Author Archives: lydia

About lydia

An avowed francophile who speaks very broken but earnest French, Lydia is married to Joseph, of ancient Basque and modern Mexican lineage who has spent the past several years studying his Spanish heritage. In the course of their 50 plus years together, they have been abundantly blessed by a wonderful family which now includes 9 grandchildren, many longtime friends, and the desire to search their roots. Since Lydia doesn't have any French roots, her love of France must have come from her highschool teachers and from her father who never lost his ability to recite "The Grasshopper and the Ant" in French. His reading her the horrible wonderful French fairy tales didn't hurt either. Lydia plans their trips and Joe has the power of veto, sometimes! Genealogy research in Spain has led to a wonderful friendship with our Artajona Banales family. Our love of the Camino de Santiago has led to a love of the Camino Real de California. And then, there's always France, and Ireland, and Croatia, and, and.... This blog is an attempt to share some of the stories as they happen to spare their family and friends when they get home. We hope you enjoy it.

April 24, 2013 Visit with Papa Francesco

April 24, 2013 Audience with Pope Francis This was an extraordinary day! We had our general audience with the Pope, met a wonderful family, encountered more angels. I forgot to mention that yesterday, in addition to everything else, we picked … Continue reading

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April21-22 On our way

April 21-22, 2013 Roma, beautiful Roma We are traveling with our friends, Tom and Janice, who suggested this trip because we are celebrating our mutual 49th wedding anniversary on April 25th. First of all, the flights were very smooth. We … Continue reading

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2013 The Road Beckons

Sunday, 21 April is the day! I just bought a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad and I’m set to type, type, type! We will fly to Rome with good friends and fellow anniversary celebrants Janice and Tom Gutmann. It is … Continue reading

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October 2012 It’s just not going to happen this year

I hoped, I prayed, I wished…  and the answer was “No”.  We’re not going to Europe this year. And I have to be reasonable. We’ve had a wedding reception, a new roof, and a newly purchased car since our last … Continue reading

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July 7, 2011 Heading Home

Payday loans July 7, 2011 The Way Home Off to a wild start at 5 am. Have to shower, wash and dry my hair, and get all last minute things packed in 30 minutes. And then the taxi is ten … Continue reading

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July 6, 2011 One more day; One more party

July 6, 2011 One more day; One more party! Today we are invited to celebrate the feast of San Fermin, a great occasion in the Pamplona area. There is a Casa Navarra where there is a great party with food, … Continue reading

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July 5, 2011 A Sunny Day in Barcelona

July 5, 2011 A Sunny Day in Barcelona Today was a gentle day. No rush to go anywhere, no urgency about anything. We did call Manolo and invite him to come here to dinner. After breakfast, I tried to organize … Continue reading

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July 4, 2011 Do They Have the Fourth of July in Portugal? In Spain?

July 4, 2011 Do They Have the Fourth of July in Portugal? in Spain? And the answer is: (stolen from Fr. Declan) Yes! and they have the 4th, and the 5th and the 6th and …. We woke to the … Continue reading

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July 3, 2011 Heading towards Porto

The only thing I don’t like about the iPad in addition to the problem with importing iPad photos into the blog is my inability to see what I’m typing in the bright sunlight. And that’s what I’m sitting in on … Continue reading

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July 2, 2011 To the End of the World and Back

July 2, 2011 To the End of the World and Back Another great day! After a long sleep and a leisurely breakfast, we got a taxi to the Hertz rental place. Everything went well and we have a brand new … Continue reading

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