Travels with a Humble Narcissist

What makes a place “vibrant”? Is it the sheer number of stores or restaurants? Is it an amazing nightclub scene? Is it buskers playing “Stairway to Heaven” on an accordion or a string quartet in tuxes set up on stools on a busy corner? I’m not sure, but ultimately, I believe it is the number…

The NZ couple I met recently gave me a new phrase to use. They called it “ABC.” ABC = Another Bloody Cathedral At some point, you just can’t tour another cathedral. There are so many. The one above is in the City of Toledo. People were living in thatched huts burning cow dung for heat…

After finishing walking the Camino, I decided to go on a bike trip through northern Spain. Why? Who knows. I had no plan. So I flew to Bilbao. You know of Guggenheim museum fame. Honestly, the building didn’t do much for me. I’m sure some would think I don’t get it. They are right. The…

Eating in Spain is. . . interesting. First, lunch doesn’t start until around 2 pm and dinner around 8 pm. What is a hungry American to do? Eat pintxos (aka tapas). They are about the same thing, but in northern Spain, pintxos have a bread base. Most bars offer a selection of pintxos during the…

Can the sky ever be too blue? My trip so far has been blessed with amazing weather. Sunny days. Cool evenings. Shorts and sweatshirt weather. Much like early fall in the Mid-Atlantic. I’m riding an ebike through northern Spain. The architecture and typography remind me of California with the tan stone haciendas, big brown hills,…

The term “Continental Breakfast” is an abomination. Where do I start? First, a general declaration that no country in Europe knows how to make breakfast. Ireland & England make the best go at it, but they serve baked beans (blah!) and something called “blood pudding” with their full breakfast. A primer on how to make…

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela holds Mass twice a day for all of the Pilgrims streaming in from the Camino. I have not seen a church in Europe this packed since Easter at Notre Dame. On special occasions, they will swing the Botafumeiro (incense burner) on a large rope through the massive cathedral. It…

2 years of planning. 14 days of walking. 265 kilometers of trails, boardwalks, cobblestones, gravel roads, switchbacks, highways, and flagstone paths. The weather was wonderful from start to finish. Glad I did it. Glad it’s done. The most inspiring part was seeing all of the other people on the Way. Many who you would never…

Oh empty glass Sitting quiet and alone You seem so sad Oh empty glass Oh, empty glass If only a nice waiter would wander by And notice you sitting there Waiting to be re-filled Oh, empty glass Oh empty glass You would be so happy then Fulfilling your only purpose Of bringing joy to those…

Here’s something I don’t understand. If English is not your first language, why would you speak it to another person who also clearly doesn’t speak English as their first language either? I get it. Perhaps it is a common language between two people who don’t speak the same native language, but it sure doesn’t sound…