WHW: Day 5 - FANTASTIC!!

Heavenly!! Today was absolutely heavenly! Started at 10:45 am after a very leisurely breakfast and chatting with other guests and B&B hosts (the perk to a shorter mileage day!) and arrived at 4:15 pm. Highlights: thus far, this was my favorite part of the walk. Stunning. And no traffic noise =). It was a brilliant day, crossing through a gorgeous valley in solitude, with a few short interactions. I absolutely loved the tranquility of being alone today. PLUS there was sunshine!! For a whopping 5 minutes! I put on my sunglasses (maybe more because I wanted than needed to) but still, it made everything even more spectacular!! And two new delicious baby food packs today =) "pumpkin-apple-carrot" and "sweet potato-carrot-brown rice." YUM to both!! Celebrating: NO RAIN (especially ecstatic about this one as a fellow walker told me this morning that the forecast for the day was "showers"), NO MIDGES, NO MOSQUITOES, NO BLISTERS AND NO CHAFING!! Tremendous! I couldn't be happier! Disappointment of the day: that I arrived at my destination!!! Today was the polar opposite of yesterday's last three miles. I did not want it to end! When I realized that I was only 3 miles away from my end-point, I started taking a lot more breaks, slowed my pace significantly and made a more concerted effort to soak it all in. I wanted it to last for at least 3 more hours!! My feet felt great, my body felt great, the sun had broken through some clouds, everything was just magnificent! Today was significantly shorter than yesterday as far as mileage goes and the path was even easier (minus my "frustration of the day," to follow...) My feet haven't felt so refreshed since the first day....I will be golf-ball-rolling daily from now on =). I hadn't before because my feet didn't feel THAT bad, but I have now decided to incorporate it every night. I was truly shocked by how good my feet felt all day. Excellent!! Frustration of the day : about 40% of the path was super slippery!! If you imagine a sort of dodgy cobblestone path, that's a rough idea of what I had under my feet, and the rocks were all really slick from rain last night (I think also they might just always be slightly humid from how wet the ground is everywhere). In any case, every few steps, my foot would slide back abruptly and it made it nearly impossible to maintain a regular walking rhythm. Frustrating because the rest of the aspects of the path would have made for setting a great pace. But such it was. I think I can get past that. =) Met some folks from London for dinner who gave me all kinds of tips and things to do and see when I make it to London. Top Notch!

WHW Day 4: Complete and Wanted to Stop Sooner!

Pour ceux qui preferent francais, esseyer le bouton "translate" a gauche :). And Susan, you make a very good point - sorry! I'd made a huge leap and didn't explain the gap....my attempted bridge construction....yes! I'm back in Europe!! Both of my parents are doing significantly better. My dad's surgery went amazingly well and he's now back to work. My mom can walk and drive again, life has nearly returned to a pre-trauma status. Seeing as there was no longer a need for me at home, and seeing as I had a flight to Paris with my name on it, I jumped at the opportunity. Here I am now walking the WHW in Scotland. :) And Chantal, you make a very good point as well - I was getting too sleepy for my update and didn't bring it back around to fill in the "more" of why I was so happy I'd stopped. The bath was definitely a big part of it, but also the whole atmosphere of the place. Built in 1707, it had a ton of character, with sagging floors and ceilings, tartan carpets, and a slew of taxidermied animals including a bear to greet you. Look up Drover's Inn in Inverarnan if you're intrigued. It was such a fun and unique place to stay!!! Now on to today.... Oh my. I was ready to stop about 3 miles before my actual end point. Feet were really unhappy and cramping. Massaging my own feet has never felt so incredible!! :) I'm a little suspicious that plantar fasciitis might take this opportunity to present itself, but am currently rolling my feet on a golf ball for more massage. :) The low-down of day 4!!! Celebrating : NO RAIN (WAAAAHOOOOOO),NO MIDGES, NO MOSQUITOES, NO BLISTERS, NO CHAFING!! I'm spectacularly excited about all of the above. Disappointment of the day - way less remote than I was expecting. Very few moments of tranquility where I could just stop and soak in nature without the noise of traffic in the back (or fore!!) ground. Bummer!! Highlights of the day include lots of fall colors, TWO golden eagle sightings (or at least I'm almost positive),ample blue sky in the morning (such a lovely sight!), enough sun to create a shadow for two minutes (!!! took a pic of that rarity), and the Loch of the Legend of the Lost Sword where Robert the Bruce's sword may be! :) Only 750 meters worth of detours today for a waterfall and a Holy Pool. Official start time : 8:45 am, end time 6:15 pm. Made better time than expected. Today's trail was much less technical than yesterday, which significantly improved my average pace. Last bit of excitement for the day : my camera still works! Yesterday I clumsily threw my camera to the ground while taking off my fleece and I was worried I'd killed it, but it's resilient :) took over 200 pictures today. Looking forward to resting my feet overnight and then getting going again tomorrow!!

WHW Day 3: Completed and Could Have Continued!

Wow! Felt so much better today at the end of my trek - I kind of wanted to just keep going! But my lodging was reserved, so here I stopped, and am I ever ecstatic that I did!! :) More on that in a bit .... but first, the pertinents....CELEBRATING : NO RAIN, NO MIDGES, NO MOSQUITOES!!! WOOHOO!! And I'd forgotten this the last two days, but no blisters and no chafing. I'm so very grateful for all of this! Disappointment of the day : added a little 2 mile loop to my day to see a "viewpoint" and "ruins" and it was basically pointless. No views whatsoever (sheer hogwash!!) and the ruins were mediocre at best - bummer!! Highlights of the trip did include seeing 3 deer (!!!! Hooray!!!!), finding Rob Roys cave (you have to work for it!), having a completely tranquil and serene solo day reflecting on all the things I am grateful for, annnnnnnd :) having a "kale-apple -mango" baby pouch today. It was scrumptious!! I left my awesome hostel (former hunting lodge) around 10 am, and was done with the day at around 7:15 pm. I THEN TOOK A BATH!!! It was borderline magical. I haven't taken a bath in years but this was absolutely tremendous. So thankful!! Dinner included Scottish steak in Guinness gravy, steamed veggies, a local beer and meeting a couple of really nice people. Perfect!!

WHW: Day 2 COMPLETE!!

Celebrating: NO RAIN, NO MIDGES, NO MOSQUITOES!! Disappointed by : No views from Conic Hill. =( I'd heard the views are spectacular from this hill as it sits right on the faultline between the Highlands and the Lowlands, and if you look East, you literally see a nearly straight line with the rugged mountains of the Highlands to your left (the North) and more gentle terrain of Lowlands to the South. That would have been so incredible to see!!! But wasn't meant to be. I even spent an hour at the top, waiting and hoping for it to clear, but it just got worse. Incredibly low-laying clouds that ended up enveloping the hill. I didn't get to see this spectacular view. I must settle for simply standing on the faultline and crossing over it. Today, I started at 9:30 am and I got to my next destination at 7:15 pm. Overall another brilliant day, but I must say, I was really ready to get to my next stopping point. With an hour at the top of Conic Hill and about 45 minutes in the Visitor Center (Did you know that Scotland used to be part of the North American continent hundreds of millions of years ago??!!) that left a lot of hours for walking, most of which were fantastic, but there was more climbing than I was expecting and the last couple of hills were not the most welcome sights. Ha, but when I say hills, I mean baby hills. They were really very reasonable, I just was sick of walking by the end! =) OH! And I provided a good laugh for a hotel owner. I stopped in to double check my route and my expected distance left, and when I thought I was about 1 km away, he tells me I'm about 5 miles and should be there in about 90 minutes to 2 hours. WHAT??!! Such sad news! I apparently had missed something drastic. But it turned out he was kidding and just likes to get his laughs in with us tourists. The upside to this is that I was ECSTATIC when he told me I was only 10-15 minutes away!! One of my favorite moments today was meeting a guy who had done the WHW from South to North, hiked Ben Nevis and Ben Lomond and was now completing the way back South. We stopped and chatted for about 20 minutes and he is doing a similar travel sabbatical, having quit his job almost exactly a year ago. It was a lovely interaction! I also ran into my two companions from yesterday and we did quite a bit of leap frogging today and ended up walking together for a few miles again. They're great fun! Unfortunately no animal sightings any more exciting than yesterday, today. Actually the exact same list as yesterday. I kept trying to spot an otter by the water, but no luck. We shall see! One of my favorite random discoveries was this bright bright orange mushroom on the trail. At first I thought somebody had littered because it was such a bright orange, it looked artificial, but no - it was gorgeous! Taking a shower and eating a real meal have never felt so utterly amazing!! Especially when I massage my feet a bit in the shower as I wash them. Glorious!! I think I would pay big money for a foot massage when this is all done! And dinner tonight was scrumptious and perfect : pasta with mushrooms and eggplant. Although my baby food of "spinach, pea and pear" and "carrot-apple" was fantastic as well!! I'm super excited to have Day 2 done and am just as excited for Day 3!

West Highland Way: Day 1 Complete!!!

Amazing!! Extraordinary, spectacular, splendid, terrific, tremendous, magnificent, magical, fabulous, fantastic, phenomenal, brilliant....there are not enough words. And today's apparently the least exciting day. :) First footfall onto the WHW (West Highland Way) was at 10:30 am after exchanging picture opportunities with some other gentlemen starting the walk. And the first day came to a close at 5 pm. Overall, I was passed by 5 or 6 groups of people today, and I passed none :) with my slow pace of picture mania and small detours....including finding a castle!!! About 2 miles in, I see a sign for Mugdock Castle and only half a mile away....Really??!! I can't pass that up! So I go find this historic castle ruin from the 14th century, only half a mile from my planned route - incredible! On my way back to the WHW trail, I passed a group of students and the teacher invited me to listen if I wanted, so I did! :) I walked on at first, in my walking groove, but then thought about what a cool opportunity that was, so I returned and learned a bit about forest regeneration. Unexpected, but grand! Animals seen today included countless dogs (a very popular trail for dog owners in Milngavie, and I can see why), a cat, frog, crows, magpies, and countless sheep and cows. Animals I did not see today but hope to see before the end of the trail : osprey, golden eagle, and deer. Animals I'm ecstatic I didn't experience today : midges and mosquitos!! Other highlights of the trip include : NO RAIN!!!! (that's probably my #1 ecstatic factor) blue sky patches, some fall leaf colors, so many shades of green in the hillsides it was spectacular, and the truly perfect temperature for walking. I packed some baby food packs to be able to have some veggies on the trail and today I ate a zuchini-banana-amaranth combination and carrot-apple and they were incredibly delicious and satisfying!! I did end up meeting 2 fun guys towards the end of the trail, at just the right moment too. The last 2.5 miles are on paved road which would have felt like forever alone, but I ended up chatting with these two gentlemen who are also novice WHW-ers but they are camping. At one point I described s'mores and at the very end of my thorough explanation, one asks, "what's a Graham cracker? " Haha! Cultural difference I had not taken into account! I was very grateful for the company in the end, even though at first I was hesitant to join anybody else because I thoroughly enjoyed the bulk of the walk by myself. At my destination, one of the gentlemen who'd been part of the picture exchange at the beginning of the trail saw me and made sure I had a place to sleep. So nice!! Every single person I met today was profusely kind and multiple random strangers along the trail wished me a good walk. All the well wishes were very much appreciated and very much outdone....it was an absolutely incredible first day!

Trip Recap: Favorite Moments in PICTURES!! (August 2012)

August 1st, 2012

Still near Sarrebourg, France

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHAAAAAAWWWWW!!

A downhill "luge," (little car on rails) - so fun!  The summer version of sledding!!  My dad and I even fit into one . . . significantly speedier and more exciting with the weight of two adults! 

Oh yum. Just looking at this makes me hungry again.  Gross factor for some, yes, these are the infamous "escargots" (snails) but it is quite magical what garlic butter will do to weird critters that wouldn't really be appetizing otherwise.  =)  Here, a version prepared in an edible pastry "shell."  So delicious. . . . now you see them . . .

Now you don't! (let's be honest, it's all about the garlic butter!!)

 

 August 3rd, 2012

Metz, France

Hahahaha.  Ok, I had to share 1 of these pictures because I took a whole slew of them during a train lay-over in Metz and they still crack me up. With a couple of hours between trains and 65 lbs to lug around, I didn't want to stroll too much, so I found a park, and decided to do some yoga.  The funniest part is that, yes, I took pictures of it (with my trusty gorilla, thank you again, Chantal!!).  Really capturing every part of my trip!  And yes, there were people walking by . . . sometimes I just stop caring.  =)

 

This train trip signaled the "final goodbye" with my parents.  Although they stayed in France another 10 days, we parted ways that morning as I was heading elsewhere to visit friends.  The goodbye was harder than I'd expected, considering we've been living at least 1500 miles apart for the past 6 years.  Goodbyes are such a challenge for me, they really make me appreciate shared moments with those who cannot share them often.

 

August 4th, 2012

Normandy, France

Dinner at a friend's house in Normandy.  They grow their own veggies and herbs, raise their own hens, and just got their own hive to keep bees.  Dinner was all from their small bit of land and hard work - I can't imagine a more rewarding meal.  Chicken and new potatoes with garlic and fresh rosemary.  Amazing, delicious, and the absolute best quality.  It's my dream! (at least the veggie garden . . . don't know that I could ever kill a hen).   

 

August 6th, 2012

Rouen, France

Downpour in Northern Normandy (Haute Normandie) on a day trip to Rouen.  Here, after lunch and a visit to the Jeanne d'Arc museum.  Hung out under an awning waiting for a pause in torrents of water. Can you see the sheets of rain if you really focus? 

 

And there it is!  That blue sky I know and love!!  And a fine example of some of the extraordinary architecture in Rouen.  Some of the buildings date from the 14th century.  Phenomenal!

A haunting site.  For those that are struggling to see what the sign says, this is the location where Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) was burnt on May 30th, 1431.  It's right near the cross you see in the "downpour" picture, or the one right below....

A very bizarre, modern-looking church.  Here it is from the outside.....

And here from the inside.  Beautiful, but bizarre.

More classic.  The Rouen Cathedral.

 

August 7th, 2012 

REUNION WITH MY BICYCLE!!!  This was the bike my uncle let me borrow for my 9 month teaching assistantship in 2008.  It felt so great to be reunited!!!  I didn't realize how desperately I'd missed biking around Normandy until I was back to it.  Easily one of my favorite memories from 2008.  Riding through Normandy countryside is extraordinarily thrilling and utterly beautiful - I can't get enough of it.

My aunt and uncle's house!  An ancient stone house - so charming, I love it here!

An onion flower!!! I had no idea onions grew such fabulous flowers!  Same house in the background, different perspective.  

Welcome!!  My aunt keeps an absolutely stupendous flower garden.

See?

Yep, still flowers from her garden. =)

 

August 9th, 2012

 Balleroy, France

Me in my early "obsession with castles" phase.  Ecstatic to have biked the quick 9 km to Balleroy for a guided visit of this castle, which Malcom S. Forbes actually purchased in 1970.

 

August 10th, 2012

Normandy, France

Ah, the smell of fresh French bread.  Come to me, baguette!  =) Best part?  I got to go on a run to pick up the bread.  Only a 10 minute run away from the local "boulangerie."  Marvelous. 

Blackberry picking!!  They day just keeps getting better!!  Treacherous little buggers, but oh so worth it. Yummmmmm, especially with red wine and sugar, as my uncle taught me.  I'm typically pretty firmly against adding sugar to fruit, but oh my goodness - his combination is exquisite!!

Wind turbines in wheat fields.  Only a 4 km bike ride away.  Very impressive standing at the base and looking up at these gargantuan rotating blades.

And a small sample of the Normandie countryside.  In the distance the tiny town of Caumont-l'Éventé, a great butt-kicking hill ride to the top.  Rode it with my 72 year old uncle and remain thoroughly impressed by his biking capacities!!! 

 

August 11th, 2012

A great spot for TRX!!  Also a great vocabulary lesson for me.  =)  In 2008 my uncle built this, and I called it a "lid" when I was trying to find the word for "cover."  Everyone was very amused by the idea of the carport being a "lid" for the car, so it stuck.  We all still call it "Le couvercle." 

 

After the TRX workout, caught a train to Rennes for the weekend to meet up with a friend from 2008 during my teaching assistantship gig.  Sometimes the world is a small place! And always, Rennes has beautiful houses from a scattering across the centuries.  Modern and 14th century buildings as neighbors - somehow they make it work!!  And Joanne makes it super fun!!

 

August 15th, 2012

More TRX!! This time under a plum tree at a friend's house in Normandie.  So fabulous!



Arrival in Nantes, later that same day.  Here, one of my favorite structures, though can't recall what it is called.  =/  (the problem with blogging a year after the fact). 

 

August 17th, 2012

Nante's Elephant: a 12 meter tall machine elephant that you can ride around on.  He moves at about 1 mph and sprays water out of his trunk.  Pretty impressive!!  It's at a place called "The Machines" which is staffed by some incredibly creative people who are creating spectacular rides and intriguing objects of all sorts. 

Here a 3 story carrousel with funky sea creatures of all sorts.

I picked a sea horse for my carrousel ride.  It had been so long since I'd ridden on a carrousel.  So fun!

My neighbor during the ride. 

 

And a random flag with a pair of flaming crotch underwear.  Why, you ask?  I have no good answer. And I think that adds to the hilarity.  I found it so amusing that I stubbornly stayed and took about 30 pictures before getting one where the wind cooperated.  I felt this needed to be captured. 

 

 August 18th, 2012

 

Brittany, near Dinan.  One of the most beautiful places in the world.  This was the phase of my trip where I really should not have been running the way my sacrum was feeling, but it was too beautiful not to. 

A region well known for its cider.  =)

Such beautiful weather and blossoms in August.  All of my morning runs involved sunshine dissolving mist clinging to rolling hills. 

The house I got to stay in.  Feels like a post-card-worthy home.  So gorgeous!  And their garden was absolutely spectacular as well!!

Day-trip to Cotes de Granit Rose.  Amazing.

Most famous house in Brittany.   Yes, somebody actually lives there.  Crazyness!!

 

Further stunning coastline of Brittany.  With sunshine it's even more stupendous!!

So stupendous, that we couldn't resist the urge to swim, even though we didn't have swimsuits.  Such a little hiccup can't dampen the draw of such spectacular waters on a hot day.  So we swam in our clothes and then laid in the sun to dry off.  This was at 7 pm.  Incredible!

A magical sunset for a magical day.

 

August 19th, 2012

My favorite French castle so far: Le Fort-La-Latte.  So awesome!!!

 

They even had a little vegetable patch.... with more onion flowers!!

View from the top of Fort-La-Latte tower.

 

August 22nd, 2012

Sunflower seeds straight from a sunflower!  I'd never actually seen them this way.  I am way entertained by finding out exactly where the food I see packaged on shelves in grocery stores comes from in nature.

 

August 29th, 2012

La Creuse!!  A region in central France full of lush green land and grazing cows.  Got to stay here a week, living in an ancient house dating from the late 1800's that's been in the family for generations.  I love this house for all of the childhood memories I have here, and the way you feel extracted from society at large.  Such a refreshing disconnect.  This week was the beginning of my running hiatus after the Atlantic ocean pummeled me into a pathetic, painful mess.  Instead I took 2-3 hour walks in the morning and got to see countless cows and miles of greenery.  It was splendid.  The only thing that could have made it better would have been to run and see more scenery!

 

My all-time favorite dessert crepe. =)  Pear, roasted almonds, dark chocolate, caramel and a salted caramel ice cream.  Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!

Can't hide the enthusiasm.  Come to me delicious crepe!

 

August 30th, 2012

My morning walks typically involved wild blackberry picking and eating.  =)

These, however were a cultivated bush at someone's house.  I didn't pick them, but just had to take a picture because they were the most massive blackberries I have ever seen.  That is my thumb.

Loved the early morning mists clinging to the ground.

Also have a love of old ruins.  This one had particularly charming shutters.

I was really excited about the new red watch I bought the day before.  And the blue sky also bolstered my spirits.   

'

Making blackberry jam!!! 

 

August 31st, 2012

Hahaha.  OK, this is a series of 3 pictures to tell the simple story of one of my favorite simple pleasures.  Here - a tractor trimming hedges . . .

leads to a fantastically refreshing scent.  I love it so much that I take a few minutes to just breathe it in. (not sure how to type the sound of a deep inspiration, but that's what goes here).

And a walk along the freshly-trimmed path in tranquil joy.