Ten minutes from our hotel, I discovered a happy place created by Botero--I absolutely love his sculptures. Check out the picture. Close by is the memorial commemorating the 1974 Revolution with a beautiful view down to the Tagus River.

The highlight of the day was going to the Cathedral to get my stamp for the credenciales, then climbing up to the Moorish Castle overlooking Lisbon and the Tagus River. On the way we saw a tree that looked about 2000 years old--knurled and trimmed back for ages to leave room for the road. Had a treat afterwards: a local sweet custard tart called pastel de nata (nata for short). Check out these pics:

Here we are in Sintra rooted in Moorish history. Twenty miles west of Lisbon, Sintra is a gem full of tourists all climbing up and down the steep streets with colorful shops and restaurants. Our highlight was a ride up to and exploring the Moorish Castle, which has breathtaking views of the city below including the National Palace of Portugal below (the two spires are the kitchen vents--only one spire can be seen in the picture)

Check out these pics:

Here you have gas prices in Euros per liter, which translates to $7.25 per gallon!'!!!!!!!!! WOW

Had a fantastic meal tonight at a place where Jean knew the chef. I asked what the best cooking style for bacalao ( heavily salt cured cod). He recommended a la Portuguese.

Results below:

Enjoyed a full day of touring by myself on the Yellow Bus Tour. It steeped me into the rich Lisbon history most notably its Age of Discovery and the HUGE 1755 earthquake that nearly destroyed everything (85%). All was rebuilt using more modern techniques rather than rebuilding a medieval city.

On the more modern side, there's evidence everywhere of their 40th anniversary celebration last Friday of reestablishing democracy after Salazar's failed "Estado Novo."

Great weather!!

After a 10-hour layover in Newark, the plane took off on Saturday the 26th. Seats were unbelievably narrow and had minimal leg room--tightest seat arrangement I've ever experienced. TAP was the carrier for United.

Arrived the 27th and made my way to our hotel in the heart of Lisbon, our base we'll be using until the 2nd of May when we'll start our walk. Met Jean and his lovely wife Carmen at the hotel. Then took her back out to the airport for her return flight to Barcelona. Waiting for her plane consumed nearly 5 hrs, after which some fun sight seeing began.

Here are some pics of the day: major Business Square, entrance to the square, steep cable car ride, view of castle, and Kurt with statue of Fernando Pessoa, the poet.

Am crashing after a long, but exciting day!

The first leg of the trip to Lisbon was tiresome, but not nearly as much as I would become two days later before getting to sleep in a real bed. Here's a stunning sunrise Saturday morning just before landing at Newark.

Relaxed today--only 8 mi (13 km) after a killer day yesterday. Visited our neighbor Sherri, in a Rehab Center now for over 2 years. I keep hoping she'll get the strength and I keep trying to inspire her to get well, but no success.

Today's 13.7 miles (22 km) were a killer, which means I'm getting close to where I want to be. The walk took me down to the Ventura Harbor. On the way I saw a bit of Nietschean humor-- check out these BMW license plates. On further, celery was frantically harvested to make the Easter dinner table. And field workers down the road wasted no time loading flats of strawberries onto trucks. Their hard work motivated me to pick up my pace.

Today's 10-mile walk from the house took me past the Olivas Adobe, an estate once part of the San Buenaventura Mission that after secularization in 1834 ended up in the hands of faithful military servants the Olivas family who had 21 children at this residence. It's the only adobe in the area and quite a place to visit. They had the annual family day today. Afterwards I passed by the Ventura Marina and went on to the Ventura Harbor. Check out the pics.

Walked 11.4 miles (18 km) in a big loop around Ventura that took me past strawberry and celery fields and a rest at the nearby golf course. Strawberries are picked nearly all through the year at some fields in the area. Workers are hustling here even on a Saturday. Check out these pics:

With 2 weeks to go, I did a nine miler with back pack this morning starting from our Ventura City Hall and Fra Junipero Serra's statue watching over the city. The surfers were out, pelicans looking for food all around them as I took a break on a bench overlooking the ocean waves gently rolling in--only 3 to 4 footers for the surfers, but they had fun as did I.

Check these pics out, standing in front of City Hall and then looking down the street toward the ocean. The opening scene of the "Way" shoots up to the statue of Fra Serra!

Yesterday and today were tough days. Yesterday I did 13.5 miles (21 km) with NO backpack. Today only 8.2 mi (but with 20 pounds stuffed into my backpack. A beautiful day as I went by our Ventura Marina. Check out the two photos.

Only 29 days until I leave for Lisbon to meet up with Jean. He and I will walk the Portuguese Camino from there. Here I am with Anita who organized a 12-mile walk in Southern California near our goal of Mission San Juan Capistrano.

The final 16.7 miles landed me at the Statue of Junipero Serra at the very first of the 21 missions. I was full of emotion as I embraced him--882 miles with lots of mini-experiences that have re-charged me in their own way. I have an AMTRAK ticket back home where I need some time to reflect on all of it. Thanks to all for their support and good wishes--they had their magical effect in the background.

Today's oceanside trek of 26 miles brought me to the UC San Diego campus where our son picked me up just in time--I was pretty tired from the long haul. A dinner at Old Mex Cafe rejuvenated me. The brisk morning started out with breakfast at Angelo's--you can see Alfonso with an apprehensive stare about the trip coming to an end tomorrow (check out the photo). Neither of us want our adventure to end, but both of us need time to reflect on it all and move on. The route saturated us with so many scenes of beautiful beaches and quaint beach cities (Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar, Solano Beach, etc.) and of course state beaches all on historic route 101, the El Camino.

A 14.7-mile round trip took me to Mission San Luis Rey via the San Luis Rey Bike Path that ran along the (you guessed it) San Luis Rey River. The low of 38 deg F didn't deter any cyclists or joggers (or even hikers) from plying their sport. This 18th (of the 21) mission was named after the French King Luis IX (as was St Louis, Missouri) who ruled in the 13th century--and hence called the king of the missions. He was the only French King to be canonized. (I'm standing next to the statue of St. Luis, normally situated above the main altar.) The mission is still undergoing a state-mandated seismic retrofit, due to be completed by Jan '13. Although mass is now held in the huge Serra Center, one can still visit the old mission and sense its former grandeur. It was built in the shape of a cross (only one other one was as well) and it claims to be the largest of the missions.

Today's nearly 22 miles was totally coastal taking me past the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant, that's been shut down indefinitely since Jan 12 due to the release of small amounts of radioactive steam caused by premature wear found on tubes in the steam generators. I included a photo of the iconic containment vessels (aka the Dolly Parton Memorial). The path then continued through the San Onofre State Beach, a scenic coastal canyon park (I included just one of many breathtaking views).

Then a turn under the freeway to the other side led me onto Camp Pendelton. Cyclists can enter with just an ID, but hikers need a military ID. That also means that anyone with a military ID can sponsor a group entry!

Cumulative mileage now stands at 817 mi with only two more missions and 73 more miles to go. From the motel it was only 3.6 mi along a creek (with concrete bed) that actually had water flowing and ducks in the water. Mission San Juan Capistrano was the 7th mission founded by Father Junipero Serra on Nov 1, 1776. Unique among all the missions is the presence of a great stone church ruin caused by an 1812 earthquake. The stone church was started in 1797 and completed in 1806. It was never rebuilt and not structurally stabilized until 2004. So much activity there: no less than three school groups on tour; a funeral mass in the Serra Chapel (which is the only known mission still standing where Fr. Serra celebrated mass--it was completed in 1788); at least four artists busy at heir easel; and a large construction crew building a new entrance. I took the audio tour and found it quite interesting. Wine is purported to have started being produced at this mission, from where it spread to other missions! One can see the outdoor grape press.

After visiting the mission, I returned the same way to Dana Point and then pretty much walked along the ocean beaches to San Clemente. From here it'll be more oceanfront as I pass San Onofre nuclear power plant and Camp Pendleton.