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Newsletter

Spring 2009 

A LETTER FROM HOME
     On a recent family visit, I was entertained by having brunch at an old-fashioned diner with an updated attitude. The motto on the wait staff’s T-shirts seemed to speak of more than just meals: “Order what you want – Eat what you get.” In this case, we did get what we wanted, and it was good.
    In some cases this year, we won’t be able to get what we want. The lodgings we enjoy may not stay in business, the tours we’re interested in may change itineraries, and the price of the trip we wanted to take may not match our budget. At the same time, local menus for leisure activities are expanding, with fairs and festivals, dances and nature walks to take in. You can find new things to do in your own neighborhood or in a place just around the bend, maybe less dramatic but probably just as fun as a far-away trip.
    Those who have traveled with children – or who remember being children – know that a new place to explore can be as simple as a cardboard box and as unprogrammed as a lakeside beach.  Backyard travel can take the place of luxurious escapes. In between more elaborate or distant trips, enjoy simpler pleasures!

DESTINATION: Pompeii, Italy
    Ever since I can remember I have been in awe of the discovery of Pompeii, a Roman city fixed in time by a volcanic eruption more than 1900 years ago. I was not disappointed by my visit there, an exciting experience of walking into the homes and shops of people who lived in the first century AD. Murals are still on the walls and mosaics decorate many of the floors, and the multi-colored marble on several café counters is still vivid. Some of the cobblestone roadways have ruts from the carts that passed over them!
    Tour guides tell the details that have been discovered about the lives of the Pompeiians, and plaster casts of the bodies of victims tell unspoken stories of the agony of the sudden incineration of life there. Designs in the construction gave hints of the whim and artistry of the builders - bricks cut to make a sunflower shape in a wall, tiny tiles laid out in maze-like patterns in a floor, and a mural with a man looking like he’s lifting part of the border of the painting.
    If the close-up views get to be overwhelming, it’s refreshing to take a walk on the ancient city walls and see the extent of the city and the views of Mt. Vesuvius, still looming large to the east. For an armchair trip across the ocean and across the centuries, read the historical novel “Pompeii” by Robert Harris. To plan an actual trip there, get in touch with Earth Routes!

FEATURED TRIP: Sicily
    The valiant efforts of one taxi driver to find the B&B - where I had a reservation but no street number – were the heart of my travel adventures in this warm country. I hadn’t studied the Italian language as much as I meant to before the trip, so I struggled at times, but the struggles were rewarded with kind responses from the Sicilians I met.
     I started with a day of walking through my B&B host’s olive groves and around Noto, a small city with lots of decorative medieval architecture. Two bus rides away was a mountain village where I joined a walking tour and hiked on several trails with views of past eruptions of Mt. Etna, sometimes on the lava rock itself. It was fun to chat with different fellow walkers along the way, and I soon came to know who was the birding expert and who was interested in butterflies. A walker from Texas had questions for me about the northeast US, another had tales from many years of walking tours, and one of the leaders was a geologist and volcano specialist, so there was much to discuss in addition to the natural marvels we walked through. The wildflowers in April were spectacular, scattered over meadows or in single blooms - even orchids! – and the dark multi-colored volcanic rock was starkly beautiful.
    After traveling by train past miles and miles of citrus trees, olive groves, vineyards, and almond trees, I took a trip to my favorite place – back in time – in the Valley of Temples, a restored site of immense buildings from a 5th century BC Greek colonization in what is now Agrigento. I was fascinated to be walking on pathways used for seven centuries and seeing gigantic stones that were carved and lifted into place before the time of motorized construction vehicles.
    I’ll remember the incredible natural and historical sites, and also the restaurant owner who sent over to my table a free sample of the local specialty, limoncello, an intensely flavored liqueur that held the essence of the lemon trees I saw everywhere; the elderly mother of the organic farm agriturismo host who greeted visitors in four different languages and who proceeded to shell fresh almonds for our snack, and the B&B host who commented about the neighborhood power outage with a resignedly cheerful, “another adventure in Agrigento!”
    For insights and assistance in planning your trip to Sicily, get in touch with Earth Routes.

GREEN LODGING: Agritourism in Italy
    Sampling - and feasting on - local foods is just one of the attractions of staying at a farm B&B, or “agriturismo” in Italy. Usually a short way off the beaten path, these working farms offer a whole new dimension to your trip. Tea and conversation both with hosts and with fellow guests add to the pleasure of the experience, and waking up to the sounds of breezes and farm animals takes you more than minutes away from city traffic.
    One of my agriturismo hosts in Sicily arranged a dinner for 15 of her guests, and led us to the sitting room while she was overseeing preparations. We had to find our way among four different languages spoken, and the communication challenge was almost as enjoyable as the variety of delicious local specialties served at the table.
    Often there is an option of staying in a cottage or apartment on the property and getting some of your own meals, for more independence and the neighborhood adventure of shopping locally for groceries.
    It’s well worth the extra effort to get to these peaceful places to stay, and hosts are more than willing to help you get there. Ask Earth Routes to help find your place to stay in the countryside!

FEATURED GREEN TIP: Use muscle power
    Enjoy exploration using your own power! You can venture farther from the beaten path, stay healthy, and be kinder to the environment when you make walking, hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, swimming, paddling, or horseback riding a focus of your trip. Lodging can be in wilderness campsites or with more comfort in a hotel or B&B near the activity of your choice. If you’re traveling far from familiar territory, you can get the services of a tour company to provide maps for independent travel, rides from trail to lodging, guides along the way, or a guided group experience. Sightseeing might also be part of a planned trip, with public transportation or a hired driver saving your energy for exploration on foot at historic or cultural sites. Have fun with some muscle-powered activity near home, or ask Earth Routes for some ideas if you’re ready for such a trip in a new place.

 GREEN TRAVEL TIP: Take a European walking tour
     It’s a pleasure to have someone else make the arrangements and lead the way, even for a travel planner! There are British tour companies recommended for their congenial participants and well-planned walks, and being with English speakers is also a good way to start your travels in a country where you do not speak much of the language. Accommodations are usually in one hotel, and transportation is provided to the start and sometimes from the end point of the walks, so there is no re-packing to worry about in the mornings. Trail descriptions and grading of each specific walk makes it easy to choose between an easier or harder walk each day, and walk leaders provide information about the sights along the way.  Evenings are long enough for leisurely dinners, brief meetings about the next day’s plans, and informal entertainment. There are tours scheduled in many locations in Europe and around the world. Let Earth Routes help find one that’s for you!

VOLUNTEER WORK TRIP: Sustainable development in Ecuador
    Learn and help at the same time with this workshop by the Colorado-based Solar Energy Institute (SEI). Tours of a recycled paper factory and a national wildlife refuge are followed by a five-day stay at an organic farm, where participants will learn how to design a small solar electric system and how to construct a bicycle-powered water pump, both for use in the developing world. There will be time for milking cows, making cups and spoons from local plants, and swimming in the river, as well as visiting a beautiful Pacific coast beach. The workshop takes place September 12-20 in Ecuador. Contact SEI (www.solarenergy.org) or Earth Routes for more information.

TRAVEL TIP: Tell your bank where you’re going!
     Tell your credit card company, too, and avoid having your charges from airports and ATM’s declined. It’s in your best interest to have these charges flagged, to prevent your plastic cards from going on a lavish vacation without you! It’s even better to have your travel plans noted on your accounts so your vacation purchases don’t set off any alarms. Just make a phone call ahead of time, to the number on your card, at the same time that you’re going over your itinerary and getting ready to pack.


                           Wishing you green trails and clear horizons -
                                                         Jan Carpenter