Bye Bye Spain, Hello Geneva

After our mountaintop adventure we headed for Santiago de Compostela and fell in love with the city's narrow, windy lanes, pretty squares and magnificent cathedral. Over the centuries, pilgrims have walked hundreds of miles to get there, formerly for cures or absolution, lately more as a personal challenge. When we arrived the city was filled with hikers of all ages wearing backpacks and walking gear. They were tired and weathered but full of relief and joy because they had made it. Add to that the four-day Festival of Ascension, with music and dancing in the streets, and the mood was electric.

Sunshine had found us and stayed through La Coruna, a city on the Atlantic coast with a crescent-shaped beach under rugged cliffs.

Then it was on to Geneva to visit with our friends of forty years, Jean Pierre and Carmen, and their children and grandchildren.

The Rain in Spain....

Everyone says it's damp in northwest Spain, but we have the proof.

Ron and I were spending a week in a cottage high in the Cantabrian Mountains. One night we sat in front of the fire and played Canasta. I could barely peel one card away from another as I shuffled and dealt; after the game, the decks were too big to fit in their boxes.

Our house was one of four in Teixidiello, a hamlet used for hundreds of years by farmers who herded their cattle up to graze in the summer. The village was abandoned in the 1950s when all the families left to work in the factories below. Forty years later, our hosts Max and Anna bought the remains and have been bringing the village back to life.

The stone cottage had artistic furnishings and modern conveniences, with a compact kitchen and wooden dining table and chairs. Stairs led to a loft bedrooom and bathroom with soft lighting and wooden floors. The fireplace in the tiny living room provided enough heat for the whole house.

From the patio and bedroom windows we could look down on miles of green hillsides, farms and forests. Even the ocean was visible in the distance.

We enjoyed the stunning spot with Max and Anna, who were as relaxed as the place where they lived. Ron's Spanish helped us share the details of our lives, and by the time we left they seemed like old friends.