Camino de Santiago \ April 24, 25

LEON
April 24 & 25 (no KM)
Arrived in Leon, by bus, around 4ish in the afternoon. Not far into the part of town we wanted to stay in so we walked it. Leon is one happening town. It is about the same size as Burgos but has the heartbeat of a much bigger city. Pretty sure we will be able to find anything we want here….including an iPod charger (ended up getting shipped to Santiago de Compostela).

Left Nathan at a bar to watch the bags and Cort and I headed off to find accommodation. Turns out that there are several weddings in the area over the weekend and we are out of luck on getting a room. Wandered around looking long enough for Nathan to kick back a couple beers. Finally found a hostel a bit off the main drag but more than suitable for our meager means.

Like I said this is one pumping little town 150,000) . We did find an iPod charges (yippiee) and could have shopped for days. The Cathedral here lived up to the hype it gets in travel guides. We spent most of our time wandering about checking out the beautiful buildings and mingling with the weekend crowds.

Did manage to book our final train ticket. It is over a holiday week and in the end we have to do the long leg of it...from Santiago de Compastela to Madrid (9 hours) in 2nd class then change trains to Malaga down in Southern Spain. As we left the train station in search of chocolate we saw a man who had just been hit by a car. The ambulance finally got there, still wonder if he is ok. Didn’t look good.

On a brighter note, we found our chocolate. In Spain they are into their chocolate.

Camino de Santiago: Rabe de las Calzadas to Carrion de los Condes \ April 21,22,23

From Rabe de las Calzadas to Castrojeriz April 21

Day 2 on the Camino (28.5KM)

Towns: Rabe de las Calzadas, Hormillos del Camino, Hontanas, Castrojeriz)

Stayed at Camping “Camino de Santiago” (had a house to ourselves)

Woke today at around 7am, still dark. Found out that the time changes by two hours in Spain for Daylight Savings which means waking in the dark. Hit the road, er Camino, with the sun just wakeing. It was chilly and misty out. Very cool for a couple gals who read horror movies into everything. The village was just as asleep at 7am as it was the night before.

It actually felt great to put our packs on and start walking. We ended up walking almost 30 km by the days end. The trail from Rabe de Calzadas to Castrajeriz was basically deserted except for a smattering of Pilgrims. It is only day two and we keep meeting up with the same small groups (ones, twos and threes) of pilgrims. It looks like there is only about five sets of us on this bit of the Camino. The folks on bikes are always seeing new faces as they move on so quickly.

The greeting on the Camino de Santiago is “Bueno Camino” or “Good Camino”. You hear it almost every time you pass by someone, whether they be a Pilgrim or a local. Just a quick mention of those living along the Camino. It amazes me that they are all so friendly to us (smelly, hungry, tied) Pilgrims. It would seem that we would get on their nerves, especially when it picks up in the summer, but no, everyone is exceptionally kind and go out of their way to make you feel important.

Today we seriously tested our walking. Our packs are a bit bigger than most others for the mere fact that we are going on after this journey. Because of this simple fact, our packs start out weighing a couple pounds more than those just here for the Camino. We also don’t have super sleek, super expensive sleeping bags. We have bulky cheap blankets instead. Figure we can give them to a homeless folk at a train station after the walk.

From Castrojeriz to Bodilla del Camino

April 22 \ Day 3 on the Camino (18.9KM)

Towns: Castrojeriz, Itero de la Vegas, Bodilla del Camino)

We had a fantastic nights sleep. With the economy like it is and less than half the usual pilgrims we ended up with an entire house to ourselves…yes, a living room and all. Grabbed a bottle of wine and settled in for a bit of Texas Hold em’. Little Man Nate taught us and Cort and I cleaned the floor with him. It was good fun.

It would appear that 30km did us in as I had a nice big blister and all of us were quite the gimps. I heated the end of a needle and sewed a piece of thread through my blister (leaving a bit of the tread in the blister to drain it). By the am our bodies were healed and my blister was no more. Time to hit the road.

As it turns out we slept in until 9:30, which is crazy late on the Camino. Typically someone wakes you by 6ish to be on the road no later than 8am. I must say we got the best nights sleep ever. Nice and cool in the room and so ridiculously quite. It was fantastic.

Any who when we finally made it to the reception, bar area the owner said Buenas tardes to us, meaning good afternoon. He was giving us crap for getting up so late. I figure we might as well take advantage of the chance to sleep in. I have a strange feeling it won’t happen often on the Camino.

We ended up hitting a road block of sheep today. I bet farmers think it bizarre that tourists grab for the camera when they see sheep in the road. We did stop for coffee is some itty bitty town and ran into everyone we have seem along the Camino. They all stopped for the night but we were tough and carried on another 8km to Boadilla del Camino and stayed at a beautiful private pilgrims hostel. This beauty had a fantastic common outdoor area with a small pool (not warm enough yet) and the staff was super friendly. We ate olives, bread, cheese, and ham along with two bottles of vino. Played Texas Holdin’ and chatted with the staff.

At these Pilgrims Hostels they turn out the lights at like 9:30pm (these places do only cost 5 Euro). Everyone, I am talkin’ 20 plus people in the dorm where already in bed by nine For some reaon this struck Cort and I as just about the most amusing thing ever. Will an entire room of adults sleeping before dark, Cort and I began a 30 minute laugh fest. One of those can’t stop no matter how hard you try. Even went to the bathroom to try and contain it by to no avail. We tough we had done a good job of controlling it, which meant stuffing blankets in our mouths but Nathan informed us the next morning that everyone hear us. Couldn’t help it.

From Boadilla del Camino to Carrion de los Condes

April 23 \ Day 4 on the Camino (25.3KM)

Towns: Boadilla del Camino, Ista, Poblacion de Campos, Villovieco, Villalcazar de Sirga, Carrion de los Candes

I really only have one thing to say about today…we walked, and walked and walked. It was hot and we walked. Later in the day we ate and walked. Then after walking for a while we drank some water and then walked some more. One fun thing that happened when we got water was that there was an army of caterpillar crawling up the fountain we got our water from. Cortney and I are quite sure that we have some strange caterpillar amoeba brain bacteria now. Nathan thinks we will start pooing butterflies within the month. Over the horizon we say Carrion De Los Condes so we walked into town got a room (no Pilgrim Hostel this time) and stuck needles in our blisters then walked around town and ate.

Over dinner we realized that the only way to get our full month in Morocco is to cut a few days off the walk. Looking at things it seems that now is the best time to jump a bit of the walk as it would be several days of walking along the main road anyway, and seeing a ton of the same thing we have been walking through. Will look at jumping on a bus to Leon in the am…that should cut two and a halfish days off the walk and give us our full month in Morocco. Cool!

(next morning) There is a bus at 12:45 and we bought tickets at the bar this morning over coffee. Many people waiting for the bus with busted up feet, wow. Nathan and I just have a couple blisters.

Very glad we took the bus in the end. The Camino followed the motorway most of the way to Leon. Feel like we picked the best bit to skip. Looking forward to Leon.

Madrid \ March 25 & 26, 2009

MADRID
The shuttle picked us up at the ridiculous hour of 3:45 am. Actually it was not as terrible as the hour sounds. It gave us time to get our coffee on at DIA and watch the early morning commuters do their thing. Both flights (Denver to Miami and Miami to Madrid) were more than comfortable. We scored on the second flight and got those great seats at the front of economy where you get all the extra leg room. The only downside to those seats are that you are stuck watching the ‘chosen ones’ in First Class get treated right.
We met up with the rest of the Family in Madrid as we were on different airlines because Cortney and I are on an Around the World ticket (which means you go funky, long-layover ways). I quick taxi ride later and we were passed out in the Calridge Hotel. More than a handful of hours later we were up and ready to check out the city. Didn’t get very far as we were all still beat. I always have a ton more trouble recovering from an Eastern travel route. Pretty much a spent day.
On our first night we drug ourselves to a tapas joint across from the hotel. We somehow managed to get ourselves a full set up of amazing tapas (everything from potatoes in a creamy garlic sauce, cheese sandwiches, fish and a few other yummies) and a round of drinks. In the end we had to carry the girls (five and six years old) back to the hotel. Talk about crashing out, wow, there was some sleepin’ going on in our rooms.


MADRID
March 27, 2009
Big tour day today. We try to walk as much as possible because you end up seeing so much more than jumping on the metro or taking a taxi. Wandered our way to the Museo de Prado and the girls saw a fantastic slide park off to the side…we actually managed to talk them into going later.
Our first stop was at the famous Museo de Prado which is in the Golden Triangle of museums (others near by include the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. This is one big museum. If you have a number of days in Madrid I would go every other day to the Prado for a few hours so you can really get a good look about. Pick up one of the free floor plans if you only have a day (as we did). Most of the must see pieces are on the main floor which help quite a bit. If you are in Spain you really should see the Velazquezs, Goyas even if it is just to say you saw it in Spain. A little bit about the Prado for all those ‘Art Dorks’ out there. The Prado means ‘meadow’ in Spanish and was built by Juan de Villanueva starting in 1918. I really must go back as we only had a couple hours (just not enough).
We are traveling with kids so the next stop that most people forget about was a park but in this case we hit up the ‘big mother park’ of Madrid Parque del Buen Retiro. Parque del Buen Retiro is basically the ‘Central Park’ of Madrid. The girls wanted to hit up a slide park to have a bit of a play about so off we went in search of such a place. As it turns out taking a bit of a Sunday stroll through Parque del Buen Retiro is a Madrid tradition much like tapas and outdoor café life.
The lake area of Parque del Buen Retiro has at its focal point the Alfonso XII’s Mausoleum with giant marble lions overlooking it. Cafes and buskers make this area of the park a fantastic spot to dine and kick back a vino before continuing your walk about. In the end we never did find the playground but a good time was had by all.
Very sad that we only had two days in Madrid, especially since those where our jetlag days. Thankfully, Madrid is a short easy, cheap trip from anywhere in the states. Another trip here is an absolute.

Travel Tunes \ Music inspired by, about, and related to Travel! (from Road Trip Junkie)

(photo: Graceland)
Songs About Destinations
Allentown (Billy Joel)
Amarillo (Neil Sedaka)
America (Neil Diamond)
American Pie (Don McLean)
Back in the USSR (Beatles)
Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
Born on the Bayou (CCR)
By the Time I get to Arizona (Public Enemy)
Caribbean Queen (Billy Ocean)
Caribbean Wind (Bob Dylan)
Carolina in My Mind (James Taylor)
Chapel Hill (Sonic Youth)
China Girl (David Bowie)
Copacabana (Barry Manilow)
Detroit Rock City (Kiss)
Don't Cry for Me Argentina (Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber)
Down Under (Men at Work)
Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)
Georgia on My Mind (Ray Charles made famous)
Goin' to Acapulco (Bob Dylan)
Graceland (Paul Simon)
Guns of Brixton (The Clash)
Holiday in Cambodia (Dead Kennedys)
I Think I'm Turning Japanese (The Vapors)
Istanbul (not Constantinople) (They Might Be Giants)
Kansas City\Hey Hey Hey Hey (Beatles)
Kentucky Rain (Elvis Presley)
Key Largo (Bertie Higgins)
Kids In America (Kim Wilde)
Kokomo (Beach Boys)
Leaving Las Vegas (Sheryl Crow)
Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffet)
Mexico (James Taylor)
Miami Vice Theme Music
Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight)
Mississippi Queen (Mountain)
My Head in Mississippi (ZZ Top)
Ohio (Crosby, Steels and Nash)
One Night in Bangkok (Murray Head)
One Way Ticket to Memphis (Bobby King)
Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen)
Philadelphia Freedom (Elton John)
Planet Earth (Duran Duran)
Please Come to Boston (Dave Loggins)
Proud Mary (Ike & Tina Turner)
Rocky Mountain High (John Denver)
Surf City (Jan & Dean)
Surfin' USA (The Beach Boys)
Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynard)
Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson)
Take it Easy (The Eagles) 'standin' on a corer in Winslow, AZ'
Tennessee (Arrested Development)
Tennessee River Run (Darryl Worley)
The Devil Went Down to Georgia (Charlie Daniels)
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (Vicki Lawrence)
This is England (The Clash)
Up on Cripple Creek (The Band)
Viva Las Vegas (Elvis)
Walking in Memphis (Marc Cohn)

Road Trippin' \ Vacation Tunes
Alphabet Street (Prince)
Blue Highway (Billy Idol)
Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf)
Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)
Cars (Gary Numan)
Cool Rider (from Grease 2)
Free Ride (Jefferson Airplane)
Highway to Hell (AC\DC)
Hit the Road Jack (Ray Charles)
Holiday Road (Lindsay Buckingham)
Go West (Village People)
Greyhound Bus (Mick Abrahams)
I Can't Drive 55 (Sammy Hagar)
King of the Road (Roger Miller)
Life is a Highway (Rascal Flats)
Long Lonesome Highway (Michael Parks)
Long and Winding Road (The Beatles)
Magic Bus (The Who)
Midnight Rider (Allman Brothers)
Movin' Right Along from the Muppet Movie (Kermit the Frog)
No Particular Place to Go (Chuck Berry)
On the Road Again (Willie Nelson)
Open Road (Bryan Adams)
Rambling Man (Allman Brothers)
Roam (B52'S)
Route 66 (Bing Crosby)
Shakedown Street (Greatful Dead)
Slow Ride (Foghat)
Sweet Hitchhiker (CCR)
Take it Easy (The Eagles)
Take Me Home Country Road (John Denver)
The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)
The Wanderer (Dion DiMucci, 1962)
Traveling Band (CCR)
Truckin' (Greatful Dead)
Vacation (The Go Gos)
Ventura Highway (America)

Tunes about California
A Long December (Counting Crows)
All the Gold in California (Gatlin Brothers)
Beverly Hills (Weezer)
Born in East LA (Cheech & Chong)
California Dreamin' (The Mamas & The Papas)
California Girls (The Beach Boys)
California Paradise (The Runaways)
Californication (The Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Come Monday (Jimmy Buffet)
Do You Know the Way to San Jose (Dionne Warwick)
Free Fallin' (Tom Petty)
Going Back to Cali (LL Cool J)
Hotel California (The Eagles)
I Left My Heart in San Francisco (Tony Bennett)
It Never Rains in Southern California (Albert Hammond)
LA Woman (The Doors)
Little Old Lady From Pasadena (The Beach Boys)
Mendocino (The Sir Douglas Quintet)
Route 66 (Nat 'King' Cole)
San Francisco (Scott McKenzie)
Ventura Highway (America)

Tunes about New York
Angel of Harlem (U2)
Arthur's Theme (Christopher Cross)
Big Apple (Kajagoogoo)
Boy from New York City (made famous by Manhattan Transfer)
Cabbie on Crack (Ramones)
Lullaby of Broadway (from musical 42nd St)
No Sleet till Brooklyn (Beastie Boys)
New York, New York (Liza Minelli)
New York State of Mind (Billy Joel)
On Broadway (The Drifters)
Rockaway Beach (The Romones)
Subway Train (New York Dolls)
Walk on the Wild Side (Lou Reed)

Bands\Musicians with Travelie Names
Alabama
America
Asia
Atlanta Rhythm Section
Bauhaus
Bay City Rollers
Beach Boys
Berlin
Big Country
Blues Traveler
Boston
Box Car Willie
Buena Vista Social Club
Buffalo Springfield
Chicago
Europe
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
John Denver
Jefferson Airplane\Starship
Jets
Kansas
LA Guns
Linkin Park
Manhattan Transfer
Miami Sound Machine
New York Dolls
The Cars
Traveling Willburys
When In Rome

Road Trippin' with your Dog 101!

Traveling with your pet can be a fantastic experience.  It's always stressful to leave your best friend at home while you are on vacation but it becomes easier everyday to hit the road with fido.  More and more motels and hotels allow pets and there are countless resources out there to assist you in planning your pet friendly trip.  The key to a stress free trip with your pet is planning.  

I road tripped with my dog, Bella Bean Dog, for over six months.  Between the road trip and working as a professional Dog Walker I do have a few tips to share about traveling with pets.  Below are tips for making your next vacations with the pets a pleasant one.  

1.  Pet tags.  Make sure you pet has their tags on at all times.  Have tags with two numbers on them.  For example...your cell phone and a friend or family member's phone number.  It is also helpful to keep a spare set of tags with you...tags do fall off.

2.  Chip your pet.   One in three pets become lost in their lifetime.  Think about all the rest stops, hotels, and camping you do on a road trip.  The possibility that your pet will go missing greatly increases on the road.  $20.00 will in all likelihood get your best friend back to you .  (check out Home Again)

3.  Prepare your pet for the ride.  If you don't have a roadie dog it's time to test drive your pup.  In the weeks before a road trip start taking your dog on short drives.

4.  Creature comforts in the car will make for a happy pet.  There are lots of ways to make your pet comfortable in the car.   Everything from a dog hammock (Bean Dog's personal favorite), a 

carrier, toys, whatever you pet loves at home.

5.  Exercise you pet often.  You have to stop to stretch your legs and 'nip to the loo'...so does your dog.  Stop and take your pooch for a walk as often as possible.  It's great for both of you.

6.  Vaccinations.  Make sure your pet is up on all their vaccinations.  Do your homework and make sure our pet is physically ready of their destination.  For example, heatworm may be prevalent at your final destination.  It takes a month for heatworm medications to protect your pet.  Be prepared.

7.  Papers.   Make sure you have copies of all your pet's paper work.  You never know when you will have to take your pet to the vet or a kennel on your trip.  Make sure all updated paper work goes on the trip with you.

8.  Photograph your pet and keep it with you.  Getting fliers up quickly is the key to retrieving a lost pet.  Having a photo only adds to your chances of a quick reunion.

Here are a few more helpful pet travel tips that I learned from first hand experience!

1.  Home Sweet Motel.  The 

first thing into your hotel\campsite should be your dog's bed as they associate it with their space which makes them more comfortable instantly.

2.  Shoot Out at the OK Corral.  Many historical towns have shoot outs and military re-enactments for your entertainment.  More than 50% of dogs are horrified by fireworks and gunfire.  Check at the visitors center for times of possible re-enactments and avoid a casual stroll turning into a mad dash back to the car with a trembling, terrified dog.  (happened to me tow days in a row before I figured this tip out)

3.  Motel 6 is a guaranteed pet friendly budget motel.  All Motel 6 locations are pet friendly and do not charge a pet fee.  In fact Jack Hannah is their Spokesperson.  Most Motel 6 locations have dog and cat treats at the front desk as well.  Bean Dog and I looovvvvee Motel 6!

4.  Ask.  More shops (especially mom and pops) than you think will allow you and your well behaved pup in...it doesn't hurt to ask.

5.  National Park vs State Parks.  Pets are restricted to roads and campgrounds in National Parks (strictly enforced).  State Parks on the other hand, are much more pet friendly.  State Parks, typically, allow dogs anywhere except buildings.  If you plan to take your pup hiking and exploring plan to stay at a State Park and do some day visits to the National Parks.  (there are a few exceptions to the National Park rule)