Autumn Adventure Agenda: It's a Trade-off

Porta San Niccolo, Firenze

Many people say they envy my travels in Italy, or perhaps it's the freedom to be able to travel that they wish for. I wonder if they would feel the same if they understood how complicated it can be at times to travel on my own by public transport when it involves working online during my journey. For several years, I was able to housesit for several months, which made things much simpler. I had a place to leave my luggage while I visited friends, and reliable internet access. But this year, I don't have that option and had to figure out another way to manage working while I travel.

Case in point: I'm currently planning a two-month stay in Italy this fall. Seems simple enough. My main focus this trip is to spend a week in Ischia, a small island off the coast of Naples. A Roman friend went there last year and reported that it was very inexpensive during the month of September. Since it's near the ruins of Ercolano (Herculaneum) and Pompeii, I also want to spend a few days exploring those sites, where in 79 AD the two cities were buried by a catastrophic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

As it turns out, the low season in Ischia doesn't start until after the 10th of September, and I'll be there from Sept. 2-9, wouldn't you know? I'd had my eye on an inexpensive B&B, with a view of the sea, but waited too long to book it, and missed out. Instead, I'll be staying at a more costly hotel, which is much less inviting. But I'll have time to explore Ischia and Procida, a smaller island nearby. Ischia is relatively unknown to American travelers, but Italians and Germans often vacation there to enjoy the beaches and thermal spas. 

The trick is that I will have to work online for nearly three weeks, starting the third week in September, so I need a place to stay in Italy with secure, reliable internet access during that time. Or I could take a 3-week trip to Italy, and come home in time to work. After looking at the cost of airfare, I decided to opt for the longer stay, to make it worth my while. I found a good deal on a spacious apartment in Florence in the San Niccolo quartiere, an area with many lovely parks, and booked it for a month. That left me with three weeks to travel and visit friends, but which ones, and where?

I've been invited to a wedding in Rome during the last week of August, which set my departure time. My friend Marco's son  is getting married to a Roman lass, and it will be a festive occasion to visit with his family again. I've visited Marco and his wife Marvi several times at their home in Modena, and they stayed with me in Zagarolo in 2011. I can also visit my Roman friends Lidia and Carlo. A few days in Rome seems sufficient, so from there I plan to go by train to Ercolano for the weekend, which will also serve as a base to visit Pompeii. I've booked an inexpensive B&B in Mt. Vesuvius National Park. It's too far from the train station to walk, so I'm hoping the owners can provide transportation. After Ercolano, I travel by train back to Naples, and then by ferry to Ischia. During that first week, I'll have some online work to complete, so made sure to book lodging with internet access, which is not always a given in Italy.

The main hassle is that I need to haul two computers (one for backup) with me on my travels, and clothes for several seasons, which means more luggage than is easy to manage when going by train, bus and ferry. I'm in my 60's now, and even though I'm in good shape, it's a hassle to haul around several suitcases, not to mention the worry of traveling with several computers. Sometimes I've been able to leave one of my bags with friends while I travel, but I'm not sure it's possible this time. I try my best to minimize as much as possible, but I'll still end up with one 26" suitcase, a 13"computer case, and a small backpack. At least the suitcases are on wheels, but that's no help when you have to haul them up and down long staircases at the train stations.

After Ischia, I've been invited to visit my friend Lucia in Trentino-Alto Adige. She's recently moved to a different village, and I'm eager to see her again, in the mountains of northern Italy. I've visited Lucia and her daughter Marta several times in the past, and am hoping they can visit me in Florence this year.

Trentino-Alto Adige, 2011

After Trento, I'll stop in Bologna for a few days to visit Massimo, Sofia and Erika. They visited me in Zagarolo last year and now it's my turn to visit them again. Parma will be the next stop, to visit friends Renata and Pietro. I stayed with them for a few days last year and they took me to the city of Lerici, on the Ligurian coast, while I was there. After Parma, I head to Firenze for a month.

Lerici, Liguria, 2012

Another option that's presented itself is the chance to visit Piran, Slovenia. My friend Gianluigi and his wife Hilda have offered me the use of their vacation apartment in Piran, if I would like to go there during my stay in Italy. And by a strange coincidence, another Italian friend just returned from Piran and told me how wonderful the town is! It's on the Adriatic coast, across the sea from Venice. I'd need to go to Padova to get the key from Gianluigi, then travel by train to Trieste, and by bus from Trieste to Piran. I'd like to go, but it will be a hassle with my luggage, and I'm not sure I'm up to it. We'll see.

Here's a map of the areas I'll be going to (the route to Piran is added for fun):

Before I leave home, I'll arrange my train travels and buy my tickets online. It saves so much hassle in Italy! In the past, I'd go to the train stations to buy tickets, which inevitably involves waiting in a long line. Online, I can get cheaper tickets, and can have them sent by SMS to my Italian cell phone. So much simpler!

Traveling around Italy can be exciting and rewarding, especially when visiting friends, but it's also wearisome at times. If I could travel with one small bag, and didn't have to worry about working or internet access, I'd be much freer to explore options like traveling to Piran. So for those who might envy me, just keep in mind that there's always a trade-off. If I don't work, I can't afford to travel, so I'm thankful for the online jobs. And working online gives me the freedom to travel for months at a time. Overall, it's been worth it to deal with the hassles so I can enjoy the many rewards of traveling in Italy.

Lazy Summer Days

flowers and homemade mosaics in my backyard

Well, basically, I'm being lazy this summer. My busy spring work season starts in February and ends the last week of June. Working two online jobs at once is often stressful and leaves little time for play. But I get so much done when I'm busy! After that, things start winding down, and won't pick up again until late September. During July and August, I have a light work load, and once I start enjoying my free time, I find myself avoiding the computer. Instead, I swim laps at the outdoor pool, read a stack of novels, watch DVDs from the library, hang out with my son and my friends, water the flower and vegetable gardens and ride my bike every evening. It's glorious!

a view of the back patio

In contrast to last year, which was so hot that we had no tomatoes, and I wasn't around to plant flowers, this year my yard is lush with beauty and produce. We had a cool, wet June, for a change. I've been making pesto every week for a month, and have also given away bags of basil leaves to my friends from my prolific plants. Cherry tomatoes are ready to eat, and romas are getting plump on the vine. Zucchine flowers have been blooming for weeks, so we'll soon have fresh squash to eat.

orchids in full bloom

I'm happy to have time to enjoy the nearby parks, well-maintained with eye-catching flower displays.

artistic entrance to South Park

downtown flowers with my bike in the background

I'm enjoying these lazy summer days and making plans for my upcoming trip to Italy. I'll be there for two months, and will travel to some new and interesting sights. More on that soon. A presto!

a bouquet of larkspur and yarrow from a friend

Happy Birthday to me!

Two new beauties

Yesterday was my birthday! It was great to be home to share it with my son and many friends in the neighborhood. My son and I hosted a potluck in the backyard, and it turned out to be a lovely day for it. Earlier in the day, I walked downtown for a free gourmet coffee, a treat that is offered by a local business, Liberty Hall. According to them. having a birthday entitles anyone to free coffee, free admission to a movie,  free popocorn and soda, and a free DVD rental. Can't beat that! I've missed out on this bonanza for two years, so wanted to make sure to take advantage of it this year.

HUGE clematis blossoms in my yard!

My son gave me the gift of flowers, (or actually, money to buy them), so I bought several orchids and a red rose bush that will grow to be as tall as I am someday. He also gave me a lovely blown glass vase made by a local artist. He always seems to find the perfect gifts for me!

Last year I was in Padova on my birthday, and the year before that, I was in Firenze:  Firenze: A Birthday Surprise!  For some reason, I didn't write a post about last year, but I remember that Marisa, the mother of a friend, who I was staying with at the time, made me a special shrimp dinner and bought some elegant pastries to mark the event. I was rushing around Italy at this time last year, and my stay in Padova was especially hurried, culminating with earthquakes that stopped the trains running and delayed my return to Zagarolo for the last week of my stay.

But getting back to this year: walking downtown made me aware of how lovely our town is at this time of year. Kansas often gets a bad rap as being a conservative state, flat and boring,  but Lawrence does not fit that image. The presence of the University allows for a cosmopolitan, artsy culture, with well-educated and liberal-minded citizens, and the landscape offers rolling hills filled with trees. On my walk, I enjoyed being able to see that many yards were filled with blooming flowers, especially rose bushes, loaded down with bright blooms. Vegetable gardens were also in abundance. A cool, wet spring has generated a boom in beauty all over the city. Our city is charming, lovely and a great place to live!

Green, green, green: un paradiso!

I am ever so happy to be home this year. Seriously! I've missed seeing my yard during April, May and June for the past two years while I was in Italy, and it's a daily delight to see what's blooming. It's also wonderfully therapeutic to work in the yard, to plant the orto (vegetable garden) and many flowers. I've planted many colorful annuals this year, including impatiens, begonias, petunias, morning glories, portulaca, zinnias, marigolds, and climbing moonflowers. In addition, I have many peonies, clematis, asiatic lilies and iris that are starting to bloom.

Peonies from the peony tree

I live in a neighborhood that is dense with large trees. There are numerous birds singing all day long, and many of them enjoy splashing in the birdbath in the backyard. I watch them from the window in my kitchen. A pair of bright red cardinals have visited daily this week. Nearby there's a new 4-mile bike path that I've been riding often: going back and forth on it for 40-60 minutes is a good workout. 

Riding the bike path where there were previously railroad tracks.

After my hectic and stressful stay in Italy last year at this time, being home feels tranquil and satisfying. I have some great friends who are also my neighbors, and we've been getting together for dinners more often lately. Next week my son and I are hosting a patio party for the group, to celebrate his new apartment and my birthday. Something to look forward to! With little work to do this month, I almost feel as if I'm on vacation. And in a few weeks, the outdoor pool opens and I'll be able to swim, my favorite summer past time. So I'm finding many things to enjoy about being home in Kansas.

 

MOOC update: I've finished two courses and am auditing two more with Coursera. I also took several brief courses at the University here, and went to a performance of Puccini's La Boheme. I'm currently  fascinated with a course on Greek and Roman mythology. It's odd, but several courses I've taken this spring have overlapping information, about Descartes, Darwin and Freud, in particular. (They were courses on philosophy, great thinkers, and psychology). I'm auditing the courses I'm taking now because I don't want to hassle with the written assignments, and don't really care about getting a certificate from them. But I still do the quizzes, which motivates me to watch the videos and learn what I can.

Home sweet home

I'll be working a lot in June, then July and August I'll have a lighter schedule again. I'm hoping to get back to Italy this fall, I'm just not sure where I'll go or how long I'll stay. No housesitting gigs have come up, so a long stay is not feasible.Until then, I have a lot to enjoy here at home!

I fiori!!!

Tulips from my garden. Jasmine plant is by the window on the right.

A lovely spring bouquet!

First jasmine blossoms.

Spring a casa mia

Japanese Cherry tree in bloom

One of the perks of being home this spring is being able to enjoy the yard I've created while living nearly thirty years in the same house. Every day something new is emerging from the earth, and when it's sunny, you can be certain to find me working in the yard at least part of the day. It's great therapy when I'm frustrated by my students or other work duties.

Since I spent 2011 and 2012 in Italy during the spring months, I missed being able to see my tulips, daffodils, iris and peonies blooming. I also missed the spectacular show that my cherry and crab trees put on every year. This year I'm happy to be home so I can witness their beauty. After two years of neglecting the yard, I have a lot of work to catch up on and am re-doing or rearranging several areas of the flower and vegetable gardens. It's a work in progress, ma che gioia !

Know Thyself: Conosci te stesso

owl, symbol of wisdom

Know thyself: that's the name of the new Coursera MOOC that I started this week. It's about self-knowledge: what it is, why it's important, and how to develop it. The E-learning course is over, and this new one will last ten weeks, until the middle of May. The course has a bit of philosophy, a bit of psychology, along with information about meditation. 70,000 people have enrolled, and I've joined a study group with older students, hoping to be able to follow the discussion with a smaller group of folks. This week the readings focused on Socrates and several meditative techniques. After reading about Socrates, I feel validated in many ways. I've never been one to follow the crowd, and am always questioning things, which sometimes gets me into trouble. Finding out that Socrates had similar habits and is remembered more than 2400 years later, well, I don't feel so odd anymore! For more information, and a short video about the course, try this link:

Know Thyself

I'm also starting a 3-week course at the University of Kansas on the Monuments of Ancient Rome, and I'm eager to see what they cover. I'm especially interested in learning more about the Via Appia Antica. I tried to get to the stretch of the Appian Way that lies beyond Rome last year, but was unsuccessful, and am planning to try again next fall. Another area of Italy I want to visit is near Naples. I'd like to spend some time on the small island of Ischia in September, and while I'm in the area, I want to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum and Capri (again), to view some of the ancient buildings and artifacts stored there. I recently read a compelling book, The Night Villa, by Carol Goodman, that centers around the papyri, or ancient scrolls that were found in Herculaneum (Ercolano) in the late 1700's. 

Both Pompeii and Ercolano where covered in volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D.  Ercolano is famous as one of the few ancient cities that can now be seen in almost its original magnificence, because unlike Pompeii, it was buried so deep that the the upper stories of many buildings remained intact, and the hotter ash preserved wooden household objects and even food. There is a famous villa in Ercolano called Villa dei Papiri: its name derives from the discovery of a library in the villa containing nearly 1800 papyrus scrolls. Piso, a literate man who patronized poets and philosophers (including Epicurius, who turns out to be very interesting!), had created a large and well-stocked library there, and it's the only one to survive intact from antiquity. Most of the scrolls are stored at the National Library in Naples: some of the unrolled scrolls were scanned in 2009 by x-rays, in hopes of being able to read the ancient writing, but so far they've had no luck.  (Some info provided by Wikipedia)

As often happens, I feel that I'm being led somewhere by the synchronistic events in my life, and I'm curious to see how things will play out in the months to come. In the meantime, I'm working and studying a lot....with little time for play!