~ wander.essence ~

the january cocktail hour: museum exhibits on the american west, snow days, dining out & movies

wanderessence1025 January 31, 2024

Wednesday, January 31, 2024: Welcome to our January cocktail hour! I’ve decided to try a revival of my monthly cocktail hour since it is too time consuming for most people to read my year-end recap. I’ll still be doing a shortened version of the year-end recap, with fewer details and photos.

Please come inside where it’s dry and warm. I can offer you a a special cocktail concocted by Mike using Darina’s gift to us of Tatratea, a Slovakian liqueur with 52% alcohol content! (Mike’s cocktail includes coconut water, seltzer, lime juice and mint leaves). We have vowed to have a “damp January,” reducing our drinking nights to Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, although we haven’t been very successful at keeping to that schedule. I can also offer sodas or seltzer water of various flavors.

Winter is here, solidly entrenched, with a few abnormal spring-like days thrown in. We had snow and sub-freezing temperatures the third week in January, which accumulated, stuck around for 4 days, and then vanished with the arrival of oddly spring-like days; this week we’re under drizzle and clouds.

I hope 2024 has started out well for you so far. Have you read any good books, seen any good movies, binge-watched any television series? Have you learned anything new, taken any classes or just kept up with the news? Have you marched or otherwise participated in political protests? Have you been planning your adventures for the year? Have you had any winter getaways? Have you sung along with any new songs? Have you dreamed any dreams? Gone to any exotic restaurants, cooked any new dishes? Have you undertaken any new exercise routines?

I have continued doing yoga once a week, rowing at The RowHouse once a week, and walking the rest of the time (weather permitting). I’m trying my best to stay fit as I get older and approach the big 7-0 in 2025!

I was a bit unsettled as I began the year by reading the book 1968: The Year that Rocked the World. In the first chapter it was mentioned that in 1968, New Year’s Day was a Monday and the year was to be a Leap Year, both of which are true also for 2024. I read about the 7.5-magnitude earthquake on New Year’s Day that rattled Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu in Japan and killed at least 64 people. On Tuesday, January 2, I read about the Japan Airlines flight in Tokyo that caught fire on the runway after colliding with a Japanese Coast Guard plane; miraculously all 367 passengers and 12 crew were safely evacuated, although 5 in the Coast Guard plane were killed. I was struck and a somewhat shaken by all of these incidents in the similarity between 1968, a year of upheaval, and in the two incidents in Japan, our hoped-for travel destination in October of this year.

Mike and I went to the National Gallery of Art to see “Dorothea Lange: Seeing People,” mostly black & white photos of people barely surviving the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years. This was fascinating to me as I’d just finished reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah at the end of November. Looking into the faces of people who struggled to survive so long ago, during those awful times, I imagined the characters in the book as those people whose faces were captured in these photos. The exhibit begged for reflection and for gratitude that so far we have been lucky in life.

“Dorothea Lange: Seeing People” at the National Gallery of Art

me in front of the cascading waterfall on the concourse level going from the East Wing to the West Wing of the National Gallery of Art

Christmas trees in the museum gift shop

The other exhibit we saw there was “The Land Carries Our Ancestors,” which compiled works by a group of nearly 50 living Native artists practicing across the United States. Their powerful expressions reflect the diversity of Native American cultural identities and show a deep reverence for the land.

“The Land Carries Our Ancestors” at the National Gallery of Art

We also went to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) to see “Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea.” All of this was a throwback to our October trip to Texas and New Mexico, bringing back happy memories of all we experienced out west.

“Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea” at SAAM

me in the courtyard at SAAM

Mike at SAAM

By the way, did you know that almost all the museums in Washington are free? All of the Smithsonian museums and the National Art Gallery are included. Sometimes they will charge for a special exhibit, most mostly they are free. You don’t find that in many cities.

After our museum day, we had dinner at one of Chef José Andrés’ restaurants, Oyamel Cocina Mexicana. The food is always delicious (but pricey), and the atmosphere is fabulous. I have no problem spending money in these restaurants due to Chef Andrés’ involvment with World Central Kitchen, an organization that helps bring food to disaster areas and war zones.

Mike at Oyamel

dinner at Oyamel

Oyamel

We got good news that Alex got a permanent job in Atlanta; he had been working at the company as a temp and his contract ended in January. He begins the new job in on February 5. Alex and Jandira are also moving to an apartment in April that is closer to where they both work in Atlanta. Little Allie is doing great, growing like crazy and wanting badly to sit up and even stand. She will be 4 months old on February 5.

Since we’ve had a lot of miserable weather, we’ve been to several movies this month: The Boys in the Boat, Maestro, Driving Madeleine, and The Holdovers. We enjoyed them all, especially The Boys in the Boat since I’ve been rowing (in a studio on an erg). Also, we enjoyed the limited T.V. series, Lessons in Chemistry, in which the main character Elizabeth Zott also rows, especially to take out her anger over being excluded from the male-dominated scientific community during the 1950s.

We ate out at Artie’s, one of our favorite restaurants, where we like to sit at the bar and chat with Remy, the long-time bartender there. I enjoyed Bibimbap at Maru with Mike, and we had steaming bowls of Ramen with our friends Karen and Michael at Jinya Ramen Bar. The soup hit the spot as the temperature outdoors was about 19°F. Brrr. We also discovered Mazadar Restaurant, about 10 minutes from our house. It features food from seven countries, including Turkey, Greece, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. I can’t believe we have never encountered this delicious restaurant in all the years we’ve lived here.

Artie’s

Mike and me at Artie’s

Artie’s

Oyster salad at Artie’s

Tex-Mex eggrolls at Artie’s

me at Maru

Mike at Maru

bibimbap at Maru

Karen & Michael at Jinya Ramen Bar

Ramen at Jinya Ramen Bar

Mike and me at Jinya Ramen Bar

all of us at Jinya Ramen Bar

me at Mazadar

appetizer meatballs at Mazadar

Mike at Mazadar

lamb shank at Mazadar

Mike finishing up his lamb shank

We took several hikes in the snow, in below-freezing weather, mainly just to get out of the house. We never had any snow to speak of last year, so it was our one opportunity to get out in it since we have no idea if we’ll get any more this year.

First snow January 15

Second snow January 19

Second snow January 21

January 27 Lake Anne (All the snow has melted)

We’ve booked our flights to visit El Salvador, Nicaragua and Colombia in March. I look forward to visiting my friend Mario in El Salvador, Adam and his new family in Nicaragua, and doing the tourist thing in Colombia.

Other than that, I’ve been super busy trying to scan all of our family photos and share them in Google Photo albums with my adult children. I’m then dividing the photos between the three of them and getting them out of our house. It’s time to start decluttering so when Mike finally retires, we will be able to move somewhere smaller in short order.

I read 4 books this month, out of my goal of 52 books this year, my favorites being At the End of the Matinee by Keiichiro Hirano and My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.

I hope you’ll share how you’ve launched your new year, and what plans you have for 2024. 🙂

via francigena: viterbo -> vetralla -> capranica -> monterosi -> campagnano di roma

wanderessence1025 January 31, 2024

Viterbo to Vetralla (walked)

Saturday, July 22, 2023: On Saturday, July 22, we left Viterbo at 5:00 am. Of course there were no signs to lead us out of the town, so we relied totally on Darina’s app.

We made our way in the dark through the steep walls of the Via Cava Sant’Antonio. Scholars have debated about the origins of the mysterious Etruscan Vie Cave (“excavated roads”) in this region for centuries. Narrow roadways cut into the soft Tufa stone over 2,500 years ago, they usually led from Etruscan settlements to nearby necropoli, large elaborate cemeteries of ancient cities. Scholars suggest they were either cut through hillsides as part of an unknown funereal observance or because the iron-clad wheels of wagons made deep depressions in the soft tufa, necessitating the ongoing flattening of the roads. The Via Cave of Sant’Antonio run to 12m deep but in other locations they can run twice as deep.

It will still dark and quite humid when we walked through this road, so it felt a bit creepy.

leaving Viterbo

leaving Viterbo in the dark

Via Cava Sant’Antonio

After a long while we emerged from the Via Cave and climbed endlessly among olive orchards on a terribly rutted road of black sand. It was a terrible path and I was miserable, sweating profusely, and I vowed to never walk another step on this horrible Via Francigena.

the path to Vetralla

the horrible walk through the olive orchards

I trudge miserably along through the olive orchard

We found a viewpoint at the top of the long climb. The vast seaside Maremma plain of flat farmland spread to the base of low mountains on the horizon. We walked on asphalt, then rutted trails through forests, olive groves and sheep pastures, then more long stretches of asphalt in hot sun, zigzagging back and forth. We saw Vetralla to our left and our app said it was one hour but it looked much further than that. We ended up on pavement at Ponte Pontarello on the asphalt Strada Risere. We got on a grassy path that helped us avoid some dangerous curves as we approached the town.

Maremma plain

a pilgrim rest stop “Barbara”

Of course, we finally climbed uphill to Vetralla, perched on towering Monte Fogliano. We continued uphill to find first the main piazza. We sat at a bar waiting for quite a long time until we could check in at La Casa dei Fiori. Finally we checked into the large apartment with two tiny twin beds stuck next to each other. It had a nice kitchen with breakfast foods, a cappuccino machine, a laundry line and a huge bathroom with a bathtub (but no hot water). I missed my baths so much and was so tired of tiny cramped shower stalls, so I was happy to have a long soak in a cool bath. The place was very pilgrim friendly and the host knew of Valentina of Bags-Free; he had a very outdated price list. Soon after we checked in, my bag that I’d sent ahead was delivered, by 11:30!

Welcome to Vetralla

mural in Vetralla

Darina and me entering Vetralla

La Casa dei Fiori

outdated info on Bags-Free

an outdated price list for Bags-Free

La Casa dei Fiori

We did our laundry and relaxed in the apartment until about 3:00, when we went out into the steamy and utterly deserted town. Vetralla (population ~14,000) is the town where Pope Eugenius III, after his election in 1145, reigned for a time when the chaos in Rome had grown to such an extent that he was unable to stay in the city. From here, in that same year, he announced the Second Crusade. Vetralla had been part of the Papal Territories since the 8th-century, except for a brief period when it was ruled by Viterbo. Though well-preserved, today’s sleepy town is divided between a few businesses scattered along the Via Roma in the Upper City, and others along the busy Via Cassia highway a few meters below.

We tried to find an open bar for lunch, but nothing was open, only the small bar we’d waited in earlier. There we found our French friend Pasquale and while we ate something while he entertained us with stories about how people hook up on the Camino de Santiago and he walks to “think think think” because otherwise his girlfriend is always talking in his ear and driving him crazy.

Darina and a pilgrim sign

me, Darina and Pasquale in Vetralla

We stopped in at the 12th-century Church of San Francesco, the town’s most important architectural monument. Vividly decorated capitals adorn the nave and crypt, along with inlaid geometric floor tiles. The Duomo and the Commune building are both 17th- & 18th-century creations, squeezed across from each other in a small piazza.

Church of San Francesco

Vetralla street

Commune building in Vetralla

Darina went to Saturday night mass at 5:30 and I returned to the warm apartment and took another cold bath and relaxed a bit. At 7:30, we went to dinner at the breezy and pleasant Pinseria. We had delicious prosciutto and burrata bruschetta drizzled in olive oil, small beers, and pizzas with salami, mozzarella, thinly sliced zucchini, yellow cherry tomatoes and black olives. Another pleasant dining experience in Italy. 🍕🍕🍕

prosciutto and burrata bruschetta at Pinseria

Darina and me at Pinseria

me with Darina at Pinseria

Darina at Pinseria

me at Pinseria

Steps: 31,532 steps; Miles: 13.38. Day 11 Stage Walk: 11.36 miles, or 18.28 km.

Weather (Vetralla): High 94°, Low 67°. Sunny.

Vetralla to Capranica (by bus)

Sunday, July 23: This morning I took the 8:35 bus from Vetralla to Capranica. Before leaving, I saw Pasquale in the bar playing with his phone in the same spot where we’d seen him last night. I arrived early at the bus stop because I didn’t want to miss one of the few buses to Capranica that run on Sundays. Darina started walking by herself at 5 a.m. Again the temps for the day were to be 95 and the government issued an orange warning for extreme heat. By this time, I had decided to become what Darina read about in one of the forums, a “PTP,” or “Public Transportation Pilgrim.” Between dealing with the inconsistently dependable Bags-Free (the service that transports bags along the Via Francigena) and the hot and humid weather, it was no longer enjoyable for me to continue this walk. I would consider walking into Rome but maybe not; it would depend on the weather and what I read about Friday’s final stage to the Vatican. It was also possible I’d walk from Campagnano di Roma to Formello as it would be a short stage and the temperatures were forecast to drop slightly by then.

Either way, I wrote to Valentina of Bags-Free and told her I was going to cancel all my bag transports for the remainder of the trip. If I were going to take the bus at less than 2€/day, it would be a lot cheaper than transporting my bag at 30€ each day. Bags-Free would have to deliver my suitcase to the Beehive Hostel in Rome on that final day anyway; they had been holding it in Rome since I left Lucca .

When I got off the bus at 9:00, Darina was still an hour away enjoying her “shady” hike. To me it made no difference if it were shady as often the forests had difficult rutted and rocky paths, trapped the humidity, and were rife with flies and mosquitoes. Darina didn’t seem to be bothered by any of this, but I disliked it horribly.

I was perfectly happy to sleep in a bit and to enjoy freshly squeezed orange juice and a muffin at the Tapioka Bar in Capranica while I waited for Darina.

Tapoka Bar in Capranica

Darina arrived at 10:00 and we had to wait until 11:00 to check into our apartment, Casa Zi’Pepe. It was a nice big apartment with two bedrooms and lots of pilgrim amenities. In my room I had a fan and a small portable air conditioner into which I placed small blocks of Freon from the freezer. It was mostly comfortable until late afternoon. It also had a nice bathtub, a real bonus.

We each showered/bathed and did laundry. I was sweaty despite not even walking. Darina had walked so she napped for much of the afternoon. We finally went out at 3:00 when of course everything was closed and it was hot as hell. It was rather boring and I kept dreaming of escaping directly to Rome where I could settle in and not have to move every day and there would be something to do. At the same time I’m trying to honor my commitment to Darina and move along with her through the stages instead of deserting her completely.

Capranica (population ~6,000), a village on a tufa hill, was settled by goatherds who fled Lombard invaders in the 8th-century. Named Capranica after “capra” (“goat” in Italian), the resulting town’s Castovecchio neighborhood is a charming step back in time, with its narrow streets and medieval architecture.

This town had notables pass through its gates: Charlemagne passed through in 800, the poet Petrarch in 1335 and Giuseppe Mazzini, the Italian patriot, about 500 years after that.

Although we wandered around the town, we only found one church open, the Church of San Giovanni, which was all draped in red silk around the altar. We didn’t much care for it. It retains a dome from the 16th-century and a bell tower from the 1200s. The other churches were closed, and we especially regretted not being able to go inside the oldest building, the 9th-century Church of San Pietro with its 14th century frescoes of San Sebastian, or the 13th- to 16th-century Church of San Francesco, which is adorned with 15th-century frescoes in the Renaissance style.

Capranica

Pilgrim Darina in Capranica

Capranica

Church of San Giovanni

Capranica

We returned to the apartment to rest because it was too hot and everything was closed.

We went out to dinner at Trattoria “da Ciucci,” but they told us they didn’t open until 8:00. While waiting, we wandered around following an Alice in Wonderland-themed path called “Sogni di Luce,” or “Dreams of Lights.” It was whimsical and fun.

Sogni di Luce

Darina at Sogni di Luce

Sogni di Luce

Darina at Sogni di Luce

me at Sogni di Luce

Darina at Sogni di Luce

We went to the trattoria, where the waiter seemed rather lackadaisical, pointing out half the menu items that were unavailable. I had a delicious and refreshing bruschetta with tomatoes and olive oil while Darina had a meat and cheese platter with salami, prosciutto and other varieties. We cheered one another with white wine.

me at Trattoria “da Ciucci”

Darina at Trattoria “da Ciucci”

bruschetta at Trattoria “da Ciucci”

Steps: 9,137; Miles: 3.87. No Stage Walk today for me. I took the bus while Darina walked.

Weather (Capranica): High 95°, Low 66°. Sunny. Orange Warning for Extreme High Temperature.

Capranica to Monterosi (by bus)

Monday: July 24: Monday morning, I lounged around in the apartment until 9:00, taking a leisurely bath, reading about the final stages of our walk and working on Polarsteps. I left the Capranica apartment, Casa Zi’Pepe, and took the 9:30 bus to Monterosi, arriving at 10:00. Darina was walking the long stage and left at 5:10. Her app said she’d arrive at 11:45, but we couldn’t check in to the studio apartment La Campana until 1:00.

I stopped at Chiesa Santa Croce, built in the 18th century. Inside were the relics of the town’s patron saints, Vincent & Anastasius. The main altar’s crucifix was by Pozzi. Sadly the Chapel of San Giuseppe was permanently closed.

An information board at the church said that between the end of the first millennium and the beginning of the second, the widespread practice of going on pilgrimage took on a strategic importance. Rome was among Christianity’s holy places and the Francigena Way was the central junction of the principal roads of pilgrimage. Pilgrims coming from the north traveled along the Francigena Way to reach Rome.

I also went by the Pilgrim Office to kill time while waiting for Darina and to get my passport stamped.

Chiesa Santa Croce

the way to the Pilgrim Office

statue near the Pilgrim Office

Monterosi, with its small population of around 4,600, has a long history of prosperity alternating with decline. Its position on the Via Cassia made it prosperous but put it in the path of invaders like the Goths and Lombards who were aiming at the riches of Rome. For such a small town, it has a good share of history. In 1155, Pope Hadrian IV met Federico Barbarossa to crown him Holy Roman Emperor. In 1649, Pope Innocent’s emissary, Monsignor Giarda, was assassinated on his way to make peace with the Duchy of Castro, which the pontiff would later destroy. In 1798, the Neopolitan Army was defeated here by the French during the Battle of Civita Castellana in the 2nd Coalition War. Finally, the Nazis mined the approaches to Monterosi before Allied troops cleared the town in June of 1944.

Sadly the unusual Renaissance-era Chapel of San Giuseppe with its dome standing atop its squared Greek-cross nave, was permanently shuttered.

Chapel of San Giuseppe

I met Darina at the local bar where I’d settled in for the long haul. There was some commotion outside the bar and a woman had ice on her hand and was being put into an ambulance. I heard two Americans talking at the front of the bar. We met the hilarious Laura and her husband Mike from Towson, Maryland. Like me, Laura hated the heat, and had actually suffered heat exhaustion and fainted on the long and tough stage from Buonconvento to San Quirico d’Orcia, on the 14 km stretch before Torrenieri (via francigena: buonconvento to san quirico d’orcia to gallina). It had been a miserable stretch for Darina and me, and was the longest stage of our entire walk at 23.75km, or almost 15 miles. Laura said they’d had to call the emergency number in Italy, #112, and drop a pin on their location. The EMTs found them out in the middle of nowhere and put her in an ambulance while giving her an IV. She said it had been frightening. This had been one of my biggest fears, passing out from the heat and being in the middle of nowhere. Most of their walk had been supported, with all accommodations arranged and bags sent ahead. They said they loved Bolsena so much they spent four lovely days there. They had been walking since Siena and would arrive in Rome on Thursday, flying soon after to Philadelphia.

me, Laura, Mike and Darina

After meeting Laura and Mike and taking a selfie together, we checked into our small street-level apartment which, though small wasn’t too cramped and had everything a pilgrim could ever need. Because it was on street level and didn’t have many windows it was actually one of our cooler apartments.

our apartment, La Campana

We relaxed during the afternoon after having a quick sandwich at the bar, and then at 4:00 we went out to buy breakfast provisions and to get some cash. I wanted a bus ticket for the next morning, but the guy at the tabaccheria said he was all out until the next day at 7am. What? The transport systems in Italy make no sense at all. It’s all been so frustrating dealing with them.

We strolled around the tiny town and found the town hall covered in crocheted squares, making it colorful and whimsical.

crochet squares at Town Hall

Town Hall

crochet squares at Town Hall

We had dinner at the lovely Gorgeous, right down the street from our apartment. We both ordered the same dish: Lungarello Gorgeous su fonduta di pecorino, uovo cotto a basa temperatura e scaglie di Tartufo. Basically pasta with an eggs cooked at low temperature and a cheese sauce with thinly sliced truffles. It was delizioso! It was a lovely atmosphere with mellow music 🎶, air conditioning and friendly servers. I had 2 glasses of wine and Darina had two artisanal beers.

Our nighttime meals have definitely been the highlight of our journey!

Darina at Gorgeous

me at Gorgeous

Lungarello Gorgeous su fonduta di pecorino, uovo cotto a basa temperatura e scaglie di Tartufo

Gorgeous

Steps: 7,809; Miles: 3.31. No Stage Walk today for me. I took the bus while Darina walked.

Weather (Monterosi): High 95°, Low 75°. Sunny. Orange Warning for Extreme High Temperature.

Monterosi to Campagnano di Roma (by bus)

Tuesday, July 25: Tuesday morning, once again I took the 8:25 bus from Monterosi to Campagnano di Roma. I had asked everyone in Monterosi the bus timetable, but no one knew it. Even though Google maps had said there was an 8:25 bus, it hadn’t always been reliable. So I got to the bus stop early and asked five consecutive bus drivers if they were going to Campagnano di Roma. Each indicated with a circular motion that it would be another later bus but none knew the timetable. Finally the 8:25 bus came and it was the right one, so Google was right all along! All my worrying did no good at all.

I had once again decided on public transport because it was forecast to be 97 degrees with an orange warning for extreme heat.

Campagnano di Roma has a population of 11,586 but most people must live in the modern part of town, just outside the Porta Romana, because the old quarter was practically deserted.

The town, originally called Baccano for a temple to Bacchus located on its summit, was taken from the Etruscans by Rome in 241 BC. Sigeric identified this as “Stage III Bacane.” By the 13th-century, wealthy Romans were seeking refuge in the rural area here (campagna=“countryside”) to avoid intermittent plagues. The town name was changed from its former pagan title.

Campagnano reached its prominence in the 15th-18th centuries when the powerful Roman Orsini family maintained a castle here. Some houses from the 11th and 12th-centuries remain, while the 11th-century Church of the Pietà, which houses an important fresco, is the oldest public building.

In Campagnano di Roma, I walked to the furthest hinterlands of the town to Hostel Gheltrude, the tiniest house imaginable. It was too early for the 10 a.m. check-in but Monica had left the door open, so I dropped my pack in the house and went to the main square, Piazza Leonelli. There sat the unusual 15th-century Gonfalone Church, which has a central tower topped by a wrought iron balustrade. In the center of the square, between the church and the red 19th century town hall, sat the late Renaissance Fontana Delfini.

Campagno di Roma

Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista

Fontana Delfini in the Piazza Leonelli

19th century town hall

Gonfalone Church

Darina arrived to the house after walking nearly 15km by around 10:00, but I was already sitting at the seedy Bar Scalini having a cappuccino and pear juice and writing in my journal. After Darina showered at our shoebox house, she met me at the bar. She had come into town at the far end, near the house, so we walked out the way I’d come in, out the Porta Romana to the Parco Pubblico where we sat at a bar and had panini (shrimp salad for me). Then we walked back to the far end of town.

Porta Romana

Hostel Gheltrude was the tiniest place ever yet it had everything a pilgrim needed crammed into the small space. It had bunk beds (thank goodness Darina took the top), a tiny table and 2 chairs, a stove, sink and refrigerator and a shelf full of kitchen staples in case we wanted to cook in. Pots and pans hung on the wall and the bathroom was the normal Italian style with a tiny shower stall but of course no bidet. It had an outdoor garden area where we could sit if we wanted to get eaten alive by mosquitoes, as well as a laundry tub and clothes line. Luckily it had mosquito netting over the door. Monica had even provided two fans. Darina was tired and wanted to nap and the little box house heated up quickly like an Easy Bake Oven.

It was a miserable afternoon because the rest of the town was too far away to go sit at a bar and of course the churches were closed and there was nothing to do but sit and swelter. It was the longest and most boring afternoon ever.

Hostel Gheltrude

We walked past the impressive Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista on our way to town and back, but it was never open. It has a Baroque bell tower completed in 1602. Apparently the ceiling in part of the church is coffered with the figure of John the Baptist in the center.

view from Campagno di Roma

Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista

We finally escaped the house at 7:00 to go to dinner in the new town at Ristorante Hotel Benigni, which Monica had recommended. We were basically ignored for the first half hour we were there. Finally we got our drinks, wine for me and beer for Darina. I had Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe e Carciofi croccanti (fried zucchini flowers) con Pecorino Romano. I was excited to finally try the fried zucchini flowers but there weren’t many of them in the pasta. Darina had gnocchi with pistachio, cherry tomatoes, basil and black pepper.

me at Ristorante Hotel Benigni

Darina at Ristorante Hotel Benigni

Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe e Carciofi croccanti (fried zucchini flowers) con Pecorino Romano

gnocchi with pistachio, cherry tomatoes, basil and black pepper

Steps: 9,938; Miles: 4.21. No Stage Walk today for me. I took the bus while Darina walked.

Weather (Campagnano di Roma): High 97°, Low 67°. Sunny. Orange Warning for Extreme High Temperature.

The Via Francigena is an ancient road and pilgrimage route that runs from Canterbury, England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. In around 990, Archbishop Sigeric journeyed from Canterbury to Rome and back, but only documented his itinerary on the return journey, taken in 80 stages averaging about 12 miles (20 km) a day, for a total of some 1,100 miles (1,700 km).

This is the continuing saga of our attempt to walk the stages from Lucca to Rome, which are, in total, about 255.07 miles (410.5 km). Since we had to cut out stages due to time constraints, our actual goal was to walk 211.77 miles ( 340.8 km).

Running tally: (Day 11): 110.76 /211.77 miles (178.23/340.8 km).

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: Santa Catarina circular (a salutary tale).

via francigena: bolsena -> montefiascone -> viterbo

wanderessence1025 January 24, 2024

Bolsena to Montefiascone (by bus)

Thursday, July 20, 2023: On Thursday morning, we slept in till 7 a.m. and ate breakfast at the Agriturismo at 8:00. Then we walked down the long & winding road to the charming lakeside town of Bolsena. It was a lot easier going down in the morning than going up in yesterday’s afternoon heat. Darina promptly went to the pharmacy in Bolsena and got her prescriptions filled.

They finally filled up the pool at the Agriturismo!

Darina’s neck

view of Bolsena as we walk down from the Agriturismo

I was sending my pack ahead as part of an arrangement I had made with Bags-Free to transport my bag ALL REMAINING STAGES from Acquapendente to Rome (except two stages – from Vetralla to Capranica and then onward to Monterosi – because Bags-Free didn’t have an arrangement with any hotel in Capranica). We still walked a lot today even though we didn’t walk the stage, so I was glad I’d transported my bag. That was, UNTIL we arrived in Montefiascone.

In 1156 Pope Adrian IV ordered Bolsena to be fortified and built a castle and walls around the town. In 1295 the Monaldeschi House of Orvieto overcame the city and improved the castle, now called La Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara. Razed and reinforced over many centuries, it now houses the municipal museum.

La Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara

Bolsena

La Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara

We checked out the bus stop location and then went to visit the Basilica of Santa Cristina. Sigeric listed Bolsena and this church as his Stage VIII, but the church’s most famous event took place nearly 300 years later. In 1263, when a priest who doubted the concept of Transubstantiation was consecrating the host, the bread 🥖 he was blessing suddenly began to drip blood onto his hands and the cloth below. In response, the following year Pope Urban IV created the Feast of Corpus Christi, now celebrated in Catholic Churches throughout the world. This miracle as well as the relics of 3rd-century martyr Saint Cristina, housed in the church for many centuries, have made Bolsena an important pilgrimage destination.

We paused to study the altar, a fine 8th-century piece, upon which, according to tradition, the Eucharistic miracle took place. The main altarpiece depicts the miracle, painted by Francesco Trevisani. Below the painting, on the altar, a 1940 gilded frame was created to hold the blood-stained stone that is supposedly a relic of the miracle. The Eucharist itself is on display in Orvieto Cathedral.

Basilica of Santa Cristina

the altar where the Eucharistic miracle took place

We also visited the Catacombs of Saint Christina. This was the early Christian cemetery of Bolsena, used from the end of the 3rd century to the beginning of the 5th century. The tomb of Saint Cristina, discovered in 1880, is here surrounded by a white balustrade. A large sarcophagus made from local stone holds a white marble funeral urn from the Roman period. It says: “Here Reposes the Body of the Blessed Martyr Christina.”

During the 3rd century, Saint Christina was a 11-year-old martyr who came to believe in Christ but was warned she would suffer for her faith. Christina was the daughter of a powerful magistrate, believed to be named Urbain, who wanted his daughter to be a pagan priestess. He locked her in a room full of gold and silver idols and ordered her to burn incense before them. When she felt a blaze of love in her heart for Christ and learned the Gospel, she threw all the idols out and refused to speak to her father, who then killed her servants, beat her and threw her in prison. To torture her, she was tied to an iron wheel and raked over an extreme fire. She was burned, but healed with the help of an angel. Her father tied a stone around her neck to drown her, but an angel sustained her and untied her from the rope. When she reappeared above water, her father decided she survived due to sorcery, so he vowed to execute her the next day, but he died overnight. She survived every torture carried out by the region’s governor in her father’s name. Finally another governor put her in a hot furnace for five days. When she survived that, she was finally executed by sword (from Catholic Online: Saint Christina).

Her remains were relocated and buried in this catacomb so she could repose with her fellow Christians.

We went down a double staircase into the catacombs area, unearthed in the 19th century, which was refreshingly cool but also creepy. It follows a “Christmas Tree” 🌲 layout, whereby the lateral branches, stemming from the main gallery, become smaller as they move away from the entrance. The catacombs were solely used as a cemetery for the Christian community and were never used as a refuge or hiding place during the time of persecution. In fact, the catacombs were known to everyone and were protected by Roman legislation.

At burial the body was wrapped in a linen sheet, placed in a niche in the wall or lair in the ground and then covered with quicklime. The oldest burials are those on the highest level. As needs demanded, the shaft was deepened. Next to many of the burial niches, there were often shelves and small recesses used to place oil lamps and vessels containing balsam.

tomb of Saint Cristina

Catacombs of Saint Christina

Darina locked into the Catacombs entry

After visiting the church, we walked down to the lake, wandered around the marina, and sat at Bar Porto, where I had a lemon soda and we wrote in our journals while waiting for the 12:30 bus to Montefiascone.

the walk down to Lake Bolsena

marina at Lake Bolsena

Lake Bolsena

walking back up into town

Bolsena

Arriving by bus from Bolsena, we arrived at Hotel Italia & Lombardi after 1:00. Of course my backpack, which I had arranged to have transported by Bags-Free for 30 euros, hadn’t arrived. The hotel receptionist called Riserva Montebello to find the bag was still sitting there at the Agriturismo. She then called Bags-Free and found there was some problem in the stage and the bag wouldn’t be delivered until around 5:00!! Valentina of Bags-Free sent me an email to say the driver of the stage had had a car accident and it wouldn’t be delivered until 5:30 or 6:00!

This put me over the edge. At this point I wrote to Mike and told him to look into changing my plane ticket. I could go straight to Rome and fly home. I was sick of dealing with this relentless heat and with the unreliable Bags-Free, especially for the amount of money I was paying them. I really felt I had to figure out some solution to this predicament I’d gotten myself into, but I hated the idea of abandoning Darina altogether.

Darina and I went to a shady cafe nearby where we had quite a heavy dish of pasta with sausage. We returned to the sweltering room where Darina fell asleep. I couldn’t sleep so I went down to the hotel bar and ordered a Hugo. I figured I would just drink myself into oblivion. Of course I hadn’t been able to shower because I didn’t have a change of clothes, so I just stewed in my own sweat. Finally at 5:00, Bags-Free brought my pack to the door of the bar. At long last, I was able to shower and do laundry.

Montefiascone

pasta with sausage

Darina at lunch

me at lunch

Montefiascone was first mentioned in 853, though the Etruscan roots of the town suggest it is at least a millennium older. Its commanding position on the Via Francigena and proximity to Rome made it an important stronghold for the papacy. It was besieged in 1093 by Emperor Henry IV. In the 13th- and 14th-centuries, it reached its zenith as a residence for popes and Papal legates. From the 15th century onward it began unraveling; its decline was accelerated by the plague of 1657 and the earthquake of 1697. The town was also damaged in two Allied bombings in May 1944.

Darina and I walked ever upward in the shuttered & derelict town. We went into the 15th-17th century Basilica Cathedral of Santa Margherita, which has one of the largest domes in Italy. It contains the remains of the 4th-century martyr Santa Margherita of Antioch, one of the saints mentioned in the visions of Joan of Arc (for more on her, see Catholic Online: St. Margaret of Antioch). It also holds the relics of Saint Lucia Filippini, a 17th-18th century educator of girls who established 52 schools.

walking up into Montefiascone

Basilica Cathedral of Santa Margherita

We walked up and up to the Rocca dei Papi (Papal Fortress) park and pilgrim viewpoint with its great view over Lake Bolsena, passing by a concert being set up in the main square. The remains of the fortified Papal summer residence were here.

walking uphill to Rocca dei Papi park

a concert being set up

Rocca dei Papi park

view from Rocca dei Papi park

view of the dome of Cathedral of Santa Margherita

view from Rocca dei Papi park

view of the dome of Cathedral of Santa Margherita

For dinner we went to the delightful Momma Poppa. I had fried egg yolk with potatoes cream Pecorino fondue & fresh truffle accompanied by wine. It was only an appetizer but it was delicious and perfect after our heavy lunch. I’m a real fan of truffles after this time in Italy. Darina had Tomino cheese with dried fruits and honey, also an appetizer. The atmosphere here was very pleasant.

Momma Poppa

fried egg yolk with potatoes cream pecorino fondue & fresh truffle

Tomino cheese with dried fruits and honey

me at Momma Poppa

Darina at Momma Poppa

Momma Poppa

Steps: 15,858; Miles: 6.72. No Stage Walk today. We took the bus.

Weather (Montefiascone): High 98°, Low 71°. Sunny.

Montefiascone to Viterbo (by bus)

Friday, July 21: We had breakfast at Hotel Italia & Lombardi in Montefiasconi and at 10:00 we checked out to take the bus to Viterbo. Darina was still following the doctor’s orders and trying to avoid the sun, and I happily went along by bus, even though I could have chosen to walk the 18km stage on my own.

We stopped at the first cafe in Viterbo, Cafe Vergnano, and ate lunch. I had a refreshing shrimp salad sandwich with a cappuccino. We were waiting until Elisabetta from the apartment gave us the okay to check in. When she finally did, we had to walk 17 minutes to the medieval part of Viterbo, which was the second largest town we’d been in after Lucca at 67,804 people.

gate to Viterbo

Darina at the door of our apartment

courtyard in medieval Viterbo

Viterbo

cute cafe in Viterbo

Viterbo was once the center of Etruscan culture (9thC-4thC BC). It grew to prominence in the Middle Ages as a stop on the Via Francigena, Sigeric’s Stage VI. As an outer defense of the Papal States, Viterbo was heavily fortified against invasion and its walls are intact and visible today.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the town was a favored safe place for popes. Pope Eugenius III was besieged behind these walls in the 12th century.

The presence of the Papacy made Viterbo one of the most prominent cities of Central Italy, with a population of over 60,000. Wars and rebellions in the 14th century caused popes to avoid the town and it declined to become a mere regional capital within the Papal States.

We were able to drop our bags at Casa Medioevo, a nice apartment with two bedrooms. The place was very hot and the two fans didn’t work well at all. Elisabetta wasn’t finished cleaning so we went to Piazza Duomo, where we found the Palazzo di Papi, Papal seat for 24 years (1257-1281) whose lace-like loggia is visible to the right of the Cathedral.

Palazzo di Papi

view from the loggia of the Palazzo di Papi

loggia of Palazzo di Papi

Palazzo di Papi

We visited the bare but beautiful 12th-century Romanesque Cathedral of San Lorenzo (Duomo di Viterbo, or Cattedrale di San Lorenzo). It lacks much of the spectacular decoration with which it was originally adorned, due to an ill-advised sixteenth-century reconstruction. The cathedral was at the height of its significance during the middle and end of the 13th-century, when it and the attached Palazzo dei Papi di Viterbo was the home of the papal throne following its flight from Rome and prior to its resettlement in Avignon.

Romanesque Cathedral of San Lorenzo

We also went to the Colle del Duomo Museum of Viterbo to see about the Etruscan ruins and to learn about the popes.

Colle del Duomo Museum

Less grand was the tiny 11th century Church of San Silvestro built on what was once the main market square.

Church of San Silvestro

Elisabetta finally texted us that the apartment was ready. Darina went up to shower and do laundry while I stopped at the pleasantly shaded Il Gargolo (The Gargoyle), where I stayed so long I finished two refreshing glasses of white wine. I wasn’t in any hurry to go to that oven of an apartment. I saw calamari was being served at the restaurant so I made reservations for the two of us at 7:30.During this time, both my phone and my Clutch died, and I had no way to reach Darina to have her let me into the apartment. Luckily I had my charging cable and was able to plug my phone in at the restaurant.

The apartment was in a very medieval part of the town with cute shops including ceramic shops. But of course the whole town shut down from 1:00-7:00, as every Italian town does.

Viterbo

I showered and did laundry and tried to relax in the room. Even though it was hot and miserable, it was worse outdoors and there was nothing to do anyway. So I napped and baked and wrote in my journal, waiting for the 7:30 relief hour when people could return to the streets.

my sweltering room at Casa Medioevo

the kitchen at Casa Medioevo

We had a lovely dinner at Il Gargolo. I had another white wine but Darina wasn’t drinking because of her medication. I loved my fried calamari and gamberi (shrimps) and Darina enjoyed risotto with seafood.

Darina at Il Gargolo

risotto with seafood

me at Il Gargolo

fried calamari and gamberi (shrimps)

Steps: 9,943; Miles: 4.22. No Stage Walk today. We took the bus.

Weather (Viterbo): High 92°, Low 69°. Sunny.

Running tally (UNCHANGED): (Day 10): 99.4 /211.77 miles (159.95/340.8 km).

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday medley 2.

via francigena: acquapendente to bolsena

wanderessence1025 January 17, 2024

Wednesday, July 19, 2023: On Wednesday morning, Darina left Acquapendente to walk the whole stage to Bolsena at 5 a.m., while I left at 6 a.m. to catch the 6:25 bus to San Lorenzo Nuovo, skipping about half of the 23.2 km stage. I quickly arrived in the town and went straight to the bar where I had my regular cappuccino and bought a rather stale prosciutto & cheese panino to take with me to Bolsena, since there were no services for 12km.

I had decided I would send my backpack ahead with Bags-Free, which I had used periodically for 20 euros per stage. This time I was informed that the cost for stages from Radicofani and Acquapendente to Rome was 30€ per stage! It was highway robbery compared to the Camino’s 5€/stage. But a desperate person is willing to spend what is necessary, and I had become desperate for ways to make this walk a little less miserable.

I ran into Pasquale, the French man who’d taken the bus with Darina yesterday, in the cafe. He told me that luckily it was flat to Bolsena, but I had read otherwise. I was proved to be right. He said he’d left Acquapendente at 4:50 am, around the same time as Darina, but he’d mysteriously arrived an hour before she did.

He told me he was walking to Bolsena today. He’d been “walking” since the Great Bernard Pass, but if he were that fast to be an hour ahead of Darina, he would surely have passed me today as I walked from San Lorenzo Nuovo to Bolsena. As it was, I barely saw a soul, not even him.

I left the town on my own but of course couldn’t go inside the Church of San Lorenzo Martire because it was closed so early in the morning. Apparently a 12th-century Byzantine cross was moved from the lower town and now stands in the 18th century church.

The original settlement at San Lorenzo alle Grotte (“San Lorenzo at the Caves”) was known since Etruscan times near caves set in the tall ridge. Due to lack of trade along the route and the presence of malaria, the town and highway were relocated in 1774 to the present location on the tall bluff above the shore of Lago di Bolsena, giving “San Lorenzo Nuovo” a new life but eliminating the medieval and Renaissance buildings that would have made it a charming town today.

After leaving San Lorenzo Nuovo, a view opened up to Lago di Bolsena. At 114 square kilometers, Lago di Bolsena is Europe’s largest volcanic lake. Between 100,000-200,000 years ago, successive volcanic eruptions led to the collapse of the earth’s crust in the volcano’s caldera, forming the lake and its two islands.Underground springs and stormwater runoff fill the lake, which flows to the sea through the Marta River.

Church of San Lorenzo Martire

view of Lago di Bolsena

After the impressive overlook, I followed a grassy path behind homes onto a pleasant forested path of wildflowers and gentle birdsong that was nearly drowned out by screeching cicadas. I ascended the hillside then descended through the forest and then headed downhill by a tree farm.

I then climbed and climbed with occasional glimpses of the lake. I passed a huge reddish-brown quarry and then headed downhill with clearer views to the lake.

the sign to the path

views of Lago di Bolsena from the Via Francigena

I traipsed through a large field with no shade that seemed to go on forever then descended along a beautiful part of the path with dense forest to my left and fields to the right (shady!). I turned left before a “wind farm,” which was just one big windmill.

Welcome to Bolsena

Via Francigena to Bolsena

large unshaded field on the way to Bolsena

the endless field

shade!

shade! 🙂

map of Bolsena

another long hot path

a cyclist along the way

a little grotto

approaching Bolsena

Cristina at Agriturismo Riserva Montebello, where we would stay the night, had said there would be a sign on the Via Francigena for the place, somewhere north of Bolsena, but I never saw one. So I ended up in the town of Bolsena, meaning I’d have to backtrack and climb uphill to the Agriturismo.

The first place I saw was the Chiesa di San Salvatore, built in the early 20th century in a neo-Romanesque style. Of course, it wasn’t open when I walked past.

The Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara sits at a prominent point above the town of Bolsena. The castle apparently dates back to 1156 when Adrian IV, because of the raids of Barbarossa, fortified centers on the Via Cassia.

I enjoyed a lentil soup lunch at I Sapori del Castello in Bolsena. The soup was very hot for such a hot day. Darina wrote to say she was 25 minutes away, so I waited until she arrived, tired after doing twice the distance I had. She ordered the same soup as I had and we relaxed in a slice of shade.

grotto near the entry to Bolsena

Chiesa di San Salvatore

view of Bolsena from the hilltop

Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara

lunch at I Sapori del Castello

view from I Sapori del Castello

Darina’s photo of me having lunch at I Sapori del Castello

Darina was having trouble with a red spot on her neck that was itching and burning so she wanted to find a doctor. I said I would go ahead and walk to the Agriturismo before it got too hot.

It turned out the sign had never existed directly on the Via Francigena but had been on a curvy road way uphill from Bolsena. I trudged up the curvy winding road 2.1 km for 40 minutes in hot sun with cars whizzing by. It was dangerous and pure torture. Finally I saw the sign for the Riserva and though the sign said 150 meters my GPS said 600 meters. I stopped and collapsed on a patch of asphalt to catch my breath and drink water before climbing the rest of the way.

Finally I arrived and told Cristina there was no sign for the Agriturismo directly on the Via Francigena as she had told me and she said, “No, the sign is on the road.” I said, “I asked specifically if it was on the Francigena and you told me it was.” Here was an example of someone exaggerating their proximity to the path to lure unsuspecting guests. I was not happy.

passing Rocca Monaldeschi della Cervara on my way uphill

Chiesa di San Salvatore

walking uphill to the Agriturismo

views of Bolsena as I climb to the Agriturismo

Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

sign for the ever-elusive Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

Alessandro, who gave Darina a ride up from Bolsena

our room at Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

I showered and did laundry but I hadn’t heard from Darina. Finally she called to ask if I could get someone from the Agriturismo to drive down to Bolsena to pick her up. I seriously doubted Cristina would be any help but she surprisingly asked a young worker there, Alessandro, to drive down to Bolsena. So Darina was able to avoid that horrid walk.

She told me the pharmacy had been closed but she had found a doctor for tourists who told her the spot on her neck was either an allergy or a virus. I thought it might be sun poisoning but who was I to say? Anyway, they prescribed some meds but the pharmacy was closed until much later that afternoon or 9 a.m. the next morning. Darina said she’d need to rearrange the schedule for a few days to make it to the pharmacy in the morning and to take a break from walking as the doctor told her not to walk in the sun for a few days. I was happy to accompany her on any bus she chose to take and to give up walking for a couple of days. 🙂

It was a lazy afternoon in the Agriturismo as it actually is a place to stay for people with cars who can go out and explore various places. There was nothing to do or see and dinner wasn’t until 8:00. There was a pool on the property but for some reason it had been drained and they were in the slow process of filling it up again. I looked at it longingly but to no avail. We wished we had stayed in Bolsena as it seemed a very nice town. We napped and went out for drinks at 6:30. Darina didn’t want to drink because of her virus but since they brought 2 glasses of wine, I drank them both.

Darina at Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

me at Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

the spot on Darina’s neck

Darina at Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

We had a 3-course dinner at 8:00: Bruschetta with 4 different toppings, tagliatelle with cherry tomatoes and basil, and some kind of beef, which I didn’t eat as I don’t like meat, with overcooked green beans. They brought a dry heavy cake for dessert; I ate only a few bites. The dinner went on for a solid 2 hours and it was way too much food.

Bruschetta with 4 different toppings

Darina having dinner at Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

me having dinner at Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

tagliatelle with cherry tomatoes and basil

Agriturismo Riserva Montebello

We decided we’d sleep in the next morning, eat breakfast, explore Bolsena and then take a bus to Montefiascone.

Steps: 25,724; Miles: 10.91. Day 10 Stage Walk: 7.46 miles, or 12.0km.

Weather: High 92°, Low 72°. Sunny.

Running tally: (Day 10): 99.4 /211.77 miles (159.95/340.8 km).

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday Walk: Street Art struggles.

via francigena: gallina to acquapendente

wanderessence1025 January 10, 2024

Gallina to Acquapendente: Crossing into Lazio

Monday, July 17: On Monday morning, I took a taxi from Gallina to Acquapendente (30 minutes for 60 euros!). This officially ended my time in Tuscany; I had entered Lazio. Darina had taken off early to walk on her own to Radicofani. She would spend the night there and walk on Tuesday to meet me in Acquapendente, where I would stay an extra night until she caught up.

The taxi driver was 35-year-old Andrea who lived in Radicofani but he was yearning to return to Florence where he lived and studied for a while. He was studying to be a mechanical engineer. He didn’t care for small town life. He said Tuscany was beautiful but we would find Lazio not as pretty. He said we would love Bolsena. But Acquapendente was nothing special and we would find Lazio to be flatter (We would wait to see about that).

I was in town by 9:00 am and was able to check in to the Il Teatro BB right away after a short stop in a bar for a cappuccino and chocolate croissant. I climbed 4 flights of stairs and got into the room and immediately turned on the air conditioning, the first I’d had since Buonconvento. What sweet relief. I was excited to have a place of my own where I could bask endlessly in the cool air.

I hung out in the room, which is the same building as the Teatro Boni, catching up in my journal for a long time, then I showered and went out to explore the town and have some lunch.

I left Tuscany today and entered Acqupendente in Lazio. This is Darina’s photo; she didn’t pass this sign until she left Radicofani the next day.

Teatro Boni

Acquapendente was first occupied in Pre-Roman times but only in the 10th century was it named for the Latin “hanging waters,” most likely due to waterfalls along the Paglia River below town. The town grew up around the Via Francigena. Its oft-rebuilt walls helped it fend off attacks from its principal rival Orvieto. The walls protected it during constant wars between imperial forces and those of the Papal States.

I dropped into Chiesa di Sant’Agostino built in the Gothic style in 1250. In 1746 a violent fire caused serious damage. During reconstruction it took on a more Baroque design. It has six chapels, three on each wall. A triumphal arch delineates the presbytery. The bell tower with a bulb dome is the work of Guglielmo Meluzzi.

I dropped by Casa Girolamo, where Darina and I would stay tomorrow night after she arrived, just so I’d be familiar with the lay of the land.

I dipped into another church, Chiesa San Pietro. Its façade faces the Francigena Road. Its presence on the pilgrim’s way could substitute for religious purposes, such as the visit to St. Peter’s tomb in Rome. I found two German pilgrims sitting on a bench outside the door, commiserating about the ordeal of walking in the heat.

Chiesa di Sant’Agostino

Chiesa San Pietro

I walked to the far end of town to Basilica Cattedrale di San Sepolcro. Originally the church of a former Benedictine monastery, the present building began as a 12th-century Romanesque church. It is a pilgrimage site due to the relics it contains of St. Bernard of Castro, and more importantly the reputed drops of the blood of Christ on a stone brought from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The beautifully preserved 10th-century crypt just below the main altar shows the relic behind glass. I was the only one in the church and I didn’t see how one got into the crypt, so I didn’t go into it, although Darina did when she arrived. I did enjoy the art exhibition in the church, with its oversized paintings and collages.

Sadly the Tourist Information across the street was closed on Mondays so I couldn’t get my pilgrim stamp. It is housed in a structure known as the “Julia de Jacopo Tower.” Here in 1550, a local girl closed the door in the city walls, which soldiers defending the city inadvertently left open, enabling it to withstand an attack by invaders.

By this time it was hot and the whole town was asleep. On my walk back, I found a couple of modern-day murals. I returned to Bar Roma for an egg salad sandwich on white bread and a Coke Zero. I bought a beer to bring back to my room.

Basilica Cattedrale di San Sepolcro

peek at the crypt

Art exhibition at Basilica Cattedrale di San Sepolcro

street murals in Acquapendente

Inside another church in Acquapendente

a bushy building in Acquapendente

I spent the afternoon relaxing and writing in my journal. After I enjoyed my beer, I took an hour nap. Darina called and told me the stage to Radicofani wasn’t as daunting as we’d been warned it was. She said the walk was shorter than the guidebook said and that there was an Agriturismo about 3 hours along that served lunch. She even climbed up the tower for amazing 360 degree views. She had boundless energy; I guess it helped that she’s 20 years younger than I am and super fit. I didn’t regret not going.

I ventured out at 6:30, withdrew some money from the bank, and went for dinner at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca. I enjoyed two glasses of white wine, 3 types of crostini, Cacio e Pepe, and a delicious Tortino al cioccolato in raspberry sauce. The place was owned by the very elegant wife of the guy renting me the Teatro BB. It was air-conditioned, very classy and had a great playlist with fabulous ambiance.I used my Shazam App to find what the songs were and I surprisingly found “Help” by Aaron Taylor and “Thelma and Louise (We’re Not Looking Back)” by Izo FitzRoy. I wished I’d remembered to turn it on earlier.

I certainly wasn’t dressed for such a classy place because I had ditched a bunch of my belongings in Bagno Vignoni in hopes of reducing my backpack weight. Some of the things I threw in the trash there were my “nighttime outfit,” two disposable rain jackets, and my headlamp. Getting rid of that stuff really didn’t make much difference in my pack weight because the thing that weighed most was water, which could not be reduced in the heat.

The elegant woman, maybe Elisa (?), asked if I was the guest at Teatro BB. I asked how she knew and she said she’d seen the photo of my documents at her house.

Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

me at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

Cacio e pepe

Tortino al cioccolato in raspberry sauce

Back at the apartment, I talked to Mike for a bit. I saw Alex and Jandira finally post pictures of themselves at an outdoor concert and Jandira was really showing (she’s due in October). It brought tears to my eyes. I wanted so badly to get home to see the family. They’d be visiting us in August and we would have a baby shower for them.

I loved loved loved my rest day today. And lucky for me, I’d have another tomorrow as I waited for Darina to walk from Radicofani. I really couldn’t wait till this ordeal was over and I was back in the comfort of my own home.

Steps: 7,372; Miles: 3.13. No Stage walk for me today.

Weather: High 92°, Low 75°. Sunny. Red Warning for Extreme High Temperature.

A Day in Acquapendente

Tuesday, July 18: Acquapendente is not really a town where anyone would want to spend two days, but I was happy to stay there if it meant I didn’t have to walk in the heat and if I could stay cool in air conditioning. Luckily the Teatro BB guy allowed me to check out at 11 am Tuesday morning, extending my stay in air-conditioning. The woman at Casa Girolamo, the apartment Darina and I had reserved back in March, allowed me to check in as early as 9:00, but sadly that apartment didn’t have air conditioning. It had a fan luckily, but fans just push around hot air so it wasn’t all that comfortable, especially as the afternoon progressed.

After checking in at Casa Girolamo, I went to the tourist information and got my pilgrim stamp for the town. I stopped at a nice cafe, La Campanella Caffetteria, for a sweet treat and cappuccino. I got another stamp there.

Casa Girolamo

Darina had walked from Radicofani but there was one dangerous stretch from Centeno and the guidebook recommended taking a bus from there to Acquapendente. It turned out there wasn’t much in Centeno and Darina had a hard time finding such a bus. She did get one, however, and I walked up to the bus stop to meet her and show her to the apartment. When she got off the bus, she was accompanied by a French guy, Pasquale, who was about 62 and had been walking from France. We would see him many times during the next stages.

After Darina showered and did her laundry, we went for a nice lunch in the air-conditioned Gran Bar. Usually all we see in bars are sandwiches behind glass that have been sitting there for heaven knows how long. The woman at Gran made us fresh sandwiches in buns with prosciutto and cheese and greens, accompanied by cold beers. We raised a toast to Darina’s two days of walking.

Although Darina said the path to Radicofani had been easier than the guidebook led us to believe, the walk downhill from Radicofani that morning was very steep and gravelly and harder than she expected. Knowing how much I feared steep gravelly descents, she said I would have hated it and it was a good thing I’d skipped the stage.

Gran Bar

Darina at Gran Bar

me at Gran Bar

It was too hot for me to go out in the shuttered town, but Darina wanted to see it. So I relaxed in the apartment while she went out to see all the things I’d seen yesterday.

At dinner time, we went again to the fabulous Bottega Maius L’Enoteca, the place I’d eaten the night before. We had Vernaccia from San Gimignano and pizzas. Mine had zucchini and zucchini flowers and mozzarella. Darina’s had prosciutto, arugula and cheese. They were delicious. Of course we ordered the same chocolate cake I’d eaten the night before. Again, the ambiance at this place was fantastic, with a playlist that included “Sweet Water” and “Such a Fool” by The Meltdown and “If I Got It (Your Love Brought It)” by Aaron Frazer. Darina, as a middle-school teacher with a wonderful way with children, had a sweet conversation with the owner’s daughter.

Darina at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

appetizers

pizza with zucchini and zucchini flowers and mozzarella

pizza with prosciutto, arugula and cheese

me at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

me with Darina at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

Tortino al cioccolato in raspberry sauce

Darina with the owner’s daughter at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca

Steps: 6,502; Miles: 2.76. No Stage walk for me today.

Weather: High 93°, Low 76°. Sunny.

Running tally (UNCHANGED): (Day 8 & 9): 91.94 /211.77 miles (147.95/340.8 km).

This post is in response to Jo’s Monday walk: to Chapel Allerton and beyond.

via francigena: buonconvento to san quirico d’orcia to gallina

wanderessence1025 January 3, 2024

Buonconvento to San Quirico d’Orcia

Saturday, July 15: On Saturday morning, we left Buonconvento at 4:50 am, our earliest start so far, since we had 21.7 km ahead to San Quirico d’Orcia. Little did I know how awful the next two days would be.

We hiked on a miserable path overgrown with grasses & weeds that scratched our legs. It took forever but we finally got on a wide gravel path leading up to the vineyards of Montalcino. Sadly it was foggy and we didn’t have any views to speak of.

We passed through vineyards of the prized Brunello di Montalcino grapes; the wines produced from these are considered some of Italy’s best and most expensive. They were first mentioned in the 14th century. The vintages benefit from the hot and dry sub-climate of the region. Strict requirements must be met to earn the Brunello DOCG appellation, according to Walking the Via Francigena Pilgrim Route Part 3: Lucca to Rome.

We walked past the buildings of the Tricherchi Winery complex at the summit.

We walked among cypresses all uphill in the fog past the Altesino Winery to the Caparzo Winery. It supposedly had a pilgrim wine tasting but of course it wasn’t open at that hour. It did have a picnic table and a fountain so we rested there a while.

Leaving Buonconvento in the dark

the scratchy path

tree-lined lanes in the fog

vineyards

tree-lined lanes in the fog

vineyards

tree-lined lanes in the fog

Darina and me drenched in humidity & sweat

orchards

on the way to Caparzo Winery

Darina on the way to Caparzo Winery

cypress trees

me trudging through the cypresses

cypress trees

Caparzo Winery

view to the sky from a table at Caparzo Winery

Caparzo Winery

We continued on the uphill road forever and as the fog burned off, we had majestic views of the Tuscan countryside. We walked along the ridges with almost no shade for what seemed an eternity.

We could see the town of Montalcino on a hilltop across the valley but the path didn’t pass through that town. No matter, Mike and I had visited it by car in 2019: tuscany: montalcino.

Tuscan countryside on the way to Torrenieri

Darina walking

vineyards near Montalcino

countryside near Montalcino

view of Montalcino

vineyards

view of Montalcino

the long hot road

sweltering path

view of Montalcino

making my way through Tuscany in sweltering heat

Tuscan countryside

view of Montalcino

Tuscan countryside

Finally we reached the small town of Torrenieri, where we stopped at a cafe. We basked in the cool interior and had honey pastries; I enjoyed a cappuccino. It was a much needed break from the hot sun. A castle is believed to have stood in this town as early as the 9th-10th centuries. Its existence was documented in 990 as Sigeric’s Stage XIII Turreiner. In the Middle Ages it was important in the region for being on the Via Francigena, between the Orcia and Arbia valleys. Because it had few natural defenses, the town was often sacked by passing armies, including a 1235 pillage and conflagration by the army of Orvieto. In the 14th & 15th centuries, Siena fortified its walls and used it as one of its territorial defenses, but with the fall of Siena and the rise of Florence, the town drifted into obscurity. Documents record a pilgrim hostel dedicated to Sant’Antonio here in 1601.

Torrenieri

church in Torrenieri

Downhill past the church, we aimed for the bottom of the valley. A quiet asphalt road, SP137, carried us the next hour, making a long and gradual climb to a summit.

As we descended on the road we could see San Quirico d’Orcia on the ridge between two hills ahead. Darina was so far ahead of me I’d lost sight of her. I thought I’d just walk alongside the road into San Quirico, which would certainly be a lot flatter and shorter (albeit more dangerous) than the path. But when I got to where the path branched off, there was Darina waiting for me in case I missed the turn off. We took a gravel path and went under the highway overpass and made a steep and sustained climb in the hot sun, passing through olive orchards, alongside a farmhouse. After a very long time, we stopped to rest in the shade on some logs that someone had cut and left helter skelter on the ground. Two Italian women came and joined us, Graciela Maria and Julia. They were from Sicily but were on a quest to do several days each year on the Via Francigena. Graciela Maria was a middle school English teacher like Darina was, so they arranged to have their students work together on some projects. She was part Italian and part Irish.

Graciela Maria changed into flip flops and planned to walk in them the rest of the way to San Quirico. I honestly didn’t know how she’d do it as the path was still a long distance and very rough.

More treeless Tuscan countryside

Tuscan countryside

Darina, Julia, me and Graciela Maria

Then we traipsed through a sparse forest for a long while. We eventually walked up steps to San Quirico d’Orcia and turned toward the Collegiate Church of Saints Quirico & Giulitta, starting the pretty pedestrian walk through the charming town.

We had to walk all the way through town to our accommodation, an apartment called Cesaroni House. The woman who rented it out was someone who really didn’t care about her guests, and especially not about pilgrims. I had sent my backpack ahead through Bags Free, for the steep sum of 20 euros (on the Camino de Santiago it was 5 euros per stage), but the bag had not arrived. It was about 1:30 by this time, and the woman called the Hotel Ghibellino in Buonconvento to find it was still sitting in the hotel lobby. They said it would be there in an hour and half. I was so annoyed because I couldn’t shower, change out of my hiking boots, or change out of my sweaty clothes. I had sent it ahead because today was a 7 hour stage and I wasn’t doing well carrying it in the extreme heat. This was the 2nd time Bags Free had been late delivering my bag and I’d only used them several times. This is one of the main problems in Italy. Between taxi services which have a complete monopoly (there is no Uber in Italy) and a service like Bags Free (It only has one competitor which has more strict rules about which accommodations they can deliver to), you’re totally at their mercy.

Darina and I went to a nearby restaurant for lunch as the woman at Cesaroni house said she’d contact me about 10 minutes before Bags Free was to arrive. (She had to go somewhere, or so she said). Finally the bag arrived around 3:00, and I was finally able to shower and do laundry, etc. By this time I was extremely irritable.

San Quirico d’Orcia

Collegiate Church of Saints Quirico & Giulitta

San Quirico d’Orcia

Darina had gone into town to check out all the churches, so I walked up on my own. I needed some space between being annoyed about the air-conditioning situation in Buonconvento, the general lack of air conditioning in today’s accommodation and everywhere, and general frustration with the heat and the difficulty of the walk. I stopped at a wine bar, Intralci, and talked for a long time with the waiter there as I enjoyed two glasses of cool white wine. He asked why on earth I would subject myself to such misery on this path in summer. I hate the summer at all times, but the only reason I’d come in summer was because I wanted to do it with Darina and she is on a teacher’s schedule. I told the guy I was tempted to change my ticket, go directly to Rome by bus, and fly home. It was a good time to vent and have someone who understood my suffering. He was totally sympathetic and said sometimes we make bad decisions, which I definitely felt I had done. He also said it was a shame because Italians along the Via Francigena don’t care about the pilgrims, the stages are long, difficult and without services and the heat is unbearable.

Finally Darina joined me after she’d gone to mass. By then I had mellowed out and we wandered around looking for a place to eat.

We found a nice restaurant, Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria, where I had a yummy spelt, chestnut and porcini mushroom soup and Darina had a meat that is famous in the area.

wedding at Collegiate Church of Saints Quirico & Giulitta

San Quirico d’Orcia

me and Darina at Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria

Darina at Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria

me at Bar Pane Pizza Pasticceria

San Quirico d’Orcia

Steps: 38,755; Miles: 16.44. Day 8 Stage Walk: 14.76 miles, or 23.75km.

Weather: San Quirico d’Orcia: Hi 96°, Lo 67°. Sunny.

San Quirico d’Orcia to Gallina

Sunday, July 16: We started walking at 5:15 Sunday morning, and we immediately started climbing. Luckily for once we had stayed on the far end of town, so we didn’t have to walk through town. We walked through a neighborhood of suburban homes and then into fields framed by pine & cypress trees. The road turned to gravel and climbed, sometimes steeply. I think somehow the Via Francigena manages to take pilgrims to the top of every hill in Tuscany. Ugh.

We saw a vista of Roca d’Orcia with its rectangular castle. We reached the summit of the climb. On a hilltop far across the valley, we could see the tall tower of the fortress at Radicofani, our goal for the next day.

The road turned to concrete as we descended and then we took a gravel trail to Vignoni Alto, a picturesque castle/hamlet that was a sentry point for Bagno Vignoni below. From there we had an iconic view of the Tuscan countryside.

Tuscan sunrise

Tuscan countryside

Our morning selfie

Tuscan countryside

I run into some cyclists along the way

Vignoni Alto

first views of Radicofani

descending to Bagno Vignoni

views of Radicofani

descending

views of Radicofani

glimpses of Radicofani between the cypresses

A steep gravel trail took us down to the Piazza delle Sorgenti (“Square of Springs”) in Bagno Vignoni, surrounded by small hotels, a bar and the Church of San Giovanni Batista.

Springs in the small town of Bagno Vignoni (pop. 30), largely unchanged since the Middle Ages, have been enjoyed since Etruscan times. Medieval notables such as St. Catherine of Siena, Pope Pius II, and Lorenzo the Magnificent frequented the springs. Picturesque buildings surround a pool of spring-fed hot water, making it the only aquatic piazza in Italy. The spring waters flow out toward the Orcia River.

Bagno Vignoni

Church of San Giovanni Batista

Bagno Vignoni

me in search of a cafe in Bagno Vignoni

Bagno Vignoni

We were too early for the bar, so we wandered for a while around the Estruscan ruins (Mike and I had visited them in 2019: montepulciano > bagno vignoni > san quirico d’orcia (again)). Then we returned to the town to finally find the bar open. The servers were extremely rude. I said to the waitress, “What is your problem?” She responded with great frustration, “We have hotel guests to serve!” Heaven forbid they should be remotely accommodating to tired and hungry pilgrims. These were the only services we would encounter for the entire stage, so we really wanted to have some food.

Just outside of town, I ditched a bunch of my belongings in a trash can in hopes of reducing my backpack weight. Some of the things I threw in the trash were my “nighttime outfit,” two disposable rain jackets, and my headlamp (it was rarely dark when we were walking). Getting rid of that stuff really didn’t make much difference in my pack weight because the thing that weighed most was water. That could not be reduced in the extreme heat.

Estruscan ruins in Bagno Vignoni

view of Radicofani

Estruscan ruins in Bagno Vignoni

view of countryside from Etruscan ruins

Estruscan ruins in Bagno Vignoni

After our break, we took a detour because the pedestrian bridge was broken. It was a good thing the woman from today’s accommodation, Ostello La Vecchia Posta, had warned us because there were no signposts at all.

We had to go uphill then down a steep rough trail to return to the path. It was a rough and hot walk after that. The path circled up and around a hill past a farm where a bunch of dogs were barking up a storm. I took out my Birdie alarm and clutched it in my hand in case I needed to use it to scare the dogs. Luckily they were all caged.

We passed a vineyard and an orchard and traversed a hillside and through fields with Castiglione d’Orcia to the right. A road led us then to the bottom of a wide valley.

We crossed a bridge over Torrente Onzola and then a second bridge. Another climb and then we were out in the open with fields all around.

Tuscan countryside after Bagno Vignoni

me climbing again

Tuscan countryside after Bagno Vignoni

We found a lovely picnic table and fountain where we sat awhile and relaxed, even taking off our shoes. It was a good thing this place appeared, as it was barely mentioned in the guidebook and I had almost run out of water. Then we were out in the open with no shade anywhere for the last 4 km into Gallina, which was 2.8km off the track. Luckily we were told we wouldn’t have to backtrack the next day to return to the Via Francigena. It was a long miserable slog with no relief anywhere. This stretch almost did me in and I honestly worried I would die of heat exhaustion.

the house near the welcome rest area

the stretch from the rest area to Gallina

the long hot road to Gallina

countryside near Gallina

Darina walks to Gallina

me trying to make it to Gallina

countryside near Gallina

We arrived in Gallina around 1:30 but we couldn’t check in to Ostello La Vecchia Posta until 2:30. We hauled our bags into Il Parallelo, a pretty fancy restaurant. We definitely looked like what the cat dragged in. I had a glass of cool white wine and Darina had a beer. I enjoyed tagliatelle with mushrooms and truffles and Darina had risotto with truffles. It felt so good to be out of the sun in a cool place.

We ordered a legume soup for take out for dinner; we could pick it up at 7:00. This only restaurant in town closed at 5:00 but prepared dinner for take out.

Darina and I have lunch at Il Parallelo after making it to Gallina. I was never so happy to sit down!

We finally checked in to the Ostello where we met a French couple, Gaetano and Sylvie. They had been biking all over Europe for a couple of months and planned to continue another 1 1/2 months. They were in their early 60s and very fit. I am so impressed by the stamina of some people.

Today had been such a miserable day of walking for me in the heat that I went to work trying to book a taxi for Acquapendente, two stages ahead. There was only one bus from Gallina to Acquapendente on Monday and it was 5:00 in the evening, meaning I’d have to hang out all day with nothing to do in Gallina. There was no way I could endure the 18.7km walk including a 12km climb to Radicofani the next day. Also, Radicofani is a very small town, so I had no idea how I could get down from there the day after. Thus I wanted a taxi to take me the two stages. Darina of course would walk, as she is 20 years younger than me, and fit and strong. I was not about to put my health or life at risk in the face of the Italian government’s extreme heat warnings. Also, the walks were always longer than what the guidebook said.

I found an air-conditioned B&B in Acquapendente and, after many dead-end phone calls, found an expensive taxi for 60€ to take me Monday morning on the 30-minute drive. I couldn’t wait to spend an entire day in air-conditioning all by myself. Of course I had committed to walk with Darina so I also paid her my half of the accommodation in Radicofani. All of this cost me a pretty penny but it was worth every cent.

We went to the only bar in town, where we had beers on tap and Darina ordered sandwiches to take with her on her walk to Radicofani, where the guidebook said there were no services.

After hanging in the bar, we picked up our legume soup and ate in the Ostello kitchen with the French couple. We had a fun time communicating as they didn’t speak English and I couldn’t think of any French words and kept speaking Spanish, with Darina translating my elementary Spanish to French. Oh, I am so bad with languages despite all my studies!

Darina and I eating in the Ostello

our take-out legume soup

Gaetano and Sylvie

Darina, Gaetano, Sylvie & me

Steps: 33,808; Miles 14.34. Day 9 Stage Walk: 9.57 miles, or 15.4km.

Weather: San Quirico d’Orcia: Hi 103°, Lo 67°. *Red Warning for Extreme High Temperature.

Running tally (Day 8 & 9): 91.94 /211.77 miles (147.95/340.8 km).

Linking this post to Jo’s Monday Walk: it’s New Year’s Day!

twenty twenty-three: growing our family, travels from central america to italy, & a texas-new mexico road trip

wanderessence1025 December 31, 2023

Twenty twenty-three was: a year of finishing our first trip in Central America, to Nicaragua & Costa Rica. A year of long hard training to walk the Via Francigena from Lucca to Rome in Italy. A year of celebrating my father’s life, after he passed away in December of 2022. A year of marriages: Adam to Maria in Nicaragua and Alex to Jandira in Atlanta, both in May. A year of celebrating Alex’s graduation from Northern Virginia Community College with two Associate of Science degrees, one in Computer Science and one in Mathematics. A year of Alex and Jandira settling in to their new home in Atlanta. A year of becoming grandparents: to Maria’s four children, Johnny (18), Cristy, Andrea and Mia, and to Alex and Jandira’s baby, Allie (born October 5). A year of traveling to Venice and the Dolomites, Verano & Bergamo with Mike. A year of walking (& taking public transportation due to the extreme heat) the Via Francigena from Lucca to Rome with my Slovakian friend Darina (who I met on the Camino de Santiago in 2018). A year of attending my nephew Seth’s wedding in Connecticut. A year of a road trip to see Alex and Jandira’s new baby and then exploring Austin, Fredericksburg and West Texas (where we saw the annular solar eclipse) and then New Mexico. A year of visiting my sister on my way home from Albuquerque. A year when most of the family, except Adam & company, came home for Christmas. A year of 47,000 people being killed in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey. A year of Trump being indicted for multiple crimes, including an insurrection against the U.S., yet still being allowed to run for President in 2024 (so infuriating). A year of a ruthless attack by Hamas on Israel (where about 1,200 men, women and children were killed and 240 taken hostage) and Israel’s horrifying and disproportionate retribution on Gaza (where over 27,600 civilians have been killed, including more than 11,800 children, 58,000 injured, and where 65,000 homes as well as businesses have been destroyed); the continuing raging of war in Ukraine; a year where mass shootings in the U.S. (627+) outnumbered days in the year. A year of favorite movies: Return to Seoul, Tár, You Hurt My Feelings, Past Lives, and Oppenheimer. A year of reading 56/56 books for the year (My Year in Books 2023). A year in which the Merriam-Webster word of the year was “authentic,” an adjective that means “1) not false or imitation; 2) true to one’s own personality, spirit or character.” A year in which the Oxford word of the year was “rizz,” a slang term which describes “style, charm or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.” A year when the TIME Person of the Year was Taylor Swift. A year when the Dictionary.com Vibe of the Year was “eras: periods of time in a person’s life characterized by something distinctive and noticeable, such as a particular emotional state, relationship, achievement, or interest.” (I guess this is our “era” of becoming grandparents!)

Books read in 2023

In January, I: |*Nicaragua*| Started the new year by leaving León, Nicaragua and driving to Granada with Alex, Adam and Mike by way of the Mirador de Catarina, where we admired the Apoyo Lagoon and all the nurseries for which Catarina is famous. Explored the Centro Historico of Granada and sang “Bate, Bate, Chocolate!” while scissoring our knees at the Choco Museum. Went on a boat tour of Granada’s Isletas, seeing an old fort built to protect Granada from pirates in the 18th century, and greeting three types of monkeys: capuchinos, howler monkeys, and spider monkeys. Glimpsed Mombocho Volcano covered in clouds. Bought leather bags at Soy Nica, visited the Granada Catedral and climbed up the tower at Iglesia de La Merced for sweeping views of the city. Visited the Centro Cultural Museos de Convento San Francisco and lusted after colorful Nicaraguan paintings. Spent an afternoon swimming, imbibing, and relaxing at Posada Ecológica La Abuela at Laguna de Apoyo. Took the ferry to Ometepe Island and visited a flooded Punta Jesus María and the Emerald Rainbow Caravan Hostel – a hostel consisting of old vehicles refurbished into rooms – where Adam used to work. Enjoyed meeting Adam’s community on Ometepe and seeing the lime green house we helped him to buy. Almost choked on Coco Locos, almost got sucked down a drainage system, and succeeded in jumping off a rope swing into the pool at Ojo de Agua; the pool was fed by mineral springs from Ometepe’s volcanoes. Paddled kayaks down the Río Istian, where we saw both volcanoes, Volcán Concepción and Volcán Maderas, and where the birds became increasingly active as it neared sunset. Took the ferry back to the mainland, parted ways with Adam, and drove to San Juan del Sur after Mike almost had his license confiscated for passing another car in our rush to get Adam to the ferry on time. Enjoyed dinner and lunch at El Timon in San Juan del Sur. |*Costa Rica*| Crossed the border into Costa Rica, getting rescued from a long line by our Alamo rental car guy, Jack, because we were in our 60s and “Costa Rica is nice to people in their 60s.” Relaxed on the beach and poolside at Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. Did four ziplines, including the Superman zip line, where I laid belly down and was torpedoed nearly a mile, at Diamante Eco Adventure Park. Dropped Alex at the Guanacaste Airport so he could return home and then went to Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin next to Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja. Got massages and enjoyed a sauna, mud bath and hot tub at Simbiosis Spa. Spent the next day on a “One-Day Adventure” where we rode horses, tubed down class III rapids on the Rio Negra River, and zip lined through the Rio Blanco Canyon. Visited several waterfalls near the hacienda. Hiked to the turquoise Río Celeste and its gorgeous waterfall through the rainforest at Parque Nacional Volcano Tenorio. Enjoyed a fabulous dinner and evening at Celeste Mountain Lodge. Visited Mike’s high school friend, Carol and her Costa Rican husband Carlos at their cattle ranch high above Tilarán. Drove bumpy and curvy mountain roads to Monteverde. Went on a hanging bridges tour at Monteverde Sky Adventures, where we didn’t see many critters but we learned about the primary and secondary cloud forest. Did a 2-hour night walk at El Refugio where we saw a sleeping hummingbird, two toucans, a howler monkey, a green viper and a strangler fig that had killed its host. Saw only one awake sloth at the Sloth Sanctuary at Selvatura Park; he was moving slowly on pencil thin branches. Went for a 2-mile hike at the Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena and got drenched with the continual rain. Enjoyed the fabulous museums in San José, especially the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum and the Jade Museum. Enjoyed delicious meals at Otoya Bistro and Café Rojo. |*Virginia*| Flew back to Virginia by way of Dallas, Texas and dove into the cold winter temperatures at home. Took Alex to a belated dinner at Maru Korean to celebrate his graduation from NOVA, and found out he wants to change his major and stay at NOVA one more semester to go in a different direction. Began my training for the Via Francigena by walking nearly 8 miles with a hiking group around Burke Lake and another 5.7 miles in Reston along the Glade Trail, finding cardinals and flowering skunk cabbage. Saw Living with Bill Nighy. Enjoyed seeing Alex’s girlfriend Jandira when she flew up for 3 days from Atlanta, where she has moved for work. Started the Great Courses in Italian and started doing Italian on Duolingo. Finally took down our miniature Christmas tree and decorations. Ate with Alex and Mike at the first of seven soup restaurants I’ve vowed to visit this year; I tried the Signature Luosifen at Yanzi Noodle House, and learned that the owners are from a town near where I lived in Nanning, China. Enjoyed catching up on Zoom with my friend Jayne, who is in Dubai now for 2 months. Read 4 books out of my goal of 56, with my favorites being The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel and The Ten Loves of Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami.

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Apoyo Lagoon, Nicaragua

nurseries at Catarina, Nicaragua

Granada Cathedral

Garden Cafe

Granada Isletas: Me, Mike, Adam and Alex

views of Granada

Centro Cultural Museos de Convento San Francisco in Granada

Posada Ecológica La Abuela at Laguna de Apoyo

Rainbow Caravan Hostel on Ometepe

Adam’s house on Ometepe

Ojo de Agua

kayaking on Rio Istian

Moyogalpa

Sunset in San Juan del Sure

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

Alex, me and Mike preparing to zip line at Diamante

Superman zip line (Alex and Debbie)

Mike at Diamante

me at Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa

Poza Roja at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin

tubing on the Rio Negra River

Mike ziplining at Rio Blanco Canyon

Me ziplining at Rio Blanca Canyon

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin

Oropéndola Waterfall

Cataract #4 on the Río Negra

Río Celeste at Volcán Tenorio

Celeste Mountain Lodge

Lake Arenal from Tilaran

Ranch in Tilaran

Mike, Carol and Carlos

Hanging Bridges Tour in Monteverde

Aerial Tram at Sky Adventures

Sloth Sanctuary at Selvatura Park

Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena

Leaving Monteverde

Metropolitan Cathedral in San José, Costa Rica

Museo del Oro Precolumbiano

Museo del Jade

Isidro Con Wong at the Museo del Jade

Ana Wien at the Jade Museum

Monumento a Los Presentes

Glade Trail

The CCT

the CCT

more skunk cabbage flowers on the CCT

Lake Newport

cool stone animals at Lake Anne

“7 soups that will carry you away” from the Washington Post

“Luosifen at Yanzi Noodle House”

Yanzi Noodle House

Signature Luosifen at Yanzi Noodle House

In February, I: Chatted with Darina, my Camino friend from Slovakia, about walking the Via Francigena (from Lucca to Rome) together this coming July; started plotting out our walk and also planning Mike’s and my trip to Venice and the Dolomites. Increased my walking mileage from 20 miles/week to 23 miles/week. Felt annoyed that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, meaning we’d have six more weeks of winter (although, as it turned out, our February was very mild). Wrote four posts on my blog about New Brunswick, Canada. Found out that Alex and Jandira are going to have a baby, due October 4; he went to Atlanta to visit her in mid-February. Ate Peruvian food at Inca Social and sushi at Ariake. Felt shocked and heartbroken by the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria that killed at least 50,000 people. Was bored to death at a Super Bowl party that Mike and I attended (yes, I still hate sports!). Went to the second of seven soup restaurants I’ve vowed to visit this year, this time Pho 75 in Herndon (I didn’t care for it at all). Ordered new glasses at the eye doctor and went in for my annual physical. Met an old friend, Tony, who will be the financial manager for the small inheritance I received from my father. Chatted with Jayne who is currently in Dubai; she had taken a trip to Musandam in Oman and was planning another trip to Muscat. Celebrated Valentine’s Day with Mike at Seasons 52. Prayed for the Ukrainians who have endured a year of relentless attacks by megalomaniac Putin. Felt proud of President Biden for his visit to Ukraine to bolster Ukraine’s spirits. Celebrated Mike’s 69^th birthday, also with Alex, at Istanbul Blue; enjoyed another birthday celebration for both Mike and Alex at home with Mike’s sister, Barbara. Read 5 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total up to 9/56), my favorites being Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore and Late in the Day by Tessa Hadley. Watched Licorice Pizza and enjoyed the third season of Emily in Paris.

February bullet journal

first (& only) snowfall

a walk in Vienna, VA

Vienna mural

Inca Social

me at Inca Social

Saltado with Shrimp

mural at Inca Social

Burke Lake hike

Earthquake devastates Turkey, Syria

dinner at Ariake

an Emily Dickinson poem I found on the Sallie Mae campus

The Sallie Mae Campus

snowdrops

Mike at Pho 75

Pho 75 write-up from The Washington Post

Pho

me at Pho 75

Biden visit Zelensky in Ukraine

Lake Newport

pretty petals in February

Burke Lake walk

a beaver dam on the way to Burke Lake

Moussaka at Istanbul Blue

one of my many Reston walks

daffodils in February

pretty in pink

a colorful bird house

In March, I: Finished plotting out Mike’s and my Venice/Dolomites trip, worked on Darina’s and my itinerary for the Via Francigena, and made all bookings. Finished blog posts about Prince Edward Island and most of Nicaragua. Worked on a video about my Dad’s life for his Celebration of Life (Memories of Dad 2022). Continued my walking training, increasing my distances from 24 to 28 miles/week and my pack weight from 4.5 to 6.5 pounds. Hiked at Harper’s Ferry, this time doing a 7-mile circuit on the Stone Fort Trail with 1,693 feet in elevation; after 4.5 miles, I slipped on a water-slicked rock and fell on my right knee (the one with the partial knee replacement) and hip, but luckily nothing was broken. Enjoyed my monthly Zoom call with my siblings (minus Joan). Had dinner at Artie’s with Mike and Alex. Celebrated Alex’s 32^nd birthday with his girlfriend, Jandira, and his Aunt Barbara with a fondue extravaganza at The Melting Pot. Walked with a hiking group on the Long Branch Stream trail in Annandale. Picked up Sarah in Richmond and went to Yorktown for the interment of my Dad’s ashes in the family plot and for a Celebration of Life with my sister, Joan, her family and my stepmother Shirley’s family, none of whom I’d ever met before. Had dinner at the Yorktown Pub with Joan and her family, including my grand-nephews Elliott and Cooper. Went for a sleep appointment to see if I could get a mouth guard or something to help with my snoring and had to schedule an overnight sleep study for April. Talked to Adam, who informed us he is getting married to a Nicaraguan woman; later he informed us she has 4 children (one is 18 years old), which made me wonder how on earth he will support them. Watched Tár and Return to Seoul, where I revisited my year in South Korea from 2010-2011. Enjoyed sushi and sake at YamaChen’s. Went to OrthoVirginia to make sure I didn’t do any damage to my knee or hip during my Harper’s Ferry fall; it turned out just to be an arthritic flare-up. Took another leisurely walk with a walking group at Claude Moore Park in Loudoun County. Took another long walk from the WO&D bike trail to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, where everything was in bloom. Was thrilled to read the news that a New York grand jury has indicted Trump, but I don’t have any hope he’ll serve any jail time because the rich and powerful too often get away with criminal behavior. Read 6 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 15/56), my favorites being Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, and The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth Church.

March bullet journal page

spring is springing

forsythia yelps

moss on a tree

a hike through the woods

trees and blue skies

Harper’s Ferry

The Stone Fort Hike at Harper’s Ferry

me at Harper’s Ferry

Mike on the rocks of the Stone Fort

Harper’s Ferry

the town of Harper’s Ferry as seen from the Maryland Heights Overlook

Mike at Maryland Heights

Lake Thoreau in Reston

The Melting Pot – cheese fondue

Mike, me, Barb, Alex and Jandira

Alex and Jandira

blossoms

Kelsey and Sarah at Dad’s Celebration of Life

Kelsey, Sarah and Mike at my dad’s Celebration of Life

Shirley (Dad’s wife) & Elliott

Joanie and me

Steve and Cooper

both families at Dad’s Celebration of Life

The Birdsongs at Dad’s Celebration of Life

The Coleman Bridge in Yorktown

Steve, Sarah and Elliott

me and Mike at the Yorktown Pub

Steve, Joan, Sarah, Kelsey, Cooper, Dave, Mike

me being silly with Elliott

Joan, Sarah and Kelsey

me on yet another hike

Lake Newport in Reston

YamaChen’s

me at YamaChen’s

Mike at YamaChen’s

another hike

blossoms

one of the Reston lakes

Claude Moore Park

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

N.Y. grand jury indicts Trump

more blossoms

In April, I: spent April Fool’s Day with Mike looking for a liquor cabinet for our dining room and enjoyed a lunch at Puccio’s Deli in Leesburg. Hiked Cabell’s Mill and Big Rocky Run on Palm Sunday. Hiked 5 miles from Wakefield Park to Lake Accotink. Interviewed for Global Entry with Customs & Border Patrol. Spent Easter Sunday walking from Riverbend to Great Falls amidst the bluebells and went out to Lebanese Taverna for Easter dinner with Mike, Alex and Barb. Walked 29-32 miles each week in April. Watched a video of Alex proposing to Jandira when he went down to visit her in Atlanta on April 12. Endured another overnight sleep study where they found I have moderate sleep apnea; vowed never to do another sleep study! Walked with Mike on the CCT amidst the skunk cabbage while carrying an 8.2lb pack. Enjoyed Green Curry with Shrimp at Sisters in Fairfax. Went on a 10-mile bike ride to work different muscles in my knees. Walked nearly 7 miles with the Sierra Club on the Neabsco Creek boardwalk and through Leesylvania State Park. Went for a free rowing workout at RowHouse Fairfax and signed up for a monthly membership. Had a long Face Time chat with Jayne. Walked with Bel around Burke Lake. Started my rowing classes and ended up hurting my back because of poor rowing form. Had a mediocre dinner at Enatye Ethiopian. Went with Mike to SAAM to see the colorful “Experience America” exhibit and then enjoyed lunch at Poké Papa. Wished my daughter a happy 39^th birthday and made plans to visit her in May. Enjoyed another dinner out at Patsy’s in Tyson’s. Walked 8.4 miles with a hiking group at too fast a pace on the Cross County Trail and started experiencing back pain after that hike combined with the rowing classes. Noshed on bibimbap at Maru Korean Cusine & Sushi with Alex and Mike. Ate dinner outside at Lake Anne Coffee Shop with Karen and Michael, while being serenaded by smooth jazz. Finished blog posts on Nicaragua and part of Costa Rica; read 5 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 20/56), with my favorites being It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario, As It Is in Heaven by Niall Williams, Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber, and A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith by Timothy Egan; streamed movies, my favorite being Aftersun. Finished From Scratch and started watching Beef and The Diplomat.

April bullet journal cover

me at Puccio’s Deli

Cabell’s Mill / Big Rocky Run hike

Spring blooms in Reston

dinner at Bartaco

Burke Lake Walk

Me among the bluebells at Riverbend

Mike and the bluebells on Easter Sunday

bluebells at Riverbend

Great Falls

Mike & Barb at Lebanese Taverna Easter night

Lebanese Taverna Easter night

Alex & me at Lebanese Taverna Easter night

Alex proposes to Jandira

CCT behind Miller Heights

skunk cabbage on the CCT

Sisters Thai

me at Sisters Thai

Mike at Sisters Thai

me in the Fairfax garden

Mike in the Fairfax Garden

selfie of me and Mike

Neabsco Creek boardwalk

view from Neabsco Creek boardwalk

me at the Neabsco Creek boardwalk

view from Neabsco Creek boardwalk

Leopold’s Preserve

Glade Trail

Mike at Enatye Ethiopian

me at at Enatye Ethiopian

Downtown D.C.

sculpture in front of Zaytina

Edward Hopper – Cape Cod Morning

Orilla Verde at the Rio Grande by Kay Walkingstick

Ryder’s House by Edward Hopper

The Farm by Kenjiro Nomura

Beach Umbrellas at Blue Point by William Glackens

Subway by Lily Furedi

School’s Out by Allan Rohan Crite

Braceros by Domingo Ulloa

#atSAAM

Employment of Negroes in Agriculture by Earle Richardson

folk art by James Hampton

Parrot Girl by Ellis Ruley

Design Made at Airlie Gardens by Minnie Evans

The Beginning of Life in the Yellow Jungle by Thornton Dial Sr.

Iceman Crucified #4 by Ralph Fasanella

painting by Ruth Leonela Buentello

Mike at Poké Papa

bowl at Poké Papa

downtown D.C.

me downtown

flowers along the Vienna bike trail

Goats & Horses hike on the CCT

bibimbap at Maru Korean Cuisine & Sushi

Fairfax garden

Mike at Lake Anne Coffee Shop

flowers around Lake Anne

In May, I: wrapped up my blog posts on Costa Rica; studied Italian through Duolingo; started reading about New Mexico for late October. Increased my walking distances and backpack weight as I continued training for the Via Francigena. Enjoyed my monthly Zoom call with my siblings. Pushed myself in rowing classes twice a week, did yoga once a week, and rode my bicycle once. Helped Sarah move some of her stuff into her tiny house in Richmond; enjoyed lunch with her at Liberty Public House and dinner at Alewife in a belated celebration of her 39^th birthday; walked with her from Church Hill along the Canal Walk. Hurt my back whether from rowing or carrying a backpack for long distances and had to scale back my training for a week; celebrated Alex finishing his final exams and bid him adieu as he moved some of his things to Atlanta. Enjoyed having the house to myself when Mike went to his best friend’s wife’s funeral (Dianne died after many years with MS). Enjoyed a Crazy Smoked Roll at the Ariake sushi bar on my own. Celebrated from afar as Adam married Maria in Nicaragua, at which time we immediately became grandparents to three little girls, Cristy (11), Andrea (9) and Mia (6). Welcomed Jandira and Alex as they came up from Atlanta for Alex’s graduation from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) with two Associate of Science degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics. Had a lovely dinner at Seasons 52 with Jandira and Alex for Mother’s Day, celebrating me as a mother and Jandira as a mother-to-be; their baby is due in early October. Went with Mike, Jandira, & Barbara to Alex’s graduation ceremony at Eagle Bank Arena; threw a party at our house to celebrate Alex’s graduation with the Pearsons (Alex’s 2nd family) in attendance. Followed Alex and Jandira in their U-Haul to Atlanta, stopping overnight in Gaffney, South Carolina because anything over 8 hours of driving is pure torture. Helped Alex unload the U-Haul into their apartment since Jandira had to work. Enjoyed Lifting Noodles Ramen at PH’EAST with Jandira and Alex at the Battery at Braves Stadium. Helped Alex organize some things in their new apartment. Picked up Mike at the airport and went to Alex and Jandira’s wedding at Magistrate Court Cobb County and then celebrated with dinner at the adorable Ocean Pot Seafood Boiler. Drove back home from Atlanta with Mike in a long grueling day on the road. Enjoyed the Avett Brothers in the season opening concert at Wolf Trap with a picnic from the Italian Deli. Felt happy that after a long interview process, Sarah was offered a job as a paralegal at a law firm in Richmond. Went to Cinema Arts to see You Hurt My Feelings, and then had dinner at Genki Izakaya. Read 5 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 25/56), with my favorite being Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

May bullet journal

flowers along one of my long Reston walks

Ghost bike in Church Hill, Richmond

having wine with Sarah at my Airbnb in Richmond

soft-shelled crabs at Alewife in Richmond

Canal Walk in Richmond

my cute Airbnb in Church Hill, Richmond

Crazy Smoked Roll at Ariake

Jandira’s engagement ring

Adam & Maria at his wedding in Nicaragua

Jandira & Alex at Seasons 52

Mother’s Day dinner at Season’s 52

dinner at Seasons 52

Desserts at Seasons 52

Alex and Jandira on Mother’s Day

me, Alex & Jandira on Mother’s Day

Jandira, Barbara and Mike cheer for the graduates

the graduates walk in

Alex at graduation

Alex and Jandira at graduation

Me, Alex and Mike

Alex at graduation

Alex and Jandira at graduation

Happy Graduation!

Jandira & Alex receive a gift of Barbara’s photography at his graduation party

The Pearson clan at Alex’s graduation party

The Battery Atlanta

Lifting Noodles Ramen in Atlanta

Alex and Jandira at Lifting Noodles Ramen

Alex and Jandira at PH’EAST

Alex and me at PH’EAST

Jandira and Alex

Jandira and Alex at the Battery in Atlanta

Arrival at the Courthouse

Alex & Jandira waiting to get married

Waiting to get married

Waiting….

me, Alex, Jandira and Mike at the Courthouse

Jandira & Alex, husband & wife

Jandira & Alex, married 🙂

Dinner at Ocean Pot Seafood Boiler

Alex and Jandira’s house in Marietta, GA

pretty flowers along another Reston walk

Adam with Maria and one of the girls

Mike at Wolf Trap

me at Wolf Trap

Our tickets

The Avett Brothers at Wolf Trap

dinner at Genki Izakaya

In June, I: Continued my walking and rowing workouts.Met my friend Leah at Hank’s Oyster Bar (her boyfriend had died right in front of her in some kind of seizure months before and she was trying to look forward and not dwell on her horrible loss). Walked with Mike 11.81 miles around Burke Lake and Mercer Lake from South Run, carrying 11.6lb for 7.75 miles; we celebrated with Thai food at Burapa Thai & Bar in Vienna. Got sick with an upper respiratory infection and bad cough and had to lay off my training for a week. Enjoyed another monthly Zoom call with my siblings. Voted in the Democratic Primary. Enjoyed a nice massage as I recovered from being ill. Had a nice dinner at Zenola Mediterranean Restaurant and then went to see SOJA / Protoje / Jessie Royal at Wolf Trap; SOJA, a group of guys from our area in Arlington, Virginia who do a smooth type of reggae, was the headliner. Had my hair straightened in preparation for 6 weeks of travel. Saw the Korean movie Past Lives at Angelika, during which I had a nice cry. Watched Love & Gelato (a rather silly movie) while I sewed my Camino de Santiago and Northern Virginia Hiking Club patches on my backpack. |*Venice, Italy*| Left for Italy on June 16, arriving in Venice on Saturday the 17th. Enjoyed a Prosecco and a meat, cheese and vegetable platter at Enoteca Al Prosecco in Venice and then napped on our first day, later going out to explore the Cannaregio neighborhood. Strolled through the labyrinth of pedestrian streets and canals of Venice to the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal, bought some marbled paper earrings, walked across sthe Ponte dell’Accademia and then visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection to peruse the fabulous collection of modern art and Edmondo Bacci: Energy and Light. Mixed my patterned knit dress with a floral Venetian scarf and felt like Rosealba in my favorite Italian movie, Bread & Tulips. We laughed when I noted that it was Father’s Day, yet I’d bought so much for myself; I insisted it had to make him happy to see me so stylish! Enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Birraria La Corte; best was the appetizer of burrata, zucchini with flowers, and pumpkin seeds. Eavesdropped on a bachelorette party of young women sitting behind us, complete with games and a tart with sparklers. Took the stifling vaporetto to Murano (where I bought Murano glass earrings) on Monday, and then another miserable vaporetto ride to Burano, famous for its colorful houses. Baked and sweated after being herded onto another vaporetto back to Venice for 40-50 minutes; I felt sick all over again and crashed in the apartment as Mike made a colorful version of Cacio e Pepe for dinner. Took the Vaporetto Line 1 on Tuesday from our Santa Croce neighborhood to St. Mark’s Square, sitting outdoors in the bow of the boat and seeing all the famous landmarks. Spent only a half hour at the crowded St. Mark’s Square, seeing the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, and The Bridge of Sighs, without going into a single building. Climbed the Scala Contarini del Bovolo, where a woman posed as if she were Rapunzel, without the long hair. Enjoyed dinner along a canal at Osteria ae Saracche and then took a half-hour gondola ride with Christian. |*Dolomites, Italy*| Left Venice Wednesday to go to Marco Polo Airport, where we picked up our rental car, a VW T-ROC and headed for the Dolomites. Walked around Lago di Misurina on our way to Dobbacio, awestruck by the jagged Dolomites all around us. Hiked the 10-11km hike on the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Trail, where the descents presented me with a real challenge but the views were magnificent. Walked around Lago di Braies on a cool overcast morning, where we found beaches with cairns, cows with cowbells and beautiful views all around. Explored the towns of Brunico and Innichen/San Candido near the Austrian border. Visited Cortina d’Ampezzo (“The Pearl of the Dolomites”) and then did a circuit hike at Cinque Torri dotted with trenches and bunkers in its open air WWI museum. Stayed in an adorable farmhouse apartment in Signato on the Renon plateau. Discovered my new favorite drink, the Hugo (Proscecco, lime and special juice), at Gasthaus Babsi in Oberbozen/Soprabolzano. Hiked the Panorama Trail and the Sunny-side Trail in Val di Funes with bucolic views of the Santa Maddalena Church sitting prettily in the countryside. Explored the town of Bolzano and then the Renon Plateau. Hiked the Alpe di Siusi in South Tyrol, the largest high alpine pasture in Europe. Drove on the Alto Adige Wine Road and stopped at Tiefenbrunner Winery, enjoying a charcuterie board and wine, on our way to Verona. |*Verona, Italy*| Met a nice Italian couple at Bistro Con Amore in Verona, Lorenzo and Cosette; in a mixture of Italian and English, we talked about where they were from and our travel plans. Visited the Verona Arena, a 30 AD amphitheater where later that night we saw (most of) the opera Aida, quite a modern-day extravaganza. Dropped into the crowded and overrated Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s house), climbed the Torre dei Lamberti for views over Verona and the countryside, visited the city’s modern art museum, and finally dropped into the Basilica di Sant’Anastasia. After our late opera night, we went on Friday morning, our last day in Verona, to visit Chiesa di San Fermo, stopped in a cafe for a long while to get out of the rain, crossed the Ponte Pietra at the northern end of the city, and finally dropped into the Duomo, Verona’s 12th C Romanesque cathedral which was extravagantly frescoed in the 16th-17th centuries. Read 4 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 29/56), with my favorite being The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen.

June bullet journal

me with Leah at Hank’s Oyster Bar

brunch at Hank’s Oyster Bar

me training at Burke Lake

Thai food at Burapa Thai & Bar

Me with Mike at Burapa Thai & Bar

Lake Anne during Pride week

me at Wold Trap for SOJA

Mike at Wolf Trap

Our ticket for SOJA

Jesse Royal at Wolf Trap

SOJA at Wolf Trap

Me at Dulles with my backpack

Canals in Santa Croce

me on a bridge in Cannaregio

Mike in Cannaregio

Cannaregio

me at a pasticceria

Venice

gondolas on the Grand Canal

Sculpture Garden at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

view of the Grand Canal from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Vasily Kandinsky, “Upward” 1929

Mike and his Basil Crush

me with Prosecco

Burrata, zucchini cream, laminated zucchini with flowers, and pumpkin seeds

me with Mike

me and a flower bower

Murano

Burano

The Doge’s Palace

The Bridge of Sighs

gondolas at St. Mark’s Square

St. Mark’s Basilica

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

another Venetian canal

Carvnevale mask shop

Mike in Santa Croce

me overlooking one of Venice’s charming canals

Christian, Mike and me

boats at Lago di Misurina

Dobbiaco/Toblach

Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Trail

Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Viewpoint

me at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Lago di Braies

cows at Lago di Braies

Capella di Maria

Mike at Lago di Braies

me in Brunico

Brunico

Innichen/San Candido

Innichen Abbey cemetery

Mike at Speckstube Eggerhof

Speckstube Eggerhof

view from Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cinque Torri

Kinig farmhouse

Santa Maddalena Church set against the Odle/Geisler Peaks

me in Val di Funes

interior of Santa Maddalena Church

Chiesetta di San Giovanni/ St. Johann Church

taking the cable car down to Bolzano

Bolzano/Bozen

Collalbo/Klobenstein

view from Rittner Horn

me with Mike at Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi

me at Alpe di Siusi

greeter at Alpe di Siusi

Mike at Sanon Hütte/Baita Sanon

me at Sanon Hütte/Baita Sanon with my Hugo

me with the Kinig pots & pans

In July, I: |*Bergamo & The Lakes, Italy*| Left Verona for Bergamo, stopping in a few towns on the shores of Lake Garda. Drove to Lago d’Iseo, where we took a ferry to Monte Isola and rode bicycles around the island. Took the funicular to Bergamo’s Cittá Alta, where we visited the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Duomo and enjoyed Bergamo’s famous pastry, “polenta e osei,” and pizzas at Il Fornaio. Perused the fabulous fine art at the Accademia Carrara in the lower town of Bergamo. |*Lucca & the Via Francigena, Italy*| Drove from Bergamo to Lucca where we settled in to wait for my friend Darina to arrive via Pisa from Slovakia. Sat at a café and watched while crews set up for that night’s concert by Billy Idol & Generation Sex, part of Lucca’s famous music festival. Met some Italian groupies of Billy Idol, who serenaded us with “White Wedding”; they had been to over 40 Billy Idol concerts in their lives. Picked up our pilgrim passports at the Lucca Cathedral Museum. Greeted Darina when she arrived from Pisa; she was bearing a gift from Slovakia, Tatratea (a tea liqueur with 52% alcohol content!). Rode bicycles around Lucca’s city walls. Said goodbye to Mike as he flew home from Pisa. Took two trains and an expensive taxi with Darina, skipping the first two stages of the Via Francigena, to Ponte a Cappiano, where we stayed in a pilgrim hostel inside of a bridge. Walked our first day along a brackish canal through wet grass to Fucecchio, where Darina put her wet shoes in the sun to dry. Took my eyes off the wet shoes for a few minutes, just long enough for a street sweeper to sweep them into a street sweeping machine; the two men refused to admit they had the shoes in the machine, but later Darina watched one of them on a pharmacy’s camera as he vigorously swept the shoes into the whirling brushes of the machine. Admired Darina’s “let-bygones-be-bygones” attitude about her lost shoes as she simply decided to walk the entire walk in her Tevas. Climbed uphill in extreme heat toward the looming hilltop town of San Miniato, only to be surprised to find an elevator that whisked us easily to the top of the town. Enjoyed Aperol Spritzes and a white truffle dish, and then visited the Duomo of Sant’ Assunta before taking an expensive taxi to a bus stop and then two buses to Gambassi Termi (again skipping an early stage of 26 km with no services). Stayed at a lovely pilgrim hostel, Ostello Sigerico, and enjoyed dinner with a group of pilgrims; this would be one of the few times we’d meet other pilgrims on our walk. Found a breast-feeding Virgin Mary fresco at a Sanctuary in Pancole. Relaxed after a long steep climb to a peak at Monastero di Bose, soaking up a cooling breeze before the long hot slog into San Gimignano with its 15 towers. Immersed myself in an amazing series of frescoes telling the entire Biblical story at the Duomo. Stayed at a monastery in Col di Val d’Elsa where I met Celeste from Angola, a nun who spoke Portuguese; I told her of my new daughter-in-law Jandira, who is also from Angola. Learned all about Collodi, the author of Pinocchio, in Colle di Val d’Elsa. Walked along the turquoise pools of the river Elsa and later in the hottest sun imaginable on a road between stone walls to the Abbadia d’Isola. Plodded along in the hot sun across a field toward Monteriggioni while Darina stopped under a tree and returned to the abbey; she just couldn’t walk anymore in the hot sun. Continued on to the lower town of Monteriggioni where I was told it was impossible to have a taxi pick up Darina from the abbey as taxis only drove from there to Siena. Felt gratitude for a young American guy, Declin, who volunteered to pick up Darina himself. Couldn’t muster the energy to walk 6km more to our Agricola, so we waited until 4:00 for the owner’s brother Alessandro to pick us up. Was basically “imprisoned” in a room full of junk at the Agricola, as the owner delivered us pizza and didn’t have any common area outside the room for us to sit. Spent two days in Siena, nursing a blister that I accidentally deroofed, hobbling around the Duomo, learning about St. Catherine of Siena, and enjoying Hugos with pears at the steep restaurant Zest. Enjoyed beautiful views of Tuscan cypress trees and met pilgrims Levona & William as we walked into Monteroni d’Arbia. Enjoyed beautiful sunflowers and great views until it got too hot; sought shade under a farmer’s storage shed and then suffered in extreme heat on our way over steep hills to Buonconvento. Walked in fog amidst vineyards and then suffered in intense heat on the way to San Quirico d’Orcia, where I arrived to find my bag hadn’t arrived and I couldn’t shower or change; felt ready to give up on the entire walk! Enjoyed a brief stop in the adorable hot spring town of Bagno Vignoni, where I tossed as many of my belongings as possible in the nearest trash can to lighten my load, including my night-time outfit, raincoat, knee brace and headlamp. Endured a miserable walk into Gallina with no shade in relentless sun and decided then I was going to take a taxi to skip the next two stages. Crossed over into Lazio, leaving Tuscany behind, and spent two nights in Acquapendente, where I had a lovely room with air conditioning and had one of my best meals ever at Bottega Maius L’Enoteca. Took a bus for half a stage and walked the other half to Bolsena where I had to walk on a busy road uphill way off the path to Agriturismo Riserva Montebello; I had to ask someone to pick up Darina in Bolsena since she had an allergic reaction or sun poisoning on her neck and was told by a doctor to stay out of the sun for two days. Learned of a miracle at the Church of Santa Cristina in Bolsena that led to the creation of the Feast of Corpus Christi. Cooled off in the catacombs of Saint Cristina, sat at a lakeside café, then took a bus to Montefiascone. Almost abandoned the entire walk in utter frustration when my backpack, sent through Bags-Free for a steep 30 euros, didn’t arrive until 5:00, which meant I couldn’t shower or change after our long hot walk. Saw great views of Lake Bolsena from Rocca dei Papi Park and ate another delectable truffle dish at Momma Poppa. Visited the Palazzo di Papi at Viterbo, and then enjoyed wine and calamari in the second largest city of our walk (after Lucca). Walked in the dark through the Etruscan Vie Cave (“excavated roads”); the path after that section was so miserable I vowed to never walk another step on the Via Francigena. Enjoyed a nice apartment with a bathtub in Vetralla. Took a bus to Capranica after deciding to officially become a PTP (Public Transportation Pilgrim). Stayed in Casa Zi’Pepe, one of the most perfectly outfitted apartments for pilgrims on our whole trip. Met Laura and Mike, two pilgrims from Towson, Maryland, in Monterosi; Laura had passed out on the path and had to be given an IV and hauled to the hospital by ambulance due to the extreme heat before Torrenieri (on the stage to San Quirico d’Orcia). Took a bus to Campagnano di Roma where, at the furthest end of town, we stayed in the tiniest place imaginable, Hostel Gheltrude, where we baked all afternoon. Walked carrying my pack to Formello since the temperature dropped and the distance was only 9km. Enjoyed the quiet and serene Santuario del Sorbo, where I got to rest for a long time while Darina prayed the rosary. Stayed again at the furthest end of town in a beautiful house with air conditioning that was sadly not fitted with pilgrim amenities. Took my last bus to La Giustiniana, a trashy suburb of Rome, where we stayed in the nice Resort La Rochhetta. |*Rome, Italy*| Walked into Rome with Darina, sending my pack ahead with Bags-Free as they were due to deliver my suitcase as well (They’d stored it in Rome since I left Lucca) to the Beehive Hostel. Caught our first sight of St. Peter’s Basilica from the trash-strewn Monte Mario Park. Walked down a series of switchbacks toward Rome when suddenly we found the path totally blocked near the bottom, causing us to have to slide down a steep hill to the switchback below. Arrived finally at St. Peter’s Square where we celebrated finishing this challenging walk and explored the Basilica after getting our Testimoniums. Checked in at the Beehive in Rome, where my suitcase and backpack had happily arrived, showered and went out to dinner to celebrate at the family-owned Trattoria dell’Omo. Slept in on my last day in Rome while Darina did touristy things. Lounged, wrote in my journal, shopped, ate Korean food, and visited Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Enjoyed one last dinner with Darina before I took off the next morning for the airport, arriving home at 3:00 p.m. on July 30 after a very challenging July!

July bullet journal

Bardolino

Monte Isola

Peschiera Maraglio

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

view of Città Alta

walkway from Città Alta to the Lower Town

view of the Lower Town as we descended

Accademia Carrara

Saint Appollinia Blinded by Giovanni d’Alemagna 1440-1445

Saint Jerome Extracting the Thorn from the Lion’s Paw by Pittore lombardo o ligure 1465-1475

Accademia Carrara

Naoki Ishikawa

Mike, me and Darina bikeriding in Lucca

leaving Ponte a Cappiano

walking to San Gimignano

San Gimignano

Darina crosses the Elsa River outside of Colle di Val d’Elsa

signposts

beautiful Siena

line of cypress trees near Monteroni d’Arbia

on the way to Buonconvento

drooping sunflower

the long hot walk from Torrenieri to San Quirico d’Orcia

Bagno Vignoni

church in Aquapendente

Darina in Aquapendente

the long hot walk to Bolsena

me at Agriturismo la Riserva Montebello outside of Bolsena

Bolsena

Montefiascone

Viterbo

Etruscan Vie Cave outside of Viterbo

the miserable olive orchards on the way to Vetralla

“Sogni di Luce” in Capranica

me, Laura, Mike and Darina in Monterossi

Campagnono di Roma

walking to Formello

La Giustiniana

first view of Rome from Monte Mario Park

Darina & me at St. Peter’s Square

me with Darina at St. Peter’s Square

my Testimonium

St. Peter’s Basilica

the Swiss Guard at St. Peter’s Basilica

celebratory dinner at Trattoria dell’Omo

Korean lunch at Gainn

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Darina’s gift to me: a little change purse

In August, I: Settled back in at home after my six-week trip to Italy. Enjoyed my monthly sibling Zoom call. Got back into my walking and yoga groove and had a pedicure to make my beaten-up feet look halfway presentable. Enjoyed the movie Shortcomings at Cinema Arts and had Indian food at Curry Mantra. Enjoyed our first taste of Darina’s Tatratea gift on our screened porch. Welcomed Alex and Jandira home for a week-long visit. Visited the farmer’s market with the newlyweds. Felt upset and shaken that Alex had a car accident, damaging his car but luckily not hurting himself or his friend Nick; felt thankful Jandira wasn’t in the car. Took Alex’s car to a shop to make sure it was drivable to Atlanta, without fixing the body damage. Went to dinner at Arties with Mike, Jandira & Alex and then played Codenames after. Enjoyed Alex and Jandira’s baby shower with lots of generous guests and family members (my sister Joan and my daughter Sarah came from long distances). Handed over my 10-year-old Toyota Corolla to Alex and Jandira to drive home to Atlanta. Got a quote to fix the body of Alex’s car and found it would be $5,000 because he didn’t have collision insurance; we debated whether it was worth fixing. Enjoyed a concert at Wolf Trap, listening and dancing to Juanes, a fabulous 51-year-old Colombian singer. Went car shopping with Mike to replace my Corolla and came home with a cute brand new Ford Bronco Heritage. Celebrated my new car with a dinner at Kob Kun Thai. Welcomed Alex back home as he flew up from Atlanta to drive his damaged Mazda down to Atlanta so they would have two cars. Started up my rowing classes again. Enjoyed sushi at Ariake. Went to see Oppenheimer, a fabulous movie. Finished watching the TV series Beef, with an ending that surprised us. Read 7 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 36/56), with my favorites being The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin, Eternal by Lisa Scottoline, and The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani.

August bullet journal

Mike and me at Curry Mantra

trying Darina’s Tatratea

Mike and Tatratea

Mike and his Aperol Spritz concoction

Alex and Jandira at the Farmer’s Market

me with Mike at Arties

Jandira and Alex at Arties

all of us at Arties

My seared tuna salad at Arties

Alex and Jandira at the baby shower

Jandira, her work friends, and Alex

Welcome Allie cake

Alex and Jandira

Mike, Jandira, Alex, Sarah and me

Jandira, Alex and Sarah

Joan, Alex, Jandira and me

Joan, Alex, Jandira, and Barbara

me at Wolf Trap

Juanes concert at Wolf Trap

a selfie at Wolf Trap

Juanes concert at Wolf Trap

me with my Bronco Sport Heritage

me at Kob Kun Thai

Mike at Kob Kun Thai

Soft-shelled crabs at Kob Kun Thai

Mike’s meal at Kob Kun

mug shot of a former president

me at Ariake

Mike at Ariake

In September, I: Walked, did yoga, rowing and weight-lifting at the gym in my never-ending pursuit of weight loss. Enjoyed dirty martinis on our deck on a cool evening. Got a COVID booster (#6 shot) and a flu shot. Celebrated my sister-in-law’s birthday at Pisco y Nazca, a new Peruvian Gastrobar. Finished the bookings for our October trip to Atlanta, Texas and New Mexico. Took the Acela Amtrak to New Haven Connecticut for my nephew Seth’s wedding festivities; he married Allie, whose family is from that area. Imbibed in cocktails and loud conversation at a Guilford Mooring cocktail party. Walked around the campus of Yale University, ate a lobster roll at Seven Seas in Milford, and enjoyed ice cream at Ashley’s Ice Cream in Guilford. Celebrated the beautiful wedding of Seth and Allie at Owenego Inn and Beach Club in Branford. Joined Weight Watchers on the train back home. Enjoyed Thai food at Sisters Thai. Finally finished watching the old TV series, Six Feet Under (since I’d never seen the last two seasons, we started from the beginning), loving the last scene of the series finale. Streamed the movies No Hard Feelings and Love at First Sight, and saw My Sailor My Love at Cinema Arts Theatre, topping off the evening with sushi from Yama Chen. Wrapped up watching the series finales of Doc Martin and Breeders. Finished 6 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 42/56), my favorite being The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards.

September bullet journal

me with two dirty martinis on the deck

Mike on the deck

Barbara at Pisco y Nazca for her birthday

Pisco y Nazca

me at Reston Town Center

Mike getting his shoes shined at Union Station

me with Mike on the Acela to New Haven

Mike at Ayuthai Royal Thai Cuisine in Branford, CT

me at Ayuthai

Guilford Mooring

me in the middle with my sister Joan on the right

Mike at Guilford Mooring

Allie, the bride-to-be

Yale University

me at Seven Seas Restaurant

Lobster Roll

Mike with his fish sandwich

Seven Seas Restaurant

Ashley’s Ice Cream

drawing at Ashley’s Ice Cream

Ashley’s Ice Cream

me at the Owenego Inn & Beach Club

my sister Joan walks Seth down the aisle

Allie and her father

Seth and Allie bombarded with flower petals

Elliott, Seth’s nephew, who was ring bearer

me with Joan

Dave, Cooper, Elliott and Kelsey

Seth and Allie

Steve and Joan

Allie’s grandfather’s boat moored offshore

Owenego Inn & Beach Club

Seth and Allie dancing

Joan and her friends at the wedding

dinner at Sisters Thai

Mike at Sisters Thai

me at Yama Chen

Mike at Yama Chen

In October, I: |*Atlanta, Georgia*| Drove with Mike down to Atlanta, stopping in Greenville, South Carolina, where we strolled around Falls Park on the Reedy. Stayed in an Airbnb near Marietta Square in Atlanta for 9 nights, while we waited for our new granddaughter to come into this world. Had tacos at Taqueria Tsunami with the expectant parents. Took many morning walks around Marietta since Mike was working remotely the whole time we were in Atlanta. Visited Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and learned of the last battle of the Civil War before Sherman marched to Atlanta and burned it down. Welcomed little Alexandra Olivia (Allie) into the world on Thursday morning, October 5 at 7:38 a.m. (She was a healthy 7 lb 15 oz and 21 ½ inches long). Had dinner with Mike C. and his friend Nancy at Ray’s on the River. Visited the Atlanta History Center, where we admired the huge late-19^th-century “Cyclorama,” depicting the Civil War battle fought July 22, 1864. Took pizza to the new little family once they were released from the hospital and played Code Names while taking turns holding Allie. Visited World of Coca Cola, and learned how “the company imagery has tried to capture the lifestyles of the day while reminding us that Coke is a natural companion to good times.” Visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Birth Home where we learned of Martin’s shenanigans and his maternal grandparents. Paid our respects at the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Reflecting Pool at the King Center. Climbed to the top of Kennesaw Mountain, with Mike, for views of Atlanta. Went with the new parents and little Allie in her stroller to Marietta Square Market for Allie’s first night on the town. Accompanied Jandira to her post natal and new baby doctor visits. Enjoyed tapas with Mike at Silla de Toro in Marietta Square. Took take-out sushi to Alex and Jandira’s house and played Ticket to Ride and took turns oohing and aahing over Allie. Stopped at the convenience store of all convenience stores, Buc’ee’s, and at Vicksburg National Military Park on our way to Shreveport, Louisiana. |*Texas*| Took a pontoon boat ride on Caddo Lake, Texas, admiring the bayou atmosphere with its bald cypress trees, Spanish moss, water lilies, and water hyacinths. Spent a fun time perusing the Jefferson General Store where we bought foodstuffs and other items on our way to Austin. Visited the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Museum & Library in Austin and learned all about LBJ and Lady Bird and all the positive contributions the president made to our society. Stopped, after eating Kimchi fries at Chi’lantro, at the Texas State Capitol, the 6^th tallest state capitol in the country. Visited the colorful Mexic-Arte Museum with its many exhibits on Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Enjoyed strolling around South Congress Avenue, dropping into the funky shops and eating dinner at Magnolia Café. Drove through the LBJ Ranch and then hung out in Luckenbach, where we watched the annular solar eclipse and immersed ourselves in hundreds of slivers of sunlight. Listened to the fabulous music of ShAnnie and sampled wine at Texas Heritage Vineyard. Wandered Main Street in Fredericksburg, where we shopped and ate dinner at Ausländer Biergarten. Hiked to the summit of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area north of Fredericksburg. Spent three nights at Chisos Mountains Lodge in Big Bend National Park, where we hiked the Window Trail and the Santa Elena Canyon Trail and dipped into the hot springs of the Rio Grande. Checked out the ghost town of Terlingua and its cemetery. Stopped in Marfa and at Prada Marfa, both rather disappointing. |*New Mexico*| Took some short walks at Guadalupe Mountains National Park and then to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, where we descended over a mile and wandered deep inside the earth through The Big Room (4,000 feet long). Watched several hundred thousand bats swirl out of the cave entrance at dusk for their nightly feeding. Stopped in the cute mountain town of Cloudcroft on our way to White Sands National Park, where we were nearly blinded by the white sand dunes made of gypsum crystals. Stopped at the cute town of Ruidoso on our way to Santa Fe, where we did some more shopping. J Moved into a beautiful Airbnb in Santa Fe. Visited Pecos National Historical Park and Los Alamos, where the first nuclear bomb was made. Stopped at Bandelier National Monument, once home to the Ancestral Pueblo people. Enjoyed the huge art collection, nearly 600 art works valued at over $5 million, at the New Mexico Capitol (The Roundhouse). Visited the oldest church, the oldest house, and the staircase built by a mysterious carpenter at the Loretto Chapel. Saw the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy (the subject of Willa Cather’s novel Death Comes for the Archbishop) in the late 19^th century. Visited the New Mexico Museum of Art with its gorgeous adobe building and quintessentially New Mexican art collection. Took a fabulous tour of Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiu, ate delicious chile cheeseburgers at Bode’s, and then went to Ghost Ranch (O’Keeffe’s summer home). Visited the San Francisco Asis Church in Taos and then drove across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, stopping to visit the Earthships while there. Went on my birthday to Taos Pueblo, which reminded me of Omani ruins, and the oft-photographed San Geronimo Church. Did more shopping at Taos Plaza. Celebrated my 68^th birthday at the Love Apple in Taos. Visited the beautiful El Santuario de Chimayó on our way to Albuquerque. Explored old Route 66 signs, took the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of Sandia Peak and hiked along the ridge trail. Visited the ebullient Tinker Town Museum, with its multitudes of tiny mechanized dioramas. Wandered around Albuquerque Old Town and the Albuquerque Museum, with its excellent Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit. |*Illinois*| Said goodbye to Mike as he flew home while I set out to drive from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City to Murphysboro, IL over two days. Stayed two nights with my sister there and enjoyed a Thai meal out with her before driving two more days to get home. Finished 2 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 44/56), my favorites being Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather and Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg.

October bullet journal

Falls on the Reedy in Greenville, SC

theater in Marietta Square

Jandira & Alex

mural in Marietta Square

Mike, Alex and Allie

Jandira & Allie

Allie

Marietta Square

Allie

Mike with Allie

Alex, Allie and Jandira

sweet little Allie

World of Coca-Cola

The King Center

Tombs of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King

walking on Kennesaw Mountain

little Allie

Allie

me, Mike and Allie

me with Allie

Jandira, Alex and Allie

Jandira & Allie

Alex, Jandira and Mike playing Ticket to Ride

Vicksburg National Military Park

Caddo Lake, TX

Jefferson General Store, TX

Lady Bird Johnson at the Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library and Museum

Mike getting the Johnson treatment

Texas State Capitol

Mexic-Arte in Austin

mural on South Congress, Austin

LBJ Ranch

Me with Mike watching the annular solar eclipse in Luckenbach

me at Texas Heritage Winery in Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, TX

me at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Mike at Big Bend National Park, TX

Big Bend National Park

me at Luckenbach covered in eclipse shadows

Me at the Window

Mike at the Window

Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend

the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park

Hot Springs Trail, Big Bend

me at Chisos Mountains Lodge, Big Bend

Mike at Chisos Mountains Lodge, Big Bend

Big Bend National Park

Terlingua Ghost Town

Terlingua Cemetery

Hotel Paisano, Marfa, TX

Marfa, TX

Prada Marfa

The Pinery Butterfield State Station Ruins at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX

Frijole Ranch at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

me at Tom & Pam Runyon Ranches

Mike in Cloudcroft

me in Cloudcroft

Mike at White Sands National Park

me at White Sands National Park

White Sands National Park

Ruidoso

me at Pecos National Historical Park

Pecos National Historical Park

Robert J. Oppenheimer’s house at Los Alamos

Bandelier National Monument

New Mexico State Capitol (The Roundhouse) in Santa Fe

art at The Roundhouse

me with a sculpture at The Roundhouse

Loretto Chapel

New Mexico Museum of Art

Santa Fe

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe

mural in Española

the famous door in Georgia O’Keeffe’s house

kitchen in Georgia O’Keeffe’s house

courtyard in Georgia O’Keeffe’s house

view from Georgia O’Keeffe’s house

Abiquiu Inn

view of river in Abiquiu

Classical Gas Museum on way to Taos

our Taos Airbnb

Orlando’s in Taos

San Francisco de Asis Church

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Rio Grande Gorge

Taos Pueblo

Geronimo Church at Taos Pueblo

me at Taos Pueblo

Geronimo Church at Taos Pueblo

horses near Taos

a shopping spree for my birthday in Taos

Mabel Dodge Luhan House

mural in Taos

me at the Love Apple on my 68th birthday

The Love Apple

High Road from Taos

San Jose de Gracia Catholic Church

El Santuario de Chimayó

Route 66 sign in Albuquerque

Sandia Peak

Mike at Sandia Peak

Sandia Peak

Tinkertown Museum

me having dinner at Tomasita’s

Day of the Dead at Old Town Albuquerque

Old Town Albuquerque

Albuquerque Museum

Day of the Dead in Old Town Albuquerque

Old Route 66

Kimo Theatre

Mike at Duran’s Pharmacy

Duran’s Pharmacy

Steph’s village

me with Steph at Thai

In November, I: Left my sister Stephanie’s house and drove from Murphysboro, IL to Abingdon, VA and then home in two days. Went to Kalypso’s for lunch with Mike on a lovely fall day. Worried about my brother who was admitted to the hospital after having lost his eyesight; luckily he was released after they sorted out his medications. Went on an outing with Mike in my new Ford Bronco to drive the gravel roads of Loudoun County. Had lunch at Puccio’s New York Deli, stopped at Hiddencroft Vineyards, where we drank wine out by the fire pit, and then Corcoran Vineyards & Cider where we shared Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie and Peach Cobbler ciders. Went out for sushi and ramen at Ariake to celebrate our 35^th (28^th) anniversary. Had a lovely dinner out at Bollywood Bistro. Enjoyed a nice long chat with my friend Jayne in Jersey. Had a lovely but small Thanksgiving with Mike’s sister Barbara. Spent Thanksgiving Day, after eating a huge feast, playing Ticket to Ride. Talked to all three of my adult children by FaceTime and got to see little Allie with her chubby cheeks. Met my friend Leah at Mon Ami Gabi in Reston for drinks and brunch and then drove her to my house to meet Mike, where we had more mimosas. Read 6 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 50/56), with my favorites being The Removes by Tatjana Soli and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Finished watching the series Deadwind and A French Village. Started watching new seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Crown, and The Morning Show. Enjoyed watching the limited series Becoming Frida and started Lessons in Chemistry.

November bullet journal

Halloween decorations in Reston

a quilt exhibit at Reston Community Center

me at Kalypso

Mike at Kalypso

my favorite thing at Kalypso- halloumi cheese platter

Alex and Allie in Atlanta

drinking Darina’s Tatratea from Slovakia

horses, big & tiny, in Loudoun County

roads of Loudoun County

me with my Bronco Sport in Loudoun County

Mike at Hiddencroft Vineyards

me at Hiddencroft Vineyards

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider

Mike at Corcoran Vineyards & Cider

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider

leaves of fall

fall aflame

Ariake ramen

me at Ariake for our anniversary

Mike at Ariake

more fall color

me at Bollywood Bistro

our Thanksgiving meal

Mike and me at Thanksgiving

Barbara and Mike at Thanksgiving

brunch with Leah at Mon Ami Gabi

brunch at Mon Ami Gabi

In December, I: Continued my rowing classes, yoga and walking. FaceTimed Adam in Nicaragua to wish him a happy 31st birthday. Went to Merrifield Garden Center with Mike in hopes of finally transitioning to an artificial Christmas tree but were shocked at the prices ($500-1000!) for scrawny-looking trees. Ended up buying a live tree as we always have, still at an outrageous price (prices for trees have doubled in two years!). Wandered through the Herndon Winter Markt, had tacos at bartaco, and strolled around Reston Town Center to see the Christmas tree, lights and ice skaters. Met Poonam for lunch at Amma in Vienna, VA. Ventured to Luckett’s, where I bought a whole forest and deer display for my mantel, and decorated the tree while listening to Christmas carols and imbibing in spiked egg nog. Had dinner at Enatye Ethiopian and then wandered around the new Barnes & Noble in Reston. Welcomed Alex, Jandira and Allie when they drove up from Atlanta for the holiday, and then picked up Sarah at the train station as she came from Virginia Beach. Walked with Alex and Allie on the gravel trail in the neighborhood and topped off our day with pizza and chocolate cherry martinis. Took a walk with the whole family around Lake Anne on Christmas Eve. Enjoyed a lovely Christmas Day, with little Allie having the best Christmas ever without even realizing it. Read 6 books out of my goal of 56 for the year (bringing my total to 56/56), some 17,368 pages, with my favorites being The Painter by Peter Heller and That Summer’s Trance by J.R. Salamanca. Enjoyed watching the movie Fallen Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet) at Cinema Arts Theatre. Planned an evening at Inca Social for New Year’s Eve, but we certainly wouldn’t stay up until midnight to welcome in the New Year!

display at Merrifield Garden Center

me at Merrifield

Herndon Winter Markt

Mike with a tequila flight at bartaco

bartaco

me with cava at bartaco

Reston Town Center Christmas tree

me in front of the Reston Town Center tree

skating rink at Reston Town Center

Reston Town Center lights

Alex, Mike & Allie at Kennesaw Mountain

Jandira, Alex and Allie at Kennesaw Mountain

Dido visiting Allie in Atlanta

Alex and Allie in Atlanta

me at Enatye Ethiopian

Mike at Enatye Ethiopian

Our Christmas tree

reindeer in the forest

our mantle

Allie comes to visit

me, Allie and Alex

Alex and Allie

Alex and me drinking chocolate cherry martinis

Dido and Allie

Allie checks out her stocking

Sarah, Jandira, Allie, Alex and Mike

Sarah, Jandira, Allie, Alex and me

Sarah and OmBaked

Allie rides her first horse

Jandira, Alex and Allie

Jandira, me and Sarah

Mike and me

sunbather in bikini

Alex, Allie and Jandira

me at Lake Anne

Mike and Sarah

Sarah, Allie and Alex

me with Mike

Jandira, Allie and Alex

Jandira, me and Sarah

Allie with some of her gifts

Alex and Allie

Alex, Jandira, me and Sarah

Alex, Allie and Jandira

me and Mike

Adam’s family on Christmas Day in Nicaragua: Maria, Cristy, Johnny, Andrea, Mia and Adam

Allie sits on Dido’s lap while we watch Seinfeld

Allie and Dido

Dido and Allie

me, Dido and Allie

Allie

me holding Allie

Here are some of my previous years’ recap posts. I now wish I had one for every year of my life, as they serve as great reminders of my adventures, joys, challenges, and tribulations in years past!

Here’s wishing everyone a Happy New Year in 2024!

my top ten books of 2023

wanderessence1025 December 30, 2023

I choose many of my books for the year either based on my planned travels for the year, or from my huge collection. On this year’s list, I picked books that take place in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Italy, Texas, and New Mexico. I read 56 books in total, with one taking place in Nicaragua, one in Costa Rica, 14 in Italy, 4 in Texas, and 5 in New Mexico, in all some 17,368 pages. No wonder I can’t get much else done!

Books read in 2023

Here, you can see my 2023 Year in Books.

Valentine, Blood of Brothers and Crossing to Safety

1) Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore (Texas, USA) *****

I love the way this tense and haunting tale is told. In alternating chapters, moving forward in time, from different points of view, it captures the different perspectives of several women and young girls in a small desolate west Texas town during an oil boom in the 1970s. Gloria Ramírez, a young Mexican girl is brutally attacked and raped by a white worker from the oil fields. From out in the desolate oil fields, as her attacker sleeps off his drunken stupor, she somehow stumbles to a farmhouse where Mary Rose lives with her daughter and baby, and where Mary Rose’s husband is struggling with a failing cattle operation. We see the fallout from Gloria’s attack from the women of Odessa, who are generally more sympathetic to Gloria, and the men of the town, who are sympathetic to Dale Strickland, the rapist (the old ‘men will be men’ and ‘she asked for it by getting in his car’ excuses). The characters in this book are artfully drawn and the story pulls you in quickly and doesn’t release its tenacious hold until the end.

Elizabeth Wetmore has graphically depicted the barren Texas landscape, the patriarchal attitudes of the men of Texas, and the racist sentiments toward brown people, especially Mexicans. She captures not only a moment in time, but the long history of Texas, in this engaging yet infuriating book.

2) Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua by Stephen Kinzer *****

This is a fabulous history of Nicaragua in the 1970s and 1980s. Though the book leaves off with the 1990 election of Violeta Chamorro, Kinzer has added an afterword from 2007. Still, a lot has changed since then, and I’d love to see a follow-up book discussing the last 16 years in Nicaragua and especially the current government under the authoritarian Daniel Ortega.

In this well-written book, Kinzer discusses everything from the Sandinista overthrow of the Somoza regime to the new government’s utter inability to govern once they took power to the United States’ and Ronald Reagan’s determination to get rid of the Marxist Sadinista government by funding the contras in what turned out to be a long and bloody civil war where thousands of Nicaraguans lost their lives. The book reads like a thriller in some ways; anyway it’s a tale that isn’t easily set aside. I wish I’d paid more attention to the situation in Nicaragua when it was happening in the 1980s, but like many Americans, I had my head buried in the sand when it came to foreign affairs. Shame on me. This book is a fabulous rendering of a time of tragic upheaval for a small country that was never a serious threat to the United States. It never should have been treated as one. Blood of Brothers only solidifies my view of the United States as a big bully, and I’m an American.

3) Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner (Vermont, USA) *****

Whenever I see Wallace Stegner’s name, a warm feeling comes over me. His name and some world he conjured come to me in a vague sense; I feel that I’ve read him before and loved him, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was I read. So I decided I had better dive in and see if one of his books is the one I read so long ago that I fondly remember.

Crossing to Safety is not the book I remember reading, but I loved it just the same. It’s a quiet novel about two married couples and their decades-long friendship. It has been said it’s the most autobiographical of Stegner’s novels. Despite it seeming on the surface as a quiet novel, there is plenty of tension underneath. Larry and Sally, Charity and Sid. Sid has a huge trust fund, Charity married into it. Sid is a poet, a gentle soul, a man who is content with dawdling and enjoying life, but Charity has big plans for him, for their lives, for everyone’s lives in her orbit. She is a driving force in the novel, and Larry observes her, appreciates her and at the same time judges her. Sally accepts everyone and everything, including her polio that has made her life, and Larry’s, a hardship – and a blessing.

The novel explores marriage and friendship and all the complications therein. Marriage is negotiation, domination, subservience, push and pull. Friendship is gratitude, jealousy, obligation, annoyance and love. Stegner navigates, probes and exposes the complications and the joys of both. What an amazing storyteller.

The Atomic Weight of Love, It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War, and Olive Kitteridge

4) The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church (Los Alamos, New Mexico) *****

I loved this book about a young woman, Meridian, who was studying to be an ornithologist at the University of Chicago in 1941, near the beginning of World War II. She meets and falls in love with a physicist, Alden Whetstone, and eventually marries him and follows him to Los Alamos, NM, where he is working on a top secret project. She subjugates her dreams to his and becomes his supporter throughout his tenure at Los Alamos. Though he had fallen in love with her for her intelligence and curiosity, once they were married, Alden seldom seemed to appreciate Meri’s intellect. She struggles throughout to find her place in the world. She doesn’t want to have children and she feels she doesn’t fit in with the other wives. She continues her observations of crows in a journal, but not using strict scientific methods. Yet through her studies, and through another man she meets who is twenty years her junior, Clay, she comes to learn about life, sexuality, ambition, and individuality. This story is well written and carried me alongside Meridian’s life effortlessly. Fabulous!

5) It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario (all over the world) *****

This is an amazing memoir by photojournalist Lynsey Addario, who has continuously shown determination under extreme conditions to document the plight of people caught up in war. She documents front line battles, war casualties, desperate refugees, suffering populations such as drug addicts and trans-people, and civilian suffering so that the world can see the truth of what is happening. Her work is ultimately about bringing the truth to light and informing policy decisions.

I think there is an adrenaline surge for people who work in war zones. It must be hard to live a quiet humdrum life after the thrill and terror of being on the front line and seeing death and destruction all around. War takes its toll on many journalists, however, and many have lost their lives or limbs while reporting, filming or taking photos. Lynsey herself endured two kidnappings and was lucky she made it without being killed. She wanted to figure out if she could ever live a normal life, while being married and having a child, and still maintain her independence and her professional life in dangerous places. I think it’s an ongoing struggle for her, as for any journalist, but we can certainly be thankful for the sacrifices Addario makes in bringing the horrors of this world into our consciousness. All my gratitude goes out to journalists and photojournalists like the author.

6) Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Maine, USA) *****

This is a fabulous book and Olive Kitteridge is a most interesting and complex character. We see her from her own point of view, but also from the points of view of the townspeople in Crosby, Maine. I usually dislike interlinked stories that pose as novels, but this one is perfect. Elizabeth Strout is such a deft and accomplished writer that she knows exactly the details and interactions to show. Every detail, every story, has a purpose, not only to reveal the characters in the town, and their own relationships apart from Olive Kitteridge, but to reveal how Olive Kitteridge fits (or doesn’t fit) into their lives. How they see her tells so much about her. Some people dislike her, some find her annoying, some respect her. Her son finds her difficult and avoids her, pushes her out of his life actually, but she loves him fully, with all her heart. Yet, she seems to do things wrong in relationships. She often bungles them by being moody, judgmental, irritable, harsh. She also has a kindness about her that some people, not all, but enough, recognize.

We are all complex characters in our stories. In our quotidian lives, we do the best we can. Sometimes what we do is very good and meaningful, other times utterly inconsequential. Sometimes we are kind, loving, tactful, or quietly observant; other times we are harsh, judgmental, mean-spirited, outspoken, tactless. It’s no wonder this book about everyday people living their everyday lives won the Pulitzer Prize. It deserves it. It describes us all perfectly.

Death Comes for the Archbishop, The Removes, and The Four Winds

7) Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (Santa Fe, New Mexico) *****

This is a beautifully written novel about the life and career of the first Archbishop in the New Mexican Territory, based on the true story of Jean-Baptiste Lamy (October 11, 1814 – February 13, 1888), a French-American Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not only does Willa Cather bring to life the challenges and hardships faced by Catholic missionaries in the mid to late 19th century, but she brings the New Mexican landscape, as well as the Mexicans and Indians who lived there, to life. The territory becomes a character in and of itself. The other beauty of the book lies in the deep and abiding friendship between the Archbishop and his French-American friend and fellow priest, Father Valliant in the novel. Father Valliant would go on to become Bishop in Denver during the Gold Rush years under the Archbishop’s orders. Their separation would prove to be a great hardship for the Archbishop in his later years.

This beautiful story left me yearning to visit Santa Fe and see the cathedral that Jean-Baptiste Lamy built there.

8) Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg (Kindle) (Connecticut, USA) *****

I loved the way the author came to this story from the back end, revealing each person’s story in the present (after the fire), the near distant past (around the time of the horrific accident), and the far distant past ( the evolution of their relationships). The story centered around a woman, June, whose house burned down from a gas explosion the night before her daughter’s wedding. In the house were June’s ex-husband Adam, her daughter Lolly and her fiancé, Will, and June’s much younger black lover, Luke. June happens to be out of the house when it happens, and after the funerals, she numbly leaves town with the clothes on her back. Slowly the lives come into perspective: Luke’s long-estranged mother Lydia, a young boy who works for Luke in his landscaping business, Silas, and the gay owners of a hotel in Washington State. And the Connecticut town is a character itself: it is a town where rich New Yorkers come for weekends, and where the townspeople provide services for the weekenders.

The book, despite the tragedy, has a quiet quality to it, and it works well. I loved it.

9) The Removes by Tatjana Soli (Western USA) *****

I loved this historical novel set during the late 1800s in the Western territories of the U.S. It tells alternating but related stories of General George Armstrong and Libbie Custer, and also the story of 15-year-old Ann Cummins (the numbered “Removes”), who is abducted by the Cheyenne after they slaughter her family; she spends many years in captivity and has two children while living with the tribe.

Libbie is deeply in love with Custer, who gives her some of the grandest adventures of her life yet, at the same time, causes her great hardship and pain, especially as Custer is a womanizer and is morally bankrupt in too many ways to count. The complicated relationship between white settlers and the U.S. government and the Native Americans is conveyed here with fairness and sympathy for the plight of the people of this country who lived off the land and whose lands were forcefully taken from them. Their way of life was methodically destroyed by the malevolent force of the U.S. government, which never adhered to the agreements they made with the Native American tribes.

In the grand sweep of history are individuals, and it is these people who Tatjana Soli imagines so fully and realistically. Not only did I learn a lot from reading this historical novel, but I developed an interest in this whole period that made me want to learn more.

10) The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (Texas & California, USA) *****

I really loved this book about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. I agree with some of the reviews that poor Elsa Martinelli had so much suffering heaped up her, everything that happened during this period of history, but I still found it fascinating and feel like I learned much about the period of time and the suffering that so many people went through. Even if Elsa is a conglomerate character, the book still tells much about the period and the kind of people who managed to survive, and those who died as well.

It’s the American myth: never accept handouts no matter how much you need them; if you work hard enough you will be okay; never go on strike because that makes you a Communist. All falsehoods that people in this country have touted since the day I was born and since the country’s founding. Elsa said she’d keep working hard and all would be fine. It wasn’t. Elsa refused to accept handouts – until she had to in order to survive. Elsa thought she could never go on strike because that would make her a Communist – well if weren’t for socialist-leaning government programs, the greed of corporations would continue to run people into the ground. Hard lessons learned. I’ve always believed the main purpose of government is to alleviate the worst abuses of capitalism. And with the greed that runs rampant in this country, it is more vital than ever that government and unions take up the cause of the poor.

It is all great food for thought in this sweeping novel. I truly found myself unable to put it down.

The Painter

AND one bonus book:

11) The Painter by Peter Heller (Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico) *****

I loved this painterly and intense book about Jim Stegner, a painter who composes whimsical scenes; his paintings become darker after he’s disposed of a brutish man, Dellwood, who he encounters brutally beating a mare near one of his favorite fishing spots. Jim has a history of violent impulses and had actually shot a drunken man who spoke provocatively about his only daughter, Alce, in a bar. Jim carries huge burdens in the good memories he has of his daughter, and in the unforgivable last conversation he had with her before she was murdered while buying drugs. He has lost his wife Christine and is alone, having escaped Santa Fe to live near the Gunnison in Colorado. When he is called by his agent to return to Santa Fe for a lucrative commission, he grudgingly returns as he hates the pretentiousness of the art scene there. But there are people after him, Dellwood’s brother, Grant, and another man Jason, as well as law enforcement from both Colorado and New Mexico.

The writing in this book is so poetic and the scenes Heller depicts of Colorado and New Mexico are evocative and true to the places. You can’t help but feel sympathy for Jim, even though his dark impulses take over too often.

via francigena: siena -> monteroni d’arbia -> buonconvento

wanderessence1025 December 27, 2023

Thursday, July 13: We started this morning at 5:35 am and walked through Siena to the Piazza del Campo. Facing the Mangia Tower, we headed left on Via Rinaldi and in one block turned right on one of Siena’s main pedestrian streets, Via Banchi di Sotto. If not for our guidebook we would certainly have had trouble finding our way out of the city as there were no sign markers at all. The road turned into Via Roma and we exited through the Porta Romana. Soon we crossed the SR2, one of many encounters we’d have with the historic Via Cassia, originally built by the Romans to connect Rome and Florence. We descended on asphalt between stone and brick walls and soon two young Italian women from Verona sped past us. Another woman from Netherlands marched past us and said, in an unfriendly way to me, “Are you an American?” I said yes. She said nothing and continued on her way.

Piazza del Campo in Siena

Piazza del Campo

Mangia Tower

Darina at Piazza del Campo

me at Piazza del Campo

Darina and me at Piazza del Campo

Darina walks out Porta Romana

me walking through Porta Romana

Porta Romana

Siena behind us

We walked through olive orchards and could see the Tuscan countryside and Siena behind us. We descended steeply down a gravel road. We passed a wrecking yard and a landscape industrial yard, then walked for a long while on a path between a highway to our right and the railroad track to our left.

We continued past car dealerships and warehouses with loud heavy trucks roaring past. It was funny because Darina had said how it was strange we hadn’t passed through any industrial areas and then suddenly we were in the midst of the Industrial Zone of Isola d’Arbia.

In the industrial area we found our first bar of the day after 9km and stopped for cappuccino and a croissant 🥐 with jam. I changed the bandage on my blister; luckily it hadn’t been causing me much pain.

Tuscan countryside

Isola d’Arbia

bar in Isola d’Arbia

After that we had to walk on the road with no shoulder and busy fast cars on the Via Cassia into the actual town of Isola d’Arbia. It is a town that has maybe NEVER seen better days.

The industrial part of this stage was unpleasant but the saving grace was that it was cloudy ⛅️ for once so the sun wasn’t beating down on us.

An ugly eyesore on the landscape was an unfinished metal and concrete tower that was originally meant to freeze-dry tomatoes. It was never finished but was visible on the landscape during most of our walk.

Then we walked along alfalfa fields and then into fields, rolling hills and cypress trees. Just before Ponte a Tressa, we found a shaded bench where we had apples and bananas. We walked briefly through the quiet town and then through more fields of alfalfa and grain.

We saw signs for the large brick ruins of Grancia di Cuna (Grancia means “fortified farm”), but we didn’t find any entrance. La Grancia di Cuna is one of Tuscany’s best preserved fortified farms; it was set up as an arm of the Abbey di Torri in the 12th century. When Siena ruled the area in the 13th century, it was connected with the pilgrim hospital of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. The walls, buildings and fortifications of the complex range from the 12th to the 17th centuries. Cuna was sacked in 1554 by Austrian-Spanish troops, but in its heyday gave refuge to kings, popes, and Via Francigena pilgrims.

alfalfa fields outside of Isola d’Arbia

on the way to Ponte a Tressa

on the way to Grancia di Cuna

me making my way to Grancia di Cuna (picture by Darina)

I found a bench to take a rest and Darina went up into the town to get them to open the 12th-13th century Church of San Jacopo e Cristoforo for her so she could see the fresco of a scene of the hanged man of Santo Domingo on the Camino de Santiago. While I sat on the bench drinking my electrolytes and eating a chocolate donut from breakfast, a number of bikers went past asking for directions, as if I knew the lay of the land. I waited a half hour for Darina, but I was happy for the rest.

We then had beautiful views of Tuscany and a high view of a line of cypress trees. We met a pilgrim couple, Levona and William, walking from San Miniato to Buonconvento. They were a gregarious couple from South Africa & London. Hers is a Hebrew name meaning “the sun rising.” She said the shoes she was wearing, Hoka Trail Runners, were “like walking on air.”

Tuscan countryside

line of cypress trees

Tuscan countryside

line of cypress trees

me in Tuscany

view of Monteroni d’Arbia

Levona and William

Tuscan countryside

me in Tuscany (photo by Darina)

Darina, Levona, William and me (photo by Darina)

Right after meeting them we walked 1.2km downhill off-track to Monteroni d’Arbia to find Casa Groppino.

We checked in to the apartment, which we entered through a garage with the youngest daughter in the household. She was surrounded by four large barking and growling dogs. We asked her to please lock them up. My bag wasn’t yet delivered by Bags-Free so I showered and put on one of Darina’s shirts. The older daughter at the house brought in a kettle for the next morning, just walking in through the garage and our open door, talking away to us as I stood there in my bra and underwear as I had just come out of the shower. My bag finally arrived at 1:00, so I did laundry, then we walked to a pathetic bar about to close where we shared a dried up ham and cheese panino. We walked to the Coop supermarket to get yogurt and milk for breakfast.

When the apartment host Serena got home from work, she and her husband walked right in through the garage and into our room, the door of which we’d left open, thinking the whole place was ours. We were lounging around in our “pajamas” on the beds. The husband was talking away in Italian and gesturing wildly and Serena was painstakingly translating. It was quite a funny scene as they stood over us talking away enthusiastically about anything and everything. No one in this family seemed perturbed or at all bothered by our half naked states! So funny!

Later we walked about 6 minutes away to La Mosca Bianca and each ordered Hugos. Though delicious I don’t think they had much alcohol content. I had Il Panino della Nonna, “Grandmother’s Hamburger”: 200 grams of hamburger, cheddar, mayonnaise, mozzarella and eggplant Parmesan. It was delicious but I couldn’t finish it.

Darina had a Vittoria pizza: tomatoes, mozzarella, grilled eggplant, buratta and cherry tomatoes. I ordered a glass of wine and Darina a beer then we walked back and relaxed in our very warm room.

entering Monteroni d’Arbia

Darina and me at La Mosca Bianca

Darina and her pizza

me with Il Panino della Nonna

Il Panino della Nonna

Steps: 33,064; Miles: 14.03. Day 6 Stage Walk: 12.2 miles, or 19.63km.

Weather: Monteroni d’Arbia: Hi 92°, Lo 68°. Sunny.

Friday, July 14: We left Monteroni d’Arbia at 6 am and of course we had to walk 1.2 km back up the hill we came down the afternoon before to return to the Via Francigena. Up at the top of the hill, the views were amazing. The sun’s rays were bursting forth from behind a cloud over the town of Monteroni d’Arbia. Also the views over the Tuscan landscape were fabulous.

The humidity was 87%, so we were sweating almost immediately. We walked on farm roads in rolling hills with wide views of the terrain. We walked past sunflower fields and then through the hamlet of Quinciano where our fellow pilgrims Levona & William slept last night. All of this was the most beautiful part of today’s stage. We saw the town’s monumental stairway leading to the octagonal chapel of Pieri Nerli, but it was all fenced off in ruins.

Leaving Monteroni d’Arbia

Looking back at Monteroni d’Arbia

Me trudging along (photo by Darina)

Tuscan countryside

me with the line of cypresses (photo by Darina)

Tuscan countryside

Looking back at Monteroni d’Arbia

Tuscan countryside

Looking back at Monteroni d’Arbia

Tuscan countryside

me making my way (photo by Darina)

Tuscan countryside

Darina and the signpost

me with the signpost

Tuscan countryside

Tuscan farmhouse

Tuscan countryside

sunflower field

me with sunflowers (photo by Darina)

sunflower field

Us on the Via Francigena

Quinciano

octagonal chapel of Pieri Nerli

wildflowers in Tuscany

octagonal chapel of Pieri Nerli

Soon we were on a path with railroad racks on one side and sunflower fields on the other. We walked on this straight interminable path for 3.6km, first on the right side of the tracks (shaded) and then on the left (in the sun). We stopped for the only shade in a vinyl farm building that had palettes stacked against the walls. We pulled down one of them and sat on it, hoping to cool down.

Finally we reached Ponte d’Arbia where we stopped at a cute bar, A Modo Mío Caffè. It was the first stop of the day and we were happy to enjoy chocolate croissants and me a cappuccino (Darina didn’t drink coffee and usually had a glass of milk). This tiny and ancient village, originally called “Borgo d’Arbia,” was Sigeric’s Stage XIV, famous for the 14th/17th century bridge of five wide arches. Its medieval structures were almost entirely leveled in an Allied bombing in 1944, which aimed at the bridge but damaged most everything nearby except its target.

We then left town over the “new” pilgrim/pedestrian bridge over the Arbia River. It seemed rather old for being so new.

the long straight path

Darina sits on a palette in the shade

entering Ponte d’Arbia

Darina with pilgrims at Ponte d’Arbia

our packs at A Modo Mío Caffè

A Modo Mío Caffè

“new” pilgrim/pedestrian bridge over the Arbia River

The most difficult part of the stage was from here to Buonconvento. We went uphill almost constantly on gravel roads among fields, avoiding the SR2, which would have been a lot faster and easier. It was a very steep climb with a few shady spots but mostly in the sun. I stopped at one point to lie down on a picnic table in the shade. It was so breezy and relaxing I thought I’d never leave, especially as I could see the path ahead was uphill with no shade.

the long hot climb

looking back at the climb behind

traipsing in the sun

fields of Tuscany

a continual climb in the sun

fields of Tuscany

a moment of shad

pilgrim carving

me resting in the shade

Finally I peeled myself off the picnic table and continued up the long grueling hill and around a corner where I could see Buonconvento below. I began a winding descent on a gravel road into the town. Because of the steep and gravelly surface, I took it very slowly, often slipping and on the verge of falling. Darina had gone on ahead of me.

We checked into Hotel Ghibellino where I was thrilled to have one of the first air-conditioned rooms on our trip. Sadly Darina hates air conditioning so it was a bit of a conflict for us because I wanted it full blast and she didn’t want it at all.

We showered and washed our clothes and then went to lunch at Ristorante Roma da Riccardo, the first air-conditioned place we could find. I had white wine and a “carpaccio of red prawns and scallops with stracciatella cheese and red fruits” (one strawberry). It wasn’t my favorite meal in Italy. Darina had a beer and a warm seafood “salad” with a jumble of “fruits of the sea.”

We found out soon enough that they closed at 2:30, soon after they admitted us, when a waitress kept coming over and clearing items piecemeal off the table. Staff and family were gathering for their own meal and it became clear they were trying to nudge us out the door.

We finally got the hint and left to relax for the afternoon in our nice cool room.

After my rest on the picnic table

heading to Buonconvento

Entering Buonconvento

Darina and her “fuits of the sea” at Ristorante Roma da Riccardo

Me with my carpaccio

“carpaccio of red prawns and scallops with stracciatella cheese and red fruits” (one strawberry)

Later we walked around the town whose claim to fame was that Emperor Henry VII died here from malaria as the armies of the Holy Roman Empire were beseiging Siena in 1313. His body was taken for burial to the Pisa Cathedral. Bouonconvento was first mentioned in records from the year 1100. It has many grand homes from the Renaissance period and its walls date from the 14th century. The town is mainly one old street, Via Soccini, with cafes, restaurants and shops.

We had dinner at Da Mario. I enjoyed a glass of white wine and meatballs (Polpette al Pomodoro), while Darina had a beer and Ravioli with eggplant.

We went back to the room early to get ready for a 7-hour stage to San Quirico D’Orcia the next day.

Buonconvento

Ristorante Roma da Riccardo

Buonconvento

Da Mario

Darina at Da Mario

me at Da Mario

Steps: 29,019; Miles 12.31. Day 7 Stage Walk: 10.98 miles, or 17.67km.

Weather: Buonconvento: Hi 94°, Lo 67°. *Orange Warning for Extreme High Temperature.

Running tally (Day 6 & 7): 67.61 /211.77 miles (108.8/340.8 km).

This post is inspired by Jo’s Monday Walk: an unconventional hike around Faro.

twenty-fifteen: around & about china, myanmar, & california

wanderessence1025 December 23, 2023

I never did a year-end recap for 2015, so here is that year recreated for my records. 🙂

In twenty-fifteen, I: Finished my first semester teaching English at Sino-Canadian International College of Gaungxi University. Traveled with Mike to Fenghueng, Zhangijiajie, Guilin and Yangshuo in China, where it was cold and rainy nearly every day and we both got sick. Sent Mike home to the U.S. and exchanged him for Alex. Traveled with Alex to Yunnan Province: Kunming, Lijiang, Dali, The Stone Forest, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Baisha, Shuhe, and Shaxi. Went to Myanmar where I visited pagodas aplenty in Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and Yangon. Continued teaching English and traveling all over China, to Hong Kong, Xi’an, Shanghai, Yangshuo, the Longji Rice Terraces and Beihai. Returned to the U.S., stopping in California to visit my sister Stephanie and the Channel Islands, and to go with Rosie to Joshua Tree National Park. Finished my CELTA course in D.C. in late October. Went with Mike to Assateague Island and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge to celebrate my 60^th birthday. Celebrated Mike’s and my 27th (20th) anniversary at Shepherdstown, WV and Antietam National Battlefield. Visited my dad and stepmother in Yorktown after Christmas. Read 13 books out of 30: My 2015 Reading Challenge.

In January, I: marked 73 writing final exams in a 30-hour marathon after classes ended at Guangxi University. Watched marathon sessions of the final season of Breaking Bad in between marking and invigilating for exams. Greeted Mike at Nanning Airport for his two-week holiday in China. Took an overnight train to Jishou in Hunan province, where Mike and I shared a compartment with two young men constantly glued to their phones and where Mike was shocked by the holes in the floor of the train that served as toilets feeding directly onto the railroad tracks. Ate pork dumplings and boiled eggs in Fenghuang (Phoenix Ancient Town) every morning with our favorite vendor. Climbed 99 steps at Jiujiu Heaven Steps to the magical Phoenix Fairy Tale, where we hung Phoenix wish-making cards to the dozens of parasols, clapped our palms, closed our eyes and purified our hearts so our wishes would come true. Was serenaded by a young Chinese lady singing melodic Chinese folk tunes at Soul Café. Saw numerous restaurant signs refusing entry to Japanese and dogs. Tried on a military costume for a photo-op, looking like some member of the Russian military. Traveled by another train to Zhangjiajie and took a boatride around Baofeng Lake. Used my WayGo app to translate menu items at restaurants. Spent two days in steady rain, heavy fog and biting cold walking around Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, barely able to see the almost 3,000 karst formations (tall quartzite sandstone pillars) that were the inspiration for the movie Avatar. Spent the first day walking along Golden Whip Stream in a deep canyon surrounded by cliffs and peaks. Marveled at the names of the peaks such as Splitting Mountain to Save Mother, Monkey Playing in the Chinese Yew Grove, and Pigsy Looking in the Mirror. Tried to get warm in evenings by soaking in the nice hot bath at our hotel. Took the Bailong Elevator to the heights of the park with a guide on our second day, with the weather being colder, foggier and rainier than the first day. Couldn’t even see the outline of the so-called Avatar Mountain because of the fog. Watched an acrobatics and dance show called “Charming Western Hunan,” which wasn’t as impressive as others I’d seen. Watched a barefoot man walking along the sharp edge of a curved sword, terrified to watch in case he fell and was cut in half vertically! Took a flight to Changsha, the capital city of Hunan, and arrived in Guilin where we stayed in the Guilinyi Royal Palace. Took a bicycle ride through the countryside in Yangshuo on another cold and cloudy day with a guide, Esther; on the way back it rained steadily, drenching us, and I felt a sore throat and cold coming on. Took a dark and gloomy boat ride down the Li River, and eventually got rained on. Found myself sick with a miserable cold; Mike also got sick. Got couple massages on another rainy day and stayed inside our room, reading, sleeping, snacking and talking. Escaped Yangshuo, driving through kumquat orchards, visiting the Seven Star Green Tea Plantation where we enjoyed a tea ceremony, and climbing up Xianggong Hill for overcast views of the karsts along the Li River. Pampered myself with our creature comforts, as did Mike, back at the Guilinyi Royal Palace after strolling through the botanical gardens. Returned to Nanning, where we continued to be sick; we only ventured out to eat some pizza.

Mike eats dumplings in Nanning

me at my dumpling spot in Nanning

our breakfast spot in Fenghuang

Fenghuang

Fenghuang (the phoenix)

Fenghuang

me in military costume in Fenghuang

Fenghuang

our breakfast lady in Fenghuang

Fenghuang

Zhangjiajie

Guilin

Yangshuo

The Li River

Yangshuo

Seven Star Green Tea Plantation

views of the Li River

Me with Mike above the Li River

karsts around Yangshuo

The Li River

Guilin

In the first half of February, I: Took Mike to my favorite Korean restaurant in Nanning before taking him to the airport, where I exchanged him for Alex. Ate dumplings at the Red Sign with Alex, and the next day flew with him to Kunming in Yunnan Province. |*Yunnan Province*| Visited The Bamboo Temple dedicated to Zen Buddhism with its painted sculptures of the 500 Buddhist arhats (“perfected people”). Wandered around the World Heritage-Listed town of Lijiang, admiring its many shops and cultural assets. Listened to the Naxi Orchestra’s slow and haunting Song Dynasty tunes (for example “The Bound-Foot Girl Song” and “The Song of a Water Dragon”) played on antique instruments. Took oxygen cans to the top of the crowded Jade Dragon Snow Mountain via a 3km-long cable car, where we enjoyed magnificent views of the range which resembled a jade dragon lying in the clouds. Almost lost Alex at Mirror Lake in Blue Moon Valley, had a huge fight with him about his attitude regarding the crowds in China, and then made up over a lovely dinner. Visited Mu’s Mansion and climbed to the top of the Lion Hill Scenic Area, which supposedly looks like a crouching lion, and admired the Wangu Pavilion, a 5-storied wooden pagoda-styled building. Visited Baisha Ancient Town where we saw the historic Baisha Frescoes (1385-1620). Wandered aimlessly through the quaint town of Shuhe, with its weeping willows reflected in streams running through the streets, red lanterns and yellow flags. Had to use the dreaded trough-like toilets at the bus station on the way to Shaxi, a town that once was a busy trade station on the Tea and Horse Caravan Road, an important branch of the southern Silk Road. Took a fabulous bicycle ride to White Dragon Pool, where, in attempting to descend, I fell face down into a briar patch and got a nasty scrape on my calf. Visited the Buddhist Heavenly Wings Hall with paintings representing Tantric Buddhism. Visited Shibao Shan, or Stone Treasure Mountain, where I found my favorite temple, the Baoxiang Temple, or “Suspending Temple,” built on the ledge of a nearly vertical cliff. Met new statues of Guanyin and Maitreya, the smiling Buddha, on the cliff ledges. Took a bus to Dali, a haven for cool Chinese tourists and foreign backpackers, considered “China’s closest approximation to bohemia.” Enjoyed foot massages with Alex then visited a clinic for some antibiotics for an ear infection. Took another bikeride to Erhai Lake (“Ear-shaped Sea”) and then visited the Three Pagodas of Dali. Flew back to Kunming and visited Yuantong Temple, Yunnans’ grandest and most important Buddhist site, built during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Visited the Stone Forest in Shilin, full of karst formations known as stone forest (higher karsts) and stone teeth (shorter karsts). Visited the Yunnan Nationalities Museum in Kunming, including the fabulous Tibetan Buddhist Lamasery.

Kunming

Lijiang

Naxi Orchestra

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

me with Alex at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Mirror Lake

Lijiang

Baisha Frescoes in Baisha Ancient Town

Lijiang

Shuhe

Shaxi

bikeride to White Dragon Pool

Alex on our bikeride bikeride to White Dragon Pool

me with my bike bikeride to White Dragon Pool

bikeride to White Dragon Pool

Shibao Shan, or Stone Treasure Mountain

Shaxi

Dali

bikeride to Erhai Lake

Erhai Lake

Three Pagodas of Dali

Dali

Alex and I on the plane to Kunming

Yuantong Temple in Kunming

Alex at Yuantong Temple in Kunming

Stone Forest in Shilin

Yunnan Nationalities Museum in Kunming

In the second half of February, I: Left our hotel in Kunming for the airport; from there I headed to Mandalay, Myanmar and Alex flew to Beijing and then home. |*Myanmar*| Caught a motorbike in Mandalay, Myanmar to see the Golden Palace Monastery and a pagoda known as the World’s Biggest Book, and then up a series of switchbacks to see sunset from Mandalay Hill. Rode with taxi-driver Meemo to Amarapura, “City of Immortality,” the royal capital in Myanmar for less than 70 years. Watched over 1,000 young monks collect their lunch at Maha Ganayon Kyaung with hordes of tourists. Bought several silk scarves at the Thein Nyo Silk Weaving Factory. Left my flip-flops behind at U Min Thone Sae Pagoda, in the first of many flip-flop incidents in Myanmar, and had to climb hundreds of steps to retrieve them. Took a horse cart ride with a belligerent young man who viciously beat his horse with a bamboo stick in Ava. Watched another sunset at the U Bein Bridge spanning Taungthaman Lake. Took a boat down the Ayeyarwady River to Mingun, relaxing into a pace of life I hadn’t experienced since childhood. With a young woman and man from Scotland and Britain respectively, took an ox-cart, with “Taxi” written on the roof, around Mingun, with its pagoda-studded hills. Visited the Mandalay Royal Palace, where I was reminded that I lose interest easily at sprawling abandoned places where kings once lived. Watched as “only men” applied gold leaf to the 13-foot-tall bronze Mahamuni Buddha. Was informed by Chen at Sino-Canadian International College that our paycheck for February would be delayed until mid-March, which infuriated me and lead to a slew of emails. Enjoyed immensely the 10-hour cruise down the Ayeyarwady River from Mandalay to Bagan. Sat in bamboo chairs on the ferry, talking with fellow travelers about our travels and watching the river go by, feeling like I’d gone back in time 50-100 years. Enjoyed a potato and pumpkin curry for my first meal in Bagan. Hired a car from the hotel to take me on day-long trip to see the most famous of the thousands of Bagan’s Buddhist temples. Poured water over the Tuesday (my birth day) Buddha image, saying a prayer. Enjoy a great view of the Bagan plain from the Bagan Viewing Tower. From Pyathada Paya, where I went to watch the sunset, saw a dust-kicking caravan consisting of cattle, tour buses, cars, SUVs, motorbikes, horse-drawn carriages, walkers and bikers from – reminding me how much I loved the blend of modern and traditional in Myanmar. Rented a mini-motorbike and rode off to see Bagan’s temples in my baggy pajama-like pants, almost wrecking the motorbike within the first few minutes. Left my favorite blue Havaianas at the entrance of the “many elephants temple,” and accidentally put on someone else’s blue flip-flops without realizing it. Noticed at Sulamani Pahto that the flip-flops I had on were flimsier and shinier than mine and wrongly assumed someone had taken mine by accident. Stopped back at the “many elephants temple,” and found my Havaianas alone in the dust, meaning I had taken someone else’s flip-flops, instead of the other way around. Went with a driver to Mt. Popa, where I had to climb 777 steps to the temple. Was stopped by a monopolizing shoe minder (who reminded me of the “Soup Nazi” in Seinfeld), but as I was tired of paying someone to watch my shoes everywhere I went, I stashed them in a hidden spot. Felt annoyed I had to walk barefooted through all the monkey poop left by the Macaque monkeys. Back at the shoe minder’s spot, I found my Havaianas had disappeared, and believed I had reaped bad karma for refusing to pay the shoe minder. Bought some uncomfortable bamboo soled flip-flops to replace mine, which I was convinced the shoe-minder had disposed of. Rented another motorbike and found delectable Butter Fish Curry and lime juice at the Black Rose Cafe. Had to call someone from the hotel to rescue me when my motorbike died. Took Asian Wings to Inle Lake and ate a savory crepe at Pancake Kingdom. Rode a bicycle to Red Mountain Estate Vineyards & Winery where I enjoyed a flight of wines in a lazy atmosphere. Enjoyed Paneer Curry at Everest with a Japanese girl I’d met in Bagan; she had been having the same problems with her motorbike as I was having. Took an all-day long-tail motorboat ride on Inle Lake where I saw Intha farmers, their stilt houses, and gardens and visited the five-day rotating market. Watched the Intha men wrap their leg around the paddle to propel the blade through the water in a snake-like motion. Visited the long-neck Padaung women, with brass coils around their necks, as they wove scarves at a weaving workshop. Enjoy another full day on the lake on the way to Inthein. Enjoyed Paneer Curry at Everest Nepali Restaurant and then an one-hour Aromatic Therapy full-body massage. Encountered thousands of Buddha figures at Shwe Oo Min Natural Cave Pagoda on the way to the Heho Airport. Followed a City Walk from Lonely Planet Myanmar through Colonial Yangon. Sent prayer cards up in a small golden karaweik (royal barge in the shape of a mythical bird) to a shrine higher up in the stupa, like sending prayers to heaven, or letters to Santa. Enjoyed a Camembert, walnut and toast salad at the Victorian-style Strand Hotel, on the Yangon City Heritage List. Got an hour-long foot massage for my aching feet and a shampoo and haircut. Walked around the Shwedagon Pagoda, “the Crown of Burma,” at sunrise. Was told at the post office that the Buddhas I bought, which I wanted to mail home to Virginia, couldn’t be taken from the country without permission from the National Museum or the Department of Archeology. Spent my last day in Yangon searching out this place on the outskirts of the city. Was told by the woman there to put the half-Buddha head (the back half had been cut off so it could hang flat on a wall) into my suitcase and was given an seal of approval on the reclining Buddha. Took off from Yangon for Mandalay and then returned to Nanning.

Mandalay, Myanmar

Mandalay

monks at Maha Ganayon Kyaung

Mandalay

Ava

me in Ava

our poor horse in Ava

boaters waiting for sunset at U Bein Bridge

U Bein Bridge

taking a boat down the Ayeyarwady River to Mingun

our driver in Mingun

Mingun

me in Mingun

views of the Ayeyarwady River

Mandalay Royal Palace

taking a boat down the Ayeyarwady River to Bagan

Bagan

me on my motorbike in Bagan

herd of goats in Bagan

Bagan

Mt. Popa

me at Mt. Popa

Mt. Popa

Bagan

Inle Lake

me at Red Mountain Estate Vineyards & Winery in Inle Lake

Inle Lake

long-neck Padaung woman at Inle Lake

market at Inle Lake

Inle Lake

Intha farmer at Inle Lake

Inle Lake

Shwe Oo Min Natural Cave Pagoda

Yangon

me in Yangon

Yangon

colorful textiles in Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda

Bogyoke Aung San Museum

In March, I: Visited Nanhu Lake Park in Nanning on a cloudy day then went to see a movie, Taken 3, with some of my students. Went to see the Guangxi Science and Technology Museum, which was more of an interactive place for children. Continued teaching my classes at Sino-Canadian International College, watched endless episodes of Scandal, and watched Kingsman Secret Service in the theater.

Guangxi University campus

Nanhu Lake Park in Nanning

Nanhu Lake Park

Guangxi Science and Technology Museum

In early April, I: Took a trip to |*Hong Kong*| on the three-day weekend for Qing Ming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, important for tending of family graves and ancestral worship. Crossed the border at Shenzhen with hordes of Chinese tourists taking advantage of the holiday weekend. Took the Big Bus Hong Kong on Hong Kong Island and then a Sampan ride at Aberdeen, a thriving fishing port. Ferried back to Kowloon, where I was delighted by a picturesque junk in Victoria Harbour. Strolled the Avenue of Stars, a tribute to Hong Kong’s film industry. Found tributes to Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Bruce Lee, one of the most influential martial artists of all time. Ferried again to Lantau Island where I visited the Po Lin Monastery and came face-to-face with the famous bronze Tian Tan Buddha, better known as Big Buddha, a 34-meter-high sculpture of the Sakyamuni Buddha sitting cross-legged on a lotus flower and looking north over the Chinese people. Was awestruck by the gorgeous and colorful Po Lin Monastery despite the stomach cramps I got from eating a lunch of vegetables smothered in oil. Took the Ngong Ping Cable Car, “Asia’s longest bi-cable ropeway” (at that time) over Lantau Island. Rode the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak, where I found amazing views of Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong Central, Kowloon, the green peaks of the New Territories. Descended the Old Peak Road on foot and topped the day off with a Turkish dinner of lentil soup and fried halloumi cheese salad at Tava. Mustered up enough energy to visit the Night Market, where I found calligraphy brushes, Mao pictures, fans and jade statues and funny Chinese license plates: “My Favourite Wife” and “I’m not in the mood to-day don’t distrub (sic).” Met up with Peter, my dear friend Jayne’s husband (from whom she was separated) who lived in Hong Kong. Wasted my last day in Hong Kong due to the stomach issues that had plagued me my whole time in China.

Hong Kong Ferris Wheel

Sampan ride at Aberdeen

Kowloon

Victoria Harbour

Junk in Victoria Harbour

Avenue of Stars – Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng

Avenue of Stars – Bruce Lee

Tian Tan Buddha

around the Tian Tan Buddha

view from Tian Tan Buddha

view from the Tian Tan Buddha

view of Po Lin Monastery from the Tian Tan Buddha

Tian Tan Buddha

Po Lin Monastery

Tian Tan Buddha

Ngong Ping Cable Car

view of boats from Ngong Ping Cable Car

view from Victoria Peak

descending the Old Peak Road

view from Victoria Peak

Night Market

Peter and me in Hong Kong

streets of Hong Kong

Later in April, I: Flew to |*Xi’an*|, the capital of Shaanxi Province, for the 4-day holiday, Zhuang Song Festival, a ceremonious festival for the Zhuang people and for many other ethnic groups. Visited the Xi’an Beilin Museum, also known as the Forest of Stone Steles, because it was raining steadily in Xi’an. Took a rickety three-wheeled taxi to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist sculpture built during the heyday of the Silk Road, along with Jianfu Temple (Felicity Temple), both relics of the Tang Dynasty. Took a long walk to the Daxingshan Si, Xi’an’s only working Buddhist temple, where I found a frightening depiction of hell. Ate an Indian lunch that made me feel sick even as I was eating it, yet it was so delicious I ate it anyway. Visited the Daci’en Temple, home of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, where I found fabulous views of Xi’an. Ate fried shrimp at a Pizza Hut near the Bell Tower, which sat at a major crossroads of the four major streets of the city. Visited the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses with a small group of tourists and “Chelsea,” our Chinese guide. Learned about the tyrannical emperor Qin Shi Huang, who set out to destroy all books except practical ones, unified the empire with a network of roads, and built the Great Wall; he died in 210 BC while on a quest to find the legendary island of immortals and their secret drug of longevity. Learned that the Terra Cotta Army and his mausoleum, which took 11 years to complete, reflected the workings of a paranoid mind filled with delusions of grandeur; it was estimated at one time that there were more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses Was awed by the sheer numbers of the warriors and the story behind them. Visited the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, just an artificial hill. Visited Huaqing Hot Springs, considered to be medically beneficial, built in 723 by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. Ate delicious wide spicy noodles in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter that only contributed to my stomach issues. Heard a drum performance at the Drum Tower. Was assaulted by colorful banners, food carts and stalls, along with the delicious smells of dumpling soup in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter. Visited the Great Mosque, the largest mosque in China, established in 742 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with its Arabic motifs melded with Chinese designs. Finally ate the famous soup of the area, Yangrou Paomo, crumbled flatbread (unleavened bread) in mutton stew (I had mine with beef, which I removed); the bread turned into something between dumplings and späetzle, which was heavenly. Rode my bicycle around part of the perimeter of the 8-mile Xi’an City Wall on the only sunny day I had in Xi’an. Went with Mari, the Finnish lady I met on the tour of the Terra Cotta Warriors, to the Tang Dynasty Palace to see the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show, with its enchanting stage sets and the long and elegant sleeves of the dancers’ costumes, which floated dreamily and hypnotically throughout every dance. Flew to |*Shanghai*| on the last day of the month, the beginning of the three-day Labour Day holiday, where my flight was delayed by torrential rains, roaring thunder, vicious lightning strikes and howling winds. Arrived in Shanghai after midnight to the best hotel I’d had during my time in China, the Pentahotel, with a most comfortable bed and a bathtub, a rarity!

Xi’an Beilin Museum

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

view from Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

lush flower at Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

messages at Small Wild Goose Pagoda

bell at Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Daxingshan Si

Daci’en Temple, home of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses

me with the Terra Cotta Warriors

Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses

our tour group with Mari on the right

Huaqing Hot Springs

Xi’an’s Drum Tower

view from the Drum Tower

Xi’an’s Drum Tower

Muslim Quarter in Xi’an

Great Mosque in Xi’an

Yangrou Paomo

Great Mosque in Xi’an

bicycling around Xi’an City Wall

Xi’an City Wall

view from Xi’an City Wall

Xi’an City Wall

Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show

Mari at the show with me

Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show

In May, I: Started out my first day in |*Shanghai*| with an upset stomach after a buffet breakfast, par for the course in China. Mingled among praying monks, burning incense and people bowing with incense offerings at Jing’an Si, known as the Temple of Peace and Tranquility, nestled in the midst of modern high-rises. Walked with a tsunami of people to the Bund down a high-fashion street to the Peace Hotel, a relic from the opium trading days. Enjoyed fabulous views of Pudong across the Huangpu River from the Bund, lined with grand colonial facades. Took the Huangpu River Tour for more views of the Bund and Pudong. Panicked as I got caught up in a huge tightly-packed crowd, a situation that could have led to a stampede; such a crowd in Shanghai actually did lead to a stampede on New Year’s Eve, which left 36 dead and 49 injured. Enjoyed amazing views from Cloud 9 (87th floor) in Pudong, accompanied by wine and appetizers. Visited Yufo Si, or Jade Buddha Temple, where I found the Sitting Buddha, encrusted in agate and emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his enlightenment, along with the Recumbent Buddha. Walked in pouring rain to Renmin Square, or People’s Square, the modern heart of Shanghai, where I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art to get out of the rain. Enjoyed an hour-long massage after a long tough day of rain and stomach cramps. Returned to the Bund in the morning to get better pictures but was foiled by dark cloudy weather again. Was hit on twice by students attempting the Shanghai Tea Scam, a common scam pulled on Westerners in Shanghai and Beijing (The scam involves a small group of 3-4 friendly Chinese students who approach Westerners, talk to them in a friendly manner, and invite them to a tea ceremony which can end up costing 650 – 2000 RMB.). Wandered through the Yu Yuan (Jade Garden) in the Old City. Treated myself to an hour-long aromatic foot massage. Enjoyed delicious dumplings using my WayGo app to translate.

Jing’an Si

Peace Hotel

Being carried along with the crowds in Shanghai

The Bund

Pudong

Shanghai

boat on the Huangpu River

Pudong

shopping mall in Shanghai

caught in a crowd going to the metro

view from Cloud 9

walking back to my hotel

Yufo Si, or Jade Buddha Temple

Renmin Square

lunch at Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art

Shanghai street food

offerings at Yu Yuan (Jade Garden)

Yu Yuan (Jade Garden)

Chinese folks dancing in the hotel

flying above the clouds back to Nanning

In early May, I: Returned to |*Nanning*| and invigilated for midterm exams and marked 146 essays that were poorly written with things like “You should turn down the voice” (meaning turn down the sound of the music) or “You often listening the loud music late at night,” and “…so I often lose sleep and it let me can’t get up on time in the morning,” and “Is it convenient for you to stop the way of life?” Watched endless episodes of Homeland Season 3, Grey’s Anatomy Season 5, and the 21st episode of Scandal‘s Season 4, which just aired in the U.S. Went with my stylish student Azura to an “apartment restaurant,” which apparently were all the rage in China. Ventured out to the untended and tacky Liangfengjiang National Forest Park in Nanning at my friend Gavin’s recommendation. Went on a two-day “work retreat” with some fellow foreign teachers to Pingnan County, where we taught two 40-minute classes at Pingnan High School and visited the Guiping Xishan Scenic Area, a mountain that housed the Buddhist Longhua Temple. Sang “If There’s Any Justice” by Lemar to the Chinese students when the USB with my Power Point about my life in Korea, Oman and travels didn’t work. Showed my Power Point in the other class as the USB worked and the students exclaimed “Wow!” at nearly every picture and then asked me for my “autograph!” Spent four hours at Singing Soul KTV (karaoke television) with my students, singing “Hotel California” by the Eagles, “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas and Papas (I’m really showing my age!), “Somebody that I used to Know” by Walk off the Earth, “Incomplete” by Backstreet Boys, and “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol. Marveled at the students’ choice of songs by Bruno Mars, Jon Legend, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry; they also choose a lot of Chinese songs, many of which were beautiful or rocking! Got teary eyed when they sang one English song: “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé.

me getting a haircut in Nanning

flowers on campus

Liangfengjiang National Forest Park in Nanning

Pingnan High School

Longhua Temple at Guiping Xishan Scenic Area

driving back to Nanning from Guiping Xishan Scenic Area

Singing Soul KTV

having a treat with a student

lotus pond on campus

In late May, I: Returned to |*Yangshuo*| for the third time, this time with my friend Erica, where we checked in at the Cosy Garden and rode bicycles to dinner at Rock-n-Grill. Went on the Li River Boat Ride, where we posed with the 2o yuan bill with its picture of Xingping behind us. Bicycled through the Yangshuo countryside in intermittent rain and watched the delightful bamboo rafts at Yulong Bridge. Took a dark and misty bamboo raft ride down the Yulong River, but luckily didn’t get rained on. Returned to Nanning.

Erica in Yangshuo

Erica holds up the 20 Yuan bill

the Li River

Erica on the Li River

me with the 20 Yuan note

a bikeride through the Yangshuo countryside

bamboo rafts at Yulong Bridge

a bikeride through the Yangshuo countryside

dinnertime in Yangshuo

Erica at dinner

Yulong River bamboo raft ride

In early June, I: In |*Nanning*|, I dropped out of my Chinese class, when I finally realized the futility of it all. Had a dumpling night at our teacher Miss Hao’s sweltering non-air-conditioned house. Graded 73 outlines and brainstorms/clusters in three staggered deadlines. Went to visit Mari, a Finnish lady I met in Xian, in the town where she was working, |*Beihai*|. Went with Mari via her personal driver to Beihai Old Street, with its old Portuguese-style colonial buildings. Enjoyed a brunch spread in a fancy hotel. Visited the pearl and dried fish market; Beihai is famous for its pearls. Wandered on a boardwalk through the Beihai Golden Bay Mangrove Ecotourist Region, where we saw mudskippers and fiddler crabs skittering around in the muddy swamp. Watched hordes of people wearing facekinis, fancy dresses, and business attire at Beihai’s famous Silver Beach. Took a ferry to Weizhou Island, where I dropped into the Saint Maria Church, took a boat ride past Crocodile Hill and a sprawling pearl farm, and visited Sanpo Temple, where I watched people busily hanging their wishes, complete with yin and yang symbols, on the tree of wishes. Wandered along the beautiful Multicolored/Colorful Beach, a volcanic stone beach, covered in moss and lichens and many shapes and textures. Dropped into the Catholic Cathedral, built by French missionaries in 1853.

Reed & Gavin having dumplings with our Chinese teacher

Beihai

Beihai Old Street

pearl and dried fish market

Beihai

Beihai Golden Bay Mangrove Ecotourist Region

Silver Beach

Beihai

Weizhou Island

Saint Maria Church

Crocodile Hill

pearl farm in Beihai

Sanpo Temple

Multicolored/Colorful Beach

Catholic Cathedral

In mid June, I: Returned to |*Nanning*|, where I interviewed with Teaching House in Washington, D.C. to take the intensive CELTA course in September. For once, stayed put on a holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival, getting tired of fighting crowds to travel on national holidays. Received a gift of zongzi, a pyramid-shaped glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo from my student Azura’s mother. Finished my last English Interest Course, “Road Trip American Style,” which basically consisted of my students watching movies such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Little Miss Sunshine, and finally, Chevy Chase National Lampoon Vacation.

Nanning

zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival

Nanning

me with my students

In late June, I: Took a final journey to |*Ping’An and the Longji Rice Terraces*| to see, once again, my favorite place in China, even though it was an arduous 7-hour trip door-to-door. Hiked from Ping’An to Seven Stars with Moon and the Longji Rice Terraces, and enjoyed the stunning views. Enjoyed a Tsingtao beer and Hawaiian pizza at Green Garden Hotel. Hiked the next day to Nine Dragons & Five Tigers. Returned to Nanning to wrap up the school year.

Ping’An

Seven Stars with Moon

me at Seven Stars with Moon

Seven Stars with Moon

Longji Rice Terraces

Nine Dragons & Five Tigers

In July, I: Spent six hours on the 4^th of July marking 19 of my 73 papers, and then the next 3 days grading the rest. Turned in my grades, signed off, received my travel allowance and final pay, and packed up to return home to the U.S. Said goodbye to my 73 students and invited them to come visit me in the U.S. Went out to lunch with one of my classes and to a party at an apartment with another of my classes. Was awarded the SCIC Dean’s Special Honor, along with 9 other teachers, and got a 1000 yuan bonus ( ~ $162). Flew on Shenzhen Airlines from Nanning to Beijing and then on Air Canada from Vancouver to |*Los Angeles*|, where I would visit my sister Stephanie. Barely made my flight in Vancouver, where I ran through the airport along with a Chinese boy I sat next to on the flight from Beijing. Drank hot sake and a cold Sapporo at a sushi place with my sister in Reseda (L.A.). Spent a morning watching the Danish political series Borgen with Steph. Had sushi with Steph’s friend Yvonne and then watched The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Took a boat to the volcanic Anacapa Island, part of Channel Islands National Park, where we had a surreal experience walking through thousands of squawking seagulls and their almost-full-grown grey fledglings. Stood at Inspiration Point and saw two other islets stretching into the Pacific. Met with fellow blogger Rosie and drove 3 hours to Joshua Tree National Park, where we encountered Mohave yucca, hedgehog cacti and the famous Joshua trees. Drove through flooding rivers when we were deluged with rain, thunder and lightening. Stayed overnight at the 29 Palms Inn. Found huge boulders at the Jumbo Rocks area. Took a one-mile loop hike at Hidden Valley. Spent one last day with Stephanie before returning home to Virginia.

me with one of my Chinese classes

winning the SCIC Dean’s Special Honor

teachers from SCIC

houseboat at the marina in CA

me getting ready to go to Anacapa Island

Steph at the marina

Anacapa Island

Inspiration Point on Anacapa Island

Anacapa Island

view of the Channel Islands from the boat

fish tacos

a fabulous cheese board by Steph

Joshua Tree National Park

Rosie and me at Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

sushi with Steph

Steph’s wall of her artwork

In August, I: Began a strict exercise regime and lost 7 pounds. Helped my son Alex move to Richmond to begin school at Virginia Commonwealth University. Completed a 5-hour grammar course as a pre-task for the Teaching House CELTA course I’d begin on September 21. Met one of my Chinese students, Christine, and her mother (with Mike) in D.C. for dinner at Lincoln Restaurant. Went to Arena Stage Theatre with Mike to see Dear Evan Hansen. Had dinner with Sarah and Alex in Richmond at the Greek restaurant, Stella’s, and then drove to Monterey in southwestern Virginia to attend a women’s mid-life retreat organized by Annette of the blog Beauty Along the Road. Spent serious time decluttering. Walked all around Meadowlark Botanical Gardens with Mike. Saw a number of movies in theaters: A Borrowed Identity, Trainwreck, Samba, The End of the Tour, Phoenix, Ricki and the Flash, and Mr. Holmes. Watched the last season of Last Tango in Halifax and got involved in the Danish political series, Borgen. Read: I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum and Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen, both of which I loved!

me, Christine and Mike

Women’s retreat in Monterey, VA

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

cocktail hour on our mossy patio

In September, I: Took a walk with Mike at Meadowlark Gardens. Went to the Lake Anne Jazz Festival with our friends Karen and Michael, enjoying dinner and drinks at Kalypso’s Sports Tavern. Had dinner in Richmond with Sarah and Alex at Akida Japanese Restaurant and went shopping with them the next day. Went to Arena Stage with Mike to see Destiny of Desire, a telenovela comedy. Saw the movie Learning to Drive, with Patricia Clarkson, and then Grandma with Lily Tomlin. Saw, with Mike, Women Laughing Alone with Salad at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre downtown, after dinner at Jaleo. Saw Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in the hilarious A Walk in the Woods. Also enjoyed The Martian with Matt Damon. Began my one-month all-consuming |*CELTA course*| at Teaching House in D.C., which took up every bit of my time from September 21-October 16. Had to complete 2-3 hours of work every night in addition to the nearly 3-hour round-trip commute each day. Had intense assignments to do every weekend until the course ended on October 16. 🙂

Karen & Michael at Kalypso’s Sports Tavern

Mike & me at Kalypso’s Sports Tavern

me at Arena Stage Theatre

me at Woolly Mammoth Theatre

In October, I: Went for a happy hour with Mike at Seasons 52. Had lunch with my friend Farah and laughed our heads off at our children’s “angst” and “dilemmas.” Earned my CELTA certificate and also received a mock certificate from my classmates: “the person most likely to turn in a novel as a lesson plan.” Went with my fellow teachers and classmates for beer and wine at Church Key, a craft beer bar. Went to see Robert DeNiro in The Intern, and really related since I had been one of the world’s oldest living interns for 4 months in 2007, 3 months in 2008, and 9 months in 2009, at ages 51-52. Celebrated my 60^th birthday early with family (Alex, Adam, Mike and Barbara) at The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant. Had dinner with an old high school friend, Nancy, at Sweetwater Tavern in Sterling. Met with blogger Toby of Travels with Toby when she visited D.C. from Minnesota, exploring the National Gallery of Art and having lunch at Oyamel Cocina Mexicana, which combines Mexico’s rich regional diversity with the modern urban atmosphere of Mexico City. Oversaw the painting of our three upstairs bedrooms. Took a walk at the State Arboretum of Virginia, home to stands of oaks and maples, pines, a ginkgo grove, rolling meadowland, mountain vistas and many wetland plants and animals. Went for a three-day weekend to |*Assateague Island and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge*| to celebrate my 60^th birthday. Saw the wild ponies that Assateague is famous for, ate dinner at The Village (where we enjoyed oyster stew, crab cakes and Chincoteague oysters), and stayed at the lovely Channel Bass Inn. Took the Lighthouse Trail and climbed the lighthouse at Chincoteague on my birthday. Had my blood sucked ravenously by mosquitoes on the Woodland Trail. Took a drive on Beach Road and hiked the short Wildlife Loop to an observation platform overlooking Snow Goose Pool. Saw the meeting of several habitats: forests, fields and wetlands. Ate tacos at the food truck, Right Up Your Alley, and then borrowed two bicycles from the Inn to ride around the wildlife refuge. Celebrated my birthday with blackened grouper at Bill’s Prime Seafood & Steaks (Mike had Chincoteague oysters again). Ate a delicious breakfast of Mexican Eggs at the Inn with the innkeepers.

me at Seasons 52

Farah and me

Me with my CELTA students

a walk in the woods

National Gallery of Art

me with Toby

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana

State Arboretum of Virginia

me at Assateague Island

Assateague Island

Mike at Assateague Island

Assateague Island

wild pony at Assateague Island

me at Assateague Island

Channel Bass Inn

Lighthouse at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

me at the lighthouse

view from the lighthouse

Mike at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

me & my bike at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Mike bicycling at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Mike in the Channel Bass Inn

breakfast at the Channel Bass Inn

Chincoteague

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

me at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

In November, I: Scrambled over rocks with Mike at Billy Goat Trail along the Potomac River. Went with Mike for our 27^th anniversary (or 20^th) to the corner where three states meet: Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. Visited Elmwood Cemetery where countless Confederate soldiers from the Battle of Antietam are interred. Explored the charming town of Shepherdstown, WV and ate special grilled cheese sandwiches and vegetable chipotle chili at Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery. Stopped at the Visitor Center at Antietam National Battlefield and hiked the Snavely Ford Trail, following Antietam Creek. Walked the 1.6 mile Bloody Lane Trail, where a “carpet of red, gray and blue” was left after the carnage of that bloody Civil War battle. Enjoyed dinner at The Press Room and got comfy at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn. Hiked the 1.6 mile Cornfield Trail, where as many as 8,000 men were killed or wounded from dawn until 9 a.m., and visited the Dunker Church at Antietam. Walked my favorite trail at Antietam, the Final Attack Trail, with its rolling hills and grand vistas. Visited the C&O Canal after leaving Antietam. Enjoyed lunch at the Mexican Restaurant, Mi Degollado II in Shepherdstown, and then drove back home after our anniversary celebration weekend. Celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister Joan’s house in Salisbury, MD; in a rare alignment of the stars, all three of my adult children were in attendance. Enjoyed huevos rancheros and bacon and waffles the next day with Mike’s sister Barbara. Finished Isabelle Allende’s The Infinite Plan and went to see the movies Steve Jobs, Bridge of Spies, and Spotlight. Went with Mike to a Madeleine Peyroux concert at the Barns of Wolf Trap. Completed the 12-week course, The Artists’s Way at Work: Riding the Dragon.

glowing trees in the Whole Foods parking lot

me on Billy Goat Trail

Mike on Billy Goat Trail

Billy Goat Trail

the Potomac River on Billy Goat Trail

Virginia countryside

Elmwood Cemetery

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Antietam National Battlefield

Burnside Bridge at Antietam

Mike on the Snavely Ford Trail

Snavely Ford Trail at Antietam

Snavely Ford Trail

View of the Bloody Lane

Bloody Lane Trail at Antietam

Celebrating our anniversary at The Press Room

Jacob Rohrbach Inn

Cornfield Trail at Antietam

me on the Cornfield Trail

Cornfield Trail

me on the Final Attack Trail

Final Attack Trail

Mike having lunch at Mi Degollado II

Mi Degollado II

Thanksgiving at my sister’s house

In December, I: Went to Mike’s company Christmas party where we took crazy photos in a photo booth. Had lunch with Alex and Sarah at Fresca…on Addison, while Mike went to a football game (University of Richmond vs. William & Mary). Explored the Museum of Fine Arts and then went to Lewis Ginter’s Dominion Gardenfest of Lights (“H2Whoa”) with Alex and his girlfriend Ariana, and then had a Cuban dinner at Kuba-Kuba Restaurante y Bodega. Took Adam and his friend Aeryn to dinner for his 23^rd birthday at Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. Had a tough month with our youngest son after his housemates in Maryland asked him to move out of their house because of a disagreement. Escaped the house with Mike, going to the Downtown Holiday Market and the National Portrait Gallery. Visited Washington National Cathedral to see the crèches displayed from around the world, our family tradition. Stopped at the Lebanese Taverna Market for lunch. Had Christmas Eve dinner at Barb’s house and celebrated Christmas day with Mike, the boys, & Barbara with our traditional brunch. Took gifts to Sarah in Richmond and then visited my father and stepmother in Yorktown, where we spent the night. Stopped at Lowery’s Seafood Restaurant for lunch in Tappahannock on New Year’s Eve day. Fell asleep before midnight, unable to welcome in 2016.