Laureen Diephof has done things that take planning. She’s written for the Soledad Bee, Gonzalez Tribune and The Californian. She earned her pilot’s license. After her husband died in 2002, she moved to Costa Rica for two years to write a book about him. But in 2012, Diephof sold her possessions, gave up her Marina apartment, and embarked on a spontaneous world tour. She traveled to Dublin and Belfast in Ireland, Koniva and Viv in Croatia, Madrid and Granada in Spain, Bilbao in the Basque region, the painted-blue town of Chefchaouen in Morocco, the 61-square-mile country of Liechtenstein, from island villages to major metropolises, from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert.
She rarely made plans, but she kept a blog (www.expatlaureen.com). She did this for exactly one year. The 78-year-old grandmother of four, prone to mirthful laughter, is writing a book about that year called Walking Over the Earth.
Weekly: What made you go on this voyage?
Diephof: It was something I always wanted to do. It seemed like the right time, so I did. It’s pretty simple, really.
You started in Reykjavik, Iceland. Why there?
It’s always interesting to me to try to figure out why I want to do anything. I went there five years before on my way to the Faroe Islands to visit my flight instructor.
What lured you to the places you went?
I skipped around a lot because I was on an extreme budget. If a place was cheaper, I would go there. I would make up my mind on the spot. That makes me look childish, huh?
Or adventurous.
Thank you.
Where did you stay?
I stayed in cheap hotels and hostels – those are stories by themselves. I took part in CouchSurfing.com. It’s free. One host in the Basque area took me all over. Other places, like in Ireland, I was dropped off in the city and I wandered around.
What were your hosts like?
Surprised to see me. Most travelers are younger. [Laughs.] That’s when I realized I was old.
What did you do in Iceland?
I walked. A lot. I took the shortest flight in the Guinness Book: 1 minute and 20 seconds to fly from one island to the next. Fun place. Kids take ferries and planes to get to high school.
What was interesting about the Rock of Gibraltar?
They speak Spanish and English, mixed up. That’s where our word “gibberish” comes from. A travel website said, “You don’t want to go there. It’s all monkeys.” That’s exactly what I want to see!
What was it like in the Sahara Desert?
The camel ride was three hours out [to] the desert. We got to the tents at midnight. The wranglers had a dinner for us. We sat outside and they played music by the fire. It was pitch black. The next morning we took a bus and went through mountains, little villages where people were washing clothes by a stream.
You were at the Berlin Wall for New Year’s Eve. What was it like?
Oh my God. Terrible. People started crowding in, getting closer and closer. They were unruly, drunk. [My friend and I] almost had to swim our way out. But I met a young man I worked with at the newspaper in King City.
Were you safe traveling alone?
If I thought there was ever danger I wouldn’t put myself into it. There weren’t any moments like that. I was a curiosity, especially in Morocco. A hotel manager thought I was running away from something. I said, “I just like adventure.”
What was your favorite food?
I’m going to have some recipes at the end of the book. One was a nice fish dish at the Faroe Islands. And the Basque breakfast of bread with grated-up tomatoes and a lot of olive oil. In Turkey, I liked the breakfast with different cheeses, olives, cucumber and tomatoes. In Holland, one of my favorite things is poffertjes – tiny pancakes with powdered sugar. There’s a drink in Spain, queimada – alcohol in a clay pot, put on fire.
What was it like coming back to the States?
Wow. I lost my insurance. I had stored my car. I had to find a place to live and needed some money. I took it step by step. I ended up taking care of houses while [friends] were on vacation. Then I joined AmeriCorps for 10 months.
Where do you want to go next?
Once I get my book published I want to go to Mongolia.