July 7: Looe
The South West Coast Path (SWC) is a 630 mile-long trail on the coast of Cornwall. It is a roller-coaster route going from the top of the cliffs to the little fishing towns and back. We are doing only a small section from Plymouth to Falmouth, walking contrary to most guides, which provides many opportunities…
July 6: Portwrinkle
“Cracking weather,” Bewitching panoramas, and Caribbean-like aquamarine waters made Dennis exclaim “If I had to live here for the rest of my life, I would not regret it.” We walked on single-track grassy paths, pavement, in fields with black and white cows, a golf course, a military target firing range (Tregantle Fort), through quaint and…
July 5: Plymouth
Plymouth is a welcoming city and tourist flock to enjoy the beauty and shopping. Unexpectedly, I received that confounded stare when I asked someone if the markings in the road indicated a crosswalk. Gee, I thought I was speaking English! Luckily someone interpreted it as a “pedestrian crossings.” I am learning. First thing this morning,…
July 4: Plymouth
The sun came out just as we entered the Plymouth England harbor. Getting through customs entailed walking by a drug-sniffing Newfoundland Setter, and then getting our passports stamp. Easy-peachy! As we walked out of the terminal, we met two cyclist, Theresa and Adrian from Falmouth who kindly gave us a lift to the tourist information…
July 3: Santander
July 2: Palencia We took the train from Santiago to Santander with an hour stop at Palencia., which gave us time to visit the city and sit tranquilly in an outdoor cafe to enjoy a beer. It was sunny and 30 C (86 F), the warmest it has been in two months. Delicious! These statues…
June 30: Little Fox House
Leaving Santiago yesterday, Dennis’ backpack seemed heavy and he needed a little help. Afterward, we delighted a young Spaniard with the “globo“. The bus ride to Vimianzo only took about an hour. From there, it took us about an hour to walk to the Little Fox House (A Casa do Raposito). It was a beautiful…
June 28: Santiago de Compostela
Wrapping up our stay in Santiago de Compostela. First,we retrieved our bikes from storage at Ivar Rekve’s office located at Travesía da Universidade 1. He is very personable and we spent a good part of the morning chatting with him. From there, we walked our bikes to Mail Boxes ETC. They have a great deal…
June 27: Santiago de Compostela
Today we went looking in Santiago de Compostela for three things, and managed to find two. We have been without our comfort food, peanut butter, since April 20. Dennis has been craving the nutty spread, but it is difficult to find in Spain and Portugal. Yesterday when I asked a local grocer where I could…
June 25: Santiago de Compostela
We arrived in Santiago de Compostela on June 25 (six months before Christmas) hot, thirsty, tired, and with sore feet. On the way to the cathedral, we got a hotel room so we would not have to carry our backpacks. From there, we limped to the Pilgrim’s Office to get our certificates of completion. The…
June 24: Padrón
Today could not have been more perfect–excellent weather, late start (11 A.M.) soft soil for the most part, short distance. To top it off, as we entered Padrón, someone had written J.B. the best on the sidewalk. Omen? We had a late afternoon lunch with Tony and Lauren, a mother-daughter team from California. Fun people…