Moving On Up to Zaragoza

​July 5

I was lucky enough to find a seat reservations for a train at noon, which meant that we got to sleep in this morning. We had chocolate croissants and juice for breakfast before riding the metro to Atocha station in Madrid. I bought empanadas and iced coffee for lunch on the train and then we had a 90 minute ride to Zaragoza, Spain. Magnolia and I were the only two who got to sit together.

Once we arrived, we took a local bus to get us closer to our Airbnb. Our bags are quite heavy and attempted to pull us over multiple times on the bus ride. Alastair booked our Airbnb and it is pretty good. Most important things are the washer, dryer, and air-conditioning.

We dropped our bags and then walked around the city. We visited the Basilica, which is incredibly impressive in size. The tiles on the roof are colorful and inside, there are two bombs displayed on the wall from the 1930s.

We were ravenous, and found a late lunch at Popeyes. There was only one grocery store open because it’s a Sunday, so we made our way there to stock up on groceries for our time in the city. It’s always fun to shop around in a grocery store in a different country because their offerings are often obscure. My new favorite thing is pistachio cheesecake ice cream.

Back at the apartment, we had more FOB time. Alastair and Dagny made pesto pasta and salad for dinner. Alastair and Dagny watched a movie while I got to FaceTime my friend from home, Fiona.

As we got ready for bed, we realized that there were only three pillows in the whole apartment. Magnolia and I get to share a really long one. Magnolia rolled over in her bed and found a tiny shard of glass that cut her leg and hand. Ouch. Oh well, I guess you get what you pay for.

Adelaide

Pride on 4th of July?

​July 4

Mom and dad woke us up at 9 AM to say goodbye as they left for the airport. The four of us had more downtime at our Airbnb to do laundry before we headed into the city.

We got pastries and coffee from PANEM bakery, and walked to Retiro Park to eat at a picnic table. The park is beautiful, but the heat wave in Europe means that it was so hot out. We walked around the park for a while and saw ducks, ducklings, fish, turtles, and swans. 

Our next stop was Museo Nacional del Prado. Dagny forgot to bring her Montana State student ID so she used her Chi Omega card to prove her student status. All four of us got in for free as students. When we got to the museum security, the guard pulled Dagny’s purse and asked if she had something to open a bottle of wine. She told the security guard that the wine opener was “only for emergencies!”

After enjoying the air-conditioning of the museum, we walked across town to Divorare for sandwiches. I didn’t love the sandwich that I got from this restaurant two years ago, and I didn’t love the sandwich I got today. Oh well.

We walked through the Madrid Cathedral, and past the national Palace before pointing back towards our Airbnb. We did some FOB time (Flat on Bed) and then Dagny was eager to go back out again. We booked some more trains and hostels for our summer before going back downtown. It was very busy because today is the biggest PRIDE Festival in all of Europe.

We ended up back at TKO tacos because I was very hangry. We sat in a park and watched the crowds go by and talked for a while. I’m starting to feel somewhat homesick and missing Palmer. However, what an amazing month I have to look forward to with my family.

Happy 4th of July!

Adelaide

Mc6 Take Madrid

​July 3

On Friday, July 3rd, we packed up our things and walked the 20 minutes through SDC to the train station. We all panicked a bit upon arrival because of the long security line as we only had 15 minutes to catch our train. One of the perks of train travel is skipping all the security hassle of an airport, but because we were on a long, high-speed train, we had to go through what Alastair called “fake security.” They run your bags through the giant x-ray, but at such a quick clip I am not sure anyone is viewing it. We made our train with a few minutes to spare. We all appreciated the three hours to decompress, rest, and catch up on our own shows, journaling, and reading.

We booked an apartment just outside of Madrid, so we had two more local trains and a quick walk to our place. We dropped our bags, cranked up the AC, washed our hands, and headed right back out for our last day of Mc6 fun. 

First stop, food. We munched on some snacks on the train, but we needed real food, and a few margaritas. When Adelaide lived in Valencia she found TKO tacos. Not fancy, but super delicious. She really is fluent. She orders everything up for all six of us all the time. She is regularly asked how long she has studied Spanish. I think she does very well. It is rare for her to misunderstand, and even then, she knows exactly how to communicate to get the second explanation. Thank you, Adelaide!

We walked around for about an hour and then parked ourselves in the Plaza Mayor for more drinks in the shade and more Rook. This is the card game we play a lot when we travel. Dave and I stayed in this plaza about 5 years ago when we visited so it was fun to come back and reminisce. Good people watching and the center of Madrid. Next stop, churros and chocolate. Spanish churros are slightly different than Mexican churros, but both are delicious.

Our last stop for the night was a tiny blues club underground Alastair found in March when he was in Madrid. The club serves drinks and sunflower seeds. They encourage you to eat before arriving because they don’t serve food. We listened to a local artist for about two hours and had a great time.

The kids all did a significant pack thinning last night. Every traveler who carries their own pack quickly figures out what they no longer need and what was carried along as a luxury item. Dave and I jammed our packs full and brought home one extra pack, so the kids have less to haul going forward. The girls will stay with Alastair until August 1. They plan to travel more Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and then who knows? They spent many hours on our last afternoon in SDC booking trains and hostels for the next two weeks of travel. They have Eurorail passes and two weeks of plans including the running of the bulls in Pamplona and five days sunning their bums in San Sabastian.

Dave and I said goodbye to the kids this morning to point back toward the airport in Madrid. He and I fly home today and back to our normal work, tennis, and summer activities. 

We left them with big hugs. It feels weird to part. Sure, most of them live far away and take full care of themselves, but this feels bigger than the normal goodbye. Dagny and Magnolia will return to Denver August 1 for school. Four weeks more of travel for them. They will have a blast. Adelaide will return to the States on August 1 for three additional weeks of travel in the USA. We won’t see her until August 24, just before school starts up for her. Alastair has no return plans. After he leaves his sisters on August 1, he will travel with buddies for a while and point east. I heard Balkans, Istanbul, and Asia, but who knows. He has his fishing rod and a lifetime of Eagle Scout skills. He is ready. Praying God’s provision over all of them.

Jll

Camino Day 13 and our time in Santiago!

​July 1

Having recovered from food poisoning, I was very excited to walk with my family again yesterday (June 30th). The miles flew by and I was so grateful to take in the scenery of the Camino once again.

Today, we woke up early and ate a hotel breakfast to fuel for our FINAL day on the Camino! We tackled 16 miles from Padrón to Santiago de Compostela. For the last 13 days, we’ve had mostly outstanding weather, and that continued to be the case today. Our mornings are cool and it only warms up in the afternoons when we’re close to finishing the day.

One of the best parts of walking together is all of the quality time that allows us to film funny videos, play on playgrounds, and sing songs from our childhoods. I would describe it as the perfect journey for the inner child. 

After about 6 miles of walking together, I began to slow down as my left quad began to feel strained. On this final day of walking, I earned my NINTH blister and my first muscular injury (the quad). Mom slowed down to walk with me as the rest pushed on to the lunch spot. I already had lots of KT tape on my feet and added much more to my left knee and thigh.

The tape held up and we eventually made it to the top of our first major hill for the day. The rest of the family were sitting at a cafetería playing cards as they had already eaten lunch. Mom and I joined in and before long, we were walking again.

With only 4.5 miles to the Cathedral, the temperature began to increase and we were all eager to wrap it up! As we approached Santiago, we caught our first glimpse of the Cathedral which was like seeing the light at the end of a tunnel that is 170 miles long.

Our final climb into the city was rewarded as soon as we stepped into the square in front of the Cathedral. This is the place where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims complete their journeys each year. We found shady places to sit and watch as groups hugged, celebrated, and photographed their joy.

At the pilgrims office, we received our official certificates of having finished the Camino Portuguese de Costa. We picked up our bags at a local hostel and took a 10 minute taxi ride (which felt like a dream) uphill to our beautiful AirBnB home.

After lots of downtime, Alastair found us a delicious celebratory dinner at a Michelin recommended restaurant near the Cathedral. The highlights were some baby scallops, braised pork cheek, and my dessert French toast.

After dinner, some of us walked by the Cathedral again. There was a group of musicians playing and the music filled the square as the sun set on a magical day.

July 2

As today was our first day off of the Camino in two weeks, all four of us kids slept in until 10am. We had breakfast and coffee and a nearby cafe before walking back to the Cathedral for the pilgrim’s mass at noon. We waited in a LONG line and the Cathedral was packed, but we were able to squeeze into our own pew for the service.

The mass was given entirely in Spanish, so I was the only one able to appreciate what was said. Mostly I enjoyed the shout-outs given to different groups of pilgrims that had arrived in Santiago.

The highlight of our mass was the giant “Botafumiero” incense that was swung violently across the church, and over the heads of all of the pilgrims. Someone had made a 600€ donation in order to see the spectacle, and we were grateful to be there when it happened.

After service ended, we descended some steps to see the tomb of St. James before making our way out to the Cathedral to find lunch. We had drinks, played cards, and shared appetizers and ponchos before heading back to our AirBnB. 

All 6 of us went into this summer having very little planned. On the Camino, that meant that I organized our plan for mileage, accommodations, and luggage transfer on the fly. This often led to some chaos and late night phone calls asking for help from complete strangers. However, the Camino (+ Mom and Dad) provides. When Mom and Dad leave to go home in two days, the four of us will continue to travel Europe together for another month. As of this morning, we had nothing planned and nowhere to sleep starting in 3 days.

We spent the afternoon frantically booking the dwindling, coveted Eurail train seat reservations that we could find, along with some AirBnBs and hostels. It took approximately 4 hours of chaos, overlapping conversations, negotiations, and teamwork, but we now have ~2 weeks worth of a plan.

We went out for a steak dinner and were all so exhausted that we hurried home to get back into our pajamas. Tomorrow we will all travel to Madrid, and the following morning, Mom and Dad will fly home.

This Camino has been a blessing in so many ways. As we all grow older and our lives become more full, it is a miracle that we are able to take the time to walk along the ocean, side by side, encouraging each other along the way. I am forever grateful to my parents for the gift of travel which they have given to our family time and time again. I don’t know many people who would willingly use their vacation time to earn blisters, sunburns, and muscular injuries, but my parents were always eager to join in.

This Camino was a blessing, my family is a blessing, and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the summer takes us.

Stay tuned!

Adelaide