Hey all,
I figured it was about time for another update, as some people have been asking what's going on with me over here. So, I'll start with the big/good news first...
I've been offered a full-time, permanent position with Capital IQ (the company I'm currently on contract with). Effective immediately I'm their Training Manager, overseeing all roles in the transcripts department. This means I have to become familar with all the roles and related processes, aside from the voice writing role, which is what I've been focused on primarily since I started here. It's going to be a huge amount of work, but I'm really loving it. I think this is the first time in my working life that I haven't been bored, which is saying a lot.
So to further the good news, this position will be based in Vancouver - woo hoo - so I will be moving back home mid-May. My contract officially ends on April 30 but they want me to stay a couple of weeks past that. AND they're giving me two weeks of paid holiday time to settle in and set up before I start work again on June 1. AND because there's no Vancouver office (aside from Michele's house), I'll be working from home so they're shipping me a laptop, desktop, printer/fax, and a Blackberry. I've never worked from home before and I'm a little concerned about my social needs, but I'll make it work. The job involves about 25% travel to Manila, so I'll be back and forth a bit, which of course opens up travel opportunities :)
In other news, I've been doing some traveling - shocking I know. Michele was here for three weeks in January, and on one weekend we did a day trip down to a place called Tagaytay. Tagaytay is famous for Lake Taal, which has an island in the middle of it, which has a volcano in the middle of it, which has a lake inside it. And inside that...no, just kidding. It was a fun trip, and the hike to the top of the crater was pretty easy, which was good as it was mid-afternoon and pretty warm out. The only downside to the day was that we took a small catamaran boat across to the island and the lake was very choppy, so we got absolutely drenched both ways - coming back was much worse. We were completey soaked, and had no dry clothes or towels. Our driver eventually found some plastic ponchos for us to sit on, so we didn't get the back seat all wet, but it was a bit uncomfortable having dinner in wet clothes and being in a car with the AC on all the way back to Manila.
The following weekend we flew down to Boracay, a tiny little island paradise in the south. It's the place to be in the Philippines, and it really is spectacular. It has that fine white sand beach and clear blue water that I thought only existed in Photoshopped pictures. We were very lazy and did little besides lay on the beach (under umbrellas), read, wander up and down the beach, go for short dips, and drink mango shakes. I could live on mango shakes... Was a lovely relaxing weekend.
Last weekend, as a birthday present to myself, I went with my friend Jenny and a number of her friends down south to a place called Donsol, which is famous for being a gathering place for whale sharks - or Butanding, as they call them here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark) They take you out on a boat and they have spotters who look for the sharks. You wait, outfitted in your mask and snorkel and flippers, and when the guide yells GO! you jump in and find yourself face to face with the largest fish on the planet. They are so cool - their mouths are about six feet wide and their bodies are just enormous - so sleek and smooth. You have to kick pretty hard to keep up with them and eventually they outpace you, or descend out of sight, and you climb back up on the boat and wait for the guide to yell GO again. Totally euphoric experience being in the water with them. That evening we also did an evening firefly boat tour - really amazing, but impossible to describe. Like a living light show.
So, things are pretty swishy here with me. I am excited about moving back to Vancouver, as that's what I feel ready to do now. I'm feeling very blessed with all the good fortune that I've had lately, so am trying not to upset the balance of the universe that's responsible for it:)
Sidenote: I have finally finished uploading my Camino set, which is on my Flickr site for those of you who are interested.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tessajane/sets/
That's all for now,
Love Tessa
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Manila Stories
I know some of you are wondering why I haven’t written since I arrived in Manila, and mostly the reason is that there’s not that much to write about… My life here is pretty much work and sleep, and my weekends are generally spent recovering from the week.
Not to mention that Manila is kind of a dump. There’s not much to see or do here. There are, however, more malls than you could possibly ever shop in. There are four – FOUR – within less than a ten minute walk from my hotel. That’s all people do here – they shop and they eat. I have made a bit of an effort to go out and see a bit of the city – I went on a walking tour of the old city, which was very interesting and entertaining, but also really depressing. Manila has a very sad history, and I was unaware of most of it – the oppressive Spanish colonial rule and the horrific bombing it received in WWII. Little-known fact -- Manila was the second most destroyed city in WWII after Warsaw. As a result, the city itself is not particularly scenic, and a lot of the old, charming buildings were destroyed many years ago. Manila is one of those capitals that, as a traveler, you arrive in and promptly want to leave. It’s a city of brutal traffic, massive billboards, horrid pollution, and that unsettling juxtaposition of slums and “million dollar” houses.
However, I am going to continue exploring it and see if I can discover something that redeems it…some hidden charm I haven’t found yet. But I’ll probably expend most of my planning energy (which, incidentally, is very low right now) on getting out of Manila.
And I have managed to get out of Manila a couple of times. When I was in Vancouver, I ran into an old housemate, Melissa, who told me a good friend of hers was in the Philippines on a Fullbright scholarship. So she put me in touch with Jenny and we emailed and met up in Manila a few times and a couple weekends ago, I went down to Los Banos, where she lives, a couple hours south of here. It was a great weekend – decadent really. We went for massages at the local spa, had a super yummy/spicy Korean meal, and finished off our packed day with soaking in some very aesthetically pleasing geothermal hot spring pools. We went for a hike the next day to balance out the decadence.
This most recent weekend, I met Jenny and a group of her friends and colleagues in Puerto Galera, one of the top dive spots in the Philippines, on an island two hours south of here. I took the local bus and then a ferry – had forgotten what traveling in Asia is like – I think I’ve gone soft after my years in Europe! We were on Sabang Beach, which is a little seaside village full of cafes, restaurants, hotels, and innumerable dive shops. I did three dives – two during the day and one at night. I’ve never done a night dive before, except for one time in Hawaii when we saw the manta rays, but that was basically descending and observing. This one wasn’t a great dive for me, as I couldn’t get my balance and spent most of the dive adjusting my weight belt, tank, and BCD. I kept tilting to the left, and was trying not to bump into anyone, which kind of detracted from my enjoyment of the dive… And we saw some other divers and I was nervous that I would end up following someone who wasn’t from my dive group, so I kept my eyes glued to my Divemaster’s fins, which were very scenic:) But the day dives were both great – we saw a turtle on the Sunday morning, which was a stroke of luck. It was a weekend of great diving, fun people, and yummy food.
The food options in Manila are a vast improvement over Dublin – I’ll give it that! Mostly it’s just that there’s huge variety – I can eat sushi or Indian or Korean or even Mediterranean. Every Friday night in front of our building there’s a huge street market where you can get rice and bbq and just so many yummy things. And lots of weird things too, that I’m not that interested in trying. For those Survivor watchers, you know there’s always that inevitable “eating” challenge where they have to eat local delicacies like fish brains or something along those lines…well, the Philippines is home to one such delicacy – and really it’s a mainstream food here. There are stalls in food court malls selling “balut.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg)
I do consider myself a relatively adventurous eater, but I’m not going to venture into this one.
I’m really enjoying my job here – finding it really engaging, interesting, and rewarding. I spend some time doing a lot of logistics management – making sure details and instructions get properly disseminated, and supervise some of the team leads. I do quite a bit of 1-1 coaching and observing, which I really enjoy – they’re always enlightening sessions, and it gives me a chance to get to know some of the staff better. It’s pretty cool to get to contribute to an operation in this kind of way, to really see a difference as a result of the work I’m doing. I do a bit of documentation work, but I quite enjoy it because the projects are either new documents or major re-writes – none of the tedious updating and maintenance that comes with full-time tech writing.
Culturally, it’s been a very interesting experience. The work culture here is totally different from any Canadian office I’ve ever worked in. The people are very generous and kind, but are also very young and generally immature. I find a lot of the office politics kind of high schoolish. However, there’s great “spirit” here, as evidenced by the totally over-the-top Christmas decorating that went on for over a week. I will take some photos, because words just aren’t enough here. It is quite refreshing to find people so – what’s the opposite of apathetic? That.
I am really looking forward to a couple of weeks at home for Christmas. I know no one will have any sympathy for me, but I’m finding the weather very hard to deal with – it’s so hot and humid and uncomfortable. Everything indoors in air-conditioned, so you can’t dress for the outside weather or you’ll freeze inside, and vice versa. And Christmas just isn’t the same without snow and winter jackets and fuzzy mittens and hot chocolate by the fire. None of which exist here. There is however, plenty of gaudy decoration!
That’s all for now…
Not to mention that Manila is kind of a dump. There’s not much to see or do here. There are, however, more malls than you could possibly ever shop in. There are four – FOUR – within less than a ten minute walk from my hotel. That’s all people do here – they shop and they eat. I have made a bit of an effort to go out and see a bit of the city – I went on a walking tour of the old city, which was very interesting and entertaining, but also really depressing. Manila has a very sad history, and I was unaware of most of it – the oppressive Spanish colonial rule and the horrific bombing it received in WWII. Little-known fact -- Manila was the second most destroyed city in WWII after Warsaw. As a result, the city itself is not particularly scenic, and a lot of the old, charming buildings were destroyed many years ago. Manila is one of those capitals that, as a traveler, you arrive in and promptly want to leave. It’s a city of brutal traffic, massive billboards, horrid pollution, and that unsettling juxtaposition of slums and “million dollar” houses.
However, I am going to continue exploring it and see if I can discover something that redeems it…some hidden charm I haven’t found yet. But I’ll probably expend most of my planning energy (which, incidentally, is very low right now) on getting out of Manila.
And I have managed to get out of Manila a couple of times. When I was in Vancouver, I ran into an old housemate, Melissa, who told me a good friend of hers was in the Philippines on a Fullbright scholarship. So she put me in touch with Jenny and we emailed and met up in Manila a few times and a couple weekends ago, I went down to Los Banos, where she lives, a couple hours south of here. It was a great weekend – decadent really. We went for massages at the local spa, had a super yummy/spicy Korean meal, and finished off our packed day with soaking in some very aesthetically pleasing geothermal hot spring pools. We went for a hike the next day to balance out the decadence.
This most recent weekend, I met Jenny and a group of her friends and colleagues in Puerto Galera, one of the top dive spots in the Philippines, on an island two hours south of here. I took the local bus and then a ferry – had forgotten what traveling in Asia is like – I think I’ve gone soft after my years in Europe! We were on Sabang Beach, which is a little seaside village full of cafes, restaurants, hotels, and innumerable dive shops. I did three dives – two during the day and one at night. I’ve never done a night dive before, except for one time in Hawaii when we saw the manta rays, but that was basically descending and observing. This one wasn’t a great dive for me, as I couldn’t get my balance and spent most of the dive adjusting my weight belt, tank, and BCD. I kept tilting to the left, and was trying not to bump into anyone, which kind of detracted from my enjoyment of the dive… And we saw some other divers and I was nervous that I would end up following someone who wasn’t from my dive group, so I kept my eyes glued to my Divemaster’s fins, which were very scenic:) But the day dives were both great – we saw a turtle on the Sunday morning, which was a stroke of luck. It was a weekend of great diving, fun people, and yummy food.
The food options in Manila are a vast improvement over Dublin – I’ll give it that! Mostly it’s just that there’s huge variety – I can eat sushi or Indian or Korean or even Mediterranean. Every Friday night in front of our building there’s a huge street market where you can get rice and bbq and just so many yummy things. And lots of weird things too, that I’m not that interested in trying. For those Survivor watchers, you know there’s always that inevitable “eating” challenge where they have to eat local delicacies like fish brains or something along those lines…well, the Philippines is home to one such delicacy – and really it’s a mainstream food here. There are stalls in food court malls selling “balut.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg)
I do consider myself a relatively adventurous eater, but I’m not going to venture into this one.
I’m really enjoying my job here – finding it really engaging, interesting, and rewarding. I spend some time doing a lot of logistics management – making sure details and instructions get properly disseminated, and supervise some of the team leads. I do quite a bit of 1-1 coaching and observing, which I really enjoy – they’re always enlightening sessions, and it gives me a chance to get to know some of the staff better. It’s pretty cool to get to contribute to an operation in this kind of way, to really see a difference as a result of the work I’m doing. I do a bit of documentation work, but I quite enjoy it because the projects are either new documents or major re-writes – none of the tedious updating and maintenance that comes with full-time tech writing.
Culturally, it’s been a very interesting experience. The work culture here is totally different from any Canadian office I’ve ever worked in. The people are very generous and kind, but are also very young and generally immature. I find a lot of the office politics kind of high schoolish. However, there’s great “spirit” here, as evidenced by the totally over-the-top Christmas decorating that went on for over a week. I will take some photos, because words just aren’t enough here. It is quite refreshing to find people so – what’s the opposite of apathetic? That.
I am really looking forward to a couple of weeks at home for Christmas. I know no one will have any sympathy for me, but I’m finding the weather very hard to deal with – it’s so hot and humid and uncomfortable. Everything indoors in air-conditioned, so you can’t dress for the outside weather or you’ll freeze inside, and vice versa. And Christmas just isn’t the same without snow and winter jackets and fuzzy mittens and hot chocolate by the fire. None of which exist here. There is however, plenty of gaudy decoration!
That’s all for now…
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A change of plans
Just thought I'd give a quick update as to my whereabouts because I know lots of people still think I'm headed to Korea to teach english for a year, but in fact something else has come up...in a good way.
I am going to Manila for six months to work as a consultant/trainer for an American company called Capital IQ. My friend Michele has worked for them for about a year now, helping manage/run/set up their office in Manila. Michele and I used to work together doing transcription work, and Capital IQ is setting up a transcription department overseas. Because I have experience and skills in this area, I'm going to assist in training the new hires there, as well as evaluate the training program that's in place, and help to improve their results.
I'm pretty psyched about the whole thing, as I'm excited about the work, which I think will be really challenging and engaging, and also about being back in that part of the world, and of course the travelling opportunities it offers:)
Will be in touch once I've arrived, am settled, and have recovered from jet lag.
Love to you all:)
I am going to Manila for six months to work as a consultant/trainer for an American company called Capital IQ. My friend Michele has worked for them for about a year now, helping manage/run/set up their office in Manila. Michele and I used to work together doing transcription work, and Capital IQ is setting up a transcription department overseas. Because I have experience and skills in this area, I'm going to assist in training the new hires there, as well as evaluate the training program that's in place, and help to improve their results.
I'm pretty psyched about the whole thing, as I'm excited about the work, which I think will be really challenging and engaging, and also about being back in that part of the world, and of course the travelling opportunities it offers:)
Will be in touch once I've arrived, am settled, and have recovered from jet lag.
Love to you all:)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Camino Journal excerpts: part 2
Hi everyone. Here is part two!
Day 18: Still in the meseta...A long 31Km of more flatness and nothingness to El Burgo Renero. As a treat, we sent our packs ahead so we'd be lighter on our feet. When we arrived, Kristina -- an American girl who has been with us for the last few days -- went through my and Robin's packs and made us get rid of extraneous items. Amazing how much lighter my pack is now! We had the "menu del dia" for dinner tonight -- "menu of the day" -- which is a cheap meal available in many bars and cafes along the trail. You get a first course of salad or pasta or soup, then a second course of meat or fish, usually with chips, and then dessert, usually yogurt or ice cream. It also includes bread and wine, all for the bargain price of anywhere between 8 and €11.
Day 19: A very short day, in comparison to the previous 5...only 20Km to Mansilla. We arrived before the albergue opened at noon. Kristina (who went to culinary school) made us grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. You can only imagine how excited I was:) We had a very relaxed afternoon eating, drinking wine, soaking our feet, and napping. Carlo and Enrico, our Swiss-Italian friends, were there as well and Carlo cooked dinner for 8 of us, including a French couple and a guy from Malta. It was a fantastic pasta feed with mucho vino and great company.
Day 20: Arrived in Leon before 11am after our earliest start yet -- 6:05am. It was dark until 7:30, when we had our coffee break. We stayed at the super-fancy hotel Parador, which is perhaps the fanciest place I've ever stayed in, but Kristina got us a screaming deal on it. Kristina is a typical overachieving New Yorker type. She worked as a trader for years, got her MBA from Cornell while she was working full time, went to culinary school, is a skeet shooter (not entirely sure what that is) in her spare time, etc... After a week of her being with us, I'm of two minds about her. On the one hand, I think she's a lot of fun, very generous, kind, and a nice person. On the other hand, I think she's one of the most self-obsessed people I've ever met. She talks about herself *constantly* and can keep up a running monologue for a good hour, with very little prompting from you, about everything from her wedding plans to her fiancee to her job in finance to her thoughts on Obama, etc. And, she has a Blackberry, which she spends most of her waking, non-walking time tap tapping away at, which drives me bonkers. If that wasn't enough, she also feels the need to repeat several details of the texts, emails, and chats she gets from home -- which, really, I could care less about. Aside asking me what I do for a living, she has not asked me a single personal question or displayed any interest in getting to know me. I am not sure I want to spend my last two weeks on the Camino with her.
Day 21: We decided to take a day off in Leon, as we have time for one, and it's nice to be in a city that has amenities when you have a spare day. Lovely day off of sleeping in, and lazing around Leon. We moved to an albergue run by nuns, and it's easily the most basic place we've ever stayed in -- not a pillow or blanket to be found. Quite a come down. Oh, and I have sore throat. Not cool.
Day 22: We walked out of Leon to San Martino, about 27Km, and most of it was the ugliest day yet on the Camino...mostly along secondary roads or paths that ran parallel to the main highway. Huge noisy trucks rumbling by, uninspiring scenery. We have a new travel companion with us today, a Danish girl named Laerke. She is as about as different from Kristina as you could get... A total free spirit, in love with the trees and the sky and the moon, compassionate, easy to be around. She also looks like she belongs in a Timotei commercial, with her river of white blonde hair. We walked together for most of the day, and it's nice to have someone to talk to again, as Robin and Kristina tend to have a slightly faster pace than me and if I don't feel like keeping up with them, I'm on my own. Which is fine, but I really like talking to Laerke. We bonded almost immediately over our respective lost parents (Laerke's dad died last year) and after an emotionally exhausting morning of talking, we arrived at a house on the edge of town where a man had left snacks and treats out for passing pilgrims. We stopped to chat with him and say thank you, and
as we were leaving, he gave me a little hug and a grandfatherly "besito," which was just so sweet. I find the Camino is full of lovely little magic moments like that, it offers up these little gifts, just when you need them most. And everyone has stories about it -- a man driving a pilgrim to the next town so she could see a doctor, a man giving us a bunch of grapes from his vineyard, and just the general good will that the locals show us as we walk through town -- lots of shouts of "hola!" and "buen camino!". I will really miss that spirit of the Camino, I think it's a very special part of the experience.
Day 23: Today was a little more of the same in terms of scenery, but improved a bit near the end. We walked into Astorga and climbed up some steps that led us right into the heart of the city centre and right into a wonderful market scene. We have been craving vegetables, as Spanish food is oddly lacking in them, so we went a bit crazy buying fruit and veggies, along with the usual cheeses and bread. Lovely little town. All four of us got foot massages from a tiny little Spanish man -- awesome.
Day 24: We arrived in Foncebadon -- about 27Km -- around 1pm today. The first 20 or so was mostly flattish, along typical fields and farms. Then the last 6 were a climb up a mountain...such a joy to be climbing again after the endless flatness. It was relatively easy, not too steep, and the views just got better as we got higher.
Day 25: Today was Laerke's 22nd birthday. We knew this because she had mentioned it approximately 437 times in the last four days. In the morning we climbed 3Km up to the top of the mountain, which is the highest point on the Camino (except for the Pyranees), and had a little breakfast picnic while we watched the sunrise. This is not out of the ordinary, by the way. We have seen the sunrise pretty much every day, as we often walk for an hour in the dark/pre-dawn light, as a way to beat the heat, the albergue rush, and also as a way to deal with the meseta. The walk was lovely -- all along the mountain ridge until we came down sharply at the end into Ponferadda. To celebrate Laerke's birthday we went out for tapas and sangria, and gave her a chocolate donut with some candles as her cake. Well, you do what you can on the Camino!
Day 26: We did 25Km to Villafranca today, but left Laerke at the 20Km mark, as she wants to go back to traveling on her own, but I'm sure we'll see her again.
Day 27: We left Kristina behind today, as she wanted to slow her pace down a bit, so it's back to me and Robin, and I must admit, it's nice just being the two of us again. We walked 30Km to O Cebreiro, most of which was rolling hills until the last two hours, which were up up up, and of course we were doing that in the height of the afternoon heat -- exhausting. But O Cebreiro is the most charming little town and has just stunning views of the green patchwork valley we climbed up most of the day. Really felt like fall today. We officially crossed over into Galicia today, a region in Spain famous for its terrible weather, but we were blessed with clear skies and sun. Robin spoke "Spanglish" most of the afternoon with a Spanish man called Ernesto, who just kept saying "it no normal!" throwing his hands out to indicate this incredible weather. Maybe if we don't talk about it, it won't change.
Day 28: We were in Triacastela before 1pm today, and after our obligatory showers and laundry, we sat out in front of the cafe drinking cupos de vino blanco for most of the afternoon, enjoying having nothing to do. Laerke turned up around 5pm, a very late arrival for most pilgrims, but I think she was waylaid by the Spaniard attached to her -- Placedo, or "Plathedo" as they say in Spain. That's basically how you have to speak Spanish here -- as if you have a lisp. Gracias is "grathiath" and cerveza is "thervetha". So there you go -- "That 70s Show" may have been playing it for laughs when Fez called it "Barthelona," but that's actually how people say it here:) I can't say it without giggling.
Day 29: Yesterday when we were decending into Triacastela, we could see a thick cloud cover over the next valley. Today, we walked into that valley and suddenly found ourselves in a different world. Everything was misty and dark and felt slightly damp, and it seemed likely a hobbit might pop out from behind the next tree. I guess this is more typical weather for Galicia, but it wasn't raining and it was really quite cool. We walked via Samos, where there is a large monastery, and then took the highway route to Sarria, as the walking path had too much up and down for our knees today... When we arrived in Sarria, the sun came out and it was a gorgeous day. The weather gods continue to smile on us:)
Day 30: The fog was so thick this morning we couldn't see to the end of the street. But we climbed for quite a while and then we were above it and the skies were clear. We walked along mountain ridges all day, along little dirt roads lined with stone fences and charming dirt paths lined with trees. So nice. Beautiful sunrise, very misty and cool. Our albergue in Portomarin, however, is not cool at all. It feels dirty, the water tastes terrible, and the kitchen has nothing in it -- not a single cup or fork. What's the point of having a kitchen if there's nothing in it, I ask you!
Day 31: Arrived in Palas Del Rei this afternoon. Quite a bit of uphill in the first half of the day, but then mostly down or flat for the second half. Had dinner with Laerke and Placedo, who have been with us since we met them in Triacastella, but they tend to walk on their own and we just hang out with them at the end of the day. Placedo is a nice guy, though he loses points for his hockey hair, and for his slightly annoying habit of bursting into song when you're in mid-sentence. I wouldn't mind this so much if he could actually sing, or if he chose to sing something other than bad 80s songs such as: "I've Got the Power" by Snap (which he actually rapped, in his heavily accented english), "Wind of Change" by the Scorpions, or -- his worst offence -- "Blame it on the Rain" by Milli Vanilli. Not kidding.
Day 32: A lovely mountain walk to Ribadiso today where we are staying at a really cool albergue...sort of like we are camping. There's a little river and several outbuildings -- laundry, showers and toilets, kitchen and dining area. We had the menu del dia for lunch and added a second bottle of wine, just because...you know...and then headed right for siesta afterward. Have been hanging out the last few days with an awesome Spanish couple, Jesus and Laura, who crack us up regularly. Jesus is about 8 feet tall and super gangly, and always calls me "cup of tea" because I have a little white tin cup attached to the outside of my pack that I use to drink tea, wine, and whatever else, and they think this is hilarious:)
Day 33: Pretty short day to Arca O Pino today, about 22Km. We didn't do much today, just visited the supermercado and had our usual lunch, checked email, and then Robin and I spent the rest of the day having a drink (or more than one) with a couple of American guys we met on the trail today. Everyone is excited about getting to Santiago tomorrow...you can just feel it. I'm excited. Mostly because I'm tired...of living out of a backpack, of wearing the same clothes every single day, of getting up before dawn, of washing my socks in the sink, etc. I think I'm feeling mildly homesick too, so Santiago is coming at the right time.
Day 34: Walking into Santiago today felt slightly surreal. In some ways, it's just another city, with industrial outlying areas, and car dealerships. But the old city is so charming and the cathedral really is stunning -- huge and imposing against the blue sky. And when we arrived there we ran into a number of people we've met along the way, so it sort of felt like a combination of graduation and reunion. We had lunch with our Swiss-Italian buddies, Carlo and Enrico, who have been a day ahead of us for about a week now, and then wandered around with Jesus and Laura and Laerke and Placedo doing various errands -- checking email, visiting the tourist office to check bus schedules to Finisterre (we're going to the beach for a couple of days), and getting our "compostela," the certificate stating that you have completed the Camino. Had mixed tapas and wine for dinner with the trio of Aussie women we met on the meseta and I was completely overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise -- it was like sensory overload after having been in such tiny, quiet towns in the middle of nowhere for the last month. I don't really think this has sunk in yet...maybe tomorrow. Right now, I'm just looking forward to the immediate rewards -- not having to get up at 6am, not having to wear my hiking shoes again if I don't want to, and not having to put my backpack on my aching shoulders for 8 hours a day anymore.
Day 35 - Post Camino: Today we went to the Pilgrim's mass at the cathedral. It being Sunday it was packed -- standing room only. They read a list of all the pilgrims who had arrived the day before -- they don't read your name, they just say so many Canadians started from St. Jean (4 of us) and so on. The service started with an elderly nun coming up to the pulpit and singing a song for the pilgrims and her voice was so sweet I promptly burst into tears and proceeded to cry through most of the service. It felt good though, very cleansing. I think I'm just exhausted on all levels, and am looking forward to going to Finisterre tomorrow to do nothing but chill out.
It's hard to believe the Camino is over. After years of dreaming about it, and months of talking about it, and days of walking it, it's now in the past. I think the biggest lesson the Camino taught me is simply to be present. When you take your first step, you can't think about getting to Santiago -- it's too far, too overwhelming. Instead you just have to think about the here and now. What do you have to do next. I am so grateful to all the pilgrims I met on the trail -- you know who you are -- and all the gifts you gave me. You all made this experience what it was for me. Especially Robin, my Camino sister, who has been with me every (painful) step of the way and has been patient, kind, compassionate, and good humoured throughout all my whinging and blisters, all the while quietly dealing with the calamaties of your own -- cold, stomach flu, and being bitten by every bug in Spain. Walking 800Km across Spain wouldn't have been half as much fun without you.
Love Tessa
ps photos will be up in a while on my Flickr site, but maybe a long while:)
Day 18: Still in the meseta...A long 31Km of more flatness and nothingness to El Burgo Renero. As a treat, we sent our packs ahead so we'd be lighter on our feet. When we arrived, Kristina -- an American girl who has been with us for the last few days -- went through my and Robin's packs and made us get rid of extraneous items. Amazing how much lighter my pack is now! We had the "menu del dia" for dinner tonight -- "menu of the day" -- which is a cheap meal available in many bars and cafes along the trail. You get a first course of salad or pasta or soup, then a second course of meat or fish, usually with chips, and then dessert, usually yogurt or ice cream. It also includes bread and wine, all for the bargain price of anywhere between 8 and €11.
Day 19: A very short day, in comparison to the previous 5...only 20Km to Mansilla. We arrived before the albergue opened at noon. Kristina (who went to culinary school) made us grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. You can only imagine how excited I was:) We had a very relaxed afternoon eating, drinking wine, soaking our feet, and napping. Carlo and Enrico, our Swiss-Italian friends, were there as well and Carlo cooked dinner for 8 of us, including a French couple and a guy from Malta. It was a fantastic pasta feed with mucho vino and great company.
Day 20: Arrived in Leon before 11am after our earliest start yet -- 6:05am. It was dark until 7:30, when we had our coffee break. We stayed at the super-fancy hotel Parador, which is perhaps the fanciest place I've ever stayed in, but Kristina got us a screaming deal on it. Kristina is a typical overachieving New Yorker type. She worked as a trader for years, got her MBA from Cornell while she was working full time, went to culinary school, is a skeet shooter (not entirely sure what that is) in her spare time, etc... After a week of her being with us, I'm of two minds about her. On the one hand, I think she's a lot of fun, very generous, kind, and a nice person. On the other hand, I think she's one of the most self-obsessed people I've ever met. She talks about herself *constantly* and can keep up a running monologue for a good hour, with very little prompting from you, about everything from her wedding plans to her fiancee to her job in finance to her thoughts on Obama, etc. And, she has a Blackberry, which she spends most of her waking, non-walking time tap tapping away at, which drives me bonkers. If that wasn't enough, she also feels the need to repeat several details of the texts, emails, and chats she gets from home -- which, really, I could care less about. Aside asking me what I do for a living, she has not asked me a single personal question or displayed any interest in getting to know me. I am not sure I want to spend my last two weeks on the Camino with her.
Day 21: We decided to take a day off in Leon, as we have time for one, and it's nice to be in a city that has amenities when you have a spare day. Lovely day off of sleeping in, and lazing around Leon. We moved to an albergue run by nuns, and it's easily the most basic place we've ever stayed in -- not a pillow or blanket to be found. Quite a come down. Oh, and I have sore throat. Not cool.
Day 22: We walked out of Leon to San Martino, about 27Km, and most of it was the ugliest day yet on the Camino...mostly along secondary roads or paths that ran parallel to the main highway. Huge noisy trucks rumbling by, uninspiring scenery. We have a new travel companion with us today, a Danish girl named Laerke. She is as about as different from Kristina as you could get... A total free spirit, in love with the trees and the sky and the moon, compassionate, easy to be around. She also looks like she belongs in a Timotei commercial, with her river of white blonde hair. We walked together for most of the day, and it's nice to have someone to talk to again, as Robin and Kristina tend to have a slightly faster pace than me and if I don't feel like keeping up with them, I'm on my own. Which is fine, but I really like talking to Laerke. We bonded almost immediately over our respective lost parents (Laerke's dad died last year) and after an emotionally exhausting morning of talking, we arrived at a house on the edge of town where a man had left snacks and treats out for passing pilgrims. We stopped to chat with him and say thank you, and
as we were leaving, he gave me a little hug and a grandfatherly "besito," which was just so sweet. I find the Camino is full of lovely little magic moments like that, it offers up these little gifts, just when you need them most. And everyone has stories about it -- a man driving a pilgrim to the next town so she could see a doctor, a man giving us a bunch of grapes from his vineyard, and just the general good will that the locals show us as we walk through town -- lots of shouts of "hola!" and "buen camino!". I will really miss that spirit of the Camino, I think it's a very special part of the experience.
Day 23: Today was a little more of the same in terms of scenery, but improved a bit near the end. We walked into Astorga and climbed up some steps that led us right into the heart of the city centre and right into a wonderful market scene. We have been craving vegetables, as Spanish food is oddly lacking in them, so we went a bit crazy buying fruit and veggies, along with the usual cheeses and bread. Lovely little town. All four of us got foot massages from a tiny little Spanish man -- awesome.
Day 24: We arrived in Foncebadon -- about 27Km -- around 1pm today. The first 20 or so was mostly flattish, along typical fields and farms. Then the last 6 were a climb up a mountain...such a joy to be climbing again after the endless flatness. It was relatively easy, not too steep, and the views just got better as we got higher.
Day 25: Today was Laerke's 22nd birthday. We knew this because she had mentioned it approximately 437 times in the last four days. In the morning we climbed 3Km up to the top of the mountain, which is the highest point on the Camino (except for the Pyranees), and had a little breakfast picnic while we watched the sunrise. This is not out of the ordinary, by the way. We have seen the sunrise pretty much every day, as we often walk for an hour in the dark/pre-dawn light, as a way to beat the heat, the albergue rush, and also as a way to deal with the meseta. The walk was lovely -- all along the mountain ridge until we came down sharply at the end into Ponferadda. To celebrate Laerke's birthday we went out for tapas and sangria, and gave her a chocolate donut with some candles as her cake. Well, you do what you can on the Camino!
Day 26: We did 25Km to Villafranca today, but left Laerke at the 20Km mark, as she wants to go back to traveling on her own, but I'm sure we'll see her again.
Day 27: We left Kristina behind today, as she wanted to slow her pace down a bit, so it's back to me and Robin, and I must admit, it's nice just being the two of us again. We walked 30Km to O Cebreiro, most of which was rolling hills until the last two hours, which were up up up, and of course we were doing that in the height of the afternoon heat -- exhausting. But O Cebreiro is the most charming little town and has just stunning views of the green patchwork valley we climbed up most of the day. Really felt like fall today. We officially crossed over into Galicia today, a region in Spain famous for its terrible weather, but we were blessed with clear skies and sun. Robin spoke "Spanglish" most of the afternoon with a Spanish man called Ernesto, who just kept saying "it no normal!" throwing his hands out to indicate this incredible weather. Maybe if we don't talk about it, it won't change.
Day 28: We were in Triacastela before 1pm today, and after our obligatory showers and laundry, we sat out in front of the cafe drinking cupos de vino blanco for most of the afternoon, enjoying having nothing to do. Laerke turned up around 5pm, a very late arrival for most pilgrims, but I think she was waylaid by the Spaniard attached to her -- Placedo, or "Plathedo" as they say in Spain. That's basically how you have to speak Spanish here -- as if you have a lisp. Gracias is "grathiath" and cerveza is "thervetha". So there you go -- "That 70s Show" may have been playing it for laughs when Fez called it "Barthelona," but that's actually how people say it here:) I can't say it without giggling.
Day 29: Yesterday when we were decending into Triacastela, we could see a thick cloud cover over the next valley. Today, we walked into that valley and suddenly found ourselves in a different world. Everything was misty and dark and felt slightly damp, and it seemed likely a hobbit might pop out from behind the next tree. I guess this is more typical weather for Galicia, but it wasn't raining and it was really quite cool. We walked via Samos, where there is a large monastery, and then took the highway route to Sarria, as the walking path had too much up and down for our knees today... When we arrived in Sarria, the sun came out and it was a gorgeous day. The weather gods continue to smile on us:)
Day 30: The fog was so thick this morning we couldn't see to the end of the street. But we climbed for quite a while and then we were above it and the skies were clear. We walked along mountain ridges all day, along little dirt roads lined with stone fences and charming dirt paths lined with trees. So nice. Beautiful sunrise, very misty and cool. Our albergue in Portomarin, however, is not cool at all. It feels dirty, the water tastes terrible, and the kitchen has nothing in it -- not a single cup or fork. What's the point of having a kitchen if there's nothing in it, I ask you!
Day 31: Arrived in Palas Del Rei this afternoon. Quite a bit of uphill in the first half of the day, but then mostly down or flat for the second half. Had dinner with Laerke and Placedo, who have been with us since we met them in Triacastella, but they tend to walk on their own and we just hang out with them at the end of the day. Placedo is a nice guy, though he loses points for his hockey hair, and for his slightly annoying habit of bursting into song when you're in mid-sentence. I wouldn't mind this so much if he could actually sing, or if he chose to sing something other than bad 80s songs such as: "I've Got the Power" by Snap (which he actually rapped, in his heavily accented english), "Wind of Change" by the Scorpions, or -- his worst offence -- "Blame it on the Rain" by Milli Vanilli. Not kidding.
Day 32: A lovely mountain walk to Ribadiso today where we are staying at a really cool albergue...sort of like we are camping. There's a little river and several outbuildings -- laundry, showers and toilets, kitchen and dining area. We had the menu del dia for lunch and added a second bottle of wine, just because...you know...and then headed right for siesta afterward. Have been hanging out the last few days with an awesome Spanish couple, Jesus and Laura, who crack us up regularly. Jesus is about 8 feet tall and super gangly, and always calls me "cup of tea" because I have a little white tin cup attached to the outside of my pack that I use to drink tea, wine, and whatever else, and they think this is hilarious:)
Day 33: Pretty short day to Arca O Pino today, about 22Km. We didn't do much today, just visited the supermercado and had our usual lunch, checked email, and then Robin and I spent the rest of the day having a drink (or more than one) with a couple of American guys we met on the trail today. Everyone is excited about getting to Santiago tomorrow...you can just feel it. I'm excited. Mostly because I'm tired...of living out of a backpack, of wearing the same clothes every single day, of getting up before dawn, of washing my socks in the sink, etc. I think I'm feeling mildly homesick too, so Santiago is coming at the right time.
Day 34: Walking into Santiago today felt slightly surreal. In some ways, it's just another city, with industrial outlying areas, and car dealerships. But the old city is so charming and the cathedral really is stunning -- huge and imposing against the blue sky. And when we arrived there we ran into a number of people we've met along the way, so it sort of felt like a combination of graduation and reunion. We had lunch with our Swiss-Italian buddies, Carlo and Enrico, who have been a day ahead of us for about a week now, and then wandered around with Jesus and Laura and Laerke and Placedo doing various errands -- checking email, visiting the tourist office to check bus schedules to Finisterre (we're going to the beach for a couple of days), and getting our "compostela," the certificate stating that you have completed the Camino. Had mixed tapas and wine for dinner with the trio of Aussie women we met on the meseta and I was completely overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise -- it was like sensory overload after having been in such tiny, quiet towns in the middle of nowhere for the last month. I don't really think this has sunk in yet...maybe tomorrow. Right now, I'm just looking forward to the immediate rewards -- not having to get up at 6am, not having to wear my hiking shoes again if I don't want to, and not having to put my backpack on my aching shoulders for 8 hours a day anymore.
Day 35 - Post Camino: Today we went to the Pilgrim's mass at the cathedral. It being Sunday it was packed -- standing room only. They read a list of all the pilgrims who had arrived the day before -- they don't read your name, they just say so many Canadians started from St. Jean (4 of us) and so on. The service started with an elderly nun coming up to the pulpit and singing a song for the pilgrims and her voice was so sweet I promptly burst into tears and proceeded to cry through most of the service. It felt good though, very cleansing. I think I'm just exhausted on all levels, and am looking forward to going to Finisterre tomorrow to do nothing but chill out.
It's hard to believe the Camino is over. After years of dreaming about it, and months of talking about it, and days of walking it, it's now in the past. I think the biggest lesson the Camino taught me is simply to be present. When you take your first step, you can't think about getting to Santiago -- it's too far, too overwhelming. Instead you just have to think about the here and now. What do you have to do next. I am so grateful to all the pilgrims I met on the trail -- you know who you are -- and all the gifts you gave me. You all made this experience what it was for me. Especially Robin, my Camino sister, who has been with me every (painful) step of the way and has been patient, kind, compassionate, and good humoured throughout all my whinging and blisters, all the while quietly dealing with the calamaties of your own -- cold, stomach flu, and being bitten by every bug in Spain. Walking 800Km across Spain wouldn't have been half as much fun without you.
Love Tessa
ps photos will be up in a while on my Flickr site, but maybe a long while:)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Camino journal excerpts
Hi everyone,
The following is a brief sort of summary of the first half of the Camino -- I've just written a few lines whenever I've had email access, which is fairly often as most places we stay have internet kiosks.
Pre-day 1: arrived in St. Jean Pied de Port in very south-western France around 5pm after a bus from Madrid to Pamplona and a taxi over the border, which we shared with a lovely older couple from Korea who, as it turned out, have golfed in Kimberley...small world. Town was lovely, and just like I would imagine a small French village to look. We got our pilgrim passports and checked into an albergue -- which are like hostels specifically for pilgrims...very cheap and very basic. Bunk beds, a small kitchen, and somewhere to do laundry by hand. That's about it.
Day 1: up very early after a bad sleep because of three snorers/loud talkers in the room. Quick breakfast of bread and tea and were on our way at 6:43am...before sunrise so was still pitch black. Tough hike with an elevation gain of 1300 metres, but so absolutely gorgeous...pastoral green hills, sheep, stunning mountain views. They say this is the single hardest day on the whole Camino, as you basically have to commit to 27Km and there are only two water stops along the way. We crossed into Spain around noon. Last 3Km was the hardest because it was steep downhill. The albergue was in an old monastery and was like a giant room filled with as many bunk beds as they could cram in...the snoring was legendary. Thank god for earplugs. Met an Irish couple and two guys from Ireland and England who we had dinner and drinks with -- awesome people and so much fun.
Day 2: much flatter terrain today, but not as interesting, did about 21 Km. Met up with the English/Irish folk for dinner and more drink. Attempted to go pub-hopping but the only other pub in town closed at 8:30. Returned to first pub and partied with some Spanish cops (who were off-duty) and closed the place down. Returned to the albergue just after midnight, which was two hours past our curfew but fortunately the place was very loosely managed and no one was there to scold us -- or to lock us out.
Day 3: A long, slow, slog of a day, for obvious reasons... Were still an hour outside of Pamplona at 2pm. Much more mellow night with the crew, sat in the main open square and nursed a single drink until curfew. Most albergues have a curfew of 10pm, and lights off is usually a half hour or an hour later. The Camino is not a party oriented holiday:) Said goodbye to the Irish/English crew. Will really miss them -- awesome, awesome people.
Day 4: finished our day in Puerta de la Raina, approx a 21Km day.
Day 5: Made it to Estella. Feet are generally in pain, very inflamed. Robin diagnosed me with needing new shoes -- my running shoes are dead. As much as I think it's crazy to get new shoes in the early days of a long distance walk, the potential breaking in pain seems worth it compared to the guaranteed pain of continuing in my current shoes. Visited the Red Cross clinic to take care of a blister and was so overwhelmed at how gentle and kind and wonderful the staff were it brought me to tears. Think am exhausted.
Day 6: Day off in Estella. Heavenly. Slept in till 8am -- a real luxury as we are usually up no later than 6 -- had a leisurely breakfast of Spanish omelette and coffee/tea. Lazed around and did nothing all day in an attempt to give our feet a break. Drank some wine. Read our books. Soaked our feet. Good day.
Day 7: Back on the trail. Another 21Km.The mountainous terrain has given way to rolling hills of wheat fields, vineyards (grapes make for good snacking!), and various other crops. Very different but so gorgeous...the kind of landscape I was imagining we'd see on the trail.
Day 8: Sent my pack ahead for a 29Km day in order to give my feet a bit more easing in time. Carried a cloth shoulder bag in which a container of yogurt broke and drenched everything, including my phone. Lost my long-sleeved shirt. Kind of a bad day.
Day 9: Very long day, feet were hurting after 31Km. Then we couldn't find the albergue...crossed the river three times before we found it. Fortunately was able to soak feet in said river, which helped. Note: you know you are Canadian when you are on a pilgrimage and you spend your spare time searching every supermercato for peanut butter, and when you find it, you carry half a kilo of it for over 100Km just so you can have peanut butter and banana sandwiches for lunch...
Day 10: Worst snorer EVER last night. As Bob the British guy said this morning, "I don't know how he got that wild boar to make love to him all night long." Seriously. Arrived in Santo Domingo around noon ...poshest albergue ever -- huge bathrooms, big kitchen, leather couches and a tv, cheap internet, lovely outdoor space with picnic tables, all for the price of a donation. The church here has a chicken living in it. Long story.
Day 11: My feet are wrecked. But everyone's feet are wrecked...except Robin's. Annoying. The other night I was lying on my top bunk during siesta and I could see everyone's feet...all covered in Compeed and bandages. It's amazing to me that people are really sustaining so much damage -- horrible blisters, knee injuries, tendonitis, even one woman with a blood clot in her leg -- and every morning everyone just gets up and puts their feet back in the boots that are causing all the pain and trouble, and walks another 25 - 30Km.
Day 12: Arrived in Ages this afternoon after about 27Km and relaxed in the sun with some 50cent glasses of wine. I do love Spain. We are officially one-third of the way there, since we're on a 33-ish-day schedule. We stayed in an albergue next to a church and went next door at 8:30 for the pilgrim's blessing, which was so lovely. The priest led the blessing and asked members of the audience to read passages in four different languages. Made me get all choked up.
Day 13: Made it to Burgos, which is sort of the end of the first stage of the trail. Lots of people are stopping here, or are skipping the next section of about 150Km to get to Leon and continue from there. It's neat to see the familiar faces that we've gotten to know along the way...I think of them as our Camino family...the hilarious Swiss-Italian guys who we always have a "cupo do vino blanco" with when we roll into town. The awesome Kiwi sisters who so lovingly bandaged my feet one night. The "intense Canadians" who set such a rapid pace I can only keep up with them for about half a day -- and they're retired. The trio of Aussie women whose twangy accents can carry across an entire compound. The Slovenian woman whose name is Barbie, though I can't bring myself to call her that. Alfredo the Italian pilot, who laughs every time he sees me soaking my feet. They are all such great people, and every day there are new ones to meet.
Day 14: The stretch of land between Burgos and Leon is called the meseta, and is basically an featureless, arid, dry dustbowl. This is when we stare at the ground and call on some meditative mantra to help us get through the day. "The pilgrim's treadmill" they say. And it is somewhat desolate, and depressing, but it's also starkly beautiful in its own way. Endless stretches of gold fields against pure blue skies.
Day 15: Took a day off today, to rest the feet. Stayed in a little place in the middle of nowhere called Boadillo. It was the loveliest oasis of green grass and flowers, with a tiny little pool that we all dangled our feet in...such a nice way to while away the afternoon. The guy who ran the place asked me where I was from and when I said Canada he asked me if I wanted a "double double." Turns out he lived in London, ON for a while, which explains it...so weird to hear a Tim Horton's reference in the middle of nothern Spain!
Day 16: Our albergue tonight was in a convent (many are in monasteries) and we all had our own beds -- meaning there were no bunk beds. We were all inordinately excited about this. I hope I never see another bunk bed again after this trip.
Day 17: The halfway point in our 32-day plan -- yay! We started the day out with some rain, but it was mostly a dry and sunny walk. We have three more days of this nothingness...and probably more to come!
That's all for now.
Love, me.
The following is a brief sort of summary of the first half of the Camino -- I've just written a few lines whenever I've had email access, which is fairly often as most places we stay have internet kiosks.
Pre-day 1: arrived in St. Jean Pied de Port in very south-western France around 5pm after a bus from Madrid to Pamplona and a taxi over the border, which we shared with a lovely older couple from Korea who, as it turned out, have golfed in Kimberley...small world. Town was lovely, and just like I would imagine a small French village to look. We got our pilgrim passports and checked into an albergue -- which are like hostels specifically for pilgrims...very cheap and very basic. Bunk beds, a small kitchen, and somewhere to do laundry by hand. That's about it.
Day 1: up very early after a bad sleep because of three snorers/loud talkers in the room. Quick breakfast of bread and tea and were on our way at 6:43am...before sunrise so was still pitch black. Tough hike with an elevation gain of 1300 metres, but so absolutely gorgeous...pastoral green hills, sheep, stunning mountain views. They say this is the single hardest day on the whole Camino, as you basically have to commit to 27Km and there are only two water stops along the way. We crossed into Spain around noon. Last 3Km was the hardest because it was steep downhill. The albergue was in an old monastery and was like a giant room filled with as many bunk beds as they could cram in...the snoring was legendary. Thank god for earplugs. Met an Irish couple and two guys from Ireland and England who we had dinner and drinks with -- awesome people and so much fun.
Day 2: much flatter terrain today, but not as interesting, did about 21 Km. Met up with the English/Irish folk for dinner and more drink. Attempted to go pub-hopping but the only other pub in town closed at 8:30. Returned to first pub and partied with some Spanish cops (who were off-duty) and closed the place down. Returned to the albergue just after midnight, which was two hours past our curfew but fortunately the place was very loosely managed and no one was there to scold us -- or to lock us out.
Day 3: A long, slow, slog of a day, for obvious reasons... Were still an hour outside of Pamplona at 2pm. Much more mellow night with the crew, sat in the main open square and nursed a single drink until curfew. Most albergues have a curfew of 10pm, and lights off is usually a half hour or an hour later. The Camino is not a party oriented holiday:) Said goodbye to the Irish/English crew. Will really miss them -- awesome, awesome people.
Day 4: finished our day in Puerta de la Raina, approx a 21Km day.
Day 5: Made it to Estella. Feet are generally in pain, very inflamed. Robin diagnosed me with needing new shoes -- my running shoes are dead. As much as I think it's crazy to get new shoes in the early days of a long distance walk, the potential breaking in pain seems worth it compared to the guaranteed pain of continuing in my current shoes. Visited the Red Cross clinic to take care of a blister and was so overwhelmed at how gentle and kind and wonderful the staff were it brought me to tears. Think am exhausted.
Day 6: Day off in Estella. Heavenly. Slept in till 8am -- a real luxury as we are usually up no later than 6 -- had a leisurely breakfast of Spanish omelette and coffee/tea. Lazed around and did nothing all day in an attempt to give our feet a break. Drank some wine. Read our books. Soaked our feet. Good day.
Day 7: Back on the trail. Another 21Km.The mountainous terrain has given way to rolling hills of wheat fields, vineyards (grapes make for good snacking!), and various other crops. Very different but so gorgeous...the kind of landscape I was imagining we'd see on the trail.
Day 8: Sent my pack ahead for a 29Km day in order to give my feet a bit more easing in time. Carried a cloth shoulder bag in which a container of yogurt broke and drenched everything, including my phone. Lost my long-sleeved shirt. Kind of a bad day.
Day 9: Very long day, feet were hurting after 31Km. Then we couldn't find the albergue...crossed the river three times before we found it. Fortunately was able to soak feet in said river, which helped. Note: you know you are Canadian when you are on a pilgrimage and you spend your spare time searching every supermercato for peanut butter, and when you find it, you carry half a kilo of it for over 100Km just so you can have peanut butter and banana sandwiches for lunch...
Day 10: Worst snorer EVER last night. As Bob the British guy said this morning, "I don't know how he got that wild boar to make love to him all night long." Seriously. Arrived in Santo Domingo around noon ...poshest albergue ever -- huge bathrooms, big kitchen, leather couches and a tv, cheap internet, lovely outdoor space with picnic tables, all for the price of a donation. The church here has a chicken living in it. Long story.
Day 11: My feet are wrecked. But everyone's feet are wrecked...except Robin's. Annoying. The other night I was lying on my top bunk during siesta and I could see everyone's feet...all covered in Compeed and bandages. It's amazing to me that people are really sustaining so much damage -- horrible blisters, knee injuries, tendonitis, even one woman with a blood clot in her leg -- and every morning everyone just gets up and puts their feet back in the boots that are causing all the pain and trouble, and walks another 25 - 30Km.
Day 12: Arrived in Ages this afternoon after about 27Km and relaxed in the sun with some 50cent glasses of wine. I do love Spain. We are officially one-third of the way there, since we're on a 33-ish-day schedule. We stayed in an albergue next to a church and went next door at 8:30 for the pilgrim's blessing, which was so lovely. The priest led the blessing and asked members of the audience to read passages in four different languages. Made me get all choked up.
Day 13: Made it to Burgos, which is sort of the end of the first stage of the trail. Lots of people are stopping here, or are skipping the next section of about 150Km to get to Leon and continue from there. It's neat to see the familiar faces that we've gotten to know along the way...I think of them as our Camino family...the hilarious Swiss-Italian guys who we always have a "cupo do vino blanco" with when we roll into town. The awesome Kiwi sisters who so lovingly bandaged my feet one night. The "intense Canadians" who set such a rapid pace I can only keep up with them for about half a day -- and they're retired. The trio of Aussie women whose twangy accents can carry across an entire compound. The Slovenian woman whose name is Barbie, though I can't bring myself to call her that. Alfredo the Italian pilot, who laughs every time he sees me soaking my feet. They are all such great people, and every day there are new ones to meet.
Day 14: The stretch of land between Burgos and Leon is called the meseta, and is basically an featureless, arid, dry dustbowl. This is when we stare at the ground and call on some meditative mantra to help us get through the day. "The pilgrim's treadmill" they say. And it is somewhat desolate, and depressing, but it's also starkly beautiful in its own way. Endless stretches of gold fields against pure blue skies.
Day 15: Took a day off today, to rest the feet. Stayed in a little place in the middle of nowhere called Boadillo. It was the loveliest oasis of green grass and flowers, with a tiny little pool that we all dangled our feet in...such a nice way to while away the afternoon. The guy who ran the place asked me where I was from and when I said Canada he asked me if I wanted a "double double." Turns out he lived in London, ON for a while, which explains it...so weird to hear a Tim Horton's reference in the middle of nothern Spain!
Day 16: Our albergue tonight was in a convent (many are in monasteries) and we all had our own beds -- meaning there were no bunk beds. We were all inordinately excited about this. I hope I never see another bunk bed again after this trip.
Day 17: The halfway point in our 32-day plan -- yay! We started the day out with some rain, but it was mostly a dry and sunny walk. We have three more days of this nothingness...and probably more to come!
That's all for now.
Love, me.
Monday, September 14, 2009
On the road again
Hola amigos y familia,
We have free internet at our hotel, so am taking advantage, as I'm not anticipating having much access in the next month or so. Thought I'd catch you all up on my last month of travel and adventure and drama...and there was a lot of all of it in August.
I spent the first 5 days of the month in Rome, which I absolutely loved. I spent every day prowling the city from early in the morning till late at night, seeing all the great sights -- the Colloseum, the Pantheon, St. Peter's square and church, the Vatican museums. It was so amazing to see these centuries old buildings and sites, to feel the weight of the city`s history. They were marathon days, but totally worth it. One of the main reasons I was interested in seeing Rome is because of the book "Eat, Pray, Love", for those of you who have read it. It was and continues to be a real inspiration for me, and walking the streets and seeing all the places Elizabeth Gilbert describes in her pursuit of pleasure (in the form of pasta and mucho gelato) was a really special experience for me.
After Rome I met Robin in Pisa, and we continued back to the farm together. A woman named Astrid, from Holland, was also joining us at the farm as a wwoofer, and meeting her was a definite highlight of my time in Tuscany. She speaks 5 languages (count 'em!) and is just a totally straightforward and relaxed person who really kind of evened out the vibe on the farm, and is just a pleasure to be around.
Another wonderful thing that happened in August was my aunt and uncle, Rita and Earl, came to Tuscany and rented a house in a little town called Monzone, which was only a 20 minute drive from the farm. I chose Tuscany as a wwoofing destination because I knew they were coming there, but I had no idea where they would be, so it was just good luck that we turned out to be so close! I spent a couple of my days off with them, and we visited a nearby town called Carrara, which is framed by a stunning backdrop of several marble quarries. We drove up and among them and had lunch at the foot of one of the snowy mountains...too cool. Other days we just spent chilling at their lovely rental house, which was situated on a river and had lots of shade for us to sit in and read and drink wine -- heavenly!
On some of our other days off, Astrid and Robin and I visited Cinque Terre (Five Villages), which is one of the most charming and scenic places I've been to in Italy. The five villages in question are strung out along the coast of the Ligurian sea, and are a literal jumble of colorful houses stacked on top of one another, tiny stone streets, and lovely little cafes overlooking the water. You can walk from the first town to the last, north to south or vice versa, in a few hours, depending on how often you stop for gelato -- it's about 12 Km. The beaches vary widely, anything from huge boulders that people dive off (the lifeguard in me cringed every time) to umbrellas you have to pay to lie under on the only real sandy beach we encountered. We did go for a quick dip at the end of the day, but we didn't pay for the umbrella privileges.
So, things at the farm took a turn for the weird in the last week we were there...it got very strange with Valeria as she became very suddenly unfriendly and grumpy and acted like we were a big nuisance for her. We asked her a couple of times if she was unhappy with us and if she wanted us to leave, but she said no. But things came to a head and there was a bit of a blow out, so we packed our things and left a couple of days early. It's a long story that I won't go into here, and anyway it's over now. The three of us have written letters of complaint to wwoof Italia and hopefully they will take action as we feel pretty strongly that no other wwoofers should go to that farm. It was unfortunate on a lot of levels, as both Astrid and Robin had never been wwoofing before and have been turned off it now. All of my experiences in Ireland were so positive it was a disappointment for me to end on such a negative note, especially because it started out in a positive way. But anyway, Robin and I stayed with Rita and Earl for a couple of days and had a wonderful time just relaxing by the river, so it was a nice contrast and a nice way to put the experience behind us.
We left Tuscany and went to Venice for a couple of nights, which was awesome. The city is so perfectly preserved...no ugly modern buildings, no fast food joints on the island, and NO CARS. What a treat. I loved the canals and the millions of bridges, the vaporettos, the gondaliers. Just so beautiful. Weird, but beautiful.
After Venice we travelled up to Trieste, which is barely in Italy as it's so close to, and is completely surrounded by, Slovenia. We stayed with my friend Jen, who I have known for as long as I can remember, as we went to kindergarten and grades 1&2 together, and lived just a few minutes away from each other in the Kimberley suburb of Meadowbrook, where we both grew up. It's so neat, I think, to keep in touch with people who you've known for such a long time, and even though Jen and I were out of touch for several years, it was very comfortable and easy to be around her and her family. Her husband's name is Josh and they are both physicists -- PhDs in physics. Can you say "scary smart people"? They have post doc positions at the university in Trieste and should be there for another year or so, perhaps more. They took us to their workplace, the "Synchroton," which was a large circular building that has electrons going around and around at some speed that allows them to measure things...I don't know, it was a bit beyond me as I barely made it through physics 11 in high school. But very cool to see.
Jen and Josh have a little boy called Tycho, who is one of the cutest kids I've ever seen -- second only to Jeremiah of course:) He reminded me a lot of my friend Kristine's little boy Cole, as they're close in age and have that coy, mischevious smile perfected. Tycho took a huge liking to me -- ironic, for obvious reasons. He often wanted to be carried by me and I felt strangely flattered that this little boy liked me so much...there's something very pure and gratifying about a toddler's affection.
We went for several walks in Trieste, which is a lovely city. It's a port town, and has wonderful walking trails that have fantastic views of the water and the coastline. Jen and Josh live in a little village that's much higher in elevation so it was blessedly cool at night! I must admit, I think I've had enough of the sun. I am ready for some cooler temperatures...however, I don't think Spain will be much cooler for a while yet.
Robin and I are in Madrid right now, and are leaving for Pamplona tomorrow. We will start the Camino on Monday, the 31st. I have booked my flight back to Dublin on October 7th, so we have to complete it in that timeframe. I'm quite excited, but am wondering how my feet will hold up:) I will be booking my flight back to Vancouver in the next couple of days, and am looking at sometime on Thanksgiving weekend...probably the Sunday. I don't know how long I'll be in Vancouver/BC/Canada for, but it will be a longer and more relaxed visit than last time!
I think that's all for now. I have no new photos as I haven't had enough internet time to sort and post any.
Adios for now!
Love Tessa
We have free internet at our hotel, so am taking advantage, as I'm not anticipating having much access in the next month or so. Thought I'd catch you all up on my last month of travel and adventure and drama...and there was a lot of all of it in August.
I spent the first 5 days of the month in Rome, which I absolutely loved. I spent every day prowling the city from early in the morning till late at night, seeing all the great sights -- the Colloseum, the Pantheon, St. Peter's square and church, the Vatican museums. It was so amazing to see these centuries old buildings and sites, to feel the weight of the city`s history. They were marathon days, but totally worth it. One of the main reasons I was interested in seeing Rome is because of the book "Eat, Pray, Love", for those of you who have read it. It was and continues to be a real inspiration for me, and walking the streets and seeing all the places Elizabeth Gilbert describes in her pursuit of pleasure (in the form of pasta and mucho gelato) was a really special experience for me.
After Rome I met Robin in Pisa, and we continued back to the farm together. A woman named Astrid, from Holland, was also joining us at the farm as a wwoofer, and meeting her was a definite highlight of my time in Tuscany. She speaks 5 languages (count 'em!) and is just a totally straightforward and relaxed person who really kind of evened out the vibe on the farm, and is just a pleasure to be around.
Another wonderful thing that happened in August was my aunt and uncle, Rita and Earl, came to Tuscany and rented a house in a little town called Monzone, which was only a 20 minute drive from the farm. I chose Tuscany as a wwoofing destination because I knew they were coming there, but I had no idea where they would be, so it was just good luck that we turned out to be so close! I spent a couple of my days off with them, and we visited a nearby town called Carrara, which is framed by a stunning backdrop of several marble quarries. We drove up and among them and had lunch at the foot of one of the snowy mountains...too cool. Other days we just spent chilling at their lovely rental house, which was situated on a river and had lots of shade for us to sit in and read and drink wine -- heavenly!
On some of our other days off, Astrid and Robin and I visited Cinque Terre (Five Villages), which is one of the most charming and scenic places I've been to in Italy. The five villages in question are strung out along the coast of the Ligurian sea, and are a literal jumble of colorful houses stacked on top of one another, tiny stone streets, and lovely little cafes overlooking the water. You can walk from the first town to the last, north to south or vice versa, in a few hours, depending on how often you stop for gelato -- it's about 12 Km. The beaches vary widely, anything from huge boulders that people dive off (the lifeguard in me cringed every time) to umbrellas you have to pay to lie under on the only real sandy beach we encountered. We did go for a quick dip at the end of the day, but we didn't pay for the umbrella privileges.
So, things at the farm took a turn for the weird in the last week we were there...it got very strange with Valeria as she became very suddenly unfriendly and grumpy and acted like we were a big nuisance for her. We asked her a couple of times if she was unhappy with us and if she wanted us to leave, but she said no. But things came to a head and there was a bit of a blow out, so we packed our things and left a couple of days early. It's a long story that I won't go into here, and anyway it's over now. The three of us have written letters of complaint to wwoof Italia and hopefully they will take action as we feel pretty strongly that no other wwoofers should go to that farm. It was unfortunate on a lot of levels, as both Astrid and Robin had never been wwoofing before and have been turned off it now. All of my experiences in Ireland were so positive it was a disappointment for me to end on such a negative note, especially because it started out in a positive way. But anyway, Robin and I stayed with Rita and Earl for a couple of days and had a wonderful time just relaxing by the river, so it was a nice contrast and a nice way to put the experience behind us.
We left Tuscany and went to Venice for a couple of nights, which was awesome. The city is so perfectly preserved...no ugly modern buildings, no fast food joints on the island, and NO CARS. What a treat. I loved the canals and the millions of bridges, the vaporettos, the gondaliers. Just so beautiful. Weird, but beautiful.
After Venice we travelled up to Trieste, which is barely in Italy as it's so close to, and is completely surrounded by, Slovenia. We stayed with my friend Jen, who I have known for as long as I can remember, as we went to kindergarten and grades 1&2 together, and lived just a few minutes away from each other in the Kimberley suburb of Meadowbrook, where we both grew up. It's so neat, I think, to keep in touch with people who you've known for such a long time, and even though Jen and I were out of touch for several years, it was very comfortable and easy to be around her and her family. Her husband's name is Josh and they are both physicists -- PhDs in physics. Can you say "scary smart people"? They have post doc positions at the university in Trieste and should be there for another year or so, perhaps more. They took us to their workplace, the "Synchroton," which was a large circular building that has electrons going around and around at some speed that allows them to measure things...I don't know, it was a bit beyond me as I barely made it through physics 11 in high school. But very cool to see.
Jen and Josh have a little boy called Tycho, who is one of the cutest kids I've ever seen -- second only to Jeremiah of course:) He reminded me a lot of my friend Kristine's little boy Cole, as they're close in age and have that coy, mischevious smile perfected. Tycho took a huge liking to me -- ironic, for obvious reasons. He often wanted to be carried by me and I felt strangely flattered that this little boy liked me so much...there's something very pure and gratifying about a toddler's affection.
We went for several walks in Trieste, which is a lovely city. It's a port town, and has wonderful walking trails that have fantastic views of the water and the coastline. Jen and Josh live in a little village that's much higher in elevation so it was blessedly cool at night! I must admit, I think I've had enough of the sun. I am ready for some cooler temperatures...however, I don't think Spain will be much cooler for a while yet.
Robin and I are in Madrid right now, and are leaving for Pamplona tomorrow. We will start the Camino on Monday, the 31st. I have booked my flight back to Dublin on October 7th, so we have to complete it in that timeframe. I'm quite excited, but am wondering how my feet will hold up:) I will be booking my flight back to Vancouver in the next couple of days, and am looking at sometime on Thanksgiving weekend...probably the Sunday. I don't know how long I'll be in Vancouver/BC/Canada for, but it will be a longer and more relaxed visit than last time!
I think that's all for now. I have no new photos as I haven't had enough internet time to sort and post any.
Adios for now!
Love Tessa
Monday, August 17, 2009
Under the Tuscan Sun
Ciao miei amici,
Writing to you from the beautiful province of Tuscany. It's one of those places that lives up to the postcard image...simply beautiful.
I spent my first week in Italy with my awesome friend Lynn. Lynn and I went to Douglas College together and were editing buddies practically from day one. Her husband is from Germany and they spend a month of every summer visiting his family, so we took advantage of the opportunity and Lynn came down to hang with me for a week before I went to the farm.
We had the BEST time, staying in Pisa at the coolest budget accommodation ever...a campground where we had a small bunglaow with an outdoor kitchen, access to a pool where we spent some lovely afternoons, and we were minutes away from a supermarket and the train station. Every night we stopped at the supermarket and assembled ingredients for dinner the most important ingredient obviously being the €1.49 bottle of wine, which was great! It's truly dangerous how cheap the wine is here. There's not much to see in Pisa, besides, obviously the leaning tower and the gorgeous piazza. We climbed to the top of the tower and it was the most bizarre sensation because when we got to the side of the tower that was leaning, it felt like we were walking on flat ground, even though we were still climbing stairs. Fabulous views.
While we were staying in Pisa we visited Lucca and Florence. In Florence we checked out the Duomo and the markets, crossed the famous Ponte Vecchio (a bridge that has small apartments built along it -- see photos, as it's hard to explain). I didn't love Florence. It felt too big and busy, and sort of felt like just another big city. We then left Pisa and stayed in Siena for a few nights, and I totally fell in love with it. Siena is one of those charming walled cities, with a jumbled maze of streets that are just fun to wander and get lost in. Around every corner there was some lovely church or cathedral. While we were in Siena we did a little tour of the surrounding countryside, saw a bit of the Chianti region, and a small town called San Gimignano (which Lynn continued to call San Chimichanga, even after we learned how to pronounce it properly:).
Part of the tour was going to winery where we got to sample several of the region's wines, which were all wonderful -- the Brunello emerged as the favourite at our table, but at €40 per bottle, we didn't pick any up! We had great table mates and with every glass of wine the noise level increased until it was approximately a dull roar and our winery host had to yell at us to shut up and listen to him describe the next wine. Our host, by the way, was the best character I've met in Italy. Really, he belongs in a movie. And our tour guide was a man from Colombia who reminded me so much of Angel from Dexter I couldn't help be surprised every time I looked at him that it wasn't actually Angel. He kept calling the fields of sunflowers "sunnyflowers" which is I think what I will call them from now on:)
After Lynn left, I headed to the farm in northern Tuscany. The farm is owned and run by a woman named Viviana and her daughter, Valeria. There are two other kids in the family, another girl, Violaine, and a boy, Verner. And yes, everyone in this family's name begins with a V...Valeria's daughter is named Vevi. Viviana's husband died suddenly of a heart attack in '03, so it's just the girls running it now. When I arrived, Valeria was on holidays so it was just me and Viviana. I found those first 10 days a bit lonely, as Viviana's english is quite limited, so I really had no one to talk to. There isn't much to do at night, as the farm is relatively isolated, so I read a lot and wrote a lot... I had a small tv in my room but all the shows are dubbed in Italian, rather than subtitled, so I was reduced to watching anything on MTV that happened to be subtitled, which essentially meant subjecting myself to the most heinous reality tv in existence (I'm sure there is something trashier than Tila Tequila's "Shot at Love" but I don't ever want to see it).
Valeria came back on the 26th and it's been great having her here. Her english is a vast improvement and she's quite close to my age so it feels more friendly with her and I'm more comfortable around her. In the afternoons, when it's too hot to go outside, we hang out in the living room and watch english language movies -- yay!
The weather has been totally perfect...hot and sunny, mostly clear blue skies almost every day. I think there has been one night of rain since I arrived. The farm is in a gorgeous location -- and the general area is scattered with those charming little red-roofed towns that are so *Italian*!
I have been enjoying the food...lovely pastas, cheeses, meats. At the farm they make their own olive oil, sausage, and cheese, so it's not too rough:) It is, at times, a little too carb-heavy for my liking, and sometimes I find myself wishing for more veggies. But next week
the tomatoes should be ready for harvest, and the zuchinnis will be ready to be picked too.
Robin arrives tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her and having her company on the farm. There's going to be another wwoofer there as well, so it's gonna be a party!
Obviously I am loving Italy. The food, the weather, the absolutely stunning scenery and charming towns. Really, what's not too love? I think the nicest thing about the weather is you can walk around at midnight in a tank top and be totally comfortable -- or even a bit too warm sometimes. I hear Vancouver is having quite the heatwave, but I also hear its rained every day in July in Dublin, so I feel for you guys, after last summer...and the one before. I'm sending you sunny thoughts...
Anyway, I should send this off now, though I'm sure I've forgotten things I had in my head that I wanted to include. I'm actually in Rome right now as I finish this up, but I'll save that for the next email. Suffice it to say, I am suitably awed by this incredible city and I have enjoyed every moment of the weekend.
Ciao,
Tessa
Photos of Tuscany are on my Flickr site:)
Writing to you from the beautiful province of Tuscany. It's one of those places that lives up to the postcard image...simply beautiful.
I spent my first week in Italy with my awesome friend Lynn. Lynn and I went to Douglas College together and were editing buddies practically from day one. Her husband is from Germany and they spend a month of every summer visiting his family, so we took advantage of the opportunity and Lynn came down to hang with me for a week before I went to the farm.
We had the BEST time, staying in Pisa at the coolest budget accommodation ever...a campground where we had a small bunglaow with an outdoor kitchen, access to a pool where we spent some lovely afternoons, and we were minutes away from a supermarket and the train station. Every night we stopped at the supermarket and assembled ingredients for dinner the most important ingredient obviously being the €1.49 bottle of wine, which was great! It's truly dangerous how cheap the wine is here. There's not much to see in Pisa, besides, obviously the leaning tower and the gorgeous piazza. We climbed to the top of the tower and it was the most bizarre sensation because when we got to the side of the tower that was leaning, it felt like we were walking on flat ground, even though we were still climbing stairs. Fabulous views.
While we were staying in Pisa we visited Lucca and Florence. In Florence we checked out the Duomo and the markets, crossed the famous Ponte Vecchio (a bridge that has small apartments built along it -- see photos, as it's hard to explain). I didn't love Florence. It felt too big and busy, and sort of felt like just another big city. We then left Pisa and stayed in Siena for a few nights, and I totally fell in love with it. Siena is one of those charming walled cities, with a jumbled maze of streets that are just fun to wander and get lost in. Around every corner there was some lovely church or cathedral. While we were in Siena we did a little tour of the surrounding countryside, saw a bit of the Chianti region, and a small town called San Gimignano (which Lynn continued to call San Chimichanga, even after we learned how to pronounce it properly:).
Part of the tour was going to winery where we got to sample several of the region's wines, which were all wonderful -- the Brunello emerged as the favourite at our table, but at €40 per bottle, we didn't pick any up! We had great table mates and with every glass of wine the noise level increased until it was approximately a dull roar and our winery host had to yell at us to shut up and listen to him describe the next wine. Our host, by the way, was the best character I've met in Italy. Really, he belongs in a movie. And our tour guide was a man from Colombia who reminded me so much of Angel from Dexter I couldn't help be surprised every time I looked at him that it wasn't actually Angel. He kept calling the fields of sunflowers "sunnyflowers" which is I think what I will call them from now on:)
After Lynn left, I headed to the farm in northern Tuscany. The farm is owned and run by a woman named Viviana and her daughter, Valeria. There are two other kids in the family, another girl, Violaine, and a boy, Verner. And yes, everyone in this family's name begins with a V...Valeria's daughter is named Vevi. Viviana's husband died suddenly of a heart attack in '03, so it's just the girls running it now. When I arrived, Valeria was on holidays so it was just me and Viviana. I found those first 10 days a bit lonely, as Viviana's english is quite limited, so I really had no one to talk to. There isn't much to do at night, as the farm is relatively isolated, so I read a lot and wrote a lot... I had a small tv in my room but all the shows are dubbed in Italian, rather than subtitled, so I was reduced to watching anything on MTV that happened to be subtitled, which essentially meant subjecting myself to the most heinous reality tv in existence (I'm sure there is something trashier than Tila Tequila's "Shot at Love" but I don't ever want to see it).
Valeria came back on the 26th and it's been great having her here. Her english is a vast improvement and she's quite close to my age so it feels more friendly with her and I'm more comfortable around her. In the afternoons, when it's too hot to go outside, we hang out in the living room and watch english language movies -- yay!
The weather has been totally perfect...hot and sunny, mostly clear blue skies almost every day. I think there has been one night of rain since I arrived. The farm is in a gorgeous location -- and the general area is scattered with those charming little red-roofed towns that are so *Italian*!
I have been enjoying the food...lovely pastas, cheeses, meats. At the farm they make their own olive oil, sausage, and cheese, so it's not too rough:) It is, at times, a little too carb-heavy for my liking, and sometimes I find myself wishing for more veggies. But next week
the tomatoes should be ready for harvest, and the zuchinnis will be ready to be picked too.
Robin arrives tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her and having her company on the farm. There's going to be another wwoofer there as well, so it's gonna be a party!
Obviously I am loving Italy. The food, the weather, the absolutely stunning scenery and charming towns. Really, what's not too love? I think the nicest thing about the weather is you can walk around at midnight in a tank top and be totally comfortable -- or even a bit too warm sometimes. I hear Vancouver is having quite the heatwave, but I also hear its rained every day in July in Dublin, so I feel for you guys, after last summer...and the one before. I'm sending you sunny thoughts...
Anyway, I should send this off now, though I'm sure I've forgotten things I had in my head that I wanted to include. I'm actually in Rome right now as I finish this up, but I'll save that for the next email. Suffice it to say, I am suitably awed by this incredible city and I have enjoyed every moment of the weekend.
Ciao,
Tessa
Photos of Tuscany are on my Flickr site:)
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