A Bowl of Coffee, and Crossing The Pyrenees

We started our morning at 6:45am with a bowl of coffee. Yes, you read correctly: a bowl. 

Yesterday, we were served water in a bowl. Our wine was in a wine glass though. I guess it's a southern France thing?

In the begining, we felt strong and invigorated, but then the rain started. 

Less than a mile up and the it began to pour. Another mile and the wind blasted us. 

Sustained wind at 70km, gusts of 100 km per hour.

We donned our rain jackets and continued upwards. I was miserable.

Things did not improve....They only got worse. In fact, I don't even want to write about it. There are no pictures, because the weather was too treacherous.

We went up, then STRAIGHT down, eventually landing in Roncevalles, Spain.

I am a planner. Especially when it comes to vacations. I want everything to be as seamless as possible, and know what to expect. So this trip is way out of my comfort zone.

We arrived with no reservation, and no idea where we would sleep. Not to mention tired, wet, and grumpy (to put it mildly). We walked over to Casa Sabina for a glass of wine and some pinchos. 

I have to say, we were not treated kindly by the staff. Thad had to practically light fireworks to place an order (after being completely ignored for several minutes).

After deciding to stay at the Hotel Roncevalles, (instead of the monastery), I walked over to get our key. It's amazing how the service in the restaurant changed upon seeing our room key. They suddenly couldn't have been nicer to us. What jerks!

After getting settled, long hot showers, and a change of clothes, we went off to dinner.

We dined with our now good friend Jean Pierre from France, and some nice gentleman from Spain. My husband managed to spill a glass of wine on one, and he laughed it off, saying something about how it's only a good story if you come home with wine stains.

I guess that we will have some good stories.

If I had to do it all again as in would I? Probably. But the weather would have to be better. The Pyrenees are amazing, beautiful, and tall. I'm glad too have crossed then and lived to complain about it. 

A bowl of coffee

Starting our climb before the sun is up.

About 1/4 off the way up, we has a break in the storm.

Once again, this is BEFORE the real storm hit. Right now, It's all rainbows and ponies.

After the worst of it. On our way down. This picture doesn't show how steep the descent was. Not too mention the rocks, mud, and water.

Bunk beds and beans

Leaving St. Jean Pied de Port, France

We departed at 8am from St. Jean to Orrison, France as our destination for the evening. This would break up our crossing the Pyrenees, and give us a leisurely start. 

Which was nice, because it was ALL uphill (but only 5 miles off it today).

Today was easier than we expected. It would have been nice if the albegue had been a little further up the mountain, but we were grateful to have made the reservation. 

Thad with some new friends.

Our home for the evening.

Our Camino family for the night...and many more to come.

After a great dinner of white bean soup, pork loin, bread, more white beans and plenty of wine: we were all ready for some sleep.

As a child, I never went to camp, or slept in a bunk bed. I think it's pretty funny to be doing this for the first time at 42. 

All 4 of our roommates were very nice. 

A Good Bordeaux and Madeleine Peyroux

Today we enjoyed a leisurely walk around St. Jean Pied de Port. The weather was amazing, and the city was near silent until the afternoon perigrinos and tour busses rolled in. It is a picturesque village located at the foot of the Pyrenees, settled in the early 1200's with many battle scars and tall tales.

We followed the ancient city walls around the village, explored an old graveyard, and then walked north on the camino (St.Jacques Way, I think) for a few miles.

We stopped at a bakery for fresh baguettes, and a meat shop for fresh cheeses and Jamon. We sat out on the patio of our albergue, opened a bottle of bordeaux, and listened to some Madeleine Peyroux. It was a perfect afternoon.

Butterflies (not the pretty ones)

This morning we left Madrid, with much anxiety. I'm not really sure were it came from, but it was very present.

I thought that an hour and a half was ample time to get downtown to the train station. That was a misconception. We had time to spare at the airport train platform, but ended up running through Attocha Station. We asked directions from several people (and here's where it would have been in my best interest to have spent more time with Rosetta Stone), and BARELY made it into the train. I'm talking doors-are-closing-one-of-us-might-not-make-it close.

The language barrier is hurting us more than we anticipated. I know others have mentioned it, but I just thought everything would be fine (for us). We've traveled all over the world, and never really had an issue...until now. So that added to the anxiety. So did the oh-my-god-what-are-we doing fear.

We have been training out bodies for months, but mentally??? Let's just say, It's all sinking in now.

Fast forward 8 hours.

We are safely tucked in bed in St. Jean Pied de Port, France. We had a lovely dinner paired with a nice red wine. 

Because we arrived so late in the day, we have decided to spend tomorrow here. We will start our trek across the Pyrenees the following day. 

Needles to say, our nerves have calmed down, and we are starting to enjoy our Camino. But then again, maybe that's the wine talking. Until tomorrow.

The Prado, not PRADA

Greetings once again from Madrid! I'm pleased to say that today was MUCH better than yesterday. No riots, just a bike race, and fantastic weather.

I started my morning with an impromptu jog to the pharmacy. Thad had a headache all night, and I wanted to be there when they opened. Unfortunately, I was 3 hours too early (bad info from the hotel front desk). NOTHING was open that sold ibuprofen. So, I opted for the next logical option:espresso and chocolate pastries. I asked the young barista helping me where I could find an open pharmacy, he said not for many hours. I told him that this was our only full day in Madrid, my husband has a horrible headache, and if I don't get him something soon...well, you get the picture.  He, like most Madridians that we have encountered, was supremely nice, and offered 2 tablets from his personal stash (600 mg, still in the box, and sealed in the original packaging). I graciously accepted, and returned to the hotel speedily....managing to spill hot coffee down my arm, even though it was only about 1/4 of the way full, and had a lid on it. Those of you that know me, are not surprised by this. 

I love the architecture in Europe. Every building is more gorgeous than the last.

After making our way back downtown (which was largely closed due to a bike race), we stopped for a bite to eat. It was uneventful, but filling. Complete with an accordion player asking for donations every song.

I have always wanted to go to The Prado Museum. It was a huge regret not to have seen it the last time I was here, and was not about to repeat it. But it didn't look good. We knew we were in the vicinity, and asked directions. I even wrote it down. This is were we were sent.

I said PRADO, not PRADA

11 minutes later, we arrived at the real thing (thanks to a nice man at Brooks Brothers that spoke English, and Google Mapped/walked it for me). 

It was spectacular. Not as large as I thought it would be. Nothing like The Louvre or Smithsonian collections, but very well put together, and beautiful. 

My husband was scolded for taking this picture (without flash). I admit, it was my fault. I love this painting "The lovers of Tereul." It's soo Romeo and Juliet. They fell madly in love, he went off to seek his fortune, her father makes her marry a man she can't stand, he (her love comes back), he dies of a broken heart, and she dies on his casket. 

It is huge, and beautiful, like soo many other pieces at the museum.

Now we are off to dinner. More tomorrow. Oh yeah, and France: our gateway to the Pyrenees. 

Mayhem in Madrid

We had an uneventful flight from Nashville to NYC to Madrid. The hotel we booked on Expedia was surprisingly accommodating, letting us check in at 9:30am (kudos to you Hotel Nueva Boston).  Completely discombobulated after about 2 hours of interrupted plane-sleep, we showered and napped comfortably in our room for the next 3 hours.

Upon waking, we were famished, and found a Brazillian Steak House within walking distance. Let it be known: We are NOT vegetarians. The food was good, but not remarkable.

Next stop: The Plaza Mayor

The last time that I was in Madrid was in 1998, and it was for a brief few days, in a jet lagged, 20 something state of mind. Totally different experience.

This time, Thad and I sat at a sidewalk cafe, enjoying a bottle of wine, and people watching.

Enjoying a fantastic bottle of wine in the 75 degree weather.

Trouble starts on our way back to the subway. Heavy police action, in full bomb gear. We counted 27 riot police vans so far.

After being told to "get out now" by a bomb squad officer, we quickly walked as far away as we could.It was about 20 minutes before we were able to catch a taxi outside of the perimeter. Apparently it was a labor dispute of somekind, but very foreign and scary to us. We made it back to the hotel safely, and look forward to a full day in Madrid tomorrow.

Wine

I love wine. Especially young, spicy reds. On a normal day, I would have quite a bit to say about this subject. Today however, my brain is fried. I am writing this from the airport while waiting for our flight to Madrid. Running on very little sleep, and the stress of being away for a month has left my brain dazed and inarticulate.

My beverage of choice, after a nice hike.Our packs. Both 36L Osprey

We're on our way! Will be there in 7 hours.

Walking

You have brains in your head,
You have feet in your shoes,
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
                                -Dr. Seuss

A few years ago we watched the movie "The Way." Afterwards, we sat out by the pool at our South Texas home and imagined what it might be like to take a month off and walk through Spain. But who has a month to do that?Thad has always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail (which is something I have zero interest in - I'm just not into camping, and quite frankly, am not that hearty). I have always wanted to climb Machu Picchu, and explore Peru. He thought it would be a great adventure too. So, the next day, I booked our trip to Peru for the upcoming year.

It's funny how life throws you curve balls.

We haven't made it to Peru just yet, and our lives are completely different than they were on that warm coastal evening. Instead of Peru, we relocated to Nashville. Our quality of life has increased exponentially, and we are both happier than we could have ever imagined. Thad has a job he loves at a top ranked hospital. I renovated our new home, and started a small business. Nashville also renewed our love of the outdoors, walking, and hiking. It is the most beautiful place I have ever lived.

Me at our favorite hiking spot in Nashville, Percy Warner Park

May 2014 - Once again we find ourselves in front of the TV, flipping through Netflix, and what jumps out? Yep. "The Way." 20 minutes into it, and we have decided that we have to do it....and soon.

So that was it. We decided that October would be our month. We began ramping up from walking our two Labs a couple of miles around our neighborhood, to 30 miles a week over very hilly terrain. Our legs strengthened, we added backpacks, and eventually extra pack weight.


Our dogs, exhausted after another long walk

We board our plane to Madrid one week from today, and couldn't be more excited.

Passports, airline tickets, and Peregrino Credentials

Wanderlust

Noun
A strong innate desire to rove or travel about.

Wanderlust hit me at a very early age, and continues to increase as I get older. This will chronicle our next adventure, exploring Spain and France on the Camino de Santiago Francais. It is a 500 mile journey from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, over the Pyrenees (via the Napoleon route) and continue into Spain.  This will take my husband Thad and I the entire month of October.

Here are some pictures from last years journey to kick off our wanderlust theme. 13 days and counting until departure!

Santorini, Greece

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Athens, Greece

Athens, Greece

Venice, Italy

Ephesus, Turkey

Sicily, Italy 

Rome, Italy