Day 79 - Finisterre - October 2, 2013

Day 79 -Finisterre - October 2

I am done walking for this Camino. I got up and had breakfast downstairs. I met Daniel and we took off to Plaza Glacia to catch the number 5 City Bus to the bus station to catch the bus to Finisterre. We thought it was a forty five minute bus ride, but it was three hours. It was ok because the scenery was beautiful. And I found the place John and I stayed in the midst of a fire in 2006. I've lost most of the emails from that trip and for the last couple of years I've been trying to figure out where it is on maps. Now I know, it's on the coast on the way to Finisterre. It was just a hotel and bar and a few house in 2006. It is called San Francisco and is outside a little town named Louro, which is after Mouros and before Finsterre. I even spotted the location of the Great Banana Ordeal. lol that little part of the trip brought back a ton of memories.

When we got to Finisterre, Daniel went to the beach to do his thing and I walked out to the lighthouse at the end of the world. It was about a 3km walk and the weather was perfect weather for the moment. The wind was blowing it was cloudy with intermittent light rain. I walked past the lighthouse and down the slope where people had left thing or burned them. I didn't really want to leave anything or burn anything. I just want a moment to say "thank you" to God. So I sat down on a rock and listened to Leonard Cohen, "If It Be Your Will; Joan Baez, "God Is God; and Judy Collinns, "Amazing Grace." I cried, prayed, and said "thank you." It was the perfect ending to a wonderful adventure.

I walked back into town and ran into this guy, Milo, who I met having coffee somewhere on the Camino. While I was talking to Milo, we decided we should have our picture taken, so we ask a passerby if she would take our picture. About that time Daniel came by, so we went and had a bite and a café for me and chatted while we waited for our bus.

Daniel found some empty seats in the back of the bus and took a nap on the way back. He missed the scary stuff. At one stop we waited for a long time and a new bus driver came. The guy who had been driving the bus moved over to the jump seat by the door. They were both young guys, so they started to have their own party in the front of the bus talking loud and laughing, talking on cell phones, and the driver kept looking over at the other guy while they were talking. There's nothing wrong with any of this behavior unless your driving a large bus on narrow winding roads with other traffic shortly after the horrific train wreck that occurred while the engineer was talking on a cell phone, there was a bad bus crash that caused several deaths, I think in Valencia, Spain and Involving a cellphone. I'm sitting in the front seat watching this and getting a little panicky. I mostly don't worry about things, figuring when my time is up it will be up. But I don't want to sit and watch and wait for it to happen.

So I put on My iPod and some soothing music, but Even turned up full volume I can't hear it over their loud conversation. I'm thinking I could ask them to please stop what their doing and pay attention to their job, or I could get off the bus, put on some rock n roll. I took the last option. I still couldn't hear the music very well, so to river the tension, I started singing long, loudly. Now I need to explain, I can't sing. When I sing lullabies, children have ask me to stop or have nightmares. But I love to sing. I usually limit myself to places on the Camino when no one is around, the shower, and other places where I won't annoy anyone or embarrass myself. But this was a matter of life and death, or at least of possibly freaking out and ending up in the nut ward with tranquilizer darts in me. So I sang in my outside voice. Everyone was behind me so I didn't see their reaction, but the older man next to me looked startled and the older woman across the aisle looked like SHE was going to jump off the bus while it was moving. I don't know if I was singing that badly or if she thought I was off my nut and might be dangerous.

But I sang and stopped waiting for the accident to happen and I was happy as a clam. The two bus drivers seemed to think it was amusing and went right on endangering lives. Eventually Daniel woke up and realized we were at the stop where we should be getting off. We did and the bus moved on. I hope those two don't kill some one some day. Today was apparently not my day. Though I almost laughed myself to death writing this.

Day 92 - Seville a Madrid - October 14, 2013

Day 92 - Seville a Madrid - October 14, 2013

What a day! I got up this morning, showered and went down for breakfast with the Bears. After breakfast we returned to the room, finished packing,

and went downstairs to check out and get a cab. I had a really nice conversation with the cab driver on the way to the airport. Her husband did the Camino Via Plata from Sevilla to Santiago on a bicycle. So we talked about the Camino and stuff. I told I was trying to learn Spanish and she said I was doing very well. She said it is hard to understand folks in Seville because they swallow the ends of words. I had noticed that, like they say, "Buen Día" instead of, "Buenos Dias." 

I got to the train station early and noticed there was an earlier train leaving for Madrid in fifteen minutes. I thought, "If I catch the earlier train I might be able to catch the 2pm meeting in Madrid and go to a Flamenco show tonight. What the heck. I'll go to the ticket counter, see if I can get waited on quickly and ask if I can change the ticket." Well, I could and I did and I scurried down the ramp and got on the train. It was a quiet uneventful train ride. I read some. I'm reading a really good book titled "1Q84." I also looked out the window some and thought about doing the Via Playa some Spring. The flowers are supposed to be incredible. 

The train got to Madrid about ten minutes early. I got on the Metro which stops right in front of Micky Dees, which is right next door to my hotel. I check in

gather myself together and head to the meeting. It's the start of siesta time so the Metro is crazy busy with everyone going home to eat. Then I get off and realize the meeting is further from the Metro stop than I thought it was. So I got there for half the meeting, which is better than no meeting. But I decided to skip the Flamenco and go to the night one too. After the 2pm meeting I stopped at Starbucks to have an Americano and a cookie. I was very surprised when they

served it to me in a ceramic cup. I had seen people drinking coffee from a ceramic cup, but I thought they had just bought the cup and had their coffee put into it. 

On the Metro on the way back to the hotel I remembered I had planned to go to the Prado Museo this afternoon. So I stopped by the hotel, regathered myself and headed to the Prado on foot. On the way I saw there was a SMOOY frozen yogurt shop right down the street from my hotel on the way to Puerta del Sol  I got there and they were having a special exhibition of Velasquez paintings and it was included in the price of the regular ticket. What a deal! The Velasquez exhibit was very interesting. It was the paintings he had done of the Court of Phillip IV King of Spain and Mariana of Austria, his wife. Then I went and visited my friends

Goya's Mahas and Tres de Mayo and Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch. I saw a bunch of other paintings too numerous to mention. Their collection is extensive. But I must admit I always get lost and turned around in that museum, to me their map or plan is hard to follow. 

Back at the hotel I grabbed the Bears (they didn't want to go to the Museum) and we went down to Micky Dees for a bite to eat before getting on the Metro to go to the second meeting. The meeting was good. Both meetings today were on Step One. Hmm?! Before going upstairs for the night I went and got a melon SMOOY yogurt and took it up to the room. 

Leea and I stayed in this room last year and the hotel faces onto Gran Via, one of the main roads in central Madrid and another street that leads to the Puerta del Sol and also seems to be the spot for working girls. Leea and I noticed there were a lot of women in extremely tight or skimpy outfits and very tall heels just standing around. Our hotel window looked out on this street last year and we ended up joking with some of the women who were across from our window. This year my room faces Gran Via. :( 

Well it's time to get some sleep. By the time you wake up tomorrow I should be in Newark waiting for my fight to John Wayne. 

Day 91 - Seville - October 13, 2013

Day 91 - Seville - October 13, 2013

In my utter devastation over the Dodgers loss last night I forgot to mention Saturday night in Seville. It is a party that begins in the early evening in the streets and cafes and moves into the clubs around midnight. The one thing you notice immediately is the tremendous number of young people between eighteen and twenty five that are out, dressed to the nines and looking for to party. Then I remembered, Seville has a few colleges and at least one university. And it makes sense. 

Then there are the families with kids. On Saturdays and fiestas even the toddlers are out with their families until after midnight. It shocked me at first, years ago, but now I'm used to it and the kids don't seem any the worse for it. In fact one of the things I adore about Spanish culture is the way families do things together and age groups mix. If there is a fiesta there are toddlers, kids, teenagers, young adults, moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas dancing, singing, eating, drinking, laughing and chatting. And this same scene plays out to a lesser extent every evening in the designated plaza or park. It is truly a joy to observe. Our society's activities are so age segregated they rarely mix. I don't believe the Spanish use a lot of baby sitters. It looks like everyone just comes along. 

Anyway, last night the streets, restaurants, cafes and bars were packed. Everyone was having fun. 

This morning the town woke up slow. Me too. I got up had breakfast and fiddled around getting things packed up to go to Madrid tomorrow. By the time most of you wake up tomorrow I will be in Madrid. After breakfast I just wandered up one street and down the other watching people go to church or go for coffee and pastries. I got out of the tourist section and just walked regular streets. At some point I ended up at a Hoppy Bus stop and hopped on. I spent a pleasant hour on the upper deck in the sunshine just watching Seville go by. At one point we were stopped on the major street along the river when a motorcycle procession went by with a police escort. At first I thought it was a funeral, but there were all kinds of bikes from Scooters to big motorcycles and no one

was dressed like it was a funeral. It wasn't political. I never did figure out what it was about, but the police had the whole south side of the street blocked so it was just bikes, no cars. We passed the cars later on backed up for a couple of miles tooting their horns. lol

After the Hoppy Bus I went through the old Jewish area, did some shopping, had some tapas and then wandered some more. I wandered right up to a helado place and got myself a cup of Chocolate Brownie. Then I came back to the hotel to shower and get rested for my final flamenco show. 

The final Flamenco show ranked adobe of the best, if not the best. What a wonderful way to end my stay in Seville. I

sat next to a couple from South Dakota who had like a three or four year old boy with them. They were very nice. They had been to Barcelona, Granada and Seville. They leaving tomorrow to go to Madrid then Lisbon. All in two weeks. 

I sat in front of some very annoying women from London. One kept kicking me. They all talked incessantly. And one of them was just really peeved because the ticket agent at the bus station didn't speak one word of English. He was in Spain after all, where the language is Spanish. What I thought was worthy of notice is that she was in Spain and doesn't speak one word of Spanish. You don't have to speak Spanish to be in Spain, but  getting upset with someone doing his job in the language if the country he works in is a little weird. 

Well next comes Madrid. Then comes home!!!!

Day 87 - Córdoba a Seville - October 9, 2013

Day 87 - Córdoba a Seville - October 9, 2013

Got up, got organized, and got a taxi (yup living high on the hog) to the train station. 

It's a noisy train this morning. Two or three people are talking on their cell phones and the four people in front of me are having breakfast or a snack of potato chips and other foods in crinkly wrappers. One woman talked on the phone for the whole forty five minute train ride. I think my ear would be sore. 

My pet peeve is women who pee on the toilet seat and don't clean up after themselves. I mean seriously, if you want to pee standing up like men do, then grab some toilet paper and lift the frigging toilet seat. This morning I encountered one of these who didn't even flush the toilet. Germaphobe? I hate cleaning up after women who do this, but I hate sitting on a wet seat worse. 

It must be burning day between Cordóba and Seville, because there was a lot of smoke out in the fields that looked like controlled burning. I noticed this along the Caminoi, like outside Ponferrado. It's like regulated so you only have poor air quality for a limited time. 

Anyway, I got to Seville all dry. I got a cab (really living it up) to the hotel. I was flabbergasted when I opened the door to the room. I think it's the nicest too I've ever stayed in anywhere, ever. And I've stayed in some very fancy, very expensive hotels (usually when someone else paid for them.) this hotel is in an old building that's been restored and it only has six rooms. The downstairs, which is part of the hotel is a restaurant and a cooking school. I can't wait to see what breakfast is like, it's included with the room. And it's not that expensive. The

bed is as big as a football field and it has a step down living room with a fireplace and a big screen TV. The bathtub is a jacuzzi. I'm in heaven. Though I do love the bunk beds in the albergues too. ;)

Before I leave the hotel I have the woman at the reception office make reservations for me for tonight at the flamenco show she recommends and for tomorrow night at a place that Trip Advisor recommends. Tomorrow I will go get a ticket for either Friday or Saturday at the Museum of Flamenco where Leea and I saw a great show four years ago. I also looked up meetings and found an English speaking one Satunday morning at 10:30. I called the number for it and talked to Dave who told me where it was and how to get there. He has also walked the Camino, so we talked about that for a while. 

I got out of the hotel about three and wandered over to the Alcazar. I was wondering if it is as wonderful as I remember it to be. I've been in it three times before. Well I got there and found out it closes at five this time of year. I also found out it will only cost me two euro to go on because I'm old. So I decide I can go today and another time or two. It was even better than I remember it. 

I went to the flamenco show and it was fantastic. I just love flamenco. This show was one of the dramatic types. I just love the looks on their faces and the body language. We weren't allowed to take pictures. Sorry. They had three female dancers, three male dancers, three singers and two guitar players. I think one of the singers was this good looking young man Leea and I saw playing a drum at an outdoor show in Granada. Then we saw him the next day on the

train ride from hell (two screaming children in the seat behind us) to Seville. One of the male dancers was about seven feet tall and really skinny. It made the foot and leg movements look even faster. After the show I was coming down the stair from the rest room and one of the female dancers said she really liked my hair. 

I got lost on the way home. Easy to do in this city and more fun than aggravating or scary. And now it's time to get some sleep. Lots of things to see and do tomorrow. Sleep with the angels. 

Day 89 - Seville - October 11, 2013

Day 89 - Seville - October 11, 2013

 I really appreciate the effort of those of you who take the time to write a comment or send me a note.   It gets lonely out here sometimes. Especially now. On the Camino I had lots of people to talk to, but now I'm just a solo tourist eating alone, walking alone, doing everything alone. Good time for reflection and I'm having fun, but it's nice to hear from my friends. I'm going to an English speaking meeting tomorrow, so that should be nice. I'll get a chance to go to one in Madrid too. 

Today was a relaxed morning. I did get cornflakes for breakfast, all I had to do was ask. I sat by the window and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Then I walked over by the Cathedral and bought a ticket for tonight's Flamenco show. On the way I watched a protest march with police "protection." It was all very

peaceful. The Bears and I also had an encounter with a Roman soldier, but the Bears kicked a** and escaped. After all this excitement, I needed a nap. 

I got up, took a shower, and went out to wander. In my wanderings today I saw a Burger King, a KFC, and a Mickey Dees. I also saw some interesting things. I wandered over to Triana to check out the Mercado (fresh food,) but is was 3pm and most of the fresh food stalls were closed. But the bars and cafes were open and outside of one of them two guitar players and a young woman singer were creating Flamenco music. What a

treat. After I left there, I wandered along the river to Plaza España and the huge park that surrounds it. I made the mistake of wearing my flops without my injinji socks and almost immediately got a hot spot. I wanted to avoid getting a blister so I decided to explore Plaza España tomorrow or Sunday. I bought my Hop on Hop off bus ticket because I wanted to use it tomorrow and Sunday. And it got me closer to my hotel without more walking in my flops. 

One of the things I learned on the bus, about the Plaza España, was that the last big movie it was used in was Star Wars where it served as the Capitol of planet Nabu. Just a tidbit for all you Star Wars fans. 

Currently there is a gaggle of pre teen girls on the veranda across from me wearing various hats including Mickey Mouse ears. I think it must be a Friday night sleep over. They seem to be having a good time and just shouted "hola" to me. 

I stopped on my way to the flamenco show and I had one tapa tonight and one tapa (roasted lamb stuffed with spinach and mushrooms and with baked slices of potatoes) and ice cream. It was perfect. Sat at an out door cafe and two young guys came by and did a little flamenco performance for change. The problem with sitting out doors is the beggars, and there are lots of the, and the cigarette smokers, and there are lots of them. Oh well. 

The flamenco show was great. The bears and I enjoyed it. The woman who was the singer had been a dancer in another show I saw in Córdoba. I think the Flamenco circle moves around and interchange roles. It's very interesting. The artistic expression is unlimited, passionate, and beautiful. The bears and were a little disgruntled tonight. All of the shows ask you not to video tape or use flash during the shows. A majority of the shows ask you not to take photos until the end, when there is a short time when each of the performers do a little part of their performance so you can take pictures. There are always some who ignore this and take pictures. There was one guy the other night who video taped the whole thing. Not my pig not my farm. But tonight towards the end someone started taking flash pictures, and then a bunch of people joined in. I was in the front row and it was a dark theatre. All the flashes going off was really distracting and interfered with our enjoyment of the show. It also seemed to throw the performers off. We were only like two feet from the stage. Oh well. Some people are just a**holes. Sucks to be them. 

Meeting in the morning. Need to get to bed. Night, night. 

 

Day 88 - Seville - October 10, 201

Day 88 - Seville - October 10, 2013

Today I had the breakfast. Not as spectacular as the Leon Parador, but enough café, rolls, croissant, and toast. To fill me up. However, I saw corn flakes in another part of the dining. I'm going to get me some of those tomorrow.  Took a walk to explore the Santa Cruz district, secure tickets for a couple more flamenco shows (I do have an addictive personality,) and go to the Museo del Flamenco. The Museo was very interesting it has video of the different dance styles and the origins of the dance and the styles. They have videos of people just dancing at parties or fiestas in the streets like in the mid 1900's. each of the styles expresses different moods. 

After the Museo I went back to the hotel and grabbed camera to go to the Cathedral. Gothic ceilings and stained glass almost demand a zoom. The line was short and, again because I'm old it only cost me 3€. I don't know if I will ever stop being astounded by the sheer size of this edifice and the incredible volume of it's interior, not to mention the sweep of the gothic spires. It just takes my

breath away. I had forgotten that it contains Christopher Columbus's tomb. You know the guy who didn't know where he was going, didn't know where he was when he got there, and was able to get a woman to pay for the trip. lol

The Cathedral has a tower, and when there is climbing put in front of me, up I go. It reminded me if O Cebreiro, only mercifully it was over quicker. The bears

stopped to enjoy the view on the way up. They weren't even winded. But then, I was carrying them. I tell you they live like royalty. So after all that exercise, it was time for a nap. 

We got up about 5:30. I took a shower and went downstairs for café. Then off we went to the Flamenco show. It was great. Small intimate setting in the courtyard of and old home that has been restored. They had a woman singer at this one and she was great. She urged the dancers on as she pulled every emotion she sang from the depths of her soul. There was a guitar player who was very good and two dancers. A thoroughly enjoyable show. 

After the show I stopped and had tapas at a side walk café. I was thinking about getting dinner, but there is always way to much food for me. And Then I get into the whole wasting food and starving children in China, not to mention the waiters asking me if there is something wrong with the food. So I thought, "why not have tapas, if they have something other than tortilla, olives or nuts." So I started checking out the menus. Sure enough they had all kinds if tasty dishes. So, I sat down at one and had skewered roasted shrimp, seafood paella, and roasted bull tale. It was all yummy, but next time I think I'll just have two tapas, because I still left a lot of food. 

Now we're back in the room all cozy. The bears have conked out. They are exhausted and full. It's really hard to stop taking pictures in Sevilla. Every other building is a photo opp. And then there's the plazas and statues and horses and just odd looking things. I'm trying to be discerning, but it is a difficult task. This is such an extraordinary city. 

Don't forget to write a comment. I'm not home yet. 

Day 86 - Córdoba - October 8

Day 86 - Córdoba - October 8

Slept until 9am this morning after my late night last night. So café was ready when I ventured out the door. I had some plain yogurt that they kept in the hostal refrigerator for me last night, some tostado and café. Then I got ready to go to the Alacazar. It was very interesting and the gardens were beautiful. Apparently they have a light and water show in the gardens at night that is supposed to be really cool. So I'm going to try to see that tonight. 

I was going to see another Palace with a garden, but I was so tired after hiking up and down the towers and exploring the gardens that I had some lunch and took a nap. Now I'm just kicking back and icing my knee, hip, and back. Tomorrow I leave for Seville. It's Catedral though an impressive Gothic structure doesn't have any of the mosque left, just the patio of oranges, which was apparently present in every mosque back in the day. However, the Alacazar in Seville has more Moorish flavor than the one in Córdaba which has more Roman flavor. 

Well I got all dressed and walked to the Alcazar to see the light and water show only to get to the gate and be told it was closed to the public tonight because of a special event. I was disappointed, but not surprised. While I was touring the gardens today I saw them setting up for a special event with tablecloths and a stage. I wondered if the whole thing would be closed or just an area. I asked the ticket sales person what time they would start selling tickets for tonight's show and she said 8:30. I asked the guard if it would be open tonight and he said yes. I still had a hunch it might not be and it wasn't. Oh well. 

Tomorrow I head for Seville and there are lots of things to see and do. So I'm going to sleep. I want to be bright and bushy tailed tomorrow. 

 

Day 85- Córdoba - October 7

Day 85- Córdoba - October 7

 

Got up this morning and after stretching and stuff I needed café. Once again there was none evident. So I went to the front desk and instead of a nice old man. I looked out the door and the guy from the market was talking to another guy I didn't recognize. There was another guy in the patio waiting for café. So through the front door comes the guy who had been across the street talking to the guy in the market. He goes into the office. So apparently he's the guy from the night shift. So I go ask him if there is café. He says to wait for five minutes and he was not nice. So I go back to the patio and the other guest says that's what he had told him ten minutes ago. So I make an executive decision and go out the front door, turn right, walk half a block or less, duck into a bar for café. 

I drank my café con leche, stopped at a market on the way back and get some yogurt. By this time the day crew has the café going so I go in and eat some tostada and my yogurt and have another café. Then I get ready to visit the Catedral Mesquite. It is an exquisite edifice! I spend an hour or do marveling at everything and taking pictures. The place, and it is a big place still smells of incense. I visualize all the Muslims praying in this huge place for centuries. I also go into the Chapel of adoration and say a gratitude prayer for all I have been given. And I say a prayer for my friend Erin. They had a guard on this place because it's only for prayer, you can't take pictures. But he didn't make me cover my tank top. 

After I was done there I went to look for another old building that is mudejar, but now Saint Bartholomew. However, they were doing restoration, so it was closed. I went back to my room to drop off some stuff before I went on the walking tour which came with my Hop On Hop Off ticket. I had to walk over the Old Roman Bridge to meet the walking tour group. The tour guide started explaining things in Spanish. I understood what she was saying, but wondered if I was the only non native speaker. Apparently I was, because when she asked if I needed it translated, I said "no necessito, entiendo español." And everybody applauded. I don't know if they were clapping because they would be spared the tedium of listening to or translation of everything she had already said in Spanish or because they were glad an English speaking person understood Spanish or both. One woman applauded when I answered that "soy de Estados Unidios" so maybe they just like clapping. It was a good tour through the narrow winding streets of the old city. The Visigoths were here, then the Romans, then the Moors, then the Spanish. So there was a lot of interest things to see, including an old Roman temple they are

restoring. The Guide kept asking me if I was ok, if I needed anything translated. I kept saying no, because I didn't understand every single word, but I understood most of it. 

Then I returned home and took a nap since I was going to be out late at the Flamenco show. It doesn't start until ten. Got up from my nap an took a bath in my cute little bath tub and figured out how to wash my hair. Then I puddled around for a while until it was time to go to dinner. Juan the evening guy at the hostal made me a reservation at a place he said was really good and had great prices. It was and it did. I had a cole slaw with roasted garlic, smoked salmon and tomatoes, lamb chops with pimientos Padron and French fries, with cheesecake and an aperitif (sin alcohol.) 

Then I went to the Flamenco show that Juan booked for me. It was fantastic and I had a seat right up at the stage. They had two singers, two guitar players and five dancers, one male, who danced in various combinations and styles. I love Flamenco dancing. After the show one of the singers was outside and he stopped me as I was passing and started talking to me. I thought he wanted to ask how I liked the show or something. Then he asked me if I wanted to have a drink with him. I was shocked. There's a couple of problems with that request, one is I don't drink and two is I am married to the tips of my toes to my soul mate. Besides the bears were with me and I don't think they would approve. lol so I said, "no, gracias" and went off to walk back to the hostal. 

Now I'm tucked in, ready to go to sleep. It is after 1:15am here.  Nite all. 

Day 82 - Córdoba - October 6

Day 82 - Córdoba - October 6

Woke up this morning at 8:15am and decided I needed café before I dare attempt to do anything else. So I stumbled out to the courtyard and asked the guy sitting there if he had seen any café. He said he was looking for it but hadn't seen any and he couldn't get the wifi to work. I was thinking the wifi probably needed café too. So I stumbled further to the front desk and asked the old man if there was any café. He said yes and went and opened the little breakfast room. 

Oh, thank God, I thought I was going to have to stumble out the front door and down the street. I'm sure I looked a fright. I have a daughter who won't leave her bedroom without hair done and full make up and a granddaughter who won't talk to me on FaceTime unless she brushes her hair first. I've never understood what mutation of the gene pool created these aberrations. But I digress. So the old man gets the café going. I explain to the other man that the wifi is working on my phone so maybe he should try turning his iPod off and on again. He does and it works. I get two cups of café in me and some tostada and I'm feeling human again. Things are a little clearer. 

I go to take a shower, but the nozzle is missing the part that makes the spray, so the shower is just like having the tap up high and concentrated. I look down and notice the bath tub. It is some where between the size of those little plastic tubs we bathe newborns in and a modest size normal tub. I thinking maybe the purchased it from a specialty shop for small people. I never liked baths or understood how you were better off soaking in the dirt you just washed off. But I figured what the heck, I'll try it. I got in and my knees were under my chin. I am not a tall person. I could tell there was no way I was washing my hair. I'd probably drown myself in the process. So I got out, dried off, dressed and stretched. 

The bears and I left the hotel about 11:30am. We went to the tourist office and then across the narrow road to the Cathedral. They had guards at the door and you couldn't go in unless you were going to mass and you had to stay the full hour. So I decided to go to mass. The guard said I couldn't go in a tank top, so I threw on my long sleeve shirt and gained admission. It is spectacular! I was mesmerized. There were TV screens televising the mass to people in chairs on the sides. All the seats in front in the middle were reserved. I thought this was a little weird, but found a seat facing the altar in the section where the choir was. 

When mass finally started a bishop came out and there was a professional photographer taking pictures, so it was  special event of some sort. Though this Cathedral or this Bishop really liked the incense. He went all the way around the altar with it at the beginning of the mass and several times during the mass. Then one of the priests doing a read gave a few shakes over the book he was reading from. I was beginning to think they thought the attendees smelled bad or were fumigating the place. I was wheezing slightly about half way through the mass. I swear between first and second hand cigarette smoke and the incense, I'm surprised all the Spaniards aren't in hospital for breathing treatments. 

Then despite my respiratory distress the Bishop went on for about a half an hour with the lecture, I mean sermon. Lord, I was asking God for Intercession with man. Anyway, I managed to take a few pictures when mass was over. I really do try to be respectful. I'll go back tomorrow for a proper tour and photos. The building is really extraordinary. It was a mosque. Then became a cathedral after the Spanish drove the Moors out of Spain.  The Spanish did this with a lot of mosques. Some of them just got razed and then a church or cathedral was built

on top of them, like the cathedral in Seville. But this mosque was left standing and converted into a church. You can see some areas where the Christian part of the edifice were just put in front of or laid over the Mosque. I'll try to show some of this in the photos tomorrow. Outside both the cathedral in Seville and in Córdoba there is a outside area with orange trees. I forget what it is called, I'll try to throw it in if I remember. 

After mass I took two different Hop On Hop Off buses. One was a. Smaller bus that could go through the older quarters and one was a larger bus that went mostly around the perimeter. Córdoba has had different names but has been

here for a long, long time. They have found ruins that date back to 800 years before Christ.  That's some really old stuff. In the US we designate things historic if they were built before 1950. :)

They have a Ciudade de los Niños (Children's City) that has like fifty different play grounds with all kinds of different stuff, including what looked like a cross between a bouncy house and a trampoline. They also have professionals who plan activities for the kids. And, the bus driver said, "a kiosk where the parents can get a beverage." lol

In between buses the bears and I stopped for an Aquarius naranja. 

By this time, I was ready to call it a day. So walking back to my hostal, I saw an organic tapas place that looked interesting. So I went in and had three different tapas and some cold water. One

of the tapas was a gazpacho that was more like creamy tomato soup with a hard boiled egg cut up in it and jamon iberica floating on it. It won some award for best tapas last year. It was ok, but the other two were better. One was a pear and chicken salad with mint and the other was shrimp which looked like they had been wrapped in very thin strings of dough and then baked sitting in a sunny side up fried egg. Both of these were super yummy. 

Back at the hostal I talked to the guy at the front desk and he is booking me into two flamenco shows. One is tomorrow night at 10:30pm. He is making reservations for a restaurant he recommends near the flamenco show. And he is making reservations for Tuesday night at a place I found on Trip Advisor. None of them are open tonight, it is Sunday in Spain. 

I rested for a while then went out for café and helado. Oh, did I mention it was 34C/93F here today. I love it. I hardly ate any helado the last half of the Camino because it wasn't hot. Last year I ate some every day. When I got back to the hostal I realized I left my key at the bar. I was just going out to go back to the bar to look for it when the waiter came through the door with it. People are so nice. 

Day 81 - Córdoba - October 5

Day 81 - Córdoba - October 5

Well after a long day, I have arrived in Córdoba. It started of course in the morning, as most days do now. There was a time when my days began after moon, but that was long ago. I got up at 7am. I wanted to get some breakfast and get down to the Consigna and Renfe office, which fortunately are about fifteen feet from one another, as soon as they opened to try to straighten out this kerfuffal. The nice young woman who helped me check my bag when I first got to Santiago was there waiting for someone to come with the key. I told her what happened and that I remembered her saying they close at ten, but I guess it was different on Friday. She was surprised and said she hadn't said that. I believe her. She is a really nice person and liked the bears that first day. I must have misremembered it. 

When the person came with the key, she told them about my problem and even though they weren't open yet they went and got my laundry all nice and clean. Then I went to the Renfe office to check out solutions. I was afraid I would either have to stay in Santiago another night or go to Madrid today and get a room and then take a train to Córdoba tomorrow or Monday. Because in Spain all the schedules change on Saturdays and Sundays. In the meantime I would be paying for the hotel in Córdoba because it was too late to cancel. But luck was with me. There was an 11:50 train from Santiago to Madrid, but I had to change trains in Ourense (no big deal) and it wasn't an AVE which meant slower. But they had a train that would then get me from Madrid to Córdoba by 21:45 (9:45pm) Hot Dang!

While I was waiting for the Renfe office to open I saw Cheryl, Mary, and Aleida on their way to work. We chatted for a few minutes. Then all of a sudden I saw Maddie the Irish woman I met in Samos and then ran into at a café stop later. She was having knee problems then and I hadn't seen her since. I thought about her often and was hoping she made it to Santiago. She did! We traded emails and pictures. 

So I went back to the Monk House (a great place to stay by the way, right next to the Catedral) packed my suitcase up with my clean clothes. Then I went down to give Daniel the pants he had put in with my wash because he's going to London and wanted a clean pair of pants. He was still asleep when I knocked on his door. I guess he was woken in the middle of the night by the smell of cigarette smoke. You are not allowed to smoke in this building, but I guess one of the people on either side of him had decided this rule didn't apply to him or her. So they stood at the window and blew the smoke out the window and the smoke blew back through the open windows in Daniel's room woke him up and he didn't get back to sleep for a while. 

So I sat with him and chatted while he had breakfast, then took off for the train station. I got on the train, no problem. The transfer at Orense is a no brainer. You get off one train, walk two feet across the platform and get on another train. The train to Madrid went to the Chamartin station, but the train from Madrid to Córdoba left from the Atoche station. I'd never been in this situation before, but I knew you could get from one to the other on the Metro. I love Metros, they are so handy and convenient. But sometimes they involve changes cars which often involves going up and down a bunch of stairs. I had a back pack and a suitcase. But luck was with me again. Before I got off the train I heard that if you were on a long distance train, your ticket included the price of using the cercanicas to get around town. You just needed to go to the counter and get your ticket validated. That and a big schematic map on the floor that showed the cercanicas going to the Atoche station. So I went to the counter and got the validation and a little ticket. I always like validation. There were some confusing moments in this process. For one thing there were several trains that said Atocha. The was Atocha Pro Pio, Atocha this and Atocha that, but no Puerta Atocha. Secondly when I got off the train at Atocha, it was at a different place than I'd ever been at the station. But, with a few questions and the kindness of strangers, I made my way to the train to Córdoba.   

All the way on the trains today, the further south we went, the warmer it got. I arrived in Córdoba at 9:45pm and it was 26C which is 79F, balmy compared to Galicia right now. I got my room. It's really nice, small, but comfy. Well except the door doesn't seem to be able to lock from the outside and the curtains don't pull all the way across the sheer curtains and my room is off the patio. But, hey, you can't have everything. I'll find out about the lock in the morning.  

After I dropped my suitcase and back pack I went in search of nourishment. There is a little bar restaurant next door,

so I sat outside on the sidewalk and had a yummy ensalada mixta and coca cola light. There was a lovely yellow bird, canary I think in a cage on a stand between the tables. The bird serenaded me while I ate. 

Now I'm tucked in, ready to sleep a sound sleep. 

Day 80 - Santiago - October 4

Day 80 -  Santiago - October 4

Today and tomorrow are transition/rest days. I have decided to go to Cordoba and Seville before I come home. I feel the need of some flamenco dancing and sunshine. It's supposed to be in the mid 80s there this next week. Today I bought train tickets and made hotel reservations. Tomorrow I do laundry, get my stuff sorted out to go and pack up. 

I'm wondering if the government shut down are there air traffic controllers, custom officials and border guards or do I just have to float around the world until everyone gets back to work. Don't know, don't care right now. Don't really need to worry about it for twelve days. 

I located a meeting and went to the location. There was a placard on the wall that told me I was in the right place, but no one was there. This is the second time in twenty nine years this has happened to me. Once was many years ago when John and I were outside Sequoia National Park. Fortunately I wasn't in desperate need either time. It does remind me of the importance of keeping the doors open and the lights on.

 So I spent the whole day getting myself organized. I got up, had breakfast, took a shower, and put on the last of my clean clothes. I had a leisurely breakfast where I met a German man named Ryan who had walked from Burgos to Finisterre. He is a software guy. After breakfast I gathered all my dirty clothes and took them to the Consigna to have them washed and dried. They said they would be ready at 8:45pm. The other day when I checked my back pack they told me they closed at 10pm. So I figures I needed to be there between between 8:45pm and 10pm. So I went back to the Monk House and start going through my back pack and suitcase. I put the stuff I wouldn't be using for the rest of my trip into the back pack and the rest into the suitcase.  Then I through out a bunch of stuff that wasn't worth hauling around. 

After all this was done I put some more color on my hair and then walked to the Yoigo store to put a little more money on my phone. Them I went back to my room and read for a while. Daniel came by about 8pm and we went to find some place to eat. We had a yummy dinner and about 9:30pm headed to the Consigna to get my laundry. The Consigna was closed up tighter than a clam. Apparently they don't stay open until 10pm on Fridays. The problem is they don't open until at least 9am and my train leaves at 9am. So, suppose I won't be on it. Oh well, another adventure in the life of the traveler. I was so organized and ready to come home from dinner, put my clothes in my suitcase, close it and be already to go tomorrow. I guess God has other plans. 

So tomorrow I will get up, have breakfast and see if I can get another train to Madrid and another train from Madrid to Cordoba, or may the next day. We'll see. Wish me luck. I'm going to read and sleep. 

Day 78 - Arca Santiago- October 1 - On the Camino 40 days

Day 78 - Arca - October 1 -  On the Camino 40 days

Today has been amazing, extraordinary and beyond belief! I found out yesterday that the American Pilgrims On The Camino had donated some money in memory of or honoring those people affected by the train crash in July. So the Catedral was going to swing the botafumeria at the Pilgrims Mass at noon today. I wanted to be there so I set my alarm for 5:30am and paced up everything so I could pretty much stuff my sleep sac in the pack, put the bears in there places, put on my boots and take off. As it turned out I was woken up at 5am by some other people determined to get an early start. 

I got out the door about 5:30 to 5:45. The sun doesn't come up this time of year until about 8:30am and it was raining and cloudy so it was pitch dark for the first three hours. Because of the dark and the rain I had to keep my eyes on the ground to avoid stumbling. I didn't totally avoid stumbling and with your eyes on the ground in the dark with wind driven rain, it is easy to miss the yellow arrows or other directional signs. I missed a few , got off course a couple of times, but nothing too serious. I had been told at the albergue there would be a place open for breakfast at 3 km and 7 km. I arrived at a place but to this moment I don't know if it was the 3k or 7k one. So I really didn't know how far I had gone and how far I had yet to for most of the morning. I just kept walking as fast as I could. 

After the sun came up I started stopping to take pictures. I made it to Santiago, to the Catedral at a little before 10:30am. As it turned out I got to sit right up front with the American Pilgrims for the mass and the swinging of the botufumeria. It was really spectacular. After mass we went to the apartments and I got reacquainted with the stuff I had left in Santiago. After that we all went and had lunch and chatted. Then we went our separate ways with an agreement to meet at seven for dinner. I went and got my box I had sent from Bercianos and my suit case and went to check into a pilgrim's room at a former monastery. Then I went and stood in line for my Compestela. The people that work at the pilgrim's office seemed genuinely glad to see and made me promise to come back. They wanted to know if I was going to work another two weeks. I said no, not this year. 

All day long everywhere I went I kept meeting people I had met on the Camino or at Bercianos when I was hospitalera. I saw Charlie from APOC, the nurses from Canada, the Australian couple I met at the Pulpería, Silk one of the young German women I met at Bercianos, and the cranky woman who had a breakthrough at Bercianos and was full of joy when she left. I ask her if she had enjoyed her Camino and retained her joy. She said she had. That was so neat. 

We met at 7pm for dinner. There were 10 of us. It was lovely group. Tomorrow I'm going to do a day trip on the bus to Finisterre with Daniel, one of the Hospitalero trainers. After that I'm going to rest for two or three days and then decide if I want to  walk to Finisterre, take a bus to Cordoba (a place I've wanted to visit for a few years now, go to Porto in Portugal, or come home early. Tonight I need to get some sleep.