Today I left the noise and the compact living of city life for the mountains and valleys of the province of Enna. Enna is known as l'ombelico della Sicilia , or the belly button of Sicily. In particular, I was headed for San Giovannello, an azienda agrituristica situated about 3 kilometers outside of Villarosa. I found the location (amazingly!) without any backtracking, but the buildings were shuttered and the farm seemed to be deserted. After wandering up the hill and down the road a ways, I found the owners busy weeding part of their garden. Fortunately, I had the foresight to [View Full Entry]

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The Giardino Garibaldi in the center of Piazza Marina is a small garden square around the corner from where I was staying on Via Bottai. I discovered it the first day I was in Palermo, and from then forward stopped there once or twice a day to rest my feet or simply to watch the activities of the city around me. The first time I visited the piazza I observed a small wedding party posing for professional photographs. Several hours later, I returned to sit and eat my gelato and noticed that the same group was still busy posing, pointing, and [View Full Entry]

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Or to be more precise: one continent, an ocean, two seas, three planes, a taxi, a shuttle, a bus…and 38 hours later I arrived at my final destination in Palermo, Sicily. In the interim, I was too exhausted and weary by the time I figured out the domestic flight situation to take the train in to Rome. Neither was Air One the model of efficiency on that particular day--I feared missing my connection. Since my layover was whittled down from 7 hours to about 4, Rome will have to wait until another trip! The bus from the airport deposited us at [View Full Entry]

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To usher in the spring... I first discovered the Classical Chinese Garden during November. Even then, it stood out as an oasis amidst all of it's concrete surroundings. I knew it would be a place to return to in all seasons. Today I attended an event in downtown Portland on behalf of the foundation I work for. Since the weather was clear and dry, I decided to walk through Chinatown to see what was in bloom. Inhabiting a single city block, the Ming-style Chinese Garden is an urban garden built around it's unifying center, Zither Lake. Over 500 tons of stone [View Full Entry]

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After two consecutive nights in my own house, I was feeling the itch to expand beyond the circuit I normally travel. In the back of my mind was the memory of alder-smoked halibut and chocolate chip cinnamon rolls, so I grabbed my duffel bag and was on the road for Seattle. This time, I wanted to explore some of the neighborhoods beyond downtown and the waterfront. First stop, the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard. It was interesting to watch the process of conveying boats between the salt water of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the canal leading [View Full Entry]

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Greetings from Florence! I certainly can't complain about some of the perks of my job. I'm spending four days this week on the central Oregon Coast in the small town of Florence. When I'm not conducting training, I get to explore. So this morning, I drove south to the Oregon Dunes Recreation Area and spent some time walking the dunes and gazing at the ocean. I brought my recently acquired digital camera with me to test it out before the trip to Italy. I can't believe the unusally mild weather we've enjoyed all winter here in Oregon. I stopped for brunch [View Full Entry]

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I didn't know that my improptu weekend explorations during my college years would turn into a serious hunger for travel, but they have. Most of my travel has been on the North American continent. In December 2002, I made my first foray to Spain and Portugal. On the plane ride back, I was already plotting my next trip! Happily, that trip is quickly approaching. I will be in Sicily for two weeks in May. This is my way of staying connected and sharing my travels. I have already scouted out internet points in Palermo, Enna, and Trapani, and so hope to [View Full Entry]

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