Fort Collins (Colorado, USA) | Cooking and Research - 09/12/2022

The first buildings I saw when I arrived in the old Medieval Town of Santillana Del Mar, Spain, while walking the Camino. This was an extremely long day of walking, 37 km (23 m), and it took me over 10 hours from start to finish. I remember being amazed by the beauty of this town, as it was one of the most memorable towns I visited. But after 10 hours of walking, I was not a fan of walking on the cobblestone streets for several kilometers to reach the Albergue.

This tree sculpture caught my eye while I was in Santillana Del Mar. It reminded me of the Ents (i.e., tree shepherds) in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Unfortunately, when I took the original photo, I overexposed the shot. Consequently, I chose to leave it out of the blog. Now that I have more time, I could tweak the photo and correct the overexposure.

I've spent most of the week researching destinations, volunteer opportunities, and meditation retreats. It took a little while before I got overwhelmed with the amount of information. So after a couple of days, I scaled back and decided to focus first on volunteer opportunities and meditation retreats. My thought is that this will shed light on my next destination. 

However, volunteering is not as easy as it sounds. Yes, there are many different types of opportunities on the inter-web. One of the threads I followed was about wildlife opportunities abroad. Although I am interested in moving into a different career path, volunteering on a wildlife cause abroad might allow me to share my skills on a crucial wildlife conservation issue. Unfortunately, many popular websites charge a fair price to "volunteer." I was not entirely surprised by this, as I have spent 30 years in the wildlife field and know that people love animals. As a result, there is always an abundance of volunteers.

Consequently, charging a fee weeds out those that are not serious. These range from $500 to several thousand for a 1-2 week experience. I have had a blessed career working with wildlife. If I am donating my time, I shouldn't also need to donate money.

I took this photo of Lap on the day I walked to Ribadesella. I had taken a few pictures of Eeyore but never with Lap. The only time Eeyore did not ride on Lap's chest was on the few occasions when it rained. Some Peregrinos said it looks like Eeyore is carrying Lap on the Camino.

Due to the costs of volunteering in wildlife, I pivoted away to other interests. I remembered my conversation with Stefan on the Camino. WWOOFing, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is a community that promotes awareness of ecological farming practices and is a cultural and educational program available in >130 countries. I was intrigued by this the deeper I dove into the site. It will still take a lot of effort to explore this further, as each country has countless opportunities, and some countries require a volunteer to subscribe by paying a nominal fee to gain access to the farms. Nevertheless, this is a possibility as it aligns with my fundamental values. I know nothing about farming so this could also be an opportunity to learn a lot about farming and gardening. 

One of the other things I have been doing with my time is cooking. I miss the simple, tasty food I enjoyed during my travels. So, I decided to make a few dishes from my travels since I also enjoy cooking. My first dish, Tortilla de Patatas. This Spanish omelet dish became a staple in my diet on the Camino. It is available at nearly every bar or cafe I passed and frequently was available as a Pinxiot or Tapas. The potato-egg dish was light but often kept me from being hungry for hours.

My first attempt at Tortilla de Patatas was ill-fated. I used too many potatoes and needed more eggs. Consequently, although tasty, the Tortilla failed to stay together when I flipped it in the pan. In this version, I used 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, about 5 cups cubbed. However, it was still an excellent dish for breakfast this week. Can't let good food go to waste!

So, of course, I had to try again. This time I did much better. Tortilla de Patatas is similar to Tortilla Española, except Patatas does not include onions. So I was able to follow the same approach. I used 2 medium and 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes and 6 eggs. I feel the Tortilla was about 2 eggs short of being perfect. The other trick is 4-5 minutes max per side. I feel like I pushed it a bit on this one, forgot my timer, and the Tortilla is more golden brown than it ought to be. But this one is equally tasty. My third time will be spot-on. It's a simple dish to execute, so I know I'll get it right. A fantastic breakfast, lunch, or snack option that can be served heated up or at room temperature.

My next culinary venture was stuffed eggplants from Albania. I love eggplant, and when I tried this dish with Jerome in Gjirokastër, Albania, I was impressed by how delicious and light the dish was. Unfortunately, when I ordered the dish in Gjirokastër, it was a side dish, so the stuffing had only vegetables and the eggplant was served without the bed of rice. This week I chose to do the entree option by adding 1/2 lb (230 g) of ground bison and serving it over a bed of rice.

I used a small-medium eggplant, 1/2 lbs (230 g) of ground bison, 1/2 of red bell pepper, 1/4 of a white onion, 1 can of tomato sauce, and 1/2 a tomato. This yielded two perfect portions. However, Cook time at 400 F (204 C) was longer than expected, as it took about 50 minutes for the eggplant to be fully cooked.

I also prepared a greek salad, which is common in Albania. Firm tomatoes, English cucumber, feta cheese, and olives. Then I used olive oil and Balsamic vinegar to dress the salad. I have grown fond of this salad and love that it does not include lettuce.

The entire meal also included a bowl of lemon sour cream. This is sour cream with the juice of half of a lemon added, which makes the sour cream lighter and compliments the tomato sauce's heaviness. In the aluminum foil are a few slices of bread. This dish was incredible and every bit as good as the ones I had in Albania! It was flavorful, light, and filling. I like the entree version of this dish and would eat this again.

One of the reasons I fell in love with Albanian cuisine is that the dishes are simple, and they use a lot of vegetables. This was so a welcomed thing in my travels that the food resonated with me.

On my walk to La Isla on the Camino, I passed a house with colorful signs of places I had visited or lived and wanted to go. I remember stopping and taking my time to read through all the signs. Initially, I only posted one of the photos and thought it would be fun to include the rest here.

This includes Bristol, UK; Portland, Oregon; Bouler, Colorado; and Los Angeles, California. It also includes Antwerp, Belgium. This one, like many others, reminded me of people I had met along the way, like Isabelle, who had met a few days earlier.

This includes Irun, Spain; Toulouse, France; and Vancouver, British Columbia. 

So how am I doing since being back? Well, about two nights ago, I could finally sleep through the night. My biological clock is finally flipping back. So that is a positive. Unfortunately, I am struggling with the cold, dry air of the Intermountain West of the United States. I miss the moist air of the coast. My skin and sinuses felt so much better than they do here. The difference is noticeable and makes me think I need to live in a different climate than the Intermountain West. The question is, if not Colorado, then where?