The View From Up Here

Helloooooo Park City! It is good to be home!

I love to travel but it is equally wonderful to be done with traveling. To come home. Find some clean clothes! And, sleep in my own comfy bed...  #theviewfromuphere #theviewfrommywindow

The Story of il Timone

il Timone Restaurant, Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy

That shoe? It's a LOWA. That's the company I work for. Handcrafted in Italy. Hence the reason I'm over here. 

I sought out this restaurant while traveling with several co-workers though I didn't tell any of them why.*

You see, a long time ago. {2001} I was in 'stuck' in Porto Venere -- rest assured it's a pretty stunning place to be 'stuck.'

But, I was sick. I can't eat fish and Liguria feeds you nothing else. Right down to fried sardines. For breakfast. I was also sick of my fish-loving traveling companion so we chose to go our separate ways for the afternoon.

19 years ago. 

Sitting in a coffee shop in this beach town when a sweetheart of a server asked if I was feeling okay. In English! Oh! I was so delighted to find someone who spoke my native tongue! I explained the situation -- that I thought I would die if I had to eat another piece of fish. He made a phone call. Then, he jotted down on a piece of paper the directions to il Timone. (I still have them.)

Timone! He my friend! He make you big steak! Big American Steak!

So, off we went. Through the narrow winding streets of Porto Venere. In search of il Timone.

The entire restaurant was waiting for the 'Americani Girl.' He unwrapped the white paper and showed me the gigantic 'American steak' he was planning to cook for me.

It was such a precious evening. And, he saved me! Stomach ache gone! Energy renewed!

At the castle on the edge of Porto Venere

2018

Never thought I'd ever get back to see Porto Venere again but the world works in mysterious ways.

Timone's new and much larger restaurant is now front and center on the coastline. And, yes, of course, I checked the menu to see if he was still caring for wayward American tourists as he did so many years ago. :)


* Why didn't I tell my co-workers the history of il Timone? Well... sometimes I grow weary of negative people. They didn't deserve to hear this great story. Or, be given the opportunity to find fault with it. But, it's a keeper! So, I wanted to share.

Vernazza

Vernazza

Vernazza - the prettiest, and steepest, of the 5 fishing villages that make up the Cinque Terre. Since I have a sore knee, I was forced to sit here and drink Prosecco all afternoon. 😉

* Every year, for work, I'm invited to an international sales meeting. This year, the meetings were held in pretty little Italy.

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore, Liguria

Ciao di nuovo, Riomaggiore..  it is wonderful to see you again.

Riomaggiore is the first of the five centuries old fishing villages that make up the Cinque Terre. Vineyards cling to the steep terraces. No cars. No streets. Most hike the ancient stone path between these villages. Some take the train. And, others - like me - hop on a boat to get the grandest view of the Italian Riviera.

* I visited the Cinque Terre back in 2001. I'm back this year - for work! Can you believe it?!?  #prettylittleitaly #iamatraveler

Fatti Una Pizza

The Focacceria in Porto Venere, Liguria, Italy

PASTA CURTAINS! Isn't that the coolest thing you've ever seen? Almost pales in comparison to their homemade pesto.

AND, the fact that your 'free appetizer' is, quite literally, a bag of Fava Beans pulled from the garden.

I was the hero at this lunch because I was the only gal who knew you needed to shell the beans. The outer casing isn't very tasty. The beans? Deliciously worth the effort.

* Fatti Una Pizza = Have yourself a pizza. Or, make yourself a pizza. (My Italian, not so bene..)

** I'm in Italy on a business trip. (Really!) But, that hasn't stopped me from having all kinds of non-work adventures while I'm here.

Wisteria Season

Somewhere in Albizatte, Italy.

We were working today. Well, they were. All the people I'm traveling with. Who are doing a factory tour of Vibram. A supplier of rubber sole units for the shoe company I work for. Blah...blah.. blah.. Didn't hear a word they said. Kept peering out the window and thinking...

WHO CARES????

It's Wisteria season in pretty little Italy.

The blossoms are all I care about. :)

💜

Enjoy the view.

* Wisteria is a real, true season in Italy when these charming vines, draped upon centuries old homes all burst into bloom at about the same time. (April-May)

Venezia

Near the Ca' d'Oro - built in 1420.

The next stop on my Yes I'm Really & Truly Working Over in Italy Euro trip was Venice.

Ah. Venice. That magical, floating city that is slowly sinking back into the sea.

It has become so clogged with tourists that the City of Venice is restricting access to certain neighborhoods. Locked gates. About 4 feet high. Pretty easy to climb over if you're a criminally curious photog, like me.

Ever wondered how groceries are delivered in a city without any streets? By, boat of course. :)

I am working. Just not very hard...

Hillagom, Netherlands

Riding our bikes along the trail to the gardens and what do we see....?

Thousands and thousands of colorful Hyacinth, brightly blooming! Oh. My. Gods. Fragrance so intense it could almost give you a headache.

This flower field is located about 1/2 mile away from every gardener's dream destination: the Keukenhoff Gardens in Hilagom, Netherlands. (South of Amsterdam.)

I have arrived.

Scratch one biggie off my Bucket List.  💜

Keukenhof

A Swan Butt sculpture! :) i.e.tails up, heads in the water, feeding.

It's been on the Bucket List for a long, freaking time...

Traveling to Amsterdam to terrorize the tulips!

Keukenhof! The largest flowering bulb garden in the world!

7 million blooming bulbs on 70+ acres.

FYI, it's not in Amsterdam. Keukenhof is located south of there in beautiful Lisse, Netherlands. We rented an airbnb a mile from there and bicycled to the gardens.

Every color, every bulb imaginable is showcased at Keukenhoff, which is only open 2 months out of every year.

Since it's in Holland, the paths wind through rivers and canals. Past a windmill, or two.

I'm a sucker for Fritallaria. So, now I'm dreaming of an acre of these in my own garden.

Or, a jumbled mess of every bulb I've ever fallen in love with...

What's missing from these photos?  A: Throngs and throngs of tourists! If you're gonna tour Keukenhof try to get up early. We arrived about 5 minutes before they opened. The crowds showed up about 2 hours later...

Are you a lover of flower bulbs? That's my favorite type of gardening. Plant them on a cool, autumn day. Plant 'em. Forget 'em.

They pop up early in spring, adding much needed color to a dull, brown garden still reeling from a too-long winter.

I hope you enjoyed the show.

Tulips and Windmills

Biking around Kinderdijk - UNESCO World Heritage Windmill Site

Whats the #1 mode of transportation in the Netherlands? Nope, not trains -- it's bicycles! Everyone bikes here. Because it's FLAT!

Oh, how I've missed those days. Growing up in the Midwest, I biked every where. To work, to play, it was easy! It was fun. Because there were no uphill battles in the flat Midwest!

After moving to the mountains, I sold my bike. I hated that uphill jazz. If you choose a direction in Park City, Utah, you could be biking uphill all day long. Where is the fun in that?

I was happy to see that people still live in windmills. 

Anyhoo....    When you think of Holland most folks conjure up images of tulips and windmills. And, we did, too. So, we toured the windmills at Kinderdijk and Zaanse Schans on bicycles.

* It's a bit of a trek but well worth the effort to tour the 19 windmills of Kinderdijk.

Geithoorn

Geithoorn, Netherlands - the village without any streets. Boats and bridges are how we get around!

#netherlands #iamatraveler

Daffodil Time in the Netherlands

Everything about the Netherlands is charming. Even the junker the cars.

Kismet

Wait! What? Look at that!

We were on our way to Bláskógabyggð ~ to see the waterfall. In the rain. Because it's raining. And, we couldn't think of anything else to do.

But, when this gent trotted past our car, we finally discovered the real draw, the real excitement, and the real passion of Iceland. (At least, for us.)

Passion is a funny thing.

You see, I didn't want to get out of the car, in the rain, to hike to a waterfall. But, I didn't mind getting soaking wet petting this little doll. Check out that crazy hairdo!

Icelandic horses are pony-size by American standards but the Icelandic people take offense when you call them ponies. This is the only horse you'll ever see in Iceland. They have been bred in isolation for over a thousand years.

And, I can't wait to ride one!!!

* Kismet means "fate, destiny" in several languages, including Icelandic and English.

Sveitarfelagio Olfus Iceland

The view from our Airbnb rental in Grindavikurbaer, Iceland. 

We woke to a cold, icy rain on our first morning in Iceland. Sipped a lotta coffee and took advantage of the chickens on the property. Wise chickens that they were, all huddled in their coop, and perfectly delighted to gift us some eggs for breakfast.

Can You Pronounce Eyjafjallajökull?

At first glance, this house would be the ideal place to hunker down during a hellish rainstorm. The cottage is filled, to overflowing with books. But, they're all written in the Icelandic language.

A 32 letter alphabet (vs. our 26) which allows them to confuse us even further with double Y's yet no Z's.

Like this! Do not confuse the use of those double Y's!  Yy Ýý Þþ Ææ Öö

Have they ever even seen the Wizard of OZ?

This is a major highway! Welcome to the moon.

We drove for hours to get to the geyser.

Only to return home and discover we've got a 'geyser' at the end of our driveway. 😊

So, we're learning a thing, or two, about Iceland. And, it's all good. Weird, yes. But, good. The people are wonderful. It's the most interesting landscape I've ever encountered.

* I still don't understand why everyone says Iceland is beautiful. But, we have a couple more days to figure that out.

Grindavik

"When is it gonna get pretty?"

That was me, whining to my traveling companion, as we drove away from the Keflavik airport in Iceland. Having just departed the lush and lovely Netherlands where I was surrounded by brightly blooming Tulips..

It felt as if we'd landed on the moon.

Gulfoss on the Golden Circle

Iceland is not very pretty. 

There are majestic areas worth seeing.

But, you have to drive for hours and hours and hours to reach them.

It only costs $99 dollars, round trip, to visit Iceland from Amsterdam. Like we're gonna pass that up.

Seeing as how Iceland is one of those hip countries that everybody brags about visiting these days, and we believed everything they said about the place...

Off we went on our next adventure to Grindavik, Iceland aka the middle of nowhere to our cozy little cottage by the sea..

AIRBNB USES THESE HOME HIGHLIGHTS: Sólveig is a Superhost · Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests. 

Sólveig lives in this house. She simply moved out of it, for the days we were visiting. She didn't even take her food out of the 'frig, or move her clothes out of the closet. Toothbrush still resting on the edge of the sink. She simply moved next door and stayed with her neighbor, while collecting money from us. Money, I would like refunded by the way...

This could be a long week.