For the love of Tuscany

To visit Tuscany is to love Tuscany.  It is world renowned for its beautiful scenery, its history, and its wonderfully warm people.  It is an experience like no other. 
Tuscany has remained mostly untouched by modern farming methods because the people were poor and could not afford to modernize.  Because of this, and its peoples passion for tradition, the landscapes in Tuscany have remained unchanged for centuries.  It is amazing how steep hillsides have been terraced to prevent soil erosion and to make the land workable for farming.  Olive groves and vineyards dominate the landscapes where tall cypress trees line twisting roads to ancient hill towns. Many hill towns ares still surrounded by stone fortress walls built centuries ago to protect  the town and its people from invaders.  The spectacular views from these walls enabled lookouts to spot enemies long before they arrived at the town's entrance gates.  Today the walls provide excellent vantage points to watch the mist roll in the valleys below early in the day, and the golden light Tuscany is so famous for in the hours preceding remarkable sunsets.  Many photographers and artists have spent countless hours trying to capture the essence of Tuscany through a lens or on a canvas.  Although these renditions are beautiful in their own right, they cannot capture the spirit of the Tuscan people, their centuries old wisdom, their tenacity, their love for their homeland, or their genuine warmth.
Tourism and all that it entales brings much needed money into the region of Tuscany each summer.  The people welcome tourists and are willing to share their way of life for a period of time, but are also grateful for the time when the tourists are gone and life settles back down to it's normal routine.  It is at this time that it is possible to have an authentic Tuscan experience.  This is my goal.  This is the Tuscany I want to know.  To me, the way of life during "the off-season" is what Tuscany is really about.  Harvesting grapes in September to make wine, olives in November to press for olive oil, gathering mushrooms, and hunting for the elusive truffles in the chestnut woods  are all ancient traditions here.  Each is celebrated with local festivals in hill towns throughout Tuscany.  Tuscans do not live to work although they are hard workers, they work to live and they love their lives.  They are pleased to share the success of their harvests with strangers as well as friends, family and the rest of their communities. This is what I hope to experience.  I want to share in the people's joy of life, their passion, their traditions.  I believe this is what fond memories are made of, experiences that touch a heart and soul, that can profoundly change a person forever. 

Why do I have the feeing I am forgetting something?

I am having this nagging feeling there is something I have forgotten, what could it be?

Ensure passport  will be valid for at least 6 months after trip ........check
House deposit paid......................check
Air tickets purchased...................check
Travel Insurance purchased.........check
Car reservations and paid for............check
Purchased enough euros to pay balance of house.......check
Print application for visitors visa  for Italy.....check
Request appointment at Italian Consulate.......to do
Complete application for international drivers license..............check
Apply for international driver's license at CAA..............check
Advise credit card companies of my travel plans.......to do
Resolve issue re bringing art supplies................check (allowed 3 bags going and 2 coming back)
Determine how monthly bills will be paid while away............to do


Anyone know whats missing???  If so please tell me!
Diane

No Turning Back Now!

My flight is booked!  I decided to go for the first class ticket to Rome and economy coming back home.  I used my reward points so my flight only cost me $200  more than economy both ways would have cost...and I get the bonus of being pampered a bit on the way.  Now there is only the car to reserve.  Next week I will apply for my International Driver's License and my Visitors Visa which I need because I will be staying in Italy for more than 90 days.  Once that is done I can rest easy for awhile and focus on the contract work I will be doing in Charlottetown PEI.
Life is good!

UPDATE:  I reserved my car today.  A Peugeot 207  5 door hatchback with automatic transmission, air conditioning, and GPS.
Now everything is getting very real.  I am glad I got this done as I start work this week and head to Charlottetown this coming weekend. I am getting very excited now!  Less than 15 weeks till I am on my way to Tuscany!

Progress is slowly being made

Well I have finally purchased my trip insurance.  I also have several travel agents looking for flights for me.  I discovered there is a direct flight from Montreal to Rome but no direct flight back from Rome.  I found one flight going that is direct and is offereing a sale on first class seats (which actually turn into beds!) and am considering that option going, but not coming back.  The flight to Rome is overnight and I want to arrive in the morning feeling rested so that I wont be too dragged out to rent and drive a car for several hours once I arrive.  I have also been comparing airlines baggage requirments to ensure that I choose flights that have compatable allowances.  This is turning out to be more difficult than imagined and I certainly do not want to get stuck paying ten euros for every kilo of weight over the allotment.  There are so many details that need to be taken care of that I would never have thought of had I been planning my trip at the last minute.
Now that I have paid my travel insurance I can also reserve my car which I plan to do by the end of next week.  Time seems to be slipping away so quickly.  I will be doing some contract work in June and July so I wont have much time to make any of the arrangements during that time.  Charlottetown in June and July will be beautiful and I am really looking forward to visiting there all expenses paid!
Things are coming together and now that the commitment has been made the hesitation has disappeared.  I grow more excited every day!
Ciao for now
D

Reflections on the road that led me here.

Time seems to be passing by so quickly and still I have not made decisions regarding travel insurance and car rentals.  Before I pay any more deposits my insurance needs to be in place to cover those deposits.
I have been reflectingg on why I have not moved forward with these things and have concluded that fear is getting in the way.  As long as it is only a dream it is safe to imagine, but as soon as tickets are bought and deposits paid it becomes real and that is much more scary.
I have been brought up to be cautious, careful; to always be wary and aware of what could go wrong.  Perhaps this is because as the oldest I always had to look out for the others and protect them from danger.  Perhaps it is also a result of my line of work, my training in risk management.  Regardless, it is so contrary to who I really am and the way I want to live the rest of my life.  Not that I am irresponsible or reckless, I just want to learn to live without fear.  I often wonder where I would be today had I not let fear dictate decisions in my life.  How would my life have been different?  Would I have dared to dream and chased those dreams earlier in life?
I believe that we create our own reality through our thoughts, actions and fears.  I also believe everything happens for a reason and that  our souls have chosen to live this life in order to learn valuable life lessons that advance the soul to a greater understanding.  One soul has many lives, each unique and specifically designed to provide opportunities for spiritual growth.  If an opportunity is presented and the lesson is not learned, that same situation will occur over and over again  to provide repeated opportunities to learn the lesson required.
So I must ask myself what is to be learned by being afraid?  Letting fear dictate my decisions means always playing it safe.  But for me, playing it safe is like being numb.  It takes the joy out of life.  Fears are shackles that imprison our imagination, our creativity, and crush our spirit.
What exactly am I afraid of anyway?  Is it fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of pain, fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, or maybe it is all of the above?
I have a theory about fear and joy.  Imagine a pendulum...at one end of its swing is fear and all the negativity that goes with it, self doubt, vulnerability, insecurity.  At the opposite end of the pendulums swing resides joy, love, peace and creativity.  In order to protect ourselves from being vulnerable or getting hurt we may choose to restrict the pendulums swing so that it does not reach its full apex, so we will not feel the full impact; however to do so causes the equal and opposite reaction on the other side of centre.   The experience of joy, passion, love, peace and creativity are also equally restricted.
I choose to live with my heart fully open so that I can experience both extremes, both good and bad.  You cant have one without accepting the possibility of the other.
This brings me full circle to reflect again on what is blocking me from doing what needs to get done to be prepared for my trip to Italy.  I do feel fear but exhilaration at the same time.  Both extremes pulling me in opposite directions.  I will not let fear keep me from living my best life, from living my dreams, from expressing myself through creative means.  I feel the fear and acknowledge it, understanding that I have created it as a means to protect myself from perceived danger; however I can choose to move forward anyway, to take the risk and do whatever I can to manage it.  To practice what I have been preaching professionally. It is so easy to teach these concepts to others and so hard to apply them to your own life. 

Tomorrow I will make a decision regarding travel insurance and choose one of the options for a car  lease by the end of the week.  Onward and upwards! 

My Paintings

I have posted my paintings to this site because my intent in learning to paint is to be able to paint Tuscan landscapes during my trip.  I have not taken any lessons and my first painting was started in November 2010.  They are all in Acrylic paint on canvas.
My plan is to load the car with painting supplies and head out into the countryside and choose a place to paint.  The interesting thing about this approach is that as time goes by the light changes which can dramatically change what I will see.  It will be a challenge to do this as I have only ever worked from photographs to date.  Of course I will bring my camera as well so that I can print photos of those scenes to work more on the paintings later. Lots of water and a picnic basket will make these outings more enjoyable...and I mustn't forget a hat, stool and umbrella as well.  I can hardly wait!

Sharing my dream

I am extending an invitation to anyone who might want to come stay with me in Tuscany in the 3 bedroom house I have rented.  Friends and family are more than welcome to share my dream.  I am offering an opportunity to visit an incredibly beautiful part of the world, so steeped in history, with little accomodation cost.  I would love the company...and being able to speak English to someone. LOL
If you might be interested contact me and I can give you an idea of what your trip would likely cost.
Ciao for now!