Hi again! After finishing my master’s studies in international management I granted myself a few days in the sunny Algarve, in the south of Portugal…nice weather, beautiful beaches and great food!
Albufeira from the beach at night
Different beaches along the coast
Carvoeiro
Lagos
Cabo San Vicente, Sagres
Faro
Goodbye Mascomex!
Las Médulas is a historical site near the town of Ponferrada in the province of Castile and León (Spain), which used to be the most important gold mine in the Roman Empire. Today, Good Friday, I enjoyed the visit to this beautiful place in company of a very special and close person to me.
It is Sunday. Outside it is fresh and windy but the sun is shining and I decided to go for a walk to Gándara. It is a 30 minute walk to the church and cementery through prairies and forest.
I already wanted to visit Verdes since a few weeks and today I could not wait longer. Next to Verdes there is a very nice nature space deep in the forest formed by the Anllons river. I spent almost an hour to taking pictures and enjoying the sound of the river.
It has become a habit to take my motorbike every second or third day and to visit a new place on the coastline. On Wednesday I drove to Cape Finisterre. In Roman times it was believed to be the end of the known world. The name Finisterre derives from the Latin finis terrae, meaning “end of the earth”. It is sometimes said to be the westernmost point of the Iberian Peninsua. However, Cabo de Roca in Portugal is about 16.5 kilometres (10.3 mi) further west and thus the westernmost point of continental Europe.
Cape Finisterre is the final destination for many pilgrims on the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Just where the road finishes you will find a prominent lighthouse at the top of Monte Facho.
Langosteira beach
Pilgrim crossing Langosteira beach on the way to Cape Finisterre lighthouse
Cape Finisterre lighthouse – Terminal of the Way of St. James
On Sunday I took again my motorbike and drove to Laxe. Laxe is a little fishing village with a relatively long beach. During my childhood I used to come to this beach every summer with my family. During the months of July and August the town is very busy and gets a lot of tourists from Spain and abroad but at this time of the year even on a nice sunny Sunday afternoon the beach seems very calm.
It has been some time since my last post and many things have happened since then. After a short temporary job in the French part of Switzerland, in Neuchâtel, my lifelong goal of remigrating to Galicia (Spain) has become true and I arrived 2 weeks ago in order to start with a Master’s program at the University of Santiago de Compostela soon. In the meantime I had the opportunity to spend time with important people to me and to continue exploring the beauty of the nearby Atlantic coast. Thursday I took my motorbike and drove more to the south to visit the bay of Muros and spend some time in Louro and Lira. It was a beautiful day, with not many people around but plenty of time to find yourself and enjoy the ease of the moment.
Wind park before arriving at Muros
Bay of Muros
Fisher port in Muros
City hall of Muros
Fishermen at work in Muros
Beaches in Lira
Old barn on the coast line of Lira
Lighthouse in Lira
Sunset in Lira
I’m back in Olten, my hometown in Switzerland. Life has become much more calm since I’m here which is not so bad either. Yesterday I defied the freezing temperatures in the evening and went for a walk in the foggy old town which is a 5 minute walk from my house.
After visiting 28 states, 3 countries, travelled 16‘000 km in a van and put much more foot steps into the ground my trip has come to an end. I’m taking off in a plane leaving to Europe again and overflying Chicago, observing the impressive iluminated silhouette of the city in the darkness and a lot of memories come up to my mind. What was the best experience, moment, place or surprise I encountered on my way trough this continent? It is hard to find an answer and difficult to be honest. Every place, person or situation was different but as enriching as the last one. Even if things sometimes were not fine or good you kind of appreciate all the situations having been involved in, giving you the impression of the trip being more complete and having learned more.
Life as a trip has shown me that life is really a journey and that all the good moments, places or persons confronted in your personal path are a lot of times of short time life and mostly will come to an end. Cherishing the present has become therefore even more important to me. The hardest thing after all would be to feel not having enjoyed the nice moments to its fullness.
Lastly, I would like to thank at this place all the people who kept in in touch with me during my trip either by commenting my blog, phoning, writing me an email or just sending a text message. You all make it easier for me to come back.
JM
life as a trip 