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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    The albergue in Beira Valente

    17 September 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Just so you know that I did in fact get into the Albergue, I thought I’d write a quick follow up with a few pictures. I got a phone call from the hospitalero Paulo. It turns out he was in the Algarve but wanted to tell me where to get the key. It was a totally hilarious conversation – my bad Portuguese, a generally bad connection, but one very patient man. I did finally get the keys which were on a hook in a very cleverly hidden place. Can’t tell you where, though. 😀

     The next step was to get inside, and there were two different doors to be opened. More conversations in my broken Portuguese. Finally once inside, the last task was for me to turn on the gas to heat up the water for the shower. Being a dumb American who never turns gas on or off, I had a hard time following his instructions again. But I am happy to report that it all worked.

    Next topic was my dinner. He had told me in a WhatsApp that I could get dinner at the restaurant Paulo Ferreira. I told him that I had walked through town and hadn’t seen a restaurant, so I was wondering how far away it was. Thankfully after about eight or nine tries, I understood that what I was hearing as Tay-K was actually “take away.” I didn’t really understand what he was saying, but I knew it was something about 8 PM..

    And at 8 pm, an association member showed up outside the albergue and drove me to a Restaurant that had take away. I got some pulpo salad and chicken on the rotisserie. No vegetables anywhere in sight.

    I have to confess that I would not have even thought to stay in this Albergue had it not been for the fact that all of the accommodations in the town 3 km earlier were full. This is because it’s their harvest festival weekend.

    This is a beautiful Albergue in the old school house. Such undeserved kindness.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Sernacelhe to Beira de Valente (23 km)

    17 September 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Since it was a short day, I slept in a little and had breakfast after seven. Another very nice walk with beautiful sunny weather and cool breezes. High in the low 70s.

    Shortly after going through the first village, Vila do Ponte, the Caminho takes you up a steep hill. For some reason, when you are about a five minute walk up to the chapel on the top, the arrows take you off that route. No indication that there is a 15th century chapel and a beautiful view from up top. I had gotten a heads up from a friend, so I was planning to go, and it was definitely worth the five minutes of huffing and puffing to get up to the top.

    My surely not very original observation was that in the 15th century they built chapels on high places with privileged views, but today we build cell phone towers.

    After the descent from the chapel comes the asphalt stretch. Fortunately soon after the nucleus of A Rua there were detours off the main road. These were great, usually on a dirt path between stone walls. On either side of the walls were vineyards and fruit orchards. There were lots of people out working in the fields, and I got a lot of ”bom caminho”, which surprised me.

    I have it on very good authority that under EU regulation, anything growing or hanging in the right of way is fair game for public consumption. So I had a sampling of apples, figs, and little incredibly sweet purple grapes.

    The town where I would have stopped is in festas, so absolutely nothing was available. Luckily, about 3 km away, there is a pilgrim albergue. It looks very nice, is in the old school building, and I’m waiting to see if the guy in charge will show up. I told him I would probably arrive around 2 PM, and that’s about what time it is now. So hopefully I won’t have too much of a wait.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    Trancoso to Sernacelhe (28 km)

    16 September 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    I thought I would have been less tired today than yesterday. Four fewer kilometers and a couple hundred meters less of elevation gain. But I was tired when I got here. Nice room in the Casa do Castelo guesthouse recommended by my amigos Nick and Wendy.

    What a glorious walk. There were many spots going through the hills where you could make a 360° and not see a town, a house, anything. Add to that hours through pine forests (I dare you to think of a better walking surface than sandy soil covered with pine needles) and even a chestnut grove at the end. Hours of quiet and time to ponder life’s questions, big and small.

    I passed a little shrine with various wooden feet placed around the Virgen Mary. I am assuming that this is a spot with miraculous healing, but I couldn’t find any information. I am hoping that my feet got some sort of boost, even though I had no offering.

    In one small village I met a woman out for a morning walk. At least 20 years younger than me, but walking in a lot of pain. She told me it was her knees. Too many years working in the fields, and now with her husband confined to bed it’s even harder. My Portuguese was inadequate to say much, so I wished her well and then spent a while thinking about how lucky I am in so many ways.

    The last 4 or 5 kms into Sernacelhe are through a chestnut grove. My favorite tree! Most of these were on the young side but there were a few of those huge gnarled seemingly dead trunks with new branches sprouting. I usually walk through chestnuts when they are in fragrant flower but this was a nice change to see them with all the fruits. The chestnuts of this region are outstanding and highly prized I was told. And if you’ve ever been to Portugal you know that chestnuts are a hot commodity!

    Sernacelhe has a 12C Romanesque church. A librarian took me through and also opened up the church’s museum with some old graves dating between 4C BC and medieval. And some incredibly beautiful jeweled vestments from the 17th century.

    Hoping to find a restaurant open for dinner!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    21

    Pinhel to Trancoso (32 km)

    15 September 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I walked for about the first four hours towards a black sky. Miraculously though, no rain ever fell. Every now and then there’d be some parting of the clouds and I could see a little stretch of a rainbow peeping through, it was very pretty. A friend in the United States tells me that this rain is the product of Hurricane Dennis, and that next week I will probably suffer the result of hurricane Earl. But it’s hard to complain about the rain when it is so badly needed here.

    Wikiloc tells me there were more than 700 m elevation gain. That’s not trivial. I was ready to stop walking at the end, but I didn’t feel like I was running out of gas. So I’m pretty optimistic about making it all the way!

    Today was another completely off road walk through rural areas with lots of vineyards, apple orchards, pear orchards, some cattle grazing, and some big fields of grain. It was just a perfect camino day, through a few small villages, but mostly out in the countryside.

    There was a lot of ascent for the last 10 kms. You could see the walls of the city from far away and it looked so high up there! Right before I arrived at the gates, there was a little sign pointing to a medieval anthropomorphic tomb, just hidden away. By 2:30, I was checked in to my accommodation. That gave me plenty of time to wash my clothes, shower, and then get out to see the sights. There’s a castle, good for climbing around, a nice praça with an old pillory, and a very interesting Jewish quarter. There’s a very nicely done interpretive center explaining the history of Trancoso‘s large Jewish population, at least until the Inquisition put an end to it. Pre-Inquisition, there were 500 Jews and 700 Christians in this town. Lots of houses in the Jewish quarter have some symbol etched in stone to show that they have converted to Christianity.

    Most of the restaurants here are closed for vacation, opening tomorrow of course. But there are a couple outside the walls that seem to be serving food, so that’s where I’ll go and then head to bed!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Fuerte Concepcion-Pinhel (36 km)

    13 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I was tempted to sleep in and enjoy breakfast, but I am an early morning walker more than I am a big breakfast eater. I had been told that the night shift would make me a coffee and have a small breakfast laid out for me. As you can see, it was anything but small.

    Except for the last couple of hours, it was pretty much a steady rain all day. The walk was actually a little longer than my ideal, and I know I should not have taken an hour to walk around the city of Almeida. But the rain had temporarily let up and I couldn’t resist the chance to climb around another old star fort. It is much bigger than where I stayed last night, because the entire old city is inside it!

    The walk was entirely off road. Through vineyards, some olive groves, some fruit groves, and at some point the landscape changed and there were huge boulders everywhere.

    Some of the paths were lined with blackberry bushes and I remembered how I gorged on them in late September on the Salvador. But these were bitter and much smaller, so I’m wondering if drought has taken its toll. Another reason to be glad if more rain falls.

    One of the highlights was walking over the Coa River (a Douro tributary) on the 17th century bridge. Just as nice was being able to take a rest out of the rain at a spot under the newer much higher Coa River crossing.

    I got to Pinhel in mid afternoon and learned in the tourist office that the newly opened Casa da Praca was very nice. It’s right in the main square, a little old house whose owners took 10 years to renovate it. There are about 7 rooms and it’s really very charming.

    I have walked around this pretty old town, been to the castle snd walked through the Santiago door.

    The owner has recommended a restaurant across the square, and I can eat at 7 pm! My day tomorrow will be shorter, and yes they are forecasting more rain.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    131

    Ciudad Rodrigo —Fuerte Concepcion(33km)

    13 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    I left right around seven, headlight showing the way, and it was raining. From there the weather was ever-changing. Some drizzle, some steady rain, some pouring rain, with some very welcome dry spells. But as I’m sure some of you have heard me say —once I am totally wet, I’m not going to get any wetter so what difference does it make to walk for another hour in the rain? It’s hard to describe, but even though I walked in rain for a total of four or five hours, it was a wonderful walk. No spectacular scenery, soaked feet, a fair amount of livestock to navigate, a cold wind at times…. But there I was.

    I was lucky that when I went through the two main towns on this route, it wasn’t raining. They probably don’t rise to the level of “town“ but are more like little villages. There were few people about, in part because the medical clinic was open in one of the towns, and in both places, the town hall was open for official business. Which meant I was able to get my Pilgrim stamp, given to me with great flourishes and the town seal! The woman in Gallegos told me the town was hanging on but just barely. No young people, no jobs, the same story you hear all over rural Spain. . Get this — town of less than 100 people gets a weekly visit from a doctor. Pretty amazing. I talked briefly to her and she told me that she has a regular circuit and that she likes her practice very much because she really gets to know all of her patients. And then as I sat on a bench eating an apple, I got my typical array of questions from the Señoras who converged from nowhere, and got lots of advice about walking.

    There is an albergue in Aldea Del Obispo, but I had seen on the Internet that just another km on is a hotel in an old star fortress. I think they are called Vauban forts. It was built in the 1600s when Portugal was fighting to separate from Spain. Then when Napoleon invaded Portugal, the fort figured prominently in the Napoleonic Wars. And somehow the Brits and Lord Wellington were involved. But the fort fell into ruins till some enterprising entrepreneur decided it would make a great hotel.

    The special off-season rate made it an easy decision for me. Though the restaurant doesn’t open until 8:30, I have to remember that when I cross the border into Portugal, the clock goes back an hour, so I think the late dinner will be just fine!

    More rain tomorrow. If it’s as good a day as today, I’ll have no complaints.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Alba de Yeltes to Ciudad Rodrigo (26 km)

    12 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    The first thing I saw in my inbox this morning were some pictures of my grandkids! Smiling familiar faces. What a nice thing to wake up to. And then I thought of the 6-year old Ukrainian boy living in the albergue in San Muñoz, the same age as one of my grandkids. Lots of thoughts went through my mind, none very original or profound — but I am so glad all my family is happy, safe, and healthy. And wishing all kids were the same.

    The second bunch of thoughts going through my brain were much more pragmatic — today’s stage was where my friend Maggie had her close-up encounter with a bull. And I realized that although I had spent a lot of time yesterday formulating my bull strategy, those plans were worthless today, because today’s walk was not through the wide Cañada. Today I was walking on a path about the width of a driveway with fencing on both sides. So I moved on to Plan B —a fervent hope that the bull wasn’t still hanging around outside his pasture. I did come upon a herd close to the fence, all of which stopped what they were doing to line up snd stare at me. But thankfully, everyone stayed behind the fence. I hope you realize that this is written mainly in jest, and I know very well that no bull would be hanging around in the same place for three years waiting for a passer-by.

    Ciudad Rodrigo is an old Castilian walled city. No albergue, but I’m in a nice hotel in an historic building near the Cathedral. The parador, in the castle, is closed for renovations. I have already walked around the walls, which have a special meaning for our family involving some adolescent temper tantrums. I’ve also visited the cathedral, and I’m going to try to get a good nights sleep so I can get going early tomorrow.

    Rain is coming. Lots of it.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    11

    San Muñoz to Alba de Yeltes (26 km)

    11 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    31

    Robliza de Cojos to San Muñoz (25 km)

    10 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    18

    Salamanca to Robliza de Cojos

    9 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    Day 1 walking

    7 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    131

    Day in Salamanca

    7 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Two travel days

    7 September 2022, Sepanyol ⋅ 🌙 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!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    The Pack and packing

    1 September 2022, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Leaving Lisboa

    20 November 2021, Sepanyol ⋅ ☁️ 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!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Christmas Lights

    19 November 2021, 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.Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Full-time Tourists

    19 November 2021, 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!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Last day teaching and Camino meetup

    18 November 2021, 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. 🤩    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Morning in the museum

    17 November 2021, 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!!!!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Back in Lisbon

    15 November 2021, 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Romans and the moorslayer

    14 November 2021, 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Aljezur

    13 November 2021, 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Arrifana and its Ribat

    13 November 2021, 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Weekend begins!

    12 November 2021, 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!    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Tourist on a Tuesday morning

    10 November 2021, 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.    Baca lagi

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  • Laurie ReynoldsBack in LisbonLaurie Reynolds

    Day 2 of Teaching

    9 November 2021, 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.    Baca lagi

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