Back to Work

Back in February 2022 (where has that year gone – oh yeah, happily travelling), I farewelled Programmed and set off on my year long adventure. I also farewelled job security and a regular income. Gulp. But what the hell, you only live once and I was going to live.

Operation – New Friends

I’m blessed with many wonderful friends – the problem is most of them are too far away for a night out. Now that I’ve decided to stay put for a while (6 months, 6 years NFI, the joys of freedom), it was time to get out there are meet new people. Now it might not come as a surprise to learn, that I’ll pretty much talk to anyone, so off I went on a couple of nights out to see a few bands. Tribute bands are huge here – and the couple I’ve seen (Depeche Mode and The Cure) were excellent. And a couple of ska type bands have been lots of fun too. The problem with that was that people are there to watch the band and not necessarily chat to the lone Aussie. Still enjoyed the nights out.

And then I discovered MeetUp and just like that – instant friends!

Camino Number Two

So what do you do when you finish your first Camino? Hang up your boots? Put down the walking poles? Swear to never do anything like that again? Nope, you decide to do another one, a decision made the moment I walked into the square and stood looking up at that amazing Cathedral.

This time was going to be different. For a start I was going to be joined by Andrea and B (and Dominic towards the end). And secondly, we were going to do the Portuguese Coastal Camino starting from Porto. Also as there were 3 of us, we would be staying in mainly private accommodation. I kind of liked Albergue life, it was a great way to meet fellow pilgrims.