Camino Madrid Wrapup

Date	Jun 30
Total This Camino:	219 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1619 miles
Total Lodging:	$ 530
Buses / Trains	$ 20
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 125
Food:	$ 15
Total Food:	$ 425

Meaningful Moment

Before I left for Spain, I weighed myself and came in at 177.0.

Today I got on the scale (some six days after returning) and weighed 172.0.

So I figure that shedding five pounds over three weeks of intense hiking is pretty good.

As always, the hard part is keeping it off. LOL

Random Thought of the Day

While I was hiking in Spain, the Rochester baby falcons continued their growth. They are about ready for their first flight from the nestbox. I was wondering if I would be back in time to help in the watch over the babies. 

So this morning I made it out to the Court St Bridge for my first baby falcon watch of the season. I'm glad that I got back in time to participate in this year's falcon watch (before the babies take their first flight).

Notable memories

Just comparing my routine this week, now that I've been back 14 days, from my routine 3 weeks ago on the Camino.

No doubt something that every Camino Walker does.

My daily routine starts with a downtown Rochester peregrine falcon fledge watch on the Court Street bridge. From here with Gimli, the chocolate Labrador, I and my binoculars keep an eye on the Times Square building where this year's fledges should very soon, in the next few days, take their first flight. 

You can search on Rochester New York for peregrine falcons and the Genesee Valley Audubon site with live streaming cameras should come up on the top of the search list. ( Of course, by the time you read this, the fledges are no longer in the nest box area as they wander all over the downtown area as they explore the world. )

Anyway instead of starting my day with a quick bite to eat and heading out for 12 to 15 mi walk, I'm now having a high fiber wafer and banana and coffee and sitting in a chair on a busy downtown street.

The routine sure brings back the routineness. Lol

Something I haven't got back into yet is pickleball. Although I really have a lot of fun playing the sport, my desire to return to the court has been lagging. Not sure why but I'm sure that will change in time.

 I can think of a couple reasons .

It's summer and I want to go boating as a Coast guard auxiliary search and rescue crew member. So I need to set up some time to do that. Have a lot to practice to get back into form for that activity. 

Completely did no German language practice so I need to ramp that skill set up again.

And last night I booked a Camino hike to the Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

I, my son and my granddaughter will spend a week in August hiking there. It will be my third hike in Ireland and their first. After a week they will return to the States, while I continue hiking along the Kerry Way.

For myself I got a one-way ticket because I don't want to feel the pressure of a return travel date. Turns out to be literally twice as expensive as a round trip ticket, but I don't think I care.

I value the flexibility of going as far as or covering as little as I feel at the moment. That matters more to me than the money.

Towards the end of the Camino Madrid.

Leaving Madrid behind at the start of Deb's and my Camino.

The time has come to end my ruminations on this Camino, as I prepare for my upcoming hiking experience in Ireland with my son and daughter-in-law.

Buen Camino!

Day 22: Madrid to Rochester

Date	Jun 30
Total This Camino:	219 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1619 miles
Total Lodging:	$ 530
Buses / Trains	$ 20
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 125
Food:	$ 15
Total Food:	$ 425

Best  Moments

Cervantes house: being able to walk through the house where he wrote the classic novel Don Quixote while in the small, relatively small city of  Valladolid where I never would have expected such an experience. A rare treat on the Camino Madrid.

Climbing Sierra Guadarrama and  Fuenfria: by the time we started the serious ascent, the temperature was in the low 90s. Fortunately we had shade. But by the time, after over 4 hours of increasingly steeper and tougher climbing, we reached the pass. 

We  achieved something physically challenging, mentally challenging and possibly spiritually challenging in that we had to keep our spirits up because as the trail dragged on, it got progressively harder to maneuver.

Segovia Jewish quarter: sampling the history, the tradition and the culture of this barrio was an education for me. I learned a lot.  I was very fortunate to to experience this area alongside Deb.

Ursula's meal: on the day of the crossing the mountains, when we finally reached our albergue, it was a bit of a shock to find out that the only bar in town, that is the only place that had food was closed. Our keeper at the albergue made us a tortilla, a potato salad and brought us watermelon and bread. That was one of the best meals because of her spirit of charity and enjoyment of life.

Guernica: as always when I look at that painting, that bigger than life work of art by Picasso, I can't help but be moved by how, contrastingly beautiful and ugly, he captures war. I only thank God that I in my career in the military never actually had to call in targeting information for real because otherwise that painting might haunt me forever.

Random Thought of the Day

Retired my hiking poles. End of life cycle. Funny thing is a couple years ago I retired another pair that looked just like this pair lol. That's what happens when you're mix and match.

On the Road / Notable memories

0600: up and at 'em

0630: cab arrives

0655: arrive at Barajas airport

0715: check-in starts

0745: cleared security check point

0810: cleared immigration and the Schengen zone

0820: at gate Madrid Barajas 

1050: takeoff from Barajas. 8 hr flight

1240: arrive Newark airport

1300: cleared immigration and customs

1345: cleared tsa security at Newark

1400: at gate Newark

1540: boarding in Newark

1720: landed Rochester

Overall a pretty smooth experience getting from the hostel to the gate at the airport. 

Could have been worse with the ongoing NATO conference and traffic jams, or crowds at the airport due to staff shortages in either the airline or security.

Smooth travel experience. I noticed in the news that others were suffering from an airport / travel congestion nightmare.