June 2022 – Adventuring and other travel musings…

June 14, 2022October 24, 2022

Camino de Santiago Day 3: I found my rhythm!

Cesantes to Pontevedra 18KM

We picked up where we left off yesterday. Started at Cesantes with a final destination of Pontevedra, slightly shorter than yesterday at 18Km.

Today I found my rhythm. And that was not only the speed ((22-23min per mile) that worked for me but also, I felt excited to start the day rather than dreading what was going to happen. The initial walk from Cesantes to the first check point to Pontesam paio was beautiful. Lots of forest, quiet and not many pilgrims on the road yet.

Pilgrims leave things behind as they walk

Pontesampaio is a little medieval town, and the significance of this bridge is that the battle of Ponte Sampaio against the French was fought on this bridge in 1809. Here is the reference if you want to read more about it. After Pontesampaio it was a walk up thru the small town before hitting the forest again. Here is where we found a lot of the pilgrims. 🙂

Pontevedra – Santuario de la Virgen Peregrina

Beautiful town! I wish we had more time to explore.

Already had my sangria and probably dessert… that is the advantage of walking for miles

We made it to Pontevedra ahead of the group, so we were able to fit in a bit of shopping and sightseeing around town. I wish I had more time to explore Pontevedra. Will have to come back next time I do el Camino. After the whole group got to Pontevedra, our tour bus picked us up to go to what would be our hotel for the next 2 nights. We stayed at Caldas de Rei at a gorgeous casa de campo. WOW! beautiful. Here are a few of the pics.

Today was different because I was more relaxed during the walk, knew what to expect and had a lot of time to think. My sister Frances was on my mind most of the day. One of the things I learned about Frances, was to be grateful for every moment, day, time that you have. And that was the theme for me today. I felt happy to be on the trail, to be with this group of fun women, to be present and totally disconnected from work and other distractions. I was present, grateful that I could be doing this and enjoying every second of this amazing experience.

I hope you enjoy the pics. Let me know your thoughts!

Much love, Ana

June 12, 2022October 24, 2022

Camino de Santiago Day 2: Am I crazy? Why am I doing this?

Porrino to Cesantes 18.8KM

Before I decided to do the Camino, I had heard many say that every day in the Camino is different. I am starting to believe that. You can plan all you want but things have a way of turning out differently. After a not ideal start on day 1, the walk today did not seem it would be any less grueling. We were looking at 18.8KM or 11.7Mi miles in a heat wave.

We started in Porrino and our end point was Cesantes. Due to the heatwave, we had made plans to be on the trail a lot earlier to avoid the excessive heat. The routes in our tour were planned so you had checkpoints along the way to refuel water and snacks and for guides to make sure we were on track.

Me @ MOS checkpoint. I still look fresh. lol

This was supposed to be a challenging day since we had to go up the hill around Santiaguino and then come down. The hike up was relatively easy, it was coming down that was a killer for me. My hips were super sore by the time I made it to the bottom. On top of that I was starting to question my sanity of doing this walk. I was tired, sore, hot and pretty cranky. At that point I had to actually focus on one step at a time. When you are in the Camino, you start with your group but as the day progresses you find your own pace or your own interest and end up having a lot of time to think and be present. I chose to focus on the pretty views, the slight breeze and the trees rustle with the wind. It’s amazing what you can observe when you are disconnected from your phone, social media and just enjoy the silence.

Being type A and in true Intel fashion, I had a plan of completing the walk as fast as possible to get out of the heat and be able to sit and enjoy a jarra de sangria or two…I decided to skip lunch and power thru to Redondela (la villa de los viaductos) which was about 2Km from the end goal.

To be honest I don’t remember much about the last 2KM except that I made it!

A few things I learned today. 1. Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. I think this saved me today. I need to be loose to keep walking. 2. Prepare mentally, plan your day and then be flexible to adjust as the day progresses. 3. Don’t believe your mind when it tells you can’t do it. That is a lie, you CAN do it! I am of course assuming you have been exercising and walking before. The camino is NOT the place to start a new workout regime. Just pace yourself. 4. Take a break and enjoy the scenery. 5. Stay hydrated. I had the bus to go to and refill my water bottle at each check point. 6. Make an effort and talk to other pilgrims. You will meet very interesting people along the way.

Overall, it was a good day. I know there is a reason I am here walking the Camino and I still have 5 days to figure it out. … and no, I am not crazy for being here. 🙂

Till next post. Much love. Ana

with all the ladies and Manuel our drivers at the end of the day

June 11, 2022October 24, 2022

Camino de Santiago Day 1: Buen Camino!

Valenca do Minho to Orbenille 12.37KM

Today we started to walk el Camino portugués on our way to Santiago de Compostela. We are going to be walking between 11-14 miles every day for the next 7 days.

Ready to go! This is the group of awesome women and guides for this Camino

You might be questioning my sanity and the why of this journey. Well, it was a bucket list wish and when I found the tour by Bold Spirit Travel https://www.boldspirittravel.com/, I thought it would be a good fit for me, so here I am! I booked the Camino tour and then planned the rest of my Madrid vacation around it. In this tour there are 10 amazing and brave women, 2 guides, a driver and the tour facilitator: we are all from different parts of the US and our 2 guides are from Portugal and UK.

As we were getting ready to leave from the hotel, I was not sure what to expect on how the whole Camino experience would be. Can I do it? Would it be too much for me to be walking these many miles every day? I had lots of questions.

Today was supposed to be an “easy” day to dip our toes into this Camino thing but that was not the case. Life is never exactly as you plan it, right?

We boarded the tour bus at our Vigo Hotel and drove to Monte de Santa Trega to see the views of the Atlantic and explore some Celtics ruins that were in the same area. Fun fact: Galicians were originally Celtic people that lived in the the area of Galicia and northern Portugal.

The views from Sta Trega were incredible! I will post pictures later since I am still on the trail and have not downloaded my camera. We were very lucky that the chapel was open that days since apparently it rarely is. It was small but felt so peaceful.

People will pray to Sta Tegra and ask for her intercession. If their prayers are answered they will come and complete their promise. There were many albums with pictures of those that had their prayers fulfilled. This really resonated with me since whenever I would travel I would light a candle at the cathedral or church I visited for my beloved sister Frances. 🙏🏼.

As we were heading back to the bus via the Celtic ruins, the first challenge to this tour occurred. Our tour leader, took a bad step and twisted her ankle and fainted. Pretty scary! Thankfully we have a great group of lovely ladies that helped her and made sure she made it to the doctor while we went on the trail.

We started later than planned in Valenca Do Minho in Portugal. It was a very warm day too! 🥵 so this was our challenge #2 for the day.

My first stamp on my pilgrim passport in Valenca ❤️

Crossing from Portugal to Spain. I look so fresh! 😂😂

Even though it was a very hot day, it was a beautiful walk. The camino changes as you walk thru it. We had some very nice paths that were more rural, sometimes you walk on the main road or thru the city. The key thing is that the Camino changes every time.

As I walked I noticed that people leave rocks and other things in the Camino. They say that the rocks symbolized beliefs or things that weigh them down. So by leaving that rock or item at the Camino you are choosing a different path and leaving the old way behind.

Little shrine I found in the Camino. There are notes, ribbons, rocks. Etc

They say the Camino can be different things for each person that walks it. Also it’s unpredictable.

The lesson I take from my first day at the Camino is to let go of the expected outcome. We can’t control everything; things change and you need to accept that and move on to plan B. For us, we were supposed to be done 3hrs before we did and not be out in the extreme heat. Well, that did not happen and I believe we did great finishing the day and getting our Camino completed.

I am tired after today and looking forward to tomorrow’s route that will take us from Porrino to Cesantes.

I leave you some extra pictures of this first day. Let me know your thoughts and your experiences if you have walked el Camino. Much love, Ana 🌹

June 8, 2022October 24, 2022

Madrid Olé!

Madrid was my first stop of this trip. It’s been almost 21 years since the last time I was here. I found the city to be vibrant, beautiful and full of friendly people. It was also warm which was a nice change from the long winter we had in Portland.

I was in Madrid for 5 full days! I walked a lot and kept pretty busy. I was trying to figure out how to share my time there since I did not want to go in chronological order and I did a lot. So, I decided to give you my top 10 activities/ places I enjoyed the most during this visit. I went to Toledo one of the days so I will do a separate post on that one.

Here is my top 10.

1. Tapas cooking class. I LOVED this class at Loleo. Lola was our teacher and she showed us how to make 2 tapas, a rice dish and a cod dish. It was fantastic! We ate, drank good wine and had a delicious coffee to finish up. If you want to have a cooking class while in Madrid or want a private dinner, call Lola. Here is Lola’s contact information. Lolarodriguez@loleoeventos.con

This is the group from the cooking class.

Remember I told you in my post about traveling solo that you won’t be lonely? Well, I went to the class and met a couple from San Francisco, another one from Serbia and a young woman from Panama. We cooked, ate, drank wine together and had a great time because we all love to cook and eat! Be open to new adventures!

2. Plaza Sol. This is literally in the center of Spain and very well located to start any of your adventures. I stayed at Hotel Europa at calle del Carmen. Loved the hotel outside terrace since it was a great place to people watch and meet other fellow travelers. There are lots of stores and restaurants and Plaza Mayor and Mercado San Miguel are about 10-12 min walking. Also, Cava Baja street with all of its mesons is really close by.

This marks the spot on Plaza sol as the center of all roads in Madrid

3. Go watch a Flamenco show. It was beautiful, not only the dancing but I loved the vibrato of the dude that was singing. He was fantastic and so was the guy playing the guitar. The show was only 1 hr and went very quick.

4. Go to el Rastro flea market if you are in Madrid on a Sunday. They are open from 9a-2pm. Lots of cute things, trinkets and anything you can think of. if you want to bargain, this is your place. I just got lost between all of the stands. Love it! Some historical data for you. Did you know that this place is called el Rastro because of all the tanneries in the area and when the animals were dragged it left a trail or “rastro” of blood on the streets.

5. Eat Tapas! Lots of them! I truly enjoyed the different tapas available. My favorite hands down are the croquetas – does not matter which stuffing they have – and tortilla de patatas. Yum! One thing I found interesting is that in Madrid depending on where you eat – at the bar, table inside or table outside you might have a different price. Anyway, try them all. And remember tapas are to be shared so meet other fellow travelers and invite them to join you.

Croquetas, ensaladilla rusa and a glass of albariño 😋

6. The royal palace and areas around the palace. I walked over there on Monday hoping to visit again but it was close because the King was receiving the new ambassadors. If you want to know more about this tradition, here is a link. Talk about pomp and circumstance! 😂 Each ambassador gets picked up from the ministry of the interior in a carriage and driven to the palace to meet the King. They do this one by one. It was a pretty great morning watching the proceedings although I did not get to go in the palace that day. I went to the Almudena cathedral, walked around the Royal gardens and took a little break from the heat under a tree. This area is really beautiful. Lots of green areas and other parks.

7. El Retiro Park an oasis in the middle of the city; A beautiful park with trails, water ways, lush vegetation and plenty of places to rest and have a good time with friends or by yourself. The glass house was beautiful as was the big artificial lake where you can rent pedal boats. I was tired by the time I got there so I found myself a shady spot and took a power nap before going back to more touristing.

8. Historic Madrid like palacio de Cibeles and the Prado walk. I had read about the palacio de Cibeles and the observation deck, so I decided to visit. It gives you a 360 view of Madrid and its main building. They have some art exhibitions inside that I recommend you watch.

9. Plaza Mayor was my go-to place in the evenings to watch families, couples take their nightly “paseo” or walk. Plaza Mayor has built during Phillip III reign. You can read more about the Plaza here: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/plaza-mayor-madrid

10. The pedestrian walk signals of Madrid! lol. They promote diversity and inclusion; In 2017, ahead of World Pride, new pedestrian lights were installed. male/male, female/female, heterosexual couples and single women. I was paying attention, so I took pictures of the walk signals I found along the way. It was a game for me to find them. 😉

Just a few more things I loved: the pastry shops like La Mallorquina, the gelato store Don Nino across from my hotel, el Corte Ingles gourmet food section, meeting 2 Puerto Rican couples at the laundromat and having a 2 hr conversation as you wait for your laundry to be ready; $1.50 café con leche I had every morning at the counter; by the time I left they knew me and would ask me if I wanted my usual. ❤️ When you go to Madrid you will eat well and will feel at home. I can guarantee you I plan to be back very, very soon!

Let me know your thoughts to my top 10 list. Do you have a different one for Madrid? Look forward to your feedback.

Much love, Ana 🌹

June 4, 2022October 24, 2022

Solo Traveling and other random thoughts

As I start this new adventure, I kept thinking how much I have missed traveling solo. The idea of this post came to me as I was waiting at the Frankfurt airport for the flight that would take me to Madrid. I want to tell you 3 reasons why I love solo traveling and 10 recommendations to consider as you embark on your first solo trip.

Here are my TOP 3 REASONS why I love to travel solo.

1. I have time to reflect and center myself – when I am home I work too many hours, that is a story for another blog, so I don’t have a lot of time to think about what I want to do, no time to blog or journal. Traveling gives me the space to just be and do nothing… or everything. you get the idea.

2. I do what I want, when I want to and I am unencumbered by other peoples schedules. TodayI was tired after 3 days of a lot of walking, so I am taking it slow. I am sitting at a cafe, sipping coffee with a book and my blog. 🙂

3. You meet lots of new people. Don’t think that because you are traveling on your own you are lonely. Nope! I talk to everyone. I ask questions if I am taking a tour, visiting a new place etc. I just met a very nice lady from Seattle that saw my Rick Steve’s book and asked me if I had taken his tours. She is also traveling on her own. 🙂 sometimes, I might ask another fellow solo traveler to join me for coffee if I see them sitting by themselves. Many interesting conversations.

I believe Solo traveling is an experience everyone should have, at least 1x. To be transparent, it does present some challenges. For example, if there is an issue like cancelled train reservations, or you don’t speak the language, it’s you who has to solve the problem. You don’t have that “other” person to help you. I guess that could be reason #4 to travel alone… it makes you practice your problem-solving skills (thank you Intel) and helps you use your intuition to make the right choice.

If you decide to travel by yourself, I have some recommendations for you:

1. DO some research of the country you are visiting. Understand COVID protocols and requirements BEFORE you leave home.

2. Make hotel reservations for at least the first night. You want to minimize the stress of arriving at a new country and trying to figure out where you are going to sleep.

3. Have a rough idea of what you want to do. I do not plan out all my days but the key must do’s, I book in advance.

4. Get travel insurance. This is a non-negotiable! Make sure it covers cancelled flights, tours, medical emergencies and death overseas. You don’t want to put that burden $ on your loved ones.

5. Make a copy of your key documents ie: passport, CC, etc. Leave a copy with a trusted friend, family member at home and bring a copy with you.

6. Turn on your phone location and share with your kids so they don’t worry! 😂 love you Nani and Bibo ❤️😘

7. Use common sense and intuition when traveling. If a situation does not feel comfortable, don’t do it. My main rule, I won’t do anything that I would not do at home. For example, you won’t see me strolling the streets of Beaverton alone at midnight… why would I do that in a foreign country where I do not know anyone? 🙄 common sense people!

8. Be curious about the country you are visiting. Try their food, learn about their culture. Immerse yourself in their customs. Here in Spain in some places, they rest between 2-5pm. I have embraced that custom 😜 and I am enjoying taking a 1 hr nap almost every day.

9.Bring a journal and take lots of pictures. The reason I write this blog is so I have a record of my adventures.

10. Lastly, Have fun and enjoy the experience. This list of recommendations applies if you travel solo or with someone else too.

I encourage you to be bold and go at least once on a solo trip. You won’t regret it! You don’t have to go overseas to enjoy the benefits of solo traveling. A trip to the beach by yourself, or to another town will suffice. I will love to hear of your experiences and maybe we can add more reasons/recommendations to these lists.

Bye for now. I’m on my 2nd cup of coffee on what I expect will be a very relaxed day.

Much love, Ana 🌹

June 2, 2022June 8, 2022

Here I go again!

It’s been almost 3 years since my last international trip and blog post. I am very excited and apprehensive as I prepare to spend 2 amazing weeks in Spain!

The past 2 years were a challenge, and gave me the opportunity to appreciate the experiences, people and things I took for granted. So I am ready to get out there and explore again.

During this trip, I plan to fulfill my dream of walking a portion of the Camino de Santiago Go here via the Portuguese way! Wish me luck! I will be blogging and sharing pictures along the way. 🙏🏼

If you have any recommendations for restaurants or places to visit while in Madrid, leave me a message below. you can also subscribe to the blog and you will get notifications when I post again.

Much love, Ana 🌹

	WanderingBoriqa on Lessons from 2023. Ready for…
	Sonia Ramirez on Lessons from 2023. Ready for…
	WanderingBoriqa on Lessons from 2022
	gladyspedraza on Lessons from 2022
	WanderingBoriqa on Solo Traveling and other rando…