Planes, Trains, and More Planes

Well, it has been a very long time since I posted an update about the Aevitas Life adventure. Since my last blog post, I've been in Europe, Hawaii, Nevada and back to Hampton. We have changed our Bahamas plan for this year, and we will be changing our living conditions, too. Lots to cover!

But first, a glimpse of fall from a walk on the Noland Trail in Newport News. This was mid-October and the leaves were just starting to turn. The weather was perfect.

Now, the travel report...

We spent most of September in Europe. Our priorities were to walk around, look at stuff and eat good food. We had only vague plans: flights within Europe booked on Norwegian to use the refund (given in points, not $) from the trip we couldn't take during the pandemic, a Eurail pass and all our gear in backpacks. We began our adventure in Copenhagen, Denmark. After an overnight flight with little food or sleep, we arrived hungry and before we could check into our hotel room for much needed naps. Our tired, hungry selves set out in search of coffee and food with our backpacks (which were a might heavy, but way more convenient than luggage). The travel gods were on our side: a block from our hotel we found Original Coffee - the BEST coffee - and not just because we really needed caffeine. Things we noticed in our short excursion from hotel to coffee: Danish folks really comply with the walk signals at intersections and bike riders are aggressively possessive of their right of way in bike lanes. I'm pretty sure there are more bikes than cars in Copenhagen.

We had a few days in Copenhagen and were glad we'd be returning for another day before leaving Europe. What a lovely city! The people were friendly, very kind and patient with our pathetic attempts to converse in Danish. It is a very walkable city full of outdoor cafes, beautiful parks, and incredible architecture. Most of the outdoor dining spots have umbrellas or awnings of some kind, little heaters, and blankets to ward of the chill so you can eat outdoors even in the rain. The open face sandwiches, smørrebrød, are so good!

And, I thought this was pretty cool. A protest sculpture in a park... apparently, folks do not want a parking structure to replace the park. Ya gotta love a good civil protest. Sometimes a visual display speaks volumes more than words ever could. Cheers to those who resist tyranny in all its various forms!

From Copenhagen, we flew to Barcelona, Spain. We skipped the city and headed to Sitges, Spain. A small fairytale resort town with beaches, a castle, and little winding roads lined with interesting shops and many, many restaurants. We happened to be in Sitges on a Sunday afternoon when there was some kind of drum corp parade. What fun!

We took the train from Sitges to Valencia, Spain where we spent just a day. Such a beautiful city.

The devastation caused by the flooding after we got back to the states is unimaginable. My heart goes out to the people of Spain.

We continued our train journey to Alicante, Spain. Alicante has an incredible castle, Castell de

Santa Bàrbara. The fortress was originally built by the Moors in the 9th century and captured by the Castilians in 1296. It has been bombarded by the French (1691), held by the British (1873-1876) and was used a prison and a Francoist concentration camp during the Spanish Civil War (1939). The castle sits on Mount Benacantil, overlooking the surrounding cities and farms and the Mediterranean Sea.

Alicante is also home to one of the most incredible markets I have ever encountered. Seafood, produce, wine, olives, whole Iberico ham legs, cheese, baked goods, flowers, etc. are sold by a variety of venders that are all crammed into the Mercat Central d'Alacant. And we found a mushroom street.

We ended up getting sick and staying in Alicante for a week. Because we a sailors and used to changing plans, we made the best of a week in the Spanish sunshine. We saw the Museu de Fogueres, which commemorates a funky celebration in Alicante that involves a parade of huge intricately crafted figures culminating in a huge bonfire to burn the best one.

Instead of going to Italy, we took the night train from Alicante to Paris. Night trains are... um... interesting. Our first meal in France was at a McDonalds in the Toulouse train station. McDonalds was the only place open and, no, a Mickey D's burger isn't any better in France.

Paris is magical. We arrived in Paris at 7 a.m. on a cool, misty, morning. It was gorgeous. We walked the five miles from the train station to our hotel with our backpacks. We passed by Notre Dame, the Louvre, the fancy perfume and fashion streets, and a multitude of little cafes and shops. Our first real French meal was breakfast and it was delicious. We had omelettes, bagettes, croissants, and cafe a lait at a little cafe on a busy street. Our timing was very good as it decided to rain just after we decided to sit inside.

We spent an entire day at the Louvre. We climbed the "John Wick" steps at the Sacre Coeur. Mostly, we roamed around and ate good food. Paris was drizzly, chilly, and spectacular.

We had one more day in Copenhagen and then we headed back to the US. We absolutely loved our trip. We need to go back (multiple times) for longer stays.

We landed BWI in the evening of 9/30. I flew to Hawaii early on the morning of 10/2 to meet with a good friend/daughter, Rosie. I love Hawaii. I was only on Oahu, but that was enough of a taste to get me hooked! We hiked, went to a swap meet, and of course, we spent time at the beach. I love the rainbows, the food, the feel of the air and the variety of geography. Interesting fact: the only native mammals are the monk seal and the hoary bat. The highlight of my trip was when a sea turtle swam up to me and raised it's head out of the water to breathe. I felt very honored and I'm taking it as a good omen. It was absolutely delightful to spend time with Rosie and to explore one of her favorite places with her. Oahu is now one of my favorites as well.

After Hawaii, I had a too quick of a visit to Reno/Tulelake/White City. I really need to spend more time when I go. I got to see my grown up kids! I love spending time with my people. But, I had to return to Hampton because... we needed to find a house and get moved... because... Rylie is coming to live with us! Yeah!!!!

For the next 18 months, we will be land and boat people. I am really excited about having a landbase for painting and I am glad to not be living on the boat in the winter. So, a new chapter has begun...stay tuned!

New art...