Seville

After a few days in Rota, I decided to start heading north. I figured that I´d head towards a city that had a train station so that I could start using my Eurail pass. Seville is about an hour from Rota, so I took a bus ride up ($15). I checked into a hostel right in the middle of Seville, close to restaurants and some sights worth seeing. I´ve decided to stay for a week, mainly because there´s supposed to be an active salsa dancing scene here. I´ve been told that they dance on-1, (LA style, as opposed to on-2, NY style), so I should have a good time here.

The jet lag is catching up with me, so I went to bed early my first night in the hostel. After ten hours of sleep, I was ready for a good workout. The hostel has a partnership with a local gym, so I was able to take a yoga class in the morning. Even though my Spanish is barely acceptable, I was able to follow instructions fairly well. Afterwards, the hostel offered a free Spanish style breakfast, which is usually toast and a marmalade of some type or toast with ham and cheese.

A quick shower, and I went out for some sightseeing. I took a walk around the Plaza de Espana, which houses many government offices. The architecture here is beautiful!

After sightseeing, I had a tapas lunch of mixed salad and what the waiter told me were empanadas. I expected a pastry filled with meat, but he brought out setas empanadas, which turned out to be huge, fried mushroom caps with a side of tartar sauce. Not what I expected, but still delicious.

After a siesta (I´m getting used to that idea), I went to find some salsa dancing. After walking for a half hour I found the place that I was looking for, only to find that tonight was lessons only; no social dancing. I was told to come back on Wednesday. I guess I´ll have to wait to get my salsa fix until then.

Tech issues

Before I left the US, I had contacted T-Mobile about my phone service. I was thinking that I'd have to purchase a SIM card to use here in Europe. T-Mobile's Global Service is pretty good, and it includes unlimited texting and web service. Although I usually kept data roaming off while in the US, I had to enable it once I got over here. It's really convenient to be able to keep in touch with the family back home.

I've been keeping in touch with the family via text and Skype, along with Facebook updates. However, during my downtime in my room I wanted to catch up on my Netflix and Hulu shows, as well as listen to Pandora. Since those services won't work outside of the US, I had to find a work around. Fortunately, both my phone and my tablet have VPN capabilities. I purchased an account with www.hidemyass.com, which gave me a US based VPN IP address so that Netflix and other media services would think that I'm located in the continental US. Success!

T-Mobile's Global service only applied to my phone, however. Although my tablet (Nexus 7) has it's own SIM card, it's not covered under a "Simple Plan" which provides global service. So I'm able to use it on a WiFi network only. Out of range of a WiFi signal, I've had to enable the Hotspot on my phone and connect my tablet to it.

Rota, Spain

I've finally arrived in Rota, Spain. I managed to catch a C17 out of Norfolk after two days of waiting. It was an early morning showtime for the flight - 0200. Since I had checked out of my room on base at 1000, I wandered around base and hung out until showtime. By the time we took off around 0500, I was wiped out. Sitting in a jump seat isn't conducive to taking a nap, but somehow I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours of sleep during the 7.5 hour flight.

We landed around 6 p.m. After walking to the base main gate, I was informed by the Spanish Marines there that I needed to get a base pass if I wanted to return on base. While getting the pass, I was told that I also had to get my passport stamped at the police station the next day. There's a 90 day limit without a visa; I initially thought that it was 90 days per country, but it's actually a 90 day limit within the European Union. And that's 90 days within a 180 period, so I'll have to spend time in a non-EU country (England, Croatia, etc) if I plan to stay over here past 90 days. The timer will reset at the 180 day mark.

I ended up at a hostel in Old Rota, Hostal Sixto. It was more like a hotel than a hostel, and priced like one. Private room and bath cost me $58/night. I decided to stay for three nights so that I could catch up with some family here and recover from my jet lag.

I took a walk around town to grab a bite to eat and get re-familiarized; I had been out here with the family in 2004 to visit. I love the plazas and the narrow streets around here! Went to a tapas bar for a sandwich and beer, and attempted to brush up on my limited Spanish. I noticed that food and drinks are inexpensive compared to the States; although the beers are smaller (around 8 oz), they were only 1.20 euros ($1.60).

I headed back to the hostel and chatted with the owner, who is Italian. She doesn't speak much English, but her Spanish is excellent. Her parents live in the hostel too, and her mom had baked some panna de nonna, which she explained is "grandmother's cake". Delicious with coffee!

Space A Travel preparations

Being a retired military member, I'm eligible to fly on a space available, no charge basis on military aircraft flying out of most military bases in the U.S. and Overseas. Since retirees fall low on priority list, planning and patience are key to flying space available (Space-A).

I started planning my trip a couple of months in advance by submitting my desired destinations to the air bases that I thought would have flights going to the east coast, and eventually to Europe. I used the website www.takeahop.net to submit my requests, and eventually downloaded their MilSpaceA app so that I could submit requests on the go. The earlier signup dates take priority over later signup dates, so it helped that I sent my information and destinations over a month in advance.

Flying Space A is a challenge, since a traveler's presence is required two hours before departure time and seats are not guaranteed. It helps to pack lightly, especially since there are weight restrictions on luggage and you often have a long walk from the terminal to base lodging.

I initially thought about taking a camping backpack to Europe, but decided that I'd look too much like a tourist. I opted for a mid-sized luggage case with wheels, and packed the following:

-Two extra pair of underwear and socks, not including the ones I'm wearing.
-A Northface waterproof, windproof jacket with zipout liner.
-Two pairs of Columbia hiking pants (wearing one pair) and one pair of nice jeans. I like the hiking pants because they're lightweight and dry quickly when wet.
-In addition to the Asolo hiking boots that I prefer to wear when sightseeing, I packed one pair of casual shoes and one pair of running shoes.
-One lightweight sports jacket.
-One buttondown shirt and 4 casual wear tee shirts in different colors (I prefer V-neck Calvin Kleins).
-One lightweight V-neck pullover sweater.
-Microfiber travel towel.
-One baselayer shirt and pants (I'm expecting cold weather, otherwise I wouldn't have packed these).
-One pair of pajamas (I stay in hostels most of the time, and many dorms are coed).
-One pair of shower shoes.
-One pair of running shorts and lightweight workout shirt.
-One large and one medium Eagle Creek compression bags (helps to compress all of my clothes).
-One molly bag (for store/grocery runs, misc shopping).
-One voltage converter (220v/110v) with adapters.
-A Garmin Trex 30 GPS
-Galaxy S4 with charger
-Nexus 7 tablet
-One pair Yurbuds earphones
-Several packets of Starbucks Via.
-Steripen traveler (just in case bottled water isn't available).
-Various travel-sized toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, two Tide laundry travel packets, floss, soap, shampoo, deodorant, Q-tips, mouthwash, several pocket sized Kleenex packets, Febreze, hand sanitizer).
-Padlock with key.
-Nikon Coolpix L620 camera.
-Messenger bag.

It seems like a lot, but I do plan on traveling for an extended period (>1 month). I placed my electronics into the messenger bag along with my travel documents (passport, Eurail pass, train timetables, etc) and a few toiletries, and the bag weighed in at seven pounds. My luggage with everything else weighed in at 39 pounds, just under the 40 lb limit for one of the flights that I took. Since box lunches are no longer available for purchase, I'll pack some jerky or protein bars into my jacket as a mini meal.

I hope that this list will help you decide to pack for your future trips.

Starting Over....

I retired last year, December 2012. I had hoped to hike the California Coastal Trail, beginning in February 2013. Unfortunately, life had some twists for me, and I was only able to hike from the Mexico border up to Camp Pendleton. For six months, I went on road trips and spent my time between San Diego and Murrieta, CA. I had a great time during those six months, especially while salsa dancing in San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Albuquerque, and Phoenix. But I really wanted to go on the road full time.

On a brief visit home, I found out that my previous employer needed some help, so I offered to temporarily take my old job back. After six months, my contract is up and I'm ready to go!

I'll be heading for an extended visit to Europe, taking a military Space Available hop out of a nearby military base. Since this will be an open ended visit (stay until I'm homesick/tired), I've had to do some thinking about my preparations:

Passport:

I went to the State Department's website (http://travel.state.gov/passport/renew/renew_833.html) and downloaded Form DS-82. I decided against paying an additional $60 for expedited service, since I had a full month before I planned on travelling. Although the website states that your passport would be renewed within 4-6 weeks via regular service, I received mine in 3 weeks. BTW, the Application Status link at http://travel.state.gov/passport/status/status_2567.html wasn't providing the status of my application after a week, so I called the office to see what was going on with my renewal. I was told that the link hadn't been working in awhile! BTW, I had my passport photos (2 needed) taken at FedEx Office for $16. AAA will take the same photos for $8.

International Driver's permit:

Although I probably won't need it, I decided to get an International Driver's Permit from AAA (http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html). I've rented a car in Germany before without it, but I plan on visiting quite a few countries, and may decide to rent somewhere out of the way. Just in case.

Eurail Global Flex pass

I've decided to do most of my travel via rail. Since I really have no idea about where I'll be starting my trip (it all depends on where the military flight will drop me off), I'll take trains wherever I decide to go. I decided on a Global Flex pass, since it covers 23 countries throughout Europe. I purchased a 10-day pass, good for two months. The pass came in today, along with a Eurail map and a timetable book. Between the map and timetable book, I shouldn't have any problems planning my trip when I get there.

Car storage

I already have my personal belongings in storage, and decided to store my car in the same location. Once I move the car into storage, I'll file a Planned Non-Operate (PNO) certificate with the DMV. I'll provide a copy to my car insurance; they'll remove the liability insurance from my insurance bill until I take my car out of storage again. 

On my next post, I'll cover what I'll be taking along with me.

Catching up

I last left off on my visit to the East coast. Since then, I've continued my hike up the California coast, but it's been slow going. I spent several days hiking from Downtown San Diego to Camp Pendleton, covering around 50 miles. It was a pretty easy hike, usually along residential streets. The view of the homes while walking through the neighborhoods in La Jolla and Del Mar was amazing! I'm pretty sure that if I won the lottery, I'd find a home in one of those neighborhoods. My next leg of my trip will be a 20 mile hike across Camp Pendleton. Hoping to start that leg soon.

I've made a weeklong trip up to the San Francisco area since then, visiting some family members. I'm almost out of the limbo that was keeping me close to the San Diego area, and am looking at recommencing my travels. I was starting to get discouraged about having to couch-surf for the past several months, and started looking at purchasing a condo in the San Diego area. Not having a permanent place to call your own can be unsettling. My parents have been so kind in letting me stay with them while I'm in the Temecula area, and my daughter's friends let me stay at their home when I'm in San Diego. But I'm not one to hang around the house during the day, so I'm usually wandering around town with my belongings in the back seat of my truck. My days have been filled with workouts, Starbucks visits in downtown San Diego, and salsa dancing at night. Still loving the retired life!

Currently, I'm in Texas. My cousin Joe passed away unexpectedly last Monday, and I was honored to be able to carry him to his resting place. We were the same age, only 2 weeks apart. We grew up together, and he and I would hangout whenever I would visit Beeville, Tx. I can remember the many times during our childhood, teenage years, and adulthood that we spent together. Playing hide & seek as kids, shooting pool with my brothers and cousins as young teenagers during the summer, talking about girls, cars, and our futures as older teenagers. He was like my own brother, and I'll miss him.

Joe Carrizales was a well respected police officer in Beeville, Texas. He worked as a process server, and was well known in town. High school football is big in Texas, and Joe and his brother both played all four years. It seemed as though everyone in town knew Joe; everytime we'd go somewhere, he'd introduce me to another one of his friends and acquaintances.

His reputation was solid. Always seen with a smile, everyone knew him as a nice guy who was ready to help. His memorial and funeral services were standing room only. I don't think that I'd ever seen such a large gathering of police, sheriffs, active duty and retired military personnel in one place. Most of the officers and deputies were in uniform, and there were even several Texas Rangers in attendance. The procession to the cemetery was a mile long, with firetrucks, police and sheriffs vehicles, and the Patriot Honor Guard as part of the escort.

I stayed for a couple of days after Joe's funeral and spent it with his family. I pray for their peace during their healing process.

I'm back on the road now and spending a couple of days in Corpus Christi, enjoying the weather here and looking for some good BBQ. I'm planning on trekking through Texas for a little while; I've heard things about the Austin music and food scene, and I need to find a salsa dance club in San Antonio before I go through salsa withdrawals.

Will keep in touch.

East coast adventure

Time to catch up on what I experienced while on my Space-A adventure back east. My first full day in Philadelphia was spent visiting the Liberty House, the Liberty Bell, and taking a hike all around the historical sights.

Liberty House

It was really interesting to see and stand in the same room that George Washington and the signers of the Declaration of Independence spent time in. As I walked around, I came across a hostel located on a side street and decided to spend the night there. Apple Hostel has excellent rates, is extremely clean, and is located only a few blocks from the Liberty House. Plus, they offered discounts at the local restaurants. I wish that I had more time to visit the local restaurants and pubs; it looks like a foodie paradise around the historic section.

The next morning, I decided to head to Brooklyn to visit see the sights. Only 90 miles away, it seemed to be an easy enough drive. Along the way, I had to pull off to make an ATM visit and ended up in Camden, NJ. Now I've been to some pretty "dangerous" neighborhoods before, but they were nothing compared to Camden. I told a friend of mine that it made East LA look like Disneyland. It was 8:30 in the morning, and the hookers were already working the streets. Burnt out buildings, trash in the streets; if you've watched "The Walking Dead", you'll have a pretty good visual of what the streets looked like. As I pulled up to a convenience store ATM, another car pulled up a couple of spaces down from me. I had an unusual feeling that this guy was waiting for me to get out, so I kept my car running and decided to wait for him to get out first to see if he was just going to grab something from the store. I waited and waited. He would glance over to see if I was going to get out, but I kept waiting. After I decided that he was probably looking for more than just milk and bread, I left and found another ATM in a safer location. 

Along the way, I decided to visit my old Navy buddy Dan in New Jersey. Haven't seen the guy since '84, so I met up with him at work. The snow started to fall pretty good when I got there, so he took a break and we went to the local 7-Eleven and grabbed a cup of coffee. We sat in the rental car for the next hour catching up on what we've been up to all these years. I consider myself fortunate that I've got these friendships from my Navy days that are still going strong.

I left Dan and headed to Brooklyn to see another shipmate, Patrick. Not a bad drive, but the $15 toll going into Brooklyn on the Goethals bridge caught me by surprise (it was $13 coming out of Brooklyn on the Verrazano bridge). Still snowing, Patrick and I went out for a quick dinner at a local pub (best cheese stuffed ravioli I've ever had!), and got caught up since our last visit in '09.

I left early the next morning to head to Chesapeake, VA to visit another Navy shipmate and his family. It was a pretty uneventful seven hour drive, and arrived just in time for dinner. Frank and Denise have a wonderful family, and it was a real blessing to meet their kids and Denise's father. Denise is an outstanding cook, so we had a great dinner and fellowship that evening.

By this time, I was four days into traveling, and it was time to take a break. I spent the next two nights in Chesapeake, resting, doing laundry, and planning my next few days.

I took off early the next morning and headed to Washington, DC. I checked into the Capital View hostel, a ten minute walk to the Capital building. Again, a really nice, inexpensive hostel conveniently located to all the local sights.

Capital Building

Washington D.C. was amazing! I had no idea that all of the monuments were located around the perimeter of the National Mall. I spent the next two days walking around to visit them, covering roughly 21 miles according to my GPS. I definitely got my money's worth out of my hiking boots those days. The Lincoln Memorial, the MLK memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam Wall, the WWII memorial; it's tough to say which one stood out the most to me. They were all pretty incredible; I wish that I had more time to visit the various Smithsonian museums. I'll definitely go back to see what I missed.

After my DC visit, I had to start thinking about heading back. Money was running low, and I was getting tired of walking 5-10 miles a day sightseeing. I drove back to Dover and spent the night. The next morning, I headed back to the Air Force Base terminal to see if I could get manifested on a flight back to California, but no luck. I turned in my rental car and hiked four miles to the bus station. I was able to catch a bus up to the Wilmington, Delaware Amtrak station, and then took the train back to DC. Another night at the Capital View hostel, and then I headed to Andrews AFB for the afternoon flight back to California. But, no luck; I couldn't get a seat on the afternoon flight and I ended up spending the night in the base air terminal. I lucked out the next day, and was able to catch a late morning flight to Travis AFB. Down to the last of my funds, I spent one more night at Travis AFB at the Westwind Inn and caught up on the sleep that I lost the night before. The next morning, I was able to catch a seat on a C5 going to Miramar MCAS. Finally home!

The whole Space-A experience was worth it. Next time, I'm going to plan it out much better and have some kind of itinerary before I head out. Trying to figure out where I was going to sleep every night was mentally wearing, but it did add to the adventure. 

I'm hoping to catch a few days worth of hiking up the coast next week, so I'll update the blog soon.