epic family trip

We Made it! Day 10 of our Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage

June 18, 2018 by Shelli

This is a couple of days late because we’ve been celebrating. Also, I think it’s hard to articulate what I was, and am feeling, post-pilgrimage. I’m feeling a lot, and it will take some time to unpack and process. But for now, to keep up with my travel blogging, here’s a Day 10 (and final) pilgrimage report.

Greetings from Santiago, and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Even though one’s emotions can feel mixed when you reach the end of such a meaningful experience, it was certain that we were all ready to stop walking, and to wear something other than hiking clothes! We hit the trail early again, and had a couple of miles without many other pilgrims on the trail. But with about 9 miles left to go to Santiago de Compostela, it was like someone opened a gate and pilgrims entered the trail seemingly out of nowhere. It was an amazing experience, though, to be sharing “The Way” with so many pilgrims. All of us had self selected to do a pilgrimage, and the air was rich with a shared meaningfulness. We all walked with purpose. It was a great procession. The boys hiked hard and fast. They didn’t request as many snacks today as they have the last 9 days, and Jerry and I stayed right on their heels. We were all eager to reach Santiago de Compostela.

After 10 days of walking on the Camino, we got to know the familiar faces of the many pilgrims who were on a similar timeline and schedule. A kinship was formed, and we often greeted each other at lunch or on the trail, or in the village or town at dinner each evening. It was fun to share in each other’s anticipation of the grand finale today. I only met and conversed with one pilgrim today, but it was a good one. Meeting Gisele today was something I think God, or the Universe facilitated.

We were hiking up a big, long hill at about 10am, when I passed Gisele. I smiled, and said the customary “Buen Camino” to her. She smiled and returned the pleasantry, and added, “Are those your boys up ahead? Is that your family?” Yes I told her, and she complimented me, saying “It is beautiful to see your family out here. How wonderful.” We walked and talked for most of the uphill, and a little more. Gisele is originally from Columbia, but has been living in Miami for 23 years. She told me she used to be a nanny for three boys, and seeing my sons reminded her of those boys and that experience.

She shared that she owns a few properties in Miami, which she manages, and she recently quit a job where she worked with about 150 people. She has been walking the Camino for 6 weeks. I asked her what drew her to the Camino. She said one day she just realized she was racing. Every day felt like a race, and all around her at work, people were “like robots.” She said she, and all of the people she worked with/around came to work every day and they worked fast and furiously, often with headphones on or staring at their computers, and often not even looking at or seeing each other. She added before she knew it another day had gone by.

She explained, “One day I just decided I needed to stop. I just needed to stop my life. Every day was so busy and about doing as much as possible and the pace was so fast, I just needed to stop.” She said she also hoped to be closer to God. Next thing she knew she was walking the 720-kilometer/500-mile Camino de Santiago.

I asked her if her experience on the Camino has been successful in helping her to stop time. “Yes!” she exclaimed. She explained that her days have been reduced to literally just putting one foot in front of the other. Every day. She shared how when she started, it took her 10 hours to climb the mountain on the first stage, and she questioned her decision to walk the Camino. She said she has met so many wonderful people, and heard and experienced so many interesting and personal stories during the journey.

About halfway through her experience –in the middle of her 500-mile pilgrimage– she was walking along the path when a shepherd crossed the road right in front of her with about 500 sheep. She said she, and other pilgrims, had to stop in the road and wait and watch as the shepherd herded the sheep across the road. She explained that right in front of her on the road, one of the sheep in the back collapsed, falling right in front of her. “It looked at me with its brown eyes. It was dying.” She said one of the other pilgrims who saw it, chased down the shepherd and told her about the fallen sheep. The shepherd came back to see what was wrong, and looked at Gisele, and explained, kindly, “Death is part of life.” The sheep died right in front of Gisele.

With some other pilgrims’ help, the shepherd moved the dead sheep to the side of the road and carried on about his business. When Gisele got to an albergue that night she was still a little shaken, and when she was sharing what had happened with the sheep on the trail with a person at dinner, the person told Gisele, “That is a lesson for you. That life can change in an instant. You don’t know when your time is up. One minute you’re alive, the next minute you’re not… All you have is your next step, this moment you’re looking at right now.” (This reminded me of a passage in the book I started reading, and finished, during my flight to Europe, called The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion, which has been on my mind since I read it: “Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.”)

I asked her how she would return to her life in Miami, after the Camino pilgrimage. “I will take what I’ve learned here and apply it to my life in Miami. It will be hard, but I will do it. I know a different a way to be now.”

Gisele also told me about a 94-year-old French woman she met who started walking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago in early April, and who is still walking, behind her, somewhere along Camino. “I said to her, ‘Gosh! How do you do it? How do you walk for so long, and at your age?’ And she told me, ‘What do you think I should do? Sit in a chair and knit? I would rather walk on a trail in France and Spain that sit in a chair and knit.’” Gisele shared how that inspired her to continue her own walk, and how to live her life upon her return. I am so glad I met Gisele. Jerry, who was walking near us, took a photo of us that Gisele asked me to send her, so I will be in touch with Gisele again.

We eventually entered Santiago, and I would be lying if I didn’t report that we were disappointed when we viewed a street map that indicated we still had about 1-1/2 miles to walk (through the city) to get to our final destination! About a quarter-mile before arriving, Wolf offered to hold my hand, and we walked for some blocks that way, before he traded my hand to Hayden, who I walked with for a some blocks, before he gave my hand to Fin, who I walked some blocks with. Then, eventually Jerry! We practically ran into the great plaza where the great Cathedral is located. Yes, I cried. I was overcome with emotion, mostly gratitude. It was a most fulfilling experience, and it was even more meaningful than I imagined it would be.

After some hugs and a prayer and some photos, we went to the office to get our Credencials validated, and received our Compostela certificates. We had a great night of eating and celebrating and taking in the “Pilgrim” atmosphere of Santiago de Compostela. (I will share more personally and extensively about our family’s Camino de Santiago pilgrimage experience in a future blog post, after we return from this trip and I’ve had more time to reflect on and “unpack”/process the experience. As I write this, we’re on a plane headed to Barcelona, where we’ll enjoy the last few days of our trip.)
One last thing, though… Most people really are wonderful. All of the people we met or greeted or were greeted by in our 10 days on of pilgrimage were wonderful. We made so many new acquaintances and friends.

Two couples from Cincinnati became our fast friends as we saw them often at dinner along The Way, and ran into them one final time on our last night in Santiago last night. We’ll be keeping in touch. What neat people they are.

We also reunited with Amy, from CA, who I look forward to keeping in touch with. As soon as I met her, I knew she was my people. I look forward to keeping in touch with her and hopefully finding a way to make our paths cross again one day. And also, we ran into Jorian, from Holland! I had shared her story in an earlier post. A day before us, she completed the entire Camino and had celebrated the end when she was met by her Father, who flew to Santiago for the occasion. We had big hugs, and it’s a real possibility that we’ll do some work together in the future.

We also made friends with Peggy and Ian, a retired couple from Vancouver. They walked the entire Camino in just 29 days. It was something Peggy said she always wanted to do, and when her brother passed away last year and left bucket list items unchecked, it inspired her to not hesitate. Given the ambitious schedule they kept, they have 7 days to “spare”—and we again bumped into them on yesterday’s Muxia and Finisterre bus tour.

Thanks again for following along. Your thoughts and support have meant so much to us. Truly! Love, Shelli, Jerry and boys

Next up –and last stop on our Epic trip itinerary: Barcelona.

A rare moment on our final walk with no other people in it.

What the hand-written note on the tunnel says, as Jerry the boys round one of our final corners…

Our backpacks, with their personalized scallop shells attached to them, by one of the final Camino markers on our pilgrimage.

Once we reached Santiago, we had to walk through the city for about a mile and a half to reach our destination-Santiago de Compostela and the Cathedral.

Getting closer and closer… We were almost running at this point.

Yeehaw! We made it! Posing with our official compostelas and our stamped credencials in hand. Our pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago was 260 kilomenters/161 miles.

Our painted scallop shells from our packs, along with our “Credencials” with all the stamps we collected along our journey.

Our boys, earning some hard-earned “chill time.” (Or, E.P.I.C. EPIC PILGRIMAGE-INSPIRED CHILLAXING.)

Related blog posts:

Spain or Bust: Camino de Santiago Here We Come

Day 1 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 2 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 3 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 4 of the Camino de Santiago.

Day 5 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 6 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 7 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 8 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 9 on the Camino de Santiago

We made it! Day 10 on the Camino de Santiago

Day 8 of our Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage

June 14, 2018 by Shelli

Today was Day 8 of our pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. It was a challenging day, and I am happy to report, it went wonderfully! Today’s walk was 18 miles. We started a little earlier than normal, (at 6:30am) and, as is always my experience when we start the day early, it was a brilliant idea.

We had most of the first 5 miles of today’s walk to ourselves, which is pretty amazing, considering we’re on the French Way, the most popular route of the Camino de Santiago. We’re closing in on the “finish” — Santiago – so there are many more pilgrims sharing the trail with us now. The trails and terrain today were fantastic. We didn’t really know what to expect, but I think it’s safe to say we were all pleasantly surprised. For the lion’s share of today’s walk, we enjoyed damp dirt trails that took us through lush green forests that provided a canopy (shade and protection from the hot sun), and we were surrounded by ferns and flowers for much of the route.

The boys did a phenomenal job. Most of us have challenges we’re dealing with by now. We have been walking with backpacks on for miles, day after day, after all, including a significant amount of it on sidewalks and/or hard surfaces. Wolf has a sore ankle, and has been battling allergies and a head cold since the start of our trip. He coughed most of last night and as a result, got little sleep. Hayden has a huge blister on each of his heels, which he popped with a sterile needle last night and we bandaged for today’s hike. The blisters are huge, and I know from personal “blistered feet” experience, that every one of his 45,000 steps today was painful. He also had sore achilles tendons early on, but fortunately those seem to be almost back to normal. Fin, well he’s 11 years old, and we’ve been walking for miles and miles, day after day. 🙂 As for Jerry, he is in great shape, and suffering no challenges other than having the role of Ring Leader for our Circus, and having to deal with all that job description entails. He deserves something significant for all of his efforts; I’m brainstorming that. 🙂 The boys were total CHAMPS today. They were in great spirits, and didn’t complain. They are great trail company and fun to be around. Jerry and I truly enjoy (most of! haha) our time with them. Sometimes we all hike together, but in silence. Other times some are talking and others aren’t. Other times we’re all in a conversation. Sometimes we’re hiking in a group, other times we’re all spread out. It doesn’t matter, and it always seems to be just right.

Last night at dinner, with the big mileage day ahead and the aforementioned personal challenges, I asked if we should consider “strategies.” One son offered, “I don’t know, maybe one strategy could be we walk?” And another chimed in, “Or we could just walk?” And then of course we all agreed we could just try walking, and if that didn’t work, we’d trying walking. LOL. (I know – other than amongst ourselves – we’re probably not very funny.)

Today, we met more interesting pilgrims! First of all, we met Jeff, from Reno, Nevada, who is a NOLS graduate. In fact, he has taken 3 NOLS courses. He is walking the entire Camino, as a pilgrimage, in part for his Catholic faith. He shared with me that he recently left his job of 10 years where he worked in energy efficiency for data companies like Google. Now, he’s got his own company that offers consulting in those areas, and he’s also doing work for the Catholic Church. He’s about to turn 40. He’s been walking about 50 kilometers a day. He says it has been a wonderful experience. He keeps thinking of the suffering the earliest pilgrims must have endured in their pilgrimages “They would leave their farm with nothing.” In those days, he said, if you got a blister and it got infected, you died. He says he has thought a lot about their suffering as he has followed in their historic footsteps. He is excited to meet his wife and two children at the end, in Santiago, in a couple of days, to celebrate. He is the first person we have met that knows where Lander, WY, is, and that has some mutual connections.

I also met Pierre, who is 74, and who is walking the Camino for his third time! The first time he walked it, he walked from his home in France, and his total pilgrimage from his home to Santiago was 1,800 kilometers! As we approached him on the trail this morning, one of our sons guessed he might be Bernie Sanders, but as it turned out, he wasn’t Bernie. (See the last photo in my photos to see Pierre.) I walked with Pierre for about a quarter-mile before he kissed me on each cheek, and yelled farewell.

I also met a woman who is from Madrid who is walking the Camino with her 78-year-old father. She knew little English, and I am not great at speaking Spanish, so we struggled in our conversation, although it was a very pleasant effort. She did ask if Jerry and the boys were mine (pointing ahead to my guys, she asked “Es Tu Familia? Los chicos? Cuatro?” and when I said, “Si! she exclaimed, ”You are a saint!” It was another unforgettable day, full of meaning, and rich, rich, rich time spent as a family.

We have two days left of walking before we arrive in Santiago on Saturday. Thank you so much for your thoughts, and for following along on our journey. It means a lot to us!

NEXT: Day 9 on the Camino

Family selfie at our 6:30am start this morning, leaving Palas de Rei, for Arzua.

The trail for most of today’s route was beautiful and green.

A view I’m quite familiar with – the backs of my boys. They are hard hikers that we fight to keep up with. Gone are the days of bribing them up the trail. 😉

A trail marker with someone’s expired boots on it. We appreciated the bouquet.

Our youngest son, Fin, gets our “Credencials” stamped in a church along The Way today.

A flower I saw for the first time on our pilgrimage.

Another flower I saw for the first time on our pilgrimage.

Hayden, happy with his lunch choice of “Pit pork and chips.” Younger bro, Fin, photobombs showing off his cheese sandwhich, which was as big as his head. 🙂

My husband, Jerry, happy with his choice of Octopus and beer.

Hayden has giant blisters that we popped last night on both heels. He walked hard and without complaint today. I am so proud of him, and we all appreciated his valiant effort! FitBit reports we each walked about 45,000 steps today, and I know from personal foot blister experience that Hayden had pain with every one of those steps.

I love how the houses in various villages we walk through are decorated. So welcoming…

My husband, always doing the “heavy lifting” for our family. He deserves something significant for all he did to help us make this adventure a reality. I’m brainstorming… 🙂

We did not expect to have live music on the trail, but that’s what we got! As we turned a corner near the end of today’s walk, we were greeted by these wonderful musicians.

Related blog posts:

Spain or Bust: Camino de Santiago Here We Come

Day 1 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 2 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 3 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 4 of the Camino de Santiago.

Day 5 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 6 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 7 on the Camino de Santiago.

NEXT UP: Day 9 on the Camino

VIDEOS FROM DAY 8:

NEXT: Day 9 on the Camino

Day 3 of our Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage

June 11, 2018 by Shelli

(To read the pre-Camino de Santiago blog post, which explains in detail why we’re on this pilgrimage, please click here.)

At the start of day 3, a 21-mile rainy effort.

Today was Day 3 of our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. I went it alone today. The trek was 18 miles, which included lots of miles of hiking in torrential rain, quite a bit of walking on pavement, and almost 3,000’ of elevation gain in the last four miles. Because the boys are dealing with some sore/tender achilles tendons and knees, and given the 90% chance of rain in today’s forecast and the significant climb that wouldn’t come until after 13 miles were on their legs, Jerry and I opted to give them the day off. The boys slept in, and then Jerry and the boys caught a cab to our next stop, O’Cebreiro, a quaint village at the top of a mountain. They met me at the “finish line” of today’s hike, which was my favorite part of the day. I would have preferred to have my family with me today, and yet I am certain we made the right decision to give them a rest day, especially given we have 7 days of pilgrimage left. (If you want to go directly to the fun stuff – about the pilgrims I met, feel free to skip past this next, more personal bit… )

I had a meaningful hike. Fitbit says I walked 45,000 steps, and most of them were introspective, especially because of the fog and low clouds and pitter patter of rain on my umbrella. I hike alone a lot, and it’s not because I can’t find anyone to hike with. I just love Solitude. While we can learn a lot about ourselves when we’re with others, and based on how others respond to us, I learn the most about myself when I’m alone, listening to my thoughts, and processing and reflecting.

I often have tears of gratitude, in front of people and alone, but the other kind of tears (from sadness or struggle) are usually saved for my solo hikes. That was certainly the case today… First off, the top of my left foot was killing me. (I have had this issue before—when we visited Europe two years ago and walked miles, day after day, on concrete sidewalks and stood for long periods on marble floors in museums, etc.)

There is a lot of concrete walking on the Camino, and add to that we walked on cement and marble floors in Paris before arriving to the Camino. My foot has been protesting ever since… For the first few miles I couldn’t distract my attention from the pain in my left foot. So that was a bit of a rough start…

To help direct my attention away from the pain, and to bring purpose to today’s solo hike, I worked on memorizing something I’ve been meditating on a lot lately – On Children, by Kahlil Gibran. If you aren’t familiar with it, here it is:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children

as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

and He bends you with His might

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

By mile 6, I had it memorized. It is such a beautiful essay. I am completely sold on its message, yet struggle with implementing it.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been memorizing my favorite poems. This is not only so I can recite from memory my favorite poems whenever I want, but also because I find solace in the practice of reading and re-reading favorite poems. Doing so serves as a sort of prayer-like meditation for me.

I mentioned in my post from Day 1 the Cruz de Ferro – the iron cross on a hill where pilgrims bring a rock from their homeland and deposit it at the base of the cross as a symbol for a burden or habit they want to shed and leave behind. The thing I’m working most on, personally, is letting go. Because our oldest son, Wolf, will leave “the nest” next year, and Hayden the year after, I find myself grasping more. I’m trying to hold tightly to them, and their time. I sense myself doing this, and I don’t want to… I know when I grasp that it’s self-absorbed. But they’re young men and they want and need their independence. I know I need to grasp less, but it’s hard for me to do… So, that’s why I focused on, and worked to memorize, the words from the On Children essay. It made for a rich journey today! But enough about that…

I should mention I met some really neat people on today’s trek!!! During my third mile, as it rained, I walked on a path for the Camino that parallels the highway. It was raining softly and I was listening to the abundant bird song and trying to distract my attention from the pain of my left foot when I heard whistling. The whistling was professional! It was spectacular. I seriously wondered if there was a flute player hiding in the shrubbery I walked by. :)I looked behind me and all around me, but could see nobody. The whistling continued and sounded almost as if it was playing on surround sound. But I couldn’t spy a single soul anywhere. There was a river to my left, and a highway to my right and I couldn’t see any other pilgrims.

After about 10 minutes of hearing whistling, I began to wonder if I was losing my mind. I pulled over to remove my raincoat in exchange for my using my umbrella to stay dry, and I needed to drink some water. Soon, a man passed me. A pilgrim. I asked him if he was whistling, and he said “Yes! I am a whistler!” We walked together for about a half of a mile. His name is Zole (sp?), and he’s from Hungary. He is doing the entire Camino – 720km/500 miles –- and is on Day 23. He hopes to finish in Santiago de Compostela in 6 days. He’s an electrician and just finished a big project in Black Forest, Germany, and explained, “Right now I have money and time.” He’s turning 45 this year (in October), and decided to walk the Camino as a birthday gift to himself. When he realized I am an American he excitedly asked me if I am a fan of Western movies. He grew up watching John Wayne, and is a big fan of American movies. He speaks German, Italian and Spanish, and his English was pretty good too.

Zole said the song he was whistling is called Katyusha, a Russian folk song. Zole explained that he’s not normally a walker or a hiker. He prefers road cycling. He says he’s so hungry from walking that he’s always eating, and yet he never feels like he gets enough food. Since the start of his pilgrimage, he’s lost about 20 pounds, despite eating all the time. As we walked and talked, we passed an adorable dog that was too lazy or unimpressed to get up or even wag his tail or notice us. We both laughed at how mellow, and uninterested, the dog was. Then, Zole said, “Three days ago I walked by three little dogs who tried to bark me.” LOL.

I also met Mary, from Denver, who is 61 and bought a one-way ticket to Spain. She is trekking the entire Camino and doesn’t want the pressure of a deadline so she hasn’t booked a return ticket. She told us she is going to visit Paris, and then Italy, and possibly Greece after she completes the Camino, and that these trips are serving as an incentive for her to continue her trek. She took a photo of our family because she, like me, is the mother of three sons.

On the muddy uphill today, I walked for a bit with Paul, who is from Toledo, OH, and recently graduated from college at University of Pennsylvania. He’s walking the Camino and then he’ll go to Italy. Then, he’s going to do a “work away” at a winery in Italy. He explained that he’ll work 5 hours a day for 5 days a week, and in exchange he’ll get room and board. “I just graduated and I know once I take my first job, time will be short.” He added he is Catholic, and wanted to do something that might bolster his faith. He said he’s never said so many rosaries in his life, and each day, he prays for his family and all of the pilgrims he met the day before.

Jerry and the boys greeted me at the end of my hike – at the top of the mountain, and that was wonderful! We then checked into our amazing rooms in this quaint village that has a population of 50, and is situated on top of a mountain. As I write this, Jerry is reading, and the boys are watching Netflix. Chilling, which is something we don’t do often, and is needed and appreciated right now. Even though we’re trekking many days and logging lots of miles, we have enjoyed da lot of down time every day, which is wonderful. As I look out our window right now, I see we are in the clouds… It’s magical, really. I prayed a lot today for all of my family and friends and blessings. I know life won’t always be this amazing, that life has good times and bad.

But for now, I’m taking it all in. Which calls to mind a favorite Walt Whitman quote: “Happiness, not in another place, but this place, not for another hour, but for this hour.”

Thank you for following along.

NEXT: Day 4 on the Camino

I said a prayer as I passed these graves in Pereje this morning.

About to enter a favorite section of today’s epic trek.

An espresso at Las Herrerias is just what I needed to fuel me for the last four miles and 2,500′ of uphill.

There were other hardy walkers today who, like me, had thee most valuable piece of equipment with them – the umbrella.

The best part of my hike was having my family waiting for me at the end–the top of the big climb and end of my day’s trek.

RELATED BLOG POSTS:

Read about Day 1 on the Camino de Santiago.

Read about Day 2 on the Camino de Santiago.

NEXT: Day 4 on the Camino

Video of me reciting, from memory, the On Children essay referenced above, during an epic hike in Wyoming, about one month after the above day’s trek on the Camino.)

VIDEOS FROM DAY 3:

NEXT: Day 4 on the Camino

Madrid: Love at First Sight

June 5, 2018 by Shelli

It was love at first sight. That’s the only way I can describe my first impression of Spain. And I don’t want to speak for my family members, but I’m pretty sure they are in love, too.

We are on an almost-month-long family trip. The “main event” of our time in Europe will be our upcoming 160-mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, which starts tomorrow morning in Rabanal de Camino. But the front end of our travel itinerary included Paris, and Madrid. (The tail end will include time in Santiago and Barcelona.)

When we landed in Madrid a few days ago, the first thing we noticed on our walk to the baggage claim was a shop with “hanging legs” of cured Iberian ham, and a huge selection of Spanish wines. Jamón is a quintessential Spanish food, and we would do our best to sample as much of it as we could during our three days in Madrid. There is even a Museo de Jamón in Madrid. (Yes, we visited it.)

Our cab delivered us to a corner near our hotel. I immediately fell in love with Madrid! The narrow, cobblestone streets were filled with people. The tall buildings are beautiful and old, with shutters and planters full of flowers hanging from every balcony. As we worked to maneuver ourselves and our abundant luggage through the crowded streets, people were friendly and welcoming.

As mentioned in the last blog post, one of the things about these big international trips that we find particularly exciting is discovering our accommodations at each new destination. Our flat in Paris was awesome, but there was no air conditioning. I don’t mean to complain, but it was a little on the warm side. Right away, upon entering our Madrid hotel room, we noticed the cool air. Our room was small but classy. Beautiful linens, and an awesome location – right in the heart of central Madrid, surrounded by Tapas bars, and one minute from Plaza Mayor, and several wonderful shops and bakeries.

After dumping our bags, we took to the streets. We had one thing on our minds: Food. And not just any food. We were on the hunt for Tapas. A tapa is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine and translates to a small portion of any kind of Spanish cuisine. Tapas are a traditional way of eating in Spain. We are trying to immerse ourselves in the culture of each city and/country we’re visiting.

We didn’t have to work very hard to find tapas. Lucky for us, there were about a hundred within easy walking distance from our hotel. We opted for a platter that included olives, sausage, ham, tortilla, calamari, garlic toast, cheese, and more. The boys all ordered Fantas, Jerry had a cerveza and I had a sangria (duh!).

Epic yum is all I can say. The food was out of this world delicious, and so was the sangria. We were serenaded by an accordion player as we finished licking our plates.

Next, we found Plaza Mayor, which is Madrid’s main square. The square was originally planned by Felipe II and his architect Juan de Herrera, but was inaugurated in 1620 during Felipe III’s reign. In the middle of the square is a spectacular statue of Felipe III.

Juan Gómez de Mora gave it its rectangular form, and after it had suffered three fires Juan de Villanova completed the work in 1853 by joining the four sides. There are several tapas bars and restaurants in the Plaza, and we watched a great variety of street performers.

We were energized and wanting to see more so we headed for Palacio Real de Madrid (or, the Royal Palace of Madrid). The Palacio Real is Madrid’s largest building, and the largest royal palace in Western Europe. The palace was built on the site of the old Alcázar, the Moorish castle destroyed by fire in 1734. The palace was initially designed by Filippo Juvarra to accommodate the court of Felipe V, a total of more than 3,000 courtiers. Juan Bautista Sacchetti initiated the building project in 1737, and Francisco Sabatini and Ventura Rodríguez terminated the works. It is surrounded by the beautiful Sabatini Park, and neo-classical Sabatini Gardens, and Campo del Moro parks.

Here, there were many street performers. We love street performers. It was one of our favorite aspects of our visit to Rome a couple of years ago. At the Palace Real, there was a spectacular harp player, and also a guitar player. We lingered and enjoyed the performances while taking in the sights of the palace and the many statues, and the fountain.

The opening parade of the bull fight at Plaza de Toros de Ventas.

One of the events the boys were anticipating was the bull fight. Madrid is home to Plaza de Toros de Ventas, one of the most prestigious bull rings in the world. Situated in the Guindalera quarter of the district of Salamanca, it was inaugurated on June 17, 1931. It has a seating capacity of almost 25,000. The bull ring has five gates from which the bulls enter the arena.

According to Wikipedia: From 1913 to 1920, the national passion (bullfighting) gained such an important status that Madrid’s former main bullring in Carretera de Aragón was not big enough. It was José Gómez Ortega “Joselito” who declared that a new “monumental” bullring had to be built, to open this part of Spain’s heritage and culture to the whole city of Madrid. His friend the architect José Espeliú began to work on the project.

A family called Jardón donated the land to the Madrid Provincial Council, provided that they could run the arena for fifty years. The deputation accepted the proposal on November 12, 1920. On March 19, 1922, in the exact center of the prospective arena, the first stone was placed. The construction of the bullring would cost 12 million pesetas (4.5 million over budget), and it would replace the old bullring, dating from 1874. “Las Ventas” was finished in 1929 and two years later, June 17, 1931, a charity bullfight was held with a full-capacity crowd to inaugurate it. Bullfighting stopped during the Spanish Civil War and did not resume until May 1939.

The boys, giddy at all of the Spanish candy and savory snack choices at the concession stand outside of the bull fighting arena.

Family selfie in front of the beautiful Plaza de Toros de Ventas, in Madrid.

We rode the Metro seven stops to get to the bullring. What a spectacular venue! The exterior is beautiful, and we were, as usual, plenty early. So we stopped at the many vendors outside, including a concession stand where the boys had a blast filling a big bag with assorted local candies and chips to feast on during the bull fight.

Once inside, it was exciting. There were kegs of beer lining the walls, and bars everywhere. We found our seats. When we bought the tickets 24 hours earlier, the bullring ticket site indicated there were fewer than 100 tickets remaining. I didn’t believe it at the time, instead thinking it was a ploy to create a frenzy and pressure people into buying tickets. But it appeared to have been the truth. It was a packed stadium. Close to 25,000 people packed the stunning arena.

Sunflower seeds and local nuts are one of the most popular treats at the bull fight, and we could understand. Jerry and I love sunflower seeds, and have our favorite brand that we indulge on road trips. We loved the local seeds. An interesting note about the sunflower seeds, Jerry and I remarked at the slight sound of “clicking” we could hear. It sounded a little like crickets or some other insects, but upon closer listening, we realized it was thousands of people chewing on sunflower seeds. Call me a dork, but that was the first time I ever heard such a thing. We also bought some locally-grown freshly roasted and salted almonds. They were the best almonds I’ve ever had, and I hope we’ll come across them again during the rest of our time in Spain.

The bull fight was exhilarating! There is no other way to put it. Yes, it was also bloody. I had no knowledge about what all happens at a bull fight. All I knew is there would be bull fighters taunting bulls and “fighting” them, but I had no idea how it worked.
I wish I had the time to explain in more detail the bull fight, but I’m short on time. I have to get prepared for our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, and the bullfight experience deserves more than a rush job. So, I’m including some photos here in this post, but I hope you’ll check back in a month or so, at which time I hope to have a more in-depth blog post about the bull fight experience, including videos, etc.

After riding the Metro back, there was a fantastic singer and guitar player in the station we listened to for about 15 minutes before finding a new route back to our hotel. People and energy and music filled the air, as we navigated the narrow streets. Performers were everywhere, and by the time we returned to our hotel we had enjoyed a great variety of music provided by didgeridoo, accordian, harp, guitar, and violin.

We got back to our room at 11pm, and the boys binged on some Netflix while Jerry and I went out for a nightcap. One of the things I love about these European trips are Jerry’s and my night cap outings. It is romantic and out of the ordinary for us to go out for a glass of wine or sangria at 11pm, so this indulgence has come to mean a lot to us. The boys love it, too, because they get some chill time, and independence (ie. time away from us!)

I can’t believe what happened next. We slept in until 11:28! I don’t think I’ve ever slept that late, even when I tried. And Jerry is the earliest riser in our family who never sleeps late, and he, too, slept until almost 11:30. None of us could believe it when we saw the time. That really hit the spot! I’m sure it had to do with several things, including a perfectly temperature-adjusted room, wonderful linens, comfortable beds, super full stomachs, and days of travel and jet lag residual. But, also, I think it’s indicative of how comfortable we felt in Madrid.

Since we slept through breakfast, the boys wanted to know, What are we doing for lunch? We had heard rave reviews about a place called Mercada de San Miguel, which as our great luck would have it, was just a stone’s throw from our hotel.

Oh my God. The rave reviews are legit! The gazillion choices of foods all looked delicious enough to die for, and it was difficult for each of us to narrow our choices. All told, between us all, we had Squid tentacles in a cup, Calzone, a fancy calamari sandwich, a chicken kabob, olives, nuts, crab cakes, Iberian ham croquettes, sausage and patatas. It was all so delicious, and so reasonably priced.

Here are a gazillion photos of delicious food:

After eating a little too much again (oops), we decided to walk to El Retiro Park. El Retiro Park is one of the largest parks of the city of Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until the late 19th century, when it became a public park. The park is full of fountains. We sat in the shade, drinking cold beverages while taking in music provided from a saxophone player and a trumpet player in the distance, while watching boaters floating on Retiro Park Lake, with the Monument to Alfonso XII in the background. I may or may not have had a sangria. 🙂

We strolled back to our digs, and got cleaned up before going out for a delicious dinner of seafood paello, Iberian ham, croquettes and a cheese board.

We closed in early because the next day would start early. Plus, we had lots of final organizing to do. In the morning, we would ride a bus for 4 hours to Astorga, then get transported by cab to Rabanal de Camino, at which point we’d have only our backpacks and we’d part way with the bulk of our luggage.

The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage has been approaching for some time, and now it is finally right upon us. Our introduction to Spain has been nothing short of fantastic, and we have fallen in love with Madrid.

Right as our heads were hitting our pillows, we heard some soft classic guitar music. It was beautiful, and our musician son, Wolf, jumped out of bed to go see the musician, who was playing right below our balcony. About 15 minutes later, Wolf returned to request some money to offer the performer. I couldn’t resist, and joined Wolf to listen for another song or two.

I want to make sure to write this sensitively. The musician didn’t have a right hand. He had a hook for a hand. He is an amazing musician and artist, and watching him pick and play such beautiful music with just five fingers was astonishing and inspiring to no end. I hope you’ll watch the video clip below.

Thank you, Madrid, for an unforgettable introduction to Spain, and your great city!

Next up, Rabanal de Camino, and the Camino de Santiago trek!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll check back again soon.

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