A Green Delight in Umbria

Letizia and Ruurd live what is a dream for many. They run an agriturismo B&B in Umbria, Italy housed in stone buildings, some dating back as far as 500 years old. They have lovingly renovated the buildings and grounds, operating as a B&B for almost ten years. More importantly to those of us who are olive oil fanatics, Letizia and Ruurd have restored the olive grove, planting 250 olive trees so they can make their own divine olive oil.

Committed to treading lightly on the earth, Alla Madonna runs solely on solar electricity with hot water and heat coming from solar thermal panels and a wood furnace. Alla Madonna is decorated with new and vintage natural fibers. Eco-friendly cleaning products are used, the gardens and olive groves are organic, and the food served guests as well as what s used in the cooking classes are locally produced. Google, the truffle-hunting dog at Alla Madonna die Piatto sniffs out the sneakiest truffles.

Guests can choose from six comfortable rooms with private baths. From March to November cooking classes are offered  two times a week. Room rates range from 85 to 105 euros per night for a double room. Please note: Alla Madonna is closed from mid-November to mid-March and for one week in July.

Alla Madonna is about 5 miles from Assisi. If you want to vicariously enjoy the fruits of Letizia's cooking, explore her blog at: http://madonnadelpiatto.com and create scrumptious meals from her simple yet exquisite recipes.

Azienda Agraria Alla Madonna del Piatto
Via Petrata 37, Pieve San Nicolo’
06081 Assisi (PG), Umbria, Italy
http://incampagna.com

Puglia Italy App—The Green & Local Side

Travel guide apps are an easy addiction with photographs and descriptions that draw you into other lands and cultures. Via the Puglia Travel Guide app, I have just traveled to Puglia, the southeastern region of Italy which has plentiful sandy beaches along the Adriatic and Ionian coasts.

While not a green travel app, the Puglia Guide has many listings for travelers wanting to go green. In the Puglia Guide you can learn which towns have farmer's markets, find agriturismo rural farm lodging or you can explore the restored trulli, stone buildings with conical roofs made from limestone specific to Puglia, including the Trulli of Alberobello, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bread lover's and local foodies should not miss the bread from Altamura made with locally grown wheat which made news a few years ago when the locals chose their traditional bread over McDonalds—a great story!

Travel to Puglia either virtually or for real—either way you will be happy to have the Puglia Guide.

More Unusual & Green Accommodations in Spain

To celebrate the upcoming release of the Green Earth Guide: Traveling Naturally in Spain, I am posting here some fantastic accommodations that I learned about after completing the book - thank goodness for blogs and web sites!

The InOut Hostel in Barcelona is part of the Hostelling International network of worldwide hostels, but it is unique in that it is established as a nonprofit organization whose workforce is comprised almost entirely of people (96%) with disabilities including Down’s Syndrome. 

Located about fifteen minutes from the heart of Barcelona, InOut Hostel sits on almost sixty acres in the Collserola Park. The hostel is large, clean and airy with more than 150 beds and a restaurant serving fresh foods. The hostel is handicap accessible and offers terraces, lawns, and footpaths through the park. InOut Hostel, Major del Rectoret, 2, 08017 Barcelona; Tel: 932 800 985; Email: info@inoutalberg.com; Web: www.inoutalberg.com; Metro: FGC S1 or S2 to Baixador de Vallvidrera. 

Available from the beginning of May to the end of September, you can stay at the mountain retreat of Molino Taponero where you will find a cottage sleeping up to four people and a house sleeping up to six people nestled in the Andalucian mountains by a river - a former water mill - near the town of Gaucin and forty minutes from the famous white village of Ronda. The houses are rented by the week for £480 per week for the house and  £380 per week for the cottage - or equivalent in Euros. Owners Dawn and Paul Sutcliffe are weavers and produce natural fiber shawls and blankets in the winter months. Molino Taponero, Gaucin, Andalucia; Email: ptsutcliffe@yahoo.com.

Nearby the Molino Taponero you can find the solar-powered Andalucia Yurts. Here you will find two locally crafted yurts which sleep 4-5 people and a double-guest-room on the side of the main house. There are indoor and outdoor showers - the outdoor has riverstones on the floor and eucalytus wood walls. Natural health services are offered and they have a wood-fired sauna by the river. You can stay for 35 euros/night and have dinner for 20 euros per person.  Andalucia Yurts, La Huerta, Gaucin, Andalucia; Tel: 952 117 486 (evenings & weekends) or cell: 686 888 409; Email: Kit and Penny Hogg at hoggs@vsatmail.com.

Nearby is a WAY cool yurt making company, Baltasar Bent Yurts, which makes handcrafted yurts from chestnut wood. They say, “We make the wooden elements of our yurts using traditional hand tools and sew the canvas using sustainable solar power where possible. All the poles are cut, stripped, sanded and oiled by hand - the result is a yurt with no hard edges - all in all a magical, organic, beautiful space.” 

For a further variety of eco-accommodations in Spain check out the wonderful Organic Holidays Web site developed by Linda Moss, author of Organic Places To Stay UK & Ireland.

Lucky you if you get to stay in any of these wonderful places….

Cordoba Green Sampling

While you are hoofing around the old sites in Cordoba and wondering where to eat you will be happy to know that you can find delicious lunch or dinner at Amaltea, serving fresh local food with natural and gourmet twists…. arugula, sun dried tomato and goat cheese salad (with pine nuts)….baby squid and curried rice… these are just a few of the choices. Amaltea, Ronda de Isasa 10 – on the street along the river down below the Mezquita.  Tip – get there by 3:30 as they close the doors up for the lunch hours and they do not serve dinner on Sundays).

Numerous hotels surround the Mezquita in Cordoba and any of them are fine, housed in grand old buildings, most with inner courtyards. On this trip I tried the Conquistador, a marble floored hotel on the east side of the Mezquita, with a courtyard, WiFi and a convenient three blocks or so from the Baños Arabes thermal baths.

Cordoba is making an attempt at a cheap city-sponsored bike program called CycloCity. Currently bikes are only available at four sites: the RENFE train station, the Baños Califales museum, Puerta de Gallegos and at the junction of Ave Barcelona and Libia. Unfortunately you can not yet purchase a user card through the internet, but must wait until you arrive in Cordoba and make your way to the government office on Avenida Mediterraneo, open from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm, to purchase a card. Hopefully the program will expand and be more traveler friendly. In any event we can applaud Cordoba for their beginning efforts.

This is just a tiny tasting of all that the beautiful city of Cordoba has to offer, a city proud of its local artisans and rich, diverse history.

An Eco Saturday in Paris

Book in at the Hotel de la Porte Dorée, a family run hotel with some green amenities, on avenue Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement, on the east side of the city, steps away from the Port Dorée metro and bus stops, making the city sites easily accessible. Make sure you are equipped with a map of Paris and the metro and/or bus lines.

The Organic Market Brancusi (Marche Biologique Brancusi) is held Saturday mornings from 9:00 am to 3:00pm. To get there take the purple #8 Metro line from Port Dorée towards Richelieu for two stops to Daumesnil. Switch to the green #6 line towards Charles de Gaulle Etoile. Take that twelve stops to the Edgar Quinet stop and walk down rue de Gaite or through the Montparnasse Cemetery to du Maine Avenue. Rue R.J. Zay off of du Maine will bring you to Place Constantin where you will find the Marche Biologique Brancusi. The teal #13 metro stop, Gaite is closer, but not worth the switching coming from Port Dorée.

For bikers, there is a Paris Vélib bike station at 1 Place Edouard Renard a couple of blocks from the Hotel. Bike to the Market and there is a Vélib station at 90 Ave. du Maine, one to two blocks from the market, near the Gaité Metro stop. For more Vélib information, visit their website for locating stations all over Paris.

Once you have explored the market and eaten some delicious food, you can walk to Park George Brassens, or rent a Vélib bike (there are two Vélib stations along the park – one is Station # 15046, 42 rue des Morillons), where book lovers will particularly enjoy the secondhand and antique book market held in an old horse market pavilion in the Parc on rue des Morillons in the 15th arrondissement of Paris (Métro: Convention). The Parc has vineyards, beehives, 510 rose bushes, walking paths, and more. The book market, held on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 6pm, has over 200 participating booksellers, 68 of which rotate through each weekend.

After the Parc and book market you can bike or Metro to the St. Germain neighborhood, a lively area full of fun stores and eats, making your way towards any number of sites – Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay – to name a few. If you are planning on one of the museums, you are better off planning in advance for those and purchasing your tickets Online to avoid the crowded entry lines.
You can eat lunch at the first all-organic bar and restaurant in Paris, Phyto Bar, serving terrific organic food. They offer an array of fresh squeezed juices—the grapefruit-kiwi is an especially refreshing combination. The seaweed “caviar,” made with a variety of greens from the sea, is highly recommended. Next door, you will find La Nature a Paris Boutique, their sister store, a tiny, jam-packed health food shop. (Phyto Bar Restaurant and Bar, 47 Boulevard Saint-Germain; Tel: 01 44 07 3699.) The Phtyo Bar Restaurant is about five blocks along rue Monge from the Seine River and the bridge across to the Notre Dame Cathedral. In nice weather there will be book, souvenir and art vendors along the Seine.

If you need a rest after your walking, biking and sightseeing, you can bus, bike or metro back to the Hotel.

Once you are refreshed, the evening offers a number possibilities. One of my favorite Paris excursions is to listen to the nuns sing vespers at the Sacre Couer Basilica – the magic and beauty of their voices can be enjoyed by all. They begin at 6pm and sing for about thirty minutes.

From the hotel you can get to Sacre Couer a few ways. By bus take the #46 from Porte Dorée to the final stop of Gare du Nord (a large train station). From there you could walk all the way, or walk to the Funicular that goes up the hill to the basilica. If you want to go by Metro, you want to be on the #2 blue line. Take the #8 purple line from Porte Dorée two stops to Daumesnil, change to the #6 green line to Nation. At Nation get onto the #2 blue line and take that to Anvers. Here you will be quite close to the funicular, which you can either take, or simply walk up the steep steps.

If you want to stay closer to “home” in the evening, try a delightful experience at the Grand Mosque, serving tea and more. For a truly delicious experience you can wind down with a Hammam steam bath and massage at the Mosque. The Tea room is open seven days a week from 9:00am until 11:30pm, so you can enjoy this almost anytime of day. Check the website for specifics about the Hammam since they have different days for men and women. The Hammam is open until 9:00pm. To reach the mosque by metro from the hotel either get onto the purple #8 line at Porte Dorée for two stops to the Green #6 at Daumesnil (or walk to the Daumesnil stop). Take the Green #6 six stops to Place d’Italie and switch to the orange #5 for two stops to Saint Marcel. Walk two blocks up rue Geoffrey St-Hilaire toward the Jardin des Plantes (worth a stroll and visit on its own), and the Grand Mosque. The Tea room and Hammam entrances are on rue Geoffrey.

Lastly, if you are in Paris during July and August, there are outdoor film screenings in La Villette Park showing at 9:00pm most nights. But, if you decide to enjoy a Hammam Steam bath on Saturday evening, you can go to the movies Sunday night instead.

Traveling Naturally Saturday in Paris:
• Organic Brancusi Market
• Used and antique book fair in Parc George Bressans
• St Germain neighborhood\Notre Dame Cathedral (with possible visits to the Louvre or Musee d’Orsay)
• Lunch at PhytoBar Organic Restaurant
• Return to Hotel for Rest
Evening Options:
• Sacre Couer Basilica Vespers 6pm
• Tea and/or Hammam Bath and Massage at the Grand Mosque
• La Villette Park outdoor movie screenings in July and August only, at 9:00pm most nights (http://www.villette.com/fr/parc-villette-agenda/)

Pensions & Hostals in Valencia's Old City

Spain is full of wonderful, reasonably priced pensions, and what they call hostals, which are small hotels. In the old part of Valencia city, there are a number of such places in renovated old buildings within steps of great dining, sites, walking and bicycling, not to mention the main train station. Here is a sampling:

Pension Paris, c/ Salva 12, 46002 Valencia Spain, (34) 963 526 766; http://www.pensionparis.com
Modest, clean rooms with free wifi, that are very inexpensive. All rooms except one are with shared bath. Prices range from 22 to 51 euros per night depending on occupancy and the type of room. The Pension (pictured above) is on a great street, easy walking distance to shopping, dining, metro and train stations.

Acta del Carmen, Blanquerias 11, 46003, Valencia Spain; (34) 962 057 700; http://www.hotel-delcarmenvalencia.com
This is a newly renovated hotel in an old building overlooking a large street and park. It has 25 rooms, free wifi, a restaurant, bar, fitness room, and a terrace with an open-air Jacuzzi. Prices range from 64 to 90 euros a night per room depending upon room, number of days and season.

Edifico Palomar, c/ Palomar 13, 46001 Valencia, Spain; (34) 963 910 619; http://www.edificiopalomar.com
In a beautiful old building, on a small street, the Edificio Palomar (the blue building pictured above) has eight brand new apartments to rent by the night or week with free wifi. Prices per night range from 80 to 280 euros depending on how many people are staying in the apartment. There are some decent deals where in two of the apartments if you had six people in the apartment it would cost 30 euros each person per night (180 total). The extra costs are a 200-euro refundable deposit and a 40-euro end of stay cleaning fee.

Hostal Antigua Morellana, c/ En Bou, 2, 46001 Valencia; 963 915 773; info@hostalam.com; www.hostalam.com
This hotel has 18 rooms each with bathroom, TV and telephone in a renovated 18th century building in the heart of old Valencia. Depending on season prices are 45-55 euros/night for a single room and 55-65 euros/night for a double room.

HiLux Hostel is one of the three Feetup Hostels in Spain (also in Seville and Barcelona), c/ Cadirers 11, 46001 Valencia; 963 914 691; http://feetuphostels.com/dev/
HiLux is a cross between a small hotel and a backpacking hostel with 10 balconied double and twin rooms for 20-30 euros/night per person with shared baths. It is on a cute back street in the old town with clean rooms each with a distinct decor. This books up well in advance.

Blue Moon Apartments is connected to the HiLux Hostel. Blue Moon Apartments, c/ Portal de Validigna 8, 46003; 689 314 813; Valencia; http://www.bluemoonvalencia.com.
The Portal de Validigna is an old gateway in the city and makes for a great old street area. These apartments are newly renovated and can sleep 2-6 people depending on apartment. Prices of 20-40 euros are per person, per night depending on season and day. All apartments have washers, kitchen, and private baths. Keys are picked up from the Indigo Youth Hostel at c/ Guillem de Castro 64; http://www.indigohostel.com/indigo.htm. Indigo is a backpacking hostel with private rooms and dorms ranging from 13 to 23 euros/ night per person with shared baths.

Hostal Bisbal, C/ Pie De La Cruz 9, 46001 Valencia Spain; 963 917 084; Fax: 963 923 737. No Website or email.
This family-run hotel is in an old building on a back street near the Central Market (Mercado). The ten rooms are small but clean, and have showers in the bathrooms - prices range from 60-78 Euros/night.

Trying to Eat on Interstate 80

Driving across the United States on Interstate 80, a predominantly trucking route, is a challenge for anyone interested in eating remotely healthily. The mission was to get a car and dog from Vermont to Truckee, California. I-80 is not only direct, but happens to run right through Truckee, hence the choice of routes.

My original plan was to sort of hop from one Whole Foods to the next, thinking that these would be the most accessible natural foods stores. If we had timed our travel days slightly differently, we might have been able to do just that. There is a Whole Foods in University Heights near Cleveland, Ohio, another in Omaha, Nebraska, two or three in Salt Lake City, Utah, and another in Reno, Nevada. However, between the dog and our driving patterns we seemed to miss all of these except the one in Salt Lake.

Instead we found a nice health food store in Erie, Pennsylvania interestingly enough called Whole Foods Cooperative Market, but not part of the chain. It is a full service, local natural foods store. Our next food stop was a day later in Des Moines, Iowa at the New City Market, another lovely full service market in a residential area. Here we got the best, fresh green beans I have possibly ever eaten – sweet, crunchy and delicious. We bemoaned getting only one bag of them the next two days of driving.

Cheyenne, Wyoming was our next food stop and what we found was It’s Only Natural, tucked in a strip of large malls, The store had a large gluten-free selection and supplement section, but other than that was quite sparse and not terribly friendly. I couldn’t discern if that was the shopkeeper’s temperament or as a result of my Obama pin attached to my purse. We persevered and found a cute little juice and wrap bar on one of the funky downtown streets of Cheyenne called Rubyjuice, where we had hot soup and wraps. While the place was great, we could have waited until Laramie, not that far up the highway, since Laramie is a University town (always the best towns to stop in as they have the most variety and usually at least one health food store), where we could have stockpiled some food. Indeed, Laramie, Wyoming has two health food stores: Medicine Bow Health Foods and Whole Earth Grainery.

Between Laramie and Salt Lake City Utah there is really nothing in the way of health food stores or restaurants… well for that matter that there isn’t much in the way of anything but wide, open land. The same is true between Salt Lake and Reno – vast salt flats and then a whole lot of sagebrush, so be prepared if you drive the route and stock up on food and water.

As far as places to stretch your legs, we found a magnificent state park in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Presque Isle Park has miles of bike and walking paths along Lake Erie and on the other side of the peninsula miles of sand beaches – well worth an hour or more detour for the experience. In Cheyenne, Wyoming we happened upon a sweet little botanical garden within a park. The plants were dormant this time of year, but you could picture the flowers in their glory during the warmer months. Interspersed on the paths and in the beds were memorial blocks with wonderful quotes.

While we only saw them from the car window, there were what seemed like hundreds of windmills in Nebraska – good thing as the wind was howling away.

Once in Truckee, the final destination for the car, dog and dog owner, I made my way by my favorite form of transport – the train - to San Francisco. This is an experience not to be missed by train lovers and history buffs. The double-decker train, which originates in Chicago, climbs slowly after leaving the Truckee train stop up and through the Donner Pass. The train takes longer than by car, but is different route as the train is far higher than the highway, which you can look down on at certain intervals in the trip. There are magnificent views, and Amtrak provides a guide offering historical tidbits and trivia over the loudspeaker system. The train, called the California Zephyr, runs once daily between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area, a two day trip if you ride the whole route.

Needless to say, once you get to the Bay area of California, finding health food restaurants and stores is no longer a problem as they seem to be at almost every turn.

Erie, PA: Whole Foods Coop Market, 1341 W. 26th Street; 814-456-0282; http://www.wholefoodscoop.org

Des Moines, IA: New City Market, 4721 University Ave; 515-255-7380

Cheyenne, WY: Rubyjuice, 113 East 17th Street, 634-3022 – soups, salads, wraps, smoothies, fresh juices

Truckee, CA: Truckee is just north of Lake Tahoe, and has a renovated historic downtown area with stores and various historical buildings. One of which includes a “Rocking Stone”, one of twenty-five such stones known in the world. Native Americans used the 17-ton stone for ceremonies and for preserving food. www.truckee.com.
Outside of downtown Truckee you will find The Cedar House sport hotel, built with environmental standards using natural materials, energy efficiency, and natural fiber bedding. Food served is from local and organic sources. The Cedar House, 10918 Brockway Road, Truckee, CA; 866-582-5655; www.cedarhousesporthotel.com

Wild, Icy and Altogether Unusual Accommodations

Green and natural travel accommodations have taken on a whole new light with the fun and helpful website of Odd Inns and Uncommodations. Here you can choose between Treehouses, Ice Hotels, Yurts, Caves, Converted Railroad cars, Lighthouses, and more.

Most of the listings are in the United States, but a few are in other countries. The site includes the Top Ten Natural Park Lodges, Yurts and Hike-In Lodges all over Canada and the U.S., multiple Treehouses around the world, thirteen Railroad-Car Inns, fifty Lighthouse options and eleven Castles that are actually in the U.S.!

The Haunted possibilities are Bed & Breakfasts and Inns around the world. A friend of mine in the U.S. who is originally from Scotland said on hearing a homeowner’s alarm that there might be a ghost in her house, “Well that’s natural, why all the houses have ghosts in Scotland.” So not surprisingly, Odd Inns lists haunted accommodations in Scotland.

Personally the thought of sleeping in a room made of ice gives me the chills, but the pictures of the Ice Hotels in Finland, Sweden and Quebec are beautiful and inspiring.
The Odd Inns website is definitely worth a perusal even if you are not planning a trip right now, as the listings arouse the desire for adventure.

Sneak a peek at: www.oddinns.com

D-Day

Bayeux is an ancient town in the Normandy region of northern France filled with old stone houses and walls. Founded 2000 years ago, it has many buildings still standing from 1,000-1500 ad including a large cathedral from 1077. Home to the famous Bayeux tapestry, a wool-in-linen embroidered masterpiece spanning over 200 feet, the tapestry tells the story of William the Conqueror’s (Duke of Normandy) conquest of England in 1066. The tapestry museum is well worth the 7 euro entry fee which includes a great audio guide.
Bayeux somehow managed to escape damage from both the Hundred Years’ war, as well as World War II even though it is only a few miles from the d-day beaches lining the Normandy coast. Museums, tours and cemeteries commemorating World War II surround the area, as well as Omaha, Utah, Juno and Gold Beaches. In Bayeux there is Le Memorial Des Reporters, a joint effort between Bayeux and the organization Reporters Without Borders, honoring freedom of the press and journalists from around the world that have lost their lives covering wars since 1944, including a single headstone for the famous war photographer Robert Capa who took extraordinary photographs of the D-day landing – standing alongside the troops as they came off the boats.
Historically known for its lace-making, ceramics, and its apple products, Bayeux boasts many local artisans carrying on the traditions of lace-making, embroidery, porcelain and ceramic making, woodworking, stone sculpture and even a small umbrella company. Local apple products are abundant here including Calvados, an apple liquor, as well as cider, jelly, juice and other goodies. Apple products made from local orchards surrounding Bayeux can be found at Cave Cidrocle Lecornu, Place Charles de Gaulle close to the cathedral, open April through September from 10-7:30; October through March just in the evenings 5- 7:30pm (www.lecornu.fr).
Bikes can be rented year round at the Le Verger de L’Aure, impasse de L’Islet, conveniently located across from the Bayeux Tourist office; Tel: 02 31 92 8916; open 8am-8:30 pm year round. A booklet detailing 19 walking or biking trails around Bayeux is available at the tourist office for 7euros. The Jardin Public de Bayeux, in the northwestern corner of the town, has 400 trees including an old weeping Beech listed as an historical monument (www.mairie-bayeux.fr). In the summer, you can spend over two hours walking through Le Labyrinthe de Bayeux in Mosles a few miles northwest of town (www.labyrinthe-bayeux.com).
Bayeux has seven, second-hand and antique stores selling things from traditional antiques to World War II artifacts, which locals still dig up on the nearby cliffs and beaches. Lovely, English speaking Patricia Cowling runs a tiny store, Brocante de Jolies Choses, filled with treasures on rue Larcher across the street from the post office ( 7 Bis rue Larcher; Tel: 06 25 71 2463).
While there are no health food stores in Bayeux, there are in surrounding towns, accessible if you have a car. Fresh produce, cheeses and bakeries are abundant and the Bayeux market, known for its excellent produce and products, is held on Saturday mornings in Place Saint Patrice. A smaller market is on Wednesday mornings on rue Saint Jean.
The local youth hostel in the heart of the old Bayeux Village is right across from the park Place Charles de Gaulle. It is in a historical building comprised of some old and more recently renovated sections. My room had a large French window overlooking an old walkway and terrace, an old stone wall and beyond, trees filled with singing birds. The wood and bamboo furnishings were comfortable and the beds were made with the traditional rolled duvets. The hostel, while quiet except for the lovely bird sounds, was pretty empty this time of year. Since the walls are thin, I can imagine a not so contemplative mood when the rooms are full, the windows open, and there is late summer night partying. The Hostel is part of the Hostelling International Network, www.fuaj.org and is called Family Home, 39 rue du General de Dais, Bayeux, Tel: 02 31 92 1522; Fax: 02 31 92 5572 (they have no email or web page – you must book by fax or post) Beds are 19 euros/night.
There are tour buses to the various D-day beaches that run in the range of 45 euros, but you can take local buses for a fraction of the cost. From Bayeux village you can take the #70 bus to the American Cemetery and monument at Omaha beach, a thirty-minute bus ride, for 2 euros one way. In the winter there is only one bus each way, but in the summer there are more options.
Omaha beach is impressive: a large beautiful beach, that doesn’t look like a battleground, but rather a resort beach. It is a protected area and the cemetery and monuments sit high above on a plateau. The acres of white crosses and stars of David in the cemetery emphasize the magnitude of what happened on June 6 and 7 1944. The beach was not what I expected. I imagined a grittier scene, with scattered wreckage and rocky shores. Instead I found a pristine beach with seashells, golden sand, dramatic clouds and an aura of significance.
I find Europe to be comforting, like an old woman who has seen everything: the land and many buildings here have born witness to wars, floods, earthquakes, different political regimes, different religious beliefs, and yet here it still is, for better or worse, a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the earth from whence we come.

Valencia, Spain

Valencia, Spain’s third largest city, is part way down the Mediterranean coast of Spain and is surrounded by acres of orange and olive groves. Clean and regal, Valencia is larger than I imagined, but has a busy yet relaxed quality. People walk and bike a lot, as well as take advantage of the new and fairly sparkling tram and metro.
I stayed at a youth hostel in the center of the old city: Center Valencia, c/ Samaniego 18; Tel: 963 914 915; www.center-valencia.com .The hostel was one of the nicer ones I have frequented. The rooms were clean and in my 4-women room with two bunk beds we had our own shower and toilet – a luxury by hostel standards. Another luxury was that in addition to the four computers in the common area, there was WiFi throughout the hostel so I could use my own computer in the comfort of my room. The only downside was that the last two nights I was there a large high school group checked in and were up partying until 4:30 am both nights – groan! But my Romanian roommates were a delight and we had fun sharing our daily adventures.
Spaniards love outdoor cafes and restaurants so the city was full of these and I saw only two Starbucks in Valencia. Oranges were plentiful, cheap and some of the best I have ever eaten. Fresh orange juice is served in many cafes and a local specialty is “Aqua de Valencia,” made with orange juice, white wine and water.
Valencia has huge, beautiful public beaches, which I highly recommend. I went everyday for long beach walks along the turquoise sea, combing for sea glass, shells, and sea ceramics, Spain’s special version of sea glass, since ceramics are such a large industry in Spain. True to rumors, Spanish women were walking and sunbathing topless, irregardless of their shape or size, without so much as a second glance from anyone except me.
I found health food stores throughout Valencia, although the mother lode was the J. Navarro Terra Verde Store in the old part of city not far from the train station. It is large and beautiful, the closest you will find to a Whole Foods-type store, with a particularly large selection of gluten-free products including baked-goods. They have produce, beauty products, bulk foods, cold and frozen, an extensive cheese selection, basically anything you could want - www.terraverda.com.
There are tiny health food stores sprinkled throughout the city. Out by the university is Ecorganic ecomercat, Avda Blasco Ibanez 66, Tel: 963 892 003; www.ecorganicweb.com . This store is not huge, but has a good selection and variety of food including gluten-free, goat/sheep cheese and yogurt, bio produce, a tiny bit of bio meat, plenty of dry goods, body care, and more. Open: 9:30-8:30; Tel: 96 389 2003. The closest Metro is Aragon. Out of the metro, walk up a few blocks and take a right onto Avenue Blasco Ibanez.
A small store in the north part of the old city not far from the youth hostel is the Herboristeria del Carmen, c/ Roteros 13; Tel: 963 923 315, Open Mon-Fri 9:30-2/5-8, Sat 10-2. They have a small array of products including delicious bio oranges and bio-saffron – a Spanish delicacy and great souvenir.
By chance I found a small second hand clothing store where I bought an authentic Spanish black, felt, Zorro hat for 2 euros! Marropa (ropa de 2a mano), c/ Pza Cisneros 5, around the corner from the little Herboristeria above and the youth hostel. Open Mon-Fri 10-1:30/ 5-8.
Spain is not known for being vegetarian – in fact pigs are very big here – literally and figuratively, but Valencia does have a few very good vegetarian restaurants, two of which I scoped out:
La Tastaolletes, c/ Salvador Giner 6; Open Tues-Sat 2-4 (lunch) and Mon-Sat 9pm-midnight (dinner) closed Sundays and Monday until dinner. Tapas range from 4.50-9, Salada 8-9.50, and entrée 10-11. I ate an ample, delicious and unusual Seaweed salad here and had a glass of house vino tinto (red wine), for a total of 11 euros one evening at 9:30 – early by Spanish standards, but late by mine.
Espai Visor café and gallery, Corretgeria 40; 3 course meal is a prix fixe of 18 Euros, Open Tues- Sat 5-9 café and gallery, restaurant 9pm-11:30 pm. The restaurant part is small – about 5-6 tables, but the menu is fabulous. Similarly, the gallery space is small, but lovely.
Valencia is full of small stores brimming with goods. I was disappointed to learn that the comfortable and funky Camper shoes, sold worldwide, are no longer made in Spain, but China, which saved me being tempted to buy a pair while here. Traditional Spanish espadrilles were not so abundant in Valencia (see Madrid entry later).
I found a store in the old city not far from the Espai Visor restaurant called Namo Buddha, selling beautiful, authentic and some rare items from Nepal and Tibet, run by a lovely Spanish man named Pablo and his Nepali wife, Goma. Namo Buddha, c/Danzas 3, Valencia; Tel: 96 391 6509; gomanepablo@hotmail.com; www.namobuddha.phpnet.us.

The Magic of Lourmarin

I started what would be an almost perfect day unwrapping my Banon cheese. This is divine stuff – like brie, but no bite. I had this with the last of my rose-smoked salmon on my moist sans-gluten bread – pure heaven.
I got on the bus to Lourmarin - where I need to point out for the rest of the story – I held the bus schedule up to the bus driver so there could be no confusion that I was going to Lourmarin and paid for my ticket (you buy your tickets on the buses here). The bus made stops in a number of cute and interesting villages. I looked at my watch and knew we must be approaching Lourmarin. Sure enough – I saw the road sign and the bus turned and headed up a hill, which I presumed was into Lourmarin as the street sign said the name of one of the streets I was to look for. I disembarked and the driver gave me a broad smile and waved. I looked around for the tourist information office to get a map. I started following the signs but they seemed to be sending me much farther than what I had understood would be the case. I found myself in a maze of tiny streets and by some miracle arrived at the tourist office. A friendly woman greeted me and I asked for a map. She said, “For here?” and I said, “Yes, for Lourmarin.” A perplexed look crossed her face and she said, “This is Lauris.” Well you can imagine that the “merde” was next!
I had gotten off at the wrong damn village and the bus driver must have chuckled about this the rest of his day. I was trying to get to Lourmarin for their morning market which closes at 1pm and then meet some friends who run a B&B there for lunch. It was now 11:40. The taxi would take 10 minutes to arrive if I was lucky and set me back 12 euros. I decided to hoof the 5km to Lourmarin.
The woman was a little surprised by my choice but showed me on the map which road to take to the main road to Lourmarin and off I went. I tried not to be too cranky about this unexpected hike and instead enjoy the sunny morning as sweat poured down my torso.
I arrived in Lourmarin and found the market with about 20 minutes to spare. I bought incredible, freshly made tapenade, and an olive marmalade – out of this world (the vendor was offering me samples of every delectable item he had.)
I wound my way through the exquisite old stone village and found my friends – just as they were giving up on me.
We ate a delicious lunch of Aoli – a traditional Provencal dish with cooked vegetables and fish served with fresh garlic mayonnaise - some local red wine, and lots of talking as I had not had a full conversation with anyone since I left Switzerland.
After lunch I toured the beautiful and very special Les Olivettes Bed and Breakfast villa with individual apartments. For pictures see the website: www.olivettes.com . Les Olivettes is within walking distance of the village center, but is across the main road and has lovely grounds filled with gardens and olive trees – hence the name. In fact, you can come for your stay during olive harvest time and help pick the olives. Les Olivettes is not a budget accommodation, but rather a reasonably priced luxury accommodation, beautifully appointed.
My generous hosts then took me on a tour of two smaller, but equally magnificent nearby villages – Cucuron and Vangines – both filled with old stone buildings and much charm. On the drive back to Avignon we took the road through the Luberon, passing the Chateau Canorgue (Rte de Pont Julien, Bonnieux, Vaucluse), an organic and biodynamic vineyard.
A # 10 of a day even with getting off in the wrong town.

Marseille - There and Gone

Well I went to Marseille and left.
The metro and buses are clean. The Gare St Charles train station is virtually glistening. The city is huge - France's second largest - but without the charm of Paris. In its favor it has a very diverse population.
The hostel however, was gruesome - definitely not recommended. It is not in the city - it is a 10 minute metro ride to a 10 minute bus ride plus a short walk that seems long if you are toting any luggage. The cinder block structure is relatively clean, but very dark and grim. The group bathrooms leave something to be desired. The extremely competent, but overworked woman who works evenings was on duty by herself so everything took longer or required waiting thirty minutes. There is no wifi and the internet is cumbersome - it took a while for her to connect one of the two decrepit computers to the internet. She told me the owner wasn't interested in getting wifi (I think maybe he is just too cheap). She then designated me an id and password which was only for the one time use. You pay when you are finished, which was pretty quickly since typing was excruciating. I had to think way too hard and type so slowly since just about every letter is in a different place on the French keyboard.
The room was small, but adequate - enough beds for four, but only three of us. There was one young French woman and an older French woman with white hair - although she was probably my age. When I first arrived she was typing furiously, copying a hand written magnum opus that took her hours of particularly noisy keyboarding. When she was done with that - completed while I was on the internet - I returned to find the Apple blaring the worst English-language pop music. I don't know in what country or planet she found this selection but truly the most pathetic lyrics and bad bubble gum music I have ever heard. She thought it was wonderful. I don't know what the young French girl thought - she was reading and seemed to be ignoring everything. When I tuned in the computer was singing, “ Come to the Butterfly lounge… big girls you are beautiful, big girls you are beautiful, big girls you are….” get the idea?
I was so tired I could barely move from hauling my two back-packs all afternoon. I crawled into bed while she played the delightful music until about 10:30. I put my eye mask on and my arm over my face and practiced giving into the whole experience. She finally turned out the light - the young French girl had long ago put her arm over her head- and I thought we were good for the night.
Somebody had other ideas. Somewhere by my head a late night construction project started, or dance lessons, or a washing machine knocking against a wall - I will never know. The loud beating went on and on, then stopped and I thought ahhh, relief, only to have it start again. As if this weren't enough, the acoustics of the cinder block made the noise travel throughout the hostel, so even though its location was in a quiet suburb of Marseille, it was far noisier than the in-town Nice hostel (which was amazingly quiet in the bedrooms). There was hooting and hollering, loud footsteps, showers, and at some point a scream that sounded like a woman was being murdered (lovely) and then after a pause, laughter. Some joke.
As I am working on diving into the full experience, bed number two with the other middle aged woman was harrumphing, heavy sighing, grunting and her noise actually woke me up more times than all the other as I was able to put my New Yorker skills to work for me - that is after contemplating three times whether I should get up and complain to the overworked girl at the desk. I thought better of this once I realized that all complaining would get me was out of bed and my horizontal position - there was nothing she was going to be able to do. The pounding, and did I mention constant water trickling noise and toilet flushing (I think we were right underneath the 2nd floor bathrooms) went on until the wee hours of the night and I dozed in and out for most of it except hearing the loud whispered complaints of my roommate. The night was short as at 6:30 or so the young French girl got up. She was quiet as these things go, but in the hostel rooms every noise is amplified- the crinkle of plastic, zippers and Velcro are all especially loud.
Having already made up my mind to vacate this morning, I got up, used the marginal facilities - the toilet I used had a make-shift flush mechanism - a large piece of wire to pull - and went to use the internet to line up my next accommodations. Well, the young man at the desk didn't know how to do that, could I come back later?....getting more frustrated by the minute…then another young man who can set up the internet (talk about unnecessary complicated systems) came along and wouldn't you know it - he didn't really know how to set up the internet. He pulled out a loose-leaf binder with the instructions - well then they asked me for my passport! To use their crummy computers for 5 minutes of internet time for a total of maybe 1 euro. I had left everything in my room to quickly email about accommodations. I just said, “No, forget it” - how hard can it be to write one email!
The Nice hostel was like the George V compared to this! They had free wifi if you had your own computer, and if not, an inexpensive and simple system to use their computers. Ah Merde!
I had already packed my bags, so was back out in a flash to check out (the hostels keep your hostel member card when you check in as some sort of security deposit). Well now they couldn't find my card. What was my name? What room had I been in? Was it a paper or plastic card? Can you say I-N-C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-T? I was ready to run, not walk to the bus. I had no idea where I would sleep, but only knew it would not be there. I was not offered a refund on the rest of my stay and decided to not even ask as that might have taken the rest of the day to sort out. I figured I would email in the evening when at least the competent woman would be on duty.
Whew. Now the bus and metro into the train station. I put my heavy large pack into a storage locker - thank god they had them - and purchased a ticket to Avignon. The truth is I had only chosen Marseille as a base camp to explore Provence. I never had an interest in Marseille per se, but it was the only hostel open this time of year in the area. Once I realized how far from the train the hostel was, it made more sense for me to make my base in the heart of Provence - not to mention the above mentioned short-comings of the hostel.
With just under two hours before my train, I took the metro two stops to the Vieux Port - the old port. Here the fish market was just getting started - talk about fresh - fish never have smelled so good and the boats were pulled up behind the vendor stalls. Some of the fish were so fresh they were still jumping!
From here I went to the tourist information office and got myself a map, and walked up the main boulevard. I had hoped to find the Arab markets I had read about, but there was no activity this morning. I wandered through a few back streets, found the rue des Arts - full of small artists studios/ateliers then made my way back to the metro. At the train station I went out the upper entrance for a full view of the city - quite impressive, and felt that was all I needed of Marseille.
Now I am happy to report that I found a darling little stone Hotel du Parc on a backstreet in Avignon with a private room and double bed. The shared bath in the hallway is like the Taj compared to last night and I have a large window looking into a little garden. Needless to say I cried when I walked in - too perfect and squeaking by in terms of budget.
Avignon (one of the gates into the walled city in photo above) is a delight and I have spent the afternoon wandering the back streets and finding the natural restaurants and health food stores. I had a plentiful and delicious lunch at the Kafezen Bio mini café (16 rue Henri Fabre) - a large bowl of soup (almost too much to finish) and a large salad made with organic and vegetarian ingredients for 6 euros. Next I stumbled onto a crammed-full art store with the most darling French owners - we played charades about some pastel crayons in the window.
Next I found the beautiful Terre de Saveurs - a natural foods restaurant that I will try for lunch before I leave. I am now happily at a great little cyber café where I can use my own computer - relief.
Off to explore some more before I return to my sweet, sweet room. Au revoir for now.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre, Italy...
I sort of hate to write about Cinque Terre but thankfully it has its own self-protecting mechanism in place – allowing only so many people at a time into the area so as to minimize the human impact, controlled by a limit on ticket passes sold.

Cinque Terre sits on the coast of the Ligurian Sea - the northern Mediterranean in the western upper curve of the Italian coast. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site which affords it recognition and protection as a unique and extraordinary spot on earth. The five villages that make up the Cinque (five) Terre (land/villages) are Rio Maggiore, Manarola, Carniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso spread along 12 km of spectacular Mediterranean coast. The villages are built into the hill/cliff-sides and footpaths (sentieri in Italian) connect the villages as well as an underground train. Cars can only access the upper parts of some of the villages. Maps are available from the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre - www.parconazionale5terre.it - as well as the "Carta" - ticket you purchase at the local train station which allows you to walk on the footpaths and ride the train between the villages. A word of caution - do not plan a tight schedule - every train was between 15-30 minutes late when we were there.

There are a number of path options - along the coast,or up through the olive orchards, or through tiny paths between grape vines. Be prepared for trail closures – mudslides, downed trees – nature at work. Whatever trail you take, be assured that there is no shortage of photo opportunities no matter the weather.

The combination of the ancient, the necessary and the modern is breathtaking – dry stone walls, terracing, bountiful food, the brilliant turquoise mixed with olive leaf silver, the yellow of the lemons and the pastel rainbow of the buildings stacked into the hillsides all illuminate the magnificence of humans and nature together - rather than spoils, riches on every level.

While we were there - we had to make an impromptu route change as there had been a mudslide on our path, closing the trail. Our unmarked path brought us to the back of one of the towns where we serendipitously found a wonderful, unadvertised hostel (Ostello in Italian) - www.hostel5Terre.com - off the beaten path where we could bed down for the night at 17 Euros per person and for an extra 5 euros have a large bowl of pasta and organic local basil pesto. It doesn't get much better than that!

In Manarola village there is one of the best smoothie and fruit drink places I have ever found - we had one that was apple,cardamon and lemon - divine! and another that was mandarin, melon and lemon. They also had drinks with an almond milk base. Everything we had was delicious and with wonderful combinations of flavors. They are up the hill on the right - can't miss them - and don't.

The local people were open and friendly. In a little ceramic shop in Manarola, run by people who have lived there all their lives, I purchased a huge, round platter hand-painted in pastel colors depicting each of the five villages. They were so delighted that I was buying the huge platter that they gave me 2 other hand-painted dishes - all of which I have hanging in my kitchen at home.

The official, local organic Pesto is made with the Parco Nazionale label on it and is incredible - made with local lemons, olive oil, and basil (basilico). Remember to buy a few jars to savor once you are home.

Cinque Terre is heaven for the eco-conscious traveler - you will not want to leave.