Dreaming, Planning and Training

On  Training Walk with my friend Barb who will be Walking with me through Spain on the Camino

Watch in the coming days for the first few blogs on my new travel blog site. I have spent a great deal of time planning my Cuba, Spain, France and Italy itineraries. I have been busy for months checking out travel routes, lodgings, points of interest and researching equipment to take on a 1,000 KM trek not to mention chipping away at my trekking training program for the last few months. Lots to do.  So I was really not able to spend time writing blogs - until now.  Today was my last day at work!

Next Wed I head off for Cuba.  I plan to write a few blogs to describe my trip plans and trekking equipment before I leave, so check back between now and then to get some updates.

I have discovered that the University of Havana intakes new Spanish Languages students the first Monday of each month.  So after a couple of weeks of R & R beachside in Varadero and treking a bit through Cuba, during the month of March I will be taking a 4 week language course in Havana. 

For the European leg of my holiday, 7 weeks will be spent in Spain walking the Camino, or Pilgrims Trail, via the Via de la Plata route.  After that I will hop over to Barcelona for a wee visit and then travel through  France and Italy for the remaining 6 weeks. One can only remain in the EU for 90 days in each 180 day period and long term visas seem impossible to get. So I will return to Canada at that point and take a road trip to the East Coast which should leave me enough time to find and bond with my new dog before I am back to work in September.

I had a great feeling of satisfaction today as I finished off the last of the work I had on my plate and cleaned out my desk of several years of clutter.  I still have a fair amount to do in the next week before leaving, but there is an equal measure of goodbye parties and visits to break up all the little chores which need to be completed.

I really enjoy music and like to choose music to go with my blogs. My all time favorite traveling song is by a Canadian - Tom Cochrane. When I hear this song I want to hop into my Convertible and head out onto the highway. Well, that will have to be for next summer when I will tour the East Coast.


Life is a Highway
Written by Tom Cochrane, from his 1991 album Mad Mad World.

Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend and sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your head to the wind
There's a world outside ev'ry darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
We won't hesitate
Break down the garden's gate
There's not much time left today

Life is a highway
I wanna ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I wanna drive it all night long

Through all these cities and all these towns
It's in my blood and it's all around
I love you now like I loved you then
This is the road and these are the hands
From Mozambique to those Memphis nights
The khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights

Knock me down get back up again
You're in my blood
I'm not a lonely man
There's no load I can't hold
Road so rough this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors

Gimme gimme gimme gimme yeah
If you're going my way
I wanna drive it all night long
There was a distance between you and I
A misunderstanding once
But now we look in the eye

There ain't no load that I can't hold
Road so rough this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors

Life is a highway
I wanna ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I wanna drive it all night long

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/