Try Something Different

(Short read – less than three minutes)

What do you do when on vacation? Do you go to the beach and drink rum punch? Or, see how many places you can visit in Europe in fourteen days? Maybe run from museum to museum to museum in Paris? Take a cruise – I know – many of you love cruises. Me, the very thought of a cruise makes my skin crawl. Give me long, leisurely stays in dream cities and towns rather than a collection of quick visits anywhere. I still get goose bumps thinking about the month we spent in Venice. Or the enjoyment of being remembered by name in Montepulciano, even after three years!

Try Something Different

I really enjoyed trying to learn Italian at Il Sasso, a language school recently featured in Monocle Magazine. I have a personal quest to visit each ancient village that makes up the City of London. And not so different, the time we spent as a family in a house near Arezzo, Tuscany . I thought having 12 people sharing a house over three weeks would kill me but I loved it.

I have a whole list of other places that I would like to see. Palermo in Sicily is near the top of the list. The food and the Art Nouveau / Liberty style architecture  are just two of the attractions.  Or maybe a month in Chania on the Greek Island of Crete. Recently I stumbled upon two other experiences that intrigue me:

The Shire Horse Experience

Try Something different – discover these gentle giants, gentle but originally bred for war

Spend some time  at Coldcroft Farm, May Hill  in West Gloucestershire, England. Its stars, the Coldcroft shire horses, help its owners work the land where owners Jamie and Katie raise sheep, “Old Spot” pigs,  geese, and Gloucester cattle. It only has two overnight-stay options but its web site has links to other inns. 

Please watch the video. Shire horses are just magnificent creatures. Enjoy the Shire horse experience! Bonuses include walking and cycling in the beautiful Gloucester countryside with lunch at a country pub. Maybe best of all, spotty wifi and cell coverage so you are forced to disconnect.

Casa Sallusti or an Agriturismo

Views from an agriturismo

I know! You would rather be on a crowded beach in Nice, Antibes, or Menton! However, for something different spend time at Casa Sallusti. Located in the hills above Nice, it has been a Ecocert certified farm since 2002. 

Enjoy life on a working organic farm with a tiny hotel operation and farm-to-table cuisine. Its chef is a refugee from a Michelin-starred establishment. The immediate appeal of Casa Sallusti may owe itself to my attraction to indulging in an Agriturismo experience in Italy – still very much on my wish list of things to enjoy

I do like the ocean!

I was born by the ocean – in Broughty Ferry, Scotland! Throughout my childhood I bounced back and forth, from the port city of Sept-Iles, Québec to the shores of of Cape Breton. I love the beach! But for me, beach means long stretches of shore and ocean with no one in sight! Or a little cove on the Island of Iona in the drizzle. I think that the only good time to be on a Florida beach is very, very early in the morning when there is no one there.

All travel is good. Everyone has his or her own idea as to what makes for a perfect vacation. Whatever the preference, disconnect, recharge your batteries, have fun! And just maybe…..

Try Something Different

Lisbon – A City on the Rise?

March 7, 2023

Lisbon’s seven hills and waterfront make it visually spectacular. The second oldest capital in Europe, the city has energy. Busy streets and squares, full restaurants, and vibrant night life – the city pulsates. And, the population seems young. All signs of a city on the rise? Earthquake A 1755 earthquake destroyed 85% of the city […]

Cities and Towns, The Affordable Housing Problem

February 8, 2023

People living on the street have come to symbolize the global housing crisis but they are only the tip of the iceberg. While the examples of Finland and Houston demonstrate a focussed plan pursued diligently can resolve the housing situation for the chronically homeless, addressing the affordable housing problem is much more complex.  Defining Affordability […]

I Love to Dance

January 29, 2023

I love to dance. This is not something new for me. I can’t remember when I didn’t like to move to the music. My first memories of watching others dance come from my childhood in Cape Breton where I would watch the adults square dance. Then, there were the step dancers who would often accompany […]

Cities and Towns 8, A City is About People

January 19, 2023

Kings Cross, once a thriving industrial and transport centre in London, was effectively closed  off  to the public by the end of the 20th century.   Then in 1996, the decision was made to move the British terminus for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from Waterloo to St-Pancras. The landowner saw a re-development opportunity for […]

NEOM - the Wall

Cities and Towns 7, Cities and Towns Evolve

January 8, 2023

I have postulated that cities and towns evolve. That towns and villages first grow in areas where the basics to support life were plentiful. Typically, that means good agricultural land and good access to water. Other valuable considerations include safety, and resilience. The bonus – access to trade routes.  Walt Disney and the Fully Formed […]

Christmas Poem 2022

December 22, 2022

A Visit from Saint Nicholas A Poem by Jonathan Potter – December 2022 ‘Twas the first mask-free Christmas, when all through the stores  The vaccinated children were spewing their spores;The shoppers were eagerly starting to riotAs the introverts longed for some quarantine quiet. The public healthcare workers were tracing the pathOf the flu and RSV, […]