What a Wonderful World

We have just spent a marvelous eighteen days touring Rome, Florence, Tuscany and the Alps of Switzerland. These are some of the things I loved:

Stopping in at a little shop to buy fresh bread and cheese for lunch.

Wandering down the narrow side streets of Rome and coming upon a plaza filled with flowers, sketching artists and PASTA!

Meeting fellow travelers, laughing over our novice attempts at the Italian language.

Hiking through brilliant green meadows with our eyes on the startling white peaks beyond the Lauterbrunnen valley in Switzerland.

Chocolate...chocolate...chocolate!

Exploring medieval hill cities in Tuscany.

Watching the sun set over the sloping vineyards in Castellina in Chianti.

Riding a gondola to the top of the Schilthorn...a mountain over 10,000 ft to look down on the little alpine towns below.

Hiking through the Roman Forum knowing that hundreds of years earlier citizens walked those same roads.

Marveling at the intricacies of ancient tilework, weaving shades of red, green and cream marble into spectacular pieces of art.

Michaelangelo's "David". Enough said.

Eating dinner late at night in a sidewalk cafe in Rome, watching couples go by on scooters or strolling arms wrapped around each other along the narrow streets. Ah. Amore!

Sharing these experiences with good friends and their little 3 1/2 year old daughter whose favorite thing was to chase the pigeons in the plazas of Rome.

Waking up to the bells ringing at St. Peter's Square.

Feeling history, not just imagining it.

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

"and I'm leavin' on a jet plane..." as Peter, Paul and Mary sang. It's been quite a journey already in getting ready for this monumental trip to Italy and Switzerland. I have been determined to pack light since way too many times as I've traveled I have found myself lugging heavy bags full of unworn clothing and unused items. Thanks to you fellow travelers who shared your wisdom 'o packing with me. We each are taking one carry on bag and that is IT! Well, I do have to admit I'm also bringing a rather large "purse" and can't do without Rick Steves' Best of Europe guide. Planning this trip has taken many hours of sorting through all the fabulous possiblities of places to visit and then paring the list down to the ones we want to see most. I want to see and experience "Erything!" As those who love to travel already know, the planning is almost as much fun as the journey itself. I say "almost". And the reality of the journey will begin in just a couple of days. In talking with friends and family about the trip and hearing about their experiences I am excited to try out a new country and see for myself the art, culture, food and ambiance of Italy and Switzerland. Along the way I'll try to post to keep in touch and share this amazing experience with you. Til the next post, Ciao!

Take It or Leave It

I am in a quandary. In two weeks we leave for our dream Italy/Switzerland trip and I am determined to only take one carry-on sized suitcase for the 18 day trip. Rick Steves, the guru of travel-saavy recommends that you pack light so you don't have to lug ninety-pound suitcases from aircraft to train to hotel and back. Sure, sounds great and very practical. He even posts suggestions on his website as to what to pack. But, then, he doesn't mind wearing the same khaki pants and shirts for days on end. I'm still calculating how much monotony I can tolerate in my wardrobe. Maybe since I'll be busy touring the amazing parts of Rome and the Italian countryside I won't care what I wear. I mean how often will I look at myself when I'm looking at Michaelangelo artwork and daVinci paintings. I'd love to have some input from you who have bravely traveled the world. What's important to take? What's not? What do I take and what do I leave behind? All suggestions gladly accepted!

Dream Vacation

For years I have dreamed of visiting Italy. Next month my dream will come true. For two weeks we will bask in the Italian culture, taking in the sights in Rome for a few days before heading off to our villa near Siena, then on to Florence, Pisa, and points in Northern Italy (with a few added days in Switzerland, we hope.) Half the fun of a trip like this is being an armchair tourist as I study the culture, history and historic sights of Italy. I'm one who gets as much pleasure out of planning a trip as I do in the actual traveling. But I can hardly wait to actually stand on the site of the Colosseum of Rome, explore the Vatican Museum, enter the Sistine Chapel and get a neck-ache from looking up at the spectacular ceiling, walk the Spanish Steps, climb the leaning tower in Pisa and then actually see magnificent Michaelangelo's David in person. Too much to see, so little time. In between I plan on lunching on fresh baked bread, local cheese and olives and a little (or a lot) of gelato just to round out the cuisine. I want to experience the Italian culture, to (probably very brokenly) speak their language, get happily lost in some small Tuscan town, and return home having a greater knowledge of the world. I have only been to Germany once, and for my husband this will be his first trip to Europe. I know that armchair travel cannot compare with the real thing and I am so grateful for the opportunity to finally fulfill this dream of a lifetime.

Yosemite Valley

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. John Muir

Yesterday was a crisp, Spring day like the ones you hope for when you visit to Yosemite Valley. I was wondering if the falls would be running and if there would be climbers on the sheer granite walls of El Capitan. Yosemite is only two hours from our home so we periodically set aside a day to visit this place of grandeur. In a way it is a sort of pilgrimage that envigorates my soul. Every time we emerge from the tunnel leading to the valley, that classic panoramic overview simply takes my breath away. I then can't wait to see the ethereal cascade of Bridal Veil Falls on the way in or hear the sub-woofer-like rumble of tons of water thundering over Yosemite Falls. Yesterday the park was more serene than in summer. There were only a few visitors and we drank in the precious silence as we walked along the Merced River that runs the length of the valley floor. We met a hiker from New York. He was in awe of the stone cliffs that line the valley. He craned his neck upwards to view the snow-dusted granite faces and said, "In New York you look up just like here, but this, this is something else!" I agree...this is something else. You just have to see it to believe it.

Create

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul." President Uchtdorf spoke of this at the last conference in October. A friend sent me a link to a video clip that truly touched and inspired me. (see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLlnq5yY7k&feature=channel_page ) One part of the video really hit home. "You might say, 'I'm not the creative type'....If that is how you feel, think again....Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you--whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside."
How often have I thought of creating something and have yielded to my own voice telling me I don't have the skill or talent to do it. How often have I admired the works of others and have said "I could never do that" without even trying.
I am learning that creations don't have to be perfect. The process of creating something of beauty can bring satisfaction and joy without even resulting in a finished product. In doing this, President Uchtdorf says "you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."
And so I issue a challenge. Take a moment and create...something. Start small. Build from there. You'll be fulfilling one of the most essential parts of your own soul. Try it out. I'd love to hear how it feels when you create.

The Mountains Are Calling Me

Here it is only March 1 and already the mountains are calling to me. Just this week after a rainstorm, the clouds cleared away and to the east a panorama of the Sierra Nevada appeared out of the often clouded skyline. I tried to catch glimpses of these beautiful mountains while I drove hurriedly on errands. Seeing each new vista was like drawing fresh breath from an open window. Envigorating and renewing. I am drawn to the mountains. My heart yearns with a real ache to go "home" where there are grand peaks, gracious meadows woven with crystal streams and quiet hidden granite canyons. There I feel peace and a sense of residence as if my soul simply belongs there. Over the years I and my family have been able to spend many wonderful days in the mountains. Good times filled with simple pursuits. Reconnecting with one another and fortifying the bonds of love that sometimes become frayed in the busyness of daily homelife. In the mountains we were free to be silly, silent, somber. To experience the grandeur of this world the Lord created and inhale the spirit of its beauty. At night when the campfire was lit, we told our stories, sung our songs, and sometimes flamed our marshmallows into Olympic torches. On some clear summer nights we could lie back and see the Milky Way sweep across the curve of dark sky. And I would feel so small. We would eventually gather together and settle in for the night. After the rustle of sleeping bags and the hurried last minute whispers of the children, there was quiet. I would sit near the campfire, warmed by the flickering coals as they burned down for the night and simply be.

Soon the days will lengthen and the summer heat will come to our valley. I know the mountains will be there for me, cool, refreshing and welcoming me home.