Sweet, Sweet, Sicily!

Have you ever been to a place where the experience of being there permeated all of your senses and, you were sure, that for the rest of your life you would be able to recall that place with complete clarity? The mere thought of it; the sights, the sounds, the smells, even the night air as it wraps around you, evokes a feeling of sheer delight and contentment. Well, for us, Sicily has been just that place. We arrived from Spain, after a quick stop in Scotland. The moment we stepped off the plane we felt such a sense of peace. The people here are very nice and are always willing to go the extra mile to help you  feel welcome. It is as if we were their long lost family.

After we arrived at the airport, we learned that the next flight to Crete, Greece would be in a week leaving from the Navy Base in Naples. Naples in on the mainland and the flight is called the Patriot Express which is a civilian 767 leased by the government. This is a scheduled flight so we knew we had a good chance of making it. We decided to rent a car and explore the island for a week. In Italy, no one gets excited over renting an Alfa Romero or a Fiat but when they handed us the keys to an Alfa Romero we were ecstatic to say the least. Thankfully we have an international GPS (lovingly referred to as Betty), which allowed us to set her for sites unknown.

The first day we went to Catania and meandered around town. The open market was beautiful and we had so much fun meeting the locals and examining their goods. They sell everything from fruit to escargot! The cheese and homemade salami was the best we have ever tasted and the vendors are always happy to have you try their goods. It was a beautiful fall day, crisp and slightly blustery and we walked for hours.

We would find ourselves meandering along the old cobblestone streets and as we rounded a corner we would be in the middle of a beautiful piazza, hundreds of years old with a history deep and rich. It was everything you would imagine an old Sicilian port town to be.

We took the week to meander and we found an old farmhouse to stay in. We  fell in love with the small
and off the beaten path place.

We loved the ladies who ran the place, Francesca and Sylvia and they took such good care of us. They told us of some local activities, hiking, shopping and the local eateries. Their best recommendation to us by far was to tend the local festival that has proved to be one of our most favorite evenings so far. It was in a town called Mota Camastra. Walt Disney could not have re-created this mountain city any better. When I say mountain city I don’t mean a city ON a mountain, I mean a city IN a mountain. It was phenomenal! Our pictures will never do it justice but our hearts and minds eye we will never forget its beauty.

As we walked up the winding path, we could hear music playing to welcome the children. You will never guess what they were playing…”It’s a Small World”…. in English. We rounded the corner and lanterns were lit along the pathway with large candles also on the ground to light the cobblestone roads. The local merchants had their entire foodstuff available for sample and

sale. Limoncello, orange cello, olives, cheese, salami, crepes, marmalades and freshly roasted chestnuts to name but a few. Men were playing banjos, accordions and jute harps out in the evening; playing with such passion it made me weep.

They served us a huge bowls of freshly made warm pasta, fresh bread and a glass of wine. We sampled everything they had to offer. Near the end we sat down to have a glass of the local wine and Tom order a bar-b-cued sandwich. I will never forget the look on his face when the man told him it was horse meat! He ate it and we decided it was not too bad at all. In the everyday life, there is a lot to be said for just breathing and appreciating the beauty around you and for not being afraid to try something different.

After a few days we drove to Taoromina another beautiful town on the Sicilian coastline. We walked, talked and savored the beauty.

We then continued north to Messina and took the ferry to the main land and actually made it without any hitches. Trying to tell an Italian man you want to take your car across the ocean and continue heading towards Naples with only a small phrase book can be daunting but we made it and it was a lovely.

We felt as if we had left one world and entered another as drove into Naples. There are no American insurance companies will give you car insurance while you are in Italy so you must buy the Italian insurance. An extra $14.00 a day but well worth it! The Italians concur that the drivers from Napoli are the worse and we agree. There are rules to follow and non-adherence to them can be a matter of life and death. Go and go quickly is pretty much the motto for driving and you must never make eye contact. If you do, it is assumed you have yielded to the other driver and are acknowledging his sovereignty in the situation. Driving here for the non-native is a two person experience. One to drive the car and the other to watch the GPS to call out directions and to watch the traffic from the right. Things happen so quickly the driver does not have time to look at the GPS or wait for the voice command. No pictures to show of that because we were afraid to take our eyes off the road even for a minute.

We went to the ancient ruins in Pompeii and they are amazing. They are so very well preserved that you can almost see the city as it was before its demise in 79 AD.

We are now on the island of Crete. Hoping the wireless is up and available to send you this post. We think we will stay for a while. May take a clipper ship cruise to the surrounding islands or go back to one of our favorite places in Crete a place called St. Pietro’s. It is an old refurbished church that is actually delightful to stay in.

Will let you know!

The Daily Routine

Got an e-mail from our fun loving daughter in law Liz who said “enough about where we are going and where we have been…..give us the good stuff ! What have you been eating and what are you doing?” Ah yes, the good stuff in life!

I’m here to say we’ve developed some new habits. Staying up late and getting up even later in the morning! We have broken some all time records here for how late we can sleep in. We can put a teenager to shame! And, we have a siesta nearly every afternoon!

The Meditterreans are very traditional regarding their meals and family. Every meal is considered a family event so everyone is present (except school age children during lunch) for every meal. Feels like home and we sure do love it. Everyone gets dressed up when eating out, even the babies. Different regions specialize in different types of food, but since these are coastal areas seafood is the specialty. Octopus is a delicacy and I am here to confirm this truth. It is delicious. We also have tried almost every other type of fish offered and have had rabbit. It is always interesting ordering something you have never had before in a language you don’t speak regularly. Even more interesting is to see what you get. My favorites was …..Paella. Bits of shrimp, crab, prawns, chicken cooked with some vegetables and served piping hot from the pan with a saffron and rice combo. Before you is everything you might want in one pan. I tried not to lick the plate when I was done! The wines are phenomenal and the locals will tell you the sherries are the best in the world.

We usually sleep in pretty late in the mornings so will have a cappuccino and light snack in the morning. We usually will walk or ride our bikes along the beach and eat lunch where the locals eat. This usually occurs at about 2:00 and nobody ever finishes in less than 2 hours. Just about right since Siesta is usually from 4:00 to 6:00. Everything, and I mean everything stops at this time. Nightlife begins about 8:00 and a lot of people finish dinner after 10:00. We are living the life the locals do; we just have all day to do it.

We are now in Sicily and love the area. We have rented an Alfa Romero for the week and will driving through Sicily along the coast to Catania and then to Taoromina. On from there to Messina and then we will cross over by ferry to the mainland and on to Naples. We plan to stop in Sorrento and Pompeii along the way. We may have a flight on the Patriot Express next Wednesday to Crete, Greece so that is our only time element. This area is surrounded by olive and orange trees and is exquisitely beautiful.

Will send pictures next time. Sorry the post is a bit behind….. Cannot always find wireless connections.

The View From The Back Seat

Our friend Lois wrote us about ten days into our trip to ask us we had learned any ‘life lessons’. At the time we weren’t quite sure how to answer. We had just begun the process of acclimating to our new way of life and travel and hadn’t even thought of life lessons yet. After having two of our flights to Sicily and then Greece change at the last minute an afternoon out in Spain gave us a moment to reflect on this question. We think we have an answer. 



Often times it is a small event that triggers a deeper insight. I never would have guessed it would happen on the back of a tandem bicycle. If you’ve never ridden on the back seat of a tandem bike it is certainly a different experience. First, you cannot see the road ahead of you. For those of us who like to ‘know where you are going,' not being able to see the route in front of you presents some challenges. You must peddle along, in a forward motion, always following the person they are in control of the situation.

You find you have to trust ‘The Driver’ to maneuver a course that you cannot always see . He must dodge unexpected objects, watch 
for oncoming traffic, plan the turns and navigate all at the same time. Your job is just to roll with flow. Of course, you must do your part by peddling along and trying to keep the forward momentum going. To get the most from this you allow yourself to become attuned to your driver and after a while you can tell when he is going to alter the course. And then, you began to relax and ‘ let go’. 
Without the distraction of being in charge you can start to enjoy
 the scenery. view from the front. You can find  beauty in  everyday The view looking to the side is often different then the life, the routines and rituals we sometimes take for granted while in perpetual motion. You see, as if for the first time, pieces of colored laundry blowing in the wind as they hang out a window on a second story apartment or windsurfers in  the
middle of the afternoon leisurely surfing for hours. You can close your eyes and for a moment just inhale the different scents as you just ride along. All of this occurring as ‘your driver' follows a sketchy map that a local gave you so that you can have tapas for lunch at his favorite lunch spot.


We tend to spend our lives being the driver. We navigate through life; planning, working, and thinking we have to be in full control of every situation. When we live our lives in this way, we miss the opportunity to breathe and enjoy the hundreds of beautiful moments that are present in every day. How nice it is to be ‘the rider' to be able to breath fully, to see heaven in the grains of sands and wildflowers and to know that even if our routines don’t change much day to day, our perspective can.

So, yes Lois, we are learning some life lessons. Ones we hope to carry with us all of our days. And by the way, we are as we speak, in a C-130 on our way to Sicily by way of Scotland.

You ought to see the view out the side window………

Let me tell you “Where Our Feet Have Been”

Our dear friend Casara sent us the following excerpt from the infamous Dr. Seuss. We liked it and wanted to pass it along and share with you.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.

And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets.

Look’em over with care.

About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

You're too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down.

In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town.

Its opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do

To people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew.

Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

We don’t always have wireless services, so you might notice that our blogs are a little behind the times. Since we spoke last we have had time to perfect our ability to be flexible. We have also let "our feet do some walking". We decided to reverse our order of travel, heading east to west. We are familiar with both Italy and Greece and thought we would take a little time to rest, continue our reading and studying of the areas we wanted to visit. We are, as we speak, still in Spain. We spent some time in Morocco, not all the places we had thought but decided it was a  country we would need more time if we were to maneuver it on our own. We left the port city of Tarifa (near Algerciaras) and took the ferry to Tangiers.

Crossing the border is like entering a different millennium. The sounds, smells and traditions will never be forgotten. It is everything you imagine it to be. It is the twenty-first century for most of us around the world, but once you enter the medina you are sure that this is a place that time forgot.

Snake charmers are still out on the street corners trying to impress those passing by. There are men in brightly colored shoes selling myriads of spices and medicinals. Vendors sell everything you can imagine from teapots to carpets packed close together along the streets. Everything you need in just this one place. It is very exciting and alive with the sounds of  everyday life.

All the busyness and yet…. everything seems to move so slowly. People stop to talk to each other along the street and men are sitting out on make shift cafes drinking tea in the midday as if they nothing else in the world to do. Card games are abundant and everyone seems intent on the moment they are in. They are loud and boisterous and obviously have a good time. Occasionally a group of women will sitting together enjoying coffee and pastry but mostly the men dominate this area.


We visited Gibraltar, which interestingly, even though located on the southern tip of Spain, is still a British colony. You must have your passport to enter “The Rock”. It was beautiful and very impressive. We meandered through the old cobblestone streets and looked up into the fortresses built deep  into the rock. Hidden bunkers with canons in the caves were once the command centers for the military housed there.

It has an incredible history and when you stand on the top and look out you can see why.
 On clear days you can see Northern Africa and the Mediterranean. Many ships have passed through these straits.

Driving is…interesting. Much easier in Spain than anywhere else we have been. We have international GPS and that is a Godsend. Street signs are small and often hard to find until you are well past them. We are enjoying the local life. We walk as much as possible to see the sights and watch people and experience the area fully.

The Spaniards like a good celebration and find any reason to have one. We attended the festival of the Virgin Patron Saint of Rota one evening. The town was closed all day in preparation for the night festivities.

Families attended the celebration dressed in their finest clothing. The streets were lit up, the churches overflowing with people and age-old traditions performed to on honor their patron saint. Families were out until nearly midnight drinking coffee and having a light supper while talking to friends. The Spanish are very family orientated and at every gathering there are at least three generations of family attending to each other.

As we drove through the different towns we noted the beautiful landscape. While in Sevilla, we heard it said that Spain is the color of cinnamon and the sun as it sets. We definitely had to agree with that. It smells of orange blossoms in the spring and since it is one of my most favorable fragrances I shall always associate it with the beauty of Spain. They make some of the best wine we have ever tasted and they are also well known for their famous sherries.

We are waiting for a flight to Greece, which has been delayed waiting for a part. Each delay gives us an opportunity to explore another part of the area or to just rest and relax. We expect to be in Greece by Wednesday either directly or with a stopover in Sicily. But for today we will get some bicycles and take a picnic to the beach, always remembering to “keep our heads full of brains and our shoes full of feet”.  Not a bad way to spend the day.

Space A Travel. “A” standing for Availability and…. Adventure!

You’ll never guess where this post is coming from…the inside of a C-17! We are, as we speak, in route to the South of Spain. Our ‘adventure’ officially began three days ago when we prepared to depart from Travis AFB in Calif. Besides the usual preparation one has when one travels, there are a few things you need to get up to speed on before you began Space A travel. Getting your documents in order and applying for travel should be done 45-60 days before departure. You are selected to fly based upon the ‘Julian date’ of your application. A Julian date is simply a day of the year numbered consecutively from January1^st to December 31^st.  We applied mid-august to ensure a high seniority selection for our October travels. Because we had some idea as to where we wanted to go (some Space A travelers just go to whatever is available) we submitted our request with some degree of confidence in early selection.

We never know what type of aircraft we will be flying on. We know it will be a military plane or a military leased plane. This can be anything from small jet (rare) to a cargo or Med-vac plane. We were fortunate to get seats on a C 17 for our first flight. Now let me tell you, this is not like any other flight we have ever been on. A C-17 is a large plane with seats along the wall and lots of space. Some people actually bring mats and sleeping bags and sleep on the deck.

There is also a whole new language one has to become versed in. “Showtime” (actual time you must show up to let them know you would like to be considered for this flight), “manifested straight through” (point of origin and final destination of travel excluding number of stops made in between), “USO”, CAT status (The order in which the seats are given out), Roll Call (the time you show to see if you are assigned a seat), and my favorite, “DV lounge”(which stands for Distinguished Visitor, not the place you watch movies).

Since Tom is a retired Navy Captain (O-6) we are accorded some special privileges that come with that rank, including some very nice places to wait and rest until our flight is called.

All these are new and marvelous adventures. Thus far the most impressionable was the first time I looked down on my left wrist and remembered I was not wearing my watch (intentional). This is to remind to leave behind my agendas, letting go of the need to always be on schedule, to relax and enjoy the moment and  just to breathe. Tom of course is wearing his watch because there will be occasions when we need to be someplace on time. 

It took us three attempts and five states to get to get us in route to Spain. But who could complain? We left California with relative ease, landed in Maryland, took a cab to the metro station in Washington DC, rented a car and drove from Virginia to Delaware. It is fall here so it was absolutely stunning and the miles of beautiful farmland early in the morning can take your breath away. We have already  met some of the nicest people…and were not even in Spain yet!

We will stay in touch!

Going, Going........GONE

To be honest, leaving home for 3 months is a bit harder than either one of us had imagined. We both had to wrap up things with work to ensure that everything was in order. This includes tying up all the "loose ends" so that whoever follows you will understand what has gone on, taking care of all the business you can so the following months will go smoothly for those who cover for you, cleaning out your desk so your replacement has some place to sit and then saying all the good byes.

If that was all we had to do it would be enough, but there still is the business of getting a house in order. They say calamity comes in threes.....our air conditioner went out, the stove went out and finally a large tree branch came down. For those of you who don't know our trees....when we say a large branch we really mean a branch the size of a good size tree. Myriads of repair men came throughout last week and early this week to ensure all the work was complete before our departure.

Saying goodbye to family...our children, grandchildren, siblings and parents reminded us that we would be changing our routine over the next few months and not seeing them on the regular basis that we have come to love and enjoy so much.

The first few days "off" I was sure I was busier than I had ever been at work. One small event occurred that reminded me I that my life was really changing. I had purchased a new pair of walking shoes for our trip and had decided to try them out around the house before we left. Much to my dismay, I developed 3 blisters within the first 30 minutes. My normal return policy is a mad dash at lunch while eating in my car and catching up on telephone calls (sometimes to patients) and frantically doing this in the allotted "lunchtime". I went to Macy's on Tuesday morning.....and let me tell you, there is a large selection of shoes! I actually walked into the store and sat down when I tried on each pair. I took my time and tried on as many as I wanted until I found the right pair. I may not have been physically "gone", but in my mind at that moment, I felt like I had truly started my sabbatical.

So now we are actually gone. Tom's brother Bob drove us to Sacramento where we spent the night with our daughter Amy and Brian and their family. The next morning we came to Travis Air Force base. We are staying in a nice room on the base and currently have a "shot" at a Space A flight to Andrews AFB (Maryland) this evening. We are planning the next steps that we would take after that, if we make this flight. Those steps would include renting a car and driving to Dover AFB (Delaware) to try for an afternoon flight to Rota, Spain. That plan depends on making the flight today. If not we have a plan B for tomorrow. The adventure in Space A travel is that one never knows until it actually happens. In the meantime we are resting and relaxing and enjoying "being in the moment", right where we are. Wherever we are we know we are in God's hands so there is no worry.