Hasta luego España

A few years ago, shortly ater I moved to Portland, Gwennie and I went to Oaks Bottom Amusement Park for a little amusement and we made three successive mistakes.

First, we parked the car about 3 miles or so from the park and took a lovely stroll through the woods to the entrance.

Secondly, upon arriving, we hoovered a couple of soft freeze cones, and I think there were even corn dogs involved.

Then we hopped on the roller coaster, immediately followed by the Tilt-A-Whirl.

We had to sit on a bench for close to an hour to get our balance and stomach back. It was a slow, miserable walk back to the car.

That´s sort of how I´m feeling right now as I sit in the Chamartin train station in Madrid. I´ve been volleyed across the continent, riding fast subways, a jet and another subway to get here in just a few short hours and I´ve got a little vertigo thing happening.



But, I have several hours to even out before I hop on the night train that will deposit me in my last destination city of Lisbon, completing this grand adventure.

I spent some time walking the quiet, Sunday financial district and was fortunate to happen upon a small museum that was offering, gratis, a wonderful show of photography, focused on women. Movie stars to migrant workers and spanning nearly 100 years, the perspective was terrific and it was nice way to while away the time and clear some of the travel out of my cells.

Over the years I´ve gotten very good at whiling away time. I can write in my journal, read, or just sit and watch the people as they wander around in their people modes.

There´s an episode of Seinfeld, a little scene that I think about from time to time. It´s actually my father´s favorite episode...the one where the gang travels to India for a wedding (the story moves in backwards time, which my Dad likes). Anyway, the scene is of Elaine and Putty as they are sitting in the plane, preparing for the long journey. Elaine is getting books together for reading and she notices Putty just sitting there.

"Don´t you have a book or something?"

"Nah," he says.

"What, are you just gonna sit there the entire flight?"

"Yeah," he says.

It makes her crazy, but there´s a part of me that gets Putty in that. I don´t know what goes on in his head, but there´s certainly enough musing that gets batted around in mine to loosen the hours.

Well, I'm scattered it seems...which makes the time go faster because I can´t really focus on anything anyway.

So...I´ll just sign off I suppose. I say goodbye to Spain this evening, goodbye to cafe con leches, bocadillos, the culture of tranquilo, siestas, loud motorcycles and barking dogs. The memories of long days spent walking through farmlands filled with wine grapes, of plains that have relinqushed their grass to the stables, of silent, dark woods that fill the air with the energy of an ageless time.

I don´t know when, or if, I will return here. There are so many other places I want to travel to if I get the opportunity to continue my journeys. But, the weeks I spent walking the Camino will be treasured as much for their serenity as for their burden, and I am grateful for it.

Con mucho amor you crazy country, perhaps we will meet again down the road.