About my fellow traveller

I've been writing for four years. 

Today I'm especially proud. 

Today I found out I was an inspiration to one of my readers. She is somewhere in Italy and she said I have kept her flame burning. I have never seen her. But she is also a blogger. And she has been there for me with her comments for the past 3 years. Through my light and through my darkness she was always there. A person in the blogosphere. A supporting energy. An angel. She never judged me. She was just there. Now it's her time to open her wings and fly. I feel so grateful she is my friend. 

Emotional, Inspired, Proud, Greateful, Smiling... I do feel like crying with joy. 

This is what the human reace is supposed to be. We are supposed to keep each other burning, We are supposed to remind people who they are. Not with words. With actions. 

Today is a special day. Be well my friend. Follow your passion!

Guest Post.... By my best friend Evi.....

I hadn’t seen her for a whole month. The longest since the day we met.  Oh yeah…I missed her, I admit it. Her thought was often on my mind. Over our last drink before her departure I was worried about her. She was full of anxiety and anticipation for the great adventure she was about to experience. A new country to discover, new people to acquaint herself  with, more miles on her meter.. I kept asking her about trains, and timetables, and back up plans in a case of emergency… typical me... but she was already in “Elina’s zone”, optimistic, stress free, with her angels on her side.

Soon after her arrival in France, I followed her trail on the Internet. Her posts were short but full of sounds, French cuisine, wine, laughter and  a new day every day.  She couldn’t always “touch base”, but when she did, she sounded so happy and full of energy. One day camping on the Alps the next dancing on a square in Lyon. She could speak French and she was over the moon about that. I learnt the term “couch surfing”, heard  a dozen new names coming out of her mouth and felt sure that she was having her time of her life, even when she was exhausted during grape picking.

And the days went by. The day of our own departure had finally arrived and 5 close friends landed in the eternal city... Rome... Standing on an endless queue waiting for luggage in Fuimicino  airport a familiar sound made my head turn! “Re malakes…here you are!!” Like an elf she came out of nowhere and filled the air with her distinct voice! We were all in Rome and it felt like Christmas... and our birthday!!

Tiber river

  

We were welcomed by heavy rain and the smell of autumn, but nothing could stop us. The need to make each minute count and hunger led us to Campo dei Fiori where we tasted for the first time a real carbonara!! Then piazza Farnese, a stroll along the Tiber river, and the sight of the illuminated Saint Peter while devouring an Italian gelato, was all we needed to sleep tight and wait for the next morning to come...

piazza Farnese

Saint Peter

When you return from a trip, you tend to forget all the things you've done while being there. You forget the names of the streets, the churches, the museums, the exhibits.. Not in Rome. In Rome each step is a destination and each destination is a piece of history and art. There is no possible way to see everything unless you walk, and in the 4 days we spent there, walking was all we did. From the medieval streets of Trastevere to the most famous piazza in Italy, piazza Navona, and from the Gianicolo hills to the Spanish steps and Fontana di Trevi (which unfortunately was closed due to maintenance). Their churces are museums, with every corner embroidered with statues and mosaics, paintings and sarcophagus We saw people crying for Pope John Paul II and stood with respect in front of their symbols of faith. 

Trastevere

 We were filled with awe. The day we spent at the Vatican will be the day to remember forever. This enormous landmark, made us realise how small and humble we are. The treasure behind its doors made up for the endless queue outside and the ascent to the 137 metres  high Cupola was an experience that filled us with pride...and terror!!

The 137 metres high Cupola

High...high...very high!

Saint Peter

Pieta

Inside Saint Peter

One can say so many things about the sights of Rome. Photos don't do justice. Nothing can captivate the sound of their language accompanied by expressive gestures. No photo can entail the feeling when you stand in a church built in 300 B.C. No words can describe the sense you get when you find your self among treasures in Capella Sistina or when you first lay eyes on the Colosseum. 

And then there is food....a whole chapter in our hearts!!! I knew that when you are a tourist everything tastes better but in Rome...they are better!! Not untill you taste a cup of cappucino and eat a whole pizza by yourself can you say that you have tasted Italian cuisine. I have nothing else to say....my kilos prove my words! 

 

Back to her...After that trip, I am a little less worried about her. Because I know now that her true calling in this life is to be herself. And she is a Travellerlina. No matter what language you speak, no matter how old you are and from which country you come from...she will find a way to communicate with you and make you smile..! It may take a little too long to "get her back" whenever she returns...but oh well...that's life! 

Evi S.

Ciao!!

I Love You: three scary little words

When did we start fearing these three words?

I Love You.

Does "I love you" mean that you will not work anymore for the relationship? Any kind of relationship.

We are afraid to say it. 

We are afraid to hear it.  

I don't know why, these days this issue has come up in conversations. Boys and girls who will get terrified when they hear these three little words.

What does " love you" mean after all? We must search inside.

Does it mean I possess you? 

Does it mean I have the ability to hurt you?

Does it mean I am weak?

Does it mean it will last forever?

Does it mean you are in some kind of emotional prison?

Are these our subconscious thoughts behind the fear?

Is it impossible to love instantly someone and to tell them so? Is it a lie? Or is it just an emotion that overflows and has to be expressed with words? 

I love you means I expand with you.

I love you means I understand.

I love you means I am there for you, I think of you, I want to spend my moments with you.

I love you means I love me too.

We want to hear it so badly and when we do we withdraw. And it's sad. 

How many days, months, years must pass before you dare say it? Before you dare hear it? How many frozen moments? How many lost minutes in time and space?

Please say "I Love You". Say it now. Say it if you feel it. 

Please hear it when you listen to it and don't run away.

Miracles are just moments away....

Some [more] notes on France

After one month living like a gypsy, sleeping on couches, beds, mattresses, washing in different showers, wearing the same clothes over and over again.... Here I am in the confort of my own home. Freeda is peacefully sleeping in her bed. My couch is comfy. My laptop in my lap. Hot tea in my cup.

The last time I was here it was August.... it's so nice I got out of my comfort zone for a while... It made me feel alive, it brought me to paths full of light. it showed me different ways of living. It gave me smiles and hugs and tears. Yes I cried on the plane to Italy. I cried because I left back a lot of love. I left back the smells and the taste and the beauty. Each face had softness and beauty. Each heart touched my soul. The Scots who call me Mc Donald. The French who love Greece, make amazing cheese and wine and know how to appreciate them. The Italians who talk like they sing.

No I did not have a single bad experience. I was going with the flow. Whenever I got stressed - about people, timetables, transportation - I would take a deep breath and assurred myself I would be fine. I was always fine, secure, taken care of. I got really tired during the wine picking, but it lasted for 8 days. It also paid for 2 more weeks of travelling. So no complains.

A few notes on France through my eyes.
The french mostly drive french cars. Renault, Peugeot, Citroen.... They are everywhere!
French toilets in houses are in a separate room. The bathroom is another room. This does not apply to every house, but most of the houses.
In a meal, cheese comes AFTER the main meal. You are full, so you only eat a little bit. If it's a creamy cheese you spread it on bread.
The french are the best breadmakers! You never get bored of bread because they have a wide variety of baquettes and loafs.
The people in the South are warmer than in the North. This does not come from personal experience, but rather from what I have been told. The truth is that same energy attracts same energy.

eat pray love. elina's version, mostly eat.

France was full of love, exhitement, beauty and light.

To top it all with a touch of romanticism and even more beauty, I came to Rome for 4 days.

It is one of the rare occasions that I do not travel alone. With me are my 5 best friends from home. It is different travelling with other people. You share more, you laugh more and you have to be more patient.

Another important aspect of the trip. I am very emotional and feel like crying all the time. I have been here before, remember?

Things where really different back then. I was going home after two months of olive picking. I was... Sad. Confused. Came back to a difficult situation. I lived a year of uncertainty and that year finished with a death.

This is behind me. I have travelled a lot since then. Here I am, wandering aimlessly on the streets of Rome again. With the love of my friends surrounding me.

I especially felt like crying when I saw piazza Navona. My favourite... This city is a museum. This city is a work of art. This city has endless, eternal beauty.

You walk for hours on end, you sit down for cappuccino and pizza and pasta...

When it's raining, you seek refuge in a church. You sit down and look up. Barok is singing above you. Putti - the little statuettes of love - are looking down on you. Angels are looking down on you.

It stops raining and you walk again. It starts. Your next refuge is Pantheon. You feel blessed. You will see water coming into the church.

Bernini and Michelangelo are hiding behind corners. All your senses are alert. You don't want to miss them. Did you know that Raphael is buried in the Pantheon? Did you know that Nature feared him?


This is it. I am having a great time. To sum it all up, I leave you with the following image.....

To be continued...

la Trieve a wonderful place in the mountains

There is one part of the trip I have not talked about yet. And this is La Trieve. It's a place south of Grenoble where there are mountains and glaciers.

It's a place of unbelievable beauty, where every corner is a surprise. You can hike or you can drive and you see alpine lakes and rivers, mountains and more mountain tops!

But it's not just the place... It's the people too...

First time I went there with Clio the weekend before the grape picking. Second time was last weekend.

First time we met Helene and her beautiful family. They live in a wooden house in the Alps. Two wonderful children and her husband. Smiles and hugs and love.

And then there is Marine. We stayed at her little lovely house and her two cats! Her family lives near by, her mom and dad. Marine was at Clio's birthday. Big bright green eyes full of warmth. She did not speak English but somehow we managed to communicate.

That weekend, Clio and Marine went horse riding and I went hiking. Me, myself and nature. Trees, birds, wild vegetation... The track was really well signed and easy to walk. In the winter it snows up there but this time of the year, it's warm and green.

The second time we had another Marine with us. Four girls and a dog. This past Sunday was so full I'll try to remember it all hour by hour because it is really worth it....

We woke up early and went to help Marine's father with his eggs. We saw the whole process and it was great fun! And then it was time for a ride on the tractor! Clio rode and I went on a ride. Unbelievable speed - 2 km per hour - he he...

Off to an open market for food and then a lovely picnic besides an alpine lake.

Lak (lake in french) du Sautet is the name. A lake's energy is different than that of a river. There is not the sound of running water and the waves are small and quick if I must describe them. It was nice and sunny so we spent some hours next to it.

I kept seeing faces on the rocks and in the trees. A midget, a strange creature made out of rock, a face in the tree... Clio said I see god everywhere. But it's not god. Its the creatures that lie beyond. Its the spirits of rocks and trees. It's the spirits of the mountain. It's the faces that people use to make fairytales. They have done for centuries.

It was time to go, my camera had run out of battery. All my senses had to be alert for the next place. The fountain of Les Guillardes. A mysterious place on the mountain where water comes out of the rocks. I took my shoes off and climbed on the rocks barefoot. Put my feet in the crystal water. Freezing cold just for a few seconds... Instant cleansing for the feet, the soul, the heart....

No wonder the people here have big smiles and big eyes... The mountain's energy is so strong... Off to Helene's place again... She is so warm, her sence hospitality is incredible... Her husband Jose has a big smile and he is paragliding every weekend with his warm friend Keke... Jose is on a wheelchair but that does not stop him from enjoying his life and his family. I am so proud and honoured to have met those people who will stay in my heart always... Both Marine and Helene are beautiful souls and I owe them the best times I had in France...

I do hope they both come to Greece so I can offer them back their love and hospitality...

Annecy. A lake, a festival and a fairytale city...

I do owe a huge thank you to Clio. Her house in Lyon has been my base. It is wonderful to travel around in a foreign country and be able to just turn up. The door was always open - for me, not in general he he...

A couple of days in her couch and I was ready to go out and about again.

Last night I decided to go to one of the couch surfing international meetings. These nights are for people to meet and drink and socialise... Pretty cool... I forgot my camera and I thought it was nice to get out of this photoghraphy mentality. No pictures... Just for a little while...

And then.... it was salsa night! Intimidated at first I tried to find the club which was in the middle of nowhere... I went in, found my friends, started dancing! I was amazed by the fact that men where coming up to you to dance.

REWIND. Before I came to France, I went to a bachelor party in a salsa/Latin/mambo club in Athens. No one and I mean no men came up to us. These dances need a male and a female right?? Right. Well in France it happens. Men are not scared to dance. Period!

Next day I was car pooling to Annecy, a small town next to the lake near Geneva. Again a big thanks to Clio who arranged it... I was so scared I would not find a bed in Annecy... I was trying to
Couchsurf but with no avail. I was going to pay for a bed... Finally, last night I got a message that a friend of a friend ooh friend has a couch!! Yeah!

Indeed the universe was nice to me. The carpooling guy brought me to this girls door and she is so nice! And she works for the film festival! Every June here in Annecy there is an international animation film festival! I love animated films!!

The city is beautiful and the water of the lake is crystal clear. No offence, but because I'm Greek, lakes give me the chills especially if I can't see the bottom, green and slimy, yaiks! This lake is fine.

Old buildings, small rivers, beautiful bridges... It's like a fairytale!

In the land of Dionysus. Beaujolais...

Back to Lyon... I am still tired so I'll just try to give an overall account of what grape picking felt like.... The first days where exhausting.

The vines where very small and we had to bend all day long to reach and cut them. The muscles in my back were very weak so they suffered.

I had an internal nagging which I was trying to stop. I told myself I should enjoy the moments and not complain.

The food was... More than enough! Breakfast with fresh bread and homemade jam and coffee. 9.30 food on the field, bread and different kinds of salami and a glass of rose wine. 12.00 lunch. Salad, main meal, dessert, cheese, coffee. Oh and more wine! 7.00 dinner. Soup, main course, dessert, cheese, coffee. Oh and yes more wine! The food needed more salt and pepper, but it was good. Really good. I do admit that Jim's food in Italy was much better....

Last but not least the people. Beautiful, adventurous, strong, smiling.... Especially the ladies were the bravest ladies I met! If it weren't for them the experience would not be the same..


I am so thankful I decided to have this experience...

In the end they threw us in a truck full of grapes and we had grape juice everywhere! Laughing like crazy till our bellies ached, eyes shining... Us and God Dionysus. It was a feelinf beyond words, a very ancient feeling...

This is life, this is freedom, this is absolute happiness. I forgot all about my pain and aching back! And then they were waiting with the buckets! All wet, laughing under the sun. It was over. I could not believe it...

And then it was dinner time... Wine tasting, nice food, smiles and beauty everywhere. Everybody had a shine on them, they were polished by nature, working under the sun...

In the end, I felt full. Alive. Rich. Able. Loved. All this and more that words cannot describe.

P.S. Νow I have to choose from 1200 photos that everyone took. Good luck. If you see a picture you took,please let me know so I can quote you! Merci!