My adventures in Lisbon have been wonderful. Check out the recap video.
Yesterday the three American guys (Ethan, Drew & Niko), the Aussie (Bailey) and I went to Sintra on a tour set up by the hostel. First we stopped at the Palácio de Pena, a 19th-Century palace. It was so colorful and beautiful. We were able to walk all over the grounds to look at the beautiful lakes and gardens. Also at this stop, we hiked to the Cruz Alta – a monument with a cross on top. It was basically like hiking the mountains on the Camino. Straight up. I’m happy to report that my 43 year old booty kept up with these 20-something boys. And the leg is working great. The other stops included lunch in the city center, a long descent into the ground via a staircase designed like Fibonacci’s Golden Ratio.❤️ It was the reason all the guys signed up for the tour. Next we went to the Western most point of the continental Europe and lastly to a local beach – Guincho – to have a beer and watch the waves and windsurfers.🍻
I had another Camino moment. One of the boys (who shall remain nameless to protect his privacy) and I were walking down the hill from Cruz Alta together, and for some reason, I don’t know why, I never ask this question, I turned to him and said, “do you have any siblings?” He replied, “interesting you should ask me that because I have one younger sister but she passed away in January. She was only 20.” Absolutely heartbreaking. I felt terrible for bringing it up. I immediately gave my condolences and said he didn’t need to feel obligated to explain or discuss the topic. I apologized for mentioning it. He said he was actually glad I brought it up and for the next 5-10 minutes he told me many beautiful things about his baby sister and shared photos of her. He also told me how hard it has been on him and his parents. He actually dropped out of college to be closer to home. He has re-enrolled in a university closer to his family and said he will try again in the fall. His said this trip with his friends has been a live saver for him. They planned it specifically to help cheer him up. – It’s important to have good pals. Then he asked me about “the walk I did.” So I told him all about the Camino. And not only the trails in Spain but in Japan, Italy, Ireland, the UK, etc. His interest was piqued and he said he might do it someday. He said, the Camino sounds like something he has been looking for to help him. ❤️ The rest of the day I noticed he always stayed near me…even waiting for me when I’d stop to take a photo or use the restroom. I think somewhere deep down we just all want to been seen, heard and understood. Big hugs to this guy and his family. 🙏
We had a funny thing happen on the car ride back to the hostel. Our driver, Ruben, started screaming, “that’s my car, that’s my car!! I sold it a year ago. That’s my actual car!” We were all confused. In Portugal (and many other countries) the license plate stays with the car and not the person like most states do in the US. He recognized the license plate and went nuts. It was a funny moment. Out of all the millions of cars in Lisbon, we saw the exact car he sold a year ago. And there are a lot of vehicles in Lisbon. What are the odds?
After the trip I took a short nap before meeting Hyekyung, Yunri, AND Goeun. I doubt you guys remember her because I only hiked with her for one day but here she is! She skipped a few stages on the Camino to get to the end by a certain date because she was going to a festival in Barcelona and then traveling in some other cities. So our paths only crossed briefly. It was great to see her again and we had a nice hug. She is a ton of fun!
The one thing about all these girls, including Dora, is, you will never have a bad meal. They know all the best food spots. Hyekyung took us to an EAT TO DIE seafood place last night for our final meal together. It was honestly five stars. The staff was amazing, the wine was top of the line and the seafood was fresh. ❤️ It’s called Baía do Peixe – Campo Pequeno, if you ever want to try it.
After dinner we randomly ended up in the middle of a little street carnival and music festival. We joined in and danced and sang (most of the songs that were in English) with a bunch of local Portuguese people. We had a blast. I love a good dance party. And they taught us some new moves. 💃 It was the perfect ending to another goodbye. Yunri (22) ended up canceling her European vacation early because the Camino made her realize she wants to go to university. She hasn’t even told her family but she flies back to Korea today and will surprise them a couple of months early. Goeun is off to Porto today and then is traveling around Europe thru August. She is an architect and I think she is on a sabbatical. Work culture is different in Korea from what I gather.
I got to see Hyekyung one last time at lunch today. I haven’t spoken much about her personally except for logistical stuff but she is pretty accomplished as well. She was a fashion merchandiser in Korea for a top designer. He was on their version of Top Model. I am now following his Instagram thanks to her. Ha! At first Heyekyung set off a lot of bells and whistles in me…she made me nervous to be honest. She has a ton of energy and is pretty daring. I would tease her that we were either going to end up in jail or the hospital because of her. She would just laugh her big, infectious laugh. The more I’ve gotten to know her, she is really amazing and pretty grounded. She actually wants to open a fancy wine bar when she goes back to Korea so she is working on her business plan while she is here. I asked her if it would be like Coyote Ugly and she cracked up laughing, saying “nooooooo!” in her cute Korean accent. I feel pretty lucky that we got to spend so much time together here at the end. 💖
Soooooo……Goodbyes still stink. ☹️
I don’t know if I’ll ever see these gals again but I enjoyed every moment we shared. And you can’t really say that about most people. Hopefully, I’ll be able to visit Korea sooner than later. ❤️ I would also love to see my hiking partner from my first Camino – Song. She lives in Seoul as well.
I’m sitting in the airport waiting to board a flight to Pisa where my hiking partner from last year, Luca, is picking me up and taking me to Florence. I’ll be staying with him for the next 10 days (maybe more, you never know) before I head back to the US. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen him so it’s should be fun to catch up…but it’s also supposed to be between 97°- 101°F while I’m there so there’s that. 🥵 Ewwwww
I continue to get updates from Stephen (Australia) on his hike in Italy. He send me cute videos of cow parades, funny photos of him in the traffic mirrors, silly avocado merchandise he finds in stores and photos of all the different ways he uses the red bandana…cleaning his glasses was the most recent photo. I’m not sure if he has found his new hiking partner for the long haul yet or not. He hasn’t answered that question yet and I haven’t seen a photo of him with anyone. Hmmm 🤔 Maybe that’s what he needs though. “The Camino gives you what you need not what you want.”
Dora and Pablo are doing well also. They rented a car and are touring Spain. They’ve sent me photos of different hiking trails and beaches. Looks like they are having a blast together.💞 I’m happy for them.
Most touching moment: at the last minute before I was to leave for the airport, I ran into the American boys on the street. I could tell my new friend (who lost his sister) needed to tell me something but we all just said a quick goodbye and they were off. Then, he came running back to say “thank you for everything” and asked if he could have my phone number and email in case he had questions about the Camino….or needed to talk. Obviously, I was happy to give it to him. ❤️ He seems like a really good kid who is a little lost and in a ton of internal pain but the good news is, it looks like the Camino might already be guiding him. 🙏 These little connections remind me that we are all in this together and that’s what I live for…otherwise what’s the point. Nothing is ever random.
Goodnight and much love from somewhere in Europe….I maybe in Portugal or Italy by the time you read this. 🇵🇹 🇮🇹
