Convalescence

Yes, the word is so foreign to my mindset that I had to look it up to make sure I spelled it correctly.  Anyone who knows me, is well aware that I am a 'do' person rather than a 'be' person.  I don't believe that makes me shallow, it does, however mean that I do much of my thinking while I am also doing something else.  I guess I have always had the philosophy that there are so many things I want to do that I had better get to them now.

Enter:  vacation.  These are usually divided into 'active' and 'flake and bake'.  I love both -- the new places and new things of the active and the relaxation of swimming and sand-castle building and walking on the beach of the flake and bake.  I have never done a flake and bake for more than a week and have always wondered if I could.  So now, that we actually decided to take a 2.5 week, relaxation vacation, I did approach it with some trepidation  -- would I be able to take enough, find enough to keep me from going stir crazy?  The cross-stitch and 5 big paperbacks and 2 books of number puzzles were to be enough, given there would be cycling and walking during the day.

Enter:  broken foot.  Added problem to keep me more sedentary.  We walk usually at least an hour a day -- not that I get very far in an hour, but there is no cycling and we have walked around town every day so far and there are a limited number of new things to see and do.

But indeed:  convalescence.  Defined as the period needed for gradual return to health and strength after an illness, injury or surgery, I am familiar with it.  Having had this kind of a break before, I know it will be 8 weeks before I can put the boot away and resume walking normally.  One week down, 7 to go.

So, the cross-stitch:  an incredibly finicky work that requires eyesight only possible without my glasses, exacting following to a pattern which is actually bigger than the piece of work,  and delicate needlework with embroidery yarn split into 3 separate 2-strand threads.  In the 5 days I have worked on this, I have learned that I need a grid on my cloth to keep me straight, that if I draw dots on a certain colour of stitch which I am working on, it goes somewhat faster, that it works best for me if my right hand stays below the work and the left hand above, and that a hoop helps to hold the whole thing steadier.  I can't say that I am enjoying this -- really feel sorry for all the people driven to this activity by others or their own sense of duty.  But, it does keep my focussed and busy for about 2 - 3 hours each day.  My foot rests easily and I am convalescing!

Settling in

Many of my acquaintances have flown the Canadian winter to Florida and periodically I hear from some of them as they golf and soak up the sun.  For whatever reason, that destination has not appealed to us as a 'escape winter' spot.  Enter the Azores.  Our first visit was in the fall and we were most impressed with the climate, the easy going pace, the non-tourist feel and the 'piece of old europe' ambiance.  Last year we checked out Madiera and were not really delighted with it -- too touristy, but our 4 days here afterwards confirmed that this might be a good spot to spend a longer time.

So this year we are booked here for 2.5 weeks -- longer than any other place I have spent without a family connection.  When I did the booking, I looked very carefully at all the hotels/apartments that were possible with the package and settled on this place -- Hotel Gaivota.  It is centrally located -- actually on the waterfront right downtown.  It is a one bedroom apartment with a kitchenette, dining table, sofa, balcony, 2 TVs and a nice big desk.  There was an option to take it with the continental breakfast and that's what I did.  I stayed with the garden view and did not opt for the seaview.

So how pleased are we with my choices?  VERY!  The location is great -- especially with my foot situation.  There is a supermarket literally 2 doors away and it is open every day till 8 pm.  About another 2 doors away is the entrance to a small mall here downtown with a laundry and a China store (these carry everything and are discount merchandise, but great for little odds and ends which you find you might need).  The kitchenette is perfectly adequate, for the amount of cooking I plan to do, with its microwave and two burner hot plate.  It has a bar sized frig with a little freezer section on top.  (With the lovely breakfast downstairs, we have been having some kind of lunch out and then bringing back soup stuff, bread and cheese for supper.)

The balcony faces away from the sea breeze and with the privacy of the open space (the building behind us has been torn down with only the facade remaining braced against the next road up the hill) makes it OK to hang out little laundry bits that we rinse out each day.  Today it rained in the morning, but this afternoon, it was lovely to sit out on the balcony and have a cup of coffee after our walking while listening to the doves who live in the houses out behind..

The city buses do not run on weekends, but the tourist office is open each day and the agents very helpful.  Many of the stores downtown also are closed both weekend days.  Kind of nice for this society which still has a more leisurely rhythm to the weekend than has become the norm in our 24-7 culture.

The hotel staff is professional but helpful.  Our requests for extra pots and coathangers were answered almost immediately and the young lady who runs the breakfast knows us already.

Lovely spot, glad we are here!

New eyes -- and feet and, ultimately, brain

Yesterday my friend June commented on my post that I am learning to look with new eyes -- eyes of a disabled person in this case.

Well, I am happy to say, there is new stuff going on all the time.  I spent most of the day learning to navigate the local city bus system.  There are three lines which overlap at a few points.  All the major landmarks (hospital, mall, waterfront, etc. ) have their own stops, but the lines also go into neighbourhoods  I have not explored on either of my two previous trips to the island.  But it is also the journey which delightfully surprised me.  At each bus stop I was encouraged to go first; never was there any question that people would leave their seats and offer them to me; several people offered to help me in or out of the minibus; the drivers, even with limited english, answered my questions as best they could; and in many cases, people made comments or tried to converse, but my portuguese is non-existant, and their english quite poor.  (The difficult part for me is that portuguese looks very much like spanish, but hearing it, it is impossible to discern even the few words I recognize when written.)

I can't get a monthly or weekly pass as I do not have the local photo ID, but I can buy a seniors' 10 ride card for 2.50 euro.  A great deal!  So I rode the minibuses, getting off at the mall to browse looking for a embroidery hoop which I think might make my other new adventure a little easier.

23 kg is a good sized suitcase with lots of capacity in terms of volume and weight, unless you are thinking of taking enough knitting to keep one occupied for 2.5 weeks.  I don't do the fancy patterned stuff -- I churn out scarves and hats in wild colour and yarn combinations and donate them to the local charity.  As such, I can usually do a hat in one evening and a scarf takes maybe too.  Lots of yarn used up which is great when I have lots of bits at home, but not good when I am taking enough for mass knitting.  So, I ordered a cross-stitch from Mary Maxim a few weeks ago, knowing this was a much slower handicraft than my knitting.  But I had NO idea how intricate and complicated it is to count the stitches and transfer a pattern from a paper to the aida cloth.  The paper pattern is bigger than my cloth!  I spent as much time undoing wrong stitches, wrong colours, and knots on the back as I did doing proper stitches.  I think it works best when one hand works above and cloth and the other below.  Intense concentration is necessary, so doing the cross stitch while watching TV is impossible for me.  I hope my brain learn quickly.  Below you can see what three hours work looks like!

I am quite tired at the end of the day.  I have not walked kilometer upon kilometer, but my walking has been at a much higher awareness and caution state that normal walking -- that's tiring!  And standing is particularly difficult -- almost like standing on one leg for an extended period.  I am not related to a flamingo!

Latest adventure -- disabled traveller

For some of my adventures, I plan for months researching internet sites on a variety of topics.  For some, I do price comparisons over many weeks, looking for patterns of bargains.  For some I consult friends and read endless Trip Advisor reviews, learning what is a true assessment vs what is some individual's rant.  The "disabled traveller" was sprung on me less than 48 hours before my flight.

Three and a half years ago, I also had a broken foot when I visited London with Joanna and family for the World Triathlon Championships and then went on to Sweden for a visit.  However, that was at the very end of my time wearing the boot and there was no associated pain.  Yesterday, my foot still very much hurt whenever I stepped a little off balance and I certainly do not yet have the stamina of that previous adventure.  So, when the line-up at the Azores Airlines counter looked to be at least 10 minutes and Ian suggested a wheelchair (standing a few metres away), I took him up on it.

Being ferried around the airport is a real luxury.  I had a great driver who was very aware of my funny booted foot and made sure we did not even brush anything.  The security people are especially considerate, and we were in the wheelchair line to board the aircraft first.  I had chosen my usual seats at the back of the plane and when no third person arrived for the middle section, it was very much appreciated.  My foot still feels best when elevated, but that is difficult even with extra space.  It was a nice Airbus 330, but the entertainment system -- best distraction ever for flights -- did not work, so it was try and sleep or at least be comfortable.

The airport in Ponta Delgada is very small (stairs off the plane) and so no wheelchair was necessary.  Slowly I got to the terminal, through customs and out the door with the luggage.  We had prebooked a shuttle to our downtown  hotel and the nice man was standing there with a sign with my name.  I have to say, we really appreciated the organization of this service and soon we were dropped off on the waterfront by the door of the Hotel Gaivota (meaning seagull).  As it was about 8:15 am, the room was not ready and we were assured that by 2 pm it would be available.

Long walk -- not the distance we covered, but the time it took.  Thanks goodness I brought my walking poles and used one as a cane.  The sidewalks are small square stones in mosaics, while the roads are full cobbles.  I felt MUCH better with the extra support in case of slight irregularities on the walk.  I think the waterfront is the same as it has been for hundreds of years, in most aspects.  Of course, the equipment on the pier and boats have changed, but since 1427, people have been sailing in and out of here and doing commerce.  We took in a exhibit on the history of money and money in the Azores at the Bank of Portugal building.  Those gold coins are still spectacular.

I was walked out by noon, when, thankfully, our room was ready.  Disabled people need a nap and then out again.  There is a little supermarket just 3 doors from our hotel.  Our inquiry to the front desk secured us two pots and a big bowl.  Soup, bread and cheese.  Lovely supper.

I think my foot will make me much more appreciative of the ability to walk easily again in a few months.  But, the travel industry is very concerned about us needy ones.  There were about 12 wheelchair patrons last night but the one helper told us that some flights have up to 100.  And we were well taken care of.  On our plane, at the back where we were seated, was a section of 8 seats which could be curtained off in case of a stretchered patron.  Good for them.  I do not enjoy being disabled, but it is comforting to know that travel is still possible.

 Our kitchenette and morning coffee break with passionfruit custard tart.