Ego's Journal

[7Wannabe5]

What fun you guys have! I feel for you on the slower recovery from injury for humans of our age.

[mooretrees]

We have booked another week here in Lagos and then.... we have no idea. Feels good.
[/quote]

So cool to read this! I’m excited to read about your journey and how shaking things up is working out. I feel like there aren’t enough examples of people in their 40’s and beyond having epic adventures. Perhaps I just don’t hear about them, but still….

Hope the arm gets figured out.

[Ego]

I feel for you on the slower recovery from injury for humans of our age.

At first I was a little miffed about this comment. Hah! But then I realized you are right. When I broke my other wrist in 2016, I was 49 and it took about a month to heal. I checked with the private clinic in Lagos. €72 for the physician consultation required to order an xray and €42 for the xray / review by the doctor. Very reasonable. I decided to give it another week of serious rest before subjecting myself to the medical establishment. During the hike I was lifting and pulling the backpack, and supporting myself on the steep sections, so not really resting it much. After a few days of real rest, it is feeling much better. I did my first TRX workout today.

This morning we decided that in a few days we will move down the coast a bit to Albufeira. One hour by regional rail. From there... who knows?

[2Birds1Stone]

Super glad you had a great hike, thank you for sharing some pics.

When we did it in 2023, it was the first two weeks of May and we booked our accommodation in February, so I think we averaged $40-50/night for two people.

It is one of those trails that I know we'll want to do again in the future, there's a few towns I wish we had stayed more than one night, but the nature of pre-booking everything meant that we were on a schedule.

[Ego]

It was a bit more expensive for us. Mrs. Ego kept the details, but I believe it was about $70-80 per night. That said, we had a kitchen every night. We could have done more hostels. There were a few towns we would have liked to have stayed longer as well.

If we do it again it will be on bikes. They have some very nice gravel/bikepacking routes on their site. The bikes provide much more flexibility wrt accommodation.
https://rotavicentina.com/en/gravel-bikepacking/

[Ego]

We are now finishing up the second of three week-long apartment rentals in Porto. Doing it this way has allowed us to stay in some nicer accommodations than those that were available for a full three weeks. It also gave us the opportunity to experience different neighborhoods in the city. We arrived a few days before the Festa de São João, a massive street party that ought to be more famous outside of Portugal. Great fun.

Our 9km morning run starts by crossing the upper deck of the Dom Luis I bridge, then heading toward the coast along the Douro River before turning around and crossing the lower deck of the bridge. The stairs back to the upper deck are a killer at the end. Every morning we pass an extremely fit couple strolling along the river wearing running clothing who appear to be in their 80s. This morning we started a bit earlier and saw them working out. The woman flew past us, her grey head barely bobbing with a beautifully fluid stride. She was doing intervals. Both of us cheered her on as she passed.

It took me a few tries to find a place where I could hang my TRX from a tree without anyone getting upset. The wrist still hurts but it is gradually getting better and I am able to do pushups again.

[Ego]

From Porto we took a bus and two trains to Pamplona for the Festival of San Fermin, then another two trains to Sevilla for the Velá de Santa Ana.

San Fermin was insane. While we were not gluttons, the lack of sleep from late nights combined with early mornings for the running of the bulls left us both with what we believe to be covid. Oh well. The first week in Sevilla was spent recuperating.

We will stay in Sevilla for a month and a half. I joined a gym and Mrs. Ego a yoga studio. The public lap pool is wonderful and only 5€. The running options are incredible and we are forced to acclimate to the heat (most days reach 100f° / 38c°), though there are no races scheduled during the summer. Yesterday I saw a digital sign that registered the temperate at 47c°. While I do not typically take naps, the afternoon siesta just seems to happen here.

Sevilla's reputation as the hottest city in Europe keeps people away, so we were able to get a very nice apartment with A/C in the center. The combination of Roman, Spanish and Moorish cultures, architecture and traditions make for some breathtakingly beautiful moments. I continually find myself thinking, "Life here would be pretty good", but then I look out a few decades and wonder how things will be then.

With time to prepare, we were able to figure out how to access the free entries for most of the sights of the city. For instance, the cathedral releases about twenty free tickets per week randomly online on Monday afternoons. With patience, we were able to figure out the system and score a set. We bought 7€ tickets for a flamenco concert in the Alcazar and found the flamenco buskers in Plaza España fun to watch.

The local Humana thrift store turns over the entire store every month and drops the prices from 3€ to 2€ to 1€ on subsequent days at the end of the month. I needed something nice for the concert so we went on 3€ day and found a pair of Prada seersucker pants in my size (listed for 950€ on the Prada website) as well as a very nice Zegna men's shirt (200€). Mrs. Ego found at least twenty dresses we could have packaged and sent home (wherever that is) to resell. I have purposely avoided the antique art market because I do not want the temptation.

[delay]

Thanks for your journal update! I remember Sevilla as a wonderful place to holiday. Nearby Cordoba is worth a visit for the cathedral alone, and the Alhambra in Granada is unbelievably beautiful.

[guitarplayer]

Hi Ego, for your mobile workout setup, do you have something that allows doing pull ups? I normally go for a run to an outdoors gym to use pull up bars there but recently DW mentioned getting a pull up bar or similar for the flat. I am wondering if I can avoid screwing anything in walls.

Also, if you ever come across travellers with the UK/EU(EEA) working rights who have a seasonal job system in place, please post or otherwise let me know. I am always trying to extend list of options. So far my ideas are campsite warden or more broadly hospitality, some care work or supply teacher. I think there is no market for seasonal tax prep people in the UK and the type of work you do in CA, also could not find it.

[Ego]

Nearby Cordoba is worth a visit for the cathedral alone, and the Alhambra in Granada is unbelievably beautiful.

Thanks delay. I am not sure if we will get there this time but they are both on the list of places we would like to go.

Hi Ego, for your mobile workout setup, do you have something that allows doing pull ups? I normally go for a run to an outdoors gym to use pull up bars there but recently DW mentioned getting a pull up bar or similar for the flat. I am wondering if I can avoid screwing anything in walls.

We carry a TRX Go, some light resistance bands and an ultralight yoga mat. On previous trips, I would do google searches for pullup bars and would ask on reddit. I have not been doing pullups for a while so I no longer seek them out. Playground equipment was always my backup plan.

Also, if you ever come across travellers with the UK/EU(EEA) working rights who have a seasonal job system in place, please post or otherwise let me know. I am always trying to extend list of options.

Will do. We are always on the lookout for some business or job that will allow us to learn about the places we are staying and won't be like going to work. If anything interesting crosses our path, I will certainly post it here.

[NewBlood]

Also, if you ever come across travellers with the UK/EU(EEA) working rights who have a seasonal job system in place, please post or otherwise let me know. I am always trying to extend list of options. So far my ideas are campsite warden or more broadly hospitality, some care work or supply teacher. I think there is no market for seasonal tax prep people in the UK and the type of work you do in CA, also could not find it.

I don't know specifically about UK/EU working rights, but I met a number of seasonal workers the last two weeks. It seems like a very common scheme here is summers working in bars/restaurants/surf shops on the coast and winters working in restaurants/bars/ski schools/ski rental shops in the mountains. The one I spent most time with (a Canadian) has been doing that for years and usually makes enough money this way to take the off-seasons entirely off. And as far as I know, that is not an ERE person Apparently once you have some experience and a restaurant is trying to get you to come back every summer, you can make 2500 euros/month plus a $250 monthly bonus under the table. Plus tips. That's more than a junior engineer. English speakers are desirable (but probably only as long as you also speak the local language).

ETA: the drawback with this scheme is that housing is a pain to find and quite expensive.

[NewBlood]

Thanks delay. I am not sure if we will get there this time but they are both on the list of places we would like to go.

Seconding delay's recommendation to go to Granada even for only a day or two, it's amazing. and only 3h away.

[2Birds1Stone]

We liked Sevilla a lot last year when spending ~2 weeks there. Glad you're enjoying the heat, as I imagine most people would not be handling it so well (myself included). The best coffee we found in the city was at MUY (https://www.instagram.com/muycoffee/)

Valencia was on another level though, if you get a chance, go! It's old-meets new with a very unique blend of architecture, culture, and some really nice beaches accessible by bicycle from just about anywhere in the city.

[Ego]

Yeah, we are realizing that we will have to come back this way sometime soon, but we've got the next step planned and booked already.

By the way, this post really motivated me.

646,000 steps walked

I decided to start paying attention to steps and see if I can beat 646k.

Mrs. Ego and I were comparing our steps. She consistently has 15% more than me when we run/walk the same routes. She if 5' tall and I am 6', so the Garmin watches take stride length into account.

[Ego]

194k steps in the past 7 days. I added a long afternoon walk at the height of the heat, while listening to an audio book. I am gradually acclimating. We will be in high heat places for the foreseeable future, so acclimatization will be useful.



The wrist still hurts to the point where I cannot do regular pushups. I think it is possible - maybe even likely - that my brain, with few real world problems to churn through, is creating something for me to fixate on.

Something to think about while I walk.

[Smashter]

I think it is possible - maybe even likely - that my brain, with few real world problems to churn through, is creating something for me to fixate on.

I had a similar thought recently. I had a lingering shoulder issue that was affecting my ability to do my daily pushups, so I switched to sit-ups instead for a couple months. I started doing some basic shoulder rehab on my own.

Then I tweaked my hip playing basketball, which made situps uncomfortable. I decided to try pushups again and found that I could do them pain free.

It felt like a suspicious coincidence that the moment I felt like I really needed to do pushups again, I was able to do so without issue. It's like the shoulder healing process accelerated all of a sudden. Who knows what's really going on, but the brain is a powerful force with all this stuff, and I find it interesting to ponder.

That's an impressive step count!

[Ego]

Who knows what's really going on, but the brain is a powerful force with all this stuff, and I find it interesting to ponder.

Agreed. I have always leaned toward mind-body to explain these kinds of problems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome

The typical explanation revolves around the subconscious mind creating physical pain to distract the conscious mind from psychologically painful, intrusive thoughts. In this case, though, I think my mind wants a problem to chew on. Kind of like the old person who has nothing to talk about but their ailments. Hah.

This morning I ran five miles in the semi-heat and I just finished a six mile walk in 104f. Mrs. Ego made vegan paella and we had a couple glasses of sangria. The first alcohol we've had in a long time.

[rube]

Look like a nice dinner at a nice place Ego!

If you like the place, you might enquire about the price of the appartement across yours, I see it is for sale .

[Seppia]

Great you are on the road again.
If you want to stop by lake Como hit me up, hopefully you’ll be luckier with the weather than our fellow ERE 2b1s though

I second the suggestion to visit Valencia, it is to me the perfect representation of the “average Spanish city” with all the positives it entails.

I also hope you guys get to either northern Italy or Amsterdam so we could meet up for a quick aperitivo

[Ego]

If you like the place, you might enquire about the price of the apartment across yours, I see it is for sale .

It is beautiful. As tempting as it is, I can't help but ask myself why I would live in any one place when I can move from place to place, enjoying a few weeks here, a month there, then moving on to the next interesting place. And I don't have to worry about electrical shorts or roof leaks. No doubt, our outlook will change in the future. When that day comes, I hope we have a good idea of the pros and cons of many different places, which will help us make good decisions. For now, onward!

Great you are on the road again.
If you want to stop by lake Como hit me up, hopefully you’ll be luckier with the weather than our fellow ERE 2b1s though

I also hope you guys get to either northern Italy or Amsterdam so we could meet up for a quick aperitivo

Mighty kind of you. Thank you! We are heading to the Greek Islands for about six weeks and then backtracking to Sicily in October. I do not foresee us getting to Northern Italy on this trip, but one of these days we will connect. I appreciate the offer!

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This morning I ran 5k through Plaza de España and Parque de María Luisa to the pool, had a lane to myself for 1200m free in a beautiful 50m lap pool, then ran 5k back home. Mrs. Ego got free tickets to a museums and we walked 15,000 steps this afternoon. Not a bad day.