A summary of the weekend in pictures..by someone who was hardly there :-).
Suzanne is already snuggled under the covers upstairs in bed, but will post soon to let people know more details about the tri itself and about the final numbers raised. Thanks to everyone for all of their love and support.
I’m now sitting on the terrace in La Herradura, back in the south – safe from the physical challenges of the trail and from the lure of more strenuous tourism. Safe in my lounge chair watching the sun set over the Mediterranean and behind the Cerro Gordo, comfortably acknowledging that the twins have settled quietly for the night. Phewf.
After five, six days on the trail – I’m not even sure how many since it was a blur – Bilbao presented itself as a refuge for recovery after the immediate but short-lived respite San Sebastian had offered us. We are extremely grateful to our new friend, Amaya, who offered us her flat in the very heart of the city. While we weren’t able to get out and about as much as we would have liked, the apartment became home and a safe place for Willow and Theo to explore and recuperate.
Unfortunately, the twins both came down with colds; Willow first sported the fever but Theo quickly followed. Their little heads held more snot than we imagined possible. One morning, I ran across the house to the sound of sixteen miniature sneezes, which came in quick succession one after the other. Willow had practically blown herself backwards the length of the rather long hallway. Of course, she found it funny.
Despite the colds we were able to get out and see a little of the city. For the first time in their lives, our little people were authentic tourists as much as we were. They enjoyed the unexpected pleasure and excitement of stumbling across a hidden gem – a children’s park – in the downtown of an old European city. Willow and Theo held onto our fingers and staggered drunkenly – or so it seemed — from attraction to attraction. We tried to make sure that they didn’t get run over by the swarm of children. Next, a long walk along the water after which we settled into an evening aperativo outside the Guggenheim where another few hundred tourists and a jazz trio accompanied us. Willow and Theo, however, had their best adventures in the apartment – from their fifth storey window they watched the residents and their pets go by down on the street and they each bravely took their first steps.
After a week, we left Bilbao anxious to get home – back to the coast on the south. (Of course we did make time for a quick visit to the new Decathlon outside San Sebastian, a store much like MEC which offered us the opportunity to shop and the twins a chance to challenge themselves on a bouldering wall and a textured shoe-testing ramp.) We were, however, so psyched to get back and to get our kids back to their own environment that we did the fifteen hours of driving in one stretch. And, now, here I sit after the exhausting push of travelling with twins, finally ready to contemplate what was an exciting adventure in the north. Next time I shall write about the camino itself where I finally was able to walk again with my father.
We have stories from the trail we would like to share — stories about the places we visited, the people we walked with, the Mexican surprise, the twins on the trail. Lots of stories. Unfortunately, we are lacking the requisite energy to share these stories in appropriate detail at the moment. Instead we are posting a few photos from our days in San Sebastián as regular tourists. Willow and Theo discovered sand and fish, and the joys of hotel. They ended each day zonked.
We think we are ready. We’ve walked over a hundred kilometers in training. Everything is squeezed into our packs and our car is about to be exchanged for hiking boots. With the hours already spent on the trail in preparation for our short stint on the camino, Suzanne has decided she likes this walking thing. What if four days isn’t enough?
Last week we packed up the twins and our wagon, and headed out to Bon Echo to investigate details for September 15. Included here are all the details you will need to know:
1. Change of time: the wedding will take place at 3pm to give time to those who are arriving same day. That means you should expect to be at the put-in for 2 pm at the latest to ensure you get to our site on time.
2. Rain cover, in the unlikely event of bad weather, is on the east side of the park and highway, beside Bruce’s canoe rental shop and the ferry. If we decide to move to that location, I will update this site with a notice.
3. Things to bring: guests will need to bring their own cutlery, a cup and a plate, as well as a cushion or seat to sit on if they think the Canadian Shield might not suit them.
4. Canoe Transport: If you are hoping for a canoe-ferry from the put-in to the island, remember to let us know when you plan on arriving at the put-in. Give yourselves time to drive through the park and walk the 600m trail from the lot to the lake. If you are renting, you should find Bruce in his shop on the east side of the park. He rents canoes for 4hrs at $20, 8hrs at $25 and for 24hrs at $30, and accepts only cash. There’s more information here.
5. Getting there: Bon Echo is closer than we remembered. It took us 2.5 hrs to Napanee, and then it’s 50 minutes north from there.
6. Groceries: there is a Foodland in NorthBrook, about 20 minutes south of the park.
7. Mobile network is dodgy at best. Don’t expect to rely on it whilst in the park. Rogers customers may benefit from a new nearby tower, but only intermittently at best. Bell customers may as well leave their phones in the car. Heck! Let’s all leave our phones in the car :).