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Thoughts and threads of passion and experience that have woven the fabric I call my life. Sharing experiences, memories and ideas so that they are out in the world for you to find when the time is right.
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 View from the top, overlooking Maratea Left the residence 'early to go to the 'Caves' for a tour. It was a little disappointing as Daniella from EuroTours had told me we could take pictures. We arrived and of course we could not. It was 20 Euro for a tour that was to be 90 minutes, and we were done in 70, so that was a bit of a rip off as well, as much of the time was just spent backtracking over places that we'd seen already. Live and learn. It was all okay but I think the caves in Cuba were more interesting to be honest. Outside the caves, we spent time at the shops, and had fresh figs for the first time. They were delicious, as were the fresh grapes being sold by a local vendor who also had her own olive oil and homemade wine on hand. Upon returning back to the residence we had lunch and an afternoon siesta to get ready to go on the evening tour of Maratea. It started out at the Christ the Redeemer church on top of the mountain. What a trail up that was, it leaves you white knuckled going up there, but oh my goodness what a view! We rode up with 3 older Italian people, Carla, Maria and Mario, who all spoke enough English to help translate for us with the driver. They were wonderful! After the top of the mountain, we headed down to Port o'Maratea which was beautiful, then into the town square for an hour or so. In the town I found a few skirts at "Edourdo's" shop, then we bought some wine for later this week. Before leaving town, we ran into Keith and Helma the couple from Austalia, who were having a drink on a side street, which was such a cool little corner, with pillows on the cement and the ambiance of the region. It was perfect! It was exactly what my dream of Italy was, captured in that little corner off the street. We returned to have our dinner here at the residence, this time sampling the pizza. All was good, nothing that really left an impression, but all was fine. Back at the apartment, Cecil enjoyed his homemade wine from the lady at the Caves, I enjoyed a calm, beautiful evening. Life is very lovely, we are blessed!
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 While travelling, I am glad I made the choice to relax and enjoy the wines of the areas after a year of not consuming any alcohol. We are back into wine country here, wine and corn fields...lots of them, just as in Switzerland. I really must google and see what all the corn here is raised for...it's a bit of a mystery to me, but my guess is to feed the cattle to produce the milk for cheese! I am so happy to finally be getting this opportunity. Its been a long time coming, and really just so hard to believe that we are finally here, and still asking myself, what is it that has always drawn me to want to explore this beautiful part of the world. Why has Italy always called to me, when so many other places on the map never have? I wonder if maybe the next few weeks will answer that question, as I wander and explore, and we gather this experience together. We made it to Maratea...by the skin of our teeth. Our train broke down in Sapri, and when i looked at the map it was closer to go from here Maratea than our planned stop at Scalea and back to Maratea was. We had time with the breakdown to go and find out that we could get a cab here for 40euros, about the same as trying to arrange train and cab when the train was fixed so we opted for that. The view between there and Maratea was breath taking, but the ride was death defying! Never have I ridden in a vehicle with a driver that was so prone to attempting suicide on every hairpin curve and bend! The ride over was approximately 30 minutes, but it was hard to tell when you're hanging on with white knuckles, looking over the cliffs to the sea below. The direct switchbacks along the road were endless, and our cab driver was not opposed to pulling out and passing the vehicles that were going a shade slower to him at any bend in the road...and there were many, many bends! I was very surprised to see that we made it safely and in one place, although to the wrong place. We ended up at the top of the mountain at the Ritz! It's another hotel with the same name as ours, but several hotel standards above with marble floors and 360 degree views of the sea below. Didn't take too long to see that we were in the wrong place, but fortunately they sent the hotel van to take us down to where we were meant to be. We arrived at Club Residence Pianeta Maratea, a large sprawling series of apartments in a timeshare area. We got checked in with little problem,but unfortunately, everything here is stairs...which will be fine when we are not toting our luggage up the miles of stone steps to get us to our little bachelor pad. Of course I tend to view everything through the disability lens when I'm travelling...knowing what would and wouldn't work with the experience we lived. This would not work if your mobility is an issue, that was for sure. There is nothing fancy about the unit, in fact it did look a little tired and worn. However, we must admit, the place was chosen because it was close to water and was within the limited amount of points we had with our timeshare, so it's not expected to be a 5 star. That said, it does have everything we need right here...pool, laundry, travel centre, mini-mart, restaurant and bar. We ventured down for supper when we got settled, to find that they didn't start serving until 7:30 after the staff had eaten. So we settled in for a wine and beer and relaxed with the amazing sunset that I was unable to capture as I left my camera and phone in the room. I had a 'special pasta' with tomato, mushroom and bacon sauce, while Cec enjoyed the grilled seafood entre. Mine was okay, his was very good, although not too filling, but the piece de resistance was ending the meal with a Sicilian Canolli...now that was amazing! Our meal including beverages, came to only 40 Euros. We ventured over to the mini-mart to get a few supplies. They have a butcher on hand, with many cuts of dried/smoked meats, as well as olives and cheeses. we ended up with 4 bags of food that included 6 beer and a bottle of wine for 38 Euros, less than expected for sure as we really thought that the onsite store would be much more expensive for sure! When we later looked at our bill, we realized that the 250ml of Pepsi was our most expensive purchase! Costing more than a litre of white wine, and almost as much as 4 Peroni beer! Who'd have thought! We climbed the many steps back to our apartment, managed about 30 minutes before we fell into bed. Except for the leg cramps from lack of drinking water the sleep was wonderful, and caught up on about 9 hours! Yay  And now....Finally, Italy. We have been on the train for almost 1.5 hours, leaving the mountains in the north, and about to enter Milano. The terrain has changed. The trees, lakes and rivers are beautiful, and much like my imagination said they would be. The houses we have seen along the way, so much different than the homes on the Swiss side of the mountain...definitely what we'd call a Mediterranean look to them. I am tired from the late nights and early mornings, but soo excited and happy that this dream is realized. After the last few days of hiking and walking with Cecil, I am glad that we are doing it now, as i wonder how much longer his lungs will allow him to enjoy this sort of travelling. He's struggled a couple of times with his breathing and his knees are causing him greif. For my own part, all I can say is thank goodness I lost the weight that I have. The walking has been slow with my dizzy glasses, but easy in terms of how I feel physically. What a treat to just enjoy seeing so much without the side effects that the extra 70 pounds had. LIFE is GOOD.  The Magnificent Matterhorn, Switzerland Our journey to experience the Matterhorn required our driving for about 1.5 hours up more, steep windy hills to Tasch, where we caught the train that takes you up the mountain. The town is a strong reminder of Banff, with lots of expensive clothing and accessory stores, and dozens of villas and chalets for skiers to rent. We walked up to the trolley lift, and continued our journey up the mountain, changing lifts 3 times to reach the top. The weather at the top was fantastic! Sunny, warm, although I was glad we'd purchased our souvenir sweaters the day before, as they were exactly what we needed when we landed on the snow covered top! After spending time looking at the view from all directions, and having our host provide totally wrong information to another tourist who was looking for the new 'diamond' cabin, we headed to the Ice Palace, where we walked through the ice tunnels to view the carvings,and magic of this creation carved out of the glacier's ice. Cec and I tried the ice slide...he did better than I...must be that my behind is too hot to slide properly on the mats provided, but it was good for a laugh. We videoed another message for the kids, because even though travel is one of my top passions and priority...so is my family...children, grandchildren, siblings and all. We eventually headed on our way down to the first change level for lunch. We chose a quiet, small restaurant under construction, where we had a starter of cold smoked meats, followed by 'rotsi', a traditional swiss meal of potatoes, cheese, ham and egg in a cassarole type dish. It was here Cec and I both realized what our student from last year had tried to prepare the night she made us dinner when were were so befuddled by her creation. I felt bad, as I saw that it was something she was trying to recreate for us, even though the base was definitely not the same. We relaxed on the outdoor lawn furniture in the warm sun, sipping our wine and beer, watching for butterflies and soaking in life. What a great day. We eventually headed down the mountain, into the town where the French/German language division happens, and found a small winery that was open to sample wines and enjoy options. They served not only really great wine, but one of the nicest cheeses I have every tasted. After 4 options, we settled on a case of the second, a 'Petite Arvine', something our host had ordered for me the day before, that I loved, but can't say I've tried before. I must remember to watch for it when I go home and wine shop. We returned home about 7 to relax, enjoy our wine and watch Jack Reacher together. I can't say enough about our time with our amazing Swiss host, he planned everything, and made sure we saw as much as we could in the short time were were allotted with him. What a great experience, and what wonderful memories! It made us glad for every opportunity we had offered his daughter the proceeding year, as it came back to us in the gift of this time here. I even had the chance to find and photograph the black swiss 'fighting' cows...who even knew they existed.  Chapel Saint Jean, Dixience Dam, Switzerland Two thirds of the way back down from the top of the Dixience Dam, we came across Chapel Saint Jean. The small stone chapel was built in 1930 by workers during the first stage of construction of the dam. It was built to accommodate the deeply faithful Italian workers who dedicated years of their lives on construction of the dam. The chapel was small but beautiful with detailed craftsmanship inside and out. The benches inside would only accommodate a very few men at any given time, but in sitting in the quiet of the tiny sanctuary, one could gather a sense of the peace that those who sat in prayer must have embraced. Where are the places that you go to find that same sense of peace in your life? Is it in the sanctuary of a church? In the quiet of the space you where you meditate? Or is it walking in nature? For me, its either overlooking the view I have of the Assiniboine Valley here at home, or being close to a body of water. But on that day, peace found me in the mountains of Switzerland, and the quiet of that little church. We continued our journey down the mountain, and continued the adventure of exploration, grateful for all the magic we've been allowed to experience!  View of the valley below from the Dixence Dam, Switzerland We hiked a short distance along the lake, through the walking tunnel that would lead you for hours if you were more ambitious and prepared! Then we turned back and started making our way down the side of the mountain. We could have done it more simply, by just taking the trolley down the side of the hill. But that was not to be our experience. Our host felt that what we needed to experience was the exhilaration of making our way down the mountain his way!! Our breathtaking experience is shared in the pictures that we took and embraced as part of this amazing day. The walk down the mountain helped us to truly appreciate the majesty of the Grande Dixence Dam as we walked down the mountain. Breathtaking! How blessed we are to be able to have the opportunity to explore these amazing places as we make our way through this life! Our journey holds so many magical experiences in places around the world. Are you finding ways to experience the places your heart longs to see? If not, why not? What is standing between you and your dreams....and how are you going to bridge those barriers?  Another hill-top Castle in Switzerland enroute to Grande Dixence Dam. Thursday we struck off about 9am, heading to the Grande Dixience Damn, at the head of the Val d'Hérens in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At 285 m (935 ft) high, it is the tallest gravity dam in the world and is part of the Cleuson-Dixence Complex.  Structures in Switzerland that have been compared to Stonehenge in terms of mystery. Once there we took the trolley to the top, enjoying the phenomenal views from the top. After walking along the top of the dam, we took some time to explore the trail that runs alongside Lake Dix. We didn't venture too far, just far enough to take in some of the incredible flowers that line the walkway and climb up the side of the mountain.  Me enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the amazing mountain air! After enjoying time at the top, we then all walked down the winding trail down the side of the mountain together. It was a beautiful journey, although the day was very cloudy and hindered some of the view we would have enjoyed with more sunshine. It was still magnificent from start to finish.  Our first glimpse of Lac Dixence, Switzerland. Magnificent! So why do I spend time documenting and sharing the various aspects of our trip on this blog? Well, when I clarify my own passions, some of what becomes clearest to me is my love for travel, photography and writing. When I do the sweet-spot exercise to tryi and pinpoint a job that would put me in my bliss, what comes to mind every single time is being a travel writer. Will I ever actually be a professional one? Maybe, maybe not. But as I take steps to work myself closer and closer to my passions, I have come to realize that I do travel now. I do lose myself in the wonder and love of my photography right now. And I can share my experiences with others around the world right here on my own site right now. So with the philosophy of 'intention, attention, no tension' ...I have set my intention, I am paying attention in the ways that I can...and doing what I love...well that is no tension. If it's meant to be it will be. If not, I am having a blast just living life. I hope you find ways to do the same, whatever your own passions are! Over the holidays, I've found a little time to focus on things that I am passionate about...because isn't that what life is all about? Our passions are clues to what our purpose is all about, and they are whispers from our souls that give us gentle reminders of what we came here to do. Like all of us, I too get lost in the busyness of everyday. In the hustle and bustle of the expectations that we allow others to place on us, or even worse, that which we place upon ourselves. This is my place to continually come back to myself...reminding me what it is in my life that inspires me to keep moving forward towards my own true destination...towards that which I was sent here to accomplish when the universe granted me this one, precious life. What a world we live in where we have these venues and opportunities to reveal our truth to the world. What a blessing, what amazing magic!!! Please enjoy my latest venture into ensuring that my passions are put out into the world to hopefully reach the people that need to hear the message and be healed by it in some small way. Namaste  Storm clouds on the horizon, Lavenham, Manitoba There have been many times in my life where passion and hope were non existent, where the darkness that had developed around me seemed to be as relentless as the pain that had caused it. I will not say for a moment that life has been easy, or struggle free. No life is...no life is meant to be. But what I have learned that even the darkest, bleakest of times will and do pass...just as the good ones will as well.  Angel in the garden. I've learned that we need to live in the moment, knowing good or bad, the moment is just that...a moment in time, there to give us what it is we need, often without our knowing that we needed it, and all that we truly have. With each moment, ask yourself what is this teaching me? Giving me? Showing me? If you can adopt an attitude that nothing happens to you, instead everything happens for you, you begin to open yourself up to the events as they happen, knowing it's for your greater good. You learn to trust that you are not the one who really knows what your greater good really is, but rather it's a source much beyond your control knows that much better than you do.  Summer Asters...beauty in the everyday, So what do we do when the bad times surround us? Remember they will pass. Remember that your reaction to events, and not the events themselves, often determine the outcome you will experience emotionally and mentally. Do your best to make your reaction and attitude a positive one, creating a chain of positive energy moving forward through it. And when the bad time passes, and the good times come into your life again, remember that these too are impermanent, and that you must relish and drink in all that they have to offer, in the moment that they are there offering them to you!  Leopard Swallowtail in the lilacs. Don't miss the moment, good or bad. Instead, take it all in, drinking deeply from the fountain of experience that they offer you. Trusting deeply that whatever is happening is part of the plan you made for this journey long before you started it, as you try to unravel the mystery of all that is going on about you. The power to come through it is in you, it is you, so know that you can manage whatever the current situation is. Let each moment be part of what it is that leads you to being exactly who you are meant to be, that is....'Truly You'.
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