Category: Spain

Adiós España – Our Last Day in Spain

We never imagined we would be spending nearly five months in Spain. When we first crossed the Pyrenees Mountains and into the Catalonia region of northern Spain on March 9th, we were somewhat oblivious to the extend at which the Coronavirus was sweeping across the European continent. By March 14th, the Spanish government had activated a State of Alarm which granted exceptional powers to … Read More Adiós España – Our Last Day in Spain

Playa de Las Catedrales & Las Médulas, Spain

There are some days that we look back on that are truly memorable. This was one of those days. Both of these landmarks have been on our push-pinned Google map for a long time, so when we were finally seeing them in person it was pretty exciting. Our original plan was to visit Playa de Las Catedrales on Friday. We had arrived to the … Read More Playa de Las Catedrales & Las Médulas, Spain

Enjoying the Coast of A Coruña, Spain

Our first impression of A Coruña, Spain was not a positive one. When we arrived, late in the afternoon, it was cloudy and raining. As we approached the city, via the Autovia AG-55, we were a bit overcome by the smell of factories belching heavy, black smoke, into the already cloudy grey skies. Fortunately, we didn’t let this first impression ruin A Coruña for … Read More Enjoying the Coast of A Coruña, Spain

Obscurities on Spain’s Northwestern Coast

I should have known that it would be a challenge to get any sleep as soon as we rolled into the campsite and saw how crowded it was. The entire campsite was full of campers, cars, kids on bicycles, and families enjoying the warm weather and wonderful Spanish sun. The camp-host did her best to find us a small grassy section that was wedged … Read More Obscurities on Spain’s Northwestern Coast

Exploring the Region of Western Galicia, Spain

After a week of hiking the Camino de Santiago, we were really excited to be back on our mules once again. The advantages of motorcycle touring compared to hiking were obvious because we easily covered more than twice the distance in one day as it took us to hike the entire week. We left Tui, Spain with the plan to see three sites: The … Read More Exploring the Region of Western Galicia, Spain

Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 6 of 6

Our last day of the Camino! Up to this point, we’d hiked 104.1 (64.7 miles) so we were eagerly looking forward to completing out pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Today we had just 12.9 km (8 miles) to reach the famous Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. An easy day! We woke up well before sunrise, so we would have enough time to finish the … Read More Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 6 of 6

Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 5 of 6

Day 5 of our Camino and we’re still in good spirits! The reality of the Portuguese Camino is that it’s really not that difficult for most people who are comfortable walking distances of 10-15 km (6.2-9.3 miles) per day. The terrain is relatively flat, the distance between restaurants and hostels is relatively short, and many older folks have made the pilgrimage. Taking days off, … Read More Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 5 of 6

Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 4 of 6

We were looking forward to a day of rest! Three days ago we had started our Camino from the border of Portugal and hiked 52.7 km (32.8 miles) to the city of Pontevedra. Since it was a Sunday, we took the day off to enjoy the sabbath, discover a few churches, and explore a little bit of Pontevedra. Capela da Peregrina (Chapel of the … Read More Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 4 of 6

Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 3 of 6

Our Portuguese Camino continues from O Mesón to Pontevedra! After the previous long day of 24 km (14.9 miles) of hiking, we were looking forward to a much lighter day of just 11.7 (7.3 miles). This ended up being one of our favorite hiking days because of the perfect weather and scenery of gorgeous vineyards, forested hiking areas, and quaint Spanish towns. Since we … Read More Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 3 of 6

Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 2 of 6

Day 2 of our Camino from O Porriño to O Mesón! Since today was going to be a long day of 24 km (14.9 miles) of hiking, we decided to get an early start on our day. We were up at 6:15, ate breakfast, packed, and were hiking through the darkness of O Porriño by 7 AM. We expected the temperatures to be quite … Read More Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 2 of 6

Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 1 of 6

All throughout my life I’ve been inspired by movies. When Top Gun came out in 1986 I was a young and impressionable teenager who wanted to join the US Navy and take to the skies in an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. Little did I know that one must have excellent grades in high school and college just to be selected to be a student … Read More Hiking the Portuguese Camino – Day 1 of 6

A Voyage of Discovery in 1492

What a bizarre year 2020 is shaping up to be! While rioters in the United States are tearing down statues of Christopher Columbus during Black Lives Matters (BLM) rallies, we’re on our way to learn more about the ships and the location of one of history’s most famous expeditions – the discovery of the new continent by the Europeans. This blog post covers 125 … Read More A Voyage of Discovery in 1492