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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Home

    4 janvier 2018, États Unis ⋅ ⛅ -15 °C

    No pictures, no stories. Just 22 hours since I got out of bed. Our 5 am water taxi had to drop us off for a cab because of too much fog on the lagoon. I was really hoping to pull up to the Venice airport in a water taxi but oh well.

    We missed the brunt of the east coast bomb cyclone, but O’Hare’s international terminal was overflowing with people from flights diverted from New York, Boston, etc. It was crazy and chaotic. Our little puddle jumper down to Champaign was the most peaceful part of the journey. Home again! This was a wonderful trip.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Last vaporetto rides on the Grand Canal

    3 janvier 2018, Italie ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    For our last day, we decided to visit a couple of museums and churches in different parts of town. That means we spent our last day doing pretty much what we have done on the other days -- riding on the vaporetto and walking through the neighborhoods. The Palazzo Mocenigo was our starting place. An 18th century palace preserved with original furnishings and a beautiful collection of 18th century male vests, embroidered of silk, linen, and lace. Wow.

    Then to the Guggenheim, lots to see and great views over the canal. I even saw a Jackson Pollock painting that I liked! After lunch, we navigated our way around to see a couple more churches. My favorite was San Nicolo di Mendicoli, kind of tucked away in a remote corner but we found it.

    Back to San Marco Square for one more walk around (still stupefied by the huge crowds) and then had a hot chocolate and sweet for twice what we spent on lunch in a cafe in the square. But where else can you listen to a piano player, eat a canolo, and look out the window and see the Doge's Palace? We have a reservation for one last Italian dinner in a recommended trattoria near the hotel. Tomorrow morning at 5 am we will be in a water taxi heading to the airport.

    Home sweet home beckons. I was glad to see that the temps have risen a bit. High tomorrow of 8 F (-13 C) with a low of -7 (-22 C). Always sounds so much colder in centigrade!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Island hopping, Venetian style

    2 janvier 2018, Italie ⋅ 🌙 3 °C

    I think we got our 120 euros worth on the vaporetto today alone! From 9 till 5 (for Joe) and almost 7 (for me) we were hopping on and off. We visited three outlying islands and saw two drop dead gorgeous ancient churches, with mosaics from X and XI century.

    First stop, Burano, a pretty little island that is home to the Lace Museum (which we did not visit). But walking the streets was a real pleasure, this is a place with a lot of life. From there it was another 5 minutes on another vaporetto to the island of Torcello, which has a Byzantine cathedral and an XI century church. And what is "said to be" Attila the Hun's throne. Amazing, beautiful, jaw-dropping.

    From there to the island of Murano, more on the normal tourist circuit, with its glass blowing tradition, a glass museum, AND an astonishing basilica from the XI and XII centuries. Truly one of the most beautiful romanesque exteriors anywhere. Lunch in a trattoria and a visit to the glass museum rounded out the day. When we got back to Venice, Joe went to "take a load off his feet" while I went out for a couple more hours of walking/vaporetto riding in central Venice. It never gets boring, from San Marco to Rialto to the train station.

    Tomorrow is our last day, and I guess it's only fair that Joe should decide our activities, since he followed me to the ends of the lagoon to see these romanesque churches!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Rain on New Year's Day

    1 janvier 2018, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Despite our best efforts, Joe has come down with a little cold. He decided to go back to bed after breakfast, giving me two hours to walk around our neighborhood and get a little exercise. I made it up to see the Calatrava bridge (WHOSE idea was it to put a Calatrava bridge over the Grand Canal?), found a few more churches and nice piazzas, and just as my time was running out it began to rain. I am sure I was wandering in circles, but by following the signs to one end (train station and bus station) or the other end (Rialto and San Marco), I was always able to make it back to my little spot in the middle. I saw a fair number of people using their phones, but I think it is more fun to follow the signs, especially since I had no real destination in mind.

    We decided to spend the day in two museums that had unexpectedly opened on New Year's Day. One, the Modern Art Museum, had a painting by one of my all time favorites, Sorolla. That alone was worth the visit. Picasso, Miro, Calder, Max Lieberman, Klimt, Andy Warhol, Chagall and a few others you'd recognize also had paintings there. Lunch in the museum café was fine if not exceptional, and then we got a vaporetto down to a Doge palace open for visits, Ca Rezzonico. Though the building was much older, they had restored its furnishings and interior decoration to the 18th century style and it was quite grand. Lovely views right over the Grand Canal, those doges and their families had it pretty nice.

    The rain was still coming down a bit, so we decided to head back to the hotel so Joe could get another nap before dinner. I brought my cold-eze and Airborne, so he hopes to nip it in the bud. While he sleeps, I will try to figure out how we will get out to two islands tomorrow, Murano and Torcello, both of which have ancient churches. Murano is also the site of all the famous glass making, and a glass making museum, but I doubt we will be buying too many 45 euro glasses. Though some of them are very pretty! Dinner in a few hours back at a place where we ate a few nights ago. The waitress told us they were one of the few in the area that would be open for dinner on January 1, so we went ahead and made a reservation then.

    Only two more days, can't believe it!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Happy New Year from Venice!!

    31 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Today was absolutely my favorite kind of tourist day. The sun was shining in the morning and the vaporetto was not at all crowded, so we had a Grand Canal ride with great weather and great views. Then we took another across the lagoon to San Giorgi, a church designed by Palladio (the Italian architect whose name has been given to McMansion designers' favorite type of window). Amazing views from the bell tower.

    Then an hour or so walking in the main square area, and realizing how lucky we are that our hotel is not in this part of town. We are in San Stae, well located between the train station and the Rialto/San Marco area. Still lots of tourists, but nothing like the crowds closer in town.

    After a decent lunch in a little trattoria (when in tourist landia it pays to raise your budget a little and go for a white tablecloth place), we got back on the vaporetto and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the neighborhood named Canareggio. No more than 4 tourists on any bridge we crossed! In fact there were lots of streets adjacent to canals where we saw no gondolas, no trinket shops, nothing but regular people with their laundry hanging from the line outside. We saw a couple of beautiful churches, two in particular, both named after Mary, both gothic but radically different styles. We saw Tintoretto's house, and the churches had lots of Tintoretto and Titian paintings, so even though we didn't go to any art museums today we had our fair share of art.

    Surprising factoid of the day -- We went to the first Jewish ghetto and learned that the name comes from the Italian word for forge, because the Jews here were forced to live in an area of Canareggio that was the site of an old Italian forge.

    Well, tonight is New Year's Eve. We were kind of on the fence about braving the crowds to go down to the square for fireworks, but then our hotel owner gave us his opinion about the crowds and the fact that it will take hours to walk back in the throngs. And then to top things off, we saw the weather forecast is showing possible rain. So after Joe "rests his feet" (code for "takes a short nap") we will go see if there is any food to be had in any place in our neighborhood. If not, we have a bag of clementines and a bar of chocolate, which will hold us till tomorrow if need be.

    Happy New Year to all!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    San Marco

    30 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    Our first full day in Venice, we decided to bite the bullet and shell out the 120 euros for a vaporetto pass for the two of us. This way we can hop on and off whenever we make our way to the Grand Canal after walking around a neighborhood or visiting a church or museum. We are apparently not the only people with that idea. At 6 pm tonight, the crowds on the vaporetto were crushing -- so much for the idea that you should use a vaporetto trip as a way to enjoy the sights along the canal! I think that getting off at a stop, enjoying the views, walking around the neighborhood and having a cappuchino is the better alternative. Think of your trips on the vaporetto as a necessary evil, you are unlikely to find a way to enjoy the Grand Canal while in transit. And as I have said before, if this is off-season, what can high season possibly be like?!

    But in spite of that, it is an inescapable truth that Venice is a gorgeous city. We visited the Doge's Palace and the Cathedral today, both spectacular. And in the afternoon we walked and walked through old streets to visit the beautiful church of Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari. Two of my favorite paintings so far were in there, one a Titian (who is also buried here) and the other a 14th century Madonna. Another great dinner, also close to our relatively untouristy neighborhood near San Stae.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Arrived in Venice

    29 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    We arrived around noon on the train from Bologna and decided to take the vaporetto to our hotel instead of trying to navigate all those bridges and stone streets with the carry-ons. I think anyone who arrives in Venice for the first time must have a reaction like mine -- jaw drops and you are awestruck.

    We were lucky to snag a table near our hotel at Zucca for a delicious lunch. Joe's tagliatelle with gorgonzola, walnuts and pears was yummy. We made dinner reservations there for Jan. 2 at the only opening they had for the next week. Then we walked to San Marco to see the main square and get our bearings. It's about a 20 minute walk from our hotel and we were happy to see that even though reading a map is pointless, there are lots of signs pointing you to Rialto Bridge, San Marco, Train Station, or Piazza Roma. So with a little bit of a sense of direction it actually isn’t as hard to navigate as I thought it would be.

    Several hours walking around, and we knew we would have no trouble filling the days here. The crowds are pretty huge so I can’t imagine what high season is like. Traffic jams of gondolas in the canals!
    People shoulder to shoulder on the Rialto Bridge! But I understand why.

    I don't want to overdo it with the superlatives, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Modena Museum Moratorium

    28 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    We decided to have a low key strolling the streets kind of day, which we stuck to even though there were showers off and on, and the pull of the art museum with its Velazquez painting was tempting. But we decided we were pretty oversaturated with museums right now, and given that we would have many days of many museums in Venice, we opted for the outdoor approach to Modena.

    Of the day trips we have taken, Modena was probably my favorite little town. It is just beautiful in the center -- well maintained, obviously prosperous, and the Piazza Maggiore with its pure, unadulturated, un-updated, "unimproved" Romanesque cathedral is one of the most beautiful I've ever been in or enjoyed from the outside.

    The town market is one of those classics, great for walking around and seeing how lucky the townsfolk are to have this place for all sorts of beautiful looking food. And it’s also the place where balsamic vinegar got its start— we saw some little perfume size jars with prices near 100€. No, I did not buy one.

    And the food was great, the little we sampled. From Joe's cappuchino (pronounced excellent) to our plates of pasta in the Trattoria Giardinetto (mine with a creamy lemon sauce, Joe's was arrabiata, and the pastas were all made on the premises) we were very happy when we got back on the train in the late afternoon for the half hour ride back to our little apartment.

    Sent from my iPad    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Last full day in Bologna

    27 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    This morning we started in the Resistance Museum, a pretty somber place dealing with Italian fascism and WWII. Lots of information and pictures, with even an interesting room about Italian participation in the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. We were very happy to get English translations of all of the panels, even though the translation at times was not quite clear!

    Wandering through the old town, we came upon the oldest building of the University of Bologna, which itself is one of the contenders for the title "world's oldest university." Though the city now owns the building, several of the rooms are open for visitors, very nice.

    At noon, we met up with a good friend of our pal Lorraine. Irma, an African Historian at Bologna, took us to lunch at an old lively place where they still make their pasta by hand, the Osteria dell'Orsa. This was the place to eat tagliatelle with bolognese sauce, no doubt about it.

    After a walk through the university district with Irma, we went to the largest art museum in Bologna. Lots of medieval art (yay) and lots of Baroque/mannerist (boo). The rain stopped by the time we left the museum, and one more stroll through the old town looking at all the food and markets was a nice end of the afternoon. Some good dark chocolate was a special treat. We are now trying to decide on dinner, not sure whether to return to a known place we loved or to try something new. Hard choices here in Bologna!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Day trip to Parma

    26 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌫 4 °C

    Today as we walked to the Bologna Train Station, it was misty and chilly. Same when we got off the train in Parma. No sun today, but hardly any precipitation either, so we are not complaining.

    Though most people think of parma ham and parmigiano reggiano when they think of Parma, I think of a Romanesque cathedral and a Medieval Baptistry. They were just gorgeous. Well worth the trip in and of themselves. Unfortunately, Dec. 26 seems to be a semi-official holiday, and though the monuments were all open, all of the salumerias (places selling all those local goodies, like a delicatessen I suppose) were locked up tight. There are also local factories to visit, but they are all out of town and we had no means of transport. So we took our guidebook's advice and went to eat lunch at a place called Trattoria del Tribunale. Best sauteed spinach with garlic and parmesan I've ever had. Plus an eggplant parmegiana for me and a yummy veal cutlet for Joe. Definitely highly recommended if you ever get to Parma!

    After lunch we spent a couple of hours in the art and the archaeological museums —a Leonardo, some Carveggios and an El Greco. And I finally found some pilgrims to Santiago in a 14th century tryptych.

    The one hour trip to Bologna was easy.

    Many restaurants are closed on Dec. 26 in Bologna, but we were lucky and found the Osteria Broccaindiso. Joe’s tortelloni with ricotta and sage was very yummy.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Christmas Day in Bologna

    25 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Our day can be summed up in three words -- walking, eating, and churches. We had a reservation in a fancy place (the menu had been vetted by our foodie friends Tina and John and they told us to go for it) for 1:30. That gave us a few hours in the morning to work up an appetite and a few hours after lunch to walk off some of our massive caloric intake. The morning walk included the Jewish Ghetto and several churches, my favorite being Sao Giacomo. Then a 3 1/2 hour pause for a very excellent lunch (probably my longest meal ever). And then more walking for more churches, where we saw a beautiful automated nativity scene in San Francesco and the church of San Dominic (where he is buried and his resting place is adorned with three Michaelangelo statues!). Walking from church to church is also a fun way to see the city. They are spread all over, in all kinds of residential districts, frequently in beautiful piazzas. Most streets in the old part of Bologna are arcaded, so even if the weather hadn't been marvelous, we wouldn't have needed any umbrellas. Rain is in the forecast at last, so we may test those arcades out!

    Christmas Day is a great day to visit churches in Bologna, as you might imagine. All seemed to be open well beyond their stated opening times. We often heard bells ringing, Christmas carols being sung, lots of candles lighted inside. Lots and lots of people out walking in the squares, but now that it's about 8 pm we are ready to call it quits on what has been an outstanding Christmas Day. Hope yours was very merry as well!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Day trip to Ferrara

    24 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    Another nice sunny day with temps getting above freezing, hooray! We took a morning train to Ferrara, where the main attractions are the 14th century castle, a medieval quarter-Jewish ghetto, and a Romanesque cathedral. Lots of walking, a cappuccino or two, into dungeons, through narrow streets and big plazas, but BAM-- turning one corner to see the facade of the cathedral covered for repair. Talk about bummers. I am no stranger to cathedral facades being covered, as the one in Santiago has been covered for years. But unfortunately I won't be back in Ferrara anytime soon, unlike Santiago. Oh well, we had a great lunch to make up for it, in the Osteria del Ghetto.

    After lunch, walking up to the Renaissance quarter, we passed the Resistance Museum and went in. The woman asked where we were from and when I told her the US, I added that we needed some training in resistance right now. Lots of interesting stuff from early fights for Ferrara independence up through WWII. Some very graphic and sad.

    Now back in Bologna, the city is busy and animated, not at all like I remember Lisbon on Christmas Eve. I'm sure we will have no trouble finding a good meal, once Joe gets up from resting his sore feet.

    Merry Christmas one and all!!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Day in Bologna

    23 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 3 °C

    Today was another beautiful day in Bologna. We climbed the 498 stairs to the top of the tallest of the Two Towers, with gorgeous views below. We then went to the Medieval Museum that had some amazing stuff for people who like medieval things like me (and Joe tolerates it). Then to a special exhibit of Mexican muralists -- Diego Rivera, Siqueiros, and Orozco, apparently the trinity of Mexican muralists. Great exhibit -- it had been scheduled to arrive in Santiago Chile the very day Salvador Allende was deposed, so it never was shown. Now it is making a comeback.

    After a grilled panini, boy are they wonderful here, we spent a few hours wandering around, looking at Renaissance buildings, and marveling at the beautiful historical center. On weekends, no cars are allowed in many places, so it was really wonderful. Dinner at Cesarina, in San Steffano square, near an amazing complex of churches starting in 350 AD. The food was absolutely great, this is definitely a place to recommend. The waiter recommended a San Genovese wine, and we were happy. After a post-prandial saunter around the old town, ending in the Piazza Maggiore, we were filled to the brim with good feelings. Tomorrow a day trip to Ferrara, which is a fully walled town (I'll have to compare it to Avila) will a highly touted historical center. Hoping for good weather and good food, which seems to be the norm so far!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Mosaics everywhere in Ravenna

    22 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    About an hour by train from Bologna, Ravenna has more churches in its historic core than I think I have ever seen. We concentrated on the early Christian ones (4th- 6th centuries) though there were lots of medieval and neoclassical as well. I don’t think I saw any gothic, though. The mosaics are the prime attraction — hard to believe they’re from the 4th and 5th century Some beautiful scenes with maidens and martyrs going to pay homage, lots of bible stories, and some emperors and empresses thrown in for good measure.

    We had a good lunch in a recommended place, sharing a risotto and a pizza but leaving more than half of it untouched. I just can’t get used to eating a big meal at noon. One of my favorites of the day was the moving nativity scene in the cathedral. Women drawing water, weaving, spinning; men shoeing horses, at a forge— obviously made with a lot of love.

    We didn’t feel like a big meal, so we went to the market area and had a meat and cheese plate. Very very good.

    Tomorrow we will explore Bologna. Museums and churches, our daily ritual.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Arrived in Bologna

    21 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    Took a fast train to Bologna and we were checked into out apartment by 2. We spent the afternoon getting our bearings and doing some grocery shopping — not that we plan to cook much! What a beautiful city. We are right in the center of the old town and every direction you walk you see something beautiful. Heading out for an early dinner because we are taking an early-ish train to Ravenna for the day.En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Great dinner

    20 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 -1 °C

    Just to say that Il Tavolino was our favorite restaurant in Milan. Although it seemed that all the English speaking customers got put off in the same room (coincidence maybe?) we had a delicious dinner. Sitting next to three US businessmen who drank four bottles of what must have been a very expensive wine since the waiter had to climb a ladder to the highest level to retrieve each bottle. We were very happy with our much more modest choice of red. Off to Bologna tomorrow!En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Mostly churches and one more art museum

    20 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    Another chilly, ok cold, day. But sunny all day till the sun set. I won’t bore you with the details of the 4th century San Lorenzo and the Romanesque Sant Ambrogio churches, but one had 16 roman columns at the entrance and the other some beautiful mosaics, columns, and capitals. A ten minute ride on the excellent and cheap Milan metro took us to the Modern Art museum, located in a gorgeous old mansion/palace with lovely park grounds. By modern they don’t mean anything beyond Picssso, so nothing too intellectually challenging, and the rooms and collections were really nice. Turns out there is a very trendy and good restaurant next store (Lubar) and we had a great lunch.

    Then back on the metro for our fifteen minutes’ viewing of The Last Supper. With 28 other people who reserved their viewing spot months and months ahead of time. Very nice way to end the touring day, even though it felt like you were going through decompression chambers as you inched closer to the prize.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Museums and Palaces

    19 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    Today was quite a wonderful day. Weather was cold but sunny and we did a lot of walking. One gorgeous art museum, one 15th century castle and a lot of detours down pretty residential streets made for a full day. Highlights of the museums --!a 12th century holy water bucket, some Romanesque capitals, a Picasso painting and the pieta Michelangelo was carving when he died.

    On the way back to the hotel around 5 pm, we passed a fitness center about 3 minutes from the hotel. Since Joe was going to rest anyway, I decided to go work out on the elliptical. 15€ is quite a steep charge, but it's worth it. I am addicted, let's face it. But it was a much better workout than yesterday, when I walked up and down four flights of stairs in the hotel for an hour.

    We had dinner tonight in a lovely Osteria called Fara. Close to the hotel. Great ambiente and top notch pizza in a wood oven. One more day in Milan. Love to you all.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    Cold, sunny, and Christmas-y

    18 décembre 2017, Italie ⋅ 🌙 0 °C

    I guess American Airlines figures that when they are taking you to Italy, they can serve you the worst food imaginable and it won't dampen your spirits. I've had a lot of bad meals on a plane, but last night's gets the prize. Oh well, the flight was fine and we had a great view of snow-capped mountains (Dolomites, I think?) and arrived right on time.

    Our hotel is very close to the main train station and we were there by 10. No rooms ready so we checked our bags and headed out for the cathedral. Wow. We spent most of the day in the area, which is very festive and got us in the holiday spirit. Cappucinos and pastries in late afternoon didn't hurt either.

    Joe took a short afternoon nap while I powered through-- which is why I'm wilting fast. Mama Rosa was the osteria recommended to us and we chowed down on fabulous bruschetta, grilled vegetables, carbonara and see bass.

    It's only our first day, but so far I really like Milan. The people who say it's ugly must be the same people who say Madrid is ugly. Not in my book! Can't wait to sleep, which is what I'm going to do right now!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie ReynoldsChristmas in Italy --2017Laurie Reynolds

    At the airport

    17 décembre 2017, États Unis ⋅ ☀️ 2 °C

    Two flights down and one to go. We have a three hour layover in JFK and have taken advantage of the new Admirals Club. It's nice, but in my snotty opinion, the Iberia lounge in Madrid is still far superior. Not complaining, mind you. Where else can you get roasted brussel sprouts on the food line? Heading for Milan, where we will spend three nights. I will try to check in regularly. Merry Christmas 🎄 and happy holidays to all.En savoir plus

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  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Santiago

    4 juillet 2017, Espagne ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Today we got a cab into Santiago from Muxia because all the buses are on strike. Not bad, 15€ each. That meant a 45 minute drive in a car instead of a slow boat 3 hour bus ride.

    So I had almost the whole day in Santiago to do my shopping. Spoiler alert -- olive oil and kids t-shirts were my highest priority. I had to get the oil in several batches, because it's heavy and it was hot. It was 90 degrees in Santiago today, which is almost unheard of.

    In the late afternoon, my two Aussie friends (both named Ann) got to meet each other in one of my favorite places in Santiago, the gardens of the Costa Vella hotel. (Dana, that's our place!). From there we moved to another favorite place, the Bodeguilla San Roque, for a tapas dinner. It was really a nice evening.

    So, one more day in Santiago and then my 22 hours traveling back to Champaign.    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds
    1

    In Muxia--no more walking!

    3 juillet 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today was a very short 23 km day, but since the people next to me were up at 5:30, I got up soon after. Made a cup of coffee with my beloved electric coil and set out. Soon after, the sun rose and I decided to take a bunch of "shadow selfies." I'll post the award winners here.

    The walk was really quite pleasant, and I found myself wishing it wasn't my last day. I was feeling good so I skipped the first two cafes. But then there was nothing.... finally after about 19 km, I found a machine that dispensed ice cold drinks for a mere 1.50€. It was right outside a beautiful 11C church, so you know I was in hog heaven.

    The walk from the headlands down into Muxia is very nice. Heavily forested with occasional peeks over the ocean. I found my albergue, found another friend I knew from online camino stuff. In a few hours we will walk out to the rocky coast, but first a little down time.

    So my walking is done, I'm just another number in the camino stastics. The number who have arrived in Santiago this year has already topped 100,000 if you can believe that--and high season hasn't even arrived !!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Dumbria at the Zara albergue

    2 juillet 2017, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Well I am really slowing down. These 32 km were much harder than I remembered them, and I arrived at the albergue at least an hour later than last time. But maybe I took longer breaks this year 😁

    There is nothing spectacular about today's walk, and some of it goes through fairly ugly hills with one half growing eucalyptus and the other half stripped of vegetation. But the camino went through some nice hamlets, where the villagers are usually eager to talk.

    As part of my camino education, today I learned that the tall green stalks with leaves sprouting out and which are cut off from the bottom up are not grelos but something called "col," which translates as "cabbage" but is just leaves with no head. Anyway I had always wondered why even the smallest gardens had hundreds of these plants. Today I learned that the tough leaves are for the animals while the tender ones go into making that delicious soup caldo gallego (very similar to Portuguese caldo verde). The woman who explained this all to me told me that after she finished feeding her pigs, she would make some and I was very welcome to stay. Unfortunately I still had 22 km to walk, so I declined. What a tempting invitation though!

    I am in the Dumbria albergue, which was built with funds from the owner of the Zara empire. It's the only albergue I've ever been in with hot water in the sink for washing clothes. The albergue itself is huge, with common areas, balconies with tables, a kitchen, but only three bedrooms, each one with 4 bunk beds. So far in my room there is a Brazilian man of Japanese descent, and a French couple. The French guy looks like he could be a snorer and so I will use my wonderful silicone earplugs.

    Tomorrow a short day to Muxia. I will meet up with a friend there. If you saw The Way and remember the final scene with all the characters standing on the amazing boulders near the ancient church, that was Muxia. I far prefer it to the touristy Finisterre, though the ritual of going up to the lighthouse for sunset is something I'll miss.

    Home on Thursday!!!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Vilaserio, two more days of walking!

    1 juillet 2017, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Yesterday after showers and clothes wash, Ann and I met up and went to visit a German friend who has packed up and moved to Santiago. There were about 7 of us, all off of different Caminos, and all the interaction was fun.

    For some inexplicable reason, I went to get my Compostela, the cathedral-issued "certificate of completion.". I have more than a dozen, so why do I bother? Even at 7 pm and with about 12 people working, there was an hour's wait. It's just part of the ritual, I guess.

    This morning I was on my way around 7. By 10:30 I was resting with boots off in the prettiest little village on this route. At noon I was buying fruit at my favorite little fruit store on this route and at 2:30 another boots off rest with a Fanta de Limón. An hour after that, my long 35 km day was over and I was checking into a lovely new albergue in Vilaserio. Many hundreds of years old, in the family for generations, and turned into a very cozy place. The woman who checked me in told me that her 70-something year old mother is actually in charge, but she comes out to help on weekends. Before the albergue idea, she told me her mother was in bad health, declining, unsettled. The albergue, she said, has breathed new life into her, and she loves it. The leson I take from that is that a purpose in life is a good thing, no matter what your age!

    Good day walking but my body is going to be very happy to stop in two days!!!    En savoir plus

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  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Made it to Santiago

    30 juin 2017, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today was rainy off and on, but since the stage was so short I was able to sit out the occasional downpours in one cafe or another. So when I arrived in Santiago my feet were nice and dry. I really don't mind getting wet except for my feet. I have had a couple of days' walking this year when I really felt like I was walking on a sponge. It's not a lot of fun to take off your shoes and wring out your socks and then have to put them back on still sopping after the break. So let's just say I've been kind of a wimp these last few days.

    Ann and I both left around 7 with plans to meet at the cafe directly behind the Plaza San Lázaro. We walk at different paces on the hills, and I have learned that it is really annoying to someone slogging up a hill to know that her pal is waiting up at the top and will probably take off again as soon as the two have seen each other. So I thought I had plenty of time and wound up sitting inside during all the rain. That meant that poor Ann arrived about a half hour before me and though she's too nice to say it, she was probably a bit perturbed to have pushed on through the rain to "catch up with me."

    In any event I know we both enjoyed walking in together--with the endless stream of humanity pouring into Santiago, all strangers to us, the companionship was good.

    I have walked into Santiago many many times. Sometimes it's euphoria, sometimes flat, sometimes bummed out -- but this has to be the weirdest entrance ever. I knew the cathedral would be in scaffolding, but I wasn't prepared for the rest. As we went through the arches, the bagpipes were playing, but no sooner had we dropped our coins in appreciation than he closed up shop. Then as we entered the square, we saw lines of soldiers, and two tanks, I kid you not. Some sort of military celebration was taking place and we were just in time for the salutes, the marches, and the music. It was all very disconcerting.

    I had trouble finding a cheap room but booking.com led me out of the historic core to the "real" city. I'm in a very nice pension,28 €, about 12 minutes from the cathedral but in a very different world. I actually got a good menu del dia for 9 €, unheard of up in pilgrim-land.

    This afternoon Ann and I will go visit a German friend who lives in Santiago, and then tomorrow I'll start my last three days of walking.    En savoir plus

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