“I didn’t run a marathon this year.” Sometimes I catch myself saying this whenever I’m browsing through race photos on Instagram. Despite the grueling ultra-marathon training I did at the beginning of 2019, it didn’t feel like I’ve been running this year. Because I wasn’t racing.

hree weeks ago I noticed that my belly is somewhat bigger than normal. I dismissed it as bloating due to ovulation. But it didn’t go away after the egg dropped, so like any sane human being, I Googled my symptoms.

“Woensdag ochtend ga ik hardlopend naar mijn werk,” zei ik tegen mijzelf na een heerlijke sessie Pilates en Yoga op een maandag avond. Ik voelde me heel fit, het gaat goed met de knieën, en het weer is weer aangenaam.

n the 4th day of our holiday, we decided to stretch our muscles and set out to hike the Burgau Coastal Walk. This 10-kilometre trail runs along the cliffs between the towns of Luz and Salema, and is popular among English tourists and Algarvians alike. We started from a secluded beach in Salema following a paved hiking path. The trail soon changed into sandy footpaths almost hidden by shrubs and tall grasses, and sometimes we went off the trail to inspect low, abandoned houses which were left to the elements in this part of region. The view here was breathtaking – blue-sea dotted with occasional sail boats, cloudless sky and the famous limestone cliffs of West Algarve on the horizon, unobstructed by trees and extending as far as the eyes can see.

Stravaig: A Scottish word meaning to wander around, often for pleasure and frequently with no particular destination or aim in mind. This lovely definition taken from this blog.

I came across this word during an unforgettable dinner in a restaurant of the same name in Glasgow. I have not forgotten it since then nor have I forgotten haggis. Stravaig has become one of my favourite words while travelling, in the same way that Elizabeth Gilbert attached a great meaning to the Italian word attraversiamo.