Italy. On a sad day.

This is Multnomah Falls. A place I have visited handfuls of times. I’ve hiked to the top, to the bridge, and just sat at the base, as I did this day just a few days ago, and admired the raw beauty. As I write this, a fire has exploded around this magical place. 30,000+ acres have now burned just in the Columbia Gorge alone due to a teenager being careless with fireworks in a dry, dusty forest. Maddening? Yes. Painful? Yes. After three months traveling away from this beautiful mecca I call home, I am inspired to fight for these places, more now than ever. I apologize for the negative tone in the beginning of what truly is a gorgeous ending to our Europe adventure. I’m just a little sad today. Knowing one of my treasures will never be the same.

ITALY

Back to the fun stuff… Italy. Ahhhhh…. I can smell it. Pasta, pizza, wine, dry air, and salt. My tanned skin gives thanks to the last three weeks we spent in Italy. From Cinque Terre, we headed back to our little villa nest and were able to regroup for the next night’s adventure. The ladies wanted to take us to Friday art night in a neighboring town, Pietrasanta. A South Korean artist had his marble sculptures on display and we were able to see them and him. Marble is prevalent everywhere in these parts of Italy. Especially in the hills in the northwest where it is mined. I tried to capture my best photo but didn’t quite get close enough. Pretty amazing to see giant slabs of marble just hanging out on the sides of the roads. It’s also pretty amazing I was able to see where it all comes from. Here is more of what Pietrasanta has to offer. 

A quick snapshot of Tomek and his fam. Also a nice shot with Tomek and his mama and auntie ❤️ Mike made me ‘ham’ it up a bit as well so..It’s funny because most of the mannequins we saw in Italian fashion windows were striking this pose so naturally I thought it was most definitely appropriate. The frame and umbrellas were a nice touch.

ORTONOVO

Big time love in our hearts for this place. A nice 2.5ish mile hike from our village to this one through an old gravel hilly trail led us here. Something translated into ‘four steps between ancient flavors’ we had no idea of the party that was about to ensue that evening. We assumed something awesome was to happen based on the tiny 1000 person town decorating as such. It’s difficult to actually know the population of just the hilltop alone but 1000 is a max guess. Could be closer to only 500.

Old traditions and ancient artifacts were displayed throughout the windy streets of this town. Winemakers were delighted to speak broken English with me about my job in Oregon. They were shocked to see four Americans walking the hill at dark to stumble into their sleepy little town. It was fun to make new friends. Again, referencing back to our couchsurfing friend, Kurt, in Portugal, “There are only two types of languages in the world. Smiles and music. No need to translate either one”. Thankfully smiles got us along way that night. Here are some new local winemaker friends who graciously gave us two free bottles of their gorgeous wines grown on the hillside. Sangiovese and Vermentino. Spot on. Tomek, Katherine, Mike, and I embracing the local shindig. These lovely local ladies were making and selling our headbands for three Euro each. Hard to pass that deal up. An incredible night spent amongst locals who spoke very little English just loving that we were a part of the celebration. We felt extremely loved that night. Ortonovo, you’re the best. Big hugs to all those fine folks. One last night with the family in the hills. This is Iggy, Marta’s adorable son. He spent a few days with us and was just a lovely example of what a thirteen year old should be. Can’t wait to host you in the states Iggy!!! And this is the neato pizza joint we celebrated Mateusz’s birthday at. 

One last family photo before we depart.  😊 

A nice beach day on the coast in a town named Lerici, was the exclamation point to our mind blowing stay with the ladies in their village. Just a smidge crowded but to be expected during the week of the Italian holiday, The Feast of Assumption. All of Italy was on vacation with us. We knew there would be crowds with a beach like this one.

A tough goodbye was had. Warm big embraces from new friends and dear friends bid us adieu. Next stop: Perugia.

PERUGIA

A crazy cool walled city was next on the list for us to conquer. A friend’s parents live in this gem of a city and were to take us out into the Tuscan hills for a proper wine tasting. Before the tasting, we did some exploring. Wow. A beautiful ancient city with a ton of history. The city center was pretty amazing. You would never know old streets are hidden beneath the town’s tourism center. An escalator takes you down to see this. 

It was a trip learning of how these original structure were built upon as a punishment from Pope Paul III during the Salt War years. Apparently, Perugia was not willing to comply with the new salt tax back in 1540 so the Pope built right on top of the original city. The structure now has three floors to roam. Pretty neato.

MONTEFALCO

Definitley had a Napa Valley feel to it. A lovely city in the Tuscan hills, Montefalco is home to some delicious wines I have never tried before such as these. 

Tabarrini. Excellent wine stop thanks to these wonderful new friends, Stephen and Suzanne and our great host Daniel.They also took us to Assisi where we toured the Basilica of San Francesco. Amazing! They did not allow photos on the inside but here is the outside. A full day soaking up all we could of Tuscany. Memorable wines, people, and cities. Next up: ROMA!!!

Oh Rome. You are pretty fantastic. Our last city to conquer before we fly home. We only had two days to tour this gigantic place so we knew we had to hit the ground running and that’s exactly what we did. The metro in this city was wonderful. The 48 hour Roma Pass is worth it. First stop, our Airbnb. Just a quick 10 minute walk from our metro stop, 20 minute walk to Vatican City, and a bus stop right around the corner, this room with a courtyard view (and AC!!!) was perfect. We started making rooms with air conditioning mandatory in Italy. The heat was fierce. We still managed to see tons. Starting with…The Colosseum. Woah. A place you never really can capture the feel of with a camera. To stand inside this place and look at this, is truly unreal.To know of the death that occurred here, the brutes that were able to build this, the crowds that cheered, and the ancient souls who wandered here. Whew. It was intense. An amazing sight to experience. The Roman Forum too. Just awesome.

Let’s not bat an eye at the Pantheon either. Woah. Again. How did these people build this?!? In 126 AD nonetheless! That is some talent. Very impressive and free! We walked into this right at sunset which was gorgeous.Capitoline Hill. Impressive indeed. We also made appearances at the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Castle of St. Angelo, the Capuchin Crypts, and of course Vatican City. Seeing the Capuchin Crypts was so creepy yet I couldn’t stop being mesmerized by all the bones. Unable to take photographs, I vividly remember some of the men still having beard hairs on their dried up skin. Pelvis bones creating flowers and suns on the ceiling, shoulder bones making angels, vertebrates weaving in and out of rooms. As creepy as it was, it was still pretty cool though. Paying the five euro for a guided listening tour was well worth it. Amazing to think there are hundreds of thousands of bones buried throughout the city.

The Vatican was spectacular. I took as many pictures as I was able in the museums. Mike and I loved Raphael’s rooms. The hall of maps was pretty rad too. The Sistine Chapel was mind blowing. No photos allowed but we spent some solid time in there just looking up, following the stories and timeline. It was neat sitting next to a tour guide who was explaining every single detail you could see. To buy advanced tickets and right at 8 am is ideal. It wasn’t crowded. We didn’t wait in any lines. Highly recommend this route. Here is Saint Peter’s Square. The line to get into the church wrapped even further to my left so we skipped it. I’m sure it was worth the wait but not in 100 degrees. Next time.Our last stop was Borghese Park where we sat on a bench, enjoyed our last Peroni, shared a delightfully refreshing lemon popsicle, while watching endless amounts of people pass us on motorized pedal bike/golf carts. The park was gorgeous. Filled with a zoo, museums, fountains, statues, and a killer view of the Vatican.These are the last two pictures from Italy. Bon voyage!!! Excited to be home. Crazy to think this is all we had for three whole months. Half of which I probably could have left home. Glad to put those five outfits away for a while.

Thank you all for following us on our whirlwind tour of Europe. Our goal was nine countries in three months and we did just that. I could not have imagined such an adventure with anyone else. Michael is my solid rock. We make great teammates. Excited for future travels. South America is next on the radar! Until then, come visit us in the great Pacific Northwest. I’ve missed you Oregon.

 

From Poland to Italy to Portlandia

Dang. Just like that our last month of traveling disappeared into the past. I know it happened, I was extremely present, and yet it feels like lifetimes have passed since the beautiful farm house in Poland. That is where I left off, so let’s pick up there and see how far we get.

FARMHOUSE

Country Livin’. Amen. A nice change of pace for Mike and I. Disconnecting from our virtual and ‘real’ reality was exactly what I hoped for. It’s amazing how connected we all are around the globe. The internet is a crazy thing. The lack thereof is the reason why it’s taken me so long to get this out there. So, to pick up where I left off, after Marcin drove us through the night, in the rain and the dark, we woke to this glorious sight.

 

Marcin’s friend was so sweet to lend us the use of the farmhouse for a week. We had to gear up to walk the property so here is a family pic of us with our sweet boots on. Mikey, Tomek, Katherine, Mateusz, Max, Marcin, and I. Ready for adventure on the farm where we saw this awesomeness. We met the neighbor, Adam, who was thrilled to have us visit. Thankfully, Marcin and Tomek could communicate for us. An immediate embrace and the offering of warm, strong beer made for an enjoyable time on Adam’s farm. Here’s the only picture we managed to snap of him and more of his farm. The farm was such a great reset for us. Finding uninhabited swim holes, cooking meals with foraged mushrooms, enjoying the delights of a fire and the endless starry nights, all with subtle hints of home was a great comfort. Our new friends introduced us to more new friends and we took a night to go explore where they vacation. These wonderful people took us into their lives and showed us just that much more beauty contained within Poland. They have a house here. Just stunning scenery everywhere we looked. 

We found a boat too! Finally! Water! Not quite the kayak I was looking for, but beggars can’t be choosers. This was the last country adventure we had in Poland. Such a magical time. Before we were to head back to Warsaw for one last night, we spent a night at a palace where Tomek’s great grandfather once lived. 

Tomek’s uncle, Marek, was kind enough to meet us here where we talked with a historian who was able to explain some of the history regarding this place. Marek led us through a tour of statues representing some of the people from the past in Lochow. Again, quite the history lesson we received while in Poland. 

After a brief stay here, we headed back to Warsaw for one more night. A beautiful sunset and dancing the night away with Tomek and his cousins, Marcin and Marta, was a perfect way to end our almost three weeks in Poland. Big, big, big thanks to all you beautiful people who took us in on our journey. We are so very grateful and will never forget the warmth and love we felt in Polska! 

ITALY

The last frontier. The last three weeks of our twelve week adventure has arrived. We had a loose itinerary, knowing we will fill in the blanks as they arise. Our first stop, Firenze. Overwhelming stimulation everywhere! WOW! The food, the art, the architecture, the bustle, the old things, the wine!!!! Oh goodness, the wine. Being in the wine industry in Oregon, my love for Italian wines just grew, lots. What a nice introduction to Italy. We were able to meet up with Mike’s cousin Ryan and his wife Debbie for a fine meal at this lovely establishment. A brief two day stay here in Florence was a great first taste of what Italy has to offer. We started noticing this super cool street art while wandering the streets. After we found four different pieces, it became a game. So, we went on a ‘Blub’ hunt. Here are some of his pieces.

We wound up spotting 15 pieces of his around Florence. Needless to say, when we started walking around our next destination, Lucca, we were excited to see these.

This one we thought was worthy of our last Oregon love sticker. Thanks Blub! Lucca was just a place on the map we picked because it was near our next destination. So glad we stopped. A cute, quaint walled city that was sleepy and chill. Yet again, another successful night tour. Every corner we turned we were like, ‘Whaaaaaaat?!? Another cool thing to look at?!??’. A town filled with great surprise. Even these guys are coming to play for the city…Definitley going to be a rocking good time. Sad to miss this. The only real bummer besides not seeing The Rolling Stones, was the distance we had to travel to get back to our B&B. The public transit in Lucca needs some help. The last bus heads out at 8pm, taxis are ridiculously prices, and sometimes you wait two hours for a bus that never comes. Despite the sweaty long walk to and from our room, Lucca was great. Next time we know it’s worth it to pay just a little bit more to stay inside the city walls. Lesson learned. 

Next up: a tiny village that I still don’t know the name of. It’s neighboring village is named Ortonovo. It is here where Tomek’s mother and aunt have remodeled a little villa in this tiny village where we spent almost a solid week. Here it is. Yep. Not much going on up here. Lots of grapes, old men perched on their haggard folding chairs in front of the church, and the sound of bells. Lots of bells. Here is Grazyna and Magdalena’s beautiful home.

A little slice of heaven with three floors and a beautiful ‘patio’ to sit in and soak up these views. Ortonovo is the village on the hill. There are some pictures of that town coming up. The cute yellow house off to the right is where Mike and I stayed. Josephine is the neighbor who is also Polish, and has guests stay there on occasion. The last picture is the view from the top floor looking out the other direction toward the church. Just so cute! Here’s what our little house looked like. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the patio. Next mission: hike to the waterfall. This waterfall was such a savior for the 90+ degree days. A beautiful gem within walking distance from the house. This is Tomek’s aunt, Magda. She was a hoot! Next mission: fill the wine jugs.

This place was crazy. I’ve never seen wine being poured like gas out of tanks. All for roughly $15 per jug. Unbelievable. I will say, that wine went down like water. So good! After a lovely evening filled with friends, family, food, and wine, the four of us decided to day trip it to Cinque Terre. Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, and Vernazza were all that we could conquer in one day. Breathtaking views from each turn we made. Unfortunately the walking bridges are closed in most places due to landslides, but the one day train pass was perfect. To hop on and off as you please with plenty of times to catch the next train was very convenient. A great day trek indeed. At this point, I’m falling in love with Italy. But wait! There’s more…. I will leave you here, with this gorgeous night sky and these beautiful buildings. I promise to work on the conclusion in the coming days into the transition home. Happy last day of August everyone. Much love ❤️

Plan B.

Pretty sweet rig huh?!? The amphicar. I would love to tell you that we got our hands on this thing and it became our home for the entire week on Lago Maggiore, but that would be lying to you and I’m not into that but I wished that it were true. I’ve only ever seen one other of this kind and that was in Northern Michigan, so this was a fun surprise.

Plan B

Yup. It’s always good to have one when traveling. Our original plan was to conquer all that is Switzerland but that plan just was not panning out for us. Lodging wasn’t clicking in our price point, the jazz festival just seemed crazy expensive and exhausting, transportation seemed nearly impossible with a budget, and so we explored more affordable, still en route to Germany places and Lago Maggiore in Northern Italy seemed like a reasonable place to chill out for an entire week. We found a decent apartment that was within a 15 minute walk to the lake. Great. Sign us up. A kitchen! A washing machine! Our own space! Bikes! A fan! A fridgerator! Wow. Luxuries. I was craving cooking. To buy fresh veggies at the market and to eat salad never sounded so amazing to me. So, that’s what we did for one whole week and this is what we saw.

BORROMEAN ISLANDS

Did not disappoint. Three beautiful little islands that are very accessible by ferry from the town we stayed in, Angera. We decided to buy the day pass for the ferry so we could jump on and off as we pleased. Made for an adventurous day. Just enough moments were captured on our quest to explore all the islands. Isola Bella was our first stop. They have got the tourist touring dialed in on these islands. Annoying for us, but if you need to buy junk, lots of junk to be bought. I liked the views.The next stop was Isola Superiore. My favorite of the 3. Small and quaint. Cheap food and wine. Seemed like more of a locals hangout spot. Also great views. The last island, Isola Madre, was gorgeous from the water. Huge gardens, huge structures, but also not accessible unless you wanted to pay to get in.

Thankfully, you can walk the perimeter of the island and create your own adventure which is what we did. It was sweltering, once again, and so we found this secluded spot to swim a bit. Also is where we found the sweet ampicar and a bamboo forest…And this precious little duck family…Other beautiful nature stuff…

Pretty chill day just soaking up sunshine and water vibes. The mountains were definitely calling my name but they were just a little to far out of our reach. I really wanted to get in there though. You just can’t do it all. I’m learning…

ANGERA AND ARONA

Compared to the rest of the towns on the lake, these two are pretty sleepy. Exactly what we hoped for. After 6 weeks of being on the go through crowded city after crowded city, this was great. Angera had just enough of everything for us during our stay. Our Airbnb host, Carlos, was great. He picked us up from the train station in Sesto Calende, which is a solid 5 mile commute, and invited us to go see a concert with him and his lovely girlfriend, Claudia. This is what we saw.

Located in some tiny little Italian town hides this cool place, Villa Restelli. Home to artists, musicians, bohemians, and mosquitos, this place had some great energy, minus the terror and annoyance of the blood sucking vampires. As much as I hate putting chemicals on my skin, this place left me no choice. Despite the nuisance, we enjoyed the duo of pianist meets beat boxer. Such an interesting sound. We loved it. On the full moon to boot.

This is Angera. Rocca Borromeo, which has been proudly standing there since the early 1200’s, is the main attraction to this city. Thankfully, we met some cool local dudes at the vinoteca and one of them, Paolo, offered to take us up there for free. We politely accepted the offer. 

Of course they made wine. Like every other estate here in Italy. We even were approached and shook hands with this famous tv guy here in Italy. Paolo was pretty stoked. He made sure to take a picture with him. I guess it was a pretty big deal that this guy was visiting little ole Angera. We felt special being part of the moment. Here is more of the castle!

Across the river is Arona. Unfortunately, Napolean was a dick and destroyed their castle but here is what remains. It’s such a trip visiting these ancient places and imagining what such destruction felt like. It really puts this life in perspective. Lots of heartache has been felt along this journey in Europe. I can only imagine what Germany and Poland are going to feel like…Ugh…Heavy.

Back to the cool qualities, there was a concert series up here that we declined to stick around for but apparently Guns-n-Roses and Bruce Springsteen tribute bands were to take the stage here. Might have been interesting. Sweet stage nonetheless. Both cute little towns near the south end of Lago Maggiore. It was nice to listen to my body which was screaming at me to slow down. A relaxing, rejuvenating week was exactly what we (well I) needed half way through this journey. Mike is a rockstar. I’m sure he could have powered through anything, but he is the best travel partner ever. I’m one lucky lady. He got to finish this masterpiece during the rest. The collection is growing.

Still haven’t found that kayak. Maybe in Poland. Sigh…

The journey from here has us on a bus from Milan to Munich. Because of poor public transit in Angera, we woke up a 5am and walked the 5 miles back to the train station to catch the one train headed to the bus. Unfortunately, someone decided to commit suicide on the tracks ahead of us and so we were delayed just enough to miss our bus. Thankfully, one more bus was headed to Munich later in the day so we worked it out. I guess this sort of thing happens often on these train lines. What a terrifying experience for the drivers. Heartbreaking.

Again, always circling back to the positive, we saw this from the bus window. We got to experience Switzerland after all. 

Ending on a rainbow. Who doesn’t like rainbows?!?

We head to Ulm, Germany, for the next 5 days to enjoy the company of Mike’s cousin, Nancy and her amazing family. Sausages and beer coming right up!!! Prost!!!

Tour de South France

 

This is Ardeche. By far, my favorite stop along this quick lil wine tour but before we get here, we stopped by a few other places along the way.

NARBONNE AND GERARD BERTRAND The sacred plot of L’Hospitalet, protected from the wind by the giant cliff we stood upon, these grapes produce some of the best wines for Gerard Bertrand. Being so close to the sea, the salty air gently sweeps in to caress the beautiful biodynamic fruit produced here. We tasted wine from this plot, but also these too. An excellent representation of the multiple vineyards in the region. We received VIP treatment at L’Hospitalet. I highly recommend a stay at the Chateau. Our ‘splurge’ of the trip. The 14 Euro breakfast spread I will dream about for months.

Eating butter like candy. I made sure to take handfuls of those cute wrapped butters to enjoy for days to come. Gorgeous food. The dinner was dazzling as well.

Not to mention the sunset from the window!!! The night was so illuminating after a brief thunderstorm rolled through. We decided to drive the 12 minutes into the Narbonne city center. We aimlessly wandered into this big old beauty.We noticed people walking through a guarded gate into the center. Didn’t look like you needed tickets nor were people paying so, we walked in too. This is what we discovered.An amateur open air film/theater festival. It was great. We sat through about 35 minutes of a very dramatic, all French spoken, short theatrical performance, then we quietly exited. Free entertainment is always appreciated. We continued our stroll through the city. A cute river boat community exists here. The moon was perfect, the wind was fierce,  and I actually got to wear my sweater and leggings. Two thumbs up! I was almost tempted to send those two things home along with the seven pairs of socks I packed. Seriously, I’ve warn one pair of socks. I guess I was saving up for mountain hikes in Switzerland. We will see what happens…

TO THE MOTHERLAND

Having a car for two weeks is crucial. Freedom in France. Driving off the beaten path to all theses gorgeous little wine regions I’ve only stared at on a wall. Here is that wall.This is Blackbird Wineshop in Portland, Oregon, USA. My workplace for the last year and a half. My inspiration for seeking the smaller wine producers in Europe. The experience I’ve gained just through tastings at the shop is monumental. Thank you Andy Diaz. You rock bossman. 

 

Alright, before I start getting all nostalgic and sentimental and sappy,  we get back into the journey. Next up…this gem of a town. Avignon and the bridge that ends.And sunflower fields with castles…And god-fearing churches like this…But really cool vibes overall…

Just one afternoon spent taking all of this in. Next up, Tavel. Literally, rosé. Heavenly amounts of the beautiful pink wine I adore. Rosé for days. Mmmmmm. I stopped into one of the producers we carry to see what they have going on. Rainbows apparently…With vintage signs from the good ole days And wines with labels created by the very monks who planted these grapes Yeah. Big time like here. Tasted some wine from here too…

We slept in a sleepy village named Caderousse which I chose because it is in the middle of all these little regions I wanted to dive into. Caderousse is a tiny walled city with this blessed structure with that bell on the top. I guess it was some sort of gift to the king, I don’t know the whole story, but let me tell you. This ‘gift’ made sure to let us know what time it was on every hour of every day not only just once, but two minutes later on every hour, twice. What a gift!

Regardless, it was cute. I liked the cross at the church. 

We then drove to a place where it is said that there is a cave. In this cave, there are some of the oldest drawings from any living being anywhere in the world. I then found out it’s now a replica of the original found in 1994. Lame. We passed on paying the 14 Euro each to see the fake Caverne du Pont d’arc, and took a breezy drive through what is called Gorges de l’Ardeche. Spot on! Yay Nature! We were even greeted by the local mountain goats. They were totally huggable. More awesomeness Made me crave being in a kayak. It is my mission for the next blog to get in a kayak and paddle the begeezus out of a body of water. I miss my kayak. Big time.

Wine-thirty. Here we land. One of Andy’s favorite little producers. Mas de Libian. Tiny little place. I was lucky enough to set up a meeting with Aury, the son of Helene. Just a family run operation six generations deep, Mas de Libian is doing it right. I appreciated every little thing happening here. Just beautiful and organic as possible.

Humble and real, we were shown around the property and tasted the 2016 vintages which many are already sold out. They are rocking that operation. Just the 7 of them. Admirable. You really gain a new level of appreciation for things when you can go put yourself in their shoes. Mike is even pumped to dive in and ask questions and learn right along with me. It’s truly awesome. A happy day. 

Then…Ahhhh…

I guess this is kind of the heart of it all in France. A small region, all hoping to produce the most amazing wines, and tell the world about it. Unfortunately, when you go here to taste, most producers are tasting very young vintages so you really can’t capture the aging that happens with these wines. A couple producers took us in to give us a quick tour.

A beautiful region indeed. All labels stem from the castle that has dominated the region for the last 800 years. This is what remains since the original construction in the year 1317. Pardon my French, (what does this even mean?!? Especially now because I’m actually in France ), but daaaaamn. You could feel the history here. I feel incredibly grateful being in the presence of such historical things. My soul resonates deeper here.

Alas, we must move on. Again. Back to the ‘Medi’. Hello Cassis. 

And Bandol, Aix-en-Provence, and Cote-d’Azur. I only wish we could have stopped for three days in each place but we are smashing it all into 10 days. We end in a lovely country home in Pignans surrounded by vineyards and close to a ravishingly sparkly beach.

 

I’m tired. Exhausted actually. To be honest, I’m ready to hunker down for one whole week somewhere. For 6 weeks we have been moving, usually every three days. No kitchen to cook in, no washer to wash clothes, no alone space to meditate and practice yoga. It’s a bit maddening at this point. My body is screaming at me to settle and slow down, to regroup, rejuvenate, and rest. Originally, our plan is now to head into Switzerland, but listening to the universe, we may change our course. Stay tuned for the next adventure. Much, much, love and peace to you loved ones. Again, your support keeps us moving. Until next time….

Madrid and The Mighty East

Mylece and Madrid

The only reason we decided to swing through Madrid was to visit a good ole pal from  my Eugene, Oregon, days. Mylece. She is just so lovely. I remember she lived in our ‘utility’ room for a bit after a brief sublet situation from another roomie in the house. We had some swell times. One night in particular I hold dear to my heart. It snowed; a rarity for Eugene. We drank wine with Thomas and Azul and decided to hike/bike up the hill with the one shittty sled we had from Nico. I taught some folks how to sled on that hill. I still watch the 3 minute video from this magical night and smile big smiles. Here we were back on that day.We also shared the best New Years EVER!!!, up at Toketee/Umpqua Hot Springs with these lovely friends of mine. That was craaaaayzeee special. Camping in the snow, building a rager of a fire, somehow managing to climb the ice to the hot springs in the dark, singing in the New Year with candles and the best company. So, that’s Mylece in a very brief nutshell. Here we are now in Madrid at this dazzling, impressive structure. 

It was my first time experiencing Goya. We stumbled gracefully through three gigantic floors of his works. We started with his paintings of famous royalty, average street scenes, and some darkish haunting pieces. Next was the dark stuff. Like reeeeeaaaallllly dark. Between going completely deaf and watching the brutal occupation of Napolean, his works were horrifically expressive. We left the upbeat pieces for the end. Some cartoonish, happy characters frolicking through old villages, singing, drinking, hunting, all the happy things. All of these works were made for a King or Prince, naturally. That was all we could see in the two and a half hours we wandered through that awe-inspiring place. Oh! But, we did see this too which was absolutely incredible to see live in the flesh. Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch. I guess it’s lived at the Prado since 1939. I’d say that is quite neat.

We also went here for art.Reina Sofia which currently houses Picasso’s El camino a Guernica. Also pretty neat. Stared intently at Dali of course. We are going to his house in a couple weeks. I’m going to freak out.

We also witnessed a freak storm that ripped through Madrid one of the many ungodly scorcher of days there. It was hot. Like over 100 degrees hot. The kind of hot I detest because it weakens my bright spirit and replaces brightness with miserableness. We got some excellent night pics though. Ominous and sinister but we embraced it.

The horizontal flash through this panoramic is lightening. 

And for real! How creepy does this look?!?Plaza de Oriente is this monumental place where behind this horse and Felipe IV is the Palacio Real de Madrid.The best way to view these things for me is truly at night. It’s worth it to wait until the darkness comes. We also saw the Temple of Debod. Given the feel and energy of the night, this place felt captivating. Of course we stopped here to because Mike has now become Miguel on this trip so naturally this is his market…

David and The Pyrenees

David (pronounced Da-Veeeeed), met Mike back in the NoCal days. This visit to his home in Zaragoza marks the first time they have seen each other in 3 years. David graciously picked us up from the bus station with his 1.5 year old lil pumpkin of a baby named Gaia. Poor Gaia had a case of the infamous pink eye, and was teething, and had goop coming from every orifice on her body. Despite the constant shrills and the yet again, 100 degree heat, he greeted us with big warm hugs and kisses and smiles. After spending 4 days getting a glimpse of his world, my perspective regarding my life changed. I like my simple world; a lot.

Here is Mike and David reunited.

He was set on showing us some adventure. Initially, we were to rock climb or swim through a canyon, or skydive. But, thankfully Gaia was still sicky and we had to load up the van with the 2 kiddos, so a 12 mile hike in the Pyrenees would suffice. Aguero was our first stop. Here is Mike’s watercolor It’s a little village in what David calls ‘The Pre-Pyrenees’. Lots of geologists and rock climbers come study these big ole things. Here we met Carlos and Jessica and their 2 littles at the bar/restaurant they manage at the base of those rocks. They served us olives from the property, local cervesas, and cooked us a wicked burger. Delightful people to encounter on our journey. We also were escorted to this lil’ swimming hole where all the boys made sure the kids were having a fun time.Beautiful places indeed! We then drove another hour or so to Canfranc where David’s sister lives. Mike and I were in for a night of car camping in front of this sweet spot.Espana east is filled with the quaintest, cutest villages. We were blessed to stay in one. The stars were amazing that night. We were greeted by David’s parents who had a spread of goodies to eat on the table. His father shared a secret meeting spot in the neighborhood where he shared some Rioja garnache with me. Again, the wines have been solid. So grateful!

Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido

Saving the best for last. Wow. The beauty we saw during this 12 mile hike was mind blowing. The kind of experience I crave. Yay Nature! I’ll try not to overwhelm you with the bazillion photographs I took here. So, gaze upon some of the best.

Waterfalls!!!

Just magic everywhere

Thank you David, Gaia, and Ismael for being strong, brave troopers as we journeyed through this pristine land together.

Lastly, I leave you with a good pic that reminds me of my dear friend, Vern. This is his company! He is who inspires me the most in this life when it comes to travel. I feel like I am living this big life adventure everyday. Thanks for the hat Vern. 

Portugal.

Alvor. It all started here.

A quaint little village that is a hop, skip, and a jump away from the faster paced city of Portimao, Alvor nestles itself in just the right spot; the beach. Filled with crowds of Irish folk who love to party, and really fun guys like our host, Kurt, this town has it going on.

Kurt or Kurial as some call him, landed in this village to retire after his professional life in Germany. On this trip, I’m taking the time to ask our hosts or hostesses why they participate in Couchsurfing. When I asked him, this is what he said in not so many words because let me tell you, this man has lots of words.

“At 68 years old, I have been an active Couchsurfing member for only 10 years. I love it! It’s amazing! To meet people from all cultures in this life and welcome them into my life, home, village, trust circle… it’s the best. I once had a friend of mine who is a policeman ask me why I give these random strangers a key to my house. He asked me if I’m worried about them stealing all my belongings. I said great! Let them take it all so I can get new stuff! I’m a very trusting person. Always have been and always will be.”

I relate to that Kurt. 100%. We talked about how interesting it is to read someone’s Couchsurfing profile, really digging into their lives and what they value. Their interests, life mission, the references left by others who have encountered them, all of it. He mentioned how the website is changing and how some younger people are now using it as a free place to stay, shower, use wifi, and move along. No references, no details in their profile = no staying with Kurt. He gets between 5-10 requests per day so to weed out the ones who are not really in tune with the Couchsurfing experience is easy for him. I felt honored he chose us as two of his 12 visitors of the year. He said he might have to make exceptions this year because there are just so many interesting people wanting to stay with him. He is setting his quota now for 20 visitors this year. This is Kurt.

And this is the beach that Kurt loves to show people like us. We walked past all the Irish and English who vacation here, through some caves, around some coves that you can only walk through at low tide, and arrive here. Magic.

Before we discuss more of this magic beach, we must discuss the culture found in the Algarve. Our first night in town, Kurt insisted we try the local homemade Italian pasta at a little place called, Ciao Baby. We were starving after our bus ride from Sevilla. Perfect. It is obvious Kurt can pull some strings here. In a packed restaurant, with a good sized line for a wait, we were waived in and told it will be 5 minutes. The wine, pasta, and service was a fantastic introduction to Alvor.

From authentic Italian, we then strolled down the street to this Irish pub. Where we saw these guys. The Merchants. A real deal Irish band straight from Ireland on their 10 day holiday. This was special. Apparently, we caught them on their last night in town. The pub was filled with Irish lads and lassies. My Grandpa Curran would be in heaven here. I’m pretty sure all of my musical talent stems from him. He has been singing my whole life. I made sure to call him and tell him I experienced this. He told me to embrace the magic of the Irish. So, we did.

Back to the beach…

It is sublime. After re-visiting this strip of beaches during the lowest tide we were able to walk into this ravishing place. Canico. Thank you for the freshest fish and to our server Joao (John), for the recommendation of rose from his hometown in the Alentejano. Could this get any better?!?

Well, Kurt mentioned Michael’s Bar. He practically begged me to come sing karaoke. After all, he said to me, “There are really only two languages in the world. Smiles and music. There is no need to interpret either. Shannon, you are blessed to have both.” After Canico I had just enough liquid courage. So, we went, to karaoke, in Alvor, filled with Irish and English and Portuguese and Spanish and us. What in the world do I sing?

I know!!!

Bob Seger. Just what this place needed! Some old time rock and roll. It was fun. People clapped. I got some high fives, BUT, it was clear I needed to ramp the energy level up even more. I then took requests. Lots of Queen lovers in the crowd. So I sang Queen and Roy Orbison and our host Kurt’s favorite song in the entire world, I Can See Clearly Now. I made sure to reference the magic of Alvor in that one. I think I could have stayed here forever. Alas, we must move on.

Lisboa. HI!!! A big ole city here in Portugal. My college friend Katie Adams lives here and looks at this view into the city. She lives in Estoril, a little suburb, if you will, that is home to the ‘Casino Royale’ that inspired Ian Fleming to write such a classic.

There is a beach or two over here as well. Just happened to catch a full moon on the boardwalk.Yeah. The views did not stop here. This was just the beginning.

As luck would have it, we landed in the greater Lisboa area for a special couple of days. Not only was it their national holiday, Dia de Camoes, but also the biggest celebration of their year, Dia de Santo Antonio. I’ve never seen or smelled so many fish being grilled in my entire life. These people party. Hard.

Sardines! They are giant!

WoW!

Every street corner

Basil=luck

This turned into a 5am ordeal real quick. As fun as all this hoopla was, the streets of Lisbon were a disaster, and so were the porta-potties. Eeeek. ‘Good luck in there’, was what I was told. Thanks pal.

Here is the reason for all this hoopla. This guy right here. Santo Antonia.

From what we have gathered from the locals, he was pretty amazing back in the day. Bringing fish to the people when they were starving, bringing children back from the dead, helping unmarried women find a good partner… whew. He was saintly for sure, hence the giant city-wide celebration. That was quite the experience. No words or pictures can quite sum up the intensity felt here during this time.

Back to the regular paced life, we go here. Sintra. The home of many radical palaces, castles, museums, and old things. Our favorite place was Quinta da Regaleira, thanks to Katie’s recommendation. The biggest challenge is knowing what crazy vintage holy space to pay to get in to and the ones to just go to the gate and take a picture. This was a great 2.5 hours spent. The grounds are amazing. Harry Potter-esque. Look at this stuff!!!

Underground tunnels, labyrinths, mosaics, spiral staircases, sculptures, waterfalls, WHAT?!? Who was this guy?

The history lessons we are getting from these cities are priceless. So grateful for this. 

And this! Yay! A wine and art tour! Obrigada Katie!

I met her in 2006 ish, attending the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. We both graduated with degrees in Education. She hosted me in Seoul, South Korea in 2012, and now in Portugal. I told her, “I’m just going to follow you around the world.” She said, “Do it!” Here we are at Bacalhoa winery in the Setubal region of Portugal. Kind of a big operation if you ask me. The owner is also the biggest art collector in the country. Have a quick look.

We had fun here. Thankfully, Katie is an amazing interpreter and helped us through the tour. Our guide spoke English so I asked him some geeky wine questions. He asked me where I worked. Then he guessed Napa Valley. I guess according to Europe that’s the only place making wine in the U.S.A. When I said Oregon, he was all like, “Whaaaaaat?!? Oregon makes wine?” To which I replied, “It’s cool man. Some people have no clue Portugal makes wine either.” Touché.

We laughed and agreed both Portugal and Oregon are still ‘under the radar’.

Katie then brought us here where she and some friends made some real deal tiles. The kind that is only hand produced by a very select few places any more. This is one of them.If you appreciate art in any form, this place was CRAZY! I guess these were made for Elton John…Also, look at all this cool stuff made entirely by hand start to finish!

I wanted to buy an entire wall of tiles and bring them home. Not possible unfortunately.

Lastly, we end on a couple different notes before catching a flight to Madrid. A surf record beach and the historical close to a whirlwind of a Portuguese adventure. This beach though!

Oh Hey Guincho Beach… Aren’t you purdy?!? With a hotel that has a pool where the ocean and it’s fierceness blasts into the walls that hold you up. This is where our American modern day slang comes in and I say that was ‘cray-cray’. How confusing language can be! Just outside of this other lovely beach town Cascais (Kush-kaish), was this beach we walked 4 miles to. Saying it was windy is a complete underwhelming statement. We got sand blasted through that first picture, hence the last picture of the hoody up and rose deservingly going down.

History. Here are some things.

 

A compilation of just walking and experiencing all that is Lisboa. I feel like I need more time in Portugal. Evora where there are temples made from bones and Porto where well, PORT is made!!! Ugh. As Kurt says, you can’t see it all.

Thanks again Katie, and Bacalhoa, and Santo Antonio, and Kurt, and all that magical magic. May all of that continue. On to the middle and the top of Espana. Felicidades!

Olives for days

 

Mike asks some pretty good questions sometimes. As we sat in the back seat of Dols old Toledo using BlaBla Car for the first time, (yes, I will explain), he eventually looks to me and asks, “Who harvests all these olives?”

I reply, “I’m assuming humans, but I could be wrong.”

I was mostly wrong. We asked our host Manuel in Granada about this intimidating feat. Machines harvest most of those salty treats to which we both sighed with relief. Some of those cliffs we saw were pretty gnarly.

So, Blabla car. Veronica from our Barcelona couchsurfing adventure mentioned this carpooling service. You set up a short profile, choose a destination, hope and pray someone is driving that direction, and pay a small fee for jumping in on their ride. I guess you could say it is a legal form of hitchhiking? With a fee, of course. We were a bit desperate in Valencia when trying to set up transport to Granada. 8+ hours by train, buses were sparse and expensive, so we thought let’s do this. Glad we did!

32 Euro each got us a comfy seat in Dols car for the 5 hour ride. Pretty legit. No, he was not some strange creeper dude or worse. His profile said he successfully transported other people 32 times and his rating was a solid 4.8 out of 5 stars. We gave him a raving review and 5 stars. The world really is becoming that episode of Black Mirror huh?!?

Moving on…

 

I’m not doing a very good job with photographing our food but I will say these 2 places were quite memorable in Valencia. Canalla Bistro advertised the most mouth-watering burger and after a week of light tapas, we were ready to devour a beautifully juicy local burger. Thanks to this awesome place, we did. The wine list was killer and each bite of all the dishes we ordered were dynamite. A must stop in Valencia! Another must stop we discovered was this cute little pizza joint near the beach called Como pizza y nada mas. Angelo the owner was such a delight. A true Italian man bringing Italian pizza to the beaches in Spain. The spicy olive oil spray really elevated the pizza to the next level. Complimentary homemade limoncello and tiramisu put the exclamation point on the exclamation. Lovely food experiences in Valencia. This place was crazy cool too. Definitely go walk around these grounds. An Arts and Science museum, Opera House, 3D cinema, and Europe’s biggest aquarium.

Now for Granada.

Wowza. Definitely more of a gyspy/bohemian vibe rock those streets. Our AirBnB was amazing. Here is the view of the Alhambra from our rooftop terrace.

This definitely did not suck. We spent only two days roaming these streets listening to random Spanish folk strumming their guitars through the winding cobblestone streets. At the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Granada was named ‘the hill of strangers’. We now understand why. The history of Alhambra and learning about the rotation of cultures that once inhabited these hills was fascinating. Dark, but fascinating.

 

From Granada, we bussed it to Sevilla and let me tell you, it was sweltering. We have developed a new nickname for the phenomenon that happens to our feet in this heat. We now have ‘choriztoes’. Fat little sausage toes, and fingers for that matter. I guess if that’s the worst worry thus far, we are in pretty good shape.

Sexy Sevilla. Ooooooweeee! I loved it here. There is something about a good ole 90 degree night, sweaty flamenco dancers in the street, and jolly Spanish drunk people infiltrating the streets. Even children are running around at midnight. After all, these people are REAL good at siesta. Mike and I are becoming pros at this. We love siesta.

This AirBnB is yet again blessing us with a rooftop terrace up 5 flights of skinny, skinny stairs. How they got beds and couches up here baffles me. The space radiates music. Our host gave us keys and told us some local spots to go investigate. He mentioned his roommate might pop in and have a jam session with his band later. We got excited. Yay! Free live Sevilla music! Little did we know we were staying with a famous person. This man is a beautiful human. Mike got to jam with him a bit. Of course we are now friends. NoNo Garcia and his amazing bass player, Joan (pronounced Juan), play beautiful music. They invited us to this intimate, underground show they were playing that night. The place was so underground that we passed it twice before we saw a man peeking his head out a set of burgundy doors and realized this was the place. For 5 Euro each we saw these guys…

I’m pretty sure we didn’t stop smiling the entire set. How blessed are we?!? They later invited this wonderful singer up on stage with them and she lit up the room even more. It felt rude to have my phone out, so one picture is all you get.

More of Sevilla…

Flamenco artists, bullfighting, cool art in the streets, and this: Sevilla Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral and third largest church in the world. We just happened to stroll by on a Sunday so we entered as mass was in session. Being raised Catholic, I appreciated the magnitude of this holy space. Our stay was brief as neither one of us practice a church going religion anymore, but this place is magnificent. Wow.

Each city we explore I find myself saying, ‘this is my favorite thus far’. I only hope I keep saying this as we go deeper into all that is Europe.

Bussing it to Portimao, Portugal from here to stay with a Couchsurfing legend named Kurt. Can’t wait to tell you all about him. Real excited for the Algarve lifestyle and working on my tan. I’ve got some catching up to do around here.

We wish many blessings and happiness in times that our home city has had some recent horrific, tragic events occur. Keep spreading that love and light. We send you ours.

Week One and then some

Cigarettes Butts.

They are literally everywhere. To the point of being overly obnoxious to me. As we explored over 60 miles on foot through the streets of Barcelona, I was constantly reminded of what being a 19-22 year old was like for me. As a waitress/bartender at a sports bar named , ‘The Nuthouse’, I would work 10 hour shifts easily. Working three blocks away from the Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, I gladly worked those long shifts while destroying 16 credits at LCC. It’s amazing to me how different 22 year olds are today. Working one 25 hour per week job and no college seems to be so trying. Oh how the generations change.

The Nuthouse. Long story short, I would get home at 3 a.m. with the ungodly haunting smell of cigarettes infiltrating my everything. Hair, uniform, fingernails, sinuses, all of it. On top of being exhausted, I would have to do laundry and shower, otherwise I would be miserable.

Barcelona + cigarettes = unpleasant memories from the past. It’s not just the smoking every single step you take, but it’s the lack of being responsible for those butts. They litter the streets. 4 million people and counting… They tell us to never drink the tap water here for many reasons. I’m sure this is one of them. The sewers are filled with them, along with some other funk that I cannot even begin to describe.

Moving on from the somewhat negative… the architecture and art. WOW. This Gaudi guy was a genius. I kept looking at his work saying, ‘For real?!?!?’. It’s comparable to how I feel in the redwoods. Always looking up with the most awe inspiring feeling.

So much architecture and art. Literally everywhere. I could post hundreds of pictures but this guy, La Sagrada Familia, takes the cake. A piece that will finally be complete in the year 2026 I believe. Again, WOW.

Picasso, Bowie, and the Hemp and Marijuana Museum also were right up there at the top. Picasso was super cool. Seeing college through late adult works and the progression of his style and how it evolved…Amazing. That’s kind of been the word of the trip thus far. We will come back to that.

Bowie. Swoon

This exhibit is truly one of a kind. We caught it on opening day. My only regret of the trip thus far has been not knowing of the pre-opening party at a club near us the night before. Blackstar and friends performed. Ugh. Would have been…Amazing.

To see journal entries of his, 30-50 outfits from different shows along his journey, his instruments, live recordings, interviews, etc. One of the most thoughtful museum exhibits I’ve ever seen. I found a new appreciation for a man I already thought the world of. Inspiring is an understatement.

This place was cool. Not only for just truly what it is but the El Gotic area of Barcelona was my favorite. Old, antique, gritty, pretty, and real were all things we experienced here. They also give you a weed map of the city if you are interested. Speaking of weed…

For those of you who may not know this man, he was what they call a strain hunter. Always on the hunt for the most unique, rare strains of marijuana one could find. We watched a VICE News documentary on him awhile back and he contracted Malaria from Africa while exploring unchartered territory to bring back crazy rare seeds for medicinal usage. We thought it was appropriate to tag our Oregon Love next to his Barcelona R.I.P.

Food, wine, olive oil. Repeat. This will not get tiring for me on this adventure. Finding local Spanish wines for 2-4 Euro a glass almost everywhere we go has been a real treat. We were told by Javier, our lovely first host of the trip, of this place called 7 Portes and to go eat paella here. So we did. Right when they opened at 1 p.m. Spendy? Yes. Worth it? Also yes. We sat at Lou Reed’s table so I guess that counts for something.

Javier. This is his house. He lives just outside the city in Castelldefels and was a lovely introduction to Catalonian culture. We have had to learn not one but two languages here in Spain. It’s difficult to keep up but we are managing.

While staying here with Javier and his family, we decided to go find this small, secluded beach some locals were talking about. Little did we realize what an adventure this would turn out to be. What looked like a straight shot on google maps turned into a sketchy walk on a fast busy mountain pass road in which we decided to turn around and end the journey. Fortunately, I saw someone hiking some rocks and I realized there has got to be another way. We hiked a vertical climb for 2 miles. Straight up rocks and hot and sweat. It paid off. This is what Mikey drew from the view at the top. Watercolors rule.

So many inspiring views and people and places.

Which leads us to Veronica.

This wonderful woman took us in for five nights in Barcelona through Couchsurfing. Her home was just far enough outside the city but close enough to access the center through the metro. She lives on a steep hill which we enjoyed hiking up each night knowing our European bodies are being developed. This was a real burner.I decided to interview Couchsurfing hosts on this journey to give light to why we participate in this kind of travel. This is what she says.

“For me, it’s another way to travel. The kind of energy people bring here when they are traveling is the kind of energy I enjoy. I like to help people in this way because when I travel I have the same problems. Different cultures, different languages, a different way of life… It’s nice.”

We spoke a lot over the course of five days through our Spanglish and her most favorite word was, amazing. You have to imagine a humble Catalonian/Spanish 39 year old woman saying this word numerous times every day. It makes me smile so much. Mike and I say it like her now just to keep her spirit alive in our travels.

So, that leads us to this moment. The last night in Barcelona, hiking to the top of one of the many ‘hills’ in the city that Veronica told us about. We packed a lifetime into one week and our bodies are ready for the beach in the south. Our journey takes us to Valencia, Granada, and Seville next. Until then, peace and love Barcelona. You have been amazing.

Up From Here

That’s where we are headed. Up.

As we spent the last week cruising around Northern California, where Mikey spent over a decade of his precious life, I realized just how a place can define us. How it helps us to grow, or not to grow in some cases, how it makes us appreciate this giant life breeding planet we live upon, or how not to appreciate it, helps us see things in new light, or not, etc…

Which brings me back to perspective. Look at this! What do YOU see?!? How does it make YOU feel?!? What do YOU want because of this?!? Does this mean something to YOU?!? If so, how much? Why?

These questions invaded my brain as I stumbled around for 5ish hours trying to just look up. That is a very hard task for us humans. I told Mike I only wish we had 2 sets of eyeballs on our heads so we were able to look up and down at the same time! How are we supposed to take this all in?!? Mike made sure to pull me aside at certain moments and say, ” Okay, just open your eyes as wide as you can and look around. ” Seemed like a reasonable compromise.

UP. That’s where we all should be headed. A dear family member of mine recently said to me, ” I feel like I’ve hit rock bottom”. To which I replied 2 things. Firstly, “Well, yep. I’ve been there. Suuuuuuuucks. Big time.” Secondly, ” Well, the positive to that whole at rock bottom place is you only have one direction to go, and guess what?!? You guessed it… UP.”

I think Bob Marley and The Wailers were on to something with this whole, “Get Up, Stand Up” business. I can’t help but wonder about those ginormo-saurus-rex trees out there, some of which claim to be 1500 years old like this guy…

Big Tree. Such a clever name for something that is 1500 years old. Is that why they are so BIG?!?

Is that what it takes these days to stand up for your rights? To be BIG?

Hmmmm…Sigh…Hmmmm…

These are the things my mind wanders to after processing it all. And by ‘it all’, I mean ‘a lot’. There is a whole lot happening out there people. So much that I’ve been forced to realize what it means to let go. Let go of my life as I once knew it to be, let go of the big hurts from the past, let go of all the stupid shit. Period. Now is the time, the time is now, there’s no time like the present… yeah. All of that.

There is something to be said for a life worth living. I’m pretty sure mine has arrived. Stay tuned you beautiful humans. I’m filled with so much crazy good real love right now, y’all better watch out.

Barcelona bound in T-minus 17 days.

Woah. It’s getting real.

Keep looking UP…

I leave you with this Hold Your Head Up

 

One More Day

That is all I have left. One more day of a lifestyle I have been living now for close to a full, whole year now, which for those of you that know me know this is a pretty good accomplishment.

As a nanny for two small children, it has been a very rewarding challenge. Days filled with random little people voices saying, “Tannon, can I tell you tomething?” and I respond to the absence of the ‘s’, smiling on the inside because I love that my name has now become Tannon.

“What do you have to say?”, I ask.

“Tannon, I lub you.”

Truly melted my heart each and every single time. Like the kind of melt you reactively clinch a fist to as though it is your heart, place it on your actual heart, say Awwwwww…., and then those tears naturally just rest in the little corners of your eyeballs.

Yeah. That kind of melt. I’m going to miss that the most.

Again, this whole love evolution thing surfaces. Children do this so effortlessly. Little three year old people just spouting off those three words like it’s what they live for. Just heart melting through little love bombs.

So, it’s April now. One more day of nannyland and then just a handful of really fun, amazing shifts left of slinging the adult grape juice. I am so grateful for my family at Blackbird Wine Shop. Again, another job that I have managed to show up for since October 2015. I guess that means I am improving on my commitments.

May 21 is the departure date. Barcelona bound. I’m starting to dream of Europe. Blurry moments of fast-paced cultures, whizzing past my standing still body, just observing and listening. Lots of that in my future.

Go observe and listen this month. Say the words, “I love you”. Melt some hearts.