Marshall and I lived in Buenos Aires from September 2000 to September 2003. During that time we saw most of Argentina and loved the people and the country. It was a time of turmoil there and in the US. While we have met many people who strongly disagreed with US policies and actions, their dissatisfication and anger was directed toward the US government. We never encountered someone who was angry with US citizens.
We love traveling in Argentina and strongly recommend that others consider it. They have National Parks as beautiful as any you will find in the US but with fewer visitors; you will seldom, if ever, wait in a long queue.
We lived in Madrid from September 1996 to August 2000. While we were there, we visited many places in Spain at a leisurely pace. Marshall wrote of our travels in the Embassy Newsletter and after they were published she would often be approached by Spaniards who worked in the Embassy, wanting to know more about where we had been.
While we lived in Spain, Marshall was seconded to the US Embassy in Portugal and her duties there took her to the Azores at least a couple of times. We made several pleasure trips to Portugal and I made one trip with her to the Azores. Unfortunately, it was cut short by the death of my Father. I do remember what I saw with great pleasure and it is high on the list of places I want to visit.
I first became interested in the Camino de Santiago when we visited Conques in France while we were living in Belgium. When I learned we were gong to be posted to Madrid, I decided to learn more about the Camino. This resulted in my decision at the age of 57 to make a 550 mile hike along the Camino de Santiago from Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Afterwards, I decided that the material I had read did not provide the perspective needed for someone from the US or Canada. I started working on a guide focused toward that reader but as time approached for us to leave Spain, I decided I needed to walk the Camino again to validate what I had learned. The second time, I started in Salamanca. Several years later, I decided to make another pilgrimage, following the Portugeuse Route from Porto. Unfortunately, the trip undertaken in 2008, was not successful due to a foot sprain shortly before I was due to depart. I am planning another trip in June of 2011 with my 16-year old grandson, starting from León.
The other sections are a collection of articles about our travels when we lived overseas in Spain and Argentina, except for the section on the Camino de Santiago, which is includes current information. Current travels are pieces written about travel subsequent to our departure from Argentina in September 2003. They encompass travels within the US, Mexico, Europe, South America and Antarctica.