Hello Renaissance Rebecca Subscribers and Friends– You may have noticed that I haven’t posted on this blog since Nov 22, 2024. This is because I’m working on something new and am writing on a different platform once per week. I want to keep reading your stuff–how do I sign up? What’s this new thing you’re…
Category: Camino
The Worst Day on the Camino de Santiago
“How do you know how to do all this?” Dad asked me as we stood together waiting for the metro in Madrid. “Do what?” “This–trains, buses, subways . . .” “On that high school trip to London, Mr. Briggs taught us how to use the subway, and once you know the idea, they’re pretty much…
Camino with Dad 2024: Just When You Think You Know Someone . . .
June 15, 2024 Did you feel the earth wobble on its axis a few hours ago? That was because my father was eating KALE SOUP. We sat down to the table and there were EDIBLE FLOWERS in our bowls. And he ate those, too!! Two years ago had I stumbled into the garden of a…
Camino with Dad 2024: Routines
Dad: Did you check for bedbugs yet? Me: No! (I stop what I’m doing and walk to my bed.) Dad: Though in a place like this, I doubt there’s a problem. Me: Yes–I’ve heard that bedbugs look at how many stars a hotel has and choose accordingly (as I pull up the sheets of one…
Camino with Dad 2024: A Poem
June 15, 2024: Another dayAnother fresh squeezed orange juiceAnother bar giving us a free snack when we order our breakfastAnother medieval bridgeAnother taxi ad in the middle of nowhere in case the 16 miles walk is too much for usAnother napAnother day meeting people from all over the worldAnother day Dad and I are lucky…
Camino with Dad 2024: The Bar
June 14, 2024: Upon arriving in a town after a long stretch on the Camino de Santiago, pilgrims often stop at the first bar they see. If it’s morning, we may get a coffee and a snack, maybe some for water; later in the day it may be a beer or glass of wine to…
Houseguests
“That poor donkey–being forced to walk all this way,” said a fellow pilgrim on Spain’s Camino de Santiago. I watched the donkey saunter past. He didn’t seem tired. No one was pulling him along. In fact, it wasn’t clear who actually owned him. Knowing nothing about donkeys, I asked the woman, “Are they not good…
Getting In Cars With Strangers
“Is this safe?” someone asked on one of my international Facebook groups. They must be American, I said to myself with a sigh. I’ve had more than a few international friends tell me it’s usually us Americans who ask questions about safety. Whether it’s walking the Camino de Santiago, traveling on budget airlines, or car…
The Best Laid Plans
In December, 2022, I printed out a monthly calendar for 2023 and started filling it in. “If I can just make it ’til August,” I thought. I made it ’til March. Planning my parents’ visit had nearly done me in. Probably because planning trips to New York and California hadn’t been the easiest thing to…
Best Moments of 2023
As usual, they are in no particular order. . . As usual, I’m sure there are many more that I missed. If that was you, I’m sorry. Know that I love each and every one of you and any moment shared with you is a moment I treasure. Much love to you all, Rebecca
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