General Travel Musings
walking the camino: photo essay (part 2 of 3)
Ok, so we have just completed another 12 days of walking and have under 280 km (of 790km or so) left to go! We are stoked to have been able to achieve this 🙂
Here are our photos snapped between Belorado and Astorga which means we are in our final 12 days of walking now!
Hope you enjoy the Camino from our eyes.
Wishing you a wonderful day!
Share this:
taking it slow on the camino
We are on Day 13 of our Camino and we have covered about 230 km or so. But we going slow in comparison to everyone else. We have had two rest days which were a blessing for our feet and muscles 🙂
On the trail, we often are getting blitzed by others. So when we saw this little fellow; he reminded us of how we are trying to do this Camino.
“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” – Eddie Cantor
We are probably the slowest 30-somethings on the walk but it doesn’t matter. We are enjoying it!
For our day-to-day video updates, check out our Facebook Page. We will get a photo essay up soon of the Camino to-date to share 🙂
And today we were mentioned for our fundraising efforts for Angelman Syndrome. To read it, click here
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Have you done the Camino? Please share your experience! We welcome any tips as well.
Share this:
our first month in review
We have been away exactly a month now and we have enjoyed every moment and experience! We have seen some mind-blowing, spectacular and confronting things. And we have learnt soooo much more about European history from the countries that we have visited.
Here is our first month in a quick review:
Our first stop was Russia where we visited Moscow and St Petersburg. There we saw some amazingly opulent palaces and got a sneak peak into the lives of the past royals. Our standout moment from here would be setting eyes on St Basil’s in Red Square for the first time.
The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were next on the agenda. We learnt about the Singing Revolution which we had no idea about and also learnt about the Baltic Way – 2 million people holding hands across the 3 countries to make a 600 km human chain to stand up for their independence. A few of our favourites in this area would be visiting the Hill of Crosses and experiencing the old towns of each capital city
Poland was definitely a little surprise package for us. We enjoyed what the country had to offer; its history, food, people and culture. Here we experienced awe as well as sadness. There were moments of joy and wonderment as we visited the Wieliczka Salt Mines, walked around the Old Town of Krakow and be impressed at the restoration efforts of Warsaw. Then there were moments of heart-break where we shed tears for those who lost their lives during World War II especially when we visited the concentrations camps.
We had a small taste of Czech Republic back in 2006 when we visited Prague for a few days. This time, we had an opportunity to visit Cesky Krumlov as well. One of our highlights in Cesky Krumlov was definitely getting a tour of the Zámecké Divadlo (Castle Theatre). One of the last few remaining wooden theatres still with costumes, props and stage sets. Prague was nothing like we remembered, probably because we came this time with “older” eyes and a different mindset to travel. A highlight would have to be seeing the Astronomical Clock again and really appreciating it for what it was this time.
Now we are in Bordeaux, France and we are loving France all over again. Despite common belief, the French people are very friendly and always willing to help. Two memorable experiences amongst the many so far (as we still have all up another 10 days or so) was watching Moulin Rouge and seeing Mont St Michel. Next stop Carcassonne 🙂
Have a great week ahead, folks!
Feel free to leave us a comment here
Share this:
packing principles: our core 4
In 3 sleeps, we will be travelling for about 3.5 months! The last time we were away for that long, was back in 2006. This time, we are 8 years “wiser”(??) and travelling with backpacks. We have packed often for our travels but this time it’s different!
Packing what we need into backpacks seems almost impossible as we stare at our mountain of things to bring and the size of the backpacks. How to pack when travelling for several months? How to fit everything we need/want? Our walking boots for the Camino alone already take up HALF the pack.
And yes, we know… we should lay everything we want to take and then leave behind half! It goes something like that, right?
After packing for this trip, we have concluded that these would have to be our 4 core packing principles.
#1: If the item is not a MUST, it can probably be purchased along the way.
Items of “MUST” will be different for everybody but may include medicines, contact lens, at least a few pairs of underwear….
#2: Use packing cells!
They keep your clothes contained inside your luggage/backpacks. You won’t find that after getting off a flight, your clothes are in a jumbled heap.
#3: Make sure you pack at least one change of clothes including underwear on your carry-on.
If you are flying, it comes highly recommended to do this. Situations where you wish you had a spare change of clothes at hand include:
- bags going on their own vacations the minute they were put on that conveyor belt at airport check-in;
- you being stranded at an airport due to flight delays/cancellations and having to stay overnight but your bags are still checked-in;
- during transit being caught in the rain running from the tarmac or between terminals
These are possible as these are actual scenarios which our friends have experienced. In all scenarios, even just a fresh set of underwear can make the world of difference.
#4: If travelling with a significant other, make sure you split your clothes between the two cases.
This will be a life-saviour should one bag go astray. This is where packing tip #2 is helpful with packing cells to keep clothes separate.
Here is David’s pack with half of Le’s stuff inside!
So we are finally packed! This is the FIRST time we are travelling with backpacks – we will let you know at the end of it, how it all goes.
So long cold, wintery Sydney!
It is now official, we have been farewelled! Our families threw us a farewell party: a Christmas in July (with a lit fireplace, leg of ham and roast turkey). It was so wonderful getting both families together so we could just enjoy one another’s company before we head off.
wise monkeys abroad 