Travel Tuesday: When Twitter Tweaks the Trip

This mini-tale began on Monday with a notice that we had a new follower on Twitter; a newcomer, it seemed, to the social media: Podere Assolatina in Tuscany.  I responded by becoming the eighth follower of their handful of tweets announcing their new web site. 

Since we are heading to Italy this fall, I checked their site (link above).  This agriturismo – between Florence and Rome -- looks charming. Their rates, surprisingly inexpensive. San Casciano Dei Bagni, the town they are near is postcard picture-perfect.

“Too bad we’ve already booked a place in Florence,” I thought as I found myself writing them and asking a few more questions about the place.

I showed the web site to Joel, along with the photos they’d sent in a return email within hours of my inquiry. 

“Too bad we’ve got a place in Florence already,” he said. “Wonder if we could cancel those reservations?"

Our plans had been firm: take a train to Florence, spend three nights there, then a train to Rome to board another to its port town Civitavecchia.

By Tuesday evening we’d cancelled our reservations in Florence and booked a rental car that we’ll pick up in Bologna and use for three days en route to Civitavecchia.

The agriturismo folks haven't responded to my rental inquiry yet, but that doesn’t really matter. . .

By tossing our original itinerary we have the freedom to head out and stay where ever we find ourselves. And in case you are wondering, we didn’t take the car’s GPS option.

If You Go:

Podere Assolatina, Fraz. Celle Sul Rigo, 53040 San Casciano Dei Bagne, +39 331-447-4328

How about you? Have you ever changed travel plans based on some fluke like we did?

WAWeekend: Central Washington Agritourism

You don’t need to travel to Europe for a taste of agritourism.  If you are hankering for a stay similar to those European countryside getaways, there’s one to be had only a few hours from Seattle.

Marcia and Kyle Green and their daughters Roslyn and Abigail, all who’ve worked to make the Cashmere Cider Mill a going concern have doubled their efforts and created an agritourism destination in the heart of Washington State. 
 

We first visited the Cashmere Cider Mill, tucked away in Woodring Canyon just outside the town of Cashmere, a year ago. Returning this summer as part of a hosted travel writers tour we had a real taste of how the place has expanded.
  
Accommodations:

The Cider Mill Guest Suites, of which there are two (each with en suite bathroom) occupy the second-floor of a remodeled and updated 1910 farm house. The downstairs has a full living room and kitchen.

The expansive views from the house look out over the Mill’s picnic grounds in one direction and have a territorial view out over the orchards looking the other direction.



What’s Cooking at the Mill?

Marcia offers culinary classes out at the Mill year-round although most of them are between May and November,when locally-grown ingredients are at their peak. 

She cooked up a sample of the types of meals prepared in the classes for our visiting group.  Sometimes photos tell the story better than words.

I had to show you the simple, but delightful table decorations -- empty cider bottles, fresh flowers from the garden and grape vines and leaves.







But to get back to the food. . .


Need I tell you this tasty little fresh blueberry morsel, cooked in a cast iron frying pan, won the hearts (and stomachs) of all?








If You Go:

Cashmere is less than 2.5 hours drive from Seattle via I-90 and Highway 97A. The nearest airport is Pangborn Field in Wenatchee.

Cider Mill Accommodations: Cider Mill Guest Suites and another property, Canyon Hideaway,are open year-round.You can arrange for a number of activities from kayaking the smooth waters of the nature preserves in the summer to snowshoeing  through the orchards in the winter.

A welcome bottle of gourmet cider is included in the rental.  (If you want more adult beverages, bring it with you. Better yet, buy some of the local wines at the tasting rooms in Mission Square in Cashmere.)

(If you want more than just an overnight stay, more comprehensive packages are available, such as providing breakfast, lunch and dinner, excursions to the fields, farms and orchards and agricultural workshops.)

Culinary Classes: You don’t need to be an overnight guest to take a culinary class.  They are offered year round.

For directions, hours of operation, to reserve a stay or schedule a class: 
Mission Creek Cider Mill and Guest Suites, 5420 Woodring Canyon Road.,  866-459-9614, www.gourmetcider.com

TPThursday Capturing The Four Seasons

The seasons in photos. . .

I hadn’t given seasons  much thought  until Leigh from Hike Bike Travel invited our participation in another blogosphere event; this one sponsored by Booked.net.

At our house we have two seasons, ‘Travel and No Travel’.  It is from that perspective I offer views of the four calendar seasons as we fondly recall from our travels::

Winter



A January evening in Honolulu, O’ahu, Hawaii. 

Spring



An April day on the island of Naxos, Greece

Summer



A July morning in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Autumn



An October morning in Spain’s Andalucian hillsides.

When you capture the memories of the seasons, what do you picture? 

This is my contribution to Travel Photo Thursday created by Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox. If this is your first visit to TravelnWrite, stop by again Saturday for Washington Weekend.

Remembering 9/11 – at 38,000 feet on this 9/11

I began this post on Tuesday, September 11th at some 30,000+ feet over Chicago en route to Washington D.C.   Then I changed my mind. . .I am a white-knuckler when it comes to flying after all and I don't believe history repeats itself but I decided not to test fate, as only a white-knuckler would understand.

In total disclosure I need to tell you that it was an uneventful flight and aside from a few bumps from turbulence there had been nothing to excite even the white-knuckler in me. I’d even sailed through the new Pre-Check Security line at SeaTac with coat and shoes on and liquids and computer in my bag – three minutes max.


I am glad I waited until this morning, September 12th to finish it though because I can show you a sample of how the Arlington, Virginia city scape appeared as we arrived on September 11th.  (I am attending a conference here this week, we are just blocks from the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery.

It was a landscape of patriotism.

And the one that really caught my eye is a block from our hotel on the Arlington Courthouse complex.  It marks the site of Fort Woodbury that had been on this location from 1861 - 1865.  It also reads:

“Historic Site

Defenses of Washington”

Monday Meanderings: Looping Italy’s Boot

The lure and love of  Spain and Greece has become so strong, it was difficult this year directing ourselves towards one of our old favorites, Italy.

Make that ‘difficult’ until a cruise itinerary of the Celebrity Silhouette from Rome to Venice called out, “La Dolce Vita!”



We’ll be living that Italian ‘sweet life’ as well as having some interesting stops as we loop the boot-shaped country, in Malta, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, and Slovenia.


The Silhouette, with an occupancy of 2,886, is a new-comer to Celebrity’s Solstice Class ships, having been launched in July, 2011.

(For those of you cruise enthusiasts out there, Solstice Class ships were  named the “Best Cruise Ships” 2011 by Frommer’s travel guides.)

We first sailed a Solstice Class ship in the Spring of 2011 and have been smitten with these vessels sprouting a live lawn on their top level since then.

The Silhouette is sporting some new features like an Arts Center, which replaces the hot glass art demonstration studios still operating on earlier Solstice ships.  This Arts Center offers classes as a cooperative project with the Art Center/South Florida.   Don’t think we’ll have time to take a class though as all but one of our 12-days on board will  be at some interesting port of call.

We were pleased to see that Murano, the fine dining restaurant, has been retained on this new ship. But I doubt that we’ll be trying Qsine, the restaurant where you order food and wine from an iPad, that is provided.  (The thought makes these techno-dinos shudder!)

Our stops in each port of call will be full-day visits, arriving at 8 a.m. and not leaving until 5 or 6 p.m.  That kind of schedule also gives us plenty of time to explore the towns and sample some of their food specialties – think Naples, think pizza!

Culture, cuisine, cruising – sounds like La Dolce Vita to me!

Cruising tips:

Cruising is an easy way to see a lot of places in a short period of time.  Admittedly, you get but a taste of each  place, but you can also return for a larger slice of life in the future.

When booking a cruise, be sure to ask about:

* The cost of on-board gratuities and whether they are included in your rate or to be paid separately.
* Whether port charges and possible fuel charges are included in the rate or if they will be added.
* What on-board spending credits or perks (like priority boarding or special on-board events) are included.

Now that you know where we will be off to this fall, do you have any tips for us in any of the ports of call?  Be sure to check out Joel’s “Deal Finder” page to see how he shops to find our cruise deals. Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to have our free posts arrive in your inbox. See you soon!

Travel Tales: ‘La Tuna’ solves that Seville Mystery

It was late one night in Seville, Spain. The bar filled with robed musicians. . . from where they came, their reason for being there, a mystery to us. . .

Two weeks ago I wrote about searching for that elusive Spanish ‘duende’ – the  devilish Earth Spirit that captures  -- if you are lucky -- the souls of both performers and audience members with riveting emotion. (Click the blue link to read the original post.)  We found it among a group of musicians we'd happened upon who seemed as mysterious to us as the 'duende' itself . . .





I asked if you’d had similar experiences. Your response was fabulous:

Heather at Lost in Provence wrote that a similar concept exists in Bali.  Called ‘Ngayah’, is applies to more than the just the arts.

Inka at GlamourGranny Travels said while in Galicia she “went in search of ‘morina’ that atavistic longing of the Galegos for their ‘tierra’.”

And then my blogosphere friend from Jamaica Marcia Mayne at Inside Journeys wrote that it had sparked a memory for her; of a similar experience in Spain:

“We just happened on it in a restaurant. There were maybe 4-6 guys playing various instruments, a bucket or vat of sangria that we kept drinking from and singing along.

I remember that it was so much fun, we stayed until the restaurant closed around 1 a.m. or so. Even now, some 20-30 years later, I can feel the warmth, the camaraderie of that evening. We told our professor -- we were in Spain to study Spanish - and I remember him telling us a bit of the history of the Tuna but from the link you sent, I see it's been around for 700 years - impressive! I doubt we knew then that we were part of something so quintessentially Spanish.

I hadn't thought of the Tuna for a long time. In fact, the name was on the tip of my tongue as I wrote my comment. I wasn't sure I'd remember but just before I finished, it came to me and I decided to Google it.”

Marcia’s Google search solved our late night Seville mystery. Here’s one of many videos on You Tube of . . .yes, indeed. . .La Tuna. 

Like modern-day pen pals, Marcia and I began sending each other information about La Tuna and Lorca, the Spanish poet I quoted in the first post. One find was a web article that explains these troubadours have been around since 1215, the time of King Alfonso. 

The members were university students who in the beginning used these traveling performances to pay for their education; today it is an activity steeped in history and keeps alive the tradition of the medieval minstrels.

"The duende….Where is the duende?

Through the empty archway a wind of the spirit enters, blowing insistently over the heads of the dead, in search of new landscapes and unknown accents: a wind with the odor of a child’s saliva, crushed grass, and medusa’s veil, announcing the endless baptism of freshly created things."

--Federico Garcia Lorca

Thanks to Marcia at Inside Journeys for use of her photo and content used in this post.  Hope you'll come back on Monday to see whereTravelnWrite will be Meandering to then. . .

TPThursday: A Journey to Joseph, Oregon

Our summer road trip through Eastern Washington took us into Northeastern Oregon on State Road 129S. Signs along the way told us we were following the  “Old Nez Perce Trail”.

The paved twisting, turning roadway clings to the hillsides as it winds through the Grande Ronde Valley and over a river of the same name.  Our route climbed to the summit of Wallowa Mountain, (4,693 elevation) and led us past  the Joseph Canyon Overlook . (A stop here’s a must for spectacular views and a bit of Nez Perce Indian history as well.)

 

Our destination was Wallowa Lake, a couple miles beyond the town of  Joseph, Oregon,  population 967, named for Chief Joseph, leader of the Wallowa band of Pacific Northwest Nez Perce Indian Tribe.



Born in 1785 and died in 1871 (the marker is incorrect), Joseph the Elder is buried at the north end of Wallowa Lake. The burial site is next to the 62-acre day-use Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site.

Joseph is  an eclectic mix of Old West and Arts Haven, and the last town before the road dead-ends at this five-mile long, one mile wide, 283-feet deep Wallowa Lake.

Joseph is home to numerous art galleries and Wallowa County’s first arts foundry.

There are many Bed and Breakfasts in town and other lodging nearby, but the only motel within its city limits was built by Walter Brennan, (1894-1974) an Academy-Award winning actor who owned a ranch in the area.

And eateries galore; especially if you want a Western-style meal (think hearty chuck wagon stick-to-your-ribs style meal.) 

But our two favorites don’t have Western menus. We munch tapas and sip wine on the front deck of Calderas enjoying the mountain views. And a trip isn’t complete without a piece of home-made pie or an old-fashioned milk-shake at Mad Mary and Co. Soda Shop.



From any street in town there are spectacular views of the Wallowa Mountains.

If You Go: 

Getting there:
 There are several ways to reach Joseph and Wallowa Lake that are more mainstream than the route we took.  (Our route began in Asotin, Washington just south of Lewiston on the map above – a road to small to show on this Bing map).

 
From Portland: It’s just over a six hour drive of 322 miles, 519 km.  Oregon’s Highway 82 from Highway 395 winds through Joseph before dead-ending at Wallowa Lake. 

You can link up with the Hell’s Canyon Byway (Highway 350) just a few miles from Joseph – it’s a spectacular 218-mile stretch of highway.

Hiking: The Wallowa Mountains are considered by many to be Oregon’s best hiking venue.  For a sample of hikes, click here.

Accommodations/Eateries: The Chamber of Commerce website will get you here and settled in quite nicely!

It's Travel Photo Thursday, so head on over to Budget Travelers Sandbox for more travel photos and trip ideas.

Monday Meanderings: Three Travel Memories

Long after the purchased souvenirs are forgotten, the memories ~  those tidbits tucked away in the heart and mind ~ keep our travels alive.

Today’s post is part of a ‘blogosphere relay’ sponsored by Low Cost Holidays. Our invitation to join the team by writing about three favorite travel memories came from Marcia at Inside Journeys.

Sounded simple at first, but whoa! Think about your own travels . . .ever tried narrowing them to three favorites?  Here goes:

The First Trip


My parents didn't travel so neither did this only child; well, we did made an annual 300-mile-road trip to overnight at my grandmother’s house once, maybe twice, a year.

So it wasn’t until October 1979 when I was 26 that I took my first ‘real’ trip. I flew from Seattle to Honolulu to rendezvous with a girlfriend, then working for a newspaper in Guam.

Ours wasn’t a high end resort stay – my half of the hotel room was $27 a night, we got around by using the (still excellent) public bus system and our big splurge was attending the luau at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  It was a blast!

(We didn’t know each other then, but Joel was about the same time visiting this island paradise with one of his buddies,staying in similar economy accommodations, I might add.)

I’ll never forget my first glimpse of Diamond Head, the sound of palm fronds rustling in the breeze, the sand, the sun, and the sea.  I decided that if Hawaii was that fantastic, there just might be other wonders out there in the world to discover. . .

Greece

I’d been dreaming of those windmills of Greece since at age 9 I saw the Walt Disney movie set in Greece, “The Moon Spinners” starring Hayley Mills and Eli Wallach.  But back then, the thought of ever seeing Greece was as remote for me as heading to the moon. 

Four years ago I finally saw those real-life windmills on Mykonos, the setting as magical as the movie had portrayed it.

What we discovered on that trip as we rode ferries through the Cycladic Islands: – Syros, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos -- was that we wanted more. More islands,
more time there,
more discoveries.

We continued our travels in Greece expanding our explorations and becoming more captivated with each visit.



The Cruise Without Clothes

We were known as “The Seattle people without clothes” on that Silversea cruise in 2004, a round-trip from Venice with stops in Croatia, Montenegro and Greece.

Unlike the way I’ve packed since that trip (with a change of clothes in the carry-on), we had only what we’d worn on the plane. (Photo: my ‘travel look’ leaving Venice and for several days thereafter.)

Being assured by British Air that the suitcase was on its way we didn’t worry about buying replacements.  

It was. It arrived in Venice . . .an hour after we sailed. It then went back to London, and visited Paris and Athens before arriving in Corfu on the fifth day of our eight-day cruise.  But believing it would be at the ‘next port’ we limited replacement clothes to a pair of sandals and a canvas skirt for me and a shirt for Joel.

Despite being 'clothes-less from Seattle' that cruise remains one of our favorite trips. It had fabulous ports of call and supportive and sympathetic fellow cruisers who offered to loan us clothes and then applauded us when we finally appeared on our wind-swept deck as we sailed from Corfu looking like we did in this photo.


With that I am passing the blogger relay baton to Daniel at The World of Deej. You can follow the relay on Twitter at #TeamBLUE or #BloggerRelay.



What are your travel memories? Care to share them? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook TravelnWrite page.