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Black Madonna: Like a virgin??

Yesterday we arrived in the medieval village of Collbató. We’re staying in the top floor of a house with this view:

Today we hiked to the Montserrat Monastery, which was our prime reason for coming here. This monastery was built in the 1800s and hangs off of the side of the mountain. It’s the 2nd most religious site in Spain after Santiago de Compostella. Seeing as I’ve visited Santiago and the Vatican on this trip I thought I should make it a triple!
I didn’t realize that the hike from Collbató to the monastery is actually a pilgrimage like the Camino. It was exciting to see scallop shells and follow yellow arrows again.
RobO and I enjoyed the views, the ride up the funicular, and the ice cream treats after the hike. We also stood in line to see the famous ‘Black Madonna’. The monastery was built in this location because shepherds saw a vision of a Black Madonna here. I guess you’re supposed to thank her for the good things in your life. For example, the Barcelona FC football team dedicates their wins to her. I had no problem thinking of things I’m thankful for!
RobO was disappointed he couldn’t bring his unicorn on the hike:
Tomorrow we’re flying south to Seville. Temperatures are in the 40s there, so I imagine we’ll be siesta-ing like the locals!
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Tarragona

We have left the big city of Barcelona for Tarragona, which has been a change in pace.  Tarragona is a smaller coastal town that once was the Roman capital on this side of the Balearic Sea.  It has plenty of beaches, outdoor patios, gelatarias, and history in the form of Roman ruins.

Our place is very charming.  We are staying right across from the cathedral, whichs means it’s close to the action.  We have been getting used to the Spanish timetable of resting in the afternoon and eating at 9 at night.  As a rookie, I have gotten into a bit of trouble when I start sipping sweet Sangria on an empty stomach at 9:30pm.  Now I take a few bites of food prior to drinking the sweet nectar.

The cathedral

My rookie campaign.

We increasingly find that timing is an integral part of the highs and lows of travel.  Last night we happened upon a group of performers creating a human tower.  We had seen a sculpture of this on the main Boulevard and it was quite thrilling to watch it happen from a crowd.  They did about 5 different towers, and it was quite a well organized process.  Each one required coaching and specific placing of key people.  There was a section of the group that played music while they climbed. It was one of those things that we could have easily missed had we arrived five minutes later.

Tomorrow we head to the Montserrat area for some hiking and Sangria!

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Revisiting childhood: Ferris wheels, bikes, and Golden Arches

As RobO reported in our last blog, our visit to Barcelona has been a Gaudí bonanza! Today we cycled to another Gaudí site, this one a famous gate sculpted like a dragon.

Outside of all of the architectural siteseeing we have had a lot of time to explore other parts of Barcelona. We’ve hit our travel groove: sleeping in, then having full days of exploring and good food! Here are some of the highlights:
– the Arch de Triumph (here it’s made of brick)
– Tibidabo (church and amusement park with amazing city views)
– renting bikes to cycle the length of the beach
– the ‘Dilding’ (Who do you think came up with that name? Hint: it’s the same person who’s been begging me to call it that on the blog!)
Random exploration in old town
As mentioned, the food has been incredible. Spain is ahead of the curve in awareness of gluten free. We enjoyed ‘pinchos’ (2-3 bite snacks chosen buffet-style) one night on a patio. The bar made all of Rob’s selections gluten free. It was extra cool that different street performers came along to entertain us.
I don’t know if this is a blessing or a curse, but even McDonalds has gluten free in Spain! RobO has been waiting almost 10 years for this taste of a Big Mac. Talk about a happy meal! He reports that it was good but he is ok with waiting another 10 years until the next one!
In conclusion Barcelona has lived up to it’s high expectations! We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s trip to another coastal city called Tarragona. It’s a smaller city where many Spanish go to holiday. I’m sure we’ll have lots to blog about!
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Oh My Gaudí

We have arrived in Barcelona and have spent the last few days exploring this beautiful city, enjoying the cuisine, and touring as many Gaudí structures as we can.  I’ll admit, I had never heard of Antoni Gaudí until a couple of days ago when DawnO said, “Are you freaking kidding me?  You’ve never heard of Gaudí?”  Anyway, for you cotton-headed ninny mugginses like myself who have no idea who this guy is, allow me to explain what I’ve learned so far.  He was an architect genius in the 19th century who was a student of nature and incorporated what he learned into his architecture. He proved that his structures could be functional, efficient, and works of art, all at once.  He had the support of a few well-off friends who allowed him to have free reign over his creations.  His eye for detail and his brilliant mind helped create some of the most elegant structures in the world. We have been going absolutely crazy with touring all of his buildings, and here is what we have seen so far:

Palau Güell
This home was built for the Güell family, the patriarch was one of his greatest supporters and friends.
Casa Batiló
This home was renovated by Gaudí to feel as if the family lived under water.
La Padrera
This apartment building was originally panned by critics of the time because it was quite strange.  It features underground parking which was unheard of at the time.  There are people living in this building today.
Casa Vicens
This house isn’t open for tours so I don’t know too much about it.  We could see that they are currently renovating the building.  Hopefully they are restoring it.
Park Güell
This green space was meant to be part of a residential area.  Unfortunately the residential area part didn’t work out as planned.
Sagrada Familia
Gaudí’s ‘Ode to Joy’. He started as the chief architect for this massive undertaking in 1883. Unfortunately he died in 1926 after being hit by a street car so the project was sidelined.  The city is currently trying to assemble his vision but estimate 2040 as a potential completion date.
Gaudì was a master at controlling the amount of natural light he let enter each building.  In the Sagrada Familia he perfected it by using stained glass to create a beautiful atmosphere of colour.
We got to go up one of the towers and this was our view of Barcelona
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High Five

Today I officially got to put a check mark beside the first item ever written on my bucket list! In fact, I’ve wanted to visit the Cinque Terre in Italy since before I had even written my list.
The Cinque Terre isn’t actually 1 place, but a series of 5 villages hanging off of the seaside cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. Pictures of these towns are iconic and I’ve seen them everywhere, including in the lobby of our favorite Indian restaurant in the Hat (The Mango Tree)! The draw is the beauty of the towns, but also that you can move between them by hiking or by train, bus, and boat. If you could hike straight from end to end I think it’s only 11 kilometres, though most of those direct, seaside trails are closed due to a horrible mudslide a couple of years ago. Now the hikes are a bit more challenging as you have to go up and down the mountain-like terrain to connect the villages.
Yesterday we did 2 different legs of hiking which were both incredible. It’s been over 30 degrees, which exponentially increased the difficulty of the already steep terrain. For one of us it was the perfect kind of exercise: the kind when you are having so much fun and loving it so much you don’t even really realize you’re exercising. That is, until you look down at your arms and each pore has released an individual bead of sweat! For the other one of us it was torturous, rubber leg, exercise the whole time. Who’s who? Here’s a hint:
Here are some pics of each town from east to west:
Monterosso (best beaches):
Vernazza:
Corniglia – This middle-child town is the only one where the whole town is up on a cliff so it has no beach access. If you take the train you have to climb 365 stairs to the town. I never did this because I hiked there so I approached the town from above. RobO met me there by train though. He said he wanted to show a shirtless twenty-something year old that he’s ‘still got it’ so he did the stairs 2 at a time, leaving the kid in the dust. Let’s hope he’s ‘still got’ working legs by the end of today!!

Manarola:

Riomaggiore (where we’re staying):
We’ve spent the ‘cooler’ mornings doing the more active stuff, then spent the afternoons swimming in the sea, paddle boarding, relaxing, and even had some piña coladas and Wimbledon at a pub. We’ve also been thoroughly enjoying the local specialties of fresh lemon slushes, pesto, focaccia, and farinata, which is a gluten free chick pea flour type of pizza.
We rounded out this great stop with an afternoon boat ride to all 5 towns followed by an awesome last dinner in Italy. Wow.

Best pizza I’ve ever eaten!

Next up is a flight to Barcelona. I don’t know how this holiday could possibly get any better, but if Barcelona lives up to what everyone says it is I might just have to move the bar higher. How much luckier can these Olsons get?

TTSOL
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ROMA AMOЯ

Since our last blog, DawnO and I have explored Rome and we have captured some pretty nice shots of the city.

Neither of us are very good at doing tours because we are either too cheap, or we are just not that interested. This time we downloaded some free audio tours on DawnO’s phone and it has helped our enjoyment level immensely.  I think we must look like siamese twins because we can’t stray too far from each other or we’ll end up clothes-lining some unsuspecting tourist with our headphones.

We went to Vatican City, and I didn’t combust on entry as I thought I might.   It was an interesting pageantry of wealth and power, I suppose.  It’s still not my cup of Kool-Aid though.  Highlights include the Raphael room, and the amazing Sistine Chapel.  This made the crowds worth it.

We have been taking full advantage of the Italian cuisine.  DawnO enjoys her nightly limoncello, and I have been spoiled with gluten free pasta, pizza, and the occasional beer.

We listened to audio tours of the colosseum and the forum which were both impressive.

We have one more day to enjoy the city before we leave for Cinque Terre.  I’ll leave you with some parting shots.

Boom!

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When in Rome

RobO and DawnO have finally reunited!  We are in Rome, Italy and we are taking full advantage of the jaw-dropping scenery and rich history by walking from site to site.  I am continually amazed by how accessible all the ruins, fountains, cathedrals, and monuments are.  We are staying in an apartment that’s close to the city centre, and have grown accustomed to our neighbourhood.  We are finding it hard to get our brains out of Spanish mode though.  DawnO received a confused look when she ordered a coffee in perfect Spanish.  Luckily the customer next to her was there to translate it to something every barista at a Starbucks would understand.

We have been to a lot of the must see sites, as well as a few places that DawnO’s Roman friend, Marco has recommended.  I got to meet Marco and a couple of other friends she made on the Camino.  It was nice to know that she was surrounded by such amazing people during her trek.

Here are the highlight shots from the past few days:

All over the city there are fountains that continually pour out cold drinking water.  According to our friend, the city may shut them down, since they are expensive to maintain and wasteful.  I think they should just install taps on them all.

Tomorrow we head to Vatican City, the smallest country in the world!  Look out, Pope Frank!

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Hallelujah

I have officially completed 901kms on foot! Today I walked the final 28kms to Muxia (pronounced moo-SHE-ah). This seaside fishing town is best known for its church built on the rocky shore. (Spoiler alert) If you watched the film ‘The Way’, this is the church where the dad spread the son’s ashes at the end of the film.

Interestingly the church was struck by lightning on Christmas Day in 2013, but has been pretty much rebuilt since then. Coincidence? I think not.
Thinking back over the Camino, it has been an incredible, uplifting, humbling, growing experience. My friend Marco said it best when he said,”It costs a lot; Not in terms of money, but in time, privacy, dedication, physical and emotional energy. But anyone can do it!”.
The best thing about the Camino is that it transcends culture, race, religion, age, and language and just becomes people supporting each other in a common direction. I think the world would be a very different place is all political leaders had to walk the Camino prior to being sworn into office.
I have one more day here, then I fly to Rome for my RobO reunion. Stay tuned for more blog posts. Possible upcoming titles: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” or “Olson Rome-mance”!
TTSOL
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It’s the end of the world as we know it…

Yesterday I arrived on foot to Finisterre, which literally means ‘the end of the earth’ in Spanish. Ancient pilgrims really believed that they were staring out to an empty ocean.

I walked alone for the 3 days leading up to arriving here, which was different but nice. Having this time alone time gave me the chance to really process this journey. I definitely realized that I had a much richer experience when sharing my days with great friends.

Our group reunited here in Finisterre and had the chance to walk to the lighthouse, catch up with pilgrims we hadn’t seen for days or weeks, and enjoy a seafood feast! There was a celebration on the beach where the Spanish were cooking over huge bonfires. We sat for a long time drinking wine and sharing memories. My friends are ‘retired pilgrims’ now, whereas I am getting up tomorrow to walk again! I’m making one last journey to Muxia before I meet RobO in Rome.
Leaving Santiago at sunrise.
First glimpse of the sea!
The remains of the feast!
TTSOL (To The Spirit of Life)
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“Not all those who wander are lost.” -Tolkien

Yesterday we walked the final 20km to arrive in Santiago. The most meaningful moment for me was our first sight of the cathedral from about 5 kilometres away. There’s a monument there, but it’s off the trail so many pilgrims don’t visit it. That meant our group of 4 were there alone to celebrate the moment. This was a welcome change from the bus loads of pilgrims we were seeing over the past couple of days. In the 2nd picture you can see the 2 spires of the famous cathedral in the distance!

Once in Santiago we received our official Compostella for walking the Camino. We attended the 7:30 mass, where we had the lucky chance to see the famous ‘botafumeiro’. This is a big urn-looking this that swings from the ceiling to spread incense smoke throughout the cathedral. It’s so big it takes 8 men to get it swinging and it gets up to 80 kilometres per hour! Originally it was used to cover the stench of the stinky pilgrims, but now it’s more symbolic (I’ve done laundry every day, I swear!).
This morning was a tough morning for me. I decided to stay an extra night in Santiago as I have a more relaxed timeline than my group. So I slept in while they got up to walk again. I actually woke up before they left, but couldn’t bear to open my eyes to say goodbye. We’ve spent 24 hours per day together for the past 30 days! The saving grace is that I will meet them in Finisterre in 3 days for a final goodbye (until I can meet Marco and John in Rome!).
Today was a nice day to explore the city. I went to the Parador, which was originally built as a pilgrim hospital, but now is a ritzy hotel. In keeping with history they still serve free meals to the first 10 pilgrims who arrive at 9am, noon, and 7pm. Surprisingly there were only 3 of us who took advantage of today’s breakfast!
Where breakfast is served! Just kidding, we actually had to go right into the kitchen to pick up a tray to take into a dungeon-y area of the hotel. Who cares! Free is free!
I was especially excited to be reunited with pilgrims who completed their journey today. Some of these people made a big impact on my journey and I expected I would never see them again.
Then I met up with 3 Spanish and 2 Italian friends for lunch before returning to my Alburgue. A pilgrim’s afternoon is full with laundry, filling water, buying snacks, etc. in preparation for tomorrow’s journey. I’m starting the extra 121kms to Finisterre and Muxia.
Buen Camino!