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Barb and Alan
Barb and Alan

Barb and Alan

traveled in 8 countries Read more🇺🇸United States
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  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    Surprised by Mirabelle and Paul

    To Carrión de los Condes

    September 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 72 °F

    September 20

    Huge happy moment today!!! Paul and Mirabelle, who we met and walked with on the Camino five years ago, surprised us by driving down from the Netherlands to walk with us for two days. ❤️🙂 We were sitting in the plaza and could not believe it when they walked up!!

    What is even more amazing is Alan and I spent a lot of time talking about them today, and we reminisced about what we had experienced with them in this town five years ago. When you think you might not see people ever again, and then you do…it is beyond special. It will be a magical Camino memory forever in our hearts.❤️❤️

    We are looking forward to the next two days! Tomorrow, we walk to Moratinos then to Sahagún on Friday.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    1
    12

    To Boadilla del Camino

    September 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    September 19

    Our walk from Hontanas to Boadilla del Camino tired us out! 18.5 miles and the last two miles were an eternity!!

    We had early morning dark walking, foggy walking, big climbing over Alto de Mostelares, and never ending gravel road walking.

    We arrived too late for lunch, and had to wait until 7:00 for dinner…we were so hungry!! I did eat a melted KitKat around 4:30 to take the edge off. 😂

    Dinner was wonderful with around 50 pilgrims at different large tables. While we ate we had a chance to visit with Zabina and Gertrude (Germany), Chris (New Zealand) and Megumi (Japan).

    Tomorrow, we are walking to Carrión de los Condes.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan

    To Hontanas

    September 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    September 18

    We met a man from Belgium today who looks to be in his mid eighties! 😳 He is here walking the Camino, carrying a HUGE pack, taking his time (step by step) and he started way up in Le Puy, France!!

    Then during dinner, we met Heddy, from Florida, who is on her fourth day walking. She decided only a few weeks ago to do as much of the Camino as she could. She has a brain injury which affects her short term memory, but she was brave enough to get herself here and start walking. We got to hear her story while sharing a pilgrim dinner.

    Our other dinner table mate was Sandra, originally from Alaska but now lives in Stevenson, WA. It was a huge coincidence that she also suffers from a traumatic brain injury. In a room with 30 plus pilgrims separated at different tables, I guess it was meant to be for Heddy and Sandra to sit together, and for Alan and I to hear their stories. 💕🙂

    It was a great day on the Meseta. Tomorrow, we have a long walk to Boadillo.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    1

    To Rabé de las Calzadas

    September 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Today was planned as a partial rest day where we would sleep in, leave about 10:00, and then only walk 8 miles to Rabé de las Calzadas. The weather report showed a chance of rain with some wind, so we left a bit earlier than our plan to try and beat the weather. We failed. 😂😂 🌬️ 🌧️

    The rain 🌧️ (and some wind) started almost right away and never really gave us a break. The umbrellas ☔️ helped a bit, but it was a WET day! At least it wasn’t a really long day, and I found I can eat breakfast at an outdoor table holding an umbrella over my head. 🙂

    We have the fan going in our room to help dry things out so we can be ready to do 11.5 miles tomorrow to Hontanas. We’re hoping for better weather.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan

    To Burgos

    September 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    We had a beautiful hike during sunrise up an over the Atapuerca Mountains and then worked our way down through a few small communities ending up in Burgos.

    The old city part of Burgos is just stunning and the Cathedral can take your breath away.

    The best part of today was sitting in a plaza in the shadow of the cathedral visiting with Joe (England), John (Port Angeles) and Beth (England). Beth shared that she, her dad and Will (actress from Netherlands who we had walked with earlier in our trip) have been discussing writing a murder mystery which takes place on the Camino. Will would play the murderer and the detective would be based on Alan with me as his sidekick. 😂 Crazy and funny the ideas that come to mind as people are walking all day.

    We did around 16 miles today after all of the walking around the city, but tomorrow we are only walking 8 miles…kind of a rest day. I’m excited to enjoy our hotel room and sleep in a bit - if I get any sleep. It’s Saturday night and we can hear people singing and having a great time outside our window. The Spanish like to start their evenings late and party until morning.

    Tomorrow, after I try to find a better way to deal with an annoying blister, we enter the Meseta area of Spain to continue on to Rabe de las Calzadas.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    1
    Tom and his Satchel 🙂

    To Agés

    September 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    We did it! 17.6 miles from Belorado to charming little Agés. We paced ourselves and we were lucky to have Heinrich (Denmark) and Molly and Gordon (USA) walk and chat with us to help pass the time through the hard sections.

    The countryside is changing now. We climbed steeply up and through an oak forest after going through an area that reminded me of the Palouse.

    Best Parts of Today:

     1. Being distracted from my aching feet by talking with others
    2. The bar in San Juan de Ortega that served a crisp marguerita pizza
    3. The homemade three course dinner from the adorable little corner restaurant.
    4. The foot rub from Alan after finishing our hike
    5. Visiting with Tom (Ireland) aka Satchel Man and/or Kerry Gold 😂 and Erika (Germany)

    We have walked 163 miles so far. Tomorrow, we walk to Burgos.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan

    To Belorado

    September 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

    The miles flew by today! The early morning cool air helped as did the overcast skies for most of our walking.

    We had a nice break for breakfast after the first 4 miles. My new favorite is a nice big slice of toast with olive oil topped with a fresh tomato spread - yum!! We then ran into Sharon and Chuck (from Bellevue) and walked with them. The four of us kept going through tiny little towns, but none of them had anything remotely open for us to stop and rest our feet 😕. Finally, at mile 11, there was an open bar with bocadillos and napolitanas ( chocolate croissants) - WOoHOO! Also, sweet, young Hermione (from Berlin) was there, so we caught up on how she was doing. All of our bodies needed the little rest.

    After our break, we walked the final three miles into Belorado. Time really flew by chatting with Sharon, and Alan and Chuck talked about coffee ☕️ for miles today.😂

    I really love all of the murals in this town! Plus, Belorado also has bronze tiles throughout the old town streets that contain the handprints, footprints and signatures of people who have supported the Camino in some way and of people who are great examples for children. Alan was so excited to see the tiles for two famous Spanish cyclists (Miguel Indurain and Alberto Contador) and I hunted down the ones for Martin Sheen and Emelio Estevez (both starred in the movie, The Way, which is about the Camino.)

    Our hostel is very nice and it included a communal meal with the other pilgrims. As we were sitting down at the long table for dinner, we realized Tom (Ireland), who we had not seen since our 2nd day, was sitting across from us! Tonight’s dinner was amazing! The husband and wife served us three courses of delicious food! - I think I have hiker hunger now because I didn’t have any trouble eating it all. 😂 🍽️ 🥩 🍝

    Special Moment: The owner of the hostel hand drew his stamp in our pilgrim passports.

    Tomorrow is a huge day to Agés. We are hoping we can do it by leaving very early and pacing ourselves.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    Katrina and SteveOur Hostal

    To Santo Domingo de la Calzada

    September 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We had an uneventful walk today with not a lot of interesting scenery, but we love Santo Domingo de la Calzada. It’s old town is very medieval and has quite the history.

    The town takes its name after Saint Dominic (the name literally means Saint Dominic of the road) who dedicated his life to improving the conditions of pilgrims en route to Santiago in the Middle Ages, building pilgrim hospitals, roads, and bridges along The Way.

    Santo Domingo de la Calzada is also famous for the so-called ‘miracle of the hen’, considered to be the most famous of the Middle Ages and the Camino de Santiago.

    According to the legend, a German young man and his family were traveling as pilgrims to Santiago. On the way, they stopped in Santo Domingo de la Calzada for the night, where he rejected the advances of the inn keeper’s daughter. Upset with the rejection, the young woman hid a silver cup in the pilgrim’s bag, who would be later accused of theft and condemned to death.

    On their return from Santiago de Compostela, his parents went back to Santo Domingo de la Calzada to give the final farewell to their son and found him still alive, thanks to the intervention of Saint Dominic who knew of the young man’s innocence.

    Surprised by such a miracle, the parents went to the authorities to let them know. The Corregidor (sheriff) of Santo Domingo being skeptical replied that their son would be as alive as the roasted cockerel and hen he was going to eat that very moment. As he pronounced these words, the rooster and hen instantly got up on the plate, their white feathers grew back and they started to sing.

    And ever since, it is said about the town: ‘Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where the hen sang after being roasted.”

    In memory of this miracle, a rooster and chicken, with white feathers, are kept alive at the cathedral all year round. 🐓🙂

    We had a great evening visiting with other pilgrims in one of the squares. 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    Spanish Tortilla for late BreakfastBest hiking biscuitsPaella2

    To Nájera

    September 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    With walking so many miles each day, our muscles and joints tend to get sore or irritated. So, a big part of this journey is visiting the pharmacy (farmacia) for items to ease the discomfort. Earlier in our trip we needed some blister supplies and this time we asked the sweetest pharmacist for ibuprofen cream, hydrocortisone cream (for heat rash), and Fisiocream (natural arnica cream for sore muscles). She joked with us about us needing all the creams 😂

    In the USA, we can go in and get things like this right off the shelf, but in Spain you have to talk to a pharmacist who will then bring you the item(s).

    Today, we left Navarette before daylight, not because we had a huge day of walking, but because of the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon (which thankfully didn’t happen).

    We then spent the whole morning walking by rolling fields of grapes and climbing up in elevation before descending to the town of Nájera. SO many grapes!!!🍇 It was a cooler day and it felt nice to arrive in a town and not be so tired and drenched in sweat. My heat rash took a break today - hooray!

    Before checking in to our room, we sat under the umbrellas near the river visiting with Katrina from New Zealand (until she went on a search for a good food place), Hermione from Berlin, and 5 Americans. Then we just relaxed in our room figuring out some places we want to stop later on our walk.

    A little Nájera history: An impressive complex of caves are located on the cliffs of the mountains above Nájera.  These caves were actually man-made even before the Roman colonial period, over three thousand years ago 😳 when Celtic invasions created much instability and insecurity.

    Tomorrow, we walk to Santo Domingo de la Calzada.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    Navarette

    To Navarette

    September 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    We found out today from a woman that the group of people she has been walking with call Alan the “Smiling Man” 😂😂 Plus, another man came up to him the day before yesterday and commented on his smile and good energy. Is this the same man I’m walking with??😂😂

    We have entered the Rioja region of Northern Spain, which is best known for barrel-aged red wines made from Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes. 🍇 We have been walking by many fields of grapes and it looks like they are very close to harvest time!

    Instead of staying in the big city of Logroño, we are in Navarette. Tomorrow, we will only walk 10 miles to Najera 🙂 That will give our feet a bit of a rest.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    Khaki, Debbie, and JeannieAlan with MaryJoanna and NinaBeth and her Dad Morris

    To Viana

    September 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Humidity, Mud, a Surprise and Bulls!

    We thought today would be a bit easier, since it was a little shorter, but our feet are TIRED! There was a huge thunderstorm last night and then it rained until 6:30 this morning. We ended up leaving a bit later than usual, so that meant the sun ☀️ hit us earlier in our walk. So, in the order of occurrence, we had:

    Humidity = tough to climb the hills, sweat, tough to drink enough, more sweat, and eventually heat rash 😡

    Mud from the Storm = wet clay build up on the bottom of our shoes and a very slippery path - so slippery a Camino friend fell and was covered in mud on one whole side of her body and face. She felt the mud would be good for her skin. 😂

    A Surprise = An Italian couple serving cold drinks and snacks along the path just when we were desperately wishing for a cool breeze and a place to just rest.

    Bulls = Fiesta in Viana with the Running of the Bulls today! Our hotel room looks down on the end of the run and it seems almost all the residents are dressed in white with red bandannas and sashes.🙂

    We had our first croquettes of the trip today 😋😋and bought some wonderful, small bocadillos from some young girls raising money during the fiesta. 3 € for two of them, and it included tiny cups of red wine. 🍷

    Tomorrow, we walk to Navarette.

    p.s. I’m going to try adding pictures of some of the people we have met.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    1
    Alan at the Wine Fountain1Picture with Ken

    To Los Arcos

    September 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    I’m lying here in our room in Los Arcos listening to the end of a rain shower and the birds are going crazy. I am SLEEPY!

    We left Estella at 6:00 am to take advantage of the cooler morning air, which also helped us arrive before the hottest part of the day.

    We spent the afternoon/early evening relaxing in the plaza visiting with some Camino friends, eating a homemade empanada and pizza, and rehydrating. I can’t drink enough liquid, it seems.

    Best Parts of Today:

    1. Walking in the cooler morning air
    2. The food truck in the middle of nowhere that gave us a place to sit, eat, drink, and recharge before the last push to town
    3. The little breeze that cooled my face
    4. The realization that a cast of characters is forming around us and it will be fun to see how it plays out
    5. FaceTiming with Adrianne and Eddie and then with my mom💕

    Worst Part of the Day

    Only one thing - We met Ken in Pamplona, but because he is walking further than us tomorrow, we may not see him again.

    Tomorrow, we walk to Viana and rumor has it there is a festival happening there that may include running of the bulls 😳    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    3
    Walking along an old Roman Road

    To Estella

    September 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    It became obvious to us today that our memories from five years left out some of the more grueling aspects of this journey. Our memory of today’s short, steep hill in reality was not short, but a very long, steep path that went on forever. I told Alan our brains must have glossed over some of these hard sections and just emphasized all of the good. 🙂

    Besides that, The morning was beautiful walking towards and then through the towns of Cirauqui and Lorca. Then the early afternoon heat hit hard and it seemed Estella would never get closer. After a needed popsicle/ice cream bar break, we broke out our reflective umbrellas! They really helped keep the worst of the heat off of our heads. We’re praying for some cooler temperatures. 🙏

    Special Person of the Day:

    Nestor - Nestor is originally from Argentina and he hosted us at his pension tonight. He does not speak English, but through Google translate he showed us so much kindness - making sure we were drinking enough water on our journey and that it was ok to take a bus if needed. I think we must have looked pretty wiped out. 🥵😂 He also served us an amazing paella dinner, explaining to us the local ingredients used. It was the best we have had so far on this trip.

    It’s now almost 10:00 pm. Our room is in the old part of Estella and we can look down onto the street and see families with kids walking around, visiting and playing plus a group of teenagers rolling a couch down the street on top of a shopping cart. 🤣

    The Most Irritating Fact:

    Biting flies/insects seem to be attracted to me (probably because I sweat so bad) and like to bite me. 😡

    The Most Surprising Moment:

    3/4 through our walk today, when we were low on energy, we came across a donation only food stand for pilgrims. I can honestly say I didn’t expect to eat toast with olive oil along the trail -Yummy and a big morale booster!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    2

    To Puenta la Reina

    September 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Today has been a good day full of great visits with all sorts of interesting characters and super nice people. It was also tough physically (the descent down from Alto de Perdon was still as rocky as we remembered), but both Alan and I felt stronger today. We took the time to stop periodically and also eat which helped tremendously.

    After these first days of walking People are tending to lots of sore muscles, blisters and other body ailments. Everyone is so kind and helping each other out by sharing bandaids, tape, etc. Kristin, from California, even gave me a new hair pony so I could get my hair up off my sweating neck. 🙂

    Speaking of sweat…I have been known to sweat quite a bit when I am hot, but the amount of it pouring out of my body these last two days has been UNREAL! The heat, plus some humidity, is bringing it to a whole new level! 😂 When we get to the end of our walk and I’m trying to check in to our room or bed for the night, I can barely see because of the salty, stinging sweat in my eyes. Thank you, Dad, for passing your “sweat a lot” genes to me. 💕😂

    A few people from today worth mentioning:

    Sally, from Australia 🇦🇺

    Sally is a landscape photographer and anthropologist. She is such a positive person who just oozes good karma. She jokes she’s a lucky person because of the gap between her front teeth. 🤣

    Steve - from Kentucky

    His stories of his airline mixups in getting to the start of the Camino and his descriptions of his physical trials over these past few days was pure comedy.

    The Young Boy Offering Lemonade

    Just before Puenta la Reina, when we thought the hot day’s walk was never going to end, we came across the nicest boy offering lemonade for a donation. He asked us where we were from and had a book we could sign. He even had a stamp to stamp pilgrim passports. He put a smile on a lot of people’s faces today. 💕 🍋

    Tomorrow, we walk to Estella. Tonight, we sleep in an air conditioned room - WOoHOO!!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    Man who lost the sole of his shoe

    To Pamplona

    September 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 79 °F

    Today, we walked to Pamplona. We got a late start this morning because our place in Zubiri had a wonderful buffet breakfast laid out, and it was nice visiting with the other people who were also staying there. But, because we left later, we walked some really warm hours at the end.

    Yesterday, we had some cute towns to take breaks in along the way and today, that just wasn’t able to happen, which made for two very hot, sweaty tired pilgrims by the end.

    But Pamplona is beautiful, and the walk up to the old city by the enormous walls and through the gates is pretty cool.

    It’s not even 7:00 and we are TIRED! We’ve already had dinner (amazing!!), bought some snacks for tomorrow, and prepared our packs so we can leave WAY earlier in the morning.

    The plan is to walk to Puenta la Reina - almost 15 miles 😳

    Funny Note:

    We have seen this young couple a few times and, while walking with them today, the young man shares how the sole of his shoe fell off on his first day hiking. So, to make the height of the soles the same for both feet, he peeled off the other sole. He’s not even planning to get new shoes yet! 😳 There is NO way our 60+ year old feet could do that. He let me take a picture. 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    1

    To Zubiri

    September 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Alan’s foot passed a major test today in walking 13.6 miles to Zubiri - WOoHOO! We left in the dark at 6:30 am and after taking our time and stopping a few times for some nice breaks, we arrived to our room at Casa Rural Txantxorena around 3:00.

    It was a long day of hiking, and the descent down to Zubiri was comically steep on rocks and the uplifted rock layers that protruded straight up out of the ground like a dragon’s backbone. 🐉 Every time we turned a corner it somehow got worse. My right foot was cramping by the end from tiredness and probably needing more fluids. Every time I would drink a bottle, I would just sweat it all out 😂🥵

    Our room is in an old house from the 1600’s and it is gorgeous! I’ll post a few pictures. Right now, as I’m writing this, we have the window open to the balcony and I can hear the bells clanging on the horses’ necks off in the distance. The woman who owns the house did all of our laundry, saving us some hand washing time. And we were able to sit under some umbrellas and visit for a long time with some nice guys from the UK and the USA.

    Alan and I are really trying to remember the names of all the people we have met and where they are from. I’ve resorted to making a list because, since it’s a bit busier with pilgrims compared to five years ago, we are encountering so many! 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    4

    Over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles

    September 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    After watching Candi start walking from Saint Jean, we started from the Croix Thibault and walked up and over the Pyrenees. ⛰️🙂 Alan’s foot did ok (yay) so tomorrow he will see if he can do the whole 13 miles to Zubiri. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

    It wasn’t a blue sky day, but we had much better views than the thick fog we had in 2018. We kept commenting on the views we had today that were non-existent back then. We could actually see the beautiful, strong, stocky horses 🐴 (and a lot of 🐑 ) on the hillsides, instead of just hearing the bells around their necks.

    It was extremely windy, but the sound of it blowing through the trees was soothing - plus it felt so nice and cool on my hot face (because it takes hardly anything to turn me into a sweat ball).🥵 The descent down to Roncesvalles is steep and tough on the body. We were glad to finally finish, get our packs off, take showers, and put on our sandals. I know for sure we will be sore tomorrow, unless the cold beer 🍻 cures it. 😂

    Tonight, we are staying at Hotel Roncesvalles and our stomachs are full from an amazing pilgrim dinner…scallops, cod, steak, mushroom risotto, apple pie and a brownie with ice cream. YUM! It will be hard to top. 😋😋

    So far we have met some really nice people already at the beginning of this journey, but a few really stand out.

    Pierre - He’s from Australia and is doing this walk because his wife, who passed away two years ago, told him to take a little time once she died to mourn, but then she wanted him to spend some time doing something for himself. 🥹 So, he told himself he would do something his younger self would have done, and the Camino is it. We hope to run into him more in these next few days and maybe help him celebrate his birthday in Pamplona.

    Gunnar: He’s from Belgium. He’s working on a Camino video and asked us if he could ask us some questions. In talking with him more today he shared his wife passed away in 2019 from a brain aneurysm. He decided right then to not wait until retirement to do things in life.

    Australian Couple:

    We met a really sweet couple who are walking the Camino with there 9 month old son. 😳 The mom was carrying him in front for three hours while we was sleeping and then, once he woke up, his dad carried him in child carrier backpack. The couple said the little guy enjoyed all the people talking to him. It kept him busy and happy. Maybe he will be one of the youngest Camino pilgrims to make it to Santiago. 🙂👶

    Fun fact learned today: When stung by stinging nettles, grab some dandelion leaves, smoosh the leaves up and rub them on your skin. It takes the sting away! Thank you to the Dutch woman for that. :)

    Tomorrow, our plan is to walk 13 miles to Zubiri - slowly, with lots of breaks. 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan
    1

    Saint Jean Pied de Port

    September 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    We are now in Saint Jean Pied de Port, the start of the Camino Frances. I absolutely LOVE this town! Our room is in a wonderful old building on the Rue de la Citadelle, which is in the old part of town and is the path of the Camino out of town. I feel like I’m back in the medieval times here. 🏰

    We met Candi when we landed in Biarritz and shared a shuttle to town, along with 5 other Camino pilgrims - 1 from Germany, 1 from England, 1 from Scotland, and 2 from Canada.

    We celebrated with a beer and lunch and got our Pilgrim passports stamped. We also grabbed another ham and cheese baguette to pack with us tomorrow. 😋😋

    We’re excited to walk up and over the Pyrenees tomorrow! Last time it was foggy as we hiked over them. Hoping for clearer skies this time.🤞🏻🤞🏻

    Funny notes:

    1. They have a pizza vending machine here, or I guess it’s more like a pizza ATM. I included a picture of it (it’s red). The pizza (in a pizza box) literally came out the slot after the man ordered it. 😳

    2. We think we encountered the restaurant waiter version of the “Soup Nazi” this evening. 😳 He asked us if we wanted a table for two then, before we sat down he turned to the table nearby and berated the people we had met on our shuttle because one of them only wanted an order of fries. They tried to say they were confused, but then he whisked away the food they had already been served. Stunned, we left with them and immediately thought of Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. 😂 We were just passing time and not truly hungry, so I guess he did a service to my waistline. 😂

    Tomorrow we hike from France into Spain to Roncevalles.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan

    First Stop

    September 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We have had a 10 hour flight to Paris, and an overnight stay at the Sheraton in Charles de Gaulle airport. Soon, we will be taking a morning flight to Biarritz, France, and finally a shuttle to Saint Jean pied de Port, France where we will spend one night before heading over the Pyrenees in the morning.

    Feelings so far on our travels to the start of our journey:

    The Best

     1. We will be meeting Candi Bachtell in Biarritz ❤️ and sharing a shuttle with her to Saint Jean - We had no idea we would be starting our Camino at the exact same time as Candi when we booked our flights months ago. She’s flying to Biarritz via London and will arrive about the same time as us, so we will be on the same shuttle. We also found out earlier we had reserved rooms at the same place in Saint Jean…crazy coincidence!!
    2. Seeing the Northern Lights on our flight as we flew by Greenland and Iceland. 👍🏻🙂

    The Good:

     1. Premium Select Seats on Delta 🙂
    2. The Sheraton in Charles de Gaulle airport - it was so convenient, it had comfy beds for our weary bodies, it was so quiet and it had amazing food.

    The Other:

     1. Alan is still worried about how his foot will do with long miles each day, after it went into a full blown cramp while on the plane 😳 He may ease into the walking by using a bus or taxi to shave off a few miles of a few sections in the beginning.
    2. Travel is exhausting! It will take awhile for my sleep schedule to recover from this time change.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023Barb and Alan

    We Leave Tomorrow

    August 31, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    I read a quote this week that said, “You often go back to the Camino, not so much to find something new, but to search for what you left there.” It’s been five years since we walked across Spain on the Camino Frances, and tomorrow we fly off to start the journey.

    We are five years older, our bodies could definitely be in better shape, we have a precious little grandson we will miss terribly, and Alan has been struggling with a foot issue for months. But, despite these challenges, here we go!

    We have been dreaming of doing it again from the moment we finished it in 2018. It’s a craving for the simplicity, the countryside and especially the people. There’s nothing else we have done that has given us the “feeling” of the Camino, so I guess that’s what we will be searching for. ❤️❤️

    Buen Camino!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanIrelandBarb and Alan
    1
    Poulnabrone DolmanO'Brien's Tower

    Dingle to Killaloe

    July 17, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Today was our longest day and warmest day. The humidity here had us all sweating.

    We started off by taking a ferry across the Shannon Estuary and drove to the Cliffs of Moher. Now I understand why so many people want to see them. 😮 🌊 Visually spectacular!!! The Cliffs of Moher sit astride the weird landscape of the Burren on one side and the Wild Atlantic Ocean on the other. They rise to a height of over 700ft at O’Brien’s Tower and run along the coast of Clare for almost 8 miles. Crazy cool!

    Hugh then zipped us off to see Poulnabrone Dolman (Portal Tomb) that was constructed 5000 years ago. I can’t quite wrap my brain around being next to something so old. The Burren landscape setting with the tomb sitting on top was spectacular!

    We are now across the Shannon River from the town of Killaloe. Tomorrow, we’re taking a river cruise and visiting one of Ireland’s old whiskey distilleries. Alan says he needs picture proof of me tasting some of the whiskey 🥃, but it’s not my type of drink. I’ll see if I can make myself do it. 😂

    My first goal of tonight is to pray our hotel room cools down so I can sleep 🛌 😴 💤    Read more

  • Barb and AlanIrelandBarb and Alan

    Dingle

    July 16, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    This was our day to wander around and enjoy Dingle. What an amazing little town on Dingle Bay with its quaint streets and picturesque storefronts. We explored, we shopped, and we ate. 🙂 I have never seen a place with so many restaurants and pubs - 36 restaurants and 50 pubs!! Needless to say, we have had the best food here. Last night we ate at Ashe’s Bar Seafood and tonight was Lord Baker’s. Yum!!!

    The perfect way to end our time in Dingle was a few post dinner hours at O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub listening to traditional Irish 🎶
    The owner of the pub played guitar while another played the Uilleann pipes and flutes. It was a highlight of this trip. 🙂💕    Read more

  • Barb and AlanIrelandBarb and Alan
    Killarney LakesKillarney National ParkRoss CastleRoss CastleGallarus OratoryGallarus Oratory

    Kenmare to Dingle

    July 15, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    We drove over Moll’s Gap
    Towards the McGillacuddy’s Reeks (mountains) into Killarney National Park and Lakes. After a short hike to Torc Waterfall, we visited Ross Castle. 🏰 A guide took us up the mainly original spiral staircase and explained the different rooms and what life was like living in the castle. Going down the staircase took some concentration and control over not really looking straight down 😮

    The rest of the way was the Dingle Peninsula!!!👍🏻🙂 - We had lunch at Sammy’s on Inch Beach and then drove by so many pastures holding sheep 🐑 or cows 🐄 divided by stone fences covered by green shrubbery.

    Before we checked in to our Bed and Breakfast, we drove around Slea Head…WOW! It’s an amazing road along the cliff side with incredible views of the Blasket Islands. We took some time at Gallorus Oratory, which is the best preserved early Christian church in Ireland. It was built between the 7th and 8th century with dry-stone corbelling, using techniques first developed by Neolithic tomb makers. It was perfectly constructed - Amazing!!!

    We are staying at the Greenmount House B&B for the next two nights. 🙂 Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to meandering around Dingle.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanIrelandBarb and Alan
    Kenmare
    Hike at the top of Healy PassBantryCounty Kerry Colors for Gaelic Football ChampionshipMizen Head1Bantry

    Clonakilty to Kenmare

    July 14, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    On our way to Mizen head, today, we passed through Skibbereen. Hugh talked about how the Potato Famine killed 10,000 people in the West Cork area. 2,000,000 died overall. 😢

    A Happy Fun fact - The small Skibbereen rowing club, with only a tidal river to practice on, has produced multiple Olympic medals - O’Donovan Brothers being the most well known. I watched a YouTube video about them tonight - “The Irish Rowing Brothers Who Shocked the World” It was fantastic!!

    Mizen Head and Barley Cove were absolutely stunning. It was good to see and smell the ocean. Mizen Head is the most south-west point of Ireland and we got a great workout hiking to the different lookouts.

    We stopped for lunch in Bantry and ate at Box of Frogs 🐸 Yummy!!!!
    Then, we cut across the Beara Peninsula and drove the switchbacks through the Caha mountains over Healy Pass. The road and pass reminded me of the types of mountain passes you see in the Tour de France.

    Along the road there were sheep everywhere, spray painted in different color designs to identify them to the farmers. Beautiful!!!

    I can’t believe the wonderful weather we’ve had! So, so fortunate!

    Dinner 🥘 and drinks 🍹 from Foley’s on the street across from our Guesthouse, Davitt’s, with the sounds of live music from all the bars on the road. 🎶    Read more

  • Barb and AlanIrelandBarb and Alan
    Ardmore Round Tower
    Hugh explaining the Ogham markings on the stoneMedieval Steam Oven1

    Dungarvan to Clonakilty

    July 13, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Our first stop was in Ardmore where St. Declan founded the monastery at Ardmore (Aird Mhór in Irish, meaning "Great Height") prior to the arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland. Ardmore is believed to be one of the oldest monasteries in Ireland.

    The round tower at Ardmore may be of 12th century origin, but could have been built as early as the 10th century.

    Inside the Monastery ruins were two Ogham Stones which had the markings from a medieval alphabet to form a message - before the Roman alphabet was introduced. 😮

    We had Lunch in Kinsale, which is a very cute harbor town, then stopped at a 13th Century Timoleague Friary and explored all of the ruins.

    Finally, we visited Drombeg Stone Circle. It is a circle of 17 standing stones which on excavation showed that there had been an urn burial in the center. It has been dated to between 153BC and 127AD. 😮😮

    We ended our day/night listening to an Irish man from Cork tell stories and sing in a tiny bar next to our hotel - O’Donovan’s in Clonakilty.

    Interesting Fact I learned today: I obviously cannot smell as well as I thought. Everyone, but me, could detect a weird smell from our water glasses at lunch. 🤷‍♀️ I’m going to blame having COVID earlier this summer.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanIrelandBarb and Alan
    The Abby in GraiguenamanaghAbby Processional DoorThe Oath StoneSt. James DoorSt. James Church, CastledermotMoone High CrossPortal TombBack of portal of the portal tombDrinks here before bed

    Dublin to Dungarvan

    July 12, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Our first day on our tour has been unbelievably amazing! First of all, there are only eight of us on this tour and each place we visited was out of the way and pretty much without anyone except us. Our driver and guide, Hugh, is fantastic…we seem to be in for an unforgettable time on this southern loop of Ireland.

    Highlights of today:

    1. The Moone Cross, in County Kildare, which is thought to date from the 8th century and is one of the best preserved High Crosses in Ireland
    2. St. James’ Church, Castledermot (Church of Ireland church) with its round tower, the Oath Stone and beautiful church door
    3. The Abby in the town of Graiguenamanagh - The wooden ceiling was constructed without any nails 😮
    4. Kilmogue Dolmen - Oh my goodness! It’s also called Leac an Scail - an exceptional example of a type of megalithic (large stone) tomb known as a Portal Tomb. Two portal stones the tallest stones in the tomb form the entrance to a stone-lined burial chamber, which is roofed by two massive stone slabs, thelarger of which lies at a steep angle. A cairn or low mound of stones would have covered most of the tomb, but the capstone probably
    remained visible.
    The likelihood is that it was built by Neolithic farmers about six thousand years ago for the burial of important members of their community and perhaps also to be a focal point for a group or tribe.

    We are spending the night in Dungarvan. Along time ago the Vikings raided along the shores of Ireland and made their own settlements. Dungarvan, which means “Fort of Garvan” was one of them.

    Lunch = The Waterside Guesthouse
    Dinner = Indian Food at The Indian Ocean in Dungarven
    Drinks = Mick Doyle’s in Graiguenamanagh and The Local in Dungarven    Read more

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