Day 18 (5/29) Murias de Richavaldo to Rabanal

We left Juan's place and were immediately on trail surrounded by vibrant yellow flowers (Spanish/Scotch Brooms). We spent more time today digging deeper into the flora of the Camino. 

Today was another good cafe stop day. We ended up in Cafe Susana in Santa Catalina de Somoza, where we struck up a conversation with cafe owner Raquel (from Germany). She hooked us up with a free beverage because Cory played guitar. Raquel eventually took over guitar duties and sang an incredible rendition of "Running up that Hill" by Kate Bush, and we all agreed that Raquel's version was better, and we also all agreed that Stranger Things rocks.

I also finally found the pair of earrings that spoke to me and I've been wearing them on trail ever since. Photos eventually.

After Raquel's, we literally stopped to smell the roses at every possible opportunity. Next cafe stop was Messon Cowboy for smoothies, but I have to mention here that I have a weird neurosis that I call the "free sample effect."

When I go into a store offering free samples (Costco, Trader Joe's, etc.), I cannot take a sample unless I am committed to buying the item. I feel bad taking advantage of the service. I recognize how asinine this behavior is. Jeff, Cory, and I stopped to take a picture in one of those big photo cutouts of Big Jim, and when the cafe owner came out, I totally panicked and immediately sat down to order a coffee while my companions looked at me through their eyebrows (whatever that means. . .Cory's words) and carried on to the cafe next door. When I eventually made it next door to join Cory and Jeff, they were also accompanied by students Toby and Lauren, and I have to mention that Lauren ordered ramen and kimchi, the traditional Camino meal, in this cafe. We had a raucous conversation about hats and bandits and jodhpurs and pit helmets. Also, I have to give Jeff kudos--he's an incredible speller. I've asked him to spell at least 7 words for the last two posts (including "asinine," "jodhpurs," "neurosis," etc.)

We left the cafe and did more walking (Jeff: "as one does.").

At the end of this route, we had a beautiful walk through a forest that was lined with a wire fence with stick crosses woven into the route. I got birdmanned at the next cafe stop by Toby and Lauren.

The evening in Rabanal was jam packed. We bought groceries for breakfast the following morning, we had a student presentation on gastronomy of the Camino, we had dinner (in two shifts), and we attended a church service with Gregorian music.

Day 17 (5/28) Leon to Murias de Richavaldo

Today was a magical camino day. Also, **Happy Birthday, Cory!!**

We said goodbye to Dean Matt in the morning before starting our walk. We walked past the cathedral one last time before boarding a bus to a small town called Villares de Orbigo to start our walk to Astorga and eventually on to Murias de Richavaldo. Today's walk was open farm fields with beautiful poppies popping through long fields of wheat, and you better believe I mentioned Sting's Fields of Gold no less than 3 times while walking. Mom, I have clear memories of listening to Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales on cassette tape in the Oldsmobile Silhouette and can probably still name the track list in order.

The real highlights from today were the cafe stops. A few miles into the trek, we came across this amazing respite that we referred to as "The Oasis" that had an incredible spread of food ranging from hard boiled eggs to squeeze-your-own orange juice, and we supplemented our second breakfast with existing cheese from La Casa de los Quesos. When I asked Cory and Jeff what they remembered about the Oasis, they both immediately responded with "orange juice," and Jeff added "dogs." We got to speak with other pilgrims and spend time in community. We met a woman named Marissa, who I will mention later.

I'm putting a reminder to myself to go back to previous entries and add information about other good cafe stops, including the food truck on the hill climb with Jeff and Matt and the blue respite where we had a fantastic trail picnic.

After the Oasis, lots of walking. Lots of planted forests. We stopped off at a roadside craft table and spoke with Joe, who made unique metal wrappings--we all purchased a few and discussed the beauty of community.

We eventually made it into Astorga, which was the historical capital of the area. One of the best features of the walk was a small chapel that contained a sculpture of what we referred to as "Skinned Shin Jim" or "Shinned Skin Jim" who was accompanied by his dog with a piece of bread in its mouth. We named the dog Tortilla. Jeff posted about Skinned Shin Jim and was gently and swiftly corrected by a colleague that the sculpture is not of Santiago but rather Saint Roche. The skinned shin is a plague sore and he is identified in iconography by the dog that brought him bread while he was sick and his shin. The more you know...(cue the NBC shooting star)

The walk into Astorga was full of fascinating street art and sculptures, so I'll add some of those photos later. In Astorga, we invited Marissa to have lunch with us, and we dined on two different kinds of paella (negro and mixta). Marissa is doing the Camino for spiritual purposes, and it was a pleasure to hear her journey and what she hopes to experience while completing the Camino.

From lunch, Jeff and Cory and I got into a "spirited, thoughtful, passionate, philosophical" discussion about the merits of going off trail to visit the Gaudi house in Astorga. As a professional lazy person, I loathe going off trail and made my point very clear. Lucky for all parties involved, the Gaudi house, was, in fact, very much on trail, and this unique feature of the house was pointed out by both of my colleagues on at least...a few occasions.

A few more miles of walking and a few Aquariuses later, we eventually made it to la Casa de Aguedas, otherwise known as Juan's place. I think I did a pretty thorough discription of Juan's amazing albergue last time, so feel free to revist that post. That said, this time, there were kittens. Like, really tiny kittens. 4 week old kitties and 1 week old kitties, and out there somewhere, there's a cat that needs a vasectomy. We saw the tuxedo mother nursing both litters.

Prior to dinner, the group spent several hours in Juan's lovely yard, where activities ranged from keepy uppy with the world's most deflated volleyball that would make even Tom Brady blush, sunset gazing, bocce, paddle ball, a student presentation on the evolution of the camino, including the responsibilities of the hospitaleros (the hosts of the albergues). Deya presented on "empty Spain," referring to how the youth are leaving rural areas of Spain to live in larger cities. 

Juan provided our group with a delicious dinner and a sound bath (or what we are referring to as a sound nap), Cory got to jam on his new backpacking guitar, and we all appreciated how beautiful the rooms and stonework are in this space. Much appreciation to Deya for maintaining solid friendships with the hospitaleros and finding us incredible places to stay. Solid, solid day.

Day 16 (5/27) Carrion de los Condes to Leon

I'm writing this post 4 days into the future, but I am also writing it from the comfort of a laptop, so while this post will probably be superficial and undetailed, it will at least have good formatting and minimal spelling errors.

If I recall correctly, we left CdC pretty early to avoid the heat and to maximize time in Leon, one of the larger cities we visit on the Camino. 

As I'm typing this, I'm like, nope, nope, nope. We got in late ~3PM because we only had an hour to get settled/showered before our cathedral tour. The walk itself, I recall, was pretty industrial. The first stretch was pretty (long grasses and wildflowers) but followed by lots of flat, paved surfaces next to car dealerships. Jeff, Matt, and I walked together and enjoyed good company while admiring the car dealerships. In the future, this would be a walk I'd recommend skipping.

We got into Leon, checked into a cute albergue (Hostel Palacio Jabalquinto), which was a first for me as the last time we were in Leon (2024), it was a quick lunch stopover without an overnight stay. 

The cathedral tour was great, as usual (I'll add photos later). Hara, our tour guide, is trained in the ability to restore or repair stained glass, and taught us the difference between the two. I don't entirely remember the specifics of her description, but according to the internet:

Stained glass restoration involves the complete off-site disassembly, cleaning, and structural rebuilding of a historic window using new lead and support frameworks. In contrast, a repair (often what people mean when contrasting the two) addresses minor, isolated damage while the window remains structurally sound in its frame. (NPS)

Hara had something to say about an additional panel (I think?) behind restored panels that does something different to the light that filters through the window. For future tours, Hara gave us all headsets, and as someone with hearing loss, it was also a game changer.

After the tour, we tapas hopped from cafe to cafe while I waited for Cory's train to arrive. He got in around 9 and we met the faculty at Marcela Brasa y Vinos for dinner before enjoying a nightcap in the cathedral plaza. Solid day.

Day 15 (5/26) — Boadilla to Carrión de los Condes

Okay, I have got to get my act together and start writing some posts of substance because these posts are doing NOTHING to entertain, provide context, or at minimum inform planning for future Camino programs. Step it up, Gerbers.

This morning while waiting for our cab (more on that in a second), the faculty got a tour of the albergue basement from the family that runs the albergue. There’s Roman architecture that they are preserving and adding a large soaking tub with very ornate stonework and solar energy. Naturally, I took no photos, but it’s a multi-year project. If I’m lucky enough to return, I hope it’s complete by the next trip.

This morning (as I’m writing this entry), the faculty and Dean are meeting with representatives from the city of Palencia to explore potential future partnerships. I’ll report back after the meeting.

(Next day)

Wow, what a great day! I thought I would be more bummed that we weren’t walking, but based on student feedback (long, flat, hot), it doesn’t sound like we missed out on anything significant, and our day spent with the people of Palencia was AMAZING.

We met Patro and Ana in the central plaza of Palencia. Ana works as the Director of Tourism and Patro formerly worked for the same department and now works for City Hall (I think). We started with a tour of the Palencia Cathedral. Let me tell you — I’ve toured my fair share of cathedrals and ruins in my day, and this one easily lands in the top 3. Started in the 8th century, the Cathedral of Santo Antolín is a beautiful and fascinating time lapse — Roman and Gothic influences, incredible paintings and sculptures and tapestries. And Ana’s tour and information tremendously enhanced our experience. In future programs, I would recommend skipping this 16 mile walk and bussing the group to Palencia for a cathedral tour and town visit.

After the cathedral, we met with faculty from the Palencia satellite campus (La Yutera), part of the larger Universidad de Valladolid system. Margarita is an education faculty member, Jesus is a sociologist, and Christina coordinates programs. We explored a variety of potential partnerships, which I won’t go into detail about on this blog, but I will say that I am excited and optimistic that our universities will be able to partner in some form or fashion in the future.

Ana, Patro, and the Westminster team had lunch at D’Candela, where we feasted on pork belly, blood sausage, ensaladilla, calamari, and ice cream before we said our goodbyes and took a cab to Carrión de los Condes to meet the students. 10 out of 10 would recommend Palencia for future Camino side trips — particularly for place-based learning.

Upon arriving in Carrión de los Condes, the faculty went shopping so that we could host what is now a time-honored tradition of picnicking in the park with manchego cheese, a baguette, charcuterie, cookies, and the dulcet tunes of Spanish guitar. We also were very immature and hosted an epic clipping war.

After dinner, we decided to get second dinner at a very fun and fancy monastery-turned-hotel restaurant called San Zoilo. I polled my colleagues for a description of our dining experience:

• “Third most heavy in a not very good mob movie who we know will do anything.” 
• “Suppressed rage.” 
• “Surly is too nice.” 
• “Poorly concealed contempt.” 
• “The fear dinner.” 

We had an absolute blast at dinner and the food was pretty good, but my god, the server’s attitude toward us was so antagonistic, it was truly comical.

Day 14 (5/25) Burgos to Boadilla

Boarded a bus to shorten the distance between Burgos and final destination of Boadilla. Morning got off to a bumpy start, but I had a nice long walk and two lovely cafe stops with Matt and Jeff. There was a food truck after a long hill climb that provided much needed shade and refreshment. I’ll remember that truck and that hill.

Boadilla is very small, but the lodging is beautiful and the service is great. I need to remember that this is one of my favorite places to stay.

Day 13 (5/24) Belorado to Burgos

Boarded a bus, picked up the group in Villamayor and drove to Atapuerca, an archeological site. Check my blog from 2024 for details.

Took the bus from dig site to Burgos. I love Burgos. Great food, cafes, people watching, lodging. Spent the afternoon touring different cafes, helping a student resolve a passport issue (lost). Dean Matt joined us for dinner. We went to Burgos’ very impressive Cathedral at the end of the evening and it was stunning and a truly memorable moment from the trip.

Day 12 (5/23) Cirueña to Villamayor del Río and Belorado

I apologize that I have very little to say or recollect from this walk. Most notable feature is that our group is split between 2 towns. Jeff and 12 students are in Villamayor. Deya, 6 students, and I are in Belorado. Cute albergue (hostel?) and quaint town. I’ll add photos later.

Day 11 (5/22) Nájera to Cirueña

Breakfast at Bar Naxara before a very, very hot 9.5 hike to Cirueña! Great conversations with the students and set on the trail, and then we all spent a few hours at what appears to be the only restaurant in town before our albergues opened. The town is so small, our group is split between three albergues.

Day 10 (5/21) Logroño to Nájera

I’ve been really encouraging students to not be heroes and to portage bags & take cabs when needed, and I finally swallowed my pride and followed my own advice and took a cab from Navarette (half-way point 9 miles in) on today’s walk. That said, today was one of my favorite camino days. Had an impromptu picnic with students along the trail, had a great coffee break in Navarette, and spent two hours lounging by the river in Nájera while waiting for the albergue to open. Jeff, Aaron, and I found a cool little bar in town for lunch and cider, and I thought that it had a vending machine of Vienna sausages, but they ended up being poorly illustrated sunflower seeds. Still tasty.

Fun dinner at Bar Naxara where students were introduced to Birdmanning. God help us all.

Day 9 (5/20) Torre del Rio to Logroño

Today was an easy day in that we only had 12.5 miles.
We had a solid Pilgrim’s breakfast at the Albergue (Pata
de Oca) before setting off around 8:15. The only major stop
was Viana about 6 miles in and it was my first camino
flub up in that I stopped at the first cafe that was
overpriced and had limited food choices (thank goodness
Jeff and I packed sheep’s cheese and salty meats!). If I had walked another 4 minutes, I would have ended up on this great avenue with tons of cafes and better people watching.
Always go for the second stop.

While the last two miles walking into Logroño were beautiful, my body is finding new ways to break down. I have a huge lump on my knee that is very, very painful when walking downhill. Some sort of patellar bursitis caused by overuse and downhill walking… hmm…

Logroño is one of myfavorite stops on the camino. It’s a lively town with great food. The students gave a great presentation on the history of the Camino and Rioja wine history and culture. Afterwards, Jeff, Deya, and I ate
all of the tapas on Calle Laurel. All of them.

Tomorrow: long walk to Nájera.

Day 8 (5/19) San Sebastián beach day

Finally caught up! We boarded a bus at 8:15 and drove 90 minutes to San Sebastián on the coast of Northern Spain. It did not disappoint.

I immediately treated myself to lemon gelato and a coffee while students played bocce ball with Jeff (and some dogs), kicked around a hacky sack, read books/took naps, and of course got in the ocean. The water was very cold, but it felt phenomenal on everyone’s feet and legs. I couldn’t stop myself — I went for a run because frolicking on the beach is my actual favorite lifetime activity.

After my run, I read ACOTAR while listening to Radiohead <shrugs> while walking up and down the beach until it was time to meet Jeff and Deya for lunch. We dined on pinchos in the plaza and I treated myself to some chocolates from the sweet shop before returning to the beach for one last frolic. The students have done a great job of being on time.

Thank you, Deya, for facilitating a perfect beach day! 

We stayed in Torre del Rio (another new city for me) in a very funky old Albergue that was Templar themed. The Albergue hosts were fantastic. It was our first real “get to know the locals” Albergue experience, complete with music and dancing and a surprise visit from the mayor. 

Tomorrow, back to the Camino en route to Logroño.

Day 7 (5/18) Puente la Reina to Estella

Another new stretch and new city. I have taken a new walking approach this year which is walk-super-fast-to-maximize-mid-walk-cafe-stops and I have been LOVING this approach. And I think it’s helped my body hold up pretty well, all things considered. I was joined by Eimee and Ashley on this walk, and let me tell you, those students can move. We were averaging sub 19 minute miles, and they eventually dropped me with about 2 miles to go (which was totally cool with me — I gave them my blessing). Well done, Ashley, Eimee, Bodie, and Owen!

The Albergue in Estella was super cool. An ecolodge of sorts right next to the river. The renovated building retained some of the Roman architecture. I shared a room with Deya, Marta, and Vivi, and it was nice to get to know them better.

At this point in the trip, we are 35 miles and 187,000 steps into our journey. In 2024, we averaged about 12 miles a day. This year, with several new stops — including the Pyrenees — we are averaging 17 miles a day. Needless to say, people’s bodies are in pretty rough shape between blisters, hip/shoulder soreness, lower extremity soreness, etc.

But luckily, we have a secret weapon, and that weapon is Deya. She approached me a few days ago to say, “Jeff has always wanted to go to San Sebastián. What do you think about getting a bus and surprising him and the group with a beach day?”

Um… yes, yes I think I could go for that.

Never one to miss an opportunity to turn Deya’s act of kindness into a prank, we told students of the beach plan (they were STOKED) and plotted a scheme in which everyone requested a cab instead of walking. The students nailed it. Jeff was very confused by the number of cab requests and was very touched when we revealed the plan.

Day 6 (5/17) — Pamplona to Puente la Reina

New route! New city!

Interestingly enough, I did not consult the syllabus or blog before starting this walk, and I was completely flabbergasted but by the fact that I had no recollection of the section — only to discover that I’d never done it. Heh.

It was our first good weather day and it was a beautiful walk. Big open fields and lots of wildflowers. And some climbing. The air temps couldn’t be more perfect, which was a welcome change from Days 1–3. Given the high number of miles we’ve already logged, much of the group was in pretty rough shape and opted to take a cab, so they got to Puente la Reina early and got to explore the city and attend mass.

Puente la Reina was beautiful. I didn’t explore as much as I would have liked because I was pretty tired after another 17 mile day, but dinner was good and so was the company.

Day 5 (5/16)— Zubiri to Pamplona

Day 5 (5/16)— Zubiri to Pamplona

Written on 5/19

I’m writing this post a mere 3 days after this walk and I can’t remember for the life of me what happened on this day. I think it rained but eventually stopped.

This walk has a combination of forested paths and urban stretches. The albergue is one of my favorites — Aloha Hostel. We ate dinner as a group at a restaurant that I think we visited in 2024, but I’d need to check my notes.

Sidenote — sorry these posts are so bland. I’m bored writing them so I can’t imagine how boring they are to read. Hopefully the next two days are new walks and new cities so it’ll get more interesting. And I’ll try and stay on top of posting. I really have been absurdly tired.

Day 4 (5/15) Roncesvalles to Zubiri

Written on 5/19 (May 15)

Day 4 (5/15) Roncesvalles to Zubiri

I am dropping the pelota on blog updates. Not having my laptop is part of it, but the bigger contributing factor is that we are averaging 17 miles a day and I am exhausted by the time we get to the albergue, unpack, shower, have my celebratory tapas, and debrief the day with the team.

But better late than never.

This stretch was beautiful and also comically difficult because of weather conditions. We started walking in snow. SNOW. And then eventually the snow turned to sleet. So then we walked in sleet. And then the sleet turned to cold rain.

So then we walked in cold rain.

And there was mud.

Lots of mud.

Last Camino, I brought my gaiters as an afterthought and I don’t think they ever made it out of my pack. They have been worn every day this trip.

I unfortunately have no photos from this day because it was too cold and rainy to faff about with my phone’s camera. Take my word for it; it was character building. Good time spent walking and conversing with students and enjoying a break at the Dragon Peregrino pub. I don’t remember what I wrote about Zubiri in 2024, but aspirationally I will revisit these posts and add some cultural and historical intel about the towns and albergues we stay in. The hostel in Zubiri was the same as 2024, as was the dinner location. (Albergue Zaldiko).

Day 3 5/14 Saint Jean to Roncesvalles

 Yep, I’m tired. 

16 miles, 3k elevation gain, rain, mud, wind. Slippery terrain. To say that our first official day of trekking was “memorable” would be…one way to describe it. 

And also…today lands somewhere in my list of top 5 most-beautiful-hikes-of-my-life, so no regrets. Well, I regret that I couldn’t take more photos because it was raining the entire time. 

And also…even when things felt tough, I reminded myself that I wasn’t carrying a 10-day food ration and 20 pounds of extra water (OEL Field Semester), we didn’t have to do a pack float/full swim and belay a dog down a canyon (scouting trip with Russ), and it wasn’t 17 miles with 5k elevation loss + 2k elevation gain and a heavier pack (last month’s backpacking trip with Cory in the Grand Canyon), so it didn’t even crack the top three of “most difficult backpacking experiences” list. 

And also…Mom and Dad, you’ll be happy to know that I hiked in a knee brace and an ankle brace and used trekking poles. My heinous bunions are doing okay and I look forward to getting them surgered after this trip. 

The walk itself was certainly worth doing at least once. Might be a one-and-done for me. I’ll have to check to see if I took any photos. 

After arriving in Roncesvales, we settled in and ate dinner as a group in the albergue that the students stayed in before attending mass. The priest blessed the pilgrims in many languages and wished us well on our journey.

Day 2 (5/13) Madrid to Saint Jean-pied-de-Port

(Uploading photos is difficult on this platform from a phone—I’ll add photos later)

I opted not to bring my laptop this trip (who wants to backpack with a laptop?) so we will test the limits of chat GPT to see if it can transcribe my chicken scratch.

[insert photo of ChatGPT prompt]

Well done, robot overlords!


A brief recap of yesterday, post-plane snack fiasco:

We arrived in Madrid around 3:30 local time. Had to shuttle to the train station from our terminal, so by the time we walked into the hotel, it was just before 6. I love trains, and it was a student’s first time taking a public train!

[insert photo of train]

In Madrid, we are staying at Hotel Mediodia, where we stayed in 2024. It’s a cute boutique hotel conveniently located near the Atocha station and several art museums and parks. Jeff (one of my two amazing co-instructors) and I grabbed a quick bite to eat at a local café before meeting the whole group (currently 21 students, 3 faculty—see you soon, Rylee and Eric!) at the hotel for our first meeting.

We went over the PFT (plan for tomorrow) and distributed clothespins (see blog post about “clipping”) before dismissing the group for the night. Jeff and I went for a stroll to the Plaza Mayor en route to one of our favorite Madrid spots—el Mercado de San Miguel, a food hall specializing in tapas, seafood, cheese, charcuterie, wine—basically it’s the equivalent of my own personal Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. “Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination…”


[insert photos of Plaza Mayor and tapas]

We dined on salty fish, olives, and crianza. Solid welcome to Spain!

Oh! My most idiotic moment of the day:

I was assigned room 534. I remember room numbers being hard to find in 2024, so I do a lap of the 5th floor and my room is nowhere in sight. I do a second lap. No room. I sheepishly go to the lobby front desk and explain my plight (“Lo siento. No puedo encontrar mi cuarto.”). The very kind attendant accompanies me to the 5th floor and points out my room—the very first off of the elevator. What. The. What. I felt like a complete asshole. I thanked him and apologized profusely.

Fast forward several hours later, and it happens again. My room disappeared!

No, idiot, there are two staircases leading to separate sides of the hotel…

Okay, now on to Day 2:

8:13 am

Our group met in the lobby at 6:30 (way to be on time, everyone!) to walk to Atocha station to board a train to Pamplona. I am on that train now. Most folks are sleeping or plotting their next clipping victim. Next update in a few hours.

6pm

Greetings from Saint Jean. After my last update, we took the train to Pamplona and immediately boarded a bus to cross over the Pyrenees into France. We arrived in Saint Jean around 1:40– the walk from the bus stop into the city is stunning. Every visual is straight off a postcard, complete with cobblestone paths and narrow alleys and lush green landscapes.

It was too early for us to check into our hostel, so we stood in line waiting for the pilgrim’s office to open. The process was pretty smooth this year, but I remember it being a junk show in 2024. This office is where pilgrims (folks trekking the Camino) officially register and receive their pilgrim passport, which is required to stay in albergues reserved for pilgrims and also required to receive official credit for completing the trek.

After getting our passports, Deya, Jeff, and I were joined by three students for lunch at a café across from the office. I don’t think I will ever tire of charcuterie boards.

[photo of lunch]

We checked in to Hostel 20 Ramuntcho auberge de jeunesse after some moderate faffing about with room reservation issues (all issues resolved), I repacked my backpack in preparation for our first proper walk, and now I’m enjoying a cidre basque at (another) café before our next group meeting.

10:47pm

(The play-by-play updates will not be this frequent in the coming days). 

Group meeting went well—prepping everyone for tomorrow: big miles, elevation gain and loss, chilly temps, and a lot of rain in the forecast. Woof. The students do not seem deterred, and I am confident they will look out for each other. 

After meeting, Jeff and Aaron and I went and scouted the start of the hike and had a great dinner (“we will have all of the tapas!” No, but seriously, we did) before calling it an early night.

Gerbers out.

MTSE Trekking the Camino 2026 - travel day (5/11)

3.5 hours left on our flight from SLC — CDG. If you’re new to the blog, welcome, and apologies for whatever you’re about to read 

I’ve been keeping this blog since 2004 to document international travels, most of which have been study abroad programs. If you want to know what 22-year-old me was like, 1) you can dig through the archives, and 2) my writing style hasn’t changed at all.

If you’re a family member of a student on this program, thanks for sharing them with us. We will take good care of them. If you’re a student on this trip and are actually reading this blog, you are about to embark on a journey into the mind of a total weirdo and I hope it doesn’t make you regret your decision to come on this program, to select your major, to attend Westminster, etc. 

There’s not much to report re: play-by-play of the trip (yet) other than I did get an extra “random” security check, as per usual (is it “random” if it happens EVERY TIME?) I think it was the party shirt. 

Something you should know about me is that I’m a pretty direct communicator, but if there’s one thing that really throws me through a loop, it’s inconveniencing flight attendants. The thought of asking a flight attendant for something (literally their job) is a bridge too far for me. 

On top of that, I am mortified—MORTIFIED—when my beloved partner, Cory, asks for all four treats when the flight attendants come around with the cart and ask which (WHICH INDICATES SINGULAR) treat you’d like. We’ve polled many, many flight attendants on “how many treats is appropriate,” and they all say “it’s totally fine,” but OF COURSE THEY HAVE TO SAY THAT and you know in their hearts and minds IT IS NOT FINE and if everyone took all four treats, we would immediately run out of treats. Tragedy of the commons. 

You’re still reading? Good on you. 

Okay, so why am I sharing this with you? Because I just had a situation and I have no one around to process it with. The stranger sitting next to me seems like a nice enough lad but I can’t burden him with this.

As my parents (hi Mom and Dad) will attest, if I am not fed and watered regularly, I either become a sad sack or a demogorgan. After 40 years of this pattern, I’m pretty good at recognizing early signs of sad-sack-or-demogorgan and can head it off with appropriate feeding and watering.

International flights must be used to having sad sacks and demogorgans on board, because international flights *usually* feed passengers every 15 minutes. Okay, it’s like 45-90 minutes between feedings, but in my previous international flight experiences, getting fed has not been an issue. On this 9 hour flight to CDG, we were fed a decent warm meal about an hour into the flight (~4:30pm MST). 

Fast forward to 9PM, and there have been no other meal services. No snack carts, no biscotti cookies. No Mrs-T’s-Bloody-Mary-mix-please-leave-the-can-no-ice. I kept checking the flight menu for a sign—anything—indicating that snacks were imminent. I was ready to buy an overpriced snacklebox. Finally, after some coaxing from Cory, I dug deep and went for it:







It’s now 9:50pm. I’m shaken to my core. But at least I’m fed. 

2026 blog off to a **stellar** start.