I snapped a picture of the Camino trail marker and laughed to myself, recalling a conversation I’d had back in 2020 with my youngest sister Meg. “Would you ever do a winter Camino?” she asked me. She had just seen the video I’d made of my first Camino with my father and I knew where…
Month: January 2023
Learning Spanish: The Lost Luggage
June, 2012: After 37 days walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago, every pilgrim knows what a mochila is. But maletas? I’d heard the word, and knew it had something to do with luggage, but I wasn’t clear on the exact definition. Until . . September, 2021: Dad and I were on our second Camino. Our bags…
Learning Spanish: The Masked Man
My youngest sister Meg had come to visit me in Valencia, Spain. I had not yet climbed the Micalet–a tower near the cathedral–so we decided to do it. We went into the church and a sign told us to wait until we were called forth. Nearby, in a small alcove, we could see a masked…
Can You Say “Villaviciosa”?
“If we’re going to move to this town, I’ll need to learn how to say it!” I said to Michael. Somehow, he already had it down. But after three days, “Villaviciosa” didn’t exactly roll off my tongue. I was, however, optimistic. After all, I could now easily talk about getting our empadronamientos at the Ayuntamiento….
A Day in the Life: Villaviciosa, Spain
“That’s the first time we’ve been invited into a Spaniard’s home,” Michael said as we left the apartment of a local couple. He was right. It never happened when we lived in Valencia. Probably because we knew so few Spaniards there. Which was probably because we could hardly speak their language. — When we first…
These Are A Few of My Favorite Things
“We’re moving to Spain,” Michael would tell people. But me? I couldn’t say those words. “We’re going to Spain for a year,” I’d say. “Maybe we’ll stay longer.” And honestly? Every time I heard Michael say, “We’re moving to Spain,” my heart raced a little. In an anxious, nervous moving-is-a-big-word kind of way. Besides, was…
RenaissanceRebecca 