Laundry Experiments

We are in Ljubljana...the capital of Slovenia. It is a small country sandwiched between Germany, Italy, Croatia and Austria. Given that we were in the neighborhood, Danielle and I thought we should check it out. Although I am still working on pronouncing the name of its charming capital city, Slovenia has definitely won us over. It is clean, there are food markets every day, and it's easy to get pretty much anywhere on foot. Or, if you don't feel like walking, you can rent a bike for a few Euros an hour.

When we arrived this past Friday afternoon, our hostel host told us about a weekly food market called Odprta Kuhna...unsurprisingly, we made our way there and tried a few Slovenian delights...the names of which I did not write down because I was too busy eating.

Thanks to the many tasty things we have tried and/or discovered (like Hemp Tea), we are in an experimental mood...so, while perusing the laundry detergent aisle at a local grocery store, we came across something called Wasch NuB. These are nuts...yes, NUTS...you can use to clean your laundry. When our clothes are dry, I will report on how effective they are...we used cold water...ooppss!

Hot, Sweaty, and Crowded

     Danielle and I arrived in Dubrovnik, Croatia this past Thursday. If you watch Game of Thrones, then you know Dubrovnik's "Old City" is contained by walls built over a few centuries...it sounds corny, but it is a magical place. I found this short video (by a German guy who writes "In Your Pocket" travel guides)...if you have eight minutes to spare, check it out. I did zero research before arriving in Dubrovnik, so I was pleasantly surprised at how clean, beautiful, and unique it is...though I do not recommend visiting in July as it is hot (90 degrees or so) and crowded (apparently a lot of people watch Game of Thrones).

Too Much Background Noise to Write...Photos!

    Feta...dipped in something (including sesame seeds), fried and topped with honey. 

    Delicious!

    Yiannis (our wonderful host in Benitses) took us (and Sophie from Berlin) on a tour of Corfu Island yesterday. This photo was taken at a beach called Paleokastritsa...

    The water is countless shades of turquoise! I think I took this one at a village called Kassiopi. 

Keep Calm and Carry On

    The view from our balcony in Corfu. The pink building in the center of the photo is for 

     sale...

As I type this, I am looking at the dark blue and turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Ocean...it's twelve-thirty and people are already swimming, tanning, smoking, and drinking. It seems that most of the "fears" around the collapse of the Greek economy either won't happen or haven't happened yet. Our plane from Naples was full, the beach is quiet, but busy, and things seem to be running as usual. Granted I don't know what the summer is usually like around here, but people seem content and unaffected.

When we first heard about the Greek default, we thought it best to reroute our trip. Then we spent a few hours figuring out what a reroute would  look like—our hearts weren't in it, so we decided to stick with Greece...so far, a great choice!

A Series of Fortunate Events

    Mt. Vesuvius, the Mediterranean, and a hotel we are not staying at.

We arrived in what we thought was Sorrento, Italy on Sunday afternoon. However, our small community is a thirty minute walk from there. As a result of having to carry all of my stuff much farther than anticipated, I am leaving every extra item I packed behind. 

Our first night in "Sorrento" was laughable: no hot water...our beds were shaped like hot dog buns...in the middle of the sleepless night, I checked my email and saw an alert from the U.S. State Departmet about traveling to Greece (hello monkey mind!). The air conditioner crapped out, and I woke up with at least three swollen bug bites on my face. Call me traveling Quasimodo. 

Danielle's Italian is pretty good and the hotel folks let us switch rooms. The hot water is fixed, the air-con worked last night, and our new mattresses are comfortable. The moral of this story is, check recent reviews BEFORE you stay at a hotel. If we'd done that, we would've cancelled the place we are at and rebooked it. I have plenty of advice to share when it comes to traveling in Campania in late June. I'll continue with the good stuff tomorrow. It's absolutely gorgeous around here. 

Roma Part Due (two)

When I arrived in Rome this past Tuesday afternoon after a long haul flight and two four-plus hour layovers, I looked and felt like a zombie. However, I am grateful to the dog that kept me up for the duration of my eight-and-a-half hour flight because the lack of sleep has made my jet lag less obnoxious. 

My second visit to Rome has been lovely, relaxing, and delicious. My original plan was to go to Tivoli, Ostia Antica, and a few other places. However, I have been feeling the need to eat and drink to my heart's content...while hanging out and people watching...so I ditched the plans and tracked down a few different markets and the most amazing department store I have ever been to, Eataly (thanks to Danielle for that one!).

On Wednesday, my first full day in Rome, I took a cooking class with a local chef, ten Americans and one American ex-pat who lives in Belgium. Because I get bored keeping my thoughts to myself, I am not a fan of traveling solo, and the class was a great way to meet fellow travelers and immerse myself in the art of Italian cooking. I learned a lot and stuffed myself to the gills (as if that were not expected). 

Since then, I have been completely food-obsessed and am doing my best to try as many Lazio (Rome-area) specific dishes as I can. Check out Cacio e Pepe, Spaghetti alla Carbonara, and Fiori di Zucca dorati e ripieni con prosciutto/melanzane e mozzarella con Pesto alla Trapanese to see what I've been eating. 

I have come to realize that Italian food is so satisfying because they eat with the seasons...not against them...and the ingredients (at any restaurant Romans frequent) are locally sourced and as fresh as they can be. I can only imagine what Italians think when they walk into an American grocery store...  

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway!

I borrowed the title of this post from a self-help book by Susan Jeffers, Ph. D. As my trip gets closer, I have remembered that I do not enjoy flying over the ocean for long periods of time. In fact, I am usually convinced I will die...but, when I get on the plane, I am fine and I look forward to watching the in-flight movie. 

It's true that the thought of having zero control is fear-inducing. However, I've decided that the thought of me attempting to teach this coming school year without this escape from reality is much scarier...that's because traveling abroad has always helped me re-establish my priorities. 

One of the things I know to be true about myself is that I have a spiritual need to travel. There is no better experience than wandering around in a foreign place...alone or with others...and surviving (even if you can't read or understand a word around you). So many beautiful, memorable things happen along the way...a reminder of the fact that most humans are good, kind, and eager to share their cultures.

Over the next six weeks, I will have the good fortune to return to central Italy, explore Corfu (a Greek island), Croatia, Slovenia and Berlin. I am grateful for the experiences to come. Let the journey begin!