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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

traveled in 9 countries Read more
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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    11

    San Muñoz to Alba de Yeltes (26 km)

    September 11, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    It was 3 km from town on an untraveled road to where I picked up the Cañada again. What wonderful walking. Even in the fall, with no water to cross, no flowers, dry harvested fields, it is peaceful and the encina are so majestic. With the Sierra de Bejar (I think) popping out in the distance every few twists and turns. In springtime there are several water crossings and even a real river to ford, but not one drop of water did I see. The locals tell me that the Yeltes River for “toda la vida” had at least some water in summer, but not now.

    A few more kms today than yesterday, a few hundred m more elevation gain, I’m taking it slow. Several long stops, stretches every time a muscle gets my attention, lots more water than I’ve ever drunk on a camino. I am really being the model Peregrina.

    Alba de Yeltes has had an albergue here for years. The hospitalera Aurora’s husband was the moving force to get the town to dedicate some unused space. It’s a perfect albergue and has thought of everything. That’s because her husband walked many Caminos before a double lung transplant did not take and, sadly, he died. The albergue is named after him and it is a wonderful legacy that peregrinos will have this perfect stop on the Torres. With a bar/restaurante next door and a very accommodating staff, there is nothing missing. Except maybe a few peregrinos—I am the first to stay here since the end of June!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    31

    Robliza de Cojos to San Muñoz (25 km)

    September 10, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    This Camino offers a great way to start up slowly. . Perfectly flat, all off road, and all on the Cañada Real. I’ve seen several maps of this wide path (90 Castilian varas, or about 72 m wide and at least 500 km in length). It was first decreed by Alfonso X in the 13th century, so this is a tradition dating back to the time when people were building my favorite type of church. I passed the ruins of an adobe venta/inn where the drivers would stop for food, information plaque and all.

    Today I played “where’s the mojón” game, looking for old stones on either side to mark the borders of the open cañada path. Private land is on both sides, and some of these parcels have lots of livestock, many of them looking to me like bulls. Since most of the fences looked pretty sturdy, I wasn’t too worried. I did misread one arrow, though, and opened the gate to walk through a ranch. There were lots of cattle walking all around, but none came close to me. About 10 minutes later I realized I wasn’t on the Camino but should have been on the other side of the barbwire fence. I’m pretty sure that if there had been any dangerous bulls, there would have been a clear warning, like others I’ve seen. But in any case I hightailed it out.

    I arrived in my destination at about 1 PM. The señora behind the bar at the Bar Chan told me where to go to pick up the key and also told me she’d come back to make me a lunch later.

    The mayor herself greeted me and told me I would be sharing the albergue with a Ukrainian family. It felt very intrusive, but I really had no other option. I have met the young mother and her six year old boy, and the father is off working the grape harvest in Zamora. We have had some basic conversation via Google translate but I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to barge in and start asking all the questions I would love to ask. I can’t imagine what they’ve been through, but I guess in many ways they are the lucky ones.

    The mayor told me she takes Igor on a walk every afternoon and teaches him vocabulary. She is coming back this afternoon to take me to visit the church and she said Igor will come too.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    18

    Salamanca to Robliza de Cojos

    September 9, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    When I got out of the cab and put on my pack I really felt like the Camino was starting. It was another short day, about 18 km, and all of it was on the Cañada, a long series of connected paths that shepherds walked with their flocks to take them from northern Spain down to the south for the winter. These routes are now protected by law, and the general public can use them along with the flocks and herds going south. This is called the transhumancia, though I don’t think it is much used for that purpose anymore. Much more common to see cyclists and walkers than anyone working with animals.

    It’s been a beautiful day for walking, with a cool breeze and bright sun. I passed several people working in the fields and met a cyclist out for his morning ride. He has walked many of the same Caminos I have, and we actually had a few friends in common if you can believe that! He told me not to worry about the bulls, and that I would likely be seeing quite a few in the next few days. I told him how some friends of mine on this Camino had seen one in front of them and had squeezed under a fence to avoid walking right next to him. This guy said that the fence wouldn’t have stopped the bull from charging if he had been interested, so that I shouldn’t waste my time and dirty my clothes by squeezing under a fence. 😱

    I passed many fields of sunflowers, but unfortunately they were all black and hanging down. Every now and then I saw a few late bloomers with bright yellow flowers, which picked up my spirits. Actually the fields reminded me of an art exhibit I had seen in the Bilbao Guggenheim years ago– it was a room filled with vases of sunflowers dipped in lead. The ones in the fields looked a lot like those in the museum, and neither was very attractive.

    The albergue is in the old school building. It’s very basic but it has two beds, a bathroom, and a shower -nothing more needed. There’s a cafeteria on the highway about a kilometer away, so I will probably walk over there to get something to eat. There’s also a little shop in town but that’s about it. I haven’t seen too many residents, but thankfully the wife of the mayor was at home when I knocked to get the key to the Albergue. Based on the registry, it looks like there are about two or three people a month coming through here. No moving Pilgrim sidewalk on this Camino!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    Day 1 walking

    September 7, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The first “stage” on this walk is about 32 kms. Normally I would walk that without batting an eye. Especially since it’s flat, flat, flat. BUT … my hamstring injury from last year is not completely healed, and I am now in the 70-something cohort. So I decided to split it. At about 17 km, there is a highway hotel about a kilometer off the Camino. So that’s a pretty good place to split the day. But then I was thinking, yikes, why would I want to get to a highway hotel at about noon and have to spend the whole afternoon there?

    So here’s what I did. I walked to the highway hotel but got a cab back to Salamanca for the afternoon. Tomorrow I will take a cab back to where I stopped walking. The pilgrim puritans will say this is ridiculous, and I sort of agree, but I know myself well enough to know that I would otherwise just have kept on walking the whole 32 kms. stage. And I know I shouldn’t do that.

    You might wonder why someone would travel thousands of miles to walk on flat terrain through brown fields, sandwiched between the superhighway, the national Highway and the railroad. I can go in any direction from my house and find that landscape.
    I will admit that if I were looking at a whole month of this, I would not have chosen this route. But even so, there was something very different today about walking than there would’ve been if I had done it out in Champaign County cornfields. It’s hard to describe, it’s like being in a bubble where I don’t have to think about anything other than walking and whatever my brain presents. Sometimes those things are totally banal but sometimes I find myself contemplating some of life’s biggest questions.

    Anyway, I got back to town with plenty of time to enjoy the festivities. I picked two of the following options — the medieval market, the parading around of all the bulls that will fight in the next two weeks of bull fighting merriment (in honor of the patron saint, mind you), and a parade of “giants.”

    Salamanca is always fun, but during the fiestas it’s even more special. I will be glad to be totally on my way tomorrow, no more motorized transport, I hope, till I am taking the bus back to Santiago from Finisterre or Muxia!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    131

    Day in Salamanca

    September 7, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I love these power-thru days. I just have to keep going, walk a lot (my phone says I’ve walked 12.3 miles), get a lot of fresh air and sunlight and hope that my circadian rhythms do an about face and I wake up on Spain time.

    This week is fiestas in Salamanca. Their patron saint’s day is tomorrow. Santa María De la Vega. Good thing I arrived today, because everything will be closed tomorrow. Lots of outdoor concerts, food and wine stalls everywhere, processions popping up, just your typical Spanish fiesta.

    It was kind of a hodge podge day. I got my Spanish SIM card first thing. Then buying stuff like water and food for snacking while walking, my favorite sun lotion, etc. In between I did some fun tourist things—cathedral roof tour, medieval art museum, hunting down the house where Unamuno lived and died, finding the restaurant where Joe, David, Katy, Ben and I had a very nice meal in 2004 (El Pecado, it’s still there!), sitting in the Plaza Mayor and having a 3.5 € glass of wine (well worth the high price to sit in this spectacular plaza and watch the world go by).

    By 7:00 I was ready to start heading to my hotel for bed. But on the way I ran into the patron saint’s procession, so I delayed bed time a bit. People from all the towns of Salamanca province came to walk with flowers and music. Each has a different outfit, hairdo, hat, shoes, it’s pretty amazing I was transfixed for an hour. And the thing that’s most incredible to me is that there were lots of children, lots of teenagers, lots of young people, all wanting to preserve this tradition. Amazing.

    And then why not wait a few more minutes for the fireworks?!

    I’m walking tomorrow but I am going to have the slowest start of any camino I have ever walked. I promised myself I would do it, so 17 km is all I will do.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Two travel days

    September 7, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Three planes on Tuesday. Champaign to Chicago to Charlotte to Madrid. Long day but no surprises or delays. The food on American seems to reach new lows every time I fly. But we arrived about 30 minutes early so I’m not complaining!

    I got off the plane at 6:35 and by 7:15 I had been through immigration, taken the train to the main terminal T4, gone through the vaccination check, taken the commuter train to the Chamartin train station, and was drinking my first cafe con leche. I’ve said it a million times but Spain really knows how to do public transportation!

    I was a little worried about using the train station’s bathroom. But one euro gets you through the turnstile and you get spotless toilets and sinks, hot water, soap and towels. And when you close the stall door, a recording of birds chirping starts to play.

    I am now on the train to Salamanca and am glad to see that masks are still required. Whoever heard of a train scheduled to leave at 8:50 that shuts its doors and starts to move at precisely 8:50? Are you listening Amtrak? It’s 1 1/2 hours on the fast train, which means I’ll have time to do all my pre-Camino chores before things shut down for midday break.

    I was a little flat yesterday but am now transitioning to joyful camino mode!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    The Pack and packing

    September 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    I bought a new pretty Osprey Sirrus pack, highly recommended by all who use it. I took several long walks with it fully loaded and it was fine. BUT…. in the end, I have decided to go back to my 21-year-old Mountainsmith Ghost (no longer made), which I have used on every camino except my very first. If you look the picture of my Camino Clock (made for me by my dear camino buddy Dana), you can see that I am wearing that pack (I am the pendulum). So why would I test fate?

    This is going to be a “fingers crossed” camino. Fingers crossed that my hamstring injury is healed enough to enjoy the walk, fingers crossed that the home situation is good and that I am not needed. But what gives me calm is knowing that I can get home in a long day of travel, after all, it’s only money.

    I had a little pre-Camino scare today. Yesterday I had sent the dermatologist a picture of a funny looking thing that has just appeared on Joe‘s nose. She said she wanted to see him today. I immediately started imagining what that could mean. But with good advice from my Camino friends, I took a deep breath, went to the appointment, and was happy to learn that with the biopsy and scheduling the treatment, we are probably looking at a Mohs treatment in 5 to 6 weeks. How perfect is that timing?

    Now it’s just a matter of waiting till September 6 and my early morning flight out of Champaign.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Leaving Lisboa

    November 20, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We had a few hours after breakfast before we had to get to the airport, so we went to the Gulbenkian. Not my favorite museum in Lisbon, but Joe really likes it, so I was a good sport. This is the private collection of an Armenian businessman. He made his money in the oil business and Wikipedia calls him “Mr. 5%.” He endowed a foundation and the museum, which has a highly acclaimed collection of Islamic, Chinese, and European art. The gardens are beautiful, and open to the public. Nice café too.

    I thought some of the 13-14 C Islamic pottery was beautiful, but I don’t know much about it.

    With an hour or so at the airport after checking in my 15 liters of Portuguese olive oil, joe was able to get one last pastel de Nara, though certainly not as good as yesterday’s.

    And as we taxied for takeoff, I saw the first raindrops of our two weeks in Lisbon.

    So we are not flying home today. I wanted to avoid transit through London because of many stories about how Covid and Brexit combine to create lots of headaches. Since there is no way to leave Lisbon early enough to make the US flights from Madrid, we came over the night before.

    I had never stayed in a Madrid airport hotel and I won’t do it ever again. Much better and just as quick to take the Cercanias into town and have a nice dinner and sleep in a place that’s not marooned in highwaylandia. I thought it would be easier for Joe but in hindsight it’s really not and it’s certainly not as nice. Live and learn.

    Tomorrow home!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Christmas Lights

    November 19, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    How wonderful to see the lights! With two bits of local flavor— streetcars and chestnut sellers.

    60 degrees, a full moon, and lots of smiling people. Then dinner in a tried and true popular hole in the wall off the Avenida Liberdade— Floresta do Salitre.Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Full-time Tourists

    November 19, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    First thing on today’s agenda was to get the covid test for re-entry to the US. I’ve had more than my share of covid tests, but usually using saliva. We had those awful nose swabs when we were leaving Spain in June so I was ready for it this morning!

    By 10:30 we were in Belem, at the edge of Lisbon, where we visited the Jeronimos monastery, the Archaeological museum, the Monument of the Discoverers and the Naval Museum. WHEW, that sounds like a lot, but we took a break for lunch, and a break for some of those delicious Pasteis de Belem, crispy thin dough surrounding unbelievable custard filling. The monastery facade has undergone extensive cleaning and it just looks beautiful. Even if you are not a fan of Barroque/Manueline architecture, this place does dazzle.

    I made sure that we got back to the hotel in time for Joe to rest before we head out for downtown again. We just learned that the Christmas lights will be turned on tonight! So we made it by the skin of our teeth. Last year there were none, because of covid, and the city has promised that this year’s will be special. So we will probably walk a few kms and then hope to find a nice place to eat for our last night in Lisbon!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Last day teaching and Camino meetup

    November 18, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We didn’t have much time for a long walk this morning, so we went down to my favorite sock store, Pedemeia. (Portugal makes wonderful high quality socks – who knew?). It’s located next to what they call the Loja do Cidadão, the Citizen’s Store.

    It’s a great concept — all public utilities, government services, etc. have a counter in this large place. Phone companies, electric utility, gas, drivers license, passport, labor questions, it’s all under one roof. When you enter, there’s an automated kiosk, so you can get your number for the place you want to go. The one I like best, but would dearly hate to go to, is the one for “I lost my wallet.”

    As always, class went quickly, and now it’s over! I just can’t bring myself to consider that this might be the last year so I will just keep my hopes up.

    The day ended with a real treat, a get together of five members of the online camino forum. We met, appropriately, at a bar with the name Peregrina. So great to meet some people whom I had only known virtually before today. It was so much fun, even for the three spouses who are not quite as enamored with the Camino. 🤩    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Morning in the museum

    November 17, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Teaching from 2-5 makes it hard to do much on teaching days. But this morning we headed to Lisbon’s municipal museum for a short visit. It’s in what used to be a beautiful palace, owned by a marquis in the 18th century. So the rooms are covered in gorgeous blue and white tiles.

    There are bits and pieces going back to the first human settlement 20,000 years ago. I was most impressed by a Neolithic scythe. Some beautiful moorish and Roman pieces and a great model of Lisbon before the 1755 earthquake.

    We walked back, going through the decidedly unattractive campus of the Universidade de Lisboa. I have to say the Católica is prettier.

    One more day of teaching!!!!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Back in Lisbon

    November 15, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Back into the routine, and today I was happy to meet up with one of my closest law prof friends in Lisbon. He was in charge of the international program way back in 2004 when I first came to teach, seems like just a few years ago! Our time was cut short by the fact that we had to head to a Millenium bank to take care of some issues — turns out the local branch couldn’t deal with this simple transaction, and we had to go up to the Colombo shopping mall to a bigger branch. That gave me a chance to remember that this shopping mall set the gold standard for an homage to consumerism.

    After today’s class we had to head downtown to find an “oculista” that would repair Joe’s glasses. That gave us an excuse to walk around some of the main central parts on the way to our favorite pizzaria. Sitting on the outdoor terrace next to the river, much of our view was blocked by a huge cruise ship. But the pizza is just as yummy as we remembered.

    I am so sad to be going home just days before they light up the holiday lights. There were none at all last year, and the city has promised that they will be better than ever.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Romans and the moorslayer

    November 14, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Weekend trips go fast! Today we decided to head to Miróbriga, site of a Roman town. It isn’t as spectacular as Conímbriga further up north, but we enjoyed walking all around, climbing up and down around the baths, the forum, the rows of shops. No mosaics, but there were a couple of rooms with some paintings.

    Then a stop in Santiago do Cacém, where there is a hilltop castle (much more impressive from the outside, because nothing much other than the local cemetery is located inside) and a church dedicated to Santiago. Not the peaceful loving Santiago the pilgrim, but the Santiago the moorslayer.

    After a lunch in a small local restaurant in the middle of the old town, we headed “home” to the Marriott. Workout done, we will go get some grilled fish in just a few minutes. Not that we have been deprived of grilled fish, by any means! Back to work tomorrow.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Aljezur

    November 13, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    A lovely little town on what used to be a river that went straight into the ocean at Praia Amoeira. But the 1755 earthquake pushed the river underground and the town was essentially cut off from the sea.

    There are ruins of a Moorish castle, ruins of moorish settlements all over the place, a lovely municipal museum some beautiful pieces found in the castle from the 10C, and signs that the town is stubbornly refusing to bite the dust.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Arrifana and its Ribat

    November 13, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    I knew we wanted to head south today, and when I put “Arrifana” in my Google offline maps (which work GREAT btw), up popped “Ribat de Arrifana.” With a castle icon next to it. So off we headed. But first we got detoured by signs to Monte Clérigo with binoculars next to it (symbol for picturesque). A few miles walking on headlands, café on the cliffs, and finally we arrived at the Ribat.

    As we later learned at the municipal archaeological museum in Aljezur, the Ribat was an Islamic religious site, where the ruins of nine mosques have been discovered. It was also a fortress and place where warriors off to the holy wars were blessed. And a burial site. With spectacular views!

    Aljezur has a moorish castle. We walked up to it. The Portuguese flag flies there because it was one of 7 castles in Portugal conquered from the Moors. The local museum is very interesting and has artifacts from the Iron Age forward.

    On the way home, we couldn’t resist a turnoff for the Praia (beach) and found ourselves on the other side of the glorious Amoeiras beach, which has a wide river snaking around the hills to empty in the ocean. Tomorrow back to Lisbon.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Weekend begins!

    November 12, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    About three years ago, when we checked out of a hotel in the Algarve, the receptionist suggested we drive back to Lisbon along the western (Alentenjo) coast. We stopped in several random beach towns, each one prettier than the next and decided to come back for a weekend. So here we are.

    We left Lisbon right after my class on Thursday and were in the hotel here by 9. The hotel is not on the beach but in a great location, about smack dab in the middle of the area we wanted to explore.

    Today we walked about 10 miles and got into a routine of driving to some pretty place, getting out and walking for an hour or so, and then driving on. Sometimes up on the headlands, sometimes down on the beach itself. We had a very late and very delicious lunch in a fish restaurant in Zambujeira de Mar — one of those typical Portuguese places where you point to the fish you want (knowing it arrived no more than a few hours ago from the ocean) and then they grill it. Heaven! The bigger fishes are much easier for us ignorant Americans to debone, so Joe and I frequently get one to share.

    After lunch, a long beach walk, and then a drive to the Sardao lighthouse, where we walked along the cliffs for a couple of miles and then saw a beautiful sunset.

    Though our balcony doesn’t have much of a view, we are going to sit out there and have a few snacks instead of a real dinner. Given our lunchtime feast. Tomorrow we will repeat the routine, except we will head south instead of north!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Tourist on a Tuesday morning

    November 10, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Since I teach from 2-5, the day is pretty well cut in the middle. But this morning I managed to get to the gym, eat breakfast, and get us to the castle by 10. We’ve been there many times, but the days are beautiful and it’s fun to re-visit. One new development since the last time we were there was the discovery of some Iron Age hill forts, covered by some Phoenecian building, covered by some Roman building, covered by some Visigothic building, covered by some Moorish building, covered by some medieval Christian building. Sheesh — it is a tough call for the archaeologists — at which level do they stop? What do they preserve?

    One of the nicest things about the hilltop castle is of course the views — out over the river, down over the Alfama (moorish section), down over the old city. We enjoyed ourselves a lot and hopped a cab to get back by 1:15.

    Uber has come to Lisbon. Cab drivers are unhappy. So we split the baby in half — one way we go in Uber, one way in a taxi. The differences are not huge. We have not been using the fabulous metro system, less because of covid and more because of how long it would take us given my limited time and Joe’s slowing pace. Good excuses anyway. :-)

    My students from Sweden and Norway received news of the first snowfall today. And here we sit in sunny and 60s. No complaints at all.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Day 2 of Teaching

    November 9, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Well, I have to admit that teaching for three hours in a row tires me out a lot more than it used to! And dare I say that teaching with a mask on (and trying to understand non-native English speakers with their masks on) is a challenge. But I am loving it. My class is much smaller than usual, because of covid restrictions. 14 as compared to the normal 35 or 40. About 1/3 Portuguese and 2/3 Erasmus (EU). Teaching US law to a bunch of EU law students is very fun — they are undergraduates (as compared to my more jaded graduate US law students), and they are grounded in a system that is very different than mine. Being able to push back on their assumptions and challenge their thinking is a teaching delight.

    The teaching days are falling into a pattern — go to the gym, take a two hour walk after breakfast, get Joe set up back in the room for the hours that I will be gone, go teach, and then walk to dinner in a different direction than we walked yesterday. We’ll break up the routine by going to the castle tomorrow morning early, and then on Thursday we leave for the long weekend, so I really don’t have much of a pattern going on!

    Weather is absolutely spectacular, as is the fresh grilled fish.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Loving Lisboa

    November 7, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Thinking about the fact that this is our 17th visit to Lisboa, I realize that some would think it’s silly to keep coming back over and over, especially when there is so much of the world that I don’t know.

    But today’s walk through the old city just filled my spirit, if that makes sense. In part it’s because the city is so gorgeous, but it’s more than that. I’m an outsider but one who feels connected and welcomed. The foreign has become familiar. I guess I’m in love with the entire Iberian peninsula, because I can say the same about Spain!

    It’s been a while since I’ve been here when the chestnut sellers are out.

    If I’m lucky this will not be my last trip to Lisboa.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    My 7 mile old town walk

    November 7, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    When we lived here for a year in the early 2000s,, we had a lot of visitors. I made up a “walking tour” through my favorite parts of the old city. Every year since then I’ve done it at least once.

    It was a beautiful cool cloudless day, so it was a perfect thing to do. A little slower than previous years maybe, but we had all day so no rush.

    More of my favorite places had closed but there seemed to be a lot of new businesses open. And the cruise boats are back, so I guess things are taking a turn for the better.

    Back to our neighborhood grill for dinner. Work starts tomorrow!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Like coming home!

    November 6, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Our flight over was uneventful. That’s a good thing. I had been unable to get our seats online or even at the Champaign airport, so when we checked in at flight time they put us way at the back of the plane. Little did I know that that would be a stroke of luck, because we both were able to snag a full row — four seats across. That made for a very nice flight, and a lot cheaper than business class. Going through Madrid airport was very easy as always, and we got a little breakfast before our flight. A quick flight over to Lisbon, a 10 minute cab ride, and we were back at the Marriott.

    Both the doorman and the guy at check-in treated us like we were returning prodigal sons. I suppose that’s not surprising since this is our 16th year here!

    Joe always likes to take a nap on arrival, while I try to power through, so I went down to the fitness center. Then a big circle walk through the neighborhood to see what’s happening.

    Biggest changes I’ve noticed are the opening of a huge Lidl store and the demolition of my favorite frutería. But I am glad to report that our favorite grilled fish place is still standing and we will eat there tonight.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Camino arrows everywhere

    September 27, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today is my last day in Spain, at least for this Camino. My one unchangeable ritual is to pack up as many liters of olive oil as I can realistically fit— in my backpack, as well as in the duffel bag that I sent up to Santiago empty at the start of the camino. This is a tradition that dates back about 10 years, and I don’t think the Berkeley gang has had to buy any olive oil at all since I started.

    I was able to take a little stroll in the morning, before buying my olive oil. Everywhere I looked, I saw camino arrows. A branch of the Camino de Madrid, called the Camino Mendocino, comes through Soto, but very few people walk it. Except for you, Nuala! When you’re a Camino addict, and when you can’t walk, and when you are constantly seeing Camino arrows, it is like waving red flags in front of a bull.

    I am glad I have my PT appointment set up in Champaign, because I would still describe walking as slightly painful. That is actually a little comforting, because it has reassured me that I made the right decision to stop walking.

    Tomorrow I’ll be at the airport bright and early for my flight. With two bags to check and the Covid ritual, I think erring on the side of arriving early is a good one. For anyone contemplating a trip to Europe in the near future, I can recommend the Binax NOW Covid tests that you bring with you in a box. Then you perform the test online with a proctor. No need for an appointment in a lab, and you can do it at whatever time works best for you in the three day window.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Sunday in Soto

    September 26, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today was family day with my friends in Soto del Real, with the unexpected bonus that the two (now teenaged) kids came with us for a long lunch outdoors in a local restaurant. As a newly appointed EU prosecutor in a unit dedicated to intra-EU fiscal fraud team, my amiga had many fascinating stories about the first few months of her appointment. She really feels like she is doing something worthwhile and for the greater good. And Paco, as always, had many fascinating local government law issues to discuss. Maybe a limited audience, but it is exactly up my alley and we finally stopped talking at 10:30 to turn on the news to see what was happening in Germany.

    Usually when I visit, we are able to take some beautiful long walks in the mountains that start about four minutes from their house. But today it was just a few baby steps to soak up the sun and see the views.

    I have a good friend who arrives in Madrid tomorrow morning to start the Camino de Madrid. We will probably connect in WhatsApp. I feel like I am passing the baton but am still a bit bummed at how it all turned out. But as many of my Camino friends have already told me, the thing to do is to start planning my next Camino!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    From Santiago to Madrid

    September 25, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I woke up in O Pino and wasn’t sure exactly what to do. But that muscle or nerve or whatever it is was not happy, so I decided to take a taxi into Santiago. Lest you think it was a wasted day, I was able to see two good friends, Faith and Bostjan. One of them lives in Santiago and the other, from Slovenia, was walking, a different camino but had an injury and had had to stop.

    It was a really weird feeling, being in Santiago, but not really being one of the “in crowd.” I was kind of an interloper, a cheater, not a “real pilgrim.”

    My first order of business was to pick up the duffel bag I had sent up from Leon, which was waiting for my October arrival into Santiago. Unfortunately, I will never have an October arrival into Santiago. Next, time to take my online Covid test. It was very stressful, and took several hours, but finally the magic of Faith and the Pilgrim House made it happen.

    From there, I met Bostjan, and we had a quick reunion, but then I had to get to the airport. Taxis were nowhere to be found, and finally a taxi driver going off his shift took pity on me and drove me to the airport in his private car. The fixed fare is €20 and I tried to give him €30 for his generosity, which I thought should be repaid, but he absolutely refused it. The generosity of people is just astonishing to me.

    I am heading to Madrid, and will spend two days there with my dear dear friends. I have a flight home on Tuesday, and have pretty much made my peace with the end of this Camino.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    End of camino

    September 24, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I walked about 16 km, making it into Arzua where the Norte joins the Frances. And in about 5 minutes I saw more pilgrims than I had seen in total from the whole Salvador and Primitivo. And then I decided that my body was just not cooperating. My self-diagnosis (along with the online help of a few friends) leads me to conclude that it’s piriformis syndrome.

    So after two or three days of occasional bad pain, I decided it was foolish to continue. I am right outside Santiago, but my main goal was to get there and then go south to Braga in northern Portugal to walk a new (for me) route —the Geira. Walking into Santiago on the Camino Frances is always fun but it was not my primary purpose.

    Since I only have 10 days to walk the Geira route, it seemed silly to spend a few days resting on the hope I could walk at least some of it. So, hard as it is to do, I am cutting it short. I have had to do this once before, in 2008 I think it was, and I know it is going to leave me deflated and bummed out. But if this means I can count on 12 more years of caminos till the next problem, I’m all in favor!

    I know one person who will be happy about my decision, 😄 though I’m sure he’s not glad about the circumstances.

    So now I have to cancel many reservations, figure out how to get to Madrid (trains are all full for days and the bus is not much fun), spend a couple of days with my BFFs in Madrid, and change my flight. I am assuming I’ll be home on Wednesday or Thursday.

    I do know that I need to pay more attention to the fact that I’m no spring chicken and that I have to cut back the distances of my walking days. No more 40 km days for me next time!    Read more

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