Good Luck

So, I arrived in Paris last night around 11, had absolutely no trouble with Border Control and ended up meeting a couple at the Sheradon Hotel within the airport. I had asked them the price of that place and it was somewhere between 200 and 300 euros. Spontaneously after that, they started discussing a solution for me. My original plan was to sleep somewhere in the airport but none of the seats would have worked and there was no carpet over the tile and I wasn't entirely sure it was allowed. Apparently, they hadn't been sure that they would arrive at the same time (on the same night) and each booked a room somewhere meaning that there was currently a booked room that wasn't in use and they figured out a way to let me have it for the night. He gave me his business card and said to call if the plan wasn't working out right away. He had sent an e-mail to the hotel and CC'ed me in it but neither the hotel or I had gotten it so after the call was made to verify that this story was indeed true, I got the room last night. Still not a lot of deep sleep last night but I was at least comfortable.

A Day of Self-Care

So today, after hanging around the hostel all morning with new friends from Germany, I went to enjoy hammam and a massage. It was something we were going to do together but they ended up needing to complete a busy day as it was their last full day here before going home.  Hammam is a head-to-toe scrub bath done by a member of the same sex and the water they use is hot in just the right way. Contrary to what I imagined, the room contained not a pool, but a couple of clay slabs with a light, permeable mat to lie on and a big pot of water continuously filling til the end when the pour the remaining water over you. The experience felt more like being polished than simply scrubbed. They get every bit of dead skin off of you and shampoo your hair. Afterward, the oil used in the massage made my skin seem brand new again. There is still a ton of work left to do in order to fix the muscles in my shoulders, but today was a lovely start. The whole experience only cost 30 Euros (300 dirhams) plus a tip.

A Night in the Desert

Yesterday I chose a trip to Zagora which takes you through a place that looks enough like Tatooine that a French man felt that Star Wars was filmed there and although that turned out to be false, many other American films have been including Gladiator, The Mummy, and The Hills Have Eyes. The name of that place is Ouarzazate. It was a two day trip and it took a full 6 hours of driving (stops not included) in order to get there. So we sat for most of the day and when we arrived we rode on camels to the campsite of berber tents.
We arrived in time to watch the sun set and then star gaze for a while before the moon came up. They served us a dinner of soup with rice and the Moroccan classic, tagine with chicken. Afterward, all the separate groups (there are many vans/shuttles taking people to each of the places I've been so far) gathered around the fire pit and enjoyed drumming and chanting. One of the gray-haired guests started dancing and amusing everyone there. It was an international group but we were all grinning and laughing (without judgement) with him. A new friend and I stood up and started clapping and somehow I happened to be moving in a way that got the dancer's attention and he pointed at me and said "you're next!".
It was the first time, without alcohol, that I felt free enough to dance. He opened the dance floor for me in such a perfect way that after watching him and the reactions of this group, my inhibitions weren't interrupting or blocking the improv moves. I was definitely no better than him at dancing but someone did compliment me on the dance. There's no way to show anyone what they were because the moment has passed and until I find that place again, my inhibitions are back in play.
After a long, chilly night, we woke up around 7, had a breakfast of bread, butter and honey outside while watching the sun rise then we were on the camels by around 8 since I know we got into the van around 8:30.
My phone lasted long enough to capture photos of what turned out to be a mix of snow capped mountains, canyons, and plateaus of the six hour journey. How long it would have taken if there hadn't been any dangerous, narrow roads with hairpin turns, is a mystery. The roads were well maintained which was a relief but it was slow going.

First Days in Morocco

Wednesday morning, I took a flight to Morocco and after spending an hour in customs check, I made my way to my hostel. As per usual, I was exhausted when I arrived and went to bed pretty early. Before bed though, I was able to set up a day trip to Ourika Valley.

Yesterday, after a profound sleep, I woke up with minutes to spare and got ready to head out for the day. There was a group of us in a van and we drove for 45 to 60 minutes before we stopped for the walk. As we walked, we passed by waterfalls and traversed the white water. This place was remarkable to me as it was the first time I saw red soil at the base of a mountain followed by evergreens and then capped with snow. The guide was a lot of fun.

Today was crazy for me. It was overall a great day, but it ended with me wanting a good cry. I visited Essouira, a beach side town and bought a few things as gifts. However, as I was leaving, I was talked into buying stuff I didn't want or need. They are also going to be gifts because I don't feel the need to collect. It was a beautiful place full of seagulls drawn to the fishermen, and the people are really nice there.

Visiting Warwick

Yesterday was a really fun day. I got to explore Warwick and see the inside of their church of Saint Mary and take pictures of Warwick Castle from the bridge marking the entrance of the town. Most of my pictures were of the oldest buildings. I walked around for a good 2 hours and visited a few book shops; another one of my habits. I bought a P. G. Wodehouse book of Jeeves and Wooster since it's a challenge to find in the US. It was only £2 and is small enough to bring on the upcoming flights.

Today, after walking the dog and getting some lunch and coffee, we're back in the town to print off two of my boarding passes before the big flight tomorrow. Can't wait for the next adventure!

Homecoming

Today, once all my flights got booked, I got to see a piece of the Cotswolds and a picturesque village below them called Broadway. To end the evening, we visited a windmill as the sun was setting which made for some spectacular photos.

After a few relaxing days of walks, movies, and books, I have now made plans for going home after seeing one more country. I am flying to Marrakesh, Morocco on Wednesday and staying for close to a week; enough to see more than one city. It's been a marvelous trip and I am grateful for every moment of it and of course, I don't want it to end! It's the hardest decision I've made so far but I miss home and want to spend the holidays with my family. Between that and the constant draining of my accounts, I need to bring things to end.

Another Airport Drama

So, today started really early with only half a night's sleep to boot. I woke up at 5 to get a carpool to the airport. My flight wasn't til 10:40 but the other person getting a ride had an early one. I had packed a fair amount of food to get through the day but perhaps do to the lack of sleep, I was a little queasy for a lot of the morning. I had a really smooth and easy time aside from buying a book at the Relay in the airport and then leaving it somewhere on the other side of the security check. There was time to go get it and go through security again, but I didn't really want to do that unless I could have left my bag under the guard of someone else and then just booked it with my passport and boarding pass in hand.

The views of the Alps from the first flight were amazing. I got my phone out and turned it on (the battery was low, so I kept it off for most of the time in the air) and immediately took more than a dozen photos. I wish I had kept it on the rest of the flight because as we approached the airport the fall colors took my breath away with the pines showing sporadically in between.

When I arrived in Birmingham, Border Control stopped me and asked all the normal questions but then told me to wait while they go consult with their manager. When he came back, he wanted evidence of my bank balance and the number of the people I was staying with. It is a bizarre story, I'll admit.

I met several people on the Camino and one of them really took me under his wing and he said he knew people who might be willing to put me up while he spends a few more days in Majorca (my Visa was running out and today marks day 89 of 90). So I left on cheap Eurowings flights with a brief layover in Dusseldorf, Germany.

So, yes, that is a weird thing to hear from someone, but at 124 lbs or 68 kilos, I'm hardly any threat. No one would look at me and think, ah yes, here's a terrorist. Anyway, it was an unnecessary stressor in my opinion but I got through o.k. and the arrangement is perfect here.

First and Second Day in Majorca

Had a lovely day here and plan to hike a couple times this weekend before flying to England. I'm 86 days into my 90 day stay and will be leaving on Monday. There was a wonderful storm front that provided excellent photos. Didn't do a whole lot today since we were in bed til 10 and rain was heading our way in the afternoon. Got to see a Spanish outdoor market and go shopping for paella ingredients. The dinner was fantastic and we stayed up a bit late watching Black Books .
Today we (my British friend from the Camino and I) did about 14 km around the island after visiting a cave in Majorca. It reminded me of Luray Caverns in Virginia . We had a wonderful time and got to see a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea. This was followed by watching a Rugby match at a British pub which was fun. Took a lot longer to wrap up the party and I ended up walking back around 7:30, 3 hours after arriving for the game.

Another Day, Another Party

So, last night, I left my hostel just after 7 pm firmly believing that I was just going out to dinner and then coming back to sleep by 10. Little did I know that what was going to be a meal between two Camino friends was going to become a meal shared by 5 followed by drinking in two other places. In fact we were at one place until it closed around midnight and then searched for a new place. Yet again, I got to experience the night life, staying up til 3 AM this time. I did have an enormous amount of fun at the last place but I'm not accustomed to partying late at night and then only managing to sleep 4 or 5 hours afterward. That's not to say I regret joining last night. I had an absolute blast and have more understanding of the night owl party animals than before. After 3 or 4 glasses of wine, hot chocolate, one shot, another glass of wine and some water, I was more than a little drunk and spent some time dancing with a tall, blond man from Norway with a great smile, and long hair pulled into a messy man bun. I again, successfully avoided a hangover.
Another fun surprise that occurred yesterday was the opportunity to visit Majorca without having to pay for a room. My flight is tomorrow evening and I am super excited to see a place that is most definitely out of my price range without this form of help.

Another Cathedral on a Rainy Day

Woke up really late thanks to the wooden doors covering the windows...well, 9:30 counts as late nowadays. Hung out in the hostel's living room for much of the morning eating a breakfast I bought from the market the day before. Yesterday, I visited the museum within the Cathedral and today, with the same ticket I was able to go again and invited a new friend of mine from France since he said he was struggling with focusing on his homework. We battled wind and rain to get there and back and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits within. Afterward, we had lunch together at the hostel and I just stayed in the rest of the day. I have been in touch with two of my friends from the trail and learned that they had to turn back after walking 43 km towards Finisterre because of heavy winds and rain. They felt they were risking hypothermia as well. Might pay for another night here.
Now another person is talking about how he tried to walk towards Porto and that he got 15 km but it took just an hour and a half for his water proof boots to become waterlogged.

Insight and Jokes

On the way from Logroño to Leon, I mentioned a transformative meditation and then didn't get into what came to my mind. Given that it was two long bus rides, I had a nice amount of time to get into the zone and I was able not only to further forgive all the wrong-doers in my life. My peers who, in their struggle to understand me, mocked or ignored me. My former boss who constantly found fault in what I did despite the fact that everyone else recognized my hard work and of course my biological parents and the emotional and physical trauma they caused.
The thought that entered my mind was that without their moments of weakness, I would not have sought my inner strength. As is written in the book of Buddhist teachings about the higher self, the same can be said about strength and confidence; which is that though the moon gets covered by clouds, it is untouched and untainted by them and so it is. You can't look outward for a light that is within you. The problem is, when all we see is darkness around us, we don't have much reason to believe that we can be a solution to some of it.
Another thought that entered my mind is that every time I notice something beautiful or savor a euphoric moment, I am hearing/seeing that God loves me. These are constant reminders that I am forever surrounded by the love of God, that I am love and loved. So if I can share my photos, maybe I can help other people feel at peace with the world.

Jokes from the Camino: The Camino turned me into a raging alcoholic and I will have to start AA meetings when I go home. (The wine in Europe is cheap and it became a quick trail habit to develop.)
Just 1 more bottle of wine. (Holds up 4 fingers instead.)
Cook in Danish sounds a lot like cock so someone accidentally said "Send my compliments to the cock".

A Weekend in Santiago

Managed to get the kilometers done in three days with just 20 k the last two in a row. Despite the relatively short distance, we arrived in Santiago around 4 in the afternoon on Saturday since no one wanted it to be over. We were trying to fully enjoy the company of our new family. As I learned in my first hike, you get to form really close relationships in less than half the time it normally takes. Our group stopped 4 times for wine which I only enjoyed during the first stop. I did not wish to arrive drunk especially since I had only managed 2 hours of sleep Friday night after 3 or 4 glasses of wine. As we arrived with a large number of Spanish and Portuguese speakers our group was singing a Spanish pilgrim song as we entered the square in front of the Cathedral. Once there, we took a number of pictures to commemorate the arrival as one does and then sorted out our Compostelle passports to get the paper confirming we completed the trail and giving us the Latin version of our names.
Saturday night the town was so busy we had to wait until 10:00 to get a dinner table big enough for our group. So, I ended up staying awake from 12:00 midnight to 1:00 that day and only slept to 8:30.
Last night, we surprised ourselves and despite having a reasonable dinner hour, we went to 3 separate places to meet fellow friends again and our last stop was a karaoke bar which turned out to be a lot of fun. But when I arrived back at the Air B&B at 2:00, my ears were ringing and I wasn't sober yet. Luckily, I've been smart enough to stay within my mostly untested limits. I've been drunk before but I never got to the point where it was followed by a hangover. Today, I booked a couple nights at a hostel to try to get a normal sleep schedule started again. The rest of our group came back at 6:00 am and 2 of those people were up again at 9 to start their hike to Finisterre.