Three days of taking all my notes and research and ideas, and putting them into a plan for the novel was not enough–of course! I have the external plot mostly worked out, and quite a bit of the internal plot. More to come, though!
Home
One final bit of research before coming home: we managed a repeat visit to Bletchley Park while waiting for the paperwork for shipping the motorcycle home. But all too soon, we were on a plane, landing back in Calgary. However, I am really inspired to work on the novel…and I have a writers’ retreat next week to work on the plot!
Joan and Malcolm
Our trip is almost done. A relaxing ferry ride from Santander to Portsmouth (we saw dolphins leaping, and whales spouting), a stop in Bath, and a few winding roads through Wales brought us to cousins in Ireland. Joan and Malcolm showed us a wonderful time and we even got a repeat visit to the Ulster American Folk museum, where they still burn turf in the fireplaces. It smells quite strong: almost like burning petroleum products.
Potes
Our friends have gone home, but we had a few extra days just to return to the amazing Picos de Europa, and stayed in the village of Potes, its heart. Here, we even saw a cattle drive through the streets. Wonderful!
Oviedo
We met up with friends from home who rented motorcycles from IMT Bike, and we all went on an IMT Bike self-guided tour through the north of Spain, including the Picos de Europa National Park. One word: WOW!