Mumbai welcomed me exactly as expected: loud, hot, humid, chaotic - and somehow still incredibly charming. It took almost two hours for immigration after two A380s landed simultaneously (night-arrival efficiency: denied) and at at 5:30am I collapsed at Naman’s place for a much-needed reboot. The next five days were a immersion into his world: constant change of plans, food craze & lazy lunches, rooftop football, late-night movies in recliner chairs (yes, complete with the national anthem), and meandering through Colaba, Bandra and South Mumbai. Mumbai is a city of contrasts - leafy calm around the apartment, and two streets later, full sensory overload: traffic, horns, people, life everywhere. I escaped the heat with café breaks, sampled my way through street food (wada pav instantly entered the top tier), and let the city do what Mumbai does best: overstimulate and embrace you in the same breath. Landing in Kerala felt like switching from fast-forward to slow motion....
After years of flirting with the idea, a couple of weeks deciding on the route, and a few days of - loosely - preparing, the day had come to finally embark on the Camino Portugués. The alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. 😴 Excitement and a touch of fear made sleep elusive. A quick ride to the airport, a short nap on the plane, and by 8:45 a.m. I found myself in sunny Porto - the perfect welcome to lighten my mood. At the Sé Catedral I picked up my Camino credentials, followed my first yellow arrows, and rewarded myself with a warm pastel de nata and a cachorrinho (local hotdog) recommended by my Uber driver. Too tired for the city crowds, I hopped on an early train to Vila Praia de Âncora - my chosen starting point. An evening by the beach, early dinner, and quiet time at the hotel helped me feel mentally prepared, physically overpacked 😂, and ready for whatever lay ahead. Day 1 – 28 km / 6 h 10 min I left at 8:30 a.m., the sun already rising over the rugged coast. The signs were...
Long have I been wanting to go on a sabbatical break, for many of you it was the main topic I’ve been talking about and at times it was a rocky road at to get it through at work, many struggles it took but eventually my perseverance paid off and here I am now wishing you a happy new year from the Southern hemisphere, Buenos Aires in Argentina :) Especially the last days at work and then again before the actual departure on Dec 30 I‘ve faced quite some mixed and overwhelming feelings, last-minute stress, fears of leaving my comfort zone and the well-established structures, shutting down my computer (never had I even thought this could be so difficult!) and actually saying good-byes and see-you-soons to colleagues, friends and family (I‘m very grateful for having had the christmas break plus some additional days with you and though I do believe that time will fly: I will miss you all!!) - off to the uncertain and unknown, with the plan to spend up to six months in South America and Antar...
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ich wünsche Dir viel Spaß und alles Gute für deinen Trip. Lass was von dir hören!
LG Britti :)
geile route :)