Hello!!

I have neglected my blog for way too long.

Today is a windy but sunny day in Vancouver.  On my way to work this morning I noticed some young women lining the steps at the back of the Vancouver Art Gallery  http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/ with white cowboy hats.  Hmm - what could that possibly mean.  First thing that came to mind was the Calgary Stampede in Calgary Alberta held every July - http://www.calgarystampede.com/ and then I thought of the Cloverdale Rodeo that is held here in the lowermainland every May http://www.cloverdalerodeo.com/

So when I went out at lunchtime, I thought I would check it out.  There were a number of people hanging around and then I saw some gals in white cowboy hats who were handing out wrist bands.  They were giving away an all paid trip for two to the Calgary Stampede that would include a Garth Brooks concert, dinner, chuckwagon races and more.  So I got in line with the rest of the cowboys and cowgirls.  We all had to stand beside a hat and when announced, very civil like, we each reached down to pick up our hat to see if the red envelope containing the prize was under it or not.  Nope - not for me, but we all got to keep our white Stampede Smithbilt Hats in honour of the Stampede's 100th anniversary.

I will post a picture of the hats on the steps of the Gallery once one hits the news.

Here's exactly what my hat looks like.  How cool is that!!




The Art Gallery steps get used for many things.  Each year on December 6th a Shoe Memorial is setup. http://shoememorial.com/locations/vancouver/  It honours women who have lost their life through violence and seeks to educate the public at large about violence.

Here is what the steps looked like on one of these occasions.  I placed one of my pairs of shoes here too as did my work colleague Ellen.



Much love to all

Naomi

Alabama - Alabama Christmas Volume 2

I am listening to Christmas music.  I know, it is only November 20th, but I am in the  middle of organizing a Christmas Event and so I thought I should really get in the mood!!

Deanna told me she already has her home decorated for the holidays as do a few other people I know.  So maybe, I am just keeping step with the rest.  Whatever the reason, it really doesn't matter as long as I am enjoying it, which I am.

Barcelona to Vancouver

Home!!  More to come later once I get settled.

xxoo Naomi

Granada

After two days of driving thanks to Kia, we have traveled from the uppermost northwest corner of Spain diagonally across the country to the south eastern part about an hour or so drive from the Mediterranean Sea.  Our hotel, the Alhambra Palace Hotel sits atop the hill overlooking all of Granada.  The view is stunningly spectacular as was the sunset last night.

Today we take a tour of Alhambra itself, the huge fortress and grounds that sit just a little way further up the hill from our hotel.  Parts of this date back to the 13th century and have seen many changes throughout the time.  Later on we will go down into Granada to visit the old part of town.

As we travelled across northern Spain, partly by foot and partly by bus and then on our drive south, we watched the terrain change, the vegetation, the crops, the colour of the soil and the architecture.  Oh, yes, the food seems to have changed too.  We actually had vegetables for lunch yesterday, a most welcome change from the not so great food in the north where the veggies are mostly of the frozen variety if they exist at all.

The area we are in now is very much influenced by Arabian culture as evidenced by the architecture, the signage and I´m sure once we get down into the town later on today, the food and things for sale will be as well.

As I looked out our window this morning, I could see some workmen below working on an archaeological dig, some on their knees and some bent over with wide brushes sweeping the dirt away from the spots they are working on.  So cool.

We have loved every moment here in Spain, even the painful ones!  Ha!

Off to breakfast and the Alhambra.

Love and blessings to you all,

xxoo Naomi and Kia

Arrival in Santiago de Compostela

We arrived at our destination at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela this morning.  Such an amazing journey with promises of more to come.  I don´t really have the words to describe the last three weeks, so much emotion and healing to integrate.  We shared the Camino with some beautiful people that will be lifelong friends.  Their friendship has been a blessing.

The blisters will heal and the fatigue will pass and I would do it all over again.

We began in Pamplona with a Medieval Festival and we end our Camino here in Santiago with a Medieval Festival.  Full circle!

Tomorrow morning we make our way south to Andalusa and the next stage of our time in Spain.  We will drive through Madrid and on to Granada and Alhambra.  So excited.

Much love to all,

Blessings  xxoo Naomi and Kia

Arzua

Hola,

Today we climbed the hill from Melide.  Often the path takes us up and across and then up and across.  But, not today it took us up, up and up a steep unrelenting grade.  We are pooped tonight and it is about 10 degrees warmer than it was yesterday putting the temperature in the high 20´s today.  We are in the last biggish town before we get into Santiago.  So that means we have stocked up on supplies from the Farmacia and the grocery store.  Food in northern Spain remains a bit of a challenge, but we have our croissant and cheese routine to go with our museli and yogurt supplemented by bananas, KitKats and Lays Artesiana chips not to mention the daily cup or two of te con leche.  Sorry for the lack of accents on the Spanish words, this is a different keyboard once again and I cannot figure out the code for the accents.  We had Ensalada Rus, Russian salad, for dinner tonight.  It really was only potato salad made with frozen veggies and tuna, however, we are not starving and can only laugh at times.

There has been much to see along the way and we are loving our Camino.  It has brought some delightful sights and sounds and people.  We have met a couple from Malaga, Spain and a fellow from Valencia and although we don´t usually walk together in the daytime, we have been meeting up most afternoons or evenings.  It is likely that our arrival in Santiago will be pretty much at the same time.

Today, we noticed that the cows and sheep and the farms in general are much cleaner that a few days ago.  The sweet smell of cow dung is sweeter and gentler to the senses.

There are many planted groves of eucalyptus trees and today I was actually able to smell them.  By the time I reach Santiago, I should be in tip top shape and feeling like my old self.  Kia´s latest blister is so much better too. The eucalyptus is planted for the local pulp industry.

Tomorrow, we walk about 13k or so to Salceda where we have reservations at a place that is not even in our guide book. One of our Camino friends gave us the phone number and an overnight stop there will make our next day an easier one.

Good night all, this may be the last post before reaching Santiago on Friday.

Love and Blessings from the Camino,

xxoo Naomi and Kia

Palas de Rei

Hello from Palas de Rei.

Short post today, as mass in the church up on the hill is at 8:00 pm.  A day filled with a lot of ease despite Kia's affliction with another nasty blister.  Not as bad as the BIG one, but needing TLC just the same.  A cool day in the high teens and a mostly overcast sky helped a lot too.  Some hills, but nothing too too challenging.  We are recovery from some pretty harsh energy the last couple of days.  It has left us pretty exhausted.

We passed through some pretty dark woods yesterday and even Julia wasn't willing to prance along in front of me.  She rode my right boot most of the way.  Sophia would appear, but she set down very lightly and barely even folded her wings before she once again took flight.  Nice to have their company along the way.

There are some really interesting people walking along the Camino.  We have made connections with some of them and others offer us gifts we could only find here.

We have managed to consistently source out good spaces for overnight accomodation.  Last night we were in a tiny little hamlet called Ventras de Norán at a newly renovated albergue with a few more private rooms in a separate brand new bulding.  There were three double rooms with a shared bath, very clean and hospitable in the separate building.  When we asked for the separate room with bath, our host responded with "Dos?  Matrimonial?"  We responded with "Si, matrimonial"  and cracked up laughing later.

Kia pretty much has the food down to a fine art, making sure we get all the food groups daily.  She is big on fiber for a morning starter with muesli and yogurt and I am grateful!  It continues to be challenging to be a vegetarian in a carné eating environment, but we do manage with tuna readily available.

Oh - and just before I go, Kia wants it known how she conquers the flies I mentioned in the last post.  She puts on every layer of clothing she owns, tucks her pants into her socks, puts her hat on her head and pulls it down over her ears, pulls her hood up overtop,  zips everything up as far as it will go, schrunches her hands up into her sleeves, crawls into bed and pulls the covers up as far as they will go and covers her face with the sheet and goes to sleep.  Works everytime!!

Thanks for all the comments - much appreciated.  Adios amigos.

Love and blessings,

xxoo Naomi and Kia