RTW ’23: Week 15

RTW hit a very special milestone this week: on Thursday, December 14th, I officially hit 100 days of RTW! It’s truly wild to me that just over 100 days ago, I was in the United States, packing my bags and getting my last minute affairs in order, and now, I’m on an entirely different continent, changing out the inserts of my shoes because the miles have taken their toll. By Tuesday, December 19th, I completed 105 days. I put 4,192.84 miles behind me via all of my RTW approved modes of transportation and met hundreds of new people. I spent 13 days in Portugal and slept in 10 different beds, 37 days in Spain and slept in 17 different beds, 19 days in UK/Northern Ireland and slept in 8 different beds, 27 days in Scotland and slept in 8 different beds, and, finally, 9 days in the Netherlands and slept in 2 different beds. I walked the Camino Santiago with a dear friend, and ventured through castles, country sides, cities, and towns. I spent time with family that filled my soul, and made fast friends across the globe. I even climbed a mountain! Looking back on over 100 days, it amazes me where I’ve been and just how far I’ve come. Coincidentally enough, my 100 day mark also happened to fall on the day that I was slated to speak at Johnson & Johnson’s Mentor Town Hall about my journey as a breast cancer survivor. It was serendipitous, really, that on the 100th day of my huge traveling adventure, I was speaking at the company’s town hall that assisted, at least in part, at giving me my life back sans my double mastectomy surgery. I am so thankful to my body for allowing me to take this grand adventure, and I am so thankful to each and every one of you for following along. It’s been a true blessing!

Wednesday was a mix of sight seeing, bike riding in between rain showers, and going to my first yoga class in Leiden. My colleagues at Mentor J&J provided me with some local recommendations for Leiden, and I was excited to check them out! The first stop of the day was to visit St. Peter’s church, which is a beautiful old building, built in the 1100’s, that hasn’t actually functioned as a church since 1971. The age of the building was impressive enough to me, but what really drew me in was the connection to American history– specifically, the pilgrims who came to America on the Mayflower. I love finding unexpected connections to my own personal story! Seeing an ancient map of Cape Cod was so cool! I never knew there was a connection between the Netherlands and the Mayflower pilgrims, which even includes Thanksgiving. As I stood in the building, I imagined the masses of people coming and going, anxious for the next steps on their own journey. It felt so powerful to be on a journey of my own, sharing in a parallel excitement. My next stop was Leiden’s Botanical Gardens. While I was on my way there, it had started raining, so I was glad to get inside a tropical, heated greenhouse. The warmth, humidity, and abundance of fragrances were a stark contrast from the dreary day outside, and a welcomed one at that. The rain showed no signs of stopping, so I stayed at the Botanical center and got a tasty quiche at their garden cafe. After I had seen every square inch of the gardens, and enjoyed a tasty lunch, I had no choice but to continue biking in the rain. Everyone else was carrying on with their day, so I followed suit and went to my next stop: the De Valk Windmill, a tower mill and museum. I had passed by the windmill a few times since I arrived, so climbing to the top was a real treat! The higher I climbed, the steeper the ladder got. After climbing 6 ladders up, I made it to the top, and got a really good view of the city! It made the climb well worth it, even though I had to tackle the 6 ladders all over again going back down. In the evening, I walked to a local yoga class. The yoga studio also has dance, and thankfully, the class instruction was in English, so I settled in with a borrowed mat, blocks, and a blanket. As the instructor had us focus on our breath, she mentioned wind and water several times. It seemed very appropriate, since I’m in a place that has such a connection to both elements, with all of their windmills and canals. Overall, it was a wonderful way to experience Leiden, and see some of its staples!

Thursday was a very special day on my RTW ’23 journey– it marked 100 days of traveling RTW, and I was a speaker at Johnson & Johnson’s Mentor Town Hall! I was looking forward to my visit for months, and the day finally came. Sixteen years ago, I received Mentor breast implants after my double mastectomy. I wanted to personally thank them for being a part of my breast cancer recovery journey, so earlier in the year before I retired, I reached out to Mentor. They invited me to come to their facility and speak on the subject, so part of this leg of my trip revolved around ensuring I was present for the town hall. I was given the full VIP treatment, including a taxi driver picking me up and bringing me to the facility. Julia, Hannah, and Pien gave me a warm welcome when I arrived, and gave me a run down for the day. We had quite the agenda: tour the manufacturing production line, nice lunch with Dutch food, town hall meeting, and close out the day with a cozy Winter Walhalla. I didn’t realize how nice it would be to be back “home” at J&J. There were many familiar sites– the Credo, J&J logo and signage, the process for visitors, and the massive security measures that are consistent across all J&J facilities. The nicest aspect was the people at the facility. Everyone was genuinely glad to meet me and were very interested in my Mentor experience. They were also very interested in my RTW journey, which was really wonderful to share. During my plant tour, I was very impressed with the fully integrated End to End Supply Chain, quality controls, and individual SME’s. In many ways, it reminded me of the facility that I worked at in Raynham, which is a testament to both this Mentor facility and J&J as a whole. At the Town Hall, I learned some interesting facts! There are approximately 500 employees at the Leiden facility, with 50 countries represented, which is remarkable and speaks to their diversity and inclusion. There are over 1000 SKU’s produced, and this facility supplies products to all of the countries outside of the USA. There was a Mentor quiz, which brought out some friendly competition, also typical of J&J events. For my story, Marie and I had an informal review segment with Q&A. Being a breast cancer survivor has really shaped part of who I am, and it felt so wonderful to be in a room full of people who, by proxy, are a part of my story, sharing with them how much Mentor helped my journey. I’ll never grow tired of advocating for women, our health, and our bodies, and sharing my story is just one way to shine light on the subject. The day ended with everyone gathering for a cozy Winter Walhalla, including games, a photo booth, fire pits, and Dutch bites and drinks. This informal gathering gave me another opportunity to chat and meet more Mentorians. It was so lovely to speak with people from many countries, different departments, and answer any additional questions anyone had for me. I had a few touching conversations, including one with Edith, originally from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, who had a personal connection with CCBRT (the rehabilitation hospital I’ll be visiting). Another heartfelt conversation was with Katheryna who works in the testing laboratory. She moved to Leiden last year from Ukraine, and jokingly warned me about a few of the Dutch food items. I tried everything, and it was okay! Different, but okay! After Haggis, I’m ready for just about anything! The day, as a whole, was so rewarding and touching. It fulfilled a goal that I’ve had for years: to thank the people at Mentor for being an important part of my return to full health after breast cancer. I’m so grateful to have met everyone and to have had the opportunity to spend the day there. It revitalized my mission with my RTW journey, and for that, I am thankful.

I woke up on Friday morning and enjoyed a nice breakfast at my hotel, then dealt with one of the unglamorous parts of travel– fraud alerts on my credit card. I had to phone my credit card company, then the merchant that was flagged (unwanted subscription that I had forgotten to cancel), then back to the credit card company to reinstate my card. Thankfully, I could use WiFi calling on my laptop. I also checked all of my other transactions to avoid needing a new card mailed to me. I like to think that I squashed this blunder, but I know it’s only for the time being– chances are, I’ll have to do this again on my trip, eventually! After I dealt with that, I met up with Julia and Pien from Mentor for lunch. This time, I rode my bike to the Mentor facility and was greeted by a lot of friendly faces from the day prior. Someone asked me if I needed help in the facility, and I jokingly said “No, I work here now!”. That’s how comfortable I felt, and captures just how nice it was to be back at J&J. The three of us went to grab a bite at a small cafe next door to the plant. Both Julia and Pien had some super helpful travel tips for my upcoming segments to Africa and Asia. We shared lunch, and discussed our many common interests: travel, volunteering, and the J&J experience, to name a few! It was inspiring for me to see women leaders at this site, and I’m appreciative that they made time for me in their otherwise very busy Fridays. They mentioned the word “Gezelligheid”, referring to how nice the cafe was, and I understood its meaning! I told them that that’s how I’ve felt about my Mentor experience! The finishing touches to the day were a super thoughtful thank you gift they gave me: a book of Vermeer’s art, and a gift card for yoga. Before we said goodbye, we took photos with the Mentor bike! These bikes are used to go between buildings and on campus. I love how much bikes are used, here! At my home facility in the USA, we have a truck that drives to and from the distribution center. Here, in the Netherlands, they use bikes (of course)! It was one more connection between Mentor and my RTW fundraiser with World Bicycle Relief (For more information on that, visit the link: https://www.powerofbicycles.org/fundraisers/sharonelder). After a last hug, I waved goodbye. I felt like a local as I rode off on my rental bike!

Saturday was mostly a lowkey day, with the main goal of getting from Leiden to The Hague. It wasn’t a long train ride– it only took about 30 minutes– but even when the distance is short, it’s still an adjustment and challenge to carry both packs, navigate a new city, and get my bearings. I didn’t do a lot of research on The Hague, so I was a little surprised how much bigger it is than Leiden. The Hague has half a million people, so it’s similar in size to Boston, whereas Leiden is one fifth that size and much more quaint with its canals and bike paths. I’ve been tossing around the idea of renting a bike here, but I’m not sure that I’m up to navigating a bigger city like this on two wheels. I have a walking tour scheduled for Sunday, so I’ll have more information about it after that. While exploring my new city, I did manage to find a decathlon store in the shopping district. I bought new insoles for my Merrell hiking boots– a much needed purchase for my feet, the star of my daily miles photos each day. My feet have been aching a lot lately and it’s no wonder, since I’ve walked over 600 miles in mostly the same boot! The tread and upper (material side) of my Merrells is still in good shape, but the insole was completely worn out. The new cushioned insoles feel amazing, so I swapped them out right away just outside of the store entrance and chucked the old insoles straight into the bin! I do have a pair of sketchers that I carry with me, but I prefer to use those for my evening look. It’s important to have options, even while living out of a backpack! My hostel here has a nice kitchen, so I did some grocery shopping at the end of my exploration. There were several different brands of grocery stores to choose from, and this was my first time buying groceries in the Netherlands since I’d been staying at a hotel (without a kitchen) in Leiden. I chose Albert Heijn– it looked big, and there were many people shopping there. It seemed more like a local grocery store than a convenience store, so I figured they would have the most options, and probably good pricing. The food selection was, in fact, very good, and the fruits and veggies looked fresh and delicious. I completed my self checkout easily, packed everything into my own bag, and attempted to pay. Apple Pay didn’t work. My VISA card didn’t work. My MasterCard didn’t work. I started to feel a little panicked. A nice store clerk came to assist me, and he explained that in the Netherlands, VISA and Mastercard are not accepted at many of the stores, especially non-tourist specific shops, like the grocery store I was standing in at the time. It’s something to do with not being able to differentiate between debit cards and credit cards, so I asked him what my options were besides cash. He told me that he uses the Wise app connected to Apple Pay since he is also not Dutch, but from Hungary. I’ve used Wise before, but it’s not connected to my Apple Pay, so I reluctantly paid cash– all of the cash I had on me, to be exact. I’d spent an hour finding things in the store, so I didn’t want to give up all of my grocery treasures! So, my next challenge will be to find an ATM with the plus logo (to avoid charges), as well as figuring out how to connect Wise to Apple Pay. Every country has its quirks, but this was a new one. It does explain, however, how in the past sometimes my cards worked, and other times, for what seemed at the time like no apparent reason, they didn’t. Hopefully, I’ve found a solution in the Wise app!

I started the day as I usually do when going to a new city with a walking tour on Sunday. Ronald, the tour guide, was very knowledgeable and took us to a few of the local hidden gems, such as the cat alley. The tour was a good overview and helped me to locate some must-see museums during my time in The Hague. One of the biggest highlights of the day was visiting the Peace Palace, even though the interior and library were closed for a private event. I let my imagination wander, and decided that there must be a meeting about peace happening, and that was, obviously, far more important than me seeing the interior walls. The visitors center was open and free, including the audio guide. I had previously heard about international trials and war crimes being handled there– I assumed, incorrectly, that it started after WW2. In fact, the construction was completed just before WW1! The idea of a peace movement started in conjunction with a few different inventions and historical developments, such as photography, telegraphic messages, and the Industrial Revolution. Before that, war was glamorized by government and nobility alike. But, once people could see photographs, and hear of news of war in real-time, the savagery and despair of war couldn’t be ignored. Nobility in the Netherlands (being a small EU country known for staying neutral and inviting compromises) brought the idea for such a place into being with funds provided by Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-American entrepreneur. Andrew Carnegie was very much a 19th century version of Elon Musk. The check Carnegie wrote for $1.5 million ($50 billion in today’s economy) caught my eye because the bank was from Hoboken, NJ! At any rate, I’ve visited many churches, castles, and palaces during my journey thus far that have either remained true to their original intent, or have transformed into something else entirely. But, this was the first palace that I’ve visited that was specifically designed, built, and maintained for peace keeping. It felt like very special and sacred grounds. It was a moment to say a prayer for world peace, so I took a moment of reflection, recalled the amazing Women in Black that I stood with just last week, and raised a prayer to the heavens. I know that we have many tragic conflicts happening right now in the world that are truly horrific. It is comforting to know that amidst all of the chaos, there is a space dedicated to peace making. From the audio tour, I heard that there is much activity here for countries to have conflict resolution without going to war, as well as high international courts that bring crimes to justice. World peace may seem impossible, but without constructing a place where peace can reside, we’ll never find it. Thank you, Netherlands, for creating a space dedicated to just this! Upon the advice of my J&J colleagues, I bought an OV trans card that can be used on trains, buses and trams in the Netherlands. I used it today for my first Tram ride of RTW ’23– another fun mode of transportation that was invented before 1920! I also found a way to rent a bike in The Hague using an app called Donkey Republic. It’s a hop on/hop off company that operates in The Hague and Amsterdam. I did a quick test ride before the sun went down, and it was really easy! The idea of being able to just pick up a bike at any given location, pedal around for a bit, then hop right off is really fun!

My body and mind were telling me that I needed a rest day, so on Monday, I took one. It’s hard sometimes, being in a new place every few days, to not get caught up in the vacation frame of mind; that I have to see all of the sites and not “waste” any time to stop, rest, and reflect. I think that all of us get caught up in that type of thinking on vacation, or just in our daily lives. The Hague has a lot to offer, but on Mondays, most of the museums are closed, so I took that as my sign to give myself a day to do “nothing”, too! My body and mind thanked me. No one else is staying in my dorm room, so I did some yoga breathing and stretching, which was much needed. I also spent a few hours on my laptop responding to emails, comments on the blog, and further planning for Africa. I had all of my plans set for Africa, but the 35 day trip got cancelled due to not enough participants signing up, so I’m working on piecing together a new plan, which I need to confirm before boarding my cargo ship in early January. I made good progress, and I feel more reassured that everything will work out. The next phase of RTW will be so exciting on a cargo ship and subsequently landing in Africa. There is so much adventure on the horizon! Although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in the UK and NL, I’m excited to see a new country and plant my feet on a new continent! After taking care of business inside, I needed some fresh air, so I went for a short walk outside near the hostel. The Hague is so diverse with culture, food, and countries represented. Maybe it’s because it’s the center for international justice, or maybe it’s because the Dutch have been explorers (and colonizers) in so many far reaching areas on the globe. No matter the reason, in a short wander around, I found Chinatown, an Afro-Indian Market, Xian Noodle shop, an American Book Center, and an Indian Holistic center. I stopped at a different grocery store, Jumbo, to grab a few items for dinner at the hostel, but this time, I checked upon entering if they took VISA cards! Since I stayed at the hostel most of the day, I learned that more than half of the people staying there are volunteers working for room/board. It was very interesting, and explained why everyone seemed to know each other the first night I arrived. In the evening, I was happy to have my dorm room to myself to catch up on some streaming shows and do some reading about Africa.

Tuesday was another overcast day with consistent rain coupled with wind, so it was the perfect day to visit a few museums. When I arrived at the first museum, they required checking coats and jackets so the very wet outerwear would not compromise the galleries. You know it’s a rainy climate when that’s a common procedure! The most famous painting at Mauritshuis is The Girl with the Pearl Earring. It’s very iconic, and right up there with Mona Lisa for good reason. This painting, by Johannes Vermeer (a Dutch painter during the Golden Age in the 1600’s), was one of the first paintings (along with Mona Lisa), that the eyes seem to follow you as you move. Before that, faces were always painted facing directly at the viewer of the piece. What drew me into this painting was that she appears to be just an ordinary woman. We do know from forensic data that the azure paint for her head band was obtained from stone in Afghanistan, which is remarkable, given the era. The other Dutch paintings I liked most were the flower still lifes, their vibrance really popping out on the otherwise gray and dreary day. My next stop of the day was the MC Escher museum just a few blocks away. I’ve always admired and appreciated Escher’s tessellation artwork. I’ve even tried imitating it myself when I did a tessellation painting during COVID. I didn’t know he was Dutch, and that he didn’t have an exhibition until he was 70 years old. It was yet another reminder that you are never too old to chase your dreams! The museum was housed in a lovely palace and had artwork of the same genre by other artists. I really enjoyed the reflection room in this museum, and spent more time than most people trying to get some cool reflective photos (my foot pic of the day is one of them!). Both museums felt very timely for me as I was reflecting on my RTW journey thus far. Seeing things from a different perspective and reflection at 105 days of traveling is a real gift. The reflection room at Escher’s palace was so symbolic of this! I was taken back to the moment I was standing in front of The Girl with the Pearl Earring. While looking at the painting, I couldn’t help but wonder what her story was. What struggles did she face? What was her life like? She looks timeless. In fact, if you look closely enough, there’s no loop on the “earring”, it’s just a dab of white paint. Things are not always what they first appear to be. I was reminded of my purpose for this journey– to emphasize women’s issues and have conversations about what women are still struggling with in today’s world. The conversation usually begins with my transportation story, and unfolds from there. I have learned that, in the Netherlands, women were granted full voting rights in 1919, just one year earlier than the USA. I’m really excited to see how the journey continues to unfold and how new learnings are revealed to me– both purposefully and by happenstance.

Closing out this week, I want to remind everyone how thankful I am for your thoughts, prayers, intentions– and for following along as my journey continues to unfold. With the holiday season right around the corner, I am going to hit the pause button on the blog through the end of December. Though I will still be traveling, and will be sure to update the miles upon the blog’s return, I feel this break is an opportunity to reflect on other aspects of my journey. I hope that each and every one of you enjoy ample time with family, friends, and loved ones– and take some time to care for yourselves as well. Please continue to keep me and my journey in your thoughts and prayers, just as I will continue to carry you in my heart! In the interim, keep an eye out for an email in your inboxes! There are some new and exciting changes coming to the blog, including an exclusive opportunity to ask me any burning questions you have about my journey. I’d like to take a moment to give a special shout out to my amazingly talented blog editor and daughter, Corrine. WIthout her dedication and support, this blog would not have happened. I’m so grateful for our collaboration and connection! This blog has been a true blessing to me, and I look forward to continuing to share my journey with you in new and unique ways! Until next time, dear friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to make space for what brings you joy.

May your walls know joy,
may every room hold laughter,
and every window open to great possibility.
-Mary Anne Radmacher