● Where was I? Spain, Portugal, UK, & Germany.
Here we go again! As always, I write this for personal reasons but feel free to revisit 2024 along with me. I began the year trying to avoid 2023’s stressful schedule, then somehow said “yes” to quite a bit of additional work. Uh-oh. But those trips took me to places I’d never been before, so that growth was very much appreciated. Let’s review…
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Work
I requested only Spain & Andalucía tours with no book research & maybe a tour to train a new guide like last year. So in April I started navigating groups through the most crowds I’ve ever seen in Europe. Honestly, I was as startled as my tour members… where did all these people come from?? Post-pandemic demand is part of the cause, but 2023 was nothing like this. We may not have sent folks home for contracting COVID this year, but there was no shortage of craziness. Special bonus: meeting with animals, friends & fellow tour guides along the way!
Early in the year, the guidebook department twisted my arm to help out one more time. Rafa gave the ok, so I was off to Germany for about three weeks in July/August. Me? In Germany? I hadn’t been in 20+ years, & all assigned places were brand new to me. A daunting mission, I dusted off some basic German & dove in. At some point I’ll have to write about time spent in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Erfurt, Leipzig, Dresden, then Hamburg because the overall experience was beyond fantastic:
As I agreed to go to Germany, the office also offered a spot on a Southern England tour to assist & train a new guide. Me? In the UK? I hadn’t been in 10 years, so yes, sign me up! As it turned out, the guide was the same I assisted last year in France so fate stepped in. I’ll also write about the UK trip later because I had a blast… well, except for food poisoning on the last full day. Ah, the joys of travel:
Was there time for anything else in 2024? Natürlich.
Vacation
Rafa & I actually began the year on vaycay! We welcomed 2024 in Setúbal with some amazing seafood as well as great fireworks from the whole city, seen from our corner suite. What a treat. Setúbal was sandwiched between two stops in Lisboa… & we had to venture further out than ever before to escape the crowds. But we always have a wonderful time in Portugal:
Next trip together was to the capital of the province next door, Huelva. For some reason I’d never been, & I got to explore the city while Rafa finished his model of the Dolmen de Soto for the provincial museum. We had market adventures trying a local, wild mushroom & visited the monastery where Columbus spent time before sailing out in 1492:
Without time for a major summer trip this year, Rafa & I used my extra work assignments to add short vacations. For example: I finished the England tour, stopped in Reading for a day, saw Catarina de Aragón’s tomb in Peterborough, then met Rafa in Cambridge for a few days. While in Germany, I took time off in Berlin to see the sights with Rafa as well.
Like last year, I was curious to see how many days I was away from home (grey dots)… surprisingly almost the same: 42%. Not much consolation there. Having to hit the reset button so often (while trying to take care of other things, you’ll see) made for some hectic months:
Personal
We planted tomatoes, we planted squash, we planted lettuce, we planted broccoli & made good use of the small huerto in the lower patio. Some things worked, some didn’t, but at least we’re learning. We also had new kitchen shelving installed, very necessary to make space. And at long last Rafa & I both got new glasses! Nice to see clearly again.
I try to take at least one course each year, either to stay current or learn something new. After completing the first lesson of Contabilidad Avanzada I had to drop out because I couldn’t dedicate enough time to study. Such is life. I didn’t read as many books as I should have either.
However… I’m now an independent contractor in the Spanish system (instead of in the US). All my social security is paid here, & it seems like I’ll be reducing my tax burden. Finally! It’s been crazy trying to figure out which country’s system works to my benefit after being fired during the pandemic. Plus I’m doing all the set up & filing myself… if that isn’t Advanced Accounting, what is?
Endless Mile
Some spirit possessed me when we returned from Portugal at the beginning of the year. EM needed a new logo to replace a low-effort version by an original partner back in 2011. I’ve known this forever but haven’t had time to make the change. This was the year.
Along with the yearly content update, I needed to make lots of minor changes across all ten guides: standardize fonts, redesign layouts, as well as make everything uniform & easier to read on mobile devices. That took until March, so I spent a lot of time at the computer:
Sales have increased since 2023, so that’s encouraging. And for as much as I didn’t write here —although I did upload some old content to commemorate 20 years of blogging— the Recoleta Cemetery blog saw a burst of activity. Seemed like every few weeks there was a new topic to cover… I was even interviewed for an article about the cemetery cats. Many thanks to Marcelo for keeping me informed!
To sum up 2024
Disjointed. So much time spent on my own business at the beginning of the year meant that guiding season snuck up on me. Switch those gears! Fortunately I had many wonderful experiences on tour: meeting incredible people, bonding over life stories & making the world a smaller, friendlier place. Love those personal connections.
However, I also had more negative experiences than ever before —that’s saying something after 25 years in the business— ranging from utter disrespect, narcissism or general disinterest. I’m used to the occasional homophobe, but this year offered a whole new smorgasbord of adversity. Imagine being pulled from one polar opposite to another with little in between & you get the picture. Disjointed.
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What’s coming in 2025?
Strange to type that: 2025. One quarter of the 21st century done. First off, I’ve asked for a normal work schedule. What’s the fun of owning a cozy & comfy home if you’re never around to enjoy it with your husband? No guidebook research, no training new guides. I promise. Will I ever get my Andalucía guiding license? That bureaucratic nightmare is still in the works… stay tuned.
Vacation planning is already in the works. I had such a wonderful time in Germany —as did Rafa— that we’re returning to see more. Love that it’s back on my radar after so long.
I should have time to share more of 2024’s experiences here, even if a little late. I believe the new Sevilla tile guide can be wrapped up by March, then I’ll focus on yet another tile guide… to Porto! That’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time & will also give me & Rafa our all-important Portugal fix.
What’s up for your 2025? Thanks for reading this far… it was a wild ride. Whatever your plans may be for next year, I wish you a fun, enriching & travel-filled new year!