Spring in the UK

Our adventures continue in Great Britain, during the nicest spring weather the UK has every seen. Everyone warned us about the rain and dreary weather that can be experienced here, but that was not to be the case for us. We arrived  in London just before Easter weekend, which was also the week prior to the Royal Wedding. The warm, sunny weather has the Brits in a spin, and the excitement is mounting in the country that will have two long weekends in a row---one for Easter, and one for Will and Kate's big day. Moms were buying shorts for their tots, exposing their white, glaring skin which had never see this much sun, and for so many days in a row! News reporters were in line with us, getting through customs and immigration lines, ready to cover news of a far different nature than their recent assignments in Japan. The tabloids, shop windows, and the signs outside pubs are all  reminding us of the big day. Despite the millions that were descending on London for this auspicious occasion, we instead are headed north to our first destination outside Bedford, for a three day spiritual conference. Here, we met up with our Ashland friends, Rick and Carlotta, who would be joining us on our adventures for the next two weeks.

Rapeseed(canola) field

Roman Baths

 Figuring out the road directions and driving, was the task before the two Rick's. My Rick has had quite a bit of driving experience navigating on the "wrong" side of the road. By default he was the primary driver, while    the other Rick did a fabulous job as co-pilot, spending time each night studying the maps and preparing for the roundabouts and road changes. We were all enchanted with the scenery accross England. The grass was beyond green against the blue sky, with an intense yellow rapeseed growing in expansive fields on all sides of  us, with more yellow from gorse in full bloom and  a variety of trees either blossoming, or leafed out. The countryside and villages were spotlessly clean.  We saw houses, buildings, churches and castles dating back to the 16th century, and earlier in many places. It's thrilling to be in new countries and customs. The mind goes through fits and starts, inquiring about the hows and whys of different cultures, costumes and dress, cars and roadways --even how their version of the English language is spoken, while everything is a feast for the senses. 

up the stairs in the cathedral overlooking York

road signs were a bit different

Cathedral in York

Cafe where the first Harry Potter story was written < Ediburgh

Urquart Castle overlooking Loch Ness

The two Ricks at the Fairy Glen

Car and chauffer

Seeing Scottish tartans being made

Meditation spot at Findhorn

Part of Hadrian's Wall

We all had grand days in places like Avon, Bath, Avebury, York, and the small village of Cornbridge.  Stratford-on-Avon is the birthplace of Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway. We toured Anne Hathaway's house and the beautiful surrounding gardens. We spent a long, full day walking through Bath. The cathedral, the Roman baths, Jane Austen's home and soaking in the thermal waters were just a few of the days highlights. Our next stop was the village of Lacock, where we saw the abbey and the grounds that we discovered was another filming spot for the Harry Potter movies.  We then arrived at Avebury, which predates Stonehenge by two hundred years. It is an expansive area of standing stones that remain a mystery to this day, as to why and where the stones were placed.  From there to the town of York, an ancient walled city filled with one of England's most spectacular churches. We hiked the stairs to the get a bird's eye view from above the church spirals. We walked atop these city walls, peering down into well kept gardens, viewing the architecture of  many centuries.   Another highlight for us traveling together were our picnic lunches each day. We ate in grand parks, with majestic castles, abbeys, churches, or monuments for our lunchtime scenery. The enormity of these structures, which dot the countryside, restored, or in ruins, create a powerful place to stop and ponder what it would have be like to be living centuries ago. Our last evening in England was in the small village of Cornbridge, which positioned us to walk along Hadrian's wall.  Hadrian's wall was built by the Romans over 2000 years ago to keep the Scottish out. It was built across England and covered about seventy miles. The wall was 8 feet wide and 12 ft tall in most sections, constructed of rock and turf. The longest sections remaining are in the Cornbridge area, providing an expansive viewpoint over a vast area. We hiked along the wall and up the hill to get a sweeping view of this unique piece of history.

Lunch at Eilean Donan castle

From here, we headed north, crossing into Scotland. A bagpiper greeted us at the border, so we had the grand and exciting entrance into this country.  We decided to have a really long day of driving, so we could have the maximum time for the places we wanted to see most.  Our long day in the car was rewarded with many great stops along the way. One was Loch Ness and the Urquart Castle, which is on the waters edge of the Loch (lake). We did not see Nessie rise from the water, but know she is in there somewhere. We found that the Urquart castle is where one of Rick's great grandfathers(Alexander Forbes) died in 1301 defending his home against the English invaders. Our friend, Carlotta, is of the Mcleod clan, and it was fun traveling through Scotland learning the history of her ancestral roots and the many struggles and battles, such as the ones fought against the McDonald clan. We ended up eating our lunch that day with Scotland's most photographed monument, the Eilean Donan Castle, as our backdrop.  It was a breezy, but otherwise beautiful day to enjoy these powerful sites. We landed late that evening in the town of Forres. Here we stayed at a lovely B&B with terrific hosts. We arrived on the eve of the Royal Wedding, and watched some of the history of the royal family and all the activities around the UK. Our host said she would provide us a 'royal' vegan breakfast the next morning and we went happily off to bed. I arose at 6:00am to see the pre-wedding coverage. Once Kate walked down the aisle we headed off for the days activities. Rick and Carlotta droped us off at Findhorn, and took the car exploring the area. We had a fabulous day touring the grounds and meeting some of the residents of  this eco-community. Findhorn will soon celebrate it's 50th year as a progressive settlement for conscious and environmental living. They have developed the "Living Machine" which takes sewage from the community and turns it back into water that is cleaner than european drinking standards. They have creative and varied types of eco-structures and beautiful gardens, a health food store, and much more. It gave us a chance to learn more about this community first hand. I have had a fascination with Findhorn since I was about 15, and it was exciting to finally be there. I wish I could just whip up more places like this for people to live, as easily as I can create things in the kitchen.

The view of  Dunvegan castle from our cottage on the Isle of Skye

Our next destination was the Isle of Skye, where the Dunvegan Castle is located. This is the castle of the McLeod's, wherein lies much of the secrets to Carlotta's heritage.  We had a cottage located across the bay from the castle, which filled our view from the front window.  Here Carlotta and I made some lovely dinners together, had a chance to do our laundry, and relax a bit before the last legs of our long adventures. Here on the Isle, we took a boat ride to see the harp seals, and get a view of the castle from the water.  We spent three days exploring this area. Highlights were our hikes up to a magical promontory, the Fairy Glen, and a lovely white sand beach, as well as driving around the other two fingers of land that are a part of the isle.

Typical village scenes in England

Rick connecting with the locals in Lacock

After a  good time on the Isle of Skye, we headed inland, with some lovely stops along the way. We took the ferry across to Fort William, and worked our way to Glenfinnan Monument, another great picnic spot. For Harry Potter fans, this is where the scenes were filmed of the train traveling over the curved trestle, with the mountain scenery in the background. The Glencoe Valley provided some majestic sights that are unique, and unlike what we see anywhere here in the states. Our last destination in Scotland was Edinburgh. We found a really nice vegetarian restuarant for dinner, and walked around the city for a couple of hours in the evening to get acquainted, as we have only tomorrow here..

I finally made it to Findhorn

Our last day in Scotland was spent at the Edinburgh Castle and walking down the Royal Mile to the queen's palace. We went from one side of the town to the other, and to the monuments up the hill for a greater view of this wonderful city. We met Rick and Carlotta for dinner on our last night traveling together. This is where we head onwards, while our friends stay a few nights more before flying to Denmark. It's been really nice getting to know them better and creating some wonderful memories.  I am sure we will reminisce about the special moments on this part of our journey for years to come. Now, off to Ireland.....

Buongiorno !!

12 miles of Catacombs lie below this spring field along the Appian Way

top of St. Peter's looking getting the birds eye view

Nun in Assisi with full attire

·         Rome, Assisi, Lucca, Pisa, Cinque Terra, Pietra Ligure, Damanhur (Vidracco) and Sienna. Our two weeks in Italy were action packed and full, long days. We started in Rome.  All of a sudden I said, "WOW", I'm in Rome!  History and art becomes alive and your history lessons of the past become something of value, rather than just something from a book. In Rome, we went to the Vatican and climbed the hundreds of stairs to get to the top of St. Peter's Dome for a bird's eye view of the city. We walked across, around and through Rome until midnight. We took a bus out to the Appian Way to walk the ancient cobblestone road and to visit the extensive underground catacombs. In the evening, we worked our way back across Rome  to see the fountains lit, and the piazzas full of people and activity. The Trevi fountain was a highlight of our night stroll.  As beautiful as Rome is, we were anxious to get out of the big city and into the smaller villages and towns of Italy. Our next train ride was to Assisi. We were met by our couchsurfing hosts at the train station and enjoyed our connection with them. Staying with local people gives us a sense of what it is like to live full time in these amazing places. We were extremely lucky to be there on the Monday before Easter week, and had the walled city almost to ourselves. Assisi has a very special feel to it, and today still reflects the life of St. Francis. One feels as if they have gone through a time warp in the narrow cobbled streets with Franciscan monks, friars and the poor Clare nuns in full attire going about their daily tasks and activities. We especially enjoyed a hike that was just outside the walled city, high into the hills, to walk in the footsteps of St. Francis to the caves where he would meditate. You would either curse your way up this long, steep rocky hillside, or have to be a saint saying your prayers on the way up.  I can tell you, I was glad we hitched a ride back down to the walled city when we were done seeing the cave and tiny monastery on the hill. Stepping back into 15th century Assisi was truly a highlight of our time in Italy.  

·             Early the next morning, we were on the train again heading north to another walled city, Lucca. We couchsurfed our way through Italy and had wonderful hosts, but the one we had in Lucca was a gem. She made us the best vegan Italian meal we had. We also accompanied her and a Brazilian couchsurfer, Flavio, to Pisa in the evening to watch her friend, who is a popular blues singer, and her great band. Around 2:00 am, we saw the leaning tower of Pisa on our way back to Lucca. We did not have to fight the crowds at that time of the morning.  Rick and I did not drink at the pub, so Rick ended up driving us in Flavio’s Fiat sports car back to Lucca on the winding back roads, while I held my breath in the back seat.  He had way too much fun driving that sports car!  Actually, Rick did drink at the pub, though his was a non-alcoholic drink called ‘Io Guido’ meaning ‘I drive’.

It's 2:00 in the afternoon Where is everyone???

Hiking between villages in Cinque Terra

Overlooking  Final  Ligure 

One of the beautiful villages along Cinque Terra

·         Heading north, our next destination was the beautiful Mediterranean coastline, walking from village to village in the area known as Cinque Terra. These quaint villages are connected by sweet trails that the locals and tourists have travelled for centuries to get from one place to another. The scenery, and small family owned fruit orchards and gardens along the way, overlooking the sea, is breathtaking scenery.  We worked our way past Genoa to another coastal town, Pietra Ligure. In nearby Final Ligure, we discovered another ancient walled city with a long trail starting in the village and winding up into the mountains. We explored a deserted castle high on the hill, and followed a cobblestone road almost to the neighboring valley. 

clay pottery around Damanhur

outdoor temple where we went to full moon oracle

·         In Italy, many of the businesses close between 1 and 4pm for siesta time, so when you are in one of these villages they are like a ghost town.  All of a sudden, around 4:30, there are people everywhere in the piazzas (town centers or squares) sweeping outside their shops. There is a hustle and bustle that just appears. It is an odd phenomenon to witness, especially in the smaller villages. Again, we couchsurfed with a lovely couple who made our time in this area wonderful.  Our next train ride was a long six hour stint with a couple of transfers to different trains, which was not easy to figure out, but we managed it. We arrived in a town called Ivrea, which is about 20 miles away from the eco-community of Damanhur. We spent a couple of days being a part of this community.  Our first night, there was a folk dance which was a fun surprise, and allowed us to dance and observe the Damahurians as a group. The minute the music started everyone in the room was engaged in dancing. There were no wallflowers on this night. They are a fun-loving, happy bunch of people.  Rick and I enjoy dancing and were happy to participate. The community runs a very well supplied health food store, with a great selection, which was exciting for me to see this far north in Italy, in a rural area. We toured the art centers, the bookstore and the community as a whole. The big excitement at for us was visiting the underground spiritual temples. I highly recommend the virtual tour of the temples, which can be viewed online at http://www.damanhur.org/ They were carved by hand, underground, in the 1980’s, by the Damanhur community members.

art everywhere at Damanhur

folk dance at Damanhur

Damahurian artist at work

·       We happened to be at Damanhur during the full moon, and were invited to the Full Moon Oracle, which is a Druid type ceremony that hundreds of the community members participate in. There was drumming and dancing, and ancient rituals with fires and candles.  The setting was an outdoor temple, and the full moon was located center stage above us in the sky. It was quite the experience!  

overlooking Lucca ( a tree growing ontop of the clock tower)

street in Assisi

overlooking Assisi from the Wall of city

overlooking Lucca

Lucca rooftops

·         We walked around the community to view the sculptures, labyrinths and the art that permeates this eco- settlement. The Damahurians are truly progressive thinkers and doers, as well as a very loving, and accepting, international community. We were impressed, learned a lot, and feel grateful for our time there. We took the early morning bus with the high school students from the the community and surrounding towns back to Ivrea and the train station. By this time we were pretty tired, as we had stayed up way past our bedtime all through Italy. We took naps on the long train ride to Sienna. We only had the evening and a half a day to explore Sienna, so we pushed our way around the city. The weather was beautiful, and Sienna was larger and different than any of the cities we had been to previously. The piazzas were bustling with activity from locals and tourists. It is now Easter week, and many related church activities are in full swing. By nightfall, we are back in Rome for our last evening in this country. We covered a lot of territory, and feel we got a really good taste of Italy, the people and their culture. Our next experience will take us to England and beyond.