Last Wednesday, we had a delightful conversation with Rachel from Italy! It had been a week, or so, since we'd last spoken, when she was just finishing up her two-week ceramics course in Certaldo, a small, molto charming Tuscan village near Sienna. She turned out to have been the only beginner in the bunch of 5 or 6 people who came to learn, mostly, about the wood-firing technique they do there. She had a very steep learning curve, learning how to throw pots and use glazes (all in the first four days), then taking her share in the work of the long, complex wood-firing process, which requires constant, 24-hour attention for many days. She and a couple of the other women spent their nights at a quintessentially traditional Tuscan home occupied by a quintessentially traditional older Italian couple (in their 80's, she estimates). At the villa/school down the road, a full-time Tuscan cook prepared them meals during the day. There was also time to explore the town and some of the surrounding countryside, along the way. Pretty much perfect! Here's a picture of her pots. We think they're wonderful, expecially for such a newbie!
But, alas, last Saturday, Rachel had to be moving along. To Rome. Another fabulous experience, apparently! Upon arrival, the place she had booked to stay seemed a little, well, seedy. She went in, anyway, and found a very nice place with lovely people inside (whew!). Then, for a few days, she walked through as much of the city as is possible to walk, in that time, seeing quite a bit, and loving it all! Spectacular! On a friend's recommendation, she headed south to the Amalfi coast, where this friend had a connection with a guy who runs a B 'n' B-kind of thing, overlooking the ocean in a little town called Conca dei Marini. It's near Naples, and the Isle of Capri and Vesuvius, and all that!
So, for the next few days, she was hanging out in an ultra-picturesque village clinging to the cliffs (the village, not Rachel) overlooking the blue Mediterranean. It's the kind of place with the colorful little boats, carelessly, and, of course, artfully tied to the moorings in the bay, the little town rising impossibly above them. It's all about the steps, Rachel says. Steps take you where you want to go (I guess it's important to keep your knees is good shape!). All the better to work off all the amazing food she says she's been consuming, too!
I've mentioned this before, I think, but where ever the kids have traveled, this year, I've pulled up Google Earth, and magged in on their locations. Always, besides getting the lay of the land, there are terrific photos folks have uploaded of that, specific place, and it has helped me get a better sense of what they're seeing. The photos of the Amalfi Coast are breathtaking, of course!
From there, she needed to leave to meet her friend, Sara, and her parents for a couple of days in Venice. By now, she's probably on her way from Venice to meet another friend, Buffy, in Barcelona, on Monday. After that, her plan is to stay in Spain for a month, or so. During that time, she hopes to get to work on her application process for business school. A bit of reality.
That's about it, for now. I'm sure we'll get another update in a few days. So far, it looks like she hasn't had the time or internet access to keep her blog going, but that will probably change soon.
Meanwhile, we can only imagine what's going on with Dylan, these days...
