Author: mccallsrepurposed

Stroll to the Beach

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As a surfing family, it is mandatory to check out surfing locations and conditions wherever you are.  Kirk & I took Tram 1, which runs along the Douro River close to the mouth and the breakwater.  From here we continued in the same direction, past a gathering of fisherman solving the problems of the day more than fishing.  Proceeding out on to the breakwater, we observed a group of men in their speedos having a heated discussion, perhaps comparing their swimming abilities or who looked best… 

After walking along the beach, almost to the Cruise Terminal, we decided to head back via bus (500 series) back to the Alfandego Nova building.  From there, we decided to walk back up via the street rather than the stairs.  We can honestly state, that by comparison, both routes are equally painful.  After all the walking we did, a glass of Port on our terrace while watching the sun set was heavenly!

W & J Graham’s Port Lodge

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From the terrace of our home in Porto, we can look across the Douro River at all the wine caves.  Since Porto is known for their Port Wine, we really needed to go check them out. There are many over there, but I had to go check out my “name sake” – Graham’s.  Brothers William & John Graham came from Scotland to start their Port company in 1820.  My paternal Grandfather was John Graham.  Kirk & I took a water taxi across and then walked up the hill to the lodge.  It was beautiful and the wine was delicious.

Afterwards, we walked back down to the gondolas and rode them up to the top of the bridge and walked back across.  The views from there looking down the Douro River and across Porto were magnificent!

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Most of the buildings, from Graham’s down, are wine caves, cooperages, or have something to do with production of Port.
On the water taxi
Our water taxi
The view from the other side.
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This way!  It’s up the hill….
But honey, look at the beautiful view!
The lodge has a restaurant, tastings, and tours.
Entrance to the lodge & caves.
Look!  John Graham was one of the founders.  My Grandpa was John Graham… we’re probably related! LOL
Even Pres Obama liked it…
On the menu, maiden voyage of the Queen Mary in 1936.
Tasting three of the classics.
View from the tasting room.
Now, to work our way back down the hill.
Look out for the buses!
Still walking…
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We’re going to ride the gondolas up THAT hill!
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At the top of the gondola ride.
Crossing the top of the bridge.
Worth the views!
On the bridge, looking up river.
At the Palace (Paco Episcopal) where the Bishop of Portugal resides.

Livraria Lello: Like Something Out of a Harry Potter Movie

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As we were talking to tourists we would meet here and there throughout Porto, the conversation would eventually come to, “Have you seen…?” One of the places that came up was Livraria Lello, the most beautiful bookstore in the world.  It looks like something right out of a Harry Potter movie, but in reality, it was JK Rowling’s inspiration for the Hogwarts staircase.

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World’s Most Beautiful Bookstore (4 euros to enter)


We Be Trammin’

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We decided to purchase a tram pass, which gave us all day access to three different trams and they intersect in such a way that you can move around the main part of town by timing and transfers.  Unlike the ones in San Francisco, instead of turning the car at the end of the line, the seats flipped and all the passengers would rise and flip their seats.  A local Portuguese  woman showed me how, the whole time speaking in Portuguese. But pointing is a universal language, so I got it!  “Obrigada, Senhora!”

Here we are going one direction…
Here we are going the other direction, with a flip of our seat backs!

Home Sweet Home: Porto, Portugal 

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In these pictures, we wanted to show the neighborhood  where we are living in Porto.  I’m not sure if we captured the fact that where we are living is on the side of a mountain overlooking the Douro River.  Also, every time we leave to walk in either direction, we must climb up or down.  For our camping friends, we would compare it to hiking to Vernal Falls three or four times.  On the bright side, we are getting lots of exercise!

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Walking home from Clergy Tower
Kirk tries to take pics when I’m not looking haha
Our “hood”
Stairs from our home down to the river walk
I’m only smiling on the outside on these stairs!

Porto, Portugal (9/20/17- 9/27/17)

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One word…WOW!  We landed, got on the metro from the airport to the Sao Bento station and came up to view a mix of historical buildings and cobblestone streets along with a hubbub of activity.  We still had a walk to get to our AirBnB, but we had a couple of hours to kill before meeting Jorge (our host) and check in.  It was breakfast time and we just happened to be standing in front of a cute little cafe’ (Flor de S Bento) where we tried a traditional Portuguese egg tart pastry called pastel de nata, along with coffee and something like an eclaire. Yum!

After breakfast, we walked to our apartment past art museums and beautiful buildings and cafes.  We only waited a few minutes when Jorge greeted us at our apartment and showed us around.  He gave us a few tips and pointers and a set of keys and  then he was off.  The view overlooking the Douro River is breathtaking!  The apartment is perfect.  We are looking forward to being here for a week.  Plans today are to lay low, find a grocery store, and discuss a game plan for Porto and vicinity.

Amazing first glimps of Porto!
Flor de S Bento cafe, Porto
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Portuguese egg tart (Pastel de nata) with eclairs and coffee

 

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What a view from our terrace!
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The Douro River
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Our terrace
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What a beautiful start to our adventure!

 

Itinerary: Fall 2017

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9/18/17:  LAX – BCN / Norwegian Air #DY7110 / 20:00 – 16:15+1

9/19/17:  El Prat de Llobrregat, Barcelona, Spain

9/20/17:  BCN-OPO / Iberia #5238 / 7:40 – 8:35 / AirBnB, Porto, Portugal

9/27/17:  OPO -PDL / Ryanair #FR2633 / 16:50 – 18:15 / Ponta Delgada, Portugal

9/28/17:  Kirk & Tricia 27 years.  Happy Anniversary!

9/30/17:  PDL – LIS / Ryanair #FR2622 / 07:45 – 11:00 / AirBnB, Lisbon, Portugal

10/05/17: Lisbon to Nazare via bus / AirBnB, Nazare, Portugal

10 /11/17: Nazare to Lisbon via bus / LIS – MAD / TAP #1028 / 12:20 – 14:35 / AirBnB, Madrid, Spain

10/18/17: Madrid to Malaga via high speed train / Renfe NKFHNL / 8:25 – 10:45 / AirBnB, Malaga, Spain

10/25/17: MAL – Malpensa / Easyjet #EZY2734 / 10:00 – 12:30 / Marconi Hotel, Milan, Italy

10/27/17: Milan to Como via train / AirBnB, Lake Como, Italy

11/01/17: Como to Milan via train / BGY – BCN / Ryanair #FR6304 / 15:50 – 17:30 / AirBnB, Barcelona, Spain

11/05/17: Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas / Departing 17:00

  • Day 2:  At sea
  • Day 3:  At sea
  • Day 4:  Lanzarote, Canary Islands / 10:00 – 18:00
  • Day 5:  Las Palmas, Gran Canaria / 7:00 – 18:00
  • Day 6:  La Palma, Canary Islands / 7:00 – 17:00
  • Day 7:  At sea
  • Day 8:  At sea
  • Day 9:  At sea
  • Day 10: At sea
  • Day 11: At sea
  • Day 12: At sea
  • Day 13: Cococay, Bahamas / 8:00 – 18:00
  • Day 14: At sea
  • Day 15: Arrive Tampa, Florida

11/19/17: Embassy Suites, Tampa, Florida

11/20/17: Tampa to New York City via Amtrack

11/21/17: Wyndham New Yorker, New York City, NY

11/23/17: Happy Thanksgiving! At the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

11/25/17: New York City to Washington DC via Amtrack / Hyatt Place, WDC Georgetown, West End

12/2/17: Washington DC to Chicago via Amtrack

12/3/17: Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront, Chicago, Illinois

12/8/17: Chicago to Sacramento via Amtrack

12/10/17: Meadow Vista, CA / Kirk’s sister’s house

The rest of the year is yet to be planned…

Departing 2/3/18 for Hong Kong – stay tuned!

From 4,000 SF to 46 Liters: Repurposed Life In A Backpack

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One of the challenges of traveling on a budget is packing such that you don’t have to pay extra for checked luggage.  We are used to traveling with two large rolling bags for clothes, a separate duffle for shoes, a sea container for my hair and makeup supplies (or as Kirk references – lube, oil, spackle & bondo) and a couple carry on bags for electronic doodads and whatnot. So, how do you travel three months, from country to country, during season changes, then cruise across the Atlantic stopping at exotic islands along the way, and ride a train from Florida to New York to DC to Chicago to Sacramento in the dead of winter and NOT bring everything?
Kirk and I have backpacked through the Sierras on several occasions.  A typical trip would be 10 to 14 days out.  Kirk has done longer – like when he did the John Muir Trail with our son.  We felt like we knew how to cram a lot of stuff into a small space, but the climate changes could be drastic.  More important (for me anyways) is the variety of types of clothing we may need:

  • Casual/Mediterranean;
  • Religious/Appropriate (touring religious sites);
  • Dressy/European Night Life;
  • Sporty/Hiking/Workout;
  • Elegant/Cruise Dining;
  • Nice/Winter/Snow Gear;
  • Etc…

To compensate for the lack of planning, limiting our travels to one type/climate/agenda, we set out researching a variety of things:

  1. What is the largest dimensions and weight allowed for carry-on on the smallest aircraft we would encounter?
  2. What backpack/carry-on would allow us to stay within airline regulatory limits, yet still be able to hold everything we need comfortably (or as my dad would say, “get 100 pounds of ‘stuff’ into a 50 pound sack”)?

As backpacking enthusiasts, we turned to REI, knowing they carry quality products that may cost a little more, but they are built to last and they stand behind their products.  This purchase would be an investment into long-term travel.  After narrowing it down to two different Osprey Travel Pack styles online, we drove to the REI in Santa Barbara to check them out up close and personal.   We both chose the Osprey Porter 46 Liter pack.  It had features like padded shoulder straps and heavy duty hip belt that are adjustable, yet tuck completely away for convenient overhead storage.  It has a full front opening so it packs like a suitcase, not like a top-loading traditional  pack, so your items are easily accessible.  The bag expands and cinches down depending on your load.  Not that it matters, I chose teal and Kirk chose gray (but it looks more like khaki green).

NOW…for the fun part! We both took a bin and started placing items in it that we thought we should take.  Once we thought we had everything together, we experimented with packing styles: rolling, folding, bagging, and stuffing. We would pack and unpack, swap out or remove items, and pack again.  We can still take a personal item, so anything we (or TSA) need quick access to will go in there.  For my personal item, I was hoping for a smaller day pack that would clip on to my Porter 46, but I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for.  I used a bag we got free from Carnival on one of our previous cruises.  It’s not quite big enough, but I am hoping to stop at another REI on the way to the airport.  Kirk is using a day pack he has used for years.  I also picked up a cross body purse from Baggallini.  It has the RFID protection to add another layer of protection while traveling.  It prevents those with electronic devices that can read the data stored on your drivers license, credit card and passport. It also has a heavy duty strap and zipper compartments for better protection agaist pick pockets.

So, I believe we got it all in.  I even packed five pairs of shoes: boots, hiking/walking, workout, black dressy flats and red Toms… plus the navy flats I’m wearing to travel in.  Why did I pack so many?  Because they fit and a girl has her priorities (and one of the advantages of having small 5.5 feet)!  Kirk wears size 13 so,for him, it’s like trying to pack his and hers canoes.  He packed tennis shoes and flipflops plus he is wearing the low-top Merrells he wears all the time.

So, we are packed and ready!

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Kirk’s Backpack
Tricia’s Backpack
4,000 sf to this

Re-pur-pose: Adapt for use in a different purpose.

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Our story really began years ago, when Kirk & I met and both had a love of adventure.  Kirk will tell the story that I begged him to marry me and as a condition for him to accept, I had to agree to do some sort of trip every year.  27 years later, it doesn’t matter when or where, 5-star luxery or wilderness backpack, we have stayed true to our agreement.  So, where does this repurposing concept come in?

Both of us are “Desk Jockeys” sitting behind a computer monitor every day.  Kirk spent 27 years with the same company as a Software Developer/Programmer working out of a home office.  I worked in the finance/banking industry since 1983 doing everything from loan processing, collections, m & a team, to design and implementation of intranet/internet and custom forms.  I worked with many of the same people for the majority of those years in four different companies.  Friday, September 8th was the last day of work for both Kirk & I.  Why would anyone leave their career at this point in their life?

In June 2016, I was diagnosed with a T2b Melanoma.  What?  I’ve spent most of my adult life fighting cancer, chairing fundraising events, being an advocate.  I’ve helped to raise millions of dollars for patient care, research, and education.  I lost a dear cousin to Melanoma.  My God is greater than this and He has big plans for me!  He guided the doctors & surgeons hands and the cancer was removed and lymph nodes were clear. But life is a gift, not a guarantee and my purpose had now changed!  So, now what?

Kirk & I began evaluating what was important to us in comparison to where we were and what we hoped to accomplish – the proverbial “Bucket List.”  Jesus, family, and adventure pretty much summed it up.  As we focused on these things, everything else seemed to fall in place.  Have you ever had the desire to do something and the door just keeps shutting on you?  I’m usually pounding on the door, kicking it, trying to remove it from the hinges (you get the picture).  It was different this time and the doors seemed to swing open along this new path. Thank you, Jesus!  Can I get an AMEN?

In a nutshell:

  • we have quit our jobs;
  • sold/donated/tossed 85% of all our possessions;
  • our daughter’s family has moved into our 4,000 sf, 8 bedroom home where we have created a small apartment in which to store our stuff and occassionally reside between adventures;
  • we have booked transportation and lodging for the balance of 2017 and the better portion of 2018, with most paid in full;
  • we have the love and support of our family and friends for our repurposed life.

My purpose (repurpose) is to travel the world and share my love for Jesus through our interaction with people, through example/reflection of what a Christian marriage looks like and what it looks like to be the salt & light of Christ.  To change the hearts of others one smile or laugh at a time.

Our adventure begins Monday, September 18th.  At the request of so many, I decided to create this blog for those who have expressed a desire to follow our adventures along the way.  To my friends and family, our hearts and doors are always open for you.  We sincerely hope that you will join up with us at some point along the way.  We plan to post our itineraries as they develop.

Let the repurposed life and adventures begin!