in Natchez itself as I have toured the town and some of the many antebellum houses, but definitely recommend taking time to explore if you have never been.

From Natchez I drove across Louisiana, again stopping at markers along the way, and into Texas. My stop for the night was just outside of Rusk at a campground at the Railroad State Park. This park runs a working railway from Rusk to Palestine; however, the train does not run in January or February - so I guess another time for the train journey. As I paid for my campsite I asked the volunteer if it was supposed to rain that night and she informed me that it was only going to turn bitter cold. I prepared my tent, put in all my warm gear and burrowed in for the cold night. At around 4:00 a.m. it became too cold to stay in the tent any longer and as I exited the tent I was very surprised to see a thick layer of slush on my tent! I cranked up the heat in the car for about 30 mins and then slept the rest of the night in the car.

The next day I left my campsite with frozen fingers from taking down my sleet soaked tent and headed towards Waco with the understanding that my tent camping on this trip was over. From Waco I headed north to Abilene and from there I will continue west.

The stretch of road to Abilene reminded me so very much of western Kansas and it reminded me how much I missed my God-parents. It was hard to believe that it had been almost a year since they both passed. As I made my stop in Abilene for the night my heart pulled at me to continue north to Kansas. I knew a good nights sleep would reveal the answer to me in the morning.

The next morning I packed up my car and headed north. Along the way to Woodward, Oklahoma I made some stops at a few museums about the pioneers and the plains indians, and of course those roadside markers.

In the morning I headed to Kansas with a few stops before Kinsley. I made it to Kinsley around lunch time and at my PBJ at my God-parent's graveside and then went out to the family farm, the only place I call "home." From there I headed east to Fort Larned for a self-guided tour of the fort. I continued east and stopped to see my dad in Salina, but he was not home and continued on to Manhattan to my daughter's house, where I stayed for 4 days.

It was wonderful to visit my daughter and her family. We visited the zoo on Saturday and attended a bridal show with another daughter on Sunday. Overall a very enjoyable weekend with family.

Though I have changed my original plan of destination, I am happy that I did. A friend asked if I was going down memory lane. There were times when memories would flood into my mind but that was not the intention I had set out for. My heart just yearned so strongly to go to Kansas that I could not refuse it. Perhaps it was a need to get back to something familiar, a reconnection to my roots.

I am enjoying my road trip and many of you know how much I detest driving, but the driving I have been doing on this trip has been so very enjoyable, and I find it strange myself. I think it is the perpetual motion of the last 6 months that just keeps me wanting to go on and on, never stopping. I think I have an underlying fear of stopping for too long but I know at some point I will have to make that decision, at least for a while.

Preparations for the road trip included securing a rental car, sealing and waterproofing the tent, packing my bags and determining a general route to travel. My sister loaded me up with some extra supplies and an atlas, Bronnie took over navigator duties and I as on my way.

I left from my sister's house and took the coastal highway to West Palm beach. Though it was a bit slow going, the coastal views were very enjoyable. I got to see the toursit side of the Florida east coast. From West Palm I cut west toward Lake Okechobee and made my way to Sebring. Not enitrely sure of the rules and regs of the FL state parks, I arrived around 4:00 at the Highlands Hammock State Park. I opted for a primitive campsite and was the lone camper in the area. The spanish moss hung loosely among the brances of the trees and it was a very peaceful location.The next morning I hiked around the park on some of the trails that were available. Some of the paths were via catwalks through the swamp. For the first time ever, I got to see the fish that spit water to catch

The next morning I hiked around the park on some of the trails that were available. Some of the paths were via catwalks through the swamp. For the first time ever, I got to see the fish that spit water to catch bugs. One of the volunteers told me that the otters come to that area but they were not there on that day. I also got to see a lot of birds and a few snakes. I traveled to my mothers for the next two nights.

I left my mom's around 9:00 and made my way to the Crystal River Wildlife Sanctuary. There is not much to see at the sanctuary, but they had a lot of information about local things to see and do. I was directed to the Homosassa Spring Wildlife State Park. This park showcased Florida wildlife and included a boat ride to get there from the visitor center. I did find out later that you could drive to the park or take a tram, but the boat trip was nice and relaxing. There were many animals and birds. From the underwater observatory one can see where the spring cames through the aquifer. The spring water remains at 72*F and this is one of the winter locations for manatee. The manatee had not yet arrived for the winter yet but the snook were there by the hundreds. I took the boat ride back to the visitor center and drove to the Crystal River Archaelogical State Park. This archaeological park is a pre-Columbian indian mound complex. I would have liked to learn more than what I did as I had missed the bout tour by 10 minutes and the days they do the boat tour the museum is closed. After wandering around the mounds I headed to my campsite for the night at Manatee Springs State Park. There are quite a few trails around the park but I did not have time to walk any of them.

The next morning I woke up to a small herd of deer eating their breakfast next to my tent. It had rained a bit in the night and there were no leaks to be found. I made a sidetrip to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and lighthouse. The area was all marsh or swamp and is on the Gulf of Mexico coast. I saw a huge gator and many birds. There are a lot of dike trails but I only went a short way on the one by the lighthouse as I still had a bit of driving to make it to my location for the night. I spent the night at the Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park. My campsite faced the bayou and I was surprised that this park was just off the highway. Unfortunately, the newly sealed tent seams did not perform well under the downpour that occured and since the dripping was directly in the middle of the tent, I quickly relocated to the back seat of the rental car.

After my scrunched up night in the car I drove to my weekend location of Jackson, MS. I intended to visit friends and relatives in the Jackson area over the weekend. So far I have avoided any interstate driving; however, to navigate around Mobile, AL, I would have to drive 100 miles on I-10. With Mobile behind me it was only a few hours left until I would get to talk to those I had left only 6 months ago.

My first week on the road has been very relaxing and enjoyable. It is nice to take the slow lane (not driving on the interstates/motorways) and stopping at the sites along the way. It was strange returning to Mississippi. On one hand it was exciting to see my friends and family. On the other hand I found it hard to believe that I had lived there for 16 years.

As I traveled I didn't think that I had really changed, internallly I thought I felt the same. Going back to MS and hanging out with everyone, I realized that I had changed. It is a subtle change and at this time I cannot put my exact finger on it but I do know for sure that I am not the same person I was 6 months ago.

This blog will bring me up to date and rounds off 2012. :-) I hope each one of you have had a wonderful holiday season and I hope that 2013 is the year it (whatever "it" is for you) happens!

I stayed on at my sister's after the Thanksgiving holiday. The week after Thanksgiving was my birthday and I got to enjoy my first Mexican meal in over 6 months - boy did I miss it! I had to wait a few weeks for the other part to my birthday present as "The Hobbit" did not come out until the 14th and we waited until closer to Christmas so that our parents could enjoy it with us.

The other thing we did for my birthday actually took place the day before my birthday and that was the Miami Herald Hunt. This urban puzzle/treasure hunt took place in about a 6 block radius and was loads of fun! We did not do as well as we would have liked, but we learned a lot and will be better prepared for any future hunts. It all started with an insert in the Miami Herald - if we had realized that we had this insert already at home, we could have read through it all before we headed to the event location. This little paper held clues and a map that we would refer to through the afternoon. We went from station to station to figure out the various puzzles that would ultimately get us to solve the puzzle and hopefully win a cruise on the Carnival Breeze (the ship I took the transatlantic on). Of the 5 clues, we figured 3 out 100% correctly, on another we misunderstood the clue of "finality" for "totality" (so we miscounted), and the other we took a wrong turn and ended up with the incorrect sentence. It was a great event and we had a lot of fun figuring out the puzzles - next time we will do much better now that we have got the taste for it!

For the next few weeks I piddled around, took some long walks,  read books, saw a few movies, entertained my sister's cats, researched a couple of projects, researched/applied for jobs, did errands around the house, etc. With Christmas soon approaching I decided to hang out at least until the holidays were over. The weather, for the most part, has been wonderful here in sunny Florida. We have had a few days that were chilly, but nothing compared to what it was like in the Netherlands before I left Europe. We enjoyed New Years at home with a nice dinner, watched movies, and watched the fireworks from my sister's dock as we rang in 2013.

Since I had not planned on being back or working until this coming summer, I did not put any real effort into any one area in particular. I wanted to see where the wind would blow me on its own. There were a few gusts throughout the month of December, but no real strong tail wind to set me on my way. As I have not felt that my travels are yet over, I spoke with a few friends about hiking, taking a road trip, doing some other travel related things and in the end, everything fell through on their ends. Clearly my solo travel adventures are not over. Therefore, I will continue traveling, but in the USA for now and the blogging will continue. With the New Year here and my bags pretty well packed, I will be starting with a road trip and may show up on some of your doorsteps with very little notice. ;-)

I am now up to date and the blogging will continue.

Back at my friends in the Netherlands I researched the various options and costs involved to return back to the US and found that it cost about the same to take a transatlantic cruise back as it did to fly (was actually cheaper than a one way airline ticket). I booked a last minute cruise deal on Saturday to leave out of Barcelona on Tuesday for a two week crossing. I would be back in the US the day before Thanksgiving and spend the holidays with my family.

The two week cruise was a nice way to return back to the US. I love the slow pace and I found it fairly relaxing. I met a lot of people, made a few new friends, read a lot of books, and played games and trivia - I even won a few. I would not normally enjoy this type of cruise as there are many sea days; however, for this journey it was a perfect way to return to the states. We did have a couple of ports of call but beyond just getting off the ship and checking out the towns by foot, I did not do any special excursions.

My sister picked me up from the Miami port and we surprised our mother with my arrival. It was a nice Thanksgiving surprise and we had an enjoyable dinner out on Thursday. We made the holiday calls and I got to also surprised the remainder of my family.

The final days of my Camino pilgrimage unfolds...

I made my way out of Pontevedra by crossing over the old Roman bridge. The morning was cold and the way was routed around various road and rail constructions. Not far out of town I met two Australian couples walking to Santiago. They had very small day packs and their suitcases were being ferried ahead to their hotel. In one way I was a bit jealous that they did not have to carry their own gear and in another  way I felt that they were cheating by not carrying their own burdens. But who am I to say what is wrong or right to another's pilgrimage? I do not know what limitations they may or may not have, their internal burdens could be greater than any backpack might offer, their Camino was their own to experience as mine is to me. It was a short day of 18km (11 miles) to Brialhos and as my feet were very tired, I was glad. I now have less than 50km (2 days) left until I reach Santiago. I am surprised how quickly this is going. Katiana and Rachel decided to stop here for the night as well - they had planned to go to the next albergue. We thought others would show up as the route becomes more populated, but tonight was quite and it was only the three of us. Brialhos is a VERY small town and the grocery store was just an extra room on someones house, which they opened just so we could purchase some supplies. We shared a pilgrim's dinner of weenies, pasta and tomato sauce for the evening. I was grateful that the heat was turned on as the nights have become colder and colder.

The next day I logged 22km (13.5 miles) to Padron - only 23km (14 miles) remain to Santiago. It is hard to believe that I will be in Santiago tomorrow.  Padron has a strong historical tie to St. James as it was the first location in Spain that St. James preached and is also where the boat containing his remains was tied upon arrival to Spain. The area is also noted for growing peppers and kiwis and fields of both were in abundance. The fried peppers are a delicious dish and though most are sweet there is always at least one in the bunch that is hot and spicy, which one you will get is never assured. The albergue was full and Rachael, Katiana and I were the only women. There was a group of guys who were walking 40 - 50 km (25 - 30 miles) a day! They will make it to Santiago much quicker than I will tomorrow. The evening pilgrim meal was potatoes and mixed veggies with yogurt for dessert.

Leaving Pardon the next day I started out on my own and the guys caught up to me fairly early. I caught up to and walked with the Australian couples for a bit before we parted ways as they stopped for a coffee. The women are best friends and they talked their husbands into coming along with them. Though the men were at first a bit apprehensive, after a couple of days they were enjoying the experience immensely. For most of the walk on this section, it was on wide, well worn paths with some road walking. When I crested the hill overlooking Santiago I enjoyed a 15 minute rest and contemplated my journey along the Camino. It was hard to believe the walk was almost over in just another hour or two. The last bit of the journey threatened to rain and so I prepared my rain jacket and cast bag, just in case. I stopped at the pilgrims' office to get my certificate for completing my pilgrimage and made it to the cathedral right before the rain set in. Relief and disbelief were my new companions as I toured the cathedral and hugged the saint around the neck. I treated myself to a long hot bath  in the evening and planned a lie in for the morning.

For final closure to my Camino, I spent another day in Santiago and went to the Pilgrims' Mass at the cathedral at noon. The cathedral was packed with people, pilgrims and otherwise. The service was in Latin, so I did not really follow it word for word, but thanks was given for the pilgrims reaching their destination, a blessing was asked, and a couple of prayers were said. During the service a list of countries was read out which indicated where the pilgrims in the last 24 hours had come from. In the list for the day I attended were 17 countries. Since it was a holiday (Nov. 1 - All Saints Day), not many shops were open and so I did not get to explore as much of Santiago as I might have liked to. I had hoped that I might see some of the pilgrims I had walked with over the last 3 weeks, but I did not. The next day I said goodbye to Spain and headed back to the Netherlands to get my gear and put into motion my plans to return to the states. 

Remainder of Camino Photos Here

My Camino consisted of 397km (246 miles). I actually walked 14 days during the 3 weeks for an average of 28.4km (17.6 miles) a day. Definitely an accomplishment I will always cherish - and perhaps walk another route. :)

Though both countries are having their own financial issues and austerity looms over their heads, Spain is much less modernized and seems to be a poorer country than Portugal. Where machines are used for the majority of the agricultural work in Portugal, most is still done by hand in Spain. It is common to pass by families singing and talking to each other as they fill tubs with ears of corn while they harvest their small corn fields. My mind struggles to comprehend how this type of existence can support a family in this day and age. I also see the simplicity in their life that revolves around the corn and wonder if that simplicity brings them contentment. Can this simplicity be translated to life back in the US?

I had decided during the last few days of this journey that I would return to the states by the end of the year and would look into various options to return. I know that my return to the US will not really be the end of my journey (life itself is the journey) and that it may only be a temporary break from my travels. I know that of the traveling I have done so far that I find it the most enjoyable when I am walking and taking it at a very slow pace.

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. :-)