Author name: Miha

Christ of Maratea
EUROPE, ITALY

Maratea

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High above the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the narrow coast of Basilicata, sits the old and charming town of Maratea. Its narrow streets weave up and down the mountain and the main central piazza is picture perfect from every angle.  The colorful tile stores are set in old buildings with rustic rooms and ceilings and one can find restaurants and hotels in the same style. A local told me that the city became known in NY for a picture exposition (or advertisement?) in the Central Station. This same person said that the area is known as the town with 44 churches and foreigners come here to get married in this beautiful Italian setting. A tall white  statue of Christ, made of pure Carrara marble, sits on top of Mount San Biagio, 6-7km above town. It is also called Christ the Redeemer, or the Christ of Maratea and its shape can be seen from far away and far bellow. In front of the statue is the basilica of Saint Blaise and the view of the coast from this point is priceless and hard to part ways with. If you arrive to Maratea with the train, a hike or drive of 1-2 km  will take you to the old town center, a place not to be missed. If you choose the beaches instead, you will have a few choices and the road from the station is all downhill. The train station has a big map of the area, the beaches and the caves right in front of the exit . The SITA bus station is also nearby and you can check the schedule in the station and maybe take the bus. If you prefer to plan ahead, click here to this link for the bus schedule. I was fortunate on my walks, as I always found people who gave me a ride to every place I asked for directions to (stores and gas stations). I might not have made it to the statue and the church above, if not for one kind local that offered to be my tour guide. Thank you Mimo.      

Agriturismo L’Arca
EUROPE, ITALY, Italy Lodging

The second day of a farmer in the South of Italy

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Dirt under our nails, muddy shoes and dusty clothes, this is how we, the international volunteers at Agriturismo L’Arca in Belvedere Marittimo look today. Hiding in a valley between the hills of Calabria, away from the main road and the train rails, yet separated from them by just one row of hills, the “agriturismo” L’Arca is a jewel not many have discovered yet. “Agriturismo” is similar to a hotel or B&B with an attached farm. The farm here is on the hills and the accommodations are in modern rooms, each with its own bathroom. The restaurant can host up to 200 people and the terrazzo (patio) has a view that no words will do right to justify. The top of the surrounding hills are covered with old and older buildings (fortress and castle like walls included) clustered like grapes. They look like they all had to climb there for some obscure and secret reason. L’agriturismo L’Arca farm is on a lot of land and in my three days here I have still not discovered it all. It has green houses (with a lot of plants and fruits), fruit trees, a small pond with ducks and a lot of animals. I have discovered so far that a peacock, a pony, pigs, rabbits, sheep, goats, chickens, dogs and a cat share the address here. The building with the rooms and the restaurant is the highest building on the farm, while the pool area below that provides as much pleasure with its view as it does refreshing enjoyment in the summer’s sun. The lounge chairs by the pool are made to spoil and too soft and comfortable to leave. Below the pool area is the pizza restaurant surrounded by a garden on three levels. The two upper levels are for tables and chairs while the bottom one is designated to music and dance. The place will open on Friday and gelato was made and tasted today. I love the pistachio one! Most days we start at 7am picking eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers and fruits. Today that would have been OK if not for last night’s old movie with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins dubbed speaking Italian. I absolutely had to see how it ended, as Brad was going to take Anthony with him to the land of death. My problem was that he did not do that until midnight. My few hours left to sleep made me grouchy in the morning but I guess that watching a young Brad speaking Italian was worth it. Was it? The man working here starts his day even earlier in an effort to escape the summer’s hot sun. They hoe the soil, weed, dig for potatoes and tend to the animals. We all eat half an hour past noon and clean after that. The afternoon is ours to explore, relax by the pool, connect with friends and family through the Internet, watch movies or simply sleep. Anna, the owner, is smart, friendly and very much liked by her employees. She loves the animals and the farm, and envisioned and built the whole place from the ground up. She seems to concentrate on the farm more than advertising for tourists and the L’Arca website does not do her much good, as even the pictures do not depict the whole and real beauty of the place and the area. Her site needs a lot more work and I do not really know yet why she chooses to overlook that. I am newly arrived and I do not know her business and struggles just yet. It amazes me the huge project she took over. I admire her greatly. She is modest, unpretentious, real,  hard worker and smart. I hope that I will be able to help somehow. I am now in a wonderful place, a corner of paradise, surrounded by nice people, many of them Romanians. Funny, as I came to Italy this time to learn Italian. I avoided volunteering in hostels again, as last year I spoke too much English with guests in the hostel I volunteered at. A farm should have been a safer bet to meet and interact with locals. You think? Now I speak more Romanian and English and we are like in the tower of Babel as the translation goes through three languages at times. The roads of life’s adventure are amusing and unexpected. LOL

Beacon Hotel, Ocean Drive, South Miami Beach
Florida, NORTH AMERICA, USA

South Miami Beach, Miami and more Miami

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Good Morning South Florida! We dedicated this beautiful early April Sunday to you, Miami. After picking up our friend and ex-World Airways colleague, Paul, from his place in North Miami, we drove straight to South Beach. Sunday afternoon is not the easiest time to find parking in South Beach. After hunting for a while for an outside parking space that never came our way,  we eventually parked in a multilevel garage near Lincoln Road, where I used to park long ago. Prices are good and finding a spot is much easier. Lincoln Road is the best location for starting your walk through this animated place. It is a street with no automobile traffic, full of stores and restaurants and a lot of outdoor eating areas. A beautiful place to walk, watch people, find a nice meal and have a drink. After taking some pictures with Paul in front of a restaurant with the same name, we found a nearby park and had a nice picnic, sitting on the soft green grass in the shade. The weather was perfect and we relaxed while talking and munching on the fresh bread from the outside market and the salads we had prepared and packed ahead. South Beach is not an inexpensive place and frugal is the best way to be while here – or anywhere for that matter, if you prefer to extend your travels and experience longer vacations. From Lincoln Road we slowly made our way towards the beach, admiring the art deco buildings and the colorfully dressed happy people. Once we reached Ocean Drive our pace became even slower on the side with the buildings, as the restaurants lined up tables along the sidewalk and people were walking in both directions through the narrow path that remained. Music and entertainment was part of the ambiance. We stopped from place to place to see what was going on and to listen to some of the entertainers that attracted big crowds. We made our way past a guard into an outside area with live music, good looking young dancers, body painting, drinks, dancing and a pool. It took a while to figure out if the girl in the picture was wearing a corset or if  it was a body paint job. The second option seemed to be the case and we admired the artist’s talent. Slowly we made our way to the Beacon Hotel, the first place I was employed after moving to the United States. I was a Night Auditor at the Beacon Hotel for six months, until the hotel changed hands and my rental lease was finished. I moved to Hollywood, FL soon after. The hotel is now remodeled and beautiful and the people at the front desk were super friendly. I made a new friend from Peru here and we talked about the wonderful places in his country. As ahistoric art deco building, the Beacon Hotel cannot be structurally changed. I was very pleased to find not only the same façade intact, but the same old floors and entrance doors, as well as the interior hallway with the semicircular balcony. We took pictures in the clean, modernly decorated hallway, posing as stars. Our next stop was just for a quick look at the wide beach and the huge cruise ship in the far distance. Soon after we found another nice park with soft green grass, where in the shade of exotic trees we enjoyed a poppy seed pie. We enjoyed nice conversation (about aliens- goes with the kind of pie we had –LOL) and relaxed in great company, feeling good about being in this marvelous place and having such great friends. Back to walking on the sidewalk near the beach we admired more of the view of South Beach and its art deco style, with all types of cars in site. On this day there were just a few antique cars to match the age of the buildings but none the less, we had the past, the present and the future in view with a variety of vehicles around. Another popular site for tourists on Ocean Drive is the Versace Mansion where the famous designer was shot on the stairs. Most of us still remember where we were the day we heard the news and all of the follow-up stories in the search for his killer. I was here, near Miami Beach, just leaving for a short trip to the Keys. I was in the car driving when the news came out. I think that during all those months working in the hotel I never even knew that Versace lived nearby. Now his house became even more famous by this sad news. Another moment we enjoyed was talking to one of the artists selling jewelry on the street. She has lived in Kenya as well as other countries and met many amazing people in her life. She had a pleasant accent, a sweet smile, beautiful features, lovely hair style and a great attitude. Yvonne, Paul and I left South Beach at dusk and drove over the bridges, passing by the small islands with their impressive gated mansions. We passed through downtown Miami in a driving tour guided by Paul. Darkness fell over the city by the time we reached the upscale area of Coral Gables. Reaching the area of Little Havana we stopped for a Cuban coffee and ended up eating entire meals. The food was inexpensive, the restaurant clean, the walls uniquely decorated and the waitress was as friendly and as nice as ever. The place is called El Pub, located at 1548 SW 8th St, Miami (305) 642-9942   Good Night South Florida! Good Night beautiful Miami!

Fort Lauderdale beach
Florida, NORTH AMERICA

Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida

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Excited to be in South Florida, the land of sun and palm trees, Yvonne and I planned to see the Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood areas this past Saturday. Our drive took us first through the clean and colorful residential area of my old Hollywood neighborhood between US1 and the canals near the beach. This area has improved a lot during the last 10 years and most homes here are remodeled, cleanly painted, with manicured green lawns, not to mention way more expensive than 17 years ago. The whole city is more modern and the main roads are improved with green medians and nice lights. Live concerts are in the green park area in Young Circle during the weekends. The part of Hollywood Blvd. between Young Circle and the train rails on Dixie Hwy. is full of nice stores, restaurants, bars, outside patios and live music as well. The beach area of Hollywood is now even busier that I can remember and parking can be a real challenge, especially during weekends. If you go there with a car, you better get in early (I used to ride a bike the 2-3 miles from my home to here). This Saturday the walking path was full of people and the path for bikes and small four wheel vehicles was hard to keep exclusive. As we could not find parking around noon, when we got there, we came back at night and enjoyed the live band playing, even danced a little. The guy dancing with Yvonne must have terrified the kid on his back. His face said volumes after some of the dance moves, as his precarious balance shifted. We had fun and dancing was great. High rise buildings are growing in numbers on this beach, as well as the Miami Beach area. Such a nice place to be in! Yvonne and I also drove by Fort Lauderdale airport and port. The airport has also expanded a lot since I left and the port was full of mega cruise ships in this early April weekend. We stopped for some pictures by a bridge and you can see the cruise ships in the distance. Our drive later took us to Fort Lauderdale Beach and we admired the patios and restaurants on one side of the street and the beaches across. To get to Las Olas Boulevard we crossed the magnificent canals with the millionaire’s homes and yachts and my only regret is not having more time to walk or take a boat ride in that area. I will do that for sure next time! Yet, before my chance shows up again I have to recommend that to you. I took one of these rides 10-15 years ago and loved every minute of it. Even more than the same kind of boat rides that they have in Miami, on the ocean. The boat rides in Fort Lauderdale cruise through the marvelous canals labeled as the “Venice of America”. You will see the homes and yachts of the rich and famous and listen to narrated stories of famous celebrities. I recommend this site for finding your best options: http://www.sunny.org/ways-to-play/sightseeing-tours/ We ran into the Cycle Party while driving on Las Olas Boulevard. Yet, my favorite would be Carrie B cruises or Duck Tours for a 90 minute ride. If I would have a whole day to enjoy I would try the water taxi, which has 12 stops in Fort Lauderdale and 3 stops in Hollywood and for $22 I would be able to hop on and off the boat all day long, seeing all I could see and experiencing all I could experience in the neighborhoods of the rich and the famous. Better yet, time permitting; I would do one day on the water taxi and another day on the Carrie B cruises. Las Olas is a great Boulevard to stroll on. The shops, the art galleries and the tempting restaurants with the outside patios are an enjoyment, a treat and a temptation for all your senses. On Sunday morning we discovered a small street market on Las Olas and could not resist parking the car and walking in, chit chatting with the international vendors and tasting some of the produce. Yvonne walked away with a delicious poppy seed pie that she bought for three of us (we were going to meet Paul, one of our friends later that day). From downtown Fort Lauderdale our next stop was the Swap Shop. Located west on Sunrise Boulevard, the international and colorful Swap Shop was a place I used to visit often during my seven years in Hollywood, FL Back then there was a free circus going on every Sunday as well. Besides the smaller parking areas nearby, the Swap Shop area has a huge free parking area across the street, connected through a yellow painted walkway bridge over the street. There are vendors selling all kinds of clothes, shoes, watches, jewelry, paintings and foods in the inside air conditioned structure, while outside you will find a lot more vendors. It is hard to think of something that you cannot find here for a bargain price. True, I do not think you will find construction materials or cars or any other huge items but the place has still a wide variety of produce. One area has fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers next to places with cooked foods and live Hispanic music. Another area has lots of rides for children and there are many second hand vendors on weekends as well. Connected to all this is one of the few drive in movie theaters still left in the country. Yvonne and I enjoyed the walks through the colorful loud place and she mentioned how much she misses these kind of places in St. Augustine, where she lives now, as she feels like she is visiting a foreign country being here. Today was her Birthday and I am so glad that she had so much fun. As for sugar… we did

West Palm Beach
Florida, USA

Our drive to South Florida

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Seventeen years ago I made the sunny state of Florida my home and there are no regrets. I still enjoy our “Sunshine State” and all the benefits it offers: no state income tax, inexpensive housing, lots of sun, beautiful views and a variety of nationalities living together. Last Friday my friend Yvonne and I embarked upon a new adventure: driving to South Florida together. Yvonne had lived in Pennsylvania, California and Italy. She also traveled the world as a Flight Attendant with World Airways. Recently she moved to St. Augustine, FL but discovered six months later that this historic city is too small and a little too quiet for her liking. She invited me join her and experience together some more of our beautiful home state. We left Orlando on Friday afternoon and taking the Beachline Expressway (or State Road 528, formerly known as Bee Line Expressway) we reached Interstate 95 (I-95) after just a half an hour drive and two $1 tolls. The first city of interest on our list was West Palm Beach and it took us about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive to reach it. We drove by tall and modern buildings, many of them with green palm trees on the top. The canal that separated the city from the Atlantic Ocean beaches was enchanting, with its docks and white yachts. Crossing the bridge we found ourselves in the land of riches, as the Palm Beach area is full of multi-million dollar mansions. We drove up and down South Ocean Boulevard, admiring the imposing structures of varied styles and the green layered fences and perfect landscapes surrounding them. Eventually we returned over the bridge and found the downtown area of West Palm Beach. A nice and modern place, redone in the past 15 years, the downtown is a great place for a stroll, shopping and finding a restaurant with a nice patio for a meal. We stopped at the Publix grocery store located on the main road downtown and got some food for the road. Even this well known chain store was more modern and stylish, so we could not pass up the opportunity to get a bite to eat right there an use the store’s patio for eating and admiring the view and the people passing by. The city’s colorful buses were another nice touch and the few old historic homes that remained in place were in perfect shape and beautifully colored. The impression this city makes is of a safe, clean, modern and wealthy area. From here we drove along State Road A1A, the scenic route by beaches all the way down to Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. As it was already dark when we got there, we left all the rest of our visits for the next day. I used to live in this area for seven years (before moving to Orlando) we were lucky to be able to use the condominium I used to live in for the next three nights.

World Airways
Vagabond

Rest in Peace My Lovely World Airways

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There is a sad song and a painful cry inside of me for every person I knew that has passed away. Today is heavy with a new sad song and new tears. The airline I loved closed its doors yesterday. It’s last move, last flight, was done two days ago and now it is all over. Fifteen years ago I found a new family in World Airways and for the first time in my life I fell in-love with a job and a company. Not just any company, but a company with a great history. Born in 1948, 66 years ago, World Airways was the child of Mr. Edward Daly, who bought it for $50,000 when he was 27 years old. Mr. Daly “was a huge philanthropist and a giant humanitarian” (A Vietnamese Fighter Pilot in an American War, by Hoi B. Tran). “World ferried thousands of refugees out of Eastern Europe after the Hungarian revolt of 1956, and in 1975 Mr. Daly piloted a plane on an unauthorized airlift of South Vietnamese orphans” (NY Times). A few years back, one of the World Airways planes, painted in the colors of the planes back then, took some of the now grown up Vietnamese children back to Vietnam in an emotional reunion. One of the flights to Vietnam, filmed and reported: This is the airline we worked for. What history! What mission! What love! We will forever miss the great people and adventures, the great experiences and fun during the years with the wonderful World Airways. Most of us would agree that World was the best airline to work for. The people we worked with, the places we visited, the long layovers we enjoyed… and being well paid for all of it. Wow! What a ride! We were so lucky to know you, World Airways. As George Burns said, “the airline that’s so good, they named a whole planet after it”: Rest in peace World Airways, my love. We will never forget you. We now have to look forward, as the past will not return. We have to put hope in a better future. After working with you, better will be a real high standard to break through. Yet, it has to come… Humanitarian organizations might be the answer for me. I hope we all will find our way, a new path of love and passion.

Balcony in Taormina
EUROPE, ITALY

Beautiful Taormina, Sicily

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Seated as if on a pedestal, high up on a hillside on Monte Tauro, Taormina is the small town that made me fall in love with Sicily a long time ago. I do not know how others may refer to it, but for me Taormina remains the jewel of Sicily, to be discovered and rediscovered over and over again. Flying to Catania for work a number of years ago, and fortunate enough to have a few days off, I heard about this nearby place called Taormina, and took the public bus to visit it.  I was love struck at first sight and I had to come back again and again. I recall telling people in the hotel in Catania how much I love Taormina and that I want to move there. Someone laughed and said “in the winter just you and the wolves will be there”. In the fall of 2013 I found out  how wrong he was! Winter here is a soft breeze for most people. The mild climate makes it possible to take sun, and possibly even swim, from March all the way into the beginning of November. Taormina is blessed with the magic of a perfect picture. Corso Umberto, the main street, is full of color and style with chic boutiques, designer shops and bright ceramic tile stores, as well as gelato and pastry places or pizza, pasta  and wine restaurants. You can please your visual, gustatory and olfactory senses here and come back for more. Following the appealing smells of fresh cooked foods or the temptation of colorful views around the corners and narrow alleys, one might discover great photographic treasures or enjoy a hidden and more quiet piazza to relax in. There are a lot of streets and churches to discover in Taormina, but the Greek Theatre is a must (for pictures see post: Taormina and the Greek Theatre under Mt Etna Ash). Also, it is nice to visit the free but small Roman Odeon, as well as the pleasant Public Gardens, with their magnificent view of the Ionic Sea, their colorful plants and Alhambra like structures. For a great stay with a magic view, right next to the Greek Theatre is The Grand Hotel Timeo.  The entrance to the theatre is next to the one for the hotel. What a beautiful place and terazza! A great place for great pictures of the botanical garden below and the Ionic Sea. If you have a minimum of 410 Euro per night for a single room as a travel budget, you are of the lucky few. Also, a double runs over 700 Euro. One memorable time in Taormina was last Saturday, a sunny, late November day. Returning from my walk to the Madonna della Rocca and entering the main street and Piazza IX Aprile, I heard a strange noise that sounded like hail. With the sun up and people around the sound did not seem to make sense at first. It turned out that chunks of volcanic stone and ash were coming down from the eruption of Mount Etna. (see post: Mount Etna Eruption)

Ballet in Bishkek
ASIA, Kyrgyzstan

Ballet and Rigoletto Opera in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

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Ballet on Saturday, December 7, 2013 and the Rigoletto Opera on Sunday was our entertainment during the past week-end in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Staying at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, this time we were just next door to the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theatre  in Bishkek. My colleagues and I, seven of us, had the opportunity to enjoy on Saturday a ballet put on stage as a tribute to a famous Kyrgyz ballerina, which dedicated her life to ballet dancing and teaching. The performance was composed of many different ballet pieces that  she performed herself in her youth, and by other pieces performed by students of hers. It was a delight to watch and we all agreed we loved the little girls playing a piece where they were ballerina dolls.  We also loved the Spanish dance piece, as well as many others. On Sunday we went back to the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theatre for Verdi‘s famous opera, Rigoletto, only to find out that the performance was sold out. This time just five of us, we followed  the lead of Manuel, which is a fun performance in any place he lives or travels. We passed by the ticket booth, feeling like we were sneaking inside. Once in the  hallway, we seen that Manuel knew how to take care of us. He found someone to speak English and got us seats in the balcony to the right of the scene, seats saved for special guests. This time we paid 300 Soms ($6), just 50 Soms (1$) more than yesterday. What a deal! The performance was good but all in the Russian language. Sure we can not say it was the best ever but it far exceeded the 6 dollars we paid, if a price can be put on art.

Chronicles, Vagabond

Bold and weird

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I finally did it! During my first Camino in Spain, in 2006, I was dreaming of shaving my head. I decided not to do it then, as I had a High School Reunion that summer and did not want to shock my previous classmates. Yet, the dream stayed with me. Curious about the shape of my head and excited to see my scalp for the first time ever (except for some old black and white baby pictures), I finally took Mike’s shaving machine to my head on the 13th of Oct. (my mother’s birthday) 2013. The machine’s battery died after half the job and we could not find the charger. LOL I had to put a wig on and go shopping for a new shaver. 🙂 I found the experience amusing and I discovered that the secret is too look happy, even if I had to admit, I did have second thoughts when I took the scissors to my long hair. Wearing wigs for most of the first two months, I also used only  a baseball cap at times. By now, although my hair is still awfully short, I dare going to work with no wig. I am hoping to gain stronger hair and a stronger me due to the experience as well. Not a big deal. Just a few months out of a lifetime of a hairy head. LOL You can see pictures of the process in here. Even my cat was looking at me in a strange way. 🙂 Last picture is after five days from the shaving.

Frozen Bangor, ME
Maine, NORTH AMERICA, USA

Impressed by Beautifully Frozen Bangor

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Frozen trees reflect sun rays in the transparent ice covering them today. The site surprised me, as at first they looked metallic, with their bare and frozen shiny branches. Such a site I never noticed or admired before. True, I usually avoid cold winter places but I did live in such growing up. A normal winter site was always including fluffy white snow covering trees. The ice on each tree branch and on each leaf long enough to be out of the ground’s snow is not an usual site to me. Neither is the sound of the soft wind breeze that passes through all this icy forest. With the sun above, the view is astonishing. Like a child, I discovered winter in a new way and a new light today.

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