Sanctuary & Rest
August 30, 2008
What we really needed was rest because our pace has been too fast this year and Santiago was the perfect place to find rest and a sanctuary to relax and replenish. We had a nice, large wooded pitch for our RV in campsite that was convenient to everything by bus or bike. There was free wifi very close by in a restaurant where we could catch up with our internet business, upload the blog and talk to family over Skype.
We could take our time seeing the sights, have days just to read, relax and do homeschool. This is essential for extended travel for our sanity and pleasure, but also because it is cheaper this way.On days that we are not touring or traveling, we are not spending money on gas, museum tickets or souvenirs ( we do not buy much in the way of souvenirs). We are also less tempted to buy an ice cream, pastry or juice for Mozart, (although we have been pretty good with this kind of spending this year) so our food budget is lower.
Last year we spent a month in Barcelona, Santorini and Dubrovnik, but this year we do not have the same luxury of time because we left late and there is so much that we want to see. We also have to be in Sweden by a certain date to meet our friends who live there and do an overnight Safari where she works in the summer. Thus, we are dealing with more time pressures that do not allow us to stay in one area for a month. As you will recall, we left late this year, so that adds to the time pressure, since our goal is to return earlier this year in the fall. Our general plan was sketched out for a start date of April, not May.
Our travel is not an exact science, but just a general idea of what we would like to do and we tweak it and learn as we go. We thought this would be our last year in Europe, so we were quite ambitious, but now that we have thought about it, we have decided to add more time on this continent before heading to Africa and South America. It will be a whole new thing, so we have almost as much planning for that part of the trip as we did before our take off, so that calls for time. Plus Europe is just so rich in history and experience for Mozart that we just do not feel done yet. Next year we are going to go slower for sure!
We do not want to have the pressure of trying to see it all this year and the weather in the northern part of Europe ( including northern Portugal and Spain) adds challenge to the time element. We already see that adding Russia this summer is not going to work, so we will have to find a way to fit that in later. Russia is particularly challenging because of the visa situation as they are difficult to obtain for Americans, more so for those already abroad. It is a shame to miss it when we are so close, but it also feels good to let go of it so we can have more time in the other countries planned.
We are lucky and grateful to not have to pack and unpack suitcases as we roam, but there is a certain ritual of stowing and set-up every time we move. Last year we had to deal with our large satellite with every move, this year it is our luxury chairs riding on our bed (or in our bathroom on wet days). On days we arrive late, sometimes we just want to jump in bed, but we must plug in and change into stay-mode before we can relax. Everything must be secure before we leave, so that nothing falls when we are moving, so that takes up time with each change of location. Mozart has her jobs of sweeping the floor ( she is good at it!) and emptying the waste basket in the bathroom. It is not as work intensive as a boat or with a tent, but it is one of the duties one does not have to think about when standing still. That in itself is a little luxury of a longer stay.
Santiago was the perfect place to take some extra time and we could have easily stayed in Galicia for a month. We also lucked out with good weather, which just added to the joy here. Mozart had plenty of time to ride her bike ( we don't usually take it down on quick stops), play and catch up with piano lessons and homeschool. We ate lots of healthy meals, barbequed and even broke out a bottle of wine that we bought while visiting a vineyard last year in Santorini. It is good to have a little vacation from your vacation!
What we really needed was rest because our pace has been too fast this year and Santiago was the perfect place to find rest and a sanctuary to relax and replenish. We had a nice, large wooded pitch for our RV in campsite that was convenient to everything by bus or bike. There was free wifi very close by in a restaurant where we could catch up with our internet business, upload the blog and talk to family over Skype.
We could take our time seeing the sights, have days just to read, relax and do homeschool. This is essential for extended travel for our sanity and pleasure, but also because it is cheaper this way.On days that we are not touring or traveling, we are not spending money on gas, museum tickets or souvenirs ( we do not buy much in the way of souvenirs). We are also less tempted to buy an ice cream, pastry or juice for Mozart, (although we have been pretty good with this kind of spending this year) so our food budget is lower.
Last year we spent a month in Barcelona, Santorini and Dubrovnik, but this year we do not have the same luxury of time because we left late and there is so much that we want to see. We also have to be in Sweden by a certain date to meet our friends who live there and do an overnight Safari where she works in the summer. Thus, we are dealing with more time pressures that do not allow us to stay in one area for a month. As you will recall, we left late this year, so that adds to the time pressure, since our goal is to return earlier this year in the fall. Our general plan was sketched out for a start date of April, not May.
Our travel is not an exact science, but just a general idea of what we would like to do and we tweak it and learn as we go. We thought this would be our last year in Europe, so we were quite ambitious, but now that we have thought about it, we have decided to add more time on this continent before heading to Africa and South America. It will be a whole new thing, so we have almost as much planning for that part of the trip as we did before our take off, so that calls for time. Plus Europe is just so rich in history and experience for Mozart that we just do not feel done yet. Next year we are going to go slower for sure!
We do not want to have the pressure of trying to see it all this year and the weather in the northern part of Europe ( including northern Portugal and Spain) adds challenge to the time element. We already see that adding Russia this summer is not going to work, so we will have to find a way to fit that in later. Russia is particularly challenging because of the visa situation as they are difficult to obtain for Americans, more so for those already abroad. It is a shame to miss it when we are so close, but it also feels good to let go of it so we can have more time in the other countries planned.
We are lucky and grateful to not have to pack and unpack suitcases as we roam, but there is a certain ritual of stowing and set-up every time we move. Last year we had to deal with our large satellite with every move, this year it is our luxury chairs riding on our bed (or in our bathroom on wet days). On days we arrive late, sometimes we just want to jump in bed, but we must plug in and change into stay-mode before we can relax. Everything must be secure before we leave, so that nothing falls when we are moving, so that takes up time with each change of location. Mozart has her jobs of sweeping the floor ( she is good at it!) and emptying the waste basket in the bathroom. It is not as work intensive as a boat or with a tent, but it is one of the duties one does not have to think about when standing still. That in itself is a little luxury of a longer stay.
Santiago was the perfect place to take some extra time and we could have easily stayed in Galicia for a month. We also lucked out with good weather, which just added to the joy here. Mozart had plenty of time to ride her bike ( we don't usually take it down on quick stops), play and catch up with piano lessons and homeschool. We ate lots of healthy meals, barbequed and even broke out a bottle of wine that we bought while visiting a vineyard last year in Santorini. It is good to have a little vacation from your vacation!
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Continuing to enjoy your journey!
Posted by: HappyCampers | August 30, 2008 at 07:25 PM
Aw thanks HappyCampers! Glad to hear from you!! Hope you had a nice summer and are enjoying your Labor Day weekend!
Posted by: soultravelers3 | September 01, 2008 at 06:18 AM
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I've just had a good look around your site and learned a bit about your fascinating lifestyle. It sounds as though you are doing your extensive travel by RV. What a wonderful experience for your entire family. And someone takes incredible photos. Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: RetiredAt47 | September 01, 2008 at 02:33 PM
Welcome to our blog Retiredat47! Seems like we have a few things in common, like loving frugal living and retiring early. ;)
Thanks for your kind words! Yes, we travel about 6 or 7 months of the year..following the good weather. Mostly by RV, but also use other methods from time to time, including some 5 star hotels.
We winter in a lovely village house ( so far in Spain) where we can walk to everything and immerse deeply into the culture. That way we reflect on our travels and prepare for the next springs journeys.
Thanks for visiting!
Posted by: soultravelers3 | September 01, 2008 at 03:58 PM
What lovely pictures and what a wonderful trip! Being able to just pick up and travel for 6 or so months out of the year is just great - and such an education for your daughter.
Posted by: MudslideMama | September 04, 2008 at 06:42 AM
Thanks Mudslide Mama! We do feel blessed to be able to take this journey and go slow.
We were motivated by our daughter's education, but it has been sooo rewarding for all of us.
Posted by: Soultravelers3 | September 08, 2008 at 04:41 PM