Italy, yoga, friendship

It doesn't seem like a month since I wrote up the blog to accompany the Well Connected Life newsletter... however it is... so I have to totally agree with the statement about time flying when you are enjoying yourself!

I have enjoyed three journeys to Italy since the beginning of this year. The first one in February was sharing my love of Italy with my son Gordon as we went on a fact-finding tour of Tuscany. We went with the intention of finding a villa to host our spring Living It Yoga week and we found one in Punta Ala. This area is an idyllic region of southern Tuscany, as seen in adjacent photo, that is a favourite beauty spot for Italians wishing to escape the city... not so well known to foreign tourists... however a perfect place for a Living It yoga week. The Living It Yoga weeks are primarily to expand the attendees' understanding of themselves and their interconnection with the world and its treasures... starting with Tuscany.

My second visit was to attend school in Florence ... and, guess what, it expanded my understanding of myself and my interconnection with the world and all its treasures. Starting with Tuscany!!!

So to last week, my third visit, when Living It Yoga went to Tuscany... yes, you guessed it, we all expanded our understanding of ourselves and our interconnection with the world and all its treasures - starting with Tuscany.
There were so many enjoyable journeys both in the physical sense of visiting places such as Punta Ala, Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Siena and an amazing spa in the vicinity of Saturnia as seen on the right. Serene, inside pool and an amazing array of outside pools using the healing properties of the cascading natural thermal spring waters for swimming, showering or just leisurely soaking in. check out http://www.termedisaturnia.it/en/thermal-spring/hot-springs

... as well as the more inward looking journeys experienced during meditation or just soaking in the view... as seen below

Every journey has its place, and I would like to thank all the delightful companions on my various journeys in life, beginning with those who recently came to Punta Ala to experience our Living It Yoga "La Dolce Vita" week. It was indeed a week of sweet living... and a week I will be delighted to visit again and again. Why? Well, because expanding my understanding of myself and my interconnection with the world and all its treasures, starting with Tuscany, is a work in progress!

Grazie mille ai mei tesori - a thousand thanks to my treasures -  my husband, Andy of course, Alison, Grainne, Liz, Lisa and Barbara. What a wonderful combination - Italy, yoga and friendship!

From frost and snow to Firenze!

  

Well helloooo folks. Waking up on Friday the 22nd of March to the snow was somewhat bewildering to say the least. I know it caused chaos for many people with power cuts, traffic problems and several accidents. Selflishly I was only concerned about my flight from Glasgow to Florence via Amsterdam and my friend, Catherine's ability or should I say desire ... to drive in the extreme conditions that we had found ourselves in. The snow seemed to have decided that Largs was the place to be. Unusually for us on the coast, we were "enjoying" weather that is more often found in Arctic regions. The journey to Italy on the 22nd of  March was certainly eventful, however I arrived safely at my hotel, Plaza Lucchesi in the centre of Florence, at midnight and didn't need any rocking to sleep...

Next day, up and about, enjoying the sunshine and excited, as I am going to meet two friends for lunch. Cristina, on the left of the photo was my Italian language teacher at school on Elba last year and the other "amica" is Manuela, Cristina's sister-in-law who organises the school in Elba. check out www.ABCElba.it and of course www.parola.it the associated school in Florence. You can see Florence stretching out behind the girls and notice the fact that it is a sunny day. After this day the weather became somewhat damp... as in the heavens didn't know how to stop their precipitation. However at least it wasn't snowing!

Saturday was to be an adventurous day with a visit to a museum and garden that was only going to be open that specific weekend. How lucky were we... The hotel I was staying in was on the river Arno and really close to Santa Croce, one of my favourite Florentine churches and the piazza is a delight in itself and just round the corner from the school I was going to attend for the week...



 So what about the school - it was brill or should I say "meraviglioso!" Learnt lots, laughed lots and chatted in my own version of Italian - lots! 2 hours of grammar followed by 2 hours conversation in the morning and then my private lesson with Cristina for 2 hours every afternoon... That was the more official side of my education. I also had the numerous museums to visit, churches to see and meals to enjoy... and yes there was an occasional glass of wine to sip while I watched the world go by. I can thoroughly recommend watching the world go by. Learning to take time out and watch while people rushed around was the most educational experience of my 11 day stay in Florence...



Visiting Florence is like living history and visiting the city gives you a sense of past times. Medieval beliefs are on every corner, in every church and within every museum. I also treated myself to a promised bus trip to nearby Fiesole, an ancient Etruscan town on a hill overlooking Florence. This was an important centre until the Romans came and decided that the river traffic, as in trade, was a more important feature of life than the protection of an inaccessible hill summit civilisation that is at the centre of all Etruscan towns.


The city of Florence itself showed its many colours to me during my stay whether in a downpour when I had to skip through puddles to get to my destination, a restaurant called Il Cibreo where I was offered a glass of prosecco and hairdryer (both much needed)... or when the sun set over the Arno (as in photo) and delighted me on my leisurely walk home from visiting one of the many museums that proliferate the city. So all in all would I recommend Florence for a visit... most certainly. Just be prepared to take your umbrella with you!

Life's Surprises! Genie is out of the bottle and I am needing bottle!

Life is full of surprises... there I am attending Italian class every Thursday afternoon. Enjoying the banter with the other students and progressing slowing with my conversational Italian... piano, piano as they say... when some homework made my life change unexpectedly. We were reading about Ugo and Piero in the Italian class, Ugo was a risk taker and gung-ho type and Piero was more restrained, more inclined to ponder before doing. Our teacher, Angelina Smith asked us to write about something we would like to do in the manner of Ugo. I decided to write about skydiving for a charity. The charity I chose was Canine Partners and I described the event in Italian with all the gusto I felt Ugo would put into the event.

Now about 3 years ago I had looked into tandem skydiving for a friend and myself to do, just for fun. That friend was Zoe Maclean, a girl I have known since she was 10 months old and who is now 28! Zoe's life is curtailed by the need to use a wheelchair due to having had problems at the time of her birth. The condition's label is Cerebral Palsy... however like many others who struggle with a limitation of physical function Zoe is one smart cookie! and in our world we don't do labels! not even Versace! well maybe Versace once in a while!

3 years ago I couldn't find a company that would provide the skydiving service for Zoe and myself and so we let it go... however the non-conscious has a way of making things happen. When I teach people to manifest using universal laws I always say "Ink it, don't just think it" and then add "talk about it with passion and joy". So just less than 3 years after the first thought, I find myself doing just what I recommend to others... thinking about skydiving, writing about it in Italian, passionately sharing it with the rest of the students, talking about it with Zoe's Mum and lo and behold the genie is out of the jar and Eileen is Tandem Skydiving on the 3rd August for Zoe and Remus, Zoe's canine partner. Surprise... surprise! If you want to contribute to the charity please visit. www.justgiving.com/Eileen-Auld

Fact finding visit to Italy in February and again in March

How wonderful to get the chance to experience Italy outside of the tourist season. Makes me feel more of a local. Last month it was the wonderful town of Orbetello, away from the usual tourist haunts and a place that inspires anyone who has the good fortune to discover this unique spot on the Tuscan coast...
... and this month is a more recognisable tourist destination - Florence. I am fortunate to be attending the parola.it school to study Italian. This is the associate school from the one I attended in Elba last year... and yes I intend to return to Elba for more tuition in September. I am looking forward to attending both schools, however in Florence I will be attending a class in the morning and then enjoying one to one tuition in the afternoon. I expect that Il Duomo and the Uffizi will feature in the afternoons along with a "gelato" or three, an "espresso" or perhaps "tante caffe" and of course the odd glass of wine... only as a fact finding experience understandably.


Each time I travel to Italy I consider it to be a fact finding experience. No-one can deny this, as every time I go I discover so much more about the history, the culture and the people.   
Examples are just two of the places visited while fact finding food and drink on a leisurely stroll along the Via Torre Clementina, Fiumicino. The first is an Enoteca (wine bar with food) that served the most delicious wine with an enthusiasm that was infectious! My glass is the one on the right, full bodied and aromatic ... and as you can see in the background, there are lots and lots of bottles to choose from.

Full marks for presentation and ambience go to the owner, Paola.
She served oysters and various hams and cheeses and my mouth is watering just thinking about the whole evening's gastronomic entertainment.      Grazie Enoteca Ostriche, e grazie mille Paola...
The second is an amazing bar that was also a bakery. Yes folks these cakes were being served in a bar! Its' full name is Supermario Bar di Mario Balletta e Danilo Codini SNC! Now how is that for a name and what a great idea. I took photos of both these amazing places, after asking permission of course, and at the bakery/bar which is open 24 hours, the barman insisted that I wait until he put out his best cakes and then proceeded to pour me only the strongest gin and tonic ever! I think this was a bribe but I really can't be sure. ... However you can be sure that the next time I am in Fiumicino I will be visiting these two very different bars... on a fact finding mission of course.

Italian travels with my son

Gordon at the Captain's Table

It was a wonderful week... if a trifle chilly. The weather that is, not the mother/son relationship. Tuscany in February is still sunny however the sky is deceiving as furry coats would have been the best option. If I had one that is... We arrived in Rome late Saturday evening and set off for the southern Tuscan coastline early Sunday morning with me delighted to be driving my Fiat Punto courtesy of Hertz!  I do love driving, especially in Italy. In fact everyone says that I drive like an Italian. I know that I certainly park like one! you know when straight lines are really only a guideline!

Gordon, our younger son, and myself were on a fact finding tour of the Maremma area. In fact, we were searching for a suitable villa to host the spring Yoga week and find it we did.

We were staying in a beautiful area called Gianella on a promontory that joined the area of Monte Argentario with the mainland. Our hotel was wonderful and the staff always eager to help... especially with our Italian. We were adjacent to the town of Orbetello which is situated on another causeway in the middle of what is a protected bird sanctuary and lagoon. See photo below. This is a truly wonderful part of Tuscany and doesn't usually feature high on the tourists' agenda but is high on mine.

I love the unbelievable trust of this town nestling at the foot of some amazing hills, not to mention the Monte Argentario itself. Monte Argentario is a very large remnant of  volcanic activity... a huge rock that is an island with the most amazing views of the Tyrrenian Sea. In fact I am quite high up on the rock when I took this photo! and yes of course the road was "curve" - the Italian for bendy and also very steep and single track! What can I say - I love to view life from the top and it would appear being at the top of this particular rock is a regular occurrence.

As well as touring the countryside, we spent a lot of time on the island of Monte Argentario itself, in a town called Porto Santo Stephano We visited many of the local towns, however Porto Santo Stephano is one of our favourites for although the weather was chilly the locals were not. The sky and the sea were blue, the food was absolutely magnificent as the fish were arriving one day and on our plates the next.

The photograph shows the blue sky and blue sea and perhaps conveys some of the tranquility and pleasure we felt while walking along the prom...

Another favourite of mine is Pitigliano, seen here, where the Etruscans came and carved their city into the rock itself. Well worth the two hour drive around many, many steep curves! That is two hours up and another two hours down! Now that is the time it took me while driving the car... imagine the time it took them when they landed on the coast all those years ago. Probably at Monte Argentario...

As I said, we found our perfect villa with its touch of luxury! It is situated in Punta Ala, with a panoramic view of the Tyrrenian Sea and the island of Elba. I am so looking forward to taking my students to visit this beautiful place and perhaps we can even include Pitigliano in our schedule. Our Living It Yoga weeks include sightseeing trips, market visits, spa days, Italian cooking - mine! as well as what you would expect ; asanas and meditation.

Gordon and I spent a whole week enjoying amazing food, wonderful wine, good company and inspirational scenery... he did complain that "radio Eileen" was a constant feature so if there is anyone out there looking for a radio host or hostess... I am available!

A taste of Heaven... then a little touch of hell!

Well what a year it's been so far and we are still in the month of January! As you can see as Andy suns himself in the shade, Mauritius was everything we hoped for and more. Idyllic hotel, beautiful sand and lapping waves, even an adult-friendly pool! The weather was scorching and unbeknownst to us, a grade 2 cyclone was heading our way! Ignorant of the impending storm, we enjoyed the most amazing display of fireworks on a beach at midnight, welcoming in the New Year with a glass of bubbly in the hand... and as for the first of January, well, we went for lunch to a Chinese restaurant. A far cry from the traditional steak pie!

Our hotel was a 10 minute walk along the beach from our elder son, Kenneth's, girlfriend's parents' home.  (Have I mentioned that Kenneth's girlfriend is Mauritian, and they were spending Christmas and New Year with Natalie's parents, and we had decided to tag along?)

It was a joy to experience Mauritius with the help of a Mauritian family. We were taken to the best restaurants, seafood, Chinese and Indian... not to mention the wonderful meals shared within the family home! Merci beaucoup,  Maman et Papa Thomas!

Our previous visit to Mauritius was in 2001. So we have made a promise to ourselves to return to Mauritius well within the next 10 years!

Now to the cyclone,  Andy said that it was like a windy day along the Largs prom! How he loves to understate events. No drama out of a crisis for him. As for myself I went and enjoyed a hot stone massage while the storm surged around the spa. (spa cabin in background of the photo!)  I felt like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and expected the spa cabin to fly off into the cyclone at any moment. I can truly recommend being massaged in the eye of a storm. I believe that a massage at anytime is probably an eye of a storm experience. The photo below is of my view of paradise from my spa cabin after the storm... in fact it is after my round of golf at a 5-star golf course where even my golf was heavenly! When in heaven it seems that everything takes flight, including my golf ball.

As you can gather we ate well, drank indulgently... but no hangovers!... and were treated royally to all the best that Mauritius could offer. Sunset cruises accompanied by dolphins, a range of cocktails that Tom Cruise would envy and surrounded by a service industry that is unique in its approach to customer care!

Now there is a flip side to enjoying paradise. Yes, you guessed it. Down to earth with a bump, well more a smooth landing at Heathrow and a cancelled flight home to Glasgow. Sooooo... not the perfect return to the UK. Twenty hours after setting off from Mauritius we have a bed for the night at a Heathrow airport hotel and the promise of a flight home in the morning! This was just the beginning of the besetting and beleaguering episodes that were sent to try... No I am not moaning, although I was then, and when the Largs lurgie from hell descended on my sinuses you can bet there were a few moans coming from under the duvet. However I also reflected that every time a little cloud on life's sky appeared... clouds such as earache, headache, sore throat, coughs and sneezes, deafness tra-la-la... I went back in time and caught a memory, a silver lining and promised myself that I would enjoy each and every day with the same sense of joy that I had while being massaged in the eye of the storm.

 

Merci beaucoup, Jenny, for giving me a massage that will last a lifetime! you are only the best masseuse ever...

Magical Island of Mauritius

As usual I am writing the monthly blog... however unusually I am at present in Mauritius celebrating the wonderful year of 2013. We are staying in Trou aux Biches in the north west corner of this paradise island. Last time we were here we stayed in the south west and explored everywhere... from mountains to forests to beaches and all the restaurants in between. Kenneth, our elder son, was working here at the time and wanted us to experience the real island not the tourist "trap". This time, we are returning to further our acqaintance with the beautiful island and many of its inhabitants and no doubt enjoy whatever the tourist trap has to offer...

I decided that 2013 was to be the year of enjoying whatever life has to offer. The sun in the south Indian ocean, the smirr in the west coast of Scotland, the friends and family that we know and love whatever the weather...