Desert Laura

The one thing that is a "must-do" every summer is to get out of Phoenix and head towards cooler places. Preferably somewhere green. It makes living here a little more tolerable. This summer, I was lucky to be able to take 2 vacations. Italy and Portland. But Portland didn't count. I had to go shopping. To pick berries. And preserve them. Then bring them back to Phoenix. You see, berries don't exist in Phoenix, or anywhere in Arizona for that matter. Really, it's almost bad enough that I'd consider packing my bags and moving to a place with a small berry patch. Everyone needs to live somewhere relatively close to berries. Once you've seen fields and fields of berries, walked along and picked wild blueberries in a city street, bent down to pick and taste the bursting red fruit...once you've seen it and experienced it, you can't go back. You can't settle for the Trader Joe's berries. Even the Whole Foods berries are lacking the s...

As I sit in the airport, waiting for my flight that will bring me back to Sicily , I notice the people around me, waiting…impatiently…and I realize I’m among Sicilians. First, there are the group of incredibly obnoxious boys and men who complain loudly to each other and to anyone that would hear them, that the delay is entirely too long. They’re wearing the trademark Mafia sunglasses - but I highly doubt the Mafia would have anything to do with these loud and incredibly annoying bunch of boys. They go on and on for more than the one hour delay to Catania . Then, I notice the young boy who is accompanying his grandmother home. He makes sure she has a comfortable seat while he stands in the long line, occasionally going back to her to see if she is OK, if she needs anything. And the others, too. Even the strangers seem to be taking care of this elderly woman who is too old to stand and wait. Someone goes to get her espresso from the machine (yes, there are espresso machin...

After spending 3 beautiful, relaxing days in the north of Italy , I take a train down to Siena , Tuscany , where I will be for the next 4 days. To describe what Siena is like is to describe a living museum; a complex system of narrow cobblestone streets, Italian gothic arches, a maze of neighborhoods, churches, museums, theaters, small shops, gently rolling hills, Cypress trees, a round and simple medieval 13th century piazza, all abuzz with the sounds of tourists, children, street vendors, scooters, and sparrows flying overhead. I could have picked a quieter town. One not as overwhelmed with tourists. But as I was standing at the train terminal in Ventimiglia I couldn’t make up my mind as to where I wanted to go. Siena was the first train out that morning…so I bought my ticket and called the tourist office to find me a small room that day. And it’s a good thing I did. Siena may be a city full of tourists, but it is also a city where people all over Europe come to ...

Started my trip to Italy with 4 days at the eco-village of Torri Superiore, near Ventimiglia, Italy. After hours of flying, then taking a train for 6 hours (which should have been 4 hours), then arriving in Ventimiglia too late to catch the necessary bus to the town of Torri, then finding a hotel to sleep for the night...I celebrated my birthday...finally. At 11pm on June 12th, I had my dinner of Gnocchi and pesto and a large glass of red wine! The next morning, I catch the first bus to Torri and arrive to an amazing, old, restored village where 10 families live and many visitors come to relax, learn, study, work and enjoy the surrounding area. For me, I sat and relaxed. There is a beautiful and clean, cool river that runs just below the town. Every afternoon, I would head down there and take a swim in the river. This river is amazing...there are big rocks where you could jump off and into the water. The water was clear and deep. Fish everywhere and big frogs that you can hear ...