News from the BBC Regarding Vivian's Disappearance

LOL. Only today was I notified this notice was sent out about my 'alleged' disappearance in June:

Would I travel again? (Closing Comments)

Would I travel alone again? YES!

But in future trips I will add more social interaction. For example, I can meet up with a sketching group, or I can take a cooking class, or language class. If I am real lucky maybe I can arrange to meet up with my penpal once again. :-)

I noticed it was very easy to talk and hangout with people at the airport but not so easy elsewhere.

Other notes on Italy:

1. Having my own apartment when I travel makes a big difference in my experience. Hotels make me feel like an outsider. Apartments help me feel like I am part of the community. Oddly, I loved drying my clothes on a line in Italy just like all my neighbors, and will do that when I return to California as well. And I must say I did enjoy opening a window to yell down to my neighbors and vice versus instead of texting or using the phone. Heh.

2. Italians know how to make a salad!!! They are so beyond iceberg lettuce, grated carrot, and tasteless tomatoes drowned in ranch dressing. They enjoy a variety of greens, tuna, juicy tomatoes, olives, and slices of mozarella buffalo cheese, all simply dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

3. My main takeaway from this trip is that the Italian culinary lifestyle taught me that we HAVE all the ingredients we need to make delicious meals...especially in California. The secret to rich flavor is fresh and organic vegetables, fruits, and grass fed animals, and making the effort to cook with them.

Cook simply; cook creatively; and cook with multiple colors!

Speaking of real ingredients and colors...I decided to invest in a gelato making machine made by DeLonghi.

4. Even hardships can help prepare you for the future. My overnight in the kiosk at the airport actually helped me get an early start on turning my hours around and readjusting to California time. I rather enjoyed the challenge. At least it makes a good story. And good stories mark an excellent adventure.


Thanks for reading my blog!






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Location:Italy: Venice, Bologna, and Urbino

Collection of My Sketches While in Italy

Photo by Richard Fulcher







































My travel sketch kit.

My long, long, LONG trip home + an airport adventure

After a tearful goodbye with Jen and Richard in the morning I headed to Venice one more time on the bus since my flight left at 10 that night. It was one hot day and since I had not slept very well the pervious night I dragged myself from deep shadow to deep shadow sitting down frequently.

I did treat myself to a special dinner at "Al Profeta" right across from my Venice apartment of two weeks ago. The image below is a white fish sprinkled with bread crumbs, zucchini, arugula, and pine nuts.




After dinner I had my last two scoops from favorite gelato shop "IL Doge." This time one scoop of peach and one scoop of chocolate.





I dragged myself around a bit more and then took the bus back early to the Venice Airport. Sat around for about four hours. The flight to Paris went without a hitch, but then I had figure out how to spend the next 12 hours.

This is where I spent the night in Paris: on the floor of an airport kiosk!



After a very poor nights rest I checked in my baggage only to be held back by soldiers who were inspecting an unattended bag.






Once we were released I really enjoyed the rest of the Paris airport. I don't remember it being so high tech! They have big areas to connect to the internet, loads of natural light,






3-d movies, and






places to listen to music while being exposed to some sort of light therapy.





And take a look at these beds! I wish I had know about these before last night!






I am happy to report I had a very enjoyable flight from Paris to San Francisco with no travel sickness. Thank you Jen, the pill worked!



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Location:Venice, Italy

No Tourists at Urbania, Italy

After the hordes of tourists at Venice it was a treat to spend a week in the region of Le Marche where tourists do not go. We had this small town (population 6,000) of Urbania to ourselves. I am not sure we saw another tourist here.








A vegetable oil collection drum...how cool is that?






I saw many cars parked at an angle like this.


We enjoyed the moat around this palace. I think it needs a few crocodiles.






These narrow streets always were very clean.






We missed the vespa race by one day. That would have been something to see!




The bicycle mailbox was my favorite.




My penpal Jen taking in the sights.




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Location:Urbania, Italy

What is it like staying at a farm for vacation?

One of the main reasons I wanted to stay at an organic farm was to absorb the Italian passion for growing organically. Giulia Savini, owner of the farm Locanda della Valle Nuova, has become a major inspiration for me. Not only does she grow things organically, she is also a cook!

The farm is located in the Le Marche area (north east) of Italy in an area devoid of tourists. After braving the crowds in Venice, and Bologna, my last week at this farm was just what I needed.

Here is a short video on what the farm looked like. If it intrigues you here is the website : http://www.vallenuova.it/en/locanda/casa.htm



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British Guest at the Farm Unknowingly Gave Me Tips for Toastmasters

One of the guests staying at the farm was a British woman from the southern end of England. She was an amazing storyteller. With her rich elocution, and ability to construct drama and resolution she was fun to listen to. In this very short audio clip she talks about how she does not care a wit for front lawns!

She explains if you don't water your lawn that' s ok because it will grow back. And she also doesn't understand why her neighbors are so fussy about their lawns. (And I agree! :-)

Unfortunately I only captured a few sentences to remember her by.






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What I cooked during my trip to Italy

In Venice I shopped in the neighborhood market but also at the open air food market near the Rialto Bridge. Prices were a little lower here and the produce abundant.




This was a simple and typical breakfast I made almost every morning.




This is a little fancier breakfast I made that includes vegetables. This so NOT Italian. Italians just like a little coffee and perhaps a pastry. They do not eat cereal, eggs and bacon, nor pancakes. But I love a hearty breakfast when I am on holiday and walking a lot.





Here is my typical dinner. I would always have a salad. The main dish in this picture is risotto with fresh vegetables.





In Bologna, I shopped at the famous market, Marcato di Mezzo.




I was fortunate to speak to a fellow behind the counter who spoke English. He recommended two kinds of meat and a cheese to buy at the deli below.




For three days in Bologna I only had a refrigerator so I mainly made sandwiches. The only thing I lacked was a knife so it was interesting eating tomatoes and cheese. :-) Every thing I bought was extremely tasty although I did miss my vegetables.




In Urbino near the farm I stayed at we shopped the first day at an open air market. I bought some lovely fish there. One thing I noticed at the markets the vendors would always give me a gift like a handful of calamari, or a carrot and some Italian parsley thrown in.








The farm, Locanda della Valle Nuova, also provided us with a welcome basket of goodies from their farm. I was so sad I could not take my jar of unfinished jam home with me!





I prepared this meal at the farm for my friends and me -- prepared fish, sliced potatoes in a little garlic, and a salad that included tomatoes and apricots.




I very much enjoy cooking when on vacation with local ingredients whether it is just for me or for others.




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Location:Italy

A Few of the Meals I Ate From Restaurants

This is a drink specific to Venice called a "spritz." The drink is prepared with white wine (generally a Pinot Grigio delle tre Venezie or Tocai) or Prosecco wine, a dash of some bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, Gran Classico, Select or Cynar. The glass is then topped off with sparkling mineral water.

Served at a beach town called Sirolo. I loved it! the tuna and mozarella made it sing.

Served at Hosteria del Castello (near the farm where I stayed at. )
This is the Italian version of seasonal vegetables. Featured here are bitter greens, and breaded tomato, zucchini, and sweet onion.

This is a dessert that was made and served to us at the farm, Locanda della Valle Nuova. It was panna cotta with sour cherry syrup. All main ingredients were grown on the farm.

This was a small very tasty sandwich of salami and cheese. In Urbania we bought several for a mere 1.50 euro each. The fresh orange juice squeezed in front of me by hand was one euro.
And last but not least...

Unlike the coffee I have had in Paris I found coffee in Italy to be exceptional!
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Location:Italy

Songbirds at the Farm

These are the sounds I heard this morning at Locanda Della Valle








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Hosteria Del Costello - My Favorite Restaurant

Up way in the hills of Urbino close to the farm where I was staying but far from anything else was this restaurant. It was here I had authentic meals prepared by Italians who did not speak English nor were they accustomed to tourists. Even so they were very friendly. The second time we came here we sat out on the patio with an incredible view. We had it all to ourselves. I will remember it always.





I especially enjoyed the pizza. What you see below was a one person pizza. However, the crust was so incredibly thin one person could eat it all. It was even better the next day!





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Giulia describes the dinner she made for us at the farm

Last night our host made us a full course meal. In this soundtrack she describes the meal. Almost everything was made at her farm.







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Location:Ubrino, Italy. At the farm

Thirty Eight Years Later Jen and I Finally Meet

I just know when I go home I am going to have to pinch myself to believe I actually met Jen, my pen pal from England. Until this week I had never met her in the flesh.

We found each other by replying to an ad in the back of a teen magazine. We were 16 years old then. In fact, recently I found the actual document that shows when we applied! Thanks to Facebook we reconnected. And now here we are in Italy far out in the countryside sharing in a grand vacation at an organic farm where tourists are a rarity.

It has been quite an adventure I will always treasure, and hopefully it won't be the last one.




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Recording of an Italian we met today while we were lost in a town park.

The fellow with the full head of grey hair and the black t-shirt is the one speaking in this recording I made. We encountered him running a snack shop inside a shack at a bedraggled park. In this recording he shares his view on how Italian musicians can't get a break.




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Location:Ancona, Italy

Spent an easy day at the farm just relaxing today

Spent an easy day with Jennifer and Richard today by the pool. Jennifer spent the early part of the day ironing 200 pages of a guidebook that Richard had left out in the rain :-)


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