Lisboa

 Lisboa (as the locals call it) is a delightful city. It is a lovely combination of old and new interwoven together to make a delightful destination. We are staying in the Alfama district which is known as the historical section. Our room is on the fourth floor of a lovely old building and the Palace of Sao Jorge is right across the road. Below us are sidewalk cafes and a delightful Gelateria where we have become hooked on the lemon-basil gelato.

This beautiful port city is the destination of many travelers and today is no exception. We have decided to join the crowds and enjoy all that Lisboa has to offer.

The many sidewalk cafes present the local specialities. Fresh fish is very popular and we are enjoying the many variations they have to have offer. The octopus is wonderful and prepared very differently than in Spain. I have come to love bufata cheese which is similar to mozzarella but much creamier. It is served with a beefsteak tomato and grilled zucchini squash. I have it with every meal.

The nightlife is incredible. The city comes to life after night falls. We went to watch a Fado which is the Portuguese version of Flamenco. Men and women sing mournful songs of yearning, sorrow, and love in a way to connect all those who have had those life experiences. They are accompanied by two twelve string guitars and it is the perfect combination. It is very stirring.

We toured around the city and got a glimpse of the different neighborhoods. It is said that Portugal is built on seven hills and each of those hills house a very different type of neighborhood. One area is the cultural neighborhood which boasts the many cultures in Portugal. Another, the university area, is very modern and the activities in that area take into consideration the preferences of the college crowd. It is a very exciting place to be.

We have registered ourselves as pilgrims and will begin our walk tomorrow. We will leave Lisboa and walk north as we begin our trek to Spain. We are excited for what is ahead. We will think of you and will hold you in our hearts and prayers. You are loved...Buen Camino

Respite in Rota

I am not sure if it is the beauty of the white sand and blue waters, the ease of life here as we meander through this small coastal town in the south of Spain or just its familiarity to us that makes Rota such a place of respite for us. Whatever it is, we have begun the process of letting go and entering the realm of just being.

We take care of business in the mornings and then spend the afternoons walking or riding our bikes into the small town along the shoreline. We met a couple of nuclear physicists on our flight over and so we spend some time with them chatting and enjoying some of the local customs. The seafood is abundant and we are enjoying the many varieties. We are still finding things we have never tried before!

I knew I had begun the transitioning process into sabbatical mode when I noticed a woman walking along the shore. She was nicely dressed and wearing white dress shoes and a sweater. In her hand she had a fishing pole and a white plastic bag. It was beautiful to me and so I asked if I might take her picture. She was joyous at this prospect and quickly combed her hair, took off her sweater and pulled the fish out of the bag. I am reminded in this moment that there is beauty all around me and joy in just living. I don't want to miss any of it.

We have our tickets for Lisbon. We will catch the bus from Rota to Sevilla where we will spend a few hours roaming this beautiful city. In the afternoon we will catch another bus and travel along the coastline of Portugal to Lisbon. We have a pension (a room in a boarding house) in the Alfama district which is also known as the historical district. We will begin our journey from the Cathedral Se which is just down the street from where we will stay.

In every beautiful place and in every beautiful moment we think of you and wish you were here with us. You are loved... 

Buen Camino.

                                                                                       

The Journey Unfurls

 I was writing an email the other morning to family and friends as we prepare to leave for our 2015 sabbatical when I found myself explaining we were about to embark on another journey. I went through the details of leaving, hoping to get a Space A flight out of Travis AFB, heading to the east coast, and then to Portugal where we would begin another 600 mile trek through the Portuguese countryside and ending on the west coast of Spain. Suddenly, I began to feel very excited about our trip. This has been and interesting year and this journey was exactly what was needed.

I began to realize that this was not really another journey but a part of my life journey. Everyplace I have been leads me to everyplace I am going. These sabbaticals are really a part of my life in which I take the time to be reminded that without the hard, ease would not be appreciated, without the mundane the beauty would not be as exquisite, and without leaving the returning would not be as heartwarming.

It has been a memorable year. There were times when I was not so sure we would make this trip. I am glad that we are moving forward. I remember the words  of a favorite quote of mine. Regret for things done can be tempered with time. Regret for the things not done is inconsolable.

So we move forward as this part of our journey unfurls. We will have no regrets as to how this will play out and we leave nothing behind. We are all in. We are at Travis AFB waiting to board a C-5 to McGuire AFB, New Jersey. Our backpacks are on board and we are ready for whatever lies ahead. We are not quite sure about what is next but know that we are excited for this part of our journey and all that God would have for us.

Buen Camino...you are loved.

Sacred Journey

Sacred Journey

We are in the south of Spain and staying in our usual place enjoying a bit of down time. We were intentional in this choice because of it's ease and familiarity to us. Surprisingly, it is not physical rest we need, but time to begin to unwrap the gifts of our journey and allow them to begin the process of change in us.

Our journey was sacred. There is no doubt about it. The more we contemplate it the more sacred it becomes. It is as if we were looking through the lense of a camera, intentional in the way we viewed things so we could capture the depth and beauty of the moment and have it forever ingrained in us. Suddenly, there was beauty everywhere.

Whether it was the hue of the many sunrises and sunsets, pink snails, cows grazing in green fields, the reflection of light in tunnels, exquisite companionship in our time alone with each other, or just the day to day beauty of our walk...the ordinary became extraordinary. We looked at people differently and were the recipient of so many gifts we might have missed had we not been open and willing to participate. I still weep over the kindness. This perspective was intentional and it is the sacred beauty that moves us toward change. It is no longer enough to live on the surface of life.

We have been blessed with an extraordinary life. We have a beautiful family. We have had illustrious careers. We have had the opportunity to travel the world and live and experience life in a way that has brought us tremendous joy. I could not have asked for anything more. I have learned so much and yet, at times, I have been so overwhelmed. What I must confront sooner or later is that the way I spend each day of travel…is the way I want to spend my life. Intentional. Unencumbered. Free. Inspired by our journey I long for balance of where my travels and home life overlap. I want to do this right...

So now the real journey begins. Unencumbering our lives. Letting go of what was and nurturing what is to be. I think of the grapevine and the pruning that takes place each year. Lush vines that produced an abundance in their season must be cut back so new growth can occur. This is where I am. In a season of moving forward and letting go there must be change so new growth can occur. We are about to begin another sacred journey.

So, we rest here in the south of Spain. We walk, we watch the sunset for the pure joy of it, we talk, we are silent, and we think of you. Thank you for being apart of this journey with us. You are loved so very much...

Buen Camino.

Finisterre

Finisterre

It is with deep emotion I write about Finisterre. Our original plan was to walk from Santiago to Finisterre and then maybe into Muxia. There is such a feeling of accomplishment after you receive your Compestelo and attend the pilgrims mass. Words and even pictures can never do justice to beauty of the pilgrims blessing and the tradition of the Botafumeiro as it swings above your head and you take in the smell of the sweet incense around you. It is a good thing you have done...

There is an excitement in the air as you celebrate your accomplishments with those you have met along the way with dinner and lively recollections of your times together. We have shared in something that words can not even define and yet we reminisce for hours over good food and wine. At the same time there is an unspoken change in the air as your traveling companions began to leave and return to lives very different then the ones you have just shared. We were yearning to get back on the road again but with the torrential rains and gusty winds we were in conflict.

We had decided to wait a few days for the rains to clear and they just didn't. For us in California it is hard for us to imagine the amount of rain that falls in this region at this time of year. Suffice to say, what they got in a few hours exceeded our total rainfall for all of last year. And, it was cold and very windy. We had decided we would leave on Tuesday and give ourselves four days to walk the 90km in the current weather conditions. When we woke up Tuesday morning the rains and winds were ferocious. We sat there dressed and ready for about an hour and then just decided to do what we had not expected to do while on this trip. We would take the bus.

I must say that both Tom and I can be legends in our own minds. Some might even say stubborn. Once we put our minds to something we tend to stick with it. We talked about what we had learned about trust and flexibility and enjoying the beauty along the way as opposed to following a preconceived notion or plan. We relinquished our plan and asked God for His. We were blessed beyond what we can say.

The bus ride was warm while it was incredibly wet and windy outside. We drove through the small inland villages where we would occasionally spot the yellow arrows which had become so dear to us these last few months. We missed our packs and being on the road. As we turned into the final leg of our journey which took us up along the coast, the weather suddenly cleared and the warm sun shone upon the waters like diamonds on the sea. We looked at each other and asked the bus driver if he would stop and let us out so we could walk into Finisterre. He quickly obliged us and soon we had our backpacks on headed along the coast to the End of the World, The End of the Way.

It was stunning! We walked the 20km or so into Finesterre and then another two hours to Faro de Fisterra which is the western point that had once been considered the End of the World. We sat on a rock holding each other and watched as the sun finished setting for the day. How fitting this was...

We know there is still plenty for us to see and do. We have many journeys left to live and we are free and able to do so. We know we will be okay at the end of each day. We have everything we need already. We are blessed beyond what we could ever say. We are loved by our God and He has a plan for us. We have you...

Looking forward to a Buen Camino...always.

Santiago de Compostela

Santiago De Compostela

Dust and mud, sun and rain,

Such is the way to Santiago.

Thousands of pilgrims and more than a thousand of years.

Pilgrim: Who calls you? What hidden power attracts you?




It's not the field of stars. 

Nor the great cathedrals.

 It is not the beauty of Navarra.

 Nor the wine of Rioja. Nor the seafood of Galicia. Nor the fields of Castilla.

Pilgrim, who is it who calls you?

What unseen power attracts you?

Not the peoples of the camino nor their rural customs. It is not history nor culture.

Not the rooster of the Calzada

Nor the palace of Gaudi

Nor the castle of Ponferrada.

All that is seen in passing,

And it is a joy to see it all,

Is still less than the voice that calls...

The feeling that is yet so much deeper.

The power that pushes me, the force that attracts me, I know not how to explain it

Only He who is above understands it.

These words were written by a fellow pilgrim and are written on the walls of Navarra as a beautiful mural. The beauty of them touched my heart as we passed but when we arrived in Santiago I began understand them in a way I had not before.

I have long thought it is no accident that we would be here at this time. What had once been a feat to accomplish, walking from France through Spain, became a calling for the both of us. Only He who is above understands it...

We have walked over 635 miles one step at a time. We wanted for nothing. We were the recipients of exquisite kindness. We were well cared for. Each morning we started out with the knowledge we were heading west for the day and by nightfall we laid our heads exactly where we were supposed to be. Some parts were challenging but we learned so much during those times and that we would be okay at the end of the day. We were given such exquisite gifts...the gift of time, of delightful conversations, of stillness and quiet, of companionship, an unlocking of our hearts to dream about what is ahead, and time in communion with God. It was so freeing.

I recall the words I have spoken during these last few years of transitions... it is not the end of something we celebrate...but the beginning of something new. Never were these words more true than they are right now. We are excited and well rested and eager for what is yet to be. We are glad you are with us to share this season.

It has been a Buen Camino.

Onward

Onward

Since we entered Galicia, I feel as if we have left Spain and are now walking in Ireland. This area is so lush and green with rolling hills and stone fences I am sure I am somewhere other than the Spain I have come to know and love. Hours pass by and I find myself continuously in awe of the beauty of this area. We meet an occasionally shepherd or farmer as we walk through these small villages and enjoy our conversations with those we meet along the way. We are surrounded by beautiful chestnut forests and a flurry of wildlife. Hours go by and we do not speak.

I am lost in the beauty and simplicity of life here. For us, we just decide each day we are going to take a walk and then allow the beauty of all that is around us permeate into all that we are. We pass through many a quaint village enjoying the antiquity and simplicity of life until it is time for us to call it a day. Our pace is not hurried and usually find that as we climb up and down the hills in this area we are ready to stop at about 3:00 in the afternoon.

We have less than 100km to Santiago de Compostela. The way is marked now at each half kilometer. We press onward with mixed feelings. Moving forward...letting go. We certainly are not the same as when we began.

You are on our minds. You are loved and missed. You are why we return.

 Buen Camino.