When Journey Deadlines Loom – Excessive Heels within the Wilderness

Why do you suppose it’s that when long-awaited deadlines loom, particularly journey deadlines, I transfer slower and slower? Especially when the deadlines contain an prolonged journey, with numerous advanced preparations. And lastly when the appointed time for doing all of the final minute issues that should be performed arrives, I really feel as if I’m shifting in slow-motion. Through quicksand. And I waste time. And then can’t sleep as a result of I’m so anxious about what’s left to do.

I’m my very own worst enemy, I do know. Procrastination thy identify is Sue. Yes, Sue’s speciality is procrastinating in the case of assembly ultimate deadlines. Or making ultimate choices. Or ending no matter.

Maybe even this weblog submit.

But as a substitute of moaning about one thing which is totally my very own fault for your complete submit, I ought to speak a bit about the place we’re happening this journey. I’ve talked about our upcoming journey earlier than on the weblog, however solely in very temporary phrases earlier than I wandered off to reminisce a couple of earlier journey to the Yukon, or speak concerning the journey we did in 2024.

Our plan is to fly to Portugal’s Azores Islands on the finish of the month and spend per week there. We’ve rented a automotive for a couple of days and booked an condominium on the north aspect of the most important island, São Miguel, for a number of nights. That manner we will discover São Miguel at our personal tempo. We’ve already selected the principle issues we hope to do whereas we’re there. We’re most likely not going to any of the smaller islands. We debated and mentioned this advert infinitum final winter. We know the opposite islands are stunning, however we determined, as we normally do, that we will’t do all the things, except we need to keep longer. Which we don’t.

This was the identical dialogue we had years in the past after we went to Scotland. How may we resolve which of the numerous, many islands we wished to go to: the Orkneys, the Shetland islands, the Outer Hebrides, the Inner Hebrides? Well, you get the image. We selected the Orkneys and constructed it right into a type of round route the place we drove up the east coast to the north of Scotland, detoured for 4 days to go to Orkney, then returned to the mainland to renew our route down the west coast. I’d have beloved to go to Shetland too. But we simply needed to say: “Not this time. Maybe next time.”

Anyway, again to the right here and now. We return our automotive and transfer to a lodge within the capital Ponta Delgada for the final two nights on São Miguel. From there we’ll discover town of Ponta Delgada and be nearer to the airport for what Hubby at all times calls “getaway day.”

From the Azores we fly to Porto, Portugal, decide up one other rental automotive and start the principle portion of our journey. This half took most of our planning. We wished to drive north from Porto into Spain and journey north alongside the coast, and finally east, to Bilbao, then San Sebastian. Then take a brief detour into the Pyrenees into France. Then again east finally to Porto from the place we fly dwelling.

Well, that’s the quick model. But the extra we talked, the extra anxious Hubby grew to become about delaying our quick foray into the mountains till the previous few days. Because…nicely… snow. And the potential for climate points. So, since we have been nonetheless within the early starting stage, we flipped this complete part of the journey.

From Porto, we’re heading to the Pyrenees first. Well, nearly first. On the best way east, we’ll be staying in a tiny city referred to as Caracena, within the Spanish province of Soria. Quite close to El Burgo de Osma. Look up Caracena on Google, and also you’ll know why we’re going there. We’ve rented a tiny stone home from a lady named Maria who appears beautiful, from what I can inform from her emails. We’d been stopping in El Burgo de Osma, however then I found the a lot smaller Caracena. I’m a sucker for a stone home in a tiny city, I let you know.

From Caracena we head to the Pyrenees, keep for a bit in Luz-Saint-Sauveur, do a hike enroute that we’ve been researching, and drive the Col de Tourmalet, one of many Tour de France mountain phases. Driving two of the Tour de France climbs was a spotlight of our 2015 journey to France. I nonetheless bear in mind laughingly telling my buddy Debbie that we had pushed up Mont Ventoux, and “Boy, was I exhausted.” That’s proper up there with saying: “I’ve just flown in from wherever and, boy, are my arms tired!” Ha. Old joke, I do know.

I’m not going to narrate our total itinerary intimately. I can hear your sighs of reduction. Let’s simply say that we’re spending a couple of days in San Sebastian, a few days in Bilbao, and a number of other days in Potes, hopefully strolling within the Picos de Europa National Park.

This is the place our plans may go awry. Shades of our New Brunswick trip, in that forest fires closed elements of the Picos de Europa National Park this summer time. Hubby has been holding a detailed eye on that scenario. We might be able to hike, or we could not. And we’ll simply need to see what transpires after we get there.

After that it’s principally coastal driving in Galacia, heading west and finally south. Hopefully there will probably be a day journey alongside the rugged “Coast of Death,” so named due to all of the shipwrecks which occurred there. I say hopefully as a result of what we do and the way a lot of no matter we select to do will probably be depending on how drained we’re at this level within the journey. Our timelines are all set, and our lodging all booked, however we could resolve, when we’re not driving from one place to the subsequent, to sit down and sip wine, and skim and stroll no matter village we’re in that day.

Coastal views are fantastic. But sitting and sipping has its points of interest as nicely, my buddies. After twenty-some days on the street, we’ll be drained. I may nicely be getting some energy studying performed. I bear in mind the final days we spent in Portugal in 2023: guide, tea and pasteis de nata featured largely. Hubby swapped the guide and tea for naps, however saved a pointy eye on his share of the tarts.

I do know that many individuals decry my desire for sitting and studying irrespective of the place I’m. I bear in mind being instructed to not waste the valuable travelling time, I may relaxation after I acquired dwelling. Hubby and I saved lengthy and exhausting after we have been working so as to have the ability to journey after we retired. And we now have realized that the time spent travelling just isn’t treasured, nor cherished, if we don’t do it our manner. This means planning all the things ourselves and doing precisely what we need to do, so long as we will. And if this implies we miss a museum or a cathedral or two, or perhaps a fabulous clifftop view, so be it.

We don’t eschew all cultural experiences in favour of strolling or sitting with a guide. But we select these issues which curiosity us probably the most and go away the others. No matter how well-known. Do you already know that I’ve by no means been to the Tower of London although I’ve been to England a number of occasions? But I’ve had a pleasant tea at Jane Austen House in Bath, and wandered across the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, and stayed at a pub in a village on the Chatsworth Estate. These issues may not curiosity you. But you do you, and I’ll do me, as they are saying.

So. Back to my looming journey deadlines. I’ve managed to type out a few of the issues on my record. Issues with flights have been confirmed, one positively, one not so positively. But we needed to shrug and take our lumps. We had a final minute cancellation from an lodging immediately which we sorted fairly rapidly. Apparently the place the place we have been booked has determined to shut, or so they are saying. Luckily we had saved our quick record of lodging for that city, and rapidly booked into our second selection which was nonetheless out there.

Other issues on my record have been crossed off as a result of upon nearer inspection I didn’t must do them. That was simple. I shopped for some issues I wanted for the journey when my sister was right here, and purchased two tee shirts for journey and a light-weight sweater. And I ordered a brand new pair of sneakers for journey. I do know, I do know. That’s 4 extra new items added to my already blown Rule of Five depend.

In my defence, I did want what I purchased. I can’t journey with my Veja sneakers. Toronto taught me that. Long walks on metropolis streets in them killed my ft. I needed to retire one long-sleeved tee shirt and a short-sleeved one. They have misplaced their form and are actually appropriate just for figuring out, or cleansing home. The mild sweater was a purchase order I attempted to make final yr, however Uniqlo was bought out. I need to put on the sweater for journey as a substitute of packing a cashmere one. I don’t need to smash my good cashmere.

Still, wanted or not, 4 extra new items is loads. I imply, can I even discuss Rule of Five now with any credibility? I feel not.

Okay, sufficient with the gradual trend mea culpa.

I’ve a couple of issues to get performed this upcoming week. I’ve put aside a couple of days to consider, attempt on, and plan my journey wardrobe. Then comes the packing. As normal we’re taking two carry-on dimension curler luggage that we’ll verify, a again pack and a tote bag that we’ll keep it up the airplane, in addition to our private objects. Since we carried these identical luggage for six weeks in South America, the place we would have liked garments and gear for various actions and temperatures, I’m not anxious that I’ll have sufficient room for no matter I want. I’ll let you understand how I get on with the outfit planning in my submit subsequent week.

You know, penning this submit has gone a protracted method to assuaging my anxiousness. Talking about one thing at all times helps, in my expertise. Yes I’ve been procrastinating. But I’m nonetheless getting issues performed. Maybe I’m simply experiencing journey anxiousness. Hubby says I get older in spite of everything… it’s not simply him who’s getting older. I are inclined to suppose that as a result of he has a bit over a decade on me, I’m nonetheless a spring rooster. Instead, perhaps I’m only a robust outdated hen. Or an more and more anxious outdated hen. Ha.

I appear to recollect rolling my eyes a couple of years in the past at his anxiousness earlier than our massive journeys. Thinking his manner via all of the “what ifs?” Would this or that go mistaken? Nagging me to get my stuff performed. Wanting to go away manner too early for the airport. That type of stuff.

Now I’ve joined him. And, you already know, when the lodging cancelled on us yesterday, it was Hubby who was the calm one. Now that’s a flip up for the books.

Sigh. I’m starting to yearn for the outdated days when my anxiousness was principally about whether or not I’d have an excellent hair day. Or a foul one.

So there… I’ve completed this submit. Procrastination has not utterly taken me over. But let’s wait till subsequent week to see if my remaining journey deadlines are met. Okay?

How about you buddies? Any journey plans this fall? Do you angst concerning the particulars because the journey deadlines loom?