Tag Archives: retirement

“Buy the ticket take the ride” – Hunter S. Thompson First observation, a bottle of wine to force a good night’s sleep does wonders for jet lag. Second observation, Google translator is truly a godsend. Wonderful for asking precise questions and getting precise answers and theSpaniards seem to appreciate me not torturing their language.  MyContinue reading “Trip to Portugal”

“No one wanted to hear the diary version of the walk – the day-to-day home movie tedium of where and when and what … Where were the good bits?”     – Jack Hitt, “Off the Road: A Modern-day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain.” I will keep my commentary as brief as IContinue reading “Day 1 Valenca PT to O’Porrino Sp”

X I’ve always firmly believed in not making mountains out of molehills. But sometimes a mountain is simply a mountain. – Me First things first. Happy Mother’s Day Mom! Without her you wouldn’t be reading this in oh so many differing ways. Her mantra as we were growing up was “do your best”.  Simple, toContinue reading “Day 2 Porrino to Redondela”

Or: “Just because you have climbed the highest mountain doesn’t mean there wont be more mountains to climb….Ooops” I drank 5 Liters of water today, 5L of water without having to stop to take care of any basic human needs. To those who might not still be on the uptake, I 5L of water wasContinue reading “Day 3 Redondella to Pontevedra”

Climb every mountain…..do I have to?, Really? I am in bread heaven!  Most of you know I have a deep appreciation for good bread. I have not been disappointed in Spain. Crusty on the outside, light and airy on the inside, I have yet to run into a basket of “pan” that has not beenContinue reading “Day 4 Pontevedra to Caldes De Reyes”

So since I was staying over an extra day I decided to go to the Pilgrim’s Mass. The Church of Saint Thomas or Santo Tomas was constructed in honor of Sir Thomas Beckett who was uniquely canonized in both Roman Catholic and Anglican religions. Anyway I found the Church, and the altars particularly, fascinating. TheContinue reading “The Church of Santo Tomas”

The Lord rested on the 7th day. I don’t have his endurance. I have become a connisuer of surfaces after walking several miles. My favorite is presently fine gravel, about one step above dust. Easy on the feet but good traction. Plain dirt is more comfortable but gives less traction after that it’s wet. Asphalt,Continue reading “Day 5 Rest day in Caldes de Reyes”

“You have to adapt, improvise, overcome” -Gunnery Sgt. Tom Highway (Clint Eastwood) – movie Heartbreak Ridge 1986 Ok, so here’s the situation: These ascents are kicking my butt. I have to find a different way to skin this cat because sheer force of will and physical capacity were battling to a draw. The solution wasContinue reading “Day 6 Caldes de Reyes to Padron”

Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. – Omar Khayyam The section to Padron was the easiest section since the first day which is good since The last section to Santiago would be uphill all the way. So one last trudge from Padron to the cathedral. The hike was kind of uneventfulContinue reading “Day 7 On to Santiago”