Dijon, France

After spending a week back in Valencia, I decided on a whim to go to Dijon, where some friends were studying. No, I didn't try the mustard, I'm not a fan in any form, BUT I did try loads of wine, which is excellent even in the cheap form in France. Ah, cheap....France ISN'T. At all. Not even close. Even the supermarkets are ridiculously expensive. So, lesson to all my readers: If you want to go to France, you better have a trust fund that you can break into, or spend more money to get a hotel with a kitchen. Seriously. I luckily didn't have to pay for sleeping, I crashed on the dormitory floor of my friend Sam's room. Yusssssss, hard floors and cold weather. I was super comfy (and wearing about 5 sweaters). Dijon is one of the oldest cities in France, and it's obvious because the architecture is incredible. It's a really beautiful city, clean, and clearly a wealthy population. Oh yeah, and great bread, best consumed at 7am. All in all I had a great time chilling with Sam and getting to know the other students, all of which are hardcore philosophy students.





Talking about philosophy...I'm planning on minoring in philosophy, continental philosophy, because it compliments perfectly how I'm studying spanish (which is NOT just a tool for communication). Philosophy of language is incredibly fascinating and makes me think of how we see and label our world in a totally different way.

La Playa de Las Catedrales

One day while in Galicia we took a little road trip to the beach called "the cathedrals," because when it's low tide, the rocks look like little cathedrals. Bascially, mind-boggling beautiful. Don't what else to say about it other than if you ever make it to Galicia, make it here.

me taking a picture of a man taking a picture of a couple sleeping under an umbrella right next to the restaurant= hilarious irony

Lugo, Galicia

buying new clothes in the tienda china, which has the clothes of highest fashion

After the camino we spent 10 days with Maria Salvador, a friend from Earlham. Wow. What a great place to recuperate after weeks of walking, mostly because her mother fed us SO INCREDIBLY WELL. I've never been that constantly full in my life with such yummies.PAELLA MARISCO O MY GOD

We got to sleep in, read in bed (we were like starved children- finished 2 books in 10 days), and take relaxing walks around the Galician countryside, which is the most beautiful countryside in existence. Lugo is famous for it's Roman wall, which I believe is the only still complete, standing, and in great condition. We took a walk around the wall and saw all the historical roman architecture of Lugo. They have a festival in the end of June where everyone dresses up like romans (toga party!) and goof around the city. Awesome. We saw an amazing jazz trio, OAM Trio, which left us feeling high on music for a few days.

I am a galician poet

Maria and her brother, Suso, made sure I got the full 'galician experience,' which means tuté with the seniors of the village. Tuté is a card game that's a combination of euchre and pinochle, which meant that I DOMINATED. Suso and I were partners against the woman of the village that never loses. We killed. O man, wiped the board clean. The other partners were annoyed that "this foreignor came in and beat at us our game, not okay! Not OKAY!" woops....

Suso- the tuté king, and a total badass

Suso and "W"- my protectors: if anyone messes with me, I can show them this picture and say, "Hold it, you mess with me, you're messing with THEM. Whatya think now?? HUH?"

El Camino

So, as you can tell, I'm totally lacking in posts, but I've also decided not to post about the camino. I thought about it awhile, and it's just so hard to write about in a way that expresses everything I feel about it, so, if you want to hear about it, call me (when I get back in the states) or we can meet up for some yummy coffee and chitter chat. Sorry that I'm not going to post my fotos, but I will post things about Lugo!!! Coming up next...

By the way, if interested in crazy awesome food fotos and an interesting view of the world, check out Janel's website/brainchild: janeltorkington.com. It's pretty fun and awesome to read, and the pictures are nice.

El Camino/ León- San Martín del Camino: 26k

Alright, I cannot express how difficult writing about the Camino de Santiago will be, so I'll just attempt and hopefully you will be a little closer to understanding what an experience it was. Basically, anyone who reads this should just take my advice: go do it yourself. Buy a plane ticket and start walking. There's nothing more simple in the world than walking.

the cathedral of León

I did the camino with Janel, a great wonderful friend I met at Earlham, the person mejor en todo el mundo para caminar dos semanas solas y juntas, los dos al mismo tiempo. She had been living in Bangkok for 8 months, and I in Valencia, and we both thought what better way to transition to another chapter in our lives than by doing the camino, a completely liminal and transitional space, constantly moving, changing, growing.

first morning walking through the streets of León

the bridge that goes to nowhere

The first day: COLD, raining, and all on the highway, which equaled a rough start. We had a great time nevertheless because we were walking, talking, catching up after a year apart, finding our walking rhythm and the rhythm of the camino. When we made it to the albergue, the hostel only for pilgrims, we instantly took a HOT shower, put on all the clothes we own, and ate a pilgrim meal, which consisted of greasy bacon, fried eggs, and french fries. Most unhealthy meal I have EVER eaten in my life, but after walking so far and shivering the whole way, it was perfect. Afterwards, due to an intense food coma, we napped for a couple of hours, awaking to hunger, which meant going out to search for food to cook with. Dinner tonight? Japanese curry and a bottle of wine to share with other pilgrims. Success?? Hell yes. We made quite a few friends, including Marcos from Galicia and Nice and Bea from Brazil.

first albergue: Santa Ana (ironic, right?)

Marcos!

the brazilian girls!

Janel and I, ready for our second day, and you can't tell by this picture, but freezing our little butts off

Story of the day: We met an australian woman named Carol, who told us about a woman who is walking for her heart, which she just got a new one 3 years ago, and for her donor. This camino is powerful.

A Brief Interlude

Hello to all! I have finished the Camino de Santiago, having completed walking 320 kilometers in 2 weeks. On the way I met people from all around the world and engaged in myself and with others in a way never before imagined possible.  Right now I´m in Lugo, a town in the autonomia of Galicia, the north west part of Spain, with my friend Maria from Earlham and Janel.  We´ve been living up vacation to the fullest: sleeping in till noon, taking naps, reading, relaxing, and playing cards.  Soon Janel and I will be heading back to Valencia, and there I will be able to download my pictures and start posting more about the Camino and my adventures from there on out.  Hope all is well!