Arrival!

Posted on October 1, 2022November 5, 2022 by Pete Schloss

September 30, 2022. At Lisbon, Portugal

Dear Christine.

Yesterday’s parting was painful! Layer upon layer of longing, uncertainty, and anxiety. Thankfully, the flight was without incident, save for a bit of turbulence over the Atlantic. I have lost count of the number of flights that I’ve taken, yet there remains for me something magical in seeing the Earth, it’s places, and it’s people reduced to specks and points of light.

Unlike past flights crossing “the pond“ I slept most of the way thanks to earplugs and an eye mask. Of course, not having you to talk with might have had something to do with it.

Departure from Boston was 11:30 PM eastern time, and we arrived in Lisbon at 10:30 AM. I am 6 time zones from you. About an hour before boarding I happened to look at Facebook and saw that Garry and Kathleen Clifford were at the Boston airport boarding a plane for their home in Glasgow Scotland, via Dublin. They were in the same terminal! Garry reached out today and expressed his regret that we had missed meeting. Perhaps next spring when you and I are walking Hadrian’s Wall in England we can connect. Glasgow is only about a 90 minute drive to the north.

Lisbon airport was extremely busy, but very well organized. I was in a line for a taxi that stretched at least 200 feet yet it only took me about 10 minutes to get a cab. €23 and 15 minutes saw me to the door of my hostel, The Living Lounge.

It is located in the heart of the old city, just a couple of blocks from the waterfront and grand Plaza. My room is simple, the bathroom is down the hall, but it served up a “full-bore” hot water shower that was most welcome after hours in a crowded plane.

The lobby/lounge area is charming and they feature a multi-course dinner every evening for only €15. I signed up for tonight.

I repacked my backpack and in spite of it weighing 25 pounds it is well-balanced and not “overstuffed“. Part of that weight consists of the electronics and camera stuff that allow me to make these posts. It is likely that I will be transporting my pack over the course of at least part of the Camino. I don’t feel compelled to carry it “every step of the way“… Been there and done that.

I’m certain that once you see these pictures of the Plaza, Cathedral, and street scenes in the vicinity, you will remember our visit here in 2018. I really think that we should plan a trip to Lisbon and spend not less than a week here before heading elsewhere.

The weather is spectacular today and the waterfront beautiful. Sailboats, tourists, the 100+ year old trolleys, street performers, and even a random submarine!

I climbed to the top of the main monument and was rewarded with a panoramic view. I even got to see the workmen servicing the clock tower mechanism.

I stopped in a shop and took away a “Bacalhau”. It’s kind of a fried ball-like sandwich made from dried salted cod, cheese, and other ingredients. It’s the only real meal I’ve had yet today but it was wonderful! You would’ve hated it.

Language has not been a problem. I spent most of the afternoon wandering about and I have yet to really “connect“ with anyone. Our “sister”, Kris, flew into Porto today and has booked an apartment in the vicinity of my accommodations. In spite of the fact that she has been hiking England, Scotland, and France over the past 3 months, she says she’s not yet ready to return to Denver. We’re going to talk on Sunday about whether she might accompany me on part or all of my walk. She has a friend who lives on the coast of Spain and she may elect to stay there. This has got to be at least the 10th Camino for Kris. She has forwarded me a list of lodgings on the trail that she has stayed at in the past, both recommended and to be avoided.

I made it to the 12th Century Cathedral and secured my credential, complete with a stamp for Lisbon. I lit a candle (the lowest on the right), said a prayer… and then quickly ducked to avoid any random lightning strikes. None came.

Dinner was wonderful! I shared table with five other people, three young ladies from Italy, and two gentlemen, one a German/Italian and the other (seated to my right) a Brazilian environment scientist now living in the Czech Republic. €15 bought each of us a home-cooked Portuguese feast. I think you would’ve probably passed on the salt fish. Both gentlemen spoke fluent German so I got a little practice in.

Beyond breakfast at the hostel I don’t have any real plan for tomorrow other than to wander the streets of this wonderful city. Until then, Sleep well!

Love You, Me.

PS. Many of you who are reading “over our shoulders” know that Kris has been a part of our history for over nine years. For those who do not: We met Kris in Spain while walking the Camino in 2013. She joined us for the last five days and a deep friendship then took root. Kris and her husband, Dennis, have been guests in our home, and we have been guests in their home. In 2018 while Christine and I were in the Netherlands, Kris and Dennis were hiking cliff trails on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. It was there that Dennis tragically fell from the trail, plunging to his death on the shore below.

In 2019 Kris spent a week with us aboard the canal boat we piloted in England, and she plans to reprise that with us in 2023. She has indeed become “our sister”.

Departure

Posted on September 30, 2022September 30, 2022 by Pete Schloss

September 28, 2022, at Kansas City

Dear Christine,

I am one hour from my 24 hour online check-in with Delta. Departure for the first leg of my trip is tomorrow, but I am timing this letter to arrive in your email-box while I am somewhere over the Atlantic and well on my way to Lisbon.

At this moment I am a torrent of emotions; anxiety, excitement, anticipation… I apologize if I have been shorts with you as this day drew nearer. I’ve imperfectly tried to suppress my tendency to become annoying at partings. You have known this in me for over 48 years, and to your credit you accept this as what conspires to define “me”.

Talking to you this way feels odd, but also familiar. I had forgotten that 47 years ago I sent you daily letters while I was off solo camping and backpacking in Colorado. You gave me another new insight into our history when you revealed yesterday that you still have those letters. Someday I will have to see what the 23 year old me revealed to you. I don’t think we have ever since shared in writing our thoughts to each other.

35 days is not so long to be apart, yet today it looms before me like an impenetrable wall of time. I need to focus on the moment and not “count the days”. I need to embrace my journey and not my destination.

I promise that I will listen to my body. I will also listen to my spirit. I will be open to taking alternate paths, making decisions in the context of the day and not be driven by my expectations. Although I have largely abandoned the practice of religion, I intend to use my faith roots as the language to embrace and appreciate the centuries of worshipers and places of worship that my footsteps will mirror.

I already miss you, even though you are at the other end of the house, not knowing that I am “speaking to you” now with my fingers. My bag is packed and remains heavier than I would like. So it is with my heart. Perhaps the later will ease a bit when I land and become preoccupied with adapting to Portugal.

Love to you, our children, and our grandchildren. Peter

Letters Home

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Pete Schloss

September 24, 2022 at Kansas City

In 5 days I depart for Portugal and Spain to pursue my third hike on the Camino de Santiago. This time feels different, understandable because it is. Christine will not be with me, I’m 70 years old (instead of 60 and 65 as when I departed on the first 2 Caminos), it is fall rather than the spring, Europe is just emerging from the COVID lockdowns, and there are other distinctions. Apprehension plays an emotional part.

My pack is 95% made but annoyingly heavy at just over 20 pounds. Today I will try and better discern what in my pack is necessary and what is “just in case” which should be excluded. Portugal and Spain are not third world countries. What needs may arise can be met there at stores, shops, and pharmacies.

Over the last month I have hiked nearly every day between 5 and 7 miles in preparation for the 10-15 miles I expect to cover overseas. The last few days these hikes have been with my pack. As a result my back is “talking to me” upon awakening in the morning. Ibuprofen helps.

It remains my intention to share my experiences in posts and pictures, however I have mused that I might approach it differently this time. Since Christine will not be with me until early November when we meet in Barcelona I knew I would be sending her daily updates. It occurred to me that I might “kill two birds with one stone” and write my posts as open letters to her. I ran this by her and shared the idea with a few friends. The reception by friends has been positive. Christine approves and has even proposed that I include portions of her emails to me, with some posts taking the form of a dialogue.

One friend pointed out that Ken Burns’ documentary series on the American Civil War featured readings from letters exchanged between soldiers and their spouses. The deeper insights these letters provided illuminated not only the events but the impact of those events upon the lives of the authors. Of course, those letters were written without the knowledge that they would be shared more than a century later.

Christine and I will share our experience and our deeper feelings with you. What that will look like, and how it plays out remain to be seen.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Most of you receive alerts to my posts by email. Some of you read these posts when I share them on Facebook. I have found that Facebook does not always include them on everyone’s feed. If you wish to receive an email link from me when a post is published then please let me know and I will add you to my list. Pete

Is It an Adventure?

Posted on September 11, 2022September 11, 2022 by Pete Schloss

September 11, 2022.

18 days and counting to my departure for Portugal. This will be my third hike to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, this time on the Portuguese coastal route. If all goes well I will hike from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago and then continue to the Atlantic coastal villages of Finisterre and Muxia before returning to Santiago. Over the course of 35 days I intend to cover about 300 miles on foot.

From Santiago I will travel to Barcelona to meet Christine in early November. Whether I transit Spain to meet her by train, plane, or bus is as yet undecided. From Barcelona we will travel aboard a Viking cruise ship to northern and western Africa, cross the Atlantic, and make ports-of-call in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.

Our homecoming in Kansas City is scheduled for early December.

What, if any of this, is an adventure? What is “an adventure”? These are questions that have been running through my mind recently.

The term “adventure” is often casually thrown around to describe any number of activities. These can include everything from cross-continent travel by bicycle to a weekend outing with the family; from blue-water ocean sailing to kayaking on a small placid lake. So what qualifies anything as “an adventure”?

First of all, there can be no adventure without the participation of the “adventurer”. Adventures are measured in the context of the participant.

Walking to the mailbox is hardly an adventure, unless the person is near 100 years old, with failing balance, and dependent upon the use of a walker. My now deceased father-in-law who very nearly made it to 102, embarked upon an adventure every time he stepped out of his home.

Adventures are things typically out of the ordinary. They present aspects of risk, challenge, and uncertainty.

So, is my forthcoming venture, an “adventure”?

First of all, my travel itinerary is not so unusual for me. What is unusual is that I am proceeding solo, Christine will not be at my side. With the exception of a few short camping trips and 4 Atlantic Ocean sailing passages, we have traveled nearly 50 years together and shared our “adventures” in lockstep.

Second. I’m 70 years old. While I enjoy good health and vigor for my age, I do suffer from some conditions that raise the specter of risk, challenge, and uncertainty. Of course there are the typical age related eye and hearing issues, the morning aches that work out quickly, and balance that is not what it once was. What conjures a measure of anxiety for me are two other conditions.

Since childhood I have exhibited tremors diagnosed as Familial Essential Tremors. “Familial” in that I inherited the condition from my mother, a life-long sufferer, “essential” in that it is idiopathic with no external cause, and “tremor” which describes the uncontrollable shaking that occurs when attempting a task. It is the most common motion disorder known to medicine, with about 10% of the population exhibiting symptoms to some extent. For most people it does not impact daily life. I am not most people.

Over the last decade my “shakes” have become progressively worse. I have difficulty writing. Putting a key in a lock requires two hands, as does holding a cup or glass without spilling. I am confronted hundreds of times each day by the impact ET has upon routine tasks. I have been fortunate that Christine always helps, but she won’t be there to bail me out when I have to carry a plate of food across the room or pass the bread and butter to others sharing my table. Her absence certainly makes the coming trip more “adventurous”.

Last year I tripped one night in the dark while camping. I recovered my balance without falling to the ground, but in the process severely strained my right knee. It has not been the same ever since.

Three weeks ago while doing a 5 mile training hike in Kansas City my knee briefly locked up. I had to call Christine to pick me up. Elevating the leg and applying ice with gentle range of motion exercises brought relief, but residual pain and swelling sent me to an orthopedist. An MRI was conducted with the results, “…a complex radial and horizontal tear… of the medial meniscus… displaced meniscal fragment…”. There was more, but you get the point. I am scheduled for surgery in mid-December.

I have continued my daily training walks of 5-7 miles without further incident, but that one experience three weeks ago gives me pause. Christine will not be a phone call away should I be unable to hike.

Risk, challenge, uncertainty. These things will all be present in ways that are unusual for me. Yes, this is an adventure and I face it by choice. I’ve been asked “Why” to which I reply, “Don’t put off until tomorrow the things you may then find you are unable to do.” I will soon find out if I am unable to do this.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. We each share in common the two greatest adventures. One begins with the first breath we take, and the second begins with the last.

Zip Lining in Ottawa, Canada.

Posted on August 6, 2022August 6, 2022 by Pete Schloss

August 6, 2022.

We are back on the road to Kansas City after spending 2 wonderful nights in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city. We spent this time visiting our dear friends, Tom Shillington and Nanci Burns.

We first met them in 2018 while hiking the Camino in Portugal

and they then joined us piloting a canal boat in England in 2019.

Tom and I both turned 70 this last spring. In honor of our milestones Tom bought tickets for us to zip-line 1,200 feet across the Ottawa River, crossing the provincial line from Quebec to Ontario.