Welcome to the Vortex

by ritamason1249, posted in Arizonia 2022, Mental Wanderings

We have arrived. Sedona Arizona


My friend, Leslie, and I at the last minute decided to tour the Southwest (Las Vegas, Grand Canyon Sedona) this past December (2022). In five days, we would pick up another friend flying into Phoenix to go sightsee the Grand Canyon, which I had been before, but they had not. Neither one of my friends had been on vacation in decades.

Prior to coming to Sedona, AR we drove toward Flagstaff where it began to snow, light at first than heavy. It was not quite a “white-out” condition; but to me who has never driven in snow conditions, it was good enough. We drove down a 2-lane mountain road for about two lifetimes (probably one hour). I carefully drove from Flagstaff in the snow to Sedona, eyes glued to the road, hands wrapped around the steering wheel in a death grip. The fearful price was well worth the journey.



First of Many Challenges – and Challenges are what it will be all about

by ritamason1249, posted in Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

 

Day 1 is scope out Porto to see where the journey begins.  The first yellow arrow was easy to find.  I found it at the Cathedral Se courtyard.  The next arrow was not so easy to find especially with a lot of people flowing in and out of your sight line to find the next yellow arrow.  These little yellow guys can be anywhere, painted on the ground, on the low base of a building, on a rock, or on a utility pole.  Usually, the arrow is only used to reinforce a change in direction or to remind you to continue in the same direction.

According to my famous guidebook of choice, Camino Portugues by John Brierley, 10th Edition, the first two stages are in industrial/commercial areas (not very soul or spiritually inspiring and not too easy to navigate finding those yellow arrows) can be avoided by taking the metro and starting at ba prettier and sedate surroundings.  This recommendation was echoed by the manager of the Alberque.

I thought, let’s go with the recommendation.  Of course, I thought this would be an easy alternative.  Except I don’t read or speak Portuguese, just a minor complication.  I have an ACE in my pocket, “God takes care of idiots aboard and brings angels to your rescue”.

Who would have known!!!

by ritamason1249, posted in Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

I have been silent since I started … why. Worn out. The Portuguese Camino has had unique challenges for me. Like food, streets in the medieval layout and increasing elevation of the land. In other words, Portugal is hilly, very Hilly.   If I had done the research that my sister did by googling the Portuguese Camino level of difficulty, I would not have been so SURPRISED later in the walk.   

 

Porto. Very lively city

Portugal is very beautiful. The people in the villages seem almost shy. I found very few spoke English. However a few spoke French. Funny, you would think they spoke Spanish but little or no Spanish. That was is okay since my Spanish is very close to zero. However, my finger pointing and hand gestures have greatly improved

To the Cathedral Se where the walk begins in Porto, Portugal.

One of the big challenges is finding food. If you do not plan ahead and even if you do, either you will not find a place to eat or an open store to buy food.

On the Portuguese Way villages are small and not close together. Appears most of the areas are farming communities. Backyard gardens are everywhere and such a delight to walk by.  

To Porto or not

by ritamason1249, posted in Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

It has been a fun 2 days in suspense at EWR, New Jersey international airport.

My first day at EWR my plane was stuck on the runway for one hour taxiing around looking for an empty gate.

And of course my connecting plane waited for me…..NO!

Day 2, I walked around EWR airport cause my flight was not until 9:55 pm.. what a joy… Now I have some sense of being homeless.

Well, the connecting plane was late upon arrival…. Slight issue, the plane was struck by lightning…. United Airlines to find another plane- nope, none to be had. A flight was scheduled for the next evening, May the third time be the Charm, God willing or the wind & storm going gods allow.

Hearing this message was over 100 very anxious & tired passengers.

Today is good so, Onward & Upward. Day 3 to get to Porto. Fingers crossed….. yeah

Good news, no Punch & Judy antics by the affected passengers… do I hear an “Amen” if you please. But it did come close with one small framed, arm and hand waving lady. The United Agent was able to calm the situation. Another “Amen”!

Oh by the way, I have been in the same clothes for 3 days…. I can not tell if I smell rank. One early sign of Parkinson’s is loss of your sense of smell…

Sure hope I didn’t smell rank. I tired to keep my social distance. Not for Covid-19 reasons

First Steps in Porto

by ritamason1249, posted in Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

Finally here in Porto after three attempts. The third was the charm. Got off the plane without much guidance from flight crew. I just followed the human herd of passengers moving to who knows where. Incredibly the herd knew where custom’s was. No long lines, whizzed through customs, amazing!

The most Amazing thing about the trip to Porto, Portugal was I did not loose my checked-in Backpack Oh ye of little faith

The biggest issue I faced was to take public transportation or not. After much advice from family & friends. ….. I decided to take a taxi. Very good advice. I would have wandered in circles for days. Streets run in straight lines, circles, zig zags, arches… Taking the taxi saved me and my legs and back from carrying the combined 45 pound weight of two backpacks.

The Unfortunate Events- Dancing with Parkinson’s

by ritamason1249, posted in Camino - Walker's Tale, Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

This past summer of 2021 several things came into focus for me about my health.   Believe it or not the key was revealed during private Tango dance lessons.

Let me back up a little…….earlier in 2021, I noticed that my left hand was taking the shape of a bird head .  I laughed it off with a comment to my dance teacher…”I need to figure out where to place my hand on my body.  Should I place it on my hip or just dangle it.”

Then I noticed that my left arm did not swing when I walked.  It just hung there with a clenched hand like a funky bird head.  While hiking with my granddaughter, she noticed I was not using my left side of my body.    Furthermore my left hand started to shake aka tremor if I felt stressed. Bingo! something is not working here.

So I did what any other curious character does, I ‘googled’ the symptoms, which is not the best practice.  Generally speaking the worst outcomes are provided.   In my case,  stroke or Parkinson Disease. My response…. “Really”.

After several visits to ER and finally for a hospital stay because of a fall due to low blood pressure when standing which also compressed my 12 vertebra in my back, it was determined that I had Parkinson’s disease.

The last event took me 2 months to recover. However, my confidence was shaken, I was not sure I would be able to travel anymore.

I thought about it . Even though the medical staff were worried about me traveling alone, I can not live on the edge of “can’t “. So for better or worse, I decided to take the plunge to walk the Camino again by myself.

So here I sit at Sacramento international Airport waiting for my flight to Porto Portugal .. wise or unwise here we go.. i am ready

Last Minute Training for the Portuguese Camino

by ritamason1249, posted in Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

Trading Hill .9 miles straight up – Olmstead

Training for the Portuguese Camino requires hiking on all kinds of trails . I leave the hardest type of trails to the end of my training

I hiked up and down Training Hill to see how my training plan has worked . Good news all my training has paid off. It was hard but doable. Mad Max and I met the test.

COVID -19 and a series of unfortunate events

by ritamason1249, posted in Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

Well….. I am definitely an optimist.   I kept rescheduling my Portuguese Camino with my two great-grand sons; thinking this 3rd time in September 2021 would be the charm.   However, what ensued with my two great -grand sons was other life choices – Join the Marines for one and start college for the other.   One great-grand son who before going off to college stated, “why don’t we take a week in Cancun, Mexico”.  Their thrill was gone for the “trip of a lifetime”.  New more immediate lifetime events stepped into their focus

My granddaughter (mom to one of boys) said, “Don’t take it too hard.  Kids aren’t very good a long lead time planning”. That was that.

But…. As fate or God would have it,   more of a series of unfortunate events began to happen.  These events would be life changing for me.

 

Covid-19 and the Best Made Plans of Mice & Pilgrims

by ritamason1249, posted in Mental Wanderings, Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

Today is April 5, 202I . I was hoping that I would be writing about my up coming Portuguese Camino trip with my two great-grandsons. However; instead ,once again,  I have to  reschedule our journey because of  … Covid-19 related  delays .!!.Surprise!! not really.

I feel that Corvid – 19 has taken away a year of my life .

(I do feel lucky, I am still alive and so are members of my family, Thanks be to GOD, obeying the rules of quarantine, hand washing, and the dreaded “political statement” THE MASK )

It is what it is, the delays ,the worry about not being able to fly to Portugal to start the the Camino, the rescheduling of the air flights to September 2021.. However upon thinking about this more thoroughly, this is our Camino..

During  my time of waiting I set goals to complete, just to keep me busy and productive.
I tried to learn Spanish early on. I’m still learning and still can’t speak Spanish. But I will keep trying. Another task I had set for myself was to finish a hand embroidered baby blanket. I think the baby will be married by the time I finish it. It’s that complex. But I did start, that has to count for something..

The pathway to hell is setting a pathway of goals.      September will come and go as it does every year… Camino or no Camino.  Maybe I will just stop setting goals and just go with it as it is… (is that setting a goal?)

 

Coronavirus how some cope

by ritamason1249, posted in Camino - Walker's Tale, Mental Wanderings, Portugese Way - just the 3 of us

As you may have guessed. Our Portuguese Way has been cancelled until later. Which is ok..

To prepare for the long haul, I volunteered to self quarantined. As I told work and family, I do not want to be the virus multiplier.

I went to the grocery store to buy two weeks worth of food to limit the times I go outside into my community.

It is funny what people think as necessary to hoard. Walking through the store, I noted the trends.. bread all gone; bottle water all gone; cans of all kinds of beans, gone… and of course toilet paper and paper towels.

But the most profound … in the liqueur section all the vodka Gone…

Now that makes sense.

So I bought all the bottles of margarita

Salute Coronavirus

Take that you rat bastard

 

 

 

Wandering in Roncevalles

by ritamason1249, posted in Camino - Walker's Tale

After checking in for the night at the hostel, we collected our backpacks  which had been transported from Valcarlos that morning to the storage room here.  What a relief!  The backpack arrived as packed, nothing missing and here in Roncevalles as promissed. We took to our assigned sleeping areas to drop them off in the locked storage area next to our beds. Later that evening we were joined by a very nice man from Germany.

It was still early, Vicky, Rosemary and I decided to explore and look for food . It did not take long to find a nice café.  We found ourselves in a crowded and lively café sitting near the bar with standing room only.  Our waiter brought the menu which surprisingly listed familiar dishes, like hamburger only with a slight change an egg covering the hamburger patty.  In addition, another type of burger was also listed, a “colt” burger.  Yes,it is a burger of horse meat.  No thank you.   I would rather ride than eat the meat of a horse.   I was later to find that horse meat is not an unusal dish on Spainish menus.

No photo description available.

After drinking a thirst quenching beer and eating our dinners, we left the café to return tired and well fed back at the hostel.  All of us looking forward to going to bed after our evening shower without incident.

When we returned to our place for our night’s rest, we were bombarded by hordes of Spanish school children.  They were gathered in kid clumps of ten or more jumping, laughing and yelling children.  Later, we were to find out that the Spanish kids were on Easter Vacation.  It was not unusual for the school children to walk part of the Camino during their vacation.

I was sure that the yelling and running around would last most of the night.  It was not the case.  The children went to mass for the pilgrims and returned somewhat calmed down for the night.  The adult chaperones quietly instructed the children to quiet down and turn in for the night.