Tag: wine

Morocco Meanderings

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Can I live in this photo?

The final destination on my December mileage run was exotic Morocco. Think mosques and markets, merguez and tagines, deserts and beaches. An extra bonus for me was the chance to speak French, which is one of the official languages.

I violated rule #2 on this trip. I city hopped. I only spent two nights in each of Casablanca, Rabat, and Marakech. Here’s how each city treated me:

  • Casablanca – easing in
  • Rabat – spoiled in a Riad
  • Marrakech – marooned in the medina

Casablanca

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The walls of the medina

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Giving Thanks for Travel

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Train stations are so much cooler than airports!

Wow, I can’t help but be thankful for this amazing year. Foremost, I’m thankful it happened at all. It could have remained a dream forever. Instead, it became an actual goal and then reality.

And it could have been awful. I could have failed to learn any language. I could have gotten sick. I could have been robbed. Stranded in Italy and forced to huddle in the shade of a marble cathedral surviving only on focaccia sandwiches and Brunello di Montalcino wine.

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“Can you spare some prosciutto?”

So after 10 months of traveling, here’s what I’m most thankful for. Friends, art, and of course, languages.

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Top 5 Cities (This Year)

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Sail Away!

A friend said to me “Now that you’ve seen the world, tell me where to go.” The simple answer is everywhere. This year I’ve visited 30 cities outside the US. Most of them for the first time. None of them were terrible, not even Napoli. But some were definitely more amazing than others. Here are the top 5.

  • Köln
  • Sapporo
  • San Marino
  • Venezia
  • Prague
  • Firenze

(Yes, that’s actually 6. Read on to see which one stole it’s way into my heart and onto the list. Any city that repeatedly inspires that much delight can’t be denied a spot.)

Köln

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“It’s even bigger on the inside!” (Not actually possible)

As your train crosses the Rhein and pulls up to the Hauptbahnhof (train station), an enormous monolith towers over you. It’s the Dom cathedral, it’s huge, and it’s so close you can’t see the top of it. It may not sparkle like Italian marble, but it dominates and amazes.

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Whine

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OK readers, switch on Pandora radio and find some pouty, minor-chord tunes. Break out the cheeseboards and stemless glassware. It’s time for a full-on whine session.

What do I have to whine about on this trip-of-a-lifetime?

(Besides the fact I can’t get Pandora. And don’t even mention Netflix.)

Well, here are the top 4.

  • Japanese is hard
  • Everything I do is wrong
  • I can’t read menus
  • Moving is a pain

Japanese is hard

There. I admit it. For today only, I’m going to say it’s hard. Difficult. Frustrating. Dizzying, confusing, confounding. It’s really just the verbs and the nouns. And the adjectives. And the prepositions. So basically just everything.

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Debrief of the Italy Mission

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That title sounds so spy-like. Debrief of the Italy Mission. I bet debriefings are incredibly boring – listening to someone drone on about all the mundane details of hours stuck in the surveillance van with bad takeout food and…wait, do my blog posts sound like that?

Here are the results of three months in Italy in a surveillance van

  1. I can impress a taxi driver
  2. I wish I’d started school earlier
  3. I slacked off
  4. I earned an art history degree

Impressing a taxi driver

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I chalk up taxi fares to the “language practice” budget.

Everyone knows that the best judge of language level is a taxi driver. And I passed with flying colors. He couldn’t believe I’d only been studying for two months. We talked about my year of travel, the Italian economy, and how to learn a language. I sounded confident, my accent was good, and most of the words came naturally.

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Rugby, Butcher Shops, and Wine Growlers

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Medieval Rugby guard

In case there was any doubt, I’m really enjoying this trip. Every day I have a new adventure, some big some small. On Tuesday I had three adventures in the same day. (So maybe I’m having trouble staying on a publishing schedule…)

Here were my adventures:

  • Calcio Storico – traditional Italian rugby-style football
  • Macellaio – visit to the butcher shop
  • Wine growlers – refillable bottles to protect the environment and enable alcoholism

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One Last Time At

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Clos LaChance Winery

Clos LaChance Winery

In seven days I leave California. For 15 years I’ve been visiting the bay area, and I’ve called it home for the last five. Every year I’ve found a new restaurant or destination to savor. And soon I will have my last time at each of them. If I haven’t already.

Here are a few that mean the most to me.

Saddle Rack country dance club in Fremont

I found this place about a year ago. It’s my Friday night destination. I burn some calories. I show off my dance moves. I learn new ones. I practice flirting. I’ve made friends. I’ve gone on dates with some of them. My last visit will be next Friday.

Clos LaChance winery in San Martin

I’ve been a member for a year. The setting is gorgeous, the wine is delicious, and the staff is delightful. Bring a picnic of fine cheeses, olives, and salami to pair with the wine and share over conversation with a group of friends outdoors. Every time has been amazing. My last visit: this past Monday.

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Panic!

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This month is going by way too fast! I have too many things left to do! Everyone asks if I’m excited…the truth is I’m panicking! (Then going into denial. Then panicking. Then…)

Way, way back right after Christmas I still had five weeks to get ready. It seemed like plenty of time. No worries at all. Now I’m freaking out! Where did the time go? Why didn’t I get more done over the last two weeks?! Oh, yeah, it’s cause I downplay the urgency and spend too much time having fun instead.

Here’s what I have to do before I leave. No problem. It’ll be easy. (Yeah, sure. Right.)

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