From England to Spain

Our foggy arrival in England soon turned to a rainy arrival. After our passports were returned, Terry found a flight and we were off. We hiked a bit in the rain to a bus station.

Tried to get on the bus -on the wrong side and the bus driver drove on past. We waved, he came back and picked us up. We had forgotten about the “wrong side of the road.”

From the bus we took a train. Then we switched trains. Finally we arrived at Gatwick airport, south side of London.  After sorting out a room for the night we headed out to find what the one British lady described as a “proper fish and chips.” Terry ate something else.

It had been 36 years since I had tasted fish and chips on British soil. It was excellent. Every single bit was as I had imagined. Almost wished our morning flight would be delayed so that I could eat it again.

Through customs. And down the aisle to the departure terminal. They gave me an entire row. Quite a bit more comfortable than the flight out of Florida.

I wanted to say a word about the many conversations that I had yesterday. As y’all know I enjoy talking to people and we met a lot of people.  On every bit of the journey we found ourselves with other travelers.

All of them had interesting stories about their lives. Several were interested in the Pilgrimage. I often heard something mentioned about cost. Something along the lines of “I would love to do that but… money and time.”

I get it. I really do. Even being retired I don’t have enough money to just take off and go walk the Camino de Santiago.

I am súper thankful for all the folks that collect my art. Days like yesterday and this morning are expensive. Travel isn’t cheap. Food while traveling is a bit pricey. Prices for a place to sleep range from low to real high.

So on a side note, I let me say “Thank Y’all for purchasing my art.” It certainly is changing my life. I hope to sell more when I return. I can see the credit card rising.

But what if you are not an artist and you want to go on a Pilgrimage? I have some ideas for you. (Buy low sell high- lol) The first idea is to raise the money through supporters. The second is to earn it through side jobs. The fourth is to sell some of those earthly treasures that you will leave behind.

I want to talk about the first idea with you. How do you raise money through supporters? If you are legit and really want to do a pilgrimage for spiritual reasons there are many people who would love to help you.

You must first tell them your story. Everyone loves a good story. (Look at Hollywood) Many people would be willing to donate $20 a month for a number of months for you to raise the targeted money. 5 months at $20 equals $100 dollars. 40 supporters later and you are on your Pilgrimage.

Of course you need to tell the story and tell it again and again. Raising money is hard, especially with all the “good causes” that exist. And then folks need updates- they donate because they want to be a part of your story. They want to be a part of your growth, your success.

Just an idea. I’m writing this waiting for the fasten seatbelt sign to be removed. I drank too much water before takeoff.

Hydration is important,  especially in the cold English weather. I was looking through the drinks with electrolytes and amazingly didn’t find any “High Fructose Corn Syrup” over here. Someone said, “it’s banned in Europe.” I wonder if that is true?

Well, we have arrived in Spain. Standing in line to clear customs. It’s a huge line. I’m the last person. Terry said something about cattle. I replied, “I have been preparing for this since kindergarten.”

(Spell check just changed it from kinderGarden to kindergarten- wow, things I don’t know.)