Category: Travels

I love to travel.  I love to learn.  I love beauty.  However, right now my poor traumatized brain is on cultural overload and I’m not sure how to reconnect the frazzled synapses.  Thank heavens today is a free day and I will use this medium for recollecting, literally re-collecting, my experiences.  As you can see from the picture, we did Venice this week – boy did we do Venice!  I’m very proud of myself in that I didn’t get too terribly lost among the canals and deadend streets and ended up every night in my own bed – I have to claim small victories and make them powerful metaphors.  In other words, being in a new place, learning new things, surrounded by beauty makes finding home so sweet.

Continue reading “If it’s Tuesday I must be seeing what?” →

We have been blessed so far with amazing weather.  Every day has been clear blue – highs in the upper 70’s and in the morning it is in the 50’s.  Now that the mosquito has descended into the lower depths of wherever he shall spend eternity, I am sleeping well.  Perhaps the ending of jet lag has more to do with that blessedness than the demise of the bug.  No matter what, it is lovely to awaken refreshed and looking out to the gentle blue of the Pistoian valley from my window.  After breakfast, the bell rings loudly reverberating thoughout the villa calling us to another day of travel and/or classes. 
Continue reading “Tuscan Sun” →

OK, I’m going to make you jealous first and then I shall report on my journey to this place.  This is a picture from my window at the villa in Pistoia where I am staying with our group until September 27.  The gravel driveway goes between olive groves and the view extends west to the Appenines.

This picture is of the garden where I am now sitting at a table with my morning tea and my tablet talking with you.  On either side are 400 year old magnolia trees and various groups of people are starting to awaken and move about to the sound of the fountain, roosters, and dogs.
Continue reading “Travel mercies” →