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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    First walking day!

    9 septembre 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Last night I was like a 10-year-old trying to get to sleep on Christmas Eve. It just wouldn’t happen. I’m sure I got a few hours sleep though. After a cup of instant coffee (caffeine is the desired ingredient more than taste), at about seven I put my headlamp on and headed out. Sunrise is about 8 am now!

    It was a great walking day, cloudy at the beginning and then cooler and breezy towards the end. Leaving big cities is usually not so much fun, but there is a dirt path along the river that took me from the parador all the way to the first town about 10 km out. I have seen one other pilgrim, but he was going to stop in the town before I did. Lots of other people out on the trail though, all wearing masks and all saying Buen Camino to me.

    In the woods I found another great use for my mask. I put it on to keep the gnats out of my nose and mouth. Then when I got too hot, I would take it off and leave it off until a gnat either flew into my nose or my mouth. Then I would put the mask on and start the drill all over again.

    I didn’t remember this stage as being so difficult. I knew it was about 38 km, with maybe 400 m of elevation gain. But I was dragging at the end, and then I realized that the last time I did this stage I was five years younger and I had been walking for three weeks.

    I am walking through mining country and now that the coal industry isn’t totally shut down in Spain, the towns that are left behind are really suffering. So sad.

    After a shower and clothes wash, I met up with Ender, the Salvador angel who started it all. The first time I walked there was very little marking, and he took care of that along with a guidebook. We had a good Camino Chet.

    Tomorrow is the most beautiful mountain stage, I can’t wait and the weather looks good.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Jet lag day in Leon

    8 septembre 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I had a really nice day in the historical center of Leon. I visited the cathedral with its stained glass windows, which are in my opinion the very very best. I also went to San Isidoro, the Romanesque pantheon where all the Leonés kings are buried. Amazing XI C paintings all over the ceiling -last supper, Cristo Pantocrato, a sweet 12-panel depiction of the months of the year, just beautiful but no pictures allowed. But it wasn’t a totally touristic morning. I also had to buy fruit and yoghurt for my walk and my Spanish phone card.

    In the afternoon my friend Rebekah, who lives about 80 km from here, drove over for lunch. It was really really great to see her. After she bought 500 candles for her little church in Moratinos, we went to a very delicious Japanese restaurant. Reb had to head home during a rain, and I ducked into the Leon municipal museum, which covers human habitation in Leon from the very beginning, starting a hundred thousand years ago.

    WhatsApp works extremely well for free video and audio phone calls. When the wifi is weak, the video fades out but it’s been great so far.

    Sunrise is late— not till 8 am. I am glad I have my headlamp because I am programmed to leave early. 38 km tomorrow and there are a few ups and downs. Since I haven’t walked since 2019 it remains to be seen how much of my Camino power I’ve lost. Tomorrow will be the test.

    Early to bed and early to rise. Can’t wait to walk tomorrow!!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Leon at night

    7 septembre 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I’ll bet I have walked through Leon at least seven or eight times. Many Caminos intersect here or near here— The Francés, Madrid, Salvador, and Vadiniense are the ones that come to mind. But when you’re walking through, you have to go to bed early, and you don’t get to see the city at night.

    So, since I am taking a jetlag day tomorrow, which I rarely do, I thought I would spend tonight walking to some of my favorite monuments to see them lit up. Gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, those are just a few adjectives that come to mind. Since I slept a few hours on the plane, I’m really not too tired, so carpe diem. Beautiful buildings are beautiful at any time of day, but at night they are really special. Even a favorite little cheese store looks magical.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Made it to Leon

    7 septembre 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Well I wouldn’t say I had the best of luck today, but I am here in Leon and very happy about that! The flight from Madrid arrived early, and we zoomed through immigration. Then there was no wait at the health check where they looked at my vaccination card and then another tiny line to show the QR code. This is a breeze, I thought. About a half hour from feet on the ground till I exited the airport.

    Then my luck took a turn for the worse. I got on the intra-airport bus to go to the post office in Terminal one so I could mail my duffel bag up to Santiago. When I got there, I learned the post office was closed because of Covid. Oh well, I headed back to Terminal 4 to get a cup of coffee, but first I checked about my bus at the ticket office outside. There I learned there was an earlier bus leaving three minutes later, but there was no time for me to change my ticket and get on it.

    Then I learned I could not get back into the terminal without a boarding pass. So I had a two hour wait at the bus stop without being able to get my first Spanish café con leche. At least I was outside. But don’t think I could take off my mask because the regulations require one inside and out in urban areas.

    Amazing what a shower can do. It’s a beautiful city and I’m glad that I’ll be here all day tomorrow when a friend who lives about 50 miles away comes to see me.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    First travel day

    6 septembre 2021, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a 15-month hiatus, the longest I’ve gone without a Camino since I started walking in 2000, I am heading out. I had a lot of doubts about whether it was the right time, but Spain is one of the highest vaccinated countries in the world, I have N95 masks, I will sleep only in private rooms, and I will eat only outdoors or in my room. Some may think this sounds isolating and solitary, but it is exactly what I need. In fact, about a month ago I had to break the news to two dear Camino buddies that I was backing out of our tentative plans to walk together. I just wanted to walk alone.

    I picked the Salvador/Primitivo, even though I’ve already walked this route 3 times, because it is beautiful, slightly remote in places, mountainous, and will get me into Santiago in about 17 days. I couldn’t plan on a longer camino this year, but I’m hoping I can at least get to Santiago. And then if things are fine at home, I will walk into Santiago, hop on a bus to Braga, Portugal, and walk another short Camino, the Geira, back into Santiago. But I am at least hoping to make it to Santiago once.

    After a brain freeze that led me to think that tapping on the mute button was the way to UNmute, and panicking because no one could hear me when I did that, I was fortunate to have Clare at the ready in British Columbia to patiently talk me through it.

    Now one hour till boarding the Iberia flight to Madrid. Hopefully no more phone crises. Let the Covid isolation camino begin!!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds

    Made it to O’Hare

    29 juin 2021, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I am not really sure how the airlines allow people to buy a ticket with a 50 minute connection between our arrival into Madrid from Málaga and our flight out of Madrid to Chicago. Get off the plane, get to the train to get out to the international terminal, get off the train, go through Immigration, get to your gate. It was a bit much. I am definitely going to pay attention to my connection times more in the future, especially now that I sit here in O’Hare with a four hour layover!

    I think part of the problem with my bad connections is the reduced flight schedule, though things are definitely picking up. O’Hare is mobbed, seems like it is back to normal. But the Iberia flight was only about 20% full, I would guess.

    At several points along the way today, we were asked to show our covid test results or sign an affirmation that we had been vaccinated and/or had taken a covid test. Because the numbers of international travelers are so low, there wasn’t much of a wait at O’Hare — in fact, it was the quickest trip through immigration I can remember. They have removed all of the many touch screen automated immigration machines, though, maybe because of covid. So if numbers pick up, the waits could get much longer.

    So ends our trip to Spain. If you are vaccinated and want to go to Spain, my advice is to GO if you are vaccinated. No hassles getting in, just fill out a form with your vaccination data. Coming back home, you need a covid test, but there are many places to do it and it is quite easily arranged, There were a few things closed because of covid, but the absence of the group tour buses really makes being a tourist much more fun.

    I’m glad to be going home, but I have to admit I am starting to dream about the next trip!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
    4

    Last Day in Spain

    28 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Another early morning walk. The city was still sleeping on Monday morning. As was Joe. But I made it back up the hill to the castle for my last views down on the city and the Alcazaba.

    There were only two things on the agenda. Picasso museum snd grandkids t-shirts. Why didn’t I get them earlier? Many of the touristy souvenir shops seem to be closed.

    Today is really the first hot day we’ve had. High in lower 90s. Till now, nights and early mornings have been sweater weather, so we are very grateful. I think our laziness today is a combination of heat and tourism saturation. Between 11 and 5 we spent a total of about three and a half hours sitting in different cafes!

    The Picasso museum is in a beautiful old residence and everything is very nicely displayed. Our guidebook says it houses all of Picasso’s “unsaleable stuff.” I thought anything by Picasso would be sale-able. I especially liked his sculpture of a warrior’s head —it reminded me of a 700 BC Phoenician helmet I had seen in the Malaga Museum.

    I am tired of restaurants. Home tomorrow. Usually I don’t write anything about our travel day home, but I know some of my friends are very interested to see how re-entry to the US goes. Going through immigration in Chicago is usually unpleasant even without Covid. So I don’t have much hope for a painless process.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
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    Moors, Romans, and almost Picasso

    27 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    I did a quick walk up to the top of the hill again, to see things in the morning light. Then back to the hotel to pick up Joe. We had the best coffee of our trip so far. Then we headed up to the 13C Moorish Alcazaba. Not as spectacular as the Alhambra, but we enjoyed it a lot. Lots of those beautiful horseshoe arches and patios full of water and flowers, all hidden behind austere walls.

    The Roman theater was next and even though you can see most of it from the adjacent plaza, how can you pass up a chance to climb around a Roman theater?

    Lunch was a repeat visit to the really refreshing Avo. It’s a restaurant run by two young Germans (?) and their food is fresh and good.

    We had planned to go to the Picasso museum after lunch, but saw a huge line and learned that it’s free admission on Sunday afternoons. Luckily it’s open on Monday, so that will give us something to do on our last day.

    So plan B was a long walk along the quay and then along the beach. Late (for us) dinner at Gusto for good pizza. And jump for joy — our Covid tests came back negative so we can return home as planned.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
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    Good day in Malaga

    26 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    While Joe slept in, I had time to buy some of the required stuff — olive oil, smoked paprika, and Manchego cheese. The huge municipal market is thrivng, in spite of the chain supermarkets not far away. It has a pretty impressive 14th century door that used to be part of a Moorish home. The old part of Málaga is really charming!

    After another café breakfast (this will be a part of the day I will dearly miss), we headed out to the airport for our pre-return Covid test. Everyone entering the US must have a negative test result from within three days of departure. We probably could have gotten a test in town, but I made the reservation for this test soon after Spain opened up for us, and I thought it would probably be less risky than finding some random lab somewhere in town. At the airport, the line for the test snaked around the airport, but a second window for those with reservations had no line, and that was our window! They did one of those painful nose swabs, which I have never had. Though I’ve probably had more than 200 covid tests, they have all been saliva, and I am now very thankful of that! We will get our results tomorrow, fingers crossed!

    Walking around town we saw the beautiful old customs building with a museum inside, so in we went. After lunch, Joe went to nap, and I headed up to the castle, which overlooks the Moorish fortress, which overlooks the Roman theater. The views from way up there were very nice.

    Our best meal so far in Malaga —La Barra de Zapata.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
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    Took the bus to Malaga

    25 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    It is only a two hour bus ride to Malaga from Granada, and our bus was at noon, so we had time to go back to our favorite breakfast place. Half a short baguette each with crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and avocado. Avocado toast meets pan con tomate. Delicious.

    The bus ride was not very scenic, but it was quick. Our hotel is on a pedestrian street exactly across from the Santiago church. It must be an omen. One of these years I will walk from Malaga—it’s a branch of the Camino Mozárabe, which is a great camino— in spring only, though!

    We had lunch at a very popular place —Pimpi— with a view over the Roman theater, with the moorish fortress above it.

    The weather continues to be perfect.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
    222

    Last Day in Granada

    24 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We took a local bus up to the Cartuja Monastery, with its overabundant, over-the-top roccoco church and chapel. One Spanish architecture professor is reputed to have described it as a “motionless architectural earthquake.” Pretty good. The information I read suggests that perhaps the order wanted to outdo the Alhambra. I don’t know anything about the Carthusian order, but I do know that the Camino Francés also has a Monasterio Cartujo - de Miraflores in Burgos.

    The monastery used to be on the outskirts of town, but now the University of Granada has a whole modern campus up there. It was fun to walk around. Back downtown in early afternoon, we decided to go to the Capilla Real to see where Fernando and Isabel are buried. I hadn’t remembered the anecdote about the very elaborate statuary showing them lying in state up on the floor above the alleged tombs. Her head sinks more deeply into the pillow than his, perhaps a nod to her superior intellect and “heavier brain.” Who knows.

    We won’t leave Granada without one more trip up to the Albaicín (moorish quarter) to see the Alhambra from afar in the late afternoon sun. And one more dinner in one more lovely little plaza somewhere. The food has not been great, but totally fine. I would take mediocre food in such a gorgeous setting anyday!

    Bus to Málaga tomorrow!

    Note to self: Make sure husband’s cap is affixed to his head. But hey, he walked 7 miles today!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
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    La Etapa Reina

    23 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    On every camino, there is the Etapa Reina, the jewel stage of the route. Though I’m not walking, there’s no doubt that the Alhambra is just that.

    We took a little bus up at about 9, and got right in. Six and a half hours later we were on our way out, walking back to town on the shady pedestrian path with babbling water never far away. I had brought some fruit and yoghurt in my bag, but as we were eating breakfast in a cafe, the grandma brought out some freshly made empanadas. Tuna with sun-dried tomatoes. I brought two along and we found a beautiful (if not totally legal) picnic spot in the gardens.

    There are four separate sections and to enter each one you have to show your passport. At the entrance to the Generalife (summer palace), I witnessed Spanish bureaucracy at its finest. Two young people, from Hungary I think, got up to the gate. Each one has a passport and a ticket in hand. But oh no, the bureaucrat says— both tickets say “Ella Blabla” but only one of the passports has that name. Ella spoke up —I guess I put my name on both tickets when I bought them online, but you can see that the passport numbers correspond to the two of us. Oh but I’m sorry, says the guard, this is impossible. So after a few minutes back and forth, finally the guard calls his superior and explains the whole thing two or three times with much emotion and consternation. The line gets longer and longer. Finally, just as we always knew would happen, the guard waves his arm in a huge arc and says—pasen Uds. I love Spain!

    Rather than describe the many incredibly beautiful rooms, patios, and gardens, I’ll just add some pictures. And a popular refrain — Give alms to the beggar, sir, for there is no pain worse than being blind in Granada.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds

    Museum Day

    22 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We spent most of the day in two different parts of town. First, the Albaicin, where we visited the Inquisition Museum (let’s just say the guillotine was the most humane thing I saw-truly shocking). Much more enjoyable were the Moorish baths, a morisco house ( 13 th century house of a convert to Christianity) and the Archaeological Museum. Even after reading a detailed explanation, I still don’t understand how a 13th century Muslim astrolabe could have announced the times of prayer, the start of Ramadan, as well as indicate the direction for the faithful to pray.

    Lunch in an outdoor cafe with views over to the Alhambra. It never gets old.

    Post-nap time was spent in the area near the Cathedral. It’s not one of my favorite cathedrals in Spain by a long shot, and the ticket office was closed when we got there anyway. It was much more fun to watch the several demonstrations going on near the Town hall. One had to do with domestic violence, and the other was some very confusing protest against the church. Very loud but very peaceful.

    Alhambra tomorrow!!!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
    712

    Travel Day to Granada

    21 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    A short two hour train ride through olive groves. Oh, the nostalgia, I always love walking through olive groves when on camino. Some people find them boring, but I just love them. Riding on a train through olive groves just isn’t the same. I couldn’t even do my normal loud camino rendition of Andaluces de Jaén, a song by Paco Ibañez of a slightly subversive poem by Miguel Hernández. I love it and sing it every time I walk in an olive grove!

    It was a nice walk down promenades from the train station to our hotel, which is on the Gran Vía. It’s in the Renaissance monastery of Santa Paula. Great location, very comfortable. Good fitness center. :-) The reception guy was very nice and put us in a room in the old part overlooking the courtyard. When I told him it was great except for the step up to the bathroom (night-time fall alert went off), he put us in an even nicer little suite with a similar view. No complaints.

    Joe decided to nap on arrival, since he hadn’t been able to sleep in till his normal decadent wake-up time. And his stomach was a bit off. So I went to exercise and walk around a bit. I thought that Fanta de Limón would be just the thing for an upset stomach, and once again I was transported back to the camino. It’s my favorite post-walking refreshment, nowhere near as sweet as US soft drinks.

    After a quick lunch, we walked up to the Mirador San Nicolás, the iconic viewing spot in the Albaicin (moorish quarter) back over the Alhambra. Dinner in the hotel, nothing great, but it’s convenient. Temps are still ridiculously low, and the sun is brilliant. So lucky.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
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    4Ps - Palace, Patios, Plazas and Parks

    20 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    This was not a day of 5***** attractions, but in slow travel mode, you always need an extra day in case you would otherwise miss something you wanted to see. And that uaually leaves lots of time for wandering and watching the world go by.

    Today we started at the Palace of the Marqués de Viana, a mumble jumble palace inhabited from the 15-19 century, with a beautiful ring of adjacent patios around it. After that, we just meandered, sitting occasionally in a little café in a neighborhood, or in a park (Córdoba has a lot of parks). And one big ice cream in the beautiful Plaza Tendillas. But we weren’t always sitting — my phone tells me we walked 5 miles. I found a few churches that could claim some romanesque-like features, but since the Moors were in charge till 1326, most of the post-Reconquest construction is gothic forward.

    Tonight one last good meal in a spot that had no reservations till Sunday when the hotel called on Thursday. So it sounds like a good last night spot. Tomorrow we have a 10 am train to Granada,    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds

    To Medina Azahara

    19 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Late breakfast, as usual, with a taxi ride out to Medina Azahara soon after. Yes, I am getting soft. We could have taken a bus to about a half kilometer from the site, but we splurged. This 10th century town in ruins was the residence of the caliph for about 70 years, until warring factions disputing his succession destroyed the entire place. It seems that moving the royal headquarters 6 km out of the capital city was not such a smart idea after all, because all the intrigue and skullduggery was easier to implement with the boss out of sight. It must have been an impressive place, though, with a lot of multi-arched buildings all interconnected through a maze of halls and tunnels— all to impress and overwhelm the emissaries from other kingdoms. I guess it worked with the foreigners, but the take-down came from within the caliphate in the 11th C. At least that’s my understanding. And then Fernando el Santo completed the final conquest in 1236. Great museum and video to get you acclimated before heading into the site. We very much enjoyed wandering all over, though Joe was usually holding onto my arm for extra balance. But no mishaps!

    A huge part of the fun in a city like this is walking through ancient narrow twisty streets, seeing the beautiful flowers and patios, and coming unexpectedly on a plaza with cafés and fountains. We have done our share of that these first two days — Spain really knows how to do life.

    We have been so lucky with the weather — I couldn’t believe we had to put on our fleeces both last night and this morning. Highs in the 70s or low 80s, when it is usually about 20 degrees hotter. It would not have been fun to walk all over the excavations in that kind of weather.

    We are eating all our meals outside and wearing our N95 masks. This part of Spain has had a big covid burst, but the vaccination rates are extremely high and they are vaccinating people in their 20s and 30s now. Hospitals are not full and death rates are low, so that’s all good.

    Tomorrow is our last day in Córdoba and we have a couple of good meals planned, so I’d better find some destinations for us to walk to and skip the taxis.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
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    Gobsmacked once again

    18 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    When you start your day with an early morning walk through the ancient Judería, then walk along the river and across the Roman bridge, and then saunter around the mosque while your better half sleeps, it is a pretty good omen. We had a late breakfast in the hotel and then just waltzed into the Mezquita/Mosque and punched three buttons on a machine and out popped our tickets. No lines, no hoards, no big groups, it was wonderful.

    The information I’ve read describes this as the greatest mosque in the world, and if that’s hyperbolic it’s not by much. Not that I’ve seen many, but I can’t imagine it could get much better. It was built in the 8th century on top of a visigothic cathedral, which was probably on top of a Roman temple. Now the mosque has a Catholic Cathedral plopped into the middle of it. What’s surprising, I guess, is not that the Christians added on a cathedral, but that they left the mosque untouched for three centuries. Apparently, they could resist no more, and hence the appearance of a 16th C Baroque altar, choirstalls, and cupolas. I was surprised to read that the local people and the municipal government begged the religious authorities to leave it untouched, but to no avail. But all of humanity is extremely lucky that the conquering Christians did not destroy this site.

    Next stop, the Royal Alcázar, the home of Ferdinand and Isabelle when they were in residence, and apparently where Columbus’ trip was organized and agreed upon. Also where a lot of the Inquisition was put into place. The main attraction is the huge and beautiful garden, with many fountains and pools.

    We had lunch in a Sephardic restaurant recommended by a dear camino friend. Several small plates were all we needed, it was great.

    On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in the small but very nice Arqueological Museum, built on top of the excavations ongoing on the Roman theater below. The mix of cultures and regimes is just there out in the open for you to enjoy every time you turn around. It is a really beautiful city.

    The temperature hit a high of 77 today, much cooler than we ever expected. Warming a bit in the next few days, but nothing really hot till we get to Granada next week.

    We’ve fallen into the routine from earlier trips. Late breakfast, mid afternoon nap/exercise and then dinner later. We are eating outside, in small plazas, in various recommended places. The Spanish meal times work very well for us, because dinner starts no earlier than 8 or 8:30. It is working well so far, knock on wood!

    PS, and for my Camino friends, there is a Santiago Matamoros!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds
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    Travel Day number 2!

    17 juin 2021, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We landed in Madrid at about 9 am Madrid time. It took us no time at all to get through immigration, get the train to the main T4, and then walk through the line where they checked to make sure we had a QR code issued by the Spanish government. This code is given to you online two days before your flight, after you provide the information on your vaccines. No one actually ever checked the vaccination card, so the trust quotient is pretty high. The booth had one of those long snaky lines like they have at airport security, but there were no people there!

    I had thought the train tickets to Córdoba were all sold out, but when I checked in the Renfe office at the airport, they found me two seats not together on a train at 2:30. That gave us another 3 hour wait, but we’re getting used to those. If the weather had been nice, we would have walked through the Retiro for an hour or so, but it was raining. And I just didn’t feel like the Reina Sofia, which we had visited on our last Madrid trip. So we took the Cercanías to Atocha and sat outside under a cover and drank café con leche!

    By 5 we were in our hotel, which is a nice, small place in an old building, Eurostars Azahar. Joe took a nap and I went to the elliptical, and then took a stroll around town to get my bearings. I went past the Hotel Seneca, where I stayed when walking the Mozárabe in 2019, and made my way down to the mezquita. What a beautiful little city.

    We had dinner in Taberna Góngora close to the hotel. Salmorejo was YUMMY (Córdoba’s version of gazpacho, a little creamier and with jamón serrano). Green asparague grilled and eggplant with honey for the finale. Now after 26 hours of travel I am ready to go to bed!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsAndalucía 6/21Laurie Reynolds

    Travel Day

    15 juin 2021, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We decided to take the plunge and go to Spain soon after the government welcomed vaccinated American tourists back on June 7. Today is travel day, from Champaign to Chicago to Dallas to Madrid. I got up at 3:30 so I could do my elliptical routine. I don’t think I am a superstitious person, but the one time I did not get up early to exercise, our flight was delayed and we had a horrendous travel day. Since then, I have done it no matter what — now that I have an elliptical in the downstairs bedroom, it is much easier. No more 2 am trips to Anytime Fitness!

    Somehow I booked our flights with a 5 hour layover in Chicago and a 50 minute connection time in Dallas. I tried to change the flight to an earlier one out of Chicago, but was told it would cost $1000 per person. So yesterday, the day before the flight, I tried one more time to plead my case. The agent was very nice, but said she couldn’t do anything. She suggested I talk to her supervisor, and that was the charm!

    So here we are in Dallas, with our short and medium flights done. No hiccups so far, knock on wood. Now comes the long flight in a few hours. There are lots and lots of delays here in Dallas. Not exactly sure why, because the weather is fine. We’ll get there when we get there!

    I have printed out the opening times of Córdoba’s main monuments. Hoping to get to the Mezquita more than once, it is one of the world’s most stunning buildings,. Even though the conquering Spaniards in the 11th century did insert a cathedral in the middle of the mosque, at least they left much intact. I can’t wait!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsFirst trip since covid beganLaurie Reynolds

    Home again

    19 avril 2021, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    In my younger days, I would have scheduled either an early morning or a late afternoon flight, which would give us more time at either end of our trip. But now the main things are not being rushed at the airport, not having close connection times, and not having to get up too early!

    Since we had an early afternoon flight, we were able to have a leisurely breakfast at a very popular café on Lake Austin, Mozart’s Café. From there to the airport, and 7 hours later, home again.

    O’Hare was mobbed. The only difference you would notice is that today people were wearing masks. Since we are both vaccinated, we feel pretty safe, but who knows what bad news the variants will bring.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsFirst trip since covid beganLaurie Reynolds

    Matando Saudades

    18 avril 2021, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Matando saudades is a good Portuguese expression to describe what you do when you go back to places that hold special prominence in your memory and you want to dwell on them a bit.

    Today was a day to go back to old haunts. Joe’s childhood friend met us in town and we did a lot. First stop, the pedestrian bridge with great views of downtown. Next, the Ulmlauf Sculpture Garden. Turns out that Austin’s premier sculptor studied under Lorado Taft, and any careful observor of the Taft sculptures in Champaign will recognize the similarities.

    Then to the Emma Long Metropolitan Park, where Joe and his buddy had gone swimming on Christmas Day, 1956. And then the obligatory stop at Mount Bonnell, with a hundred steps to climb but good views over the river.

    A good pizza in Marye’s Pizza, and then a wheelchair handoff and back to the hotel. Back to Champaign tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsFirst trip since covid beganLaurie Reynolds

    Laguna Gloria!

    16 avril 2021, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I won’t say the weather has been great, but we have not yet been rained on. Looking at my phone, I decided that the morning looked like the best chance of dry weather, so we went to Laguna Gloria, a sculpture garden/mansion that has now been absorbed by Austin’s museum of contemporary art. One big advantage is that there is now a café with good sandwiches! It is a very beautiful place.

    Our afternoon stop was the Texas Historical Museum, which I love. Lot of good but unbiased information about Texas as a part of Mexico, as a Republic, and then as part of the US. Can’t say I would object to going back to one of its two earlier statuses.

    Before dinner, we went to Sixth Street and stopped in the Historic Driskill Hotel. The very polite valets asked us if they could help and I explained that Joe’s grandmother had a florist shop in the hotel. They showed us the place where it used to be and let u roam around the spectacular lobby a bit. The Driskill is on 6th St., which is way too hip for me, but I’m glad we saw the hotel.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsFirst trip since covid beganLaurie Reynolds

    First day in Austin

    15 avril 2021, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    My modus operandi is to plan to do two things a day. That leaves plenty of down time for naps and just chill-axing as my kids would say.

    The weather wasn’t spectacular, but there was no rain forecast for the morning, so we headed to the Capitol. Got to see the place where Joe was a page, way back in the Stone Age, and the building is beautiful. It was interesting to note that the Senate required visitors to the floor to have proof or vaccine or negative covid test. This is the same body that voted to oppose Austin’s mask mandate, if you can figure that out.

    In the afternoon, we went to the Blanton, the UT art museum. It is a very nice place. I particularly liked the Latin American room, which both had a Santiago and some festive Virgin Marys.

    We met Joe’s high school BFF for dinner at Fonda San Miguel. Probably the best Chile Relleno I’ve ever had. When I went to pay the bill, the waiter told me Armando had paid it. Turns out Armando is a good friend of the owner who eats there frequently. He was sitting at a table near us and we had a nice chat. He told us he thought we seemed like really nice people. I was kind of gobsmacked.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsFirst trip since covid beganLaurie Reynolds

    Travel day to Austin — via Charlotte!

    14 avril 2021, États Unis ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    I hadn’t planned to write a Find Penguins for this test-drive-trip, but two friends in Spain asked me to. Since one of the features of this new mode of travel is that I always have a few hours in the afternoon while Joe takes a nap, I decided to go for it.

    Now that we are both vaccinated, and since I wanted to see how travel goes for us now with a slower mojo, I booked a flight to Austin, Joe’s home town. We usually go with the 9 other members of the family, but this year it wasn’t possible.

    Travel was weird, I had almost forgotten how to check in. Both the AA and TSA staff welcomed us back with a “Where’ve you been???” Just one of the advantages of living in a small town with four or five flights a day. The airports were mobbed (our best connection was through Charlotte, and if you know anything about US geography, you will know that Charlotte is in the exact opposite direction from Austin). But we had no real issues and everyone was wearing masks. I had ordered a wheelchair for Joe because we had a very short connection, but no one was there when we got there. The gate agent gave me a wheelchair and told me to head out and push him myself.

    First stop in Texas was to pick up a loaner wheelchair at a friend’s house. It has been a challenge learning to use it. After hotel check-in (my two criteria were good location near I-35 and an elliptical), we went the short distance to Torchy’s, our favorite taco place. Then off to bed. Uneventful day, thankfully!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Last day teaching and camino meetup

    18 novembre 2019, Portugal ⋅ 14 °C

    We only had time for a short walk before my class today. First to my favorite sock store, Pedemeia (Portugal makes wonderful, high quality socks —who knew?), located right next to the Loja de Cidadão —the Citizen’s Store.

    What a great concept. Every public utility, government service (passport, drivers license, immigration, etc) all in one place on two or three floors. When you arrive, you go to an automated kiosk and get your ticket. They even have a counter for “I lost my wallet,” which is an idea Spain, with its ridiculous rate of pickpockets, ought to consider.

    As always, class sped by and then came the time to hand out the final project/exam and say goodbye. The future is opaque but I can’t bear to think this might be my last year!!!

    The special treat of the day came at 6, when five of the online camino forum got together at the Peregrina Bar. What better way to end a day than talking about all things camino!!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsMadrid, here we come.Laurie Reynolds
    1

    On the way home

    17 novembre 2019, Espagne ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    The last two days have been with close friends, in the tiny town of Soto del Real. Walk out their door, turn left, and in two minutes you are on a dirt path heading up into the Guadarrama mountains. The views of the snow in the mountains were pretty great, and we enjoyed several long walks. Went to a colegio basketball game, a great in-town restaurant, the castle at Manzanares (as spectacular as I remembered it). But the really nice thing is that when you are with good friends, there is no need to go go go. Sitting around the table drinking tea, occasionally helping out with one kitchen task or another, it was a wonderful weekend.

    Two trivia tidbits. From Soto del Real, into the center of Madrid, you can ride on a bike trail without ever coming into contact with vehicular traffic. That’s 50 kms of uninterruted cycling. Trivia point two. Recent law in Spain requires that restaurants and bars provide you with “agua del grifo” (tap water) at no extra charge. The water in Spain is excellent, so this is a great development, and I assume it is intended to reduce the use of plastic bottles.

    Now we are in the Madrid airport, an hour or so till boarding. Home again till Sunday, when we leave for California and grandkids for Thanksgiving week.    En savoir plus

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