by Krista | Nov 8, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day,
a fresh try,
one more start,
with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.”
J. B. Priestley
Thank you so much for the kindness, hugs and support you gave me yesterday. Just sharing my burden with you made it lighter, and I can face this next round of tests with greater strength and courage. XO
Now let us set aside all thoughts of proddings and pokings and return to the village of Vogogna, Italy where (last week) we explored the medieval Visconti Castle.
Just past this imposing edifice is a bumpy stone trail that wends along behind the castle, over a bridge, and past a small stone cottage.
It is not possible, for me at least, to see such a trail and not feel compelled to follow it. Thankfully such notions also appeal to my English friend Katy, so we gamely set off for parts unknown to see what we could see.
Clad in breezy sundresses and strappy sandals we didn’t look even remotely like mountain climbers, but such trifles are not to be considered when there are adventures to be had.
So up we went the increasingly steep trail, treading carefully on stones worn smooth by countless trekkers.
We passed abandoned stone huts overgrown with vines and bushes, sun-dappled rock walls, and berries, ferns and tiny flowers in the underbrush.
As we trekked higher up the mountain, it felt like we had inadvertently stepped into an Italian version of Heidi.
“Are you tired, Heidi?” Deta asked the child.
“No, but hot,” she replied.
“We shall be up in an hour, if you take big steps and climb with all your little might! ”
Johanna Spyri, Heidi
And we did. 🙂
We stopped often to catch our breath, finding shady spots to rest and visit, turning our heads to catch glimpses of the hazy valley and smoky mountains behind us.
Our legs were burning and lungs bursting when we trudged around a corner and gaped in wonder at a beautiful little mountain village that seemingly appeared out of nowhere: Genestredo.
There were no voices, no slamming of doors or static from a radio.
No people or dogs or vehicles and the only sounds were morning birdsong and the gurgle of water from the village spring.
I don’t know where the inhabitants were, but you could see their mark in tidy courtyards and flower pot lined balconies.
Awash in sunshine and void of noise, the village was indescribably peaceful.
We loved it, and happily wandered the deserted streets dreaming up all sorts of stories about the people who called this tiny place home.
I especially wanted to know who lived in this beautiful stone house with its weathered shutters and overflowing window boxes.
Can’t you imagine flinging open the windows on fine days and leaning out on your elbows to take in views of towering peaks and ancient ruins? Or perhaps sitting on that old bench with a dear friend, nattering about the day and watching the townsfolk pass by?
Sigh. Tis a lovely thing to imagine. 🙂
Next time we’ll continue our trek up the mountain and explore the ruins of an Italian medieval fortress: the Rocca.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
xo
by Krista | Nov 8, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
I’m in a lot of pain today. Have been for several months now.
A few months ago I underwent a lot of tests and they’ve been monitoring me since then. Tomorrow I go in for more, and hopefully we’ll have a better handle on what we’re dealing with.
The last few days have been especially bad and the truth is, I’m scared.
I try not to be, of course. I try to think good, cheering thoughts, notions brimming with hope and bravery, but sometimes the very best thing is simply to have a good cry and blurt out all the things I’m scared of: another surgery, inability to have babies, a whole lot more pain.
So I do, and for a while I feel a lot better and can see clearly all the things I have to be grateful for: I’m alive, I am loved by a dear man who cherishes me whether I can have babies or not, and I have good friends who check on me regularly and make sure I never feel alone.
Those are the things that keep me going and help me find joy again.
The last few days I haven’t been up to blogging, but today I want to chronicle some of the beautiful things in my life that make me smile in the midst of doctor visits and pill swallowing and a body that’s having a rather rough time of it.
This morning I walked out to my garden for the first time in a while and, wonder of wonders, it was not only growing but thriving! (Thank you unexpected rainfall that rescues neglected gardens) I found baby beets, some lovely white radishes, and even pulled one tiny purple carrot just so I could taste that amazing fresh-carrot-flavor. 🙂
We found some treasures at the market this week – bunches of gorgeous kale, lovely new potatoes, and these beautiful white nectarines that remind me of my years spent in California.
And last but not least, luscious, silky, juicy mangoes.
Much to my delight, it is Mango Season in Australia again. The very best time of the year. 🙂
I know a lot of you are going through hard times right now too. I wish I could hug you tight so we could both feel better. Hugs are lovely things like that. 🙂
Is there anything putting a smile on your face today? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂
XO
by Krista | Nov 5, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
It’s not every day a girl gets invited to lunch by an Italian Count whose noble ancestors have been rattling around Italy since the 1300’s.
It had definitely never happened to this girl until one sunny day in the Lombardy region of Italy when I was included on an excursion to tour a rice farm in the Lomellina Valley with my friends Margo and Kathy.
We were welcomed warmly by the distinguished and gentlemanly Count Edoardo Visconti di Modrone and taken on a grand tour of his restaurant, Ristorante Corte Visconti, his sprawling rice farm which provides special rice for risotto, a community bar, and – my favorite – his family hunting lodge.
One day soon I will share with you the exquisite meal of local Italian specialties we ate that warm Autumn afternoon, but today I want to linger in a room that utterly stole my heart: the hunting lodge library.
Was there ever a more perfect spot for reading than this inviting couch?
We got to linger in this beautiful room twice. Once in the morning where we visited with the Count over glasses of Padron Bonarda Oltreopò Doc and a platter of thinly sliced charcuterie, and again later in the afternoon when we all retired to the library for a siesta where we got to rest on that lovely old couch.
How I love this room with its cracked leather chairs, marvelous old trunks and ancient paintings black with age.
One day, if I am ever old and rich and unencumbered by bills and emergencies, I will build a library just like this and happily live out my days in it.
How wonderful cold winter days would be spent by a roaring blaze in this marble fireplace, our dog sleeping peacefully on the hearth, a hot toddy steaming on the coffee table.
Yes, I would like that very much indeed.
I love the wooden shelves lined with very old books, their titles etched on the spine in gold leaf. Even untidy stacks of books on the writing table look marvelous next to opulent candlesticks. I like the hunting rifles lined up just so, and the chunks of firewood piled in a sturdy basket.
I’m especially fond of the changing light in this room, clean and bright in the morning, hazy and golden in late afternoon.
Some libraries in old European homes can be impressive but cold. Not this one.
It welcomes in every way, from furniture designed for maximum ease and comfort to windows flung open to allow the warm Autumn breezes to flow freely. There are even stacks of paper and inkwells at hand should inspiration strike.
It is a most splendid library.
I’m on week six (or is it eight?) of a cold/flu combo that just won’t let go. As I sit here today with a pounding head, stopped up ears, and sore throat, it is pure comfort to return, if only in my imagination, to such a happy place.
As much as I’d love to, I can’t flit away to Italy or build my own Italian hunting lodge library, but I can add bits of Italy to my little Aussie farmhouse: a stack of beloved old books on my desk, a glass of red wine with a good read at night, and a fanciful lamp tucked in a dark corner that makes me smile whenever I see it.
If you could design the perfect room for yourself, what three things would you love most for it to contain?
by Krista | Oct 29, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Sometimes the most delightful adventures are the ones you don’t plan on. The ones you dream up at the last minute.
Late one spring night in a Slovenian hostel, four girlfriends and I were crammed into a teensy room under the eaves, wondering how on earth we were going to sleep in such sweltering heat.
It was midway through our ten-day road trip through the Balkans with our friend Ben and my brother Ryan, and although we were loving every minute of it, we were exhausted, longing for soft beds, cool sheets, and a good, long sleep-in. Alas, the next day we had to drive through Bosnia on our way down to Croatia, so an early start was inevitable.
In spite of our fatigue we really, really wanted to see Ljubljana, a medieval city and the capital of Slovenia, before we left. Our late arrival had given us only a fleeting glimpse of the night-shrouded city, and we knew we’d kick ourselves if we drove all that way only to see the doors of our hostel and nothing else.
So with moans and groans of protest, we grudgingly agreed to rise at 4 in the morning to explore Ljubljana before hitting the road.
We were so glad we did.
The moon was still visible, glowing brightly above the turrets and towers of Old Town Ljubljana, making us feel as though we’d stumbled into a medieval fairy tale as we ambled through the empty streets.
We crossed the beautiful and imposing Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most) which spans the Ljubljanica River and features 20 different dragons.
Originally named The Jubilee Bridge of the Emperor Franz Josef I, the bridge received its current name in 1919.
The Ljubljana Dragon is the symbol of the city and signifies power, courage, and greatness.
There is a fascinating juxtaposition of medieval and modern in Ljubljana, an often startling mingling of jaunty street art and sobering war memorials, classical buildings and contemporary shops.
I like it.
I found myself catching my breath in amazement wherever I looked. Aged statues stark against the lightening sky, lacy architectural details, staid European row houses, the emerging of locals doing what people everywhere do in the early morning hours: buy coffee, pick up the newspaper, take the dog out for a piddle.
The sun had nearly risen when we forced ourselves to leave beautiful Old Town Ljubljana and clamber aboard our van for the next leg of our Balkan adventure.
Our experience of Ljubljana was the merest taste of what it has to offer, and I hope one day I will get to return for a more leisurely exploration of the history, food and culture of this Slovenian city.
It is definitely worth getting up early for.
What city would you be willing to get up at 4 a.m. to explore?
PS – Thank you to all of you who participated in my Aussie Giveaway last week. The winner is Ruth Sutherland. Please send me your mailing address, Ruth, and I’ll be sure to get your parcel out post haste. 🙂
by Krista | Oct 23, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
There’s something about a medieval castle that always intrigues and delights me. I want to know who lived there, what they ate and wore, how they spent their days.
When the castle is a 14th century Italian one, the discovery is even better.
I discovered such a castle in the medieval burgh of Vogogna in Italy’s Piedmont region
A beautiful stone edifice built into the side of a mountain, the Visconti Castle is only a short five minute walk from the lovely old stone villa I stayed in with my friends Margo, Katy, Kate and Kathy.
Visconti Castle was commissioned by Giovanni Visconti in 1348, and designed as a fortress intended to protect the entire valley but especially Vogogna.
The main castle has three floors with fireplaces in each room and boasts stunning views of towering mountain peaks and staggered stair-steps of slate and red-tiled roofs.
I loved standing near the castle walls, feeling the warmth of the old stones baking in the sun, looking out over landscapes that have seen more history than I can even imagine.
On a cliff above the Visconti Castle are the haunting ruins of the Rocca, an ancient fortress that I will show you one day soon.
From our stone courtyard we could look up and see the semi-circular tower of the castle which has five floors and was used as a prison until 1914.
The smaller cells are still intact and if you look closely, you can see etchings made by the prisoners incarcerated there.
Nowadays Visconti Castle is a peaceful place, its sun-warmed walls and steps a favorite haunt for local cats, its rooms used for local gatherings, art exhibitions, and evening concerts during the summer.
What castle would you most like to see?
Contact Information for Castle Visconti and Vogogna
Comune di Vogogna
phone: +39 0324 87042
email: municipio@comune.vogogna.vb.it
website: www.comune.vogogna.vb.it
by Krista | Oct 21, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
This month is my one year anniversary of moving to Australia. It crept up on me unawares and I can hardly believe it has been an entire year.
And what a year it has been.
If I was scared boarding the plane to move to Europe, (click here for story) I was absolutely petrified moving to Australia!
At least Europe was familiar to me. At any given moment I had only to hop on a train and I could be with family or friends. I knew where to shop, how to navigate the transportation systems, and I felt comfortable and at home in the culture.
Australia was truly a foreign country to me. I knew precious little about its history, nothing about its culture, and although they claimed to speak English, I soon found myself learning a completely new vocabulary after multiple queries of, “What in tarnation does that mean?”.
The few people I did know were part of friendships forged over long distance emails and phone calls, with only a short amount of face-to-face time. In my heart I knew they were safe, loving and true friends, but the time had come to see if what my heart felt would translate into reality.
Yep, I was scared, but under the fear was a deep peace, an unshakeable knowing that this was good and I was going to be just fine.
In true Krista fashion, the moment I stepped off the plane and saw my Bear, I burst into tears. Then laughter at the look of chagrin on his face. 🙂 I hastily assured him that I was very, very happy to see him, and that the tears were for something else entirely.
All the months of trying to be brave, trying not to give into fear, trying to press through every trauma that threatened to crush me, they were over.
I was safe.
I was loved.
I was home.
So I crashed. 🙂 Utterly and completely. It was like my body said, “OK, this whole holding on for dear life thing is stopping now. And you, dear girl, need to rest.”
Through no choice of my own, I went into hibernation mode. And if it weren’t for Bear and dear friends, I might have stayed there for a long, long time.
I had no strength left, and very little feeling. I would sleep 12 hours a night and still wake up exhausted. I was perfectly happy to sit on the back porch and stare off into the bush or get cozy in my big green chair and watch an endless stream of movies. Contact from people I no longer felt safe with made me instantly and violently ill. I had nightmares almost every night, waking me terrified, shaking, and sobbing my heart out.
Dear counselors assured me that however awful this state was, it was a perfectly normal reaction to the things I had gone through. They praised me for strength and courage I did not feel, and taught me to celebrate every little victory. Victories like sleeping through the night without a nightmare, responding to contact from my past with only one day of vomiting and migraines instead of five, making it through a whole day without crying. They told me not to force recovery, but to let it grow naturally. And best of all, they assured me that it would get better.
And you know what? They were right.It just took a while.
While the counselors helped me work through the bad things in my past, Bear and my friends helped me stay out of the Black Hole of Self-centeredness by giving me gardens to work in, animals to take care of, and encouraging me to keep cooking, taking pictures, and other things that used to bring me joy when I wasn’t in breakdown mode.
It was such good advice and I’m eternally grateful to them for giving me good things to focus on so I wouldn’t sink down into depression and self-pity. I’m even more grateful for the love they lavished on me when I had almost nothing to give in return.
Over the last few months I’ve seen a huge change in myself.
I fall asleep easily, hardly ever have nightmares, and wake rested and perky without an alarm clock. Even when I do have nightmares now, they are different. I fight back when the buggers try to rape, kill or torture me and mine – and they FLEE! That makes me grin. 🙂
I’m no longer ashamed of my past, or controlled by it. What happened, happened, and it’s all OK. I can think about the people who harmed me and it no longer makes me sick or grief-stricken or angry. They no longer have power over me, and I can see messages from them or pictures of them and not feel that gut-clenching awfulness. I truly wish them well and hope for their own healing, freedom and peace.
I feel alive and awake now, and that is pure bliss. I do NOT recommend zombie-ness.
The things I did merely by rote bring me such joy again. I feel my creativity surging on every front as a travel writer, photographer, recipe developer, website designer, and whatever else comes along. I look forward to waking up, and can’t wait to get out into my gardens or the kitchen.
One of the most precious changes is that I feel my own person again. Bear describes it as “standing tall.” I like that picture. There’s nothing cowering or frightened or weak about standing tall. But neither is there anything aggressive or angry or vengeful. It is a picture of quiet strength and inner fortitude.
I still have my “weepy days”, as we call them, but that’s OK. They don’t last long and I bounce back much quicker.And each bad day reminds me how lucky I am to have so many good ones.
In celebration of fresh starts, unconditional love, and second chances, I’m hosting a giveaway today. The giveaway will be a hand-packed box of Aussie treats and anything else I decide to throw in at the last minute. 🙂 I will ship anywhere in the world.
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here or on Facebook telling me one good thing someone told you that helped you through a difficult time. Bear will choose one name out of a hat and I will send that person a box of goodness. I can’t wait to hear your nuggets of wisdom.
The giveaway will run until Sunday, October 28, and I will announce the winner on the following Monday.
Wishing you a beautiful week filled with hope and the sure knowledge that it is never, ever too late to start over. XO
