Part Two: Not so Good.

1. While maintenance of a bus takes a minimal amount of time and money compared to a house it can be difficult to execute. So far we have only had to do preventative maintenance but even then we had to carefully plan when it could be done and have a planned place for the dogs to hang out for the day. I imagine any last minute mechanical problems could be a nightmare requiring a few nights stay at a hotel that allows pets. Thankfully that hasn't happened but I do see the potential for problems in the future. 
2. Now that the weather has changed we all spend more time inside and the bus seems to have shrunk! Especially at meal times or when I am making the bed. I'm sure this space would be the perfect size if we didn't have two big dogs (or if a certain person would pick up after himself) but now that it's cold outside it feels like just a bit too much togetherness! This might not be an actual problem and I can probably adjust to it but I thought I'd mention it as it could easily be a problem for someone else.
3. We haven't had a problem finding public washrooms or places to shower yet and have found several places where we can fill up our water containers. However, we have had a few water related problems and all of them have involved the dogs. Our dogs seem to like skunks and in the summer this wasn't an issue because we could sent them to the lake to rinse off but now that it's cold out it is a little more difficult. I'm sure a hot water on demand system would eliminate this problem but last night I had to rinse off my dog in freezing cold water and today I will have to use the rest of our water sparingly because I'd like to refill at a natural spring out of town tonight rather than refill with town water. Again, not the end of the world or anything but I can foresee a few frustrating incidents ahead.
4. When you move into a house there are usually one or two things you might have done differently if you were the one building it but for the most part you are usually happy with what you get. Although I am very proud of what we have designed in the bus after living in it I would like to change almost everything! I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing out the importance of a great design especially in a tiny space. Some of the great ideas we had just don't hold up to the extra wear and tear that is required when it is used all the time. Again, this isn't a deal breaker for us and we are having fun planning out our next bus!
5. Finally, and as usual nothing has really gone as planned. We wanted to be adventuring around the country by now. I know you can't compare this to living in a house but when your purpose of moving into a bus is to travel around it is a little disheartening to still be near "home." I don't really mind this it has become an adventure on its own but I really hope the bus doesn't die before we get to travel the continent. In a house this isn't even a thought.

I hope this has given you a good idea of bus life and the differences between living in a traditional house. If you have any questions or comments send me a message and I will do my best to answer them.

The Good - part one

I started writing this a few months ago but never got around to finishing it because I thought we hadn't lived in the bus long enough to give a valid opinion. Yesterday was our six month anniversary of living on the bus and I think that it's been long enough to give a fair comparison to living in a house. I'm dividing this into two parts, here is the first one:

Everyday now I realize something new that I really appreciate or am grateful for that I didn't pay attention to or even notice while I lived in a house.  It made me think about the comparisons or trade offs I've made to get where I am today.  A few years ago when I got back from thruhiking the Appalachian Trail I went through a rough transition going from living outside on a trail to living back in a house, going to work and living in a typical Canadian small town.  I clearly remember thinking that so many of the choices we make living in society were totally wasteful and needless an at the same time missing or yearning for the natural beauty and peacefulness and freedom that I thought came from trail life.  I wanted to figure out a way to make those two totally different worlds come together because let's face it I probable couldn't live the rest of my life on a trail.  Fast forward three years and here I am doing exactly that!  I'm finding a way to make the two worlds collide!  Here is a list of trade offs I've made and how I think it's worked out:  Traded a 1000 plus square foot house for an 80 square foot bus.  This trade alone has given me so much more free time than I had imagined.  It takes minutes to clean or tidy up the bus compared to the hours it takes to clean a whole house. It takes way less work! Half a months wages to pay for a house compared to half a weeks wages to live in a bus for a month! Imagine only having to work for half a week a month to pay for you bills! Traded mostly indoor living for mostly outdoor living.  Even while inside now I have a 360 degree view!  This trade off on its own is enough to change someone! I have noticed every sunrise and sunset since living on the bus!  I have sat in bed as deer walked right past my bed on the other side of the window panes! I notice the clouds and their shapes, the colour of the sky, the direction and feel of the wind!  I hear the howl of the coyotes, the sounds of the birds and the scampering of the squirrels on a daily basis. I have a love for creation, an appreciation of the beauty of nature and a gratitude that I am able to enjoy it and a joy that wells up in me for life everyday!  This is the difference for me between living inside versus outside.  I am so much happier now!  Traded my modern day appliances and conveniences for a slower way of life.  This doesn't sound like an advantage but it truly has been.  We take our time prepping and cooking our meals together now.  Our food and coffee tastes better (well not as good as in Spain but you know what I mean).  We seem to get more enjoyment out of everything! We can pick and choose our surroundings for each meal. Do we want to eat at the park, by the waterfront, or at a secluded spot? Our life isn't so stationary anymore!  We spend more time together now compared to both of us being at home but in different rooms of the house doing separate things. Living in a bus has also made us so aware of everything we use and how wasteful we were before.  We carry limited water on the bus and use it sparingly.  We use solar power and are very aware of how much power we use if we ever plug something extra in. We don't have space for garbage and recycling on the bus and find ourselves leaving the packaging behind at whatever store we happen to be at when we purchase something and we only purchase what we need as we need it.  We notice how needlessly wasteful our society has become.  We are still getting shedding possessions that we realize we don't need and learning just how little we actually need to have a healthy, happy life!

Another Upgrade

The weather has been so good! We haven't needed to keep the heater on all night yet but we were a bit nervous about the cold weather that is going to come. The other day while at Canadian Tire we decided to pick up a small electric smart heater just in case our propane heater doesn't cut it on the cold nights. Friends have already offered their homes to us in case it gets too cold but we'd really like to try to stay in the bus. We came up with the idea of the heater knowing that if it gets too cold we can park in a friend's driveway and plug in the bus. This way we will be able to use both heaters if needed. Michael took the console at the front of the van off (so we've lost our cup holders) to make the perfect spot to mount the electric heater. He did a great job and we got to try out the heater last night. It was actually too warm and I had to turn it off during the night! I think the bus is ready for winter!

Winter Upgrade

We have been using the small 1 lb propane canisters for the Coleman stove and our Mr. Heater. They work great and allow for us to move the stove outside whenever we feel like cooking outdoors. However, it's not very cost effective and the it's hard to find places to recycle the empty canisters. Today we are mounting a 20 lb propane tank to the back of the bus and installing permanent pipes and hoses to both the stove and the heater.  It's hard to watch as Michael drills multiple holes from the outside in so close to the back window that I'm afraid the window is going to shatter. No windrows were broken in this bus renovation and all of the holes in the bus have been filled with screws or the pipe for the propane.   We chose the easy route and bought a hose designed to go from a propane tank to a barbecue for outside the bus. Next we purchased two universal torch extension hoses that we used inside the bus and some teflon tape to make sure each attachment is sealed. I was nervous as we turned on the propane for the first time wondering if we were about to blow up our bus but Michael had added an extra shut off valve so he was able to let just a little bit of gas into the lines and test each connection safely. It was a good thing he did because we did have a leak that needed fixed! Everything is in working order now and we can keep the heater on all the time if we need to! We just need to remember to shut the tank off before we drive away!

Winterizing the bus!

Our friends are starting to get concerned about us. Not because we are living in a bus (well some of them might be) but because the temperatures are starting to drop and they are wondering how we are making out. We are so fortunate to have friends who care and have offered to share their homes if ever we get too cold or need a place to go. But it made me think that writing a blog about what we have done to winterized the bus might put our friends at ease. It's only November but so far this is what we have done to keep warm:

1. Insulate the floor.  I bought a couple packs of those foam mats that fit together like puzzle pieces and put them together covering our beautiful floor. To be honest I wasn't sure how Michael would feel about it but he loved it and couldn't believe the difference it made. That started a whole conversation about what else we could insulate. I suggested buying more foam mats and covering most of the windows but Michael thought that it would make the bus seem like a rubber room so that was out! 

2. Insulate as many of the windows as we were willing to give up. 

What we ended up doing was using   1" styrofoam (that was originally insulating the garage but was just insulating the storage unit) and covering the back three windows on both sides leaving a three inch gap on the back windows for air circulation. Then we bought a piece of the cheapest wood paneling we could find ($23 I think) and paid a few dollars for the cuts we needed so we could install it immediately. We covered the hideous styrofoam with the panelling blocking most of our windows. Surprisingly, it looked great and made the bus feel like a cabin! That week we couldn't believe how cozy the bus felt and decided that the following weekend we would insulate the remaining two windows on each side but leave the top halves open so that we could see out and still use those windows of we wanted to let fresh air in. It is unbelievable the difference this has made even on a nice weather day. 

3. Install a heater. We found the smallest Mr. Heater Buddy on sale ($99) bought it and installed it on the back door. It burns propane and therefore we have to keep the windows down a crack to make sure there is enough fresh air in the bus but it works great even with the window open. Right now we are still using it with a  1lb.  propane canister but have purchased a mount to install a 20 lb. tank outside on the the back which will be much more cost effective for both heating the bus and cooking our meals.    My bus living friends seem to all be using Mr. Heaters of varying sizes and have had no complaints about staying warm. If I had taken the time to do a little more research I think I would have purchased a propane furnace instead so that I wouldn't have to worry about keeping my window open a crack and also because I think the furnace would have exchanged the air better eliminating any condensation problems we might have in the future. For now the heater seems to work fine and can warm up a cold bus quickly!

4. Insulate the passenger door. During the summer we had taken the door closing mechanism off and installed a simple door handle. It worked okay but the door definitely didn't have a tight seal like it did before. We added a few more parts to each door and now we can open and lock each door individually. That made a huge difference but still wasn't good enough! Next we added a foam seal strip down one side of the door (where the doors meet when they are closed) and a seal across the top of the doors. This has entirely eliminated the draft but we may add an additional foam strip down the insides of the door for added protection. I had a few pieces of foam from mats left over and we had realized that we don't ever use the bottom windows on the door so we covered them with black foam for the winter. Lastly, (and I'm really not sure that this is going to make it warmer) we installed a black roller blind above the door so we can pull the blind down to cover the top windows. It also gives us a bit of privacy! :) 

5. Cover the windshield at night. We are making use of an emergency blanket (those thin silver sheets people use to stay alive in emergencies) to cover the front window at night. It reflects the heat back at us from the heater and acts as a insulating window covering. It also gives us privacy! 

6. -7 degree sleeping bags. The sleeping bags we use when we hike are on the bus and although we use sheets and a big comforter we have the sleeping bags handy if we need them.

Choose to do the things that make you happy!

I want you to be happy right now! This moment today and everyday forward. I don't want you to wait for happiness for some time in the future or think that when I have this or have accomplished that then I will be happy. That's not the way it works! Why do we compromise our happiness for anything? Why do we take jobs we don't love or stay at home and do nothing just to save money!  How many times have you not gone to visit an out of town friend or family member because we thought we couldn't afford it right now. Why do we value our pocketbooks over our friends, our family and our happiness? To some extent every single one of us is guilty of this in some way or form. It's like we've been trained from the time we were little to be little robots doing everything society wants us to do first before we can do the things that bring us joy and make us truly happy. This is wrong! I'm not suggesting that we stop doing things for other people but certainly we should stop doing things we truly don't want to do! Making others happy can bring you so much joy when it's genuine and not done out of obligation! This past week I have spent a lot of time visiting friends, some of whom I haven't seen for a very long time. It wasn't that I didn't want to visit sooner but I had piled my life up with obligations that I felt should come before my happiness. I am going to try not to do this anymore. It was so good for my soul to see my friends and while I was visiting I realized how good it was for them to be visited. Some things in life have more value than we think. Maybe it's time to stop and prioritize the things we do each day based on what we value most rather than what we think we ought to do. This is a picture of my good friends Paul and Debbie (and their dog Molly) who have always made time for friends and family. I wish I could say that I took the picture but I forgot to take any pictures of anyone I saw last week. This was taken on their recent trip to Manitoulin  Island to visit family.

Space Issues?

Living in an 80 square foot space with another person has its moments. It's more noticeable now that it's cold out! There is no where to escape to! It was easy to get space in the summer when all I had to do was go for a walk or set the table and chairs up outside and create an outdoor living space but I hate the cold and sometimes I just need to get away! Don't get me wrong. I love my partner and couldn't imagine bus life with anyone else but sometimes the stuff that was acceptable (or barely acceptable) in a house is just way too much to handle in a tiny space. And sometimes it has nothing to do with the other person at all, I just want/need some space to sort out my thoughts. In general, we work great together but the other day I wanted to get away and realized I had no where to go! Sounds silly but it really happened! I can't complain, we've been living on the bus almost five months now and this is the first time I've really felt "trapped" in a tiny space. Overall the transition has been smooth but there is always room for improvement and we will just have to learn to adapt our habits as the weather gets worse. Who knows, maybe this is the year I get over to my aversion the cold and learn to embrace winter! Or maybe we are just a little nervous of how this is going to work out for us as it gets colder and are just a little more sensitive to space issues. 

Questions and Answers

Anytime someone learns that we are living on a bus the same questions are asked. Just in case any of you wonder the same things, here are our answers:

Q:  I can't believe you fit all of your stuff on the bus and that two of you live in there with two big dogs! How do you do it?              

A: Well to begin with we downsized a lot giving most of our stuff away. Then when we just couldn't give anymore away we rented a storage unit for just those items that we absolutely wanted to keep but wouldn't fit on the bus. Things like Michael's tools and our motorcycles and some off season clothing. Next we organized everything on the bus. It wasn't easy at first because we had crammed too much stuff on the bus. But after realizing that we weren't using all of it and eliminating even more, it is pretty comfortable inside. Our kitchen stuff definitely takes up the most space and we each have two personal drawers for clothing or whatever we want on the bus. On top of that we still have quite a big area dedicated to arts and crafts and things to do on a rainy day. 

Q: I don't see a toilet! Where do you go to the washroom? 

A: We started with a small commode that we never once used. I had always planned on installing an environmentally friendly compost toilet but honestly I don't see the need now. We have realized that there are public washrooms everywhere and why would we want that on our bus if we don't need it!

Q: Where do you shower?

A: At first we had friends who offered to share their showers but we felt a little awkward about that. All summer long we showered at local marinas who cater to boaters had have amazing facilities. Now that boating season is over we have paid to shower at hotels sometimes using their pool, hot tubs and saunas while we were there. We always have baby wipes and hand sanitizer on the bus for quick clean ups but we have realized that (at least in Canada) it's not as easy to find a shower as I had thought. I know that we could get YMCA or gym memberships that would give us access to showers but eventually I would like a hot water on demand unit on the bus even if only for outside showers. I think that while we are out adventuring we may need to think outside the box a little more.

Q: How do you eat? What do you eat? Do you just eat out?

A: We eat just like you do at home with a few exceptions. We use a two burner Coleman stove to cook with so we can easily make anything that would normally go in a pot, pan or on a grill. However we don't have an oven so some meals we have to improvise or just accept that we can't make everything. During the summer I didn't do without at all and whenever I needed an oven we had a campfire! I would just make my baked potatoes or sweet potatoes right in the fire but now that it's not really campfire season I am starting to notice the lack of baked goods. For the most part I think we eat better than we did while in a house only because more thought goes into our meals and our fridge is so small that I always have fresh veggies now as I shop more frequently. My favourite meal on the bus is a veggie curry over rice. 

Q: Where do you stay? Where did you stay last night?

A: Pretty much wherever we want! The ideal spot is scenic with either a sunset or sunrise view. Most of the summer we opted for waterfront locations with a breeze but sometimes we choose our spot for the night based on amenities. Is there a washroom nearby or if it's been cloudy all day is there an outlet where we can plug in and top up our batteries. You'd be surprised at the amazing places we've found! Last night we stayed on the edge of town with a field on one side of us and a cityscape on the other.

Q: Are you nuts?

A: This is the number one question that Michael gets asked (I think people think it with me but don't say it)! And the answer is .....Maybe! We are following our dreams, most people don't. If this all works out - great! If it doesn't, at least we tried it! At the end of our lives we won't regret the things we didn't try

Inspiration!

A few weeks ago we met Nico and Lola of Kombipalnorte.com in a Walmart parking lot. They had travelled from Argentina to Alaska and were headed cross country to travel back down the opposite coast in a 1981 VW Bus! You have no idea how excited I was to meet them! I felt like a wannabe traveller next to this couple who was actually doing it! It was so refreshing to meet them and to check out their van! It was also a wake up call to hurry up and get going! They fixed up their VW before they left (like we are doing) but they certainly didn't worry about some of the stuff we have added like our new stereo and speakers or flat screen tv or even a fridge. It make me feel like a glamper! But it also made me realize just how much stuff we don't really need!  It was a huge reminder that although we have gotten rid of so much we may still need to get rid of more to make it work. Anyway, meeting them was the the kick in the butt we needed! We both have been inspired to step it up a notch and get this bus ready and get on our way! I'm sure it felt like I was interrogating them with some of the really personal questions I was asking them but their patient responses made us feel confident that this really can happen! The worries I had turned out not even to be an issue for them. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us! We hope you continue to have an amazing journey! The picture is a postcard we bought from them.

Six things that have changed since moving into the bus!

1. I wake up at the crack of dawn every day! Having windows 360 is a wonderful thing! It's easy to catch every sunrise and sunset and makes me more aware of the beauty surrounding me! I haven't slept in once. 

2. I have a sense of freedom that I've never felt before. Yes,  I felt free while hiking in the woods and invincible while climbing mountains but this is a different feeling. It was easy to feel free outside of society and away from all of the silly rules we place on ourselves in society. But now I feel almost like an outsider. I watch people bustle around in a big hurry (I suppose because they think they have to) and I realize that I am not a part of that and it gives me a sense of freedom. 

3. I require way less space and very little personal space now. I always saw myself as a modest  person who liked total privacy while changing and showering. I cringed at the thought of the YMCA change rooms or even using the washrooms with coworkers. Now I have literally caught myself stripping down and changing before even looking out the windows to see who was there while in busy parking lots. Maybe it has to do with my new found sense of freedom but I realize that everyone has a body and it's not a big deal to change - everyone does it on a daily basis so why the need for privacy or secrecy. 

4. My stuff requires even less space. I haven't counted my belongings but I'm sure they are in the single digits for the first time since childhood. 

5. I realize how much time I wasted in a house. My chore list and bus cleaning routine takes minutes rather than hours and I don't find myself sitting around for hours like I did while living in a house. Maybe all the windows inspire me to get out more? I definitely walk the dogs more often and on different trails each day.

6. I realize that most people live in there own little bubble going through the same routine day after day. The past few weeks I have been in close proximity to Michael's work each morning and evening and I see the same people doing the same things over and over again! I realize that I am (sort of) one of those people right now going through the motions in relation to work schedules but that's where the similarity ends. I have been to so many new places while living on the bus, even in the area I have grown up in. It's been surprising how much I didn't know about my hometown or how necessity has helped me be a lot more adventurous. Often while driving I will be on the lookout for a nice place to stay or a good water source and have found so much more than I imagined!

Stuff, stuff and more stuff!

How long should I keep something that I haven't used in awhile? At what point does my living space just become a storage unit for stuff? How much of this do I actually use? It's funny that this is even an issue for me because we have downsized so much already  and because I have lived out of a backpack for six months! I know I can live with a lot less than I have right now! It continues to amaze me just how many items are on this bus that I haven't even used once! At first, we thought we needed way more than we actually did and downsized a little bit every time we passed a Goodwill store or stopped at the storage unit. But now the storage unit is crammed full of stuff and I am still finding things on the bus I still haven't even used. We need to downsize even more! Should I give away something if I haven't used it in a season? Or is that too long? What if I give away everything I haven't used in a month! Definitely the items I haven't used for the four and a half months we have lived in the bus are being given away! I will make exceptions for the first aid kit, tools and bus maintenance stuff and some arts and craft stuff but the rest has got to go! I have a full container of utensils I haven't even used! The storage unit is in even worse shape! This weekend we will try to give away half of what is in that unit keeping only our off season items and Michael's tools. I've even listed my motorcycle for sale and if it goes I will downsize the size of our storage unit and save a few dollars. 

We got this!

 We continue to find things on the bus that need to be fixed, swapped out, changed altogether or new items that we want to make the bus  more comfortable. Stuff like new tires and some minor front end work (which requires a place to stay while the work actually gets done). Stuff like winterizing the bus (adding insulating inserts to the floors and windows and buying a furnace) and storing or finding a new spot for our hot weather stuff. Sorting out how we are gong to lift the solar panels each day as the days get shorter to maximize our solar power (should we buy a ladder and mount it to the back or put toe holds up the side of the bus). Installing a propane tank outside of the bus for our furnace and cooking and possibly one day a hot water on demand tank. Finishing up odd jobs that we started like the passenger door mechanism, or the spare tire mount . Installing speakers for the new stereo and finishing a logo Michael has been working on and having it put on the bus. There is still so much to do and it seems like we are getting there so slowly! But we are getting there! Sometimes I have to tell myself that! We have a goal and it's taking a little (okay a lot) longer to get there than we had hoped.  But we are still heading towards that goal and will have a safer, more comfortable bus to live in by taking the time now while we are working to make this dream come true! And we have so much to be thankful for! These past four months living on the bus have gone relatively smoothly. We have proved even if only to ourselves that we can do this! 

Home on the bus!

We are back from our amazing holiday and have moved into the bus! It sounds more exciting than it actually is because ...... We are still going to work each day. The transition has had a few hiccups along the way. When we first got back from Europe we decided to stay at a campground for the first week back to ease into the bus transition and give us use of all of the amenities (pool, showers, washrooms,laundry...). Unfortunately there were millions of mosquitoes there and we got eaten alive! Our friends made it bearable by loaning us a net tent and a fan but it was a pretty rough start to life in the bus. After our week at the campground we decided to just try to live as closely to how we would if we were travelling around. We started parking at different locations each night around town and searching out for the amenities we need as we need them. It was fun! It felt like we were on an adventure in our hometown! At first we were spending too much money eating out everyday and wasting gas driving around but as the weeks went by we came up with better ways to do things. The installation of our solar panels and inverter helped as did our purchase of a Coleman stove. We started relying on the fridge and shopping for food a few days at a time. Our favourite places to stay give us the perfect view of both the sunset and the sunrise or have amenities like pavilions with picnic tables. Friends helped again with an excellent suggestion of where to shower and clean up and as a result the hot water on demand unit isn't even a priority anymore. Surprisingly, neither is the toilet! It's amazing how many public washrooms there are in every town!  

For the most part (even with going to work) this has been a dream come true for me! Everyday feels like a vacation the minute I leave work and I've been surprised by how many absolutely beautiful free spaces there are in the area! It's been a little more difficult for Michael whose prime responsibility has been to watch the dogs. It sounds silly but all of a sudden it's like having two year olds again, you can't just leave them on the bus. Michael is used to keeping busy and making things so this has been like slow torture in some ways for him but soon it will be his turn to work while I hang out with the dogs! Even though the original plan was to start travelling as soon as we got back from Europe this time has been a blessing in disguise. Some things that we thought we needed to finish right away on the bus we have realized aren't even priorities while other things we hadn't thought about seem more important to finish. I'm glad we are still in our hometown and able to access our tools while we finish up the bus. Having the storage unit nearby has been so handy because.... We packed way too much stuff! Every week we have been getting rid of more stuff or putting it into storage for later. It's amazing how little we actually need to live!  There has also been a bit of a learning curve with what we actually want on the bus. At first we thought we wanted stuff to resemble a house like having real plates and glasses but have since realized the lighter the better! The IKEA dressers were a great idea at the time but don't take the abuse of driving even with the rare earth magnets installed to help keep the drawers from moving. We aren't going to change them out (we will just beef up the hardware) but I think a better solution for the next bus (yes we already talk about what's next) would be tool dressers that have locking drawers and are made to take the abuse. Some of the little changes we have made include screen inserts for the windows to keep the bugs out and a fan that we installed above the back door to help keep it cool. The fan made a huge difference but I can still envision an air conditioner in the near future! There are still a few more improvements we need to make but it's getting there and we are becoming more organized and efficient each passing day.

Travel Day!

Day 21 Spain to Germany

This morning we packed up and walked to the bus station. From there we headed to the airport. We enjoyed our last Spanish coffee at the airport before boarding our flight to Madrid. In Madrid we barely had time to say goodbye to Keith and Dina before boarding our flight back to Munich. As we boarded we could see Keith and Dina boarding the plane right next to ours which was headed to Paris. I wish We could be continuing my on to Paris! When we landed in Munich and went to collect Michael's luggage I heard an announcement in Spanish that sounded like they were asking Michael to check in at the customer service desk. I was right and at the kiosk we found out that his luggage was still back in Spain! This is exactly why I always try to fly with just a carry on! Anyway, another airline is supposed to bring his luggage later tonight and we should be able to pick it up tomorrow when we check back in to go home. Next stop was the Movenpick Hotel that we stayed in the first night we arrived. We pretty much just relaxed until we realized that if we didn't go down for dinner we wouldn't be eating tonight and I had an awesome veggie stir fry that I had eyed up the first time I was here. Even though it was our last night in Germany we pretty just relaxed as if we were at home.

     

Goodbye Spain

Goodbye Spain!

Good bye beautiful people

 who helped us even though we didn't speak their language. 

And didn't jack up their prices like people from my own country would have if I didn't speak their language.

Goodbye amazing coffee 

that will be impossible to replicate back at home. 

And goodbye to the freshest orange juice 

I've ever had! 

Goodbye to olives and lemons 

that have no trace of bitterness whatsoever. 

Goodbye to rugged coastlines and sandy white beaches with shells. Goodbye to 1€ wine and 1€ beers. Goodbye to pretty orange clay rooftops 

and windows that open like doors. Goodbye to the forests that feel like they are refreshing your soul with each delicious breathe. 

And goodbye to the freshest, brightest orange egg yolks 

I have ever had. 

And goodbye to all of the windmills lining the the mountains as far as the eye can see.

Goodbye to my beautiful friends

Until we meet again.

The Cathedral

Day 20 Santiago de Compostela

We woke up to grey skies and rain. I'm so glad we aren't hiking today! Dina made us another amazing breakfast and by the time we were ready to head up to the cathedral the rain had almost stopped. The cathedral was incredible! It's hard to imagine how it was made so many centuries ago. Inside it was easier to see that the building is shaped like a cross and every section was filled with some ornate feature. It's too bad I ran out of room on my camera but I know that Dina and Michael took pictures today so I'm not too worried. We could easily have spent more time inside but the crowds were ridiculous! There were people everywhere and it was hard to move. I'm glad I got to see in the cathedral but again I was reminded of how rich the church was compared to how much less the people of that time had to live with. The architecture is amazing but the contrast of how fancy the cathedral was to to the simple the buildings we had seen in the surrounding country kind of ruined it for me. Realistically I know that the same happens today, I guess it's just easier to see when you are looking back at something that has already happened. After the cathedral it was sunny and we had no agenda. We walked around and discovered a free art exhibit that had some really cool pictures of the area. Next we went to the museum of the Galician People (Galicia is the area we have been hiking in). It was awesome and explained some of the buildings we have seen while hiking. I'm sure I would have learned a lot more if I could read and understand Spanish or Galician (they have their own dialect here) but they did a really good job portraying the life and history in the exhibits that it was fairly easy to get the just of it. The museum was in the old convent of Santo Domingo de Bonaval which was build in the early 1200's. The staircase was really cool and wasn't one staircase but three that started at the bottom and swirled around a turret as it went up. It also had a giant cathedral that was empty! No one was inside only us and it was like they were just letting it decay. There was even a bird flying around inside. Unfortunately we got kicked out because it was siesta time and the museum closed for the afternoon but again I could have spent a little longer inside. We went back to our apartment and relaxed during siesta and waited for the restaurants to open again before heading back to the same place we had eaten yesterday because the food there is so amazing! We weren't disappointed tonight either.  We had a quiet night back at the apartment each of us thinking about tomorrow's travel plans. Good night world!

Leaving the Coast

Day 19 Finisterre to Santiago de Compostela

We headed out this morning in search of a breakfast spot. In Spain breakfast is usually coffee and a pastry but we were looking for bacon and eggs. We walked around town, up hills and stairs getting a work out before going almost back down to where we started and settling on pastries. Then we packed up our stuff and said goodbye to our amazing Finisterre home and headed down to the bus stop. Michael got excited when he saw the double decker pull up, he's never been on one before and was determined to get the front seat up top. He did it! While I loaded our packs under the bus he started a line by the door and we ended up with the best view on the way back to Santiago de Compostela. It's a little sad to say goodbye to Finisterre, it has felt like we were on a holiday rather than an adventure. Back in Santiago de Compostela we (Dina our navigator) had to figure out how to get to our new Arbnb place. It's right near the cathedral and just on the edge of the old town. The place is cute and on the top floor. My room is bright yellow with a skylight window on the sloping roof ceiling that I can open. I love it! We arrived at that awkward time of the day where nothing is open because it's siesta time. We were hungry though and couldn't go out to eat until at least 7:30 (dinners are very late here because the work day doesn't end until 8pm). We found an awesome place though and. Had the best meal ever! 

History

Day 18 Finisterre

We slept in a little enjoying the peace of having a place to ourselves. When everyone was up we went out to find coffee and breakfast. Then we searched for the alter of the sun (Ala Solis) which Celtic Druids had built but we couldn't find it. Next to find was the ruins of a hermitage from the 11th century. After hiking straight up a mountain steeper than anything we encountered on the Camino we arrived just as a local was leaving the site and he confirmed that this was the right place. The ruins were nothing more than crude stone foundations built around giant boulders that we climbed and relaxed on enjoying a 360* view of Finisterre and the surrounding mountains and ocean. It was beautiful! I didn't want to leave! Then Keith started reading from his guide how these rocks we were sitting on were actually known for increasing fertility. Time to move on! Our next stop on the other side is of the mountain was the Abalar Stones, two rocks used in pagan rituals that could move back and forth but only if pushed on the right spot. If a woman could move the rocks, she could be a priestess. It was a little disappointing though because there were no signs and we had to guess which rocks might move. It was so beautiful up on the rocks though that we didn't mind. While we were up there we saw a path below us and decided to see where it went. It took us along the coast and passed above a sandy picturesque beach with rolling waves. The trail was steep though with lots of little rocks, I thought for sure I would fall or slide if I wasn't careful. It led us back to town between two giant moss covered rock walls that were maybe 10-12 feet high. Although it was steep we realized that this is the path we originally should have taken to get to the top rather than head straight up a mountain through thorns and poison oak. We arrived in a section of town we hadn't ventured through yet and were amazed at the little windy roads and narrow alleys that were shortcuts to the next street. Back in town we stopped for a drink at a restaurant and then walked a little closer to the waterfront and stopped again for lunch. After lunch we went back to the apartment where we all fell asleep! Luckily we didn't nap for too long and decided to go check out the beach and dip our feet in the Atlantic! I was surprised by how  soft and fine the sand was and by how many shells there were. The water wasn't that bad although I'm sure if I was actually swimming in it I would feel differently. We sat and enjoyed the waves for awhile and then headed back to clean up before dinner in front of the docks. 

The end of the earth!

Day 17 Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre

It was beautiful out today but we knew the good weather wouldn't last. We decided to go to Finisterre to the ocean while it was so nice out and come back to Santiago de Compostela later. We bought return tickets and went out for a quick coffee before the three hour bus ride. The route took us over the mountains and through villages along the coast. It was gorgeous! We are completely surrounded by beauty! At Finisterre (which means the end of the earth by the way) we had a few nervous moments when we realized the lady meeting us at our Arbnb couldn't speak a work of English. It all turned though and the place we are staying in feels like a resort! Marble floors everywhere and a view of the waterfront! I am going to learn Spanish before I come back here though! Why should these people have to learn my language to talk to me in their own country, it's been a little embarrassing! After dropping our packs in our new home we headed down the Main Street and stopped for dinner at a seafood place on the waterfront. It was probably the most expensive place to eat but the food was delicious! Keith finally got to try octopus, he said it was good! We walked out to the lighthouse (6km trip) and took our time enjoying the ocean view. At the bottom of the lighthouse Keith and Dina met a lady who was selling her book about her Camino in 2013. She had carried watercolours and painted a picture everyday of her hike. The book was beautiful, they bought one as a souvenir. After a cheap light dinner we came back to the apartment and just relaxed checking out the books that the host had left out for us. Good night world!

Santiago de Compostela day!

Day 16 O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostella 20km (116.5 so far)

We slept in a little later this morning and stopped for coffee on our way out of town. There was supposed to be only a little bit of elevation gain but we kept going up and down. By the time we stopped for breakfast I was so hungry I ordered a full meal and then immediately regretted it on the next up. Meanwhile Keith and Dina cruised along ahead of us. We caught up just outside of town (and only because they stopped to take pictures and wait for us) at Monto Gozo! I expected it to be a short walk into town from there but it took forever! We finally made it to the Santiago de Compostela cathedral! I was disappointed though because it was being renovated and had scaffolding in front of most of the building. We decided we would come back later to check it out and headed to the pilgrims office where we could get our certificates. The line up was long! After waiting an hour, we decided we didn't really need the certificate anyway and went to find our albergues. It is really neat! We are on the third floor and from our window we can see the spires of the cathedral. The room which sleeps 12 has been divided into mini rooms for four that have a storage locker for each person and sliding doors that make each bunk area more private. I like it! After showering and laundry we wanted food and ended up having the cheapest meal so far! The food was great and we had the best wine so far but we ruined the savings by stopping for dessert later where we spent almost as much as on dinner. The pilgrims office was open till 9pm so we decided to go back and try to get our certificates again. This time there was only a small line so we decided to wait. Success! It seems silly to get a certificate for hiking such a small section especially when I compare it to the AT, maybe I should send away for that certificate too! Back at the albergues the set up here is awesome! We are in an ancient building that has changed mole rely remodelled. In the basement there is a kitchen/self serve cafeteria that has a walk out to a solarium. On the main floor there is a gift shop that has a really cool map of the Camino I am eying up. 

Hot, hot, hot!

Day 15 Ribadiso to O Pedrouzo 23km (96.5km so far)

We saw giant slugs almost immediately after leaving the albergues and I thought we had a giant up. It turns out we did most of the up getting to the albergues last night making this morning easy! Within a few km we were walking through Arzua known for its cheese. We forgot to stop and get some though. We mostly walked through eucalyptus forests and countryside today. At brunch we stopped for breakfast and while we were sitting there a farmer and his wife came by with those herd of cows. It was funny to be sitting outside of a cafe and have them go by within feet of us. The clouds burnt off quickly this morning and the sun just beat me up! I kept putting sunscreen on but it wasn't enough and the heat slowed me down. At one point I could see waves of heat coming off the ground. We finally made it to our destination and because it is a bigger town we had to search for the albergues. Actually we are staying in a pensiones which is more like a bed and breakfast. The room is nice, has bedding and we have towels and soap. After we were all showered up and some of us had naps, we all felt better and headed down the street to find a place to eat. We ended up at a busy cafe that had a pilgrims menu. The food here has been amazing and it was several hours later before we made our way back to our rooms. I probably spent way too much time trying to delete things on my phone to make more space for pictures but now it's bed time and I'm giving up. Good night world!

Eucalyptus Trees!

Palas de Rei to Ribadiso 27km (74.5km so far)

This morning seems so long ago, like I'm trying to remember what I did a week ago! We woke up to an overcast sky which isn't unusual on a mountain in Spain. It usually burns off by 1 or 2 pm. Today seemed different though so we started out in rain jackets but that was overkill for me and soon I was burning up. I stopped to take it off the first chance I got. We made our way through town following the Camino shell symbol and soon we were on a muddy path up a hill. Today was gorgeous! We hiked through eucalyptus forests and it smelled amazing! I've always said that walking through a pine woods is my favourite well eucalyptus is just as nice! The towns seemed a little more spread out today and we had more views of rolling hills between the trees. I enjoyed every minute of it. Well maybe not the last few ups or even the last down when my feet were done for the day but most of it was awesome! We crossed three medieval bridges today, one that has been continuously been rebuilt since the 6th century. Again I am too tired to put much thought into this. I ordered a glass of orange juice at lunch today (it's always juiced as you order it here) and it was so good! Not even remotely comparable to any orange juice (even in a juicer) at home! Later I noticed the same thing with the olives here, they taste so much better here! Almost everything we have ordered so far has seemed fresher and better quality to its equivalent at home. I think I might actually gain weight on this trail! Anyway, I can already hear people snoring (there are only six hikers in my room tonight so it shouldn't be too bad)! Good night world!

Another great day!

Day 13 Portmarin to Palas de Rei 23.6km (45.7km so far)

So it turns out that staying in a giant room full of beds (even when all of the beds aren't filled) is a terrible idea! First of all the light stays on till 11pm and that really sucks when you are on the top bunk and the light bulb is just a few feet away. Secondly the snoring! Ok, so Michael was one of the loudest and I am used to him but still! And thirdly, even though quiet time is from 11 -7am people were up and making noise at 6am! Keith said someone even got up at 3am and packed up. Even though I sound like I'm complaining about it, the place wasn't that bad and I did want to stay at a huge place at least once. Now that I've stayed there, we will look for smaller places or private rooms in the future. Anyway, after two rounds of coffee and after almost everyone else had left we headed out crossing a bridge and heading up, up and more up! So far the ups haven't really been that bad and I've been very surprised at my ability to keep up but I was definitely winded today. It's funny because I really expected to wake up with sore muscles this morning. But so far so good. The trail didn't have the jaw dropping views that it did yesterday but we did walk through several little hamlets each with their own churches and interesting out buildings. Nothing seems to be wasted here. We have seen what look to be ruins for sale and laughed only to come across really modern construction being done on an ancient, dilapidated building. Oh and we saw a lot of cows today! We stopped for breakfast about 7km into our day and took a decent break before heading out for another 7 before lunch. We did take a short coffee break at a place where some Americans were over visiting for the summer and had coffee and tea for a donation. Spanish coffee is WAY better than North American coffee, I'm not sure how I'm going to live without it when I get home! When we stopped for lunch Michael ordered pasta for 4€, we expected a small plate and were surprised by the giant full meal he got. For me the last few kilometres of the day dragged on. Not because I was tired or wanted a break but because I was dying to use a washroom and the Camino is so busy and you can't just easily get off the trail and go like on the AT. I practically dropped my pack and ran when we came to the first albergues. We didn't end up staying there though, it was already full but we found an amazing place where we have a room to ourselves with our own private washroom and shower! When we asked the owner where we should eat he pointed across the road. It obviously isn't where most pilgrims eat, there was no pilgrims menu and the proprietor didn't speak English but the place came recommended and had a fire in the fireplace so we stayed. The place was amazing! As we were trying to figure out the menu the owner suggested something we didn't really understand but we agreed. He made us a three course meal that clearly wasn't on the menu and it was spectacular! It made me feel guilty for not making more of an effort with my Spanish. We did our best to try to make him understand how much we appreciate it before coming back to the albergues. There the owner (Manuel) was busy helping the new arrivals which all happened to be on horseback. He was showing them where to keep the horses for the night. How cool would it be to travel across Spain on a horse! Michael has been making friends everywhere he goes and just came back to pick up our credentials (Camino passports that we get stamped everywhere we stop) because he just met a priest who was closing up his church and is waiting for him to get back to give us a stamp. There are so many details I know I am leaving out like how Manuel called ahead to an albergues for us and reserved our space for tomorrow night or how the guide book has really hilarious tidbits of history in it (today's had Dina doing reenactments while we were going through the woods). Even though it's still light outside I'm totally exhausted. Good night world. 

Ps. I love Spain!

On the trail!

Day 12 Sarria to Portmarin 22.1 km

What an amazing day! I love Spain! We slept in a little and packed up quickly, stopping to sit and have a coffee just as most of the pellegrinos (pilgrims) were leaving town. It is unbelievable how many of us there are and how many languages I have heard today. At the same time We met people who live in Aurora (a town a few hours from home) and a guy who had been to Ste Marie (in Midland) as one of his ancestors was a Jesuit there in the 1600's and he was learning about his family's history. How cool is that! After our coffees (which are excellent here by the way) we hiked out and within minutes of being out of town Dina said exactly what I was thinking, she said "this makes me wish we had hiked the whole thing." It's true but at the same time we loved Germany and the the old cities in Switzerland, I'm pretty sure we will be back here again one day anyway! The Camino is so different than the AT, we walked through several small towns/villas today and stopped for coffee and later on lunch. We were on roads or paths that were lined with trees or old rock fences through farmers fields for most of the day. We got into town around 4 I think and the albergues we wanted to stay at was  full. We ended up next store in a huge place that has a giant room of bunk beds that could sleep over 100 people. Luckily it's not that busy right now! After showering and laundry we went next door and again had an amazing dinner for a fraction of what we would have spent at home. Then we walked up the street to check out an old church! This town looks like the perfect place to live! It's beautiful here and we have a waterfront view! It isn't even 9pm yet and it's still light out but I have to get some sleep! The sun got me pretty good today and I need to recover. Good night world!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Day 11

We woke up early and made it to the airport just before 6am for our 7:30 flight to Madrid. We flew over some pretty amazing looking mountains! In Madrid we had a few hours before our next flight so we sat and enjoyed a delicious and really cheap (especially for an airport) breakfast. After waiting a bit to board we were finally on our way to Santiago de Compostella! When we arrived we stored everything we didn't want to hike with in Michael's suitcase and checked it into storage. Now that we all had our backpacks on we felt like hikers again! First we had to figure out which bus to take from the airport to get to the train station, remember now the language is Spanish but luckily Dina had really brushed up on her Spanish and did a great job all day long ordering train tickets and later on lunch. The train turned out to be a great idea! Actually we had to transfer and took two different trains but it was a great way to see the countryside. There was so much to look at from the really old homes and churches to the new modern buildings and homes. It was so frustrating not being able to take any pictures (the train was moving so fast that all the pictures turned out blurry). On the second train we had an entire car to ourselves and moved around to different seats depending on which side of the train had better views. We followed a river for awhile that turned into a big gorge with steep hills on either side and scattered along the steep hills were ruins and foundations from a way earlier time. By the time we got off the bus I had already fallen in love with Spain! We got off in Sarria and headed to the old monastery at the top of the hill to get our credentials (passports) and shells to hike the Camino with. The monastery is actually also an albergues (hostel for pilgrims) and we thought about staying there (because how cool would it be to stay in a momentary) but decided that maybe something smaller with less people might be better for our first night. After walking through the town up to the top we had to come halfway back down (we will have to hike back up to the top when we leave tomorrow) to find the other albergues. The first one we entered was also a restaurant so we thought it was perfect. It got even better! After paying to stay (we though above the restaurant), the owner led us down the street and around the corner to an apartment building. We have a whole apartment to ourselves and it's amazing (all for €12.50 each)! After cleaning up a bit we headed back out to find dinner and were absolutely amazed by the place we found! For €8.50 each we got wine and bread, our choice of appetizer (each), our choice of main course, and our choice of dessert. And it was all delicious! We were happy and stuffed when we left to find our way back to our home for the night.  It's way past hikers midnight (it's almost real midnight) but it feels so good to be here. I'm so excited to start the Camino tomorrow. Good night world!

Lucerne

Day 10, Lucerne, Switzerland

We woke up early this morning with a plan to hike a mountain in the Swiss Alps! We knew it might be cold so we wore our warmest clothes and packed extra layers. We headed out past Lucerne but when we got to the mountains which were impressive it quickly became obvious that we wouldn't be warm enough and we probably needed boots to trudge through the snow we could see above us. The other thing was that is was very overcast and we wouldn't get any good views or pictures today. Sadly we decided to change our plans but it turned out to be a great day! Lucerne was even more impressive than Zurich. I couldn't get over what I was seeing. If someone had taken a picture of the waterfront here with the mountains in the background and asked me where in the world I thought this was taken, there is no way I would have guessed Switzerland! Japan maybe, but not here! The town was surrounded by a wall with high turrets that we could climb up and walk along the top of the wall. Again everywhere I looked there were fascinating buildings to check out. After hanging out on top of the walk for a bit and taking lots of pictures we walked the cobblestone streets stopping at anything and everything that caught our eye. We wandered for hours! The town boasts the oldest covered bridge in Europe and it was cool! In the rafters of the roof of the bridge were painted pictures depicting another story or legend. I wish I knew what the story was about but I took as many pictures of it to ask someone later. Before we left we stopped at a chocolatier and it was so hard to only order hot chocolates, everything looked delicious and the homemade ice creams were hard to resist. We had just started driving away when the rain started - perfect timing! We all had a nap when we got back and then Dina made us an amazing spaghetti dinner with a salad. We are all just repacking our backpacks for Spain tomorrow and trying to shave ounces however we can. We aren't quite ready to turn in for the night but it will be soon. We have an early flight tomorrow. Good night world!

Zurich

Day 9 - Zurich, Switzerland

We woke up before Keith and Dina and went to the little grocery store across the street and got the basics for breakfast. Michael made everyone coffee and Dina made us an amazing breakfast. We took our time getting ready because the weather did not look co-operative. We headed to the city centre of Zurich and walked around sightseeing. One of the first places we came to was a Tesla store! I couldn't believe it! We have seen a lot of expensive cars here. Lots of Porsches and a few Ferraris and Maseratis. I love how the old and new is meshed together here. Most of my pictures had modern buildings right next to buildings from the 16th century! We pretty much just walked around in awe! It seemed like every street corner had a fancy water fountain and every door was ornately decorated.  We toured St. Peter's church which was much more modestly decorated and seemed to fit in with the architecture in the area much more naturally than the rich, gaudy churches we had seen in Germany that really stood out. What's really funny is that we later looked up the history of St. Peter's and it turns out that it had been a holy sight since at least the 8th century with a temple to Jupiter then over the centuries it was replaced by different styles of churches (a Romanesque church in 1230, a gothic style in 1460 and what we saw today was built in 1706). The church tower acted as the towns watchtower/fire tower and was checked every 15 minutes up until 1911. It also has the biggest clock face of all the churches in Europe. Then we went to Fraumunster which was a gorgeous cathedral that had been built over the remains of an 8th century women's aristocratic Abby. It was stunning. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures inside but the stained glass was like nothing I've ever seen before. The people depicted in the stained glass were very fairy like and the glass seemed tinted with fades rather than panes of solid colour. The pictures were beautiful and probably displayed a story but certainly not one that we recognized. There was also a skeleton etched into the wall. It seems like at one time skeletons were a thing in churches. I've been surprised at how many we have seen. Outside of the church there was an attached garden with beautifully painted hallways and arches that again told a story. You couldn't leave one church without without seeing something else of equal interest from the doorway. I took over a hundred pictures in just a few hours. Even the narrow alleyways were interesting! Our next stop was Grossmunster which is believed to stand over the graves of three 3rd century saints (there is an interesting but unbelievable legend about them). The church was completed in 1230 but a fire in 1763 prompted an immediate rebuild with restorations in both the 19th and 20th centuries. The church was fairly simple inside and there was a tower that could be climbed to the top for a fee. The stained glass was again very different from anything I had seen and looked almost like thin slivers of rocks but I'm sure that was the effect the artist was going for. There are amazing pictures I could post from today but instead I'm going to post a picture of the side door of Grossmunster so that you can see the intricate detail even in the side doors and you can get a vague idea of that the stained glass was like (although from inside it was stunning). After our tour of Zurich we stopped at a large supermarket that was very overwhelming (lots of people and it was hard to read in another language what we were getting) and then came back to the apartment to relax. Michael and I went out for a short walk and were surprised to find ourselves out in farmers fields within minutes. The street we are staying in seems so busy yet within steps we were in the countryside and there was no evidence whatsoever of the town. We got back just before it started to rain and we all had to don our rain gear to walk to the restaurant for dinner across the street. It was a ridiculously expensive meal but the food and company was great! We even treated ourselves to the most expensive desserts I have ever paid for but hey, we are on holiday! After dinner we pretty much just turned in for the night. Good night world! 

On to Switzerland

Day 8 Switzerland

We woke up to another feast for breakfast (thank you Tina) but then it was time to go. Tina and Mario have been amazing hosts and its too bad they couldn't joint us in Spain because hiking with them would be a lot of fun. After our goodbyes we headed towards Ludwigsburg. We were hoping to walk around the grounds of the palace there. The palace was impressive and the grounds looked amazing but the weather didn't co-operate and it didn't make any sense to pay to walk around in the pouring rain. So instead we drove to Switzerland! I think we were all just a bit disappointed when we crossed the border and weren't immediately in the Swiss Alps. We were also surprised by how expensive everything suddenly became. As soon as we crossed the border we needed to buy a sticker for the rental car that allows us to drive on highways. Oh and the gas prices skyrocketed. Later we would find toilets that cost 2 francs per use! As we drove into Bruttisellen (a small town just outside of Zurich) the roads became a nightmare. We are so used to a grid system that when we missed a turn we thought we could just take the next road and loop back around. Nope! There seems to be no rhyme or reason to these roads. After a bit of frustration we made it to our new Arbnb home. The place seems nice and has a cute balcony overlooking the street. We were so hungry when we got here but all of the restaurants close here around 2 and re-open at 5:30. Keith saved the day with his leftovers which held us over till we could go out to eat. In the meantime Dina had googled all of the local restaurants discovering how much more it cost to eat out in Switzerland. She did find a Texas Steakhouse with a cheap takeout menu. We ended up ordering a family combo with 4 burgers, 4 fries, 4 drinks and a salad. I was amazed at how big the burgers were and it only cost 43 Francs making it the cheapest meal so far. It was a bit of a nightmare getting to the restaurant and back again, I felt bad for Keith having to drive.  Back at the apartment, Michel has already met a few of the neighbours here and everyone seems friendly. He has also checked out the bakery, the butcher and the grocery store all just down the street. Although many people do speak English here everyone has understood Michael's German. 

Tina and Mario's

Day7 

This morning we woke up to a feast spread for us on the dining room table. We had a traditional European breakfast of yogurt and bread/buns with cheese and meats and honey and jams. Oh and the coffe here is so good!  After breakfast we went to the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart. I wasn't really into another car museum but this one was amazing! Way better than BMW's. It includes all of the history of transportation and had cultural information from each time period. I really liked it and laughed at the obvious misinformation we are taught in Canada. FYI Henry Ford did NOT invent the car! After the museum we stopped to get a new SD card for Michael's camera and then Tina and Mario treated us to lunch. Thanks again! By the time we got back to the apartment we were all tired but it was the perfect time to watch Tina's AT movie! It was so good! She did an amazing job of combining pictures with short videos taken all along the trail. The videos really made the difference and brought back the feeling of actually being on the trail and what it was really like. Again she could sell this. I wish my friends could see her movie because she really did capture what the trail was really like. Her soundtrack was great and she even added in a cute animated intermission. I loved it! There many places where I had taken an identical picture or realized that we had stayed at the same place in town on the same night. After reminiscing a little while longer we walked to dinner. We went to an authentic Italian restaurant and the food was so good! And so filling I couldn't even finish my plate! We had to fight to pay the bill or Mario again would have ended up treating us. I'm so glad I got to meet Tina and Mario. They are awesome hosts and have become good friends. Almost as soon as we met them we started planning a future hike together. When we got back after dinner it was sad to say goodbye to Mario (he had to leave for work before we would be up and we are planning on leaving in the morning). We are exhausted. Good night world!

Silent and Giggles!

Day 6 - Baltmannsweiler near Stuttgart

Today we packed up and left our cute little home in Munich and headed to the BMW museum. It was mostly for the guys but It was fun seeing all the old cars. Then we left town for the countryside and it was beautiful! I was a little nervous about being on the autobahn especially as the cars zoomed by but Keith is a great driver and I had nothing to worry about. In fact the autobahn seemed less stressful than the narrow streets in town. We stopped at a small town in the middle of nowhere for lunch, the food was great and about half the price we would have paid in Munich. After treating ourselves to a decadent dessert we went for a short walk down the Main Street before getting back on the autobahn and heading to a small town outside of Stuttgart to visit Tina and Mario (Silent and Giggles) who hiked the AT the same year I did and had spent time hiking with Keith and Dina. Tina and Mario live in a small town out in the countryside surrounded by cherry trees and grape fields. Their main floor apartment was gorgeous and way bigger than I had expected and had a really nice landscaped backyard. It didn't take very long before the conversation was all about hiking and reliving memories on the AT. Tina grabbed a big hard cover book and started thumbing through pages and that's when we noticed the book she had made of their hike. It was amazing! I wish I had thought of making something like it. She did a great job, she easily could sell copies and she said she had also make a 2 hour video of the AT. Of course we wanted to watch it right away but it was time to go eat. We drove to the town at the bottom of the hill and met in a modern underground parking lot. Within minutes we were walking on cobblestone and gawking at the traditional Bavarian buildings of their town centre. I took a lot of pictures! Still in the old section of town we headed up a steep hill taking a set of covered stairs. I soon was way behind everyone else (well Mario stayed behind to be nice). Up ahead Dina called down to warn me. She said "remember all those mountains with false summits, these stairs are the same." We all laughed. I wish I had thought to count the stairs but I stopped several times to take pictures of the town below and to catch my breath. When we finally got to the top we came out in a manicured park that was surrounded by castle looking walls and turrets. The place was amazing! We went up a few more stairs to end up on a terrace at the restaurant. We did have to move inside as the food was arriving though because it was just starting to rain. Oh and the food was delicious and again traditional fare! And Tina and Mario treated us to the dinner! I felt a little awkward in that we had just met them and here they were not only letting us stay at their home but also taking us out and treating us to a really nice dinner. Then I realized how awesome it is that even though we aren't on the trail I am back with my trail family and if a hiker came to visit me in my country I would want to do the same. Thank you Tina and Mario for your awesome hospitality! After dinner we took a different route through town before heading back to for a few more hours of trail talk before hitting the hay.

Palace Day!

Day 5 - Munich, Germany

Dina made us bacon and eggs this morning and it was delicious! We took our time getting ready before heading to Schlosspark Nymphenburg. I was excited to see a palace and to be honest was a little disappointed when we drove up to what looked like a box style building. It turned out to be an amazing place though and we easily could have spent more time there. The palace was built 1664-1675 and I couldn't believe how well everything had been preserved but then again it has always been in use. Today the Duke of Bavaria lives there. The palace grounds or park is 490 acres and was absolutely gorgeous. We felt like we were hiking. We were surrounded by trees and lots of birds, it made me forget I was in a city. There were so many trails we could have taken but we chose one that follows the river to the lake towards some of the other buildings on the property. The other buildings were just as interesting as the palace! The first one we saw was a summer hunting home for an Earl's wife. If it wasn't for the musty smell I would happily have moved in. It was so cool! The last building we came to was a really old church or so we thought. It was built in 1725 and designed to look like an ancient church. It was amazing how much thought had been put into it. The ceiling was made of tiny coloured pebbles and the walls had shells and what looked like birds right in the walls. We originally had planned to spent a few hours but ended up staying the whole day. I'm kind of glossing over the day because I'm so tired. We got back to the apartment and decided to do our laundry before going for dinner. Even the laundromat was interesting. When we paid at a kiosk built into the wall (kind of like an ATM) we had to choose which machine we wanted and detergent is automatically dispensed and there is just a start button on the machine that is already set to go. For dinner we went back to the same place near our apartment where we had gone the first night Keith and Dina arrived. Again the food was spectacular! I'm exhausted. Good night world!

Castle Day!

Day 4 - Munich, Germany

I woke up before anyone else but was hesitant to leave without bringing Michael who has been our translator and spokesperson. I only needed to go to the bakery and stop at the grocery store for cream and sugar. Cream by the way isn't refrigerated and comes in tiny glass bottles. I waited for Michael and we ended up buying enough for a picnic lunch for later. Today is castle day!  We headed towards the Austrian border to Neuschanstein and Hohenschuangau castles. The drive was beautiful! We couldn't believe the difference the mature trees made along the highways. We passed so many farms and they all looked neat and tidy. It felt so good and exciting to be driving towards the alps! I tried to take as many pictures as I could of the traditional Bavarian homes we passed with the mountains in the background. It's funny how many pictures I took as we approached the castles only to discard them later for better pictures taken later in the day. It's free to roam around outside of the castles but there are paid tours for inside so we bought tickets and then headed down to the lake to wait for our first tour. Everything here is picturesque. Inside the first castle (Hohenshuangau) which was built on the remains of an older 13th century castle and owned by King Maximillan 2 of Bavaria was much homier than the second castle (Neushanstein). Every room was painted a different colour and instead of tapestries the pictures were painted directly on the walls. The queen's living quarters were on one floor and the Kings the floor above. Even the kids had their own floor. It's really too bad we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the castles.  Neuschanstein which is one of King Ludwig 2's castles (son of King Maximillan) seemed too ornate in comparison. Every room had too much going on with intricate details in all of the marble and stone and tiled floors. The walls were covered in pictures. And every square inch of the place has some kind of picture or design carved or painted on it. The castle had running water, a central heating system and telephone! It was cool to see but hard to imagine ever living in a place like that. It was also a little disappointing in that we only got to tour a small part of the castle. The castle was never finished and we only saw the rooms that had been completed. After the tours we went for a ride on an extremely narrow road up a mountain and then decided to take a different route home to see more of the countryside. We came back through Austria! We parked close to the apartment but walked to a local cafe/bar for a pork and dumpling dinner. I'm not a beer drinker at all but I've enjoyed the beers I've tried here. Even though we were all exhausted we managed to stay up at least another hour in bed talking. Good night world!

Dachau

Day 3 - Munich, Germany

We woke up to Dina making us bacon and eggs for breakfast and after the second round of coffee we all started to get ready for the day. Last night we all agreed to go see the things here that were nowhere else in the world first and then add in anything else that caught our interest. Unfortunately that meant that we would be starting our vacation with a trip to Dachau Concentration Camp. I know that it's kind of a strange place to visit on holiday but to just ignore that it is here seems wrong too. We arrived and made a very brief stop at the information building deciding to just walk around and explore on our own rather than take a guided tour. I'm so glad we made that decision! It was sensory overload with the information presented to us, I can't imagine listening to someone repeat the atrocities that took place here. As we entered through the iron gate a feeling of oppression came over us. It only got worse from there but at first I tried to shrug it off and took pictures of the watch towers and surrounding buildings. Inside the main building was set up similar to a museum with information stations everywhere. Within minutes I realized that I didn't want to read all of the horrific details and soon I was just glossing over the info and taking pictures of the walls and windows (which reminded me of the old Oakridge building at work). We decided to sit and watch a documentary about Dachau. It was one of the first concentration camps built and the only one to be used all 12 years. It was very graphic and stressed that the staggering number of deaths mentioned were just the reported numbers and that the actual numbers were likely much higher. We were all silent as we walked out of the theatre and I was ready to leave. Outside Dina confided that she felt the same but we hadn't seen the bunkers yet or the crematorium ...so we continued. I didn't actually go into the crematorium but Dina said that it wasn't as bad as she had imagined and that the pictures posted on the signs were more upsetting than the sterile rooms inside. By the time we left all of the muscles on my face hurt from trying to hold the emotions in and keep a straight face.  We drove back to Munich and stopped for a bite to eat and decided to do something more cheerful. We went sightseeing! We drove as close to the city centre as possible and then walked the cobblestone streets to see the cathedrals, churches and municipal buildings. The architecture was incredible and the details amazing. I'm glad I got to see it but at the same time couldn't help but wonder about the people who actually had to pay for all of this and what their quality of life was like back then. One of the churches from the 1300's was kind of creepy and had a skeleton on display and a skull in a box as well as gold covered skeletons as decorations on the walls. We went up the tower at the municipal building though and got to see everything around for miles. That was cool! By this time we were beat and came back to the apartment for a break only to get up and go again as soon as we were hungry. We walked till we found Impler Cafe and Bar where we had a delicious  traditional Bavarian meal with a beer and strudel for dessert. We were surprised when the chef sent us a round of pear schnapps. We had a great night and now it's nearly 11 and we are all already in bed. Good night world!