During our last morning in Oslo, we walked along the river and saw colorful sites and waterfalls.
Category: Travel
Posts about my Chapter 5 travel adventures
On our final Norway in a Nutshell itinerary, we traveled by scenic train from Bergen to Oslo. The scenery was fabulous; the loud obnoxious talkers next to us were not. š
Scenes from the train
Oslo Opera House
Akershus Fortress
Floating sauna
The final town on our Norway in a Nutshell tour took us to Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city, a historic coastal gem framed by seven mountains and iconic fjords like the Sognefjord and Hardangerfjord.
After checking into our hotel, we took the FlĆøibanen funicular to Mt. FlĆøyen
Views from Mt. FlĆøyen
Bergen Fish Market
Bergen Sites
Nordnes SjĆøbad: I swam in the pool, enjoyed the sauna, and put my legs in the cold fjord
In the morning, we explored the UNESCO World Heritage-listed NƦrĆøyfjord on the classic fjord cruise between FlĆ„m and Gudvangen. Kayla was a trooper, staying outside the whole time. I, however, sheltered inside when the raindrops fell and the wind blew!
Sites from the ferry
After the ferry, we took a shuttle to Stegastein Viewpoint
Kayla, who swims whenever and wherever possible, enjoyed the fjord waters
Other views from Flam
“Norway in a Nutshell” comprises three cities, showcasing different aspects of Norway. Oslo, our first stop, is a major capital city. From there, we traveled to Flam, a city of a gorgeous fjord. The train ride from Oslo to Flam offered some amazing views.
Views from the train
Switching train in Myrdal
The Flam Railroad stopped at the Kjosfossen waterfall where Huldra sang and danced for us.
View from restaurant window
A benefit of rain
The next day, we took a ferry to BygdĆøy Penninsula, where we toured the Kon-Tiki and Fram museums.
“The Kon-Tiki museum shows Thor Heyerdahl’s famous life’s work, which is characterized by a desire for research, environmental protection and sustainability and deep respect for indigenous peoples. The exhibits include the original balsa raft from the Kon-Tiki expedition and the reed boat Ra II.” 9https://www.kon-tiki.no/en/home)
Kon-Tiki Museum
“The Fram is the famous Norwegian wooden ship built in 1892 by Colin Archer for polar exploration. Designed with a rounded hull to lift up when squeezed by pack ice rather than crush, it carried explorers on three historic expeditions across the Arctic and Antarctic before finding a permanent home in Oslo.” (https://www.introducingoslo.com/fram-museum)
The Fram Museum
Monument to explorers
Views of Oslo, taken while wandering
After several months home recovering, somewhat, from eye surgery, it was time to finally board a flight for a new adventure!
Hello, Norway!
Following a 27 hour journey, with two exceptionally long layovers in Los Angeles and Frankfurt, a benefit of booking with miles š, I arrived in Oslo where I was greeted by my friend Kayla. I met my Londoner friend Kayla on Safari two years ago. Since then, she joined us on the Camino in Sarria, she met me in Norway, and we have two other trips already planned together.
Our first full day brought us to several of the wonders of Oslo. Here are my first few photos.
View from the plane
Domkirke: Cathedral with a gorgeous painted ceiling
Vigelandsparken: The sculptures stretched one’s imagination
Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace
Nobel Peace Center
Masjonalmussett: The National Museum
The final chapter of my fall travels began once I returned to California. I spent Thanksgiving week with my āgrandkidsā and their parents, and we decided to turn the holiday into an adventure.
We piled into a rented minivan, drove to Long Beach, and caught the ferry to Catalina Island. Our two days on the island were delightfully full: solving an escape room, playing miniature golf (I proudly won my age category!), touring around in a golf cart, exploring the Botanical Gardens and Wrigley Memorial, and spotting fish from the Yellow Submarine.
After ferrying back to Long Beach, we spent a leisurely afternoon at the aquarium before driving up the coast to Oxnard, where we stayed at a gorgeous resort and soaked in the hot tub under the evening sky.
On our final day, we walked along the beachāhighlighted by the four-year-old gleefully splashing in the waves in nothing but his underwearāand then wrapped up the week with a visit to the Santa Barbara Zoo.
It was the perfect way to close out a season of travel: full of laughter, exploration, and so many happy moments.
In October, my niece married her now-husband during a small, intimate ceremony in Cabo San Lucas. A month later, in November, they gathered friends and extended family in Cocoa, Florida to celebrate the nuptialsāand that joyful weekend became the second stage of my fall adventure.
Coming straight from my New York trip, I loved slipping into full family mode: hanging out, walking, talking, and dancing with my siblings, nieces, nephew, and great-nieces. Being surrounded by familyāboth the one weāre born into and the one we chooseāfilled my heart. Truly, family is everything.
Several months ago, right around the time I received the āsave the dateā for my nieceās wedding, a good friend in New York reached out to ask when I might be visiting. The timing was perfect. I decided to turn two separate East Coast plans into one extended adventure, spending a week in New York on my way to Florida.
As always, the best part of the trip was the people. I loved having unhurried time with friends and familyālong conversations, delicious meals, and some memorable beverages. Reconnecting with my New York community was exactly what I needed.
In between meetups, I played tourist. I wandered through Central Park, explored the Met and the Morgan Library, strolled Greenwich Village, and walked the High Line. And, I finally visited the Statue of Liberty for the very first timeāproof that even after many trips to New York, thereās always something new to discover.
Of course, no NYC visit feels complete without a Broadway show. This time it was Buena Vista Social Club, and it absolutely delivered.
A few of my favorite photos…
Visiting friends and familyāwherever they might beāalways enriches my life. This fall, my wonderful niece and her terrific husband celebrated their recent nuptials with a beautiful reception in Florida. Since Iād be on the East Coast for the wedding party, I decided to make a 16-day adventure out of it.
I spent the week beforehand in New York, hanging out with friends and family while taking in a few classic NY sights. After the wedding, during Thanksgiving week, I jumped right into exploring with the kids and their parents back in California.
The whole trip was filled with fun, hugs, excursions, love, and plenty of photo opportunities. And yes, it also came with an unexpected souvenir: a brief little cold on my end that decided to extend its vacation with the kids and their parents. š
Here are links to the three phases of my Fall Vacation:
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of exploring Lake Tahoe with three friends! We hiked, created ceramic pinch pots, saw the community theater production of Proof, ate, drank…had a terrific time.
Camera in hand for this adventure!
Fall Colors.
Ah! A waterfall!
We saw a few of the smaller lakes and the Truckee River.
Views from the trail.
Gorgeous Boathouse Theater.
Sunset over Lake Tahoe.
Playing with pano.
Ceramic Jack o’ Lantern, which will be glazed and fired in time for Halloween 2026!
On October 18, we participated in the No Kings Protest in South Lake Tahoe. This photo is a reflection of us, along with some of the 2,100 other protesters, from a passing bus’ window.
There’s nothing like a wedding to anchor a trip!
In 2017, my colleague Kate and I traveled with students to Morocco and Barcelona (“So close, yet so far”), forever cementing our friendship – and our sisterhood.
A few years ago, Kate moved to Portland where she met her future husband, fabulous Chris.
Baby, home ownership, marriage… Time for the big wedding celebration!
And time for a road trip!
Sheila and I packed up Addie for a three week adventure.
We enjoyed a week on the way up to Portland, visiting Lynne and Ken in Petaluma, swimming in Sierra lakes with Nanine, and exploring lava tubes at Lava Beds National Monument.
While in Portland, Sheila and I did multiple hikes and walks, enjoyed dinner with Lauren, Danny, and baby Haddon, happy hour with Tessa, dinner and music with Steph and John (much appreciation to them and their grandkids for dogsitting Sheila during the wedding party!), and wedding events with Kate, Chris, and toddler Penn.
After almost a week in Portland, we meandered toward home, soaking up the ambiance of Florence and the Oregon coast and spending time in Eureka with another former colleague Kate and her terrific husband Chuck.
It was a fantastic way to celebrate love, friendship, and adventure!
A few times, I even used my “big” camera. š
Sierra Lakes: perfect for swimming on hot days!
Miss Sheila Beila resting at our Lava Beds National Monument campsite
Sunset – Lava Beds National Monument
Inside lava tubes
Walking to cave entrances
Addie, waiting patiently for me to return
Petroglyphs
Snake on the trail – Hillsboro/Portland
Tree on the trail š
Oregon coast
Petaluma
About a week after returning from most adventures, I post some reflections on that journey.
Three weeks ago today, I arrived in Santiago de Compostela – and headed back to San Luis Obispo two days later. Only now am I feeling the pull to put my reflections into written words.
Why the delay? Could it be because my eyes are still – five months post-cataract surgery – incredibly sensitive to light including from my computer monitor? Could it be because my body, which held up for 700 miles with nary an ache, now speaks to me through lower back pain? Could it be spending a full week at Live Oak Music Festival, volunteering on set up and tear down while also enjoying a fabulous weekend of music?
Or could it be because the Camino experience was so powerful that finding the words to express the journey is nearly impossible?
When friends ask me about the Camino, I say it was “transformational.”
Having the time and space to BE. Just BE. What a GIFT! A transformative GIFT!
While walking, I realized that the questions I thought I had for the Camino – topics I felt I might consider while putting one foot in front of the other – were not the questions that the Camino answered. Larger questions about strength, relationships, purpose…those are the answers that percolated.
I also reflected on being “insignificantly significant.” Opening my lens infinitely wide, we are individually insignificant in the history of the world and the fullness of the cosmos. BUT we matter here and now. To ourselves. To those we love and those who love us. To our communities – local, national, and global. Being insignificant in the largest sense does not absolve me from being significant to those around me.
Most guidebooks divide the Camino Frances into three sections: the “Body” – from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Burgos (the Pyrenees and Basque Country); the “Mind” – from Burgos to Astorga (the Meseta); and the “Soul” – from Astorga to Santiago de Compostela (Cantabrian Mountains and Galicia).
I, though, see four sections, splitting the final third into two pieces: Astorga to Sarria and Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. The quantity of pilgrims, especially the large groups of teenagers, makes the final 100km different than the preceding 700km.
For purposes of my blog, though, I’m using our rest days to organize my thoughts!
Section 1: Saint Jean Pied de Port to LogroƱo
Although I enjoy walking and hiking, I was quite concerned about the climb over the Pyrenees. So I trained. Lots of big climbs, including up Sydney, a local tough hike. Little did I know that the hike up challenged me less than the slippery and scary hike down into Zubiri!
Stages 1-7: Saint Jean Pied de Port to LogroƱo
Section 2: LogroƱo to Burgos
Some of the most beautiful scenery! The photo at the very top of this post is from CirueƱa, just outside of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where Minke and I had our first “princess moment.” Our hotel was less than satisfactory in LogroƱo and even more disappointing in Najera. Since there is a parador in Santo Domingo, Minke introduced me to the exquisiteness of paradores in Santo Domingo!
Stages 8-12: LogroƱo to Burgos
Section 3: Burgos to LeĆ³n
The Meseta: A vast plateau between Burgos and LeĆ³n. A few pilgrims avoid the Meseta for its lack of trees and shade and often stark vistas. I, however, LOVED walking the Meseta. The openness, the springtime beauty of the flowers and fields, the time and space allowing oneās mind to wander and ponderā¦.all of it made this part of the Camino a meaningful and powerful experience for me.
Section 4: LeĆ³n to Ponferrada
This section had one of my very favorite hikes! Although long and very challenging, the hike from Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca amazed me with its flowing creeks, blooming wildflowers, and varied terrain. Less thrilling: Molinaseca to Ponferrada!
Stages 22-25: LeĆ³n to Ponferrada
Section 5: Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela
Three weeks ago, I completed my pilgrimage from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. As Minke and I gripped hands while walking into Plaza del Obradoiro, the home of the Santiago Cathedral, I felt relief, joy, surprise, pride, accomplishment, happiness, gratitude. Overwhelmed, I burst into tears. Tears not of sadness but of deeply felt amazement and achievement.
Stages 26-34: Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela
A few other posts I made on this journey…
Saint Jean Pied de Port Meandering
Obituary: Camembert Francis de Santiago, date of birth unknown, date of death April 29, 2025
We walked to the āEnd of the World!ā
Well, kinda sorta.
Minke and I walked from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela.
Heather joined us from LeĆ³n to Santiago de Compostela.
Kayla walked with us from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela.
We four took a bus to Finisterre, called the āEnd of the Worldā! There, we celebrated our accomplishment!
Smiles, tears, hugs, stories, laughterā¦all of it!!! We are Camino sisters. Forever. ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
