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.

July 1, 2011 A great day in Lisboa!

I am so happy to report that we have had a great day!! We got out of the crush of traffic and went to the Belem district where we toured the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (monastery of St. Jerome), an amazing … Continue reading

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June 30, 2011 Lisbon

We are in Lisbon in a quaint but comfortable B&B at the top of a hill very near the Basilica of Estella. We were greeted by Pilar who is about as warm and welcoming as one could be.  We are … Continue reading

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Rome Part 2 June 27, 28, 29, 2011

Rome ( continued) On our first day at the hotel I wanted to explore the place, especially the “most beautiful terrace in Rome.” So Joe rested and I walked up to the terrace on the next floor. It is a … Continue reading

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June 29, 2011 Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

June 29 – The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul I can’t believe I’ve had free wifi for three days and I haven’t caught up on this blog. Part of my excuse is that I’ve been really sick, a bronchial … Continue reading

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June 25, 26, 27 Dubrovnik, Venice, Bari

June 25, 26, 27 Dubrovnik, Venice, Bari We arrived in Dubrovnik and did our own thing – no tour. Dubrobnik is very charming and the wall is impressive. We walked about 3/4 of the wall which was more than enough … Continue reading

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June 24, 2011 Corfu was an unexpected gem!

June 24, 2011 Corfu was an unexpected gem! We’re now sailing along the Albanian coast. I was out on the balcony at 5:30 am to greet the sunrise. I had to wait an hour, but it was very beautiful. Then … Continue reading

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June 23, 2011 It’s All Greek to Me!

June 23, 2011 It’s All Greek to Me! Joe actually said that today! We had our Greek dinner last night on Mykonos, the organized excursion by the ship. While it was fun, I wish we had just gone into the … Continue reading

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June 21-22,2011 So What’s Wrong with a Little Denial?

You might wonder what happened to yesterday. I kind of wondered that myself. Even though Joe has been coughing, and had that one weird episode of sweating on the train, it didn’t seem anything was seriously wrong. You know how … Continue reading

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June 20, 2011 In Our Cabin on the MSC Musica

What else would “my” ship be named?! It just keeps getting better. Our room on the ship is so much better than we imagined. There are two twin beds together, a pull out couch (this was for you, Katherine) a … Continue reading

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June 18-19, 2011 Transitions: the known and the unknown

PART 1 On the train to Paris. A little “triste” leaving Lourdes, but it was time. Had a lovely dinner last night with Susan. Linda didn’t come. She was leaving today too and probably had a lot to do as … Continue reading

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