A Gastronomic Tour of Tuscany

...of my own personal invention.

I am in Lucca for 2 days, headed today for a day trip to Florence.  Lucca is stunning, a medival town surrounded by a 12ft stone wall.  It feels very geninue here, the people slightly annoyed by tourists but still kind enough as long as you don't bucher their language (As I do).  I like that... that tourists are not catered to (or taken advantage of).  I'm staying in a stunning hostel which was converted from an old nunnery.  Their are gorgeous high ceilings, huge rooms with couches to lounge in.  I feel very comfortable here. 

Florence is a short ride away by fast train, so I will explore the city everyone tells me I need to visit for a day knowing I come home to my quiet Lucca tonight.  Tomorrow it's off to Rome before the rail strike for 2 days of busy busy picture and tour taking. 

Hope all is well at home...
A
ps-  as for my title... I don't think there's anything else to say.  The food.... oh, the food....

How could I have forgotten that the down is not any easier than the up?

Those hikers in the house know what I'm talking about.

First, to set the scene:  It's laundry day, so I'm sitting here in my suit writing to you all.  I look out the window and see an old church tower, with the ocean stretching behind it.  It rained about an hour ago, and now the sky has opened up and the sun shines through, like an enormous window to something even more beautiful.

I am in Cinque Terre, one of Italy's National Parks, which consists of 5 small towns that run along a protected coastline.  The hiking here is stunning, and the towns are quaint with great food (and gelato!) with many benches to sit and admire the view.  After a very long day on the train yesterday and a night at a very dodgy hostel last night, I was thrilled to find a new hostel today and head out to hit the trails.  I am pleasantly tired now, ready for my laundry to finish so that I can head out for a nice dinner now that the rain has stopped. 

The thing that has really struck me today is the reminder of those very simple pleasures in life.  It is one of my favourite parts of travelling (not vacationing, but travelling).  Suddenly a nice hot shower, a dry place to stand for a few minutes, or a shared room with no snorers becomes an absolute blessing.  It's amazing the things we take for granted at home, and the things we (I) let irritate me.  Travelling brings me back to appreciating those little things, it makes life so much simpler.  Is there something (or someone?) that you take for granted?  Take a moment to enjoy it.  Just one moment.  Your life will be so much richer for it. 

The art of doing nothing...

Some people have it.  That wonderful ability to simply... well, just be.  Time slips away, and they literally do nothing at all for long stretches at a time. 

I don't.

Today I'm attempting the art of doing nothing, and frankly sucking at it.  The rain has prevented my canyoning, any hiking in these beautiful Swiss Apls, cable car rides (can't see anything) or anything else I deem interesting.  Someone much smarter than myself once said that one can be defined by how a person handles flight delays, rainy days, and long lineups.  Apparently patience and 'the art of doing nothing' are not on my long list of many virtues.

who ever said that bigger was better?

So the whole point of this little European tour has been to search out Sustainability at its finest.  I realize that I've told a lot of silly stories and talked for an inordinate amount of time about food, but I haven't said much about this sustainability stuff. 

I'm reading "A Geography of Hope", by Chris Turner, a Canadian who decided to tour the world in search of sustainability at its finest in hopes of encouraging the replication of ideas that already exist, and already work.  I have read about industrial symbiosis (where various factories use each other's 'waste' as inputs, like steam or chemical byproducts), mixed use living (the very opposite of suburbia), sustainable energy, houses as power plants (aka decentralized power generation where each house is 'power positive' and sells its excess energy back to the grid each month), biomimicry (copying nature since it has had millions of years of evolution to get it right), and the idea that smaller is better (autonomous decision making units acting independantly in their own self interest but governed by a higher body's thoughtful and deliberate steps, ie: independant power generators like wind turbine owners who invest confidently in technology because they are guarenteed a specific rate from electricty utilities). 
                         I digress: that was the longest sentence I've ever written.
Back to my point.  I have seen some of these concepts in action already.  Their basis is so sound, so obvious, that I wonder why more people haven't gotten it yet  But tonight, tonight I am not frustrated or discouraged, as I (we) can sometimes get when facing the same frustrating paradigms, the same thoughtless marching forward.  Tonight I am inspired.   

And world, watch out.  Inspiration is a powerful thing. 

I don't know a single word in German

Bern... so beautiful!!  I sat under a tree today and ate Swiss chocolate (more on that in a minute) and read about mixed use city planning and urban remodernization (sustainability concepts translated into english as 'cities laid out as they were before we all decided we needed cars and walmart and suburbia.)  I realized as I sat there a startling conclusion:  this is one of the reasons I love Europe!  Me, the suburban queen who hates Toronto (except when I visit Dana & Chad or K & Cor, of course), loves the walk-able cities! 

Now, Bern is certainly no exception to that.  Its hilly-ness makes up for all the swiss chocolate I'm eating... which is a lot because these Swiss... man, they know their chocolate!!  (Dare I say, even moreso than the Belgians, who seem to want to put hazelnuts in everthing.)  I spent the day wandering the streets, getting ready for Interlaken, and deperately trying not to spend any money.  I swear this is the shopping capital of the world... though much to my dismay the exchange rate is NOT 10:1 as I thought it was... more like 1:1.  whoops.  My dreams of a swiss watch to replace the one I lost in Amsterdam (boo) went out the door with that news. 

much love,
Allison

ps ....FINALLY pictures:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Abt2rFw3Yt2Ek


http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Abt2rFw3Yt2EX

sin, salvation, belgian waffles and crepes

Wow what a time it's been!!

Amsterdam is officially one of my favourite cities in the world.  Aside from it's general reputation for its liberal laws, the people are genrally wonderful and make a girl feel like anything is possible, and everything is cool (no matter how weird and wacky it might be)  The only exception:  almost getting my butt kicked by a prostitute in the red light district for accidently taking a photo from the wrong direction, then having a pleasant conversation with a police man about it during which time i was sure i would be arrested.  All ended well, andmy new American friend and I continued on our evening.

Afeter Amsterdam came Brussels, where I wandered their small and beautiful city quite peacefully, recovering from my previous indulgences.  I met a boy from Brussels who showed me the sights and we had my first rather fun conversation en francais.  I think I'm pretty good!! though a long way from bilingual.  I lived off Belgian waffles (omg, i'm going to be making them for the girls when i return).

Then off to Paris, where I am now for a few more hours before leaving for Bern, Switzerland.  Paris is beautiful.  I was just having a very pleasant conversation en francais with an older Parisain while eating my crepe in a pretty little park built in the 1800s;  This was shortly after a walk through the Catacombes, which were built in the 1700s and are full of Parisian bones, stacked high and organized in almost pretty walls accented with skulls.  Mostly it comes across as a super creepy setting for a bad horror film.  Pictures of this soon, I promise.

Next off to Bern for a day, then Interlaken where I will hike and engage in all sorts of adenture activities.  Maybe skydiving (finally) or hanggliding again... who knows.  Then Cinque Terre qt K & Cor's suggestion for 3 days of hiking and then on to Rome.  I can't describe how much I love it here.  My restlessness is fed by the constant movement to new cities, in search of new adventures.

I hope you all are well...
much love, Allison
ps forgive typos... keyboards are very different here and i've got a train to catch soon!!

Amsterdam is exactly what I pictured

...and then some.

The next 3 days will be censored... will write when I get to Brussles on Sunday!

(yes mom, I promise I will be safe)

2 new realizations

Internet kiosks at airports are ripoffs.

I'm a genius.

With 1.12seconds left of time... my 'client' was very pleased with my suggestions and consulting effort!  Now I'm off to Amsterdam for some fun.

cheerio!

Finally comfortable in my own skin

I feel good.  Really good.  This weekend was all about hiking in the Lake District, which is the most beautiful part of England that I've seen so far.  18k yesterday (if I include the bit where I got lost, as expected) of mountains and lakes and waterfalls.  Toss in an ancient stone circle and some very odd looking cows and you've got yourself a great day.  After William (the new name of Liz's GPS) took me through the scenic route I arrived back in Birmingham early enough to catch a free open-square concert in the downtown with some decent bands. 

This week is the end of my time in the UK, so I'm in full logistics-planning mode as I get ready to continue my journey.  Pictures coming soon, I swear.

My favourite song right now:  Happiness by The Fray
     "Happiness is like the old man told me
     Look for it, but you'll never find it all,
     Let it go, live your life and leave it
     Then one day wake up, and she'll be home"

"No longer lend our strength to that which we wish to be free from...." (Jewel)

How much of our energy is spent each day, day in and day out, on things that simply do not matter?  Things that do not nourish us as humans.  Things that do not add any value, in the truest sense of the word, to our families, our communities, our societies, or ourselves.

When was the last time you lived an entire day for you?  The last time you woke with passion and felt driven by something larger than yourself?  Something that made you feel connected to the rest of the world in a way so fundamental that it would be silly to question it. 

Because make no mistake; we are all connected.  And our world is quite literally driven by our collective passion.  Will you pursue yours today? 

It wasn't a mini, but it sure was fun

Apparently driving on the wrong side of the road while shifting gears and checking my blind spot to cross out of a busy roundabout keeps my ADD highly entertained! 

I rented a car to drive out to Stonehenge and New Forest for the day and had a ball zipping around in my little tiny standard rental car (a Citroen M3).  Stonehenge was beautiful, though packed with tourists (damn tourists).  An evening having a nice dinner and seeing a movie completed a rather pleasant date with myself. 

This afternoon I was taken out on some Pilot runs (when they take a Pilot out to the giant ships to drive them in to Port) to see what the Marine side of the business is all about.  You know me and small boats.... best of friends.  This one was lovingly nicknamed "The Vomit Comet" by the ship's Captain. "Not to worry, love, it's only a little rough out there!" he assured me as I climbed aboard.  Luckily I managed not to embarrass myself, thank God.

I have begun planning the rest of my time hear, choosing where to spend the time I will have left after wrapping up my valuable experience here at ABP.  Already my stomach rumbles for Italian food....

I wish I had more time....

How can I feel like this already, only a week in?  I feel like the sand is sliding through the hourglass so fast... too fast. 

so i rented a car for this weekend...

...and not only will I be driving on the opposite side of the road... I'll also be driving a manual!!  ha ha ha ha

having trouble accessing sites to upload photos... so maybe tomorrow, I hope.