November’s Giant European Trip Begins Soon

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I’ve been thinking about taking a longer trip for decades, but until now, I’ve never done it.  I have kept to my regular routine of a week or two, but no longer.  But on November 7, I’m flying over to Europe for a three-week trip, with four different places to visit and many more stories to write.

Castellfollit de la Roca I'll be there in November.
Castellfollit de la Roca in La Garrotxa, Spain. I’ll be there in November 2021.

My November adventure begins with a Nov 7 overnight flight to Barcelona.  Then I’ll meet up with some of the people who run DestiMed, an NGO that has created a series of ec0-tours around Europe.

Our tour will be to La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone National Park, a place that we will explore on foot.  The point of my joining the eco-tour is to help them evaluate the trip and provide feedback about how the traveler will feel about it, to hopefully improve the itinerary and help with the fine-tuning. The last time I joined one of their trips it was to Lazio, Italy.  That trip included rowing a dragon boat, visiting many farms, and some interesting hikes.

Cindy-Lou Dale
Cindy-Lou Dale

Then I’ll have a night or two in Barcelona when the trip ends on Nov 14. I am still making these plans, so I am not sure what I’ll do but I know I want to see the Sagra Familia and I know I want to indulge in as many tapas as I can.

John Henderson I'll see him in November.
John Henderson

Then I’ll fly over to Rome, where I have a book to deliver to my friend John Henderson, an ex-pat who has made a life in the Eternal City for the past eight years.

He’s a regular writer on GoNOMAD and we keep in regular communication. He said the post office can’t be relied on to simply deliver this one package, so I volunteered to hand-deliver it.

After my sojourn in Rome, I’ll take a bus to the other side of Italy, to the city of Ascoli Piceno, where my friend Cindy-Lou Dale has moved, to the little town of Offida.

Palma Mallorca in November.
Palma de Mallorca in November.

I’ve made a habit of visiting CL whenever I come over to England in November and I’m looking forward to a working vacation at her new apartment for a week or so.

Then I’ll depart on the 22nd and fly to Mallorca for the final leg of my marathon.  I’m speaking at the Traverse 21 meeting, which brings travel writers together for gatherings every year. The last time I spoke at the event was when it was in fantastic Trentino, Italy.  This event will be in Palma, a place I’ve never visited.