Tag Travel

My idea of a vacation… Finland declares phone-free zone on Ulko-Tammio Island

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I just read a great article on a vacation with no phones. Well, that’s the idea. Finland has declared that this summer they want tourists to enjoy the island of Ulko-Tammio, a national park, know as the “happiest country in the world” without using their phones. YES, without using their phones.

This was music to my ears. I’m tired of phones and constant picture taking. I just want to RELAX. The idea of going to a National Park and enjoying nature as we did “before” cell phones sounds marvelous. I talked with other friends, they feel the same. The constant pictures/selfies takes away from enjoying “the moment.”

I went to Google to see “where” Ulko-Tammio is as I have not traveled to this area. As you see, it’s very far North. My daughter was in Norway last December. She said it took a couple of flights to get there. Not always easy to make the connections, less flights, etc. However, once in Norway, so beautiful.

So, let’s see what happens. I do feel that the right people who want to enjoy nature will gladly put their phones aside. Laughing, wouldn’t this be funny. You are walking in the forest, you decide you just “have to have” the photo of a bird and you hear on a microphone, “Miss, this is a phone-free zone, please put cell phone away. PLEASE put cell phone away! Have a great day!”

Ah, but without my cell phone, how would I take a photo to PROVE I was there?? Wait, I could photoshop the perfect photo, you’d NEVER know! Then I could use AI to write my post. You see where I’m going here?

Finally, a happy and interesting story in the news!

New adventures await…cell phone free!

Boston – Titanic tour, missing submersible, 5 people. The Search is on!

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Did you know people were paying over $200K to tour the Titanic wreckage, which is 13,000 feet deep in the Atlantic ocean? This latest tour left on Sunday. It was reported lost after one hour forty-five minutes. It takes about 2.5 hours to reach the Titanic’s wreckage. The submersible had 96 hours of oxygen when it left. The media says there are five people on board the vessel.

This is a scary situation. I’ve always thought that to be down in a submarine for months on end would be claustrophobic. Imagine a smaller vessel that has reported technical problems in the past.

There is a lot to discuss on this topic as we sit and wait “hoping” they are found.

Would you want to go on a tour of the Titanic if money were no issue?

Travel: Italy’s Cinque Terre

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Sometimes a photograph is all we need to brighten our day. Winter in Italy.

My friend recently took this beautiful picture of Cinque Terre. I haven’t been there. It looks like we would definitely get our hiking/steps in, right.

Spring will be here soon. Time to go on an adventure somewhere.

Traveling: Italy in winter…

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Whenever I’ve traveled to Italy, it’s usually been in the Spring right before heavy tourist season in June. My daughter was able to find a good flight to Italy, winter rates, so was just there. We’ve learned there are pros/cons to traveling off season.

She noticed not very many tourists, that’s a pro. She could take pictures of special places with no people around. However, major con, many shops and restaurants closed. They had signs on their windows, back in March. I told her, she would have to ask the locals where they go. Also, find grocery stores, she could make sandwiches herself. We chuckled, we like pizza, but not every day for 10 days.

I thought this was a beautiful photograph of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. I didn’t crop the photo, because the sky is amazing. The light behind the clouds, above the Vatican, it gives us pause to think.

She also took this photograph of the Virgin Mary. I was pleasantly surprised to see she was able to light a candle. In most Italian churches they use the electric candles. Have you seen that? You flip a switch and the electric candle lights up. It’s not very spiritual, prevents fires, so I understand.

I have a few more photos I’ll share of Italy in the next posts.

Right now, airlines are having low fares on winter travel until end of March. BOOK NOW!

Spring is coming. The sun has been shinning.

What special adventures do YOU have planned?

A sign from a loved one in Heaven…

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Signs from loved ones in Heaven are powerful. We know without a doubt exactly “who” the message is from! We are overcome with emotion. I received a sign. I’m still in awe of how this occurred.

The holidays can be a roller coaster of feelings/memories. After Christmas, where we had below zero temps, I was anxious for a walk and fresh air. I decided to go downtown, it was still festive with the lights up. The display in a toy store window caught my attention. My desire to go in was strong.

It was joyful, families shopping for deals. As I continued to the back of the store, I saw the puzzle area. I enjoy puzzles, so stopped to explore. I sighed, the usual puzzles of flowers, Monet, etc. Disappointing.

However, on the bottom shelf, behind another puzzle, I found FLORENCE. I smiled -> F-L-O-R-E-N-C-E. My mother’s home town in Italy. Of course, I had to have it. I clutched it close, it was mine!

Walking home, I kept thinking how strange it was to find this puzzle. Why, what was the meaning? I was overcome with memories of visiting my grandmother in Florence. I thought, perfect timing. Long weekend for New Year’s Eve, I would do the puzzle.

I started with the Duomo. Proud when it was done. As I continued, I found yellow and green pieces. Putting them together, I looked down and got teary-eyed. What a memory! Take a look at the photo. The pieces of this particular puzzle area, looked exactly like my grandmother’s building. Amazing!

Back then, we did not have cell phones. When I would go out my grandmother and grandfather would rush to open the window. I would hear the green shutters crackling as they opened them. They would yell down to me in Italian (they didn’t speak English), Ciao, baci (kisses), a presto (see you soon). I felt so much love every time they did this. There are more memories, of course.

So, a sign indeed!

Don’t forget Nonnina and Nonno!

We are with you. We LOVE you! Go back!

Adventure travel — Where do you want to go?

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Are you looking for ideas on places to explore? I received this MT. SOBEK adventure magazine in the mail. It’s really wonderful. They have trips all over the world. They’ve been in business since 1969. If you’re interested, I’ve put a link to their website. They also have a travel Blog.

Here’s what you would see in the magazine. Trips are in this format. I’m not sure what’s included in the price. I read online they take small groups for each trip, approximately 10 people.

On the website the About section explains how the company got started and who the founders are. This was interesting, the name SOBEK is the Egyptian God of crocodiles. They didn’t say why they chose this name, they just explained where the name came from.

This was an enjoyable catalog/magazine to go through. So many exciting trips.

There is a trip called, “Mongolia Horse Trek.” OK, I don’t ride horses daily, but this trip piqued my interest. I’ve always wanted to go to Mongolia. LOL – Don’t shake your head yet.

I’M OFF TO RESEARCH, LEARN MORE…. WHO KNOWS!

Aren’t we supposed to go out of our comfort zone?!

That reminds me, the Lottery is SKY HIGH again, I better get ONE ticket – that’s all it takes, right!

THEN, Mongolia — Here I come!

Sardinia, Italy — Get paid to LIVE on the Island?

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I know, you are thinking what I thought. What’s the catch? We need more specifics. Sardinia is the second largest Island (after Sicily) in the Mediterranean Sea. The Island is in green on the map.

When I was there a few years ago, there were not many American tourists. Mainly they were British and German. Also, I noticed that the Sardinians look very Spanish. They speak Sardo, not Italian. I mean, it’s Italian, but the dialect is very very different. In fact, if you read the history of the Island, through the wars, they have a strong Spanish influence.

Fast forward to now. The Sardinian Government wants to attract young people to remote areas of the Island. Goal – increase population and economic fabric of those towns. Small towns, less than 3,000 people, are in decline. People have been moving to bigger cities.

SOLUTION: Offer a grant of €15,000 to attract young people to those small towns. The grant amount must be used toward the purchase / refurbishment of a house, not to exceed half the cost of the house.

The grant is a non-repayable grant. I wonder, is a time limit for “trying” this process out? Living in a small town of 3,000 might seem claustrophobic if you came from a big city.

BIGGEST QUESTION, will Wifi work? Also, if these are small towns, I would imagine they want people who can own shops, work the land, etc. Are they open to remote technology workers?

The Sardinian Government is devoting a total of €45 million for this project; there will be enough for at least 3,000 new inhabitants.

Now, if Sardinia is not appealing, I was reading that Spain and Scotland are offering similar programs.

Time to open a map of the world — throw a dart — see where life takes us.

Italy – Sending postcards…

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When was the last time you sent a postcard? For me, it’s been years. It’s so easy to snap a photo and send it via text or email. DONE! Taking time to write a postcard, buy the stamp and mail it seems “archaic.” Real EFFORT would have to be put into that process, right!

At my hotel, they had a small entry way. There were people ahead of me to check in. I was standing next to — drum roll — a bunch of postcards. To pass the time…

I started looking them over, remembering how my daughters send me postcards when they are on a trip. I always enjoy the surprise card in the mail. EFFORT = LOVE

So, I decided, I should surprise them in return. I bought two Trevi Fountain postcards.

I wrote:

Just threw THREE COINS in Trevi Fountain. ONE was mine. ONE was your Sister’s. ONE is YOURS! MAKE YOUR WISH! Love, Mama XOXO

Hopefully, they receive the card, so they can make their wish.

When I asked where to buy a stamp, I was told to go to the newsstand. At the newsstand, the fellow gave me my stamps and when I asked WHERE to mail the cards, he pointed to this little yellow mailbox below the postcards.

I had a BIG smile, going back in time.

I admit, I wondered if it was legitimate. It looked cute, but it was in such an odd place.

I asked for confirmation.

The fellow nodded his head — YES!

So, in the box, my postcards went.

Now, to see if they will be delivered!

I made MY WISH! They need to make THEIRS!

I enjoyed THINKING of something clever to write.

Oh, I learned that the Vatican area has it’s own stamps. So, if you mail something through a Vatican mailbox, it must have a Vatican postage stamp on it.

GPS mail — I think on the receipt there was a bar code to scan. If I can find that, I might be able to track my postcards. That would be interesting… right!

Beloved Pizza — NO MORE

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Something STRANGE happened when I was in Italy.

I did not like the pizza!

I KNOW… How could that be?

I’ve ALWAYS enjoyed the Italian pizza, but this time. NOPE! In Florence, the pizza crust was terrible. Maybe it was meant to be a healthy version, don’t know, but it’s texture was like cardboard. I could barely eat it. This is a place I have frequented over the years, so it should have been delicious. My heart sank.

In Rome, the pizza crust was so thin it made the pizza soggy, I could barely eat it. Also, they had big chunks of mozzarella cheese on top. When I took a bite and tried to swallow, I thought I would choke. My daughter said the same thing happened to her when she was in Rome. She could not eat their mozzarella cheese. This has never happened before. Soooo… has the texture of mozzarella cheese changed?

I felt the SAME about the sandwiches. I used to LOVE and CRAVE salami, prosciutto, mortadella. It’s the BEST in Italy. We would have this with my grandmother at home at lunch. Put the bread on the table, cut slices and open all the different lunch meat packages, pick and choose what we wanted.

What sadness, really!

I had to think. Had the food changed or did COVID change my taste buds? I’ve never tested positive for COVID, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have it over the past 2 1/2 years. Was it the weather, high 90s, little interest in food?

Oh… it GETS WORSE!

I didn’t care for gelato either. My gosh, this is a major Italian taste bud issue, right! Who doesn’t enjoy a gelato. I did eat it, but I had no sense of this is so fantastic, like I did BEFORE COVID.

GOOD NEWS — Drinking a Fanta with ice cubes was enjoyable and my tastes buds were working. PHEW, so it wasn’t a COVID issue.

Oh, and my FAVORITE cookies — Atene, my grandmother would have these. My taste buds were GOOD. Thank goodness!! I would have been sad to have those memories taken away. Here is what they look like. They are a heavier type of cookie, good with coffee or tea.

I do think that the taste of food is changing around the world. They, whomever they are, keep trying to genetically enhance meat, fruit, vegetable products and more. There are constantly fraud issues with prosciutto. If you Google, you can read about it.

So — I’m hoping it was the extreme heat that changed my taste buds. I was happy that my daughter said she experienced the same feelings on her trip to Italy, so it wasn’t just “me.”

Soon we will all start having our own organic gardens, so we can trust our produce!