End of first week and days off in Bilbao

Our "gear"...2 backpacks, 4 poles

Fields of rape seed

We've survived our first week and have already walked 165K to Logrono where we will meet my brother Richard and Mei Mei who will walk with us for a week. It has been the most different week of our lives and so far we are enjoying it, though I will have to admit that it is not easy. The difference of walking with a backpack that weighs about 20 lbs with water and snacks makes it much different.

typical view...see windmills in the distance

We have experienced many different kinds of terrain and weather. We had rain, mud and heat....on different days. Each makes for a little slower going. I will let the pictures and captions tell the story. There are many, but I have heard from so many of you that you like the pictures best and I love them all so enjoy. The scenery is absolutely magnificent which makes walking much more fun. We have heard that this will not always be true.

at the top of a hill....sculptures mae of metal
of peregrinos or pilgrims

We take each day as it comes and I am learning to plan less and to trust that everything will always work out OK. The saying goes...."the Camino will provide" and this seems to be true everyday.

Richard has had two blisters on the back of his feet due to poorly fitting socks and I had a few days of sore shins...I guess from backpack and long walking. I had a very wierd accident one night...probably the first on the camino. I was reaching for my light which I had in my shoe in a room of just the two of us and the next thing I knew I was head first hitting my head on the tiled floor. I scraped both of my hands and have a big bump on my head and had one day of very sore neck but am fine to tell the story. I was so scared when it happened realizing how bad the story could have been so I thanked the powers that are for my luck. I was knotted up in my silk sleep sheet and sleeping bag. My lesson is to use either one or the other. They are both so slippery and I guess I just slide out of bed. Thankfully I was on the bottom bunk. I have a pretty strong rule and this is that I will stay anywhere as long as I am in the bottom bunk. No top for me. The other day we were in a hostal with 3 tiers!

In one of the many small villages

Puenta la Reina - early in the morning

fields of poppies dot the landscape

View of a village ahead. Typical scene

Snails walking the same pace as this pilgrim

Little alters everywhere. Not sure why the
shoe was left. Probably a tired pilgrim

Now we are in wine country

A bit about the food....Spain is no place for vegans or vegetarians. I am keeping note of what we are eating so that I can write about it for the veg world....so far so good as long as we find albergues with kitchens. I have cooked quite a few nights and I take a few leftovers for lunch or eat nuts and loads of fruit. It is easy to buy fresh fruit and vegetables in each of the small villages but the restaurants do not seem to like to cook them!

me eating a baggie of lentils from the night before

Sandwich made by pilgrims we passed on the  way

my feet and the mud

A fountain with wine for all pilgrims

Our room of 5 one night

Early morning leaving Villamajor de Monjardin

the moon in the morning

I am always by my side

I  was who you are, you will be what I am...
a sign outside a cemetery

Friends relaxing in Viana

Mary Magdalene in Viana

old marker for the Camino

Casco Viejo - old part of Bilbao

We traveled on Saturday from Logrono to Bilbao after walking 10k early in the morning. This is an incredibly beautiful city which has become very well known for the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank O.Gehry. It is very hard to capture the city in pictures but you will see some of the many that I have taken.
We also visited a Basque history museum and the Bellas Artes Art Museum. Many for one day but since we are only here for a short time we do not want to miss these great museums.

The city is very lively this Sunday as everyday in Spain. All the big and small places, however, close up for siesta everyday from 2 to 4 or 5 and then reopen again in the evening.

Sunday morning in Bilbao

Walking bridge in Bilbao

The Guggenheim Museum

Outside the Guggenheim

So friends, I look forward to telling you more as we travel together with Rich and Mei Mei. Hope all are well and we love hearing from you and will carry you with us on our travels. Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers and children. We miss our mothers on this special day and every day.

Buen Camino

In Boston ready to leave for the airport

Our Camino has begun. We arrived in Spain on Wednesday and took a train to Pamplona for the first night. So far Spain is beautiful and the people are very friendly. It is a little hard to understand their spanish when they speak quickly but we are getting more used to it each day. Then we took a cab to Roncesvalles on Thursday and began walking a short way that day to get the ¨feel¨of the Camino.

At the beginning...from Roncesvalles only 790 K (a little under 500 miles)

I will write a few thoughts of travels along the way. Mostly I am writing so that I remember what we have done as each place becomes a memory as we enter the new town, alberque, day. The pictures will give you all a feel of what we are doing and more will come for sure.

Before I go too far...I want to thank a few very important people who have helped to get us to this spot. First there is Carolyn Patten who came up, along with me, of this idea to do the Camino several years ago. Then our friends in SMA; Meredith and Jerry helped us plan as they did it 2 years ago. They were instrumental in our training and packing as well as purchasing items. As far as physical strength and stamina...thanks go to Jill Gottlieb who helped both of us to train while we were in SMA and Mari Osa who gave me private pilates classes. (I am trying to power from my core). I am sure this training helped but I must admit after 3 days we do have some sore spots!  Rosey and Allan lent us their walking poles which seem to be very important as well to save our knees and our strength. Andrea spent several days walking with us in SMA.  Lastly...thanks go to ALL of you for being so supportive of our plans and to listening to us endlessly as we planned this trip. We are carrying all of you with us along the trip in our hearts.

One of the many beautiful scenes along the way

Pamplona...where we arrived and then where
we are now, Satuday after walking here

Hostal Hemingway - in Pamplona

Little village along the way

Hostal for our first night

• Planning was important but living in the moment is even more important. We are never really sure what the day will bring and are staying open to the Camino providing whatever we need.
• Got our credentials (like a National Park passport book) and we get a stamp at every hostal or alberque that we stay at. If you know me well, you know that this is a very important moment each day.
• Trying to learn the Lord´s prayer in Spanish as well as the new version of this prayer sent to me by my sister, Nancy.
• Beautiful lilacs along the camino make me happy.
• Fun to talk on skype....we have wifi in most places. Our iTouch is very important to us.
• A new German lady that we met  calls me ¨Frau Vogel¨
• Met a woman who has already walked 9 weeks from Holland and will go to Santiago. Her husband died in 2010 and she is carrying him with her.
• An angel peregrino Derek seems to appear and give us advice when we need it. We did not see him today, though. People go at their own pace so sometimes are behind and sometimes ahead.
• Sleeping with others has ups and downs....great camraderie but also a concert of snoring and other rustling at night. The older ones (us) get us early and the young ones like to sleep a bit later, but also come in later at night. We have not stayed at any big alberques yet. We will, but not sure when or where.

amazing scenery every almost every step

muddy shoes at Alberque in Zubiri

today along the river

The Scallop shell denotes that we
are pilgrims (peregrinos)

Pizza after walking many kilometers.
I will talk about the food at another date

So, that is enough for our first few days. We will keep you posted. If you have any particular questions, please email me. Thanks for ¨walking¨ with us in spirit. Love from the two of us.

The sign for the camino - always
appears when a choice for walking
needs to be made.

Sometimes the villages are visible from afar

April in the USA - we have spent the last month in the USA visiting friends and family.

Getting ready for the Camino -
hiking in Asheville, NC

We have spent the last month in the USA visiting friends and family. Here are pictures of some of our spots and some of our friends. My apologies to those who I missed. First we stayed with Gordon and Faye, and then with Rosey and a side trip to Asheville with Rosey and Allan.

Rosey and Allan in Asheville

The 2wo "Graybeards"

Joanna and Sophia

From NC we headed to Long Island to visit Richard's niece Joanna and Stephan with their two kids - Julian (almost 3) and Sophia who was born 2 mos ago on Richard's birthday. Fond memories of being in Mexico when we heard the news. They are busy with their family and their 4 stores - just opened a new one in Stonybrook, Long Island, NY. It was fun to be a part of their lives for several days. Got a chance to act like a "grandma" with Mr. Glasses.

Julian

Mr. Glasses with the family

Sophia

At "Mint" in Mattituck, LI. The store owned by
 Joanna and Stephan (Richard's niece)

Mint

Herman - my cousin who will
be 100 years young in December

The living room where we are
in Boston - Joan and Ray's home

 We spent a day in NYC and got a chance to visit with Herman, my grandmother's first cousin who will turn 100 this year. He is so interesting and still lives alone in NYC and is able to enjoy life to the fullest - walking every day (maybe his clue to longevity).

 Now we are in Boston - first a few days with Rich and Mei Mei and now at our friends Joan & Ray's beautiful home overlooking Boston Harbor. It will be quite a contrast, I am sure, to the upcoming days in Spain in hostals along the Camino de Santiago.

The view of our building from the outside -
see the angular windows

My brother Richard as the FBI agent in a play -
"You can't take it with you"

Lunch in Boston with Nancy and Gary

I love the angular designs of the buildings
here in Boston.

 We are chomping at the bit to get on our way to Spain and see what the next adventure holds for us. We hope to be able to stay in touch with all of you and where there is wifi, I will send pictures and hopefully a few words of our travels.

Named "Warren Hardy Spanish School" Student of the Year 2012

SUSAN NEULIST  WARREN HARDY SPANISH STUDENT OF THE YEAR – 2012

 “Most people dream of being able to speak Spanish but never get beyond the dream. There are a few who do the work and learn to get by pretty well, and then there is Susan Neulist. When I sat down to interview her for Student of the Year, we were spontaneously joined at our table by a woman from Mexico. For a few minutes we enjoyed cordial conversation.  I didn’t realize that Susan was even speaking Spanish until several minutes into our conversation. She was very engaged with our Mexican friend and for a few minutes I got to watch one of my level 1 students speak Spanish comfortably and almost flawlessly.  My thought was, “Yes, this woman definitely deserves to be “The Warren Hardy Student of the Year.”  So here she is, friends.  Susan Neulist has walked the walk and accomplished the dream. Please, be inspired by the story of how a 65 year young woman went from no Spanish to very fluid Spanish in just two years.” Warren Hardy

1.Tell me a little about your personal history.

I  am an artist and office administrator who with my husband fell in love with San Miguel in 2000. We returned many times, first two weeks, then three, then a few one and two month visits until our retirement. I didn’t speak a word of Spanish until I was 63 years of age. Two years ago I decided to dedicate myself to Spanish.

 2. Tell me about your language journey.

I started at Warren Hardy (www.warrenhardy.com) because I felt that his program would give me a good start. I stayed because I was empowered with the small successes at each Level. I will admit that there were times when I was very frustrated and thought that I would never be able to remember irregular verbs or even use them. The teachers are awesome and always patient and I enjoyed the partner concept as it worked well for me. Having assigned homework helped me and taking the necessary time between classes to do my homework helped to reinforce the classes.

I did repeat one or two of the classes when I felt it necessary. I was motivated because I wanted to devote 2 years of time to the process and see if I could do the four Levels as well as an immersion during this time. I took Levels 1-4 as well as The Soap Opera of Carolina, Storytelling and Intermediate Conversation.

3. Where else did you study?

After I finished the 4 levels at WHS  we began our immersion programs. Our first visit was to Cuenca, Ecuador in early 2011 and then followed that with 4 months in South America at the end of 2011 (2 months back in Ecuador and then 2 months in Peru).

We chose these countries because we wanted to visit them, heard about Spanish schools there and also heard that the Spanish was similar in sound to that in Mexico. We had heard about Cuenca from several friends in SMA who had been there so that was our first stop. We went to a Spanish school 4 hours/day (www.amauta.edu.ec) and lived with two separate families so that I would have to use my Spanish to communicate. It worked out well (though a bit odd for us). We were able to meet every morning as our houses were near to each other and we walked to and from school together. We even had a few “sleep over weekends” at my house! It was a fantastic experience and we recommend this beautiful colonial city to all.

 In Sept. 2011 we returned to Cuenca, again to Amauta and both lived with my original host family. While in Ecuador we were able to travel around and learn so much of the history and the people, and of course, continue our Spanish communications.

We were really happy with our choice of Ecuador as the first stop, and of Cuenca as a great place to settle into. The people are very friendly and the food is great (and extremely reasonable at $2.50 for an almuerzo - complete midday meal). As vegetarians we found loads of delicious meals with many that we had not tried before. The city is so green with one main and 3 other rivers running through town. The fact that we were so close to a big national park (Parque National Cajas) was great for weekend outings and hiking. We were pleased with the choice of a school as the one-on-one teaching was excellent for our level as well as other levels and their weekly activities were also good. There are many museums and cultural activities in Cuenca as well. We also visited Vilcambamba, Alausi, Banos, Quito, Mindo and Otavalo. Each part of Ecuador offers different visual and cultural experiences. We plan to return to Ecuador as we miss our friends and the culture.  We felt very safe there.  

In November 2011 we headed (via several places along the way) to Cusco, Peru and once again attended language school (http://www.centrotinku.com/). Though we were only going to spend one month, we ended up spending two months in a small apartment and meeting many wonderful people – both travelers from other countries as well as local Peruvians. We loved the Sacred Valley and the history and of course, the people of Peru.

 4. Why was total immersion important?

 I love San Miguel but it is very hard to stay in Spanish all the time. We have so many great expat friends and we always revert to English. I think that it is really important to be with people who don’t speak English and be forced to speak Spanish.

 5 .What suggestions would you give to someone learning Spanish?

 First of all I would say to “jump in” and try! That will build the confidence to go on. Secondly I would say to “talk” once you have enough grammar to begin talking.  I think that we all try too hard to be perfect in our speech and waiting until our Spanish is perfect could be a long wait. The best advice I can give is just to speak and not worry all the time about mistakes.

6. What are the rewards?

 The big reward for me is the ability to really feel a part of a Latin American experience by making friends in Mexico, Ecuador and Peru. One of the highlights of traveling in Spanish speaking countries is being able to share the culture with the people. The fact that I can communicate with people wherever I go makes the travel even better. It is a real sense of freedom.

Another reward is the confidence and empowerment of getting older and knowing that I can challenge myself and accomplish new things. Right now we have a new challenge! We are going to walk the Camino de Santiago (500 miles) in Northern Spain in May and June of this year (2012). This is both a physical and mental challenge. Being in Spain will give us more chances to continue our path of improving our Spanish.

 7. Describe your journey.

The journey was a challenge. I am a focused person and once I decided to dedicate some time to the process, then things began to come together for me. I won’t say it was easy, and I still feel that I am on the road to improving my Spanish, but I would like to tell everyone that it IS possible and that if I can learn a language in my mid 60’s then anyone else can do it as well. Just put one foot in front of the other, or maybe one word behind the next and it will happen. Don’t give up, especially if you have already begun. If you have not begun your study of language….there is no time like the present!

I would be happy to talk with anyone who wants to travel to any of these wonderful countries as well as to enthusiastically support anyone who is traveling the language path.