Friday, March 30, 2012

From Wild Camping to Campeggio





If you've ever been wild camping - i.e. staking claim with your Campervan freely without a designated lot or campsite - you know that there are both pros and cons.

The pros: you don't have to pay a penny, you can set up your view wherever you please, no reservations to double check or need to set arrival times, if you don't like your spot you can move in an Italian heartbeat (a busy train track forced us to a new destination) and, of course, a certain adrenaline rush from doing something you're not supposed to - the threat of being caught actually makes it to both lists.

The cons: no proper toilet (especially harrowing when parked by the local lake make-out trail - thank you, giant oak tree for your shelter), no electrical charging station, no showers (washed my face with a boiled pot of water on our little stove), you have to clean your dewy windshields and keep the lights off to keep from being found out, and, lastly, you have to stay rather quiet, which is not easy when you're on your luna di miele.

Having driven through five countries our first day and arriving past the hour campsites near Lake Como close, Hannes and I were forced to try our hand at wild camping, of which mio marito is a pro. Needless to say, we survived, and enjoyed a snuggly evening by the quiet of Lago Di Varese in Gavirate, Italy. The following two nights were spent in a ghost town of a campsite, Valdeiva in Deiva Marina north on the Riviera from Cinque Terre, where we took a lot of lovely hot showers and reveled in the more civilized campeggio experience. Yet even then, the gypsies in us will treasure our first wild night of living on the edge and waking to the vision of Italian school kids rowing on the lake as their headmaster cried 'Basta!' in the fragrant and crisp Ligurian morning air.

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Our morning lake view where we sat eating cereal and yogurt in mugs and planned our Cinque Terre adventure.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:La Boheme B&B, Lucca, Italy

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Alex and E.F. - By Guest Blogger E.O.

Alex and E.F. in Dolores Park, San Francisco
For the first leg of my trip through L.A. and Arizona I’ll be travelling with my little brother Alex and his girlfriend Emily. For the sake of simplicity we’ll refer to Emily with what my family usually calls her which is sometimes La Dos, but mostly E.F.
Obviously, I’ve been traveling with Alex for most of my life. From Disneyland to Machu Picchu; Alex has been right there with me. For the most part, we both have positive recollections of our travels together. Alex's favorite memory happens to be when we both met up at the inauguration of President Obama in Washington D.C. I was lucky enough to have one ticket right up front but Alex had to be somewhere on the lawn about a mile away. Of course, post inauguration the city was completely chaotic with road and tunnel closures. Plus, cell phone coverage was completely non-existent with so many people about. Did I also mention that it was the coldest I’ve ever been? Never before had I felt so much like a penguin trying to huddle as close as possible to complete strangers all bundled up in their finest winter gear of which this California girl had very little.
In any case, I was a bit panicky to be in a freezing city I knew nothing about without any capability of finding my way back to our friend’s place where we were staying or connecting with Alex. Then, just as I was rounding a corner to who knows where; who do I come across but my little brother! We had been aimlessly wondering through hundreds of thousands of people and we were both in shock to have found each other. Of course, from there we still ended up walking up and down the freezing, ecstatic city for hours in an effort to get back to our friend’s house but at least we had each other.
This will be my first real trip with E.F though and I’m excited about it! She’s such a cool gal and has found this awesome
R.V. Park/flea market in Quartzite, Arizona that we can’t wait to check out. We’ll also be staying with her Mom while in Phoenix and her Mom’s boyfriend who happens to be a famous Estonian accordion player. Are you intrigued yet? I certainly am and can't wait to tell you about it on upcoming posts.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Campervan Still Life





A toast of champagne,
A bite of apple gateau,
Under the spring oaks.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kroonstraat,Brakel,Belgium

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Morning Mishaps




ATM card stuck.
Tears dried by free wifi at
United Club lounge.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:United Club SFO

Friday, March 23, 2012

Anticipation

I have decided - much to your pleasure? - to dip my mental quill into the succinct and evocative world of haiku poetry as I partake in my whirlwind, back roads tour of Italia.  For each blog entry, I will begin with a little juicy, rhythmical piece of the Tuscan pie before launching into my usual gypsy sentiments.  Why?  Because it's my honey-loon, and I'll poetize if I want to.  So as I make my packing/to-do list and check it twice with my heart beating in utter anticipation of being once again with the one I love, I offer you my first Camino Gypsy Haiku...



Bag locked and loaded,
Hair tweezed, skin polished, smile white;
Ready for takeoff!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

"2 Gypsies, 2 Journeys, 1 Destination" - The Itineraries

Our actual calendar.
This Sunday I'm once again Europe bound, headed to Belgium to begin my long awaited honeymoon.  Hannes and I had to say goodbye in January just ten days after saying our vows, and the time apart has be excruciating to say the least.  Spending your blissed-out newlywed days in Skypeworld (as we like to call it) is like eating an apple and calling it dessert.  Now finally, after all this time, I get to toss the core into the composter and dive into a box of Belgian chocolates!

Without getting long-winded about it, I wanted to post our "Italian Honey-loon" Campervan itinerary, as well as Gypsy #2, Emily's, "Rome-by-Southwest" (RxSw) schedule to wet your adventure appetite.  Keep in mind, Hannes and I have decided to put the best of both of us into our trip; meaning, while some things will be planned, mapped out and organized Blackheart-style, the rest will be left to where the Tuscan wind takes us, a la the Hannes experience.  And if anyone has suggestions of hotels/agritourism farms/campsites/B&B's to stay, sites and cities/villages to visit, restaurants to devour, vintage stores to scavenge or cafes to linger at, for either Emily or myself, please please please share!


"Italian Honey-loon" Itinerary:

March 27 - Leave Belgium for campsite outside Genoa.
28 - Riviera, Deiva Marina campsite.
29 - Hiking Cinque Terre.
30 - Pisa/Lucca, La Boheme B&B.
31 to April 3 - Explore hill towns of Tuscany.  Siena, Cortona, Montalcino...
4 - Day at Lake Tracimeo.  Camping lakeside.
5 - Assisi.
6 to 9 - Roma!  Where your 2 gypsy writers unite.
9 - Rome to Orvieto, Stay at Farmhouse at Sossogna.
10 - Emily leaves our crew to return to Rome. Explore Civita and Bagnoregio.
11 - Milan.
12 - Drive back to Belgium.



"RxSw" Itinerary:

March 30 - L.A./Venice Beach, Hotel Erwin.
31 - Tucson, Hotel Congress.
April 1 - Tucson, Arizona, La Paloma Hotel.
2 to 3 - Phoenix, Visit family.
4 - Explore Phoenix.
5 - Fly to Italy.
6 to 9 - Roma!
10 - Orvieto.
11 to 12 - Rome.
13 - Scottsdale, Saguaro Hotel.
14 to 17 - Moab, Utah: visit Zion and Arches National Parks.
18 - Death Valley, California, Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel.
19 - Yosemite, Wawona Hotel.
20 - Back to San Francisco!

Monday, March 5, 2012

“Love In The Mud” Part 6 – His Story

Sorry to not give my story on our first kiss sooner, but as you know, life sometimes has changes in store that make you do other things than write about this moment (like a Las Vegas wedding!)

A first kiss is always an exploration. You wonder, ‘How is it going to be?  Is she going to be a good kisser?  Is the kiss going to give me butterflies?  What if I am not a good kisser?  I hope I didn’t eat garlic today…’  All those thoughts race through your head.

My very first kiss I still remember.  It was in high school, and it was a mess.  I didn’t know how to kiss yet, and neither did she (all tongue, no lips.)  Although I still remember the moment, it wasn’t quite what it should be.  Little did I know that the best kiss would come on the most unlikely journey of my life!

As the Camino gang and I walked through the streets of Leon, out of the blue Red pulled me aside and whispered in my ear, “You should kiss Tess” – a little to my surprise I must admit.  So I told Red my fear of kissing Tess and then having to say goodbye like summer loves I’d had before.  I hate goodbyes, so I sometimes avoid it before it even happens.  Stupid, I know, but it’s a way of protecting myself.

As evening fell, and we were still cruising the streets on foot, Tess and I looked back to see where our Camino friends were.  Where had they gone?  Thinking on Red’s earlier command, it soon became obvious they’d sneakily ditched us.  So we decided to walk back to Tess’ Parador.  This walk would normally take about 10min… but in reality, it took a little longer (wink).

Along the way, Red’s words kept haunting my thoughts.  There was a battle going on inside my head.  Maybe I should kiss Tess… or maybe not.  We continued walking, although the park along the river wasn’t that big.  We were savoring the moment.  It was a lovely warm night, and summer romance was hanging in the air.  After hours of talking, we sat next to each other on a wooden bench in the park close to the water.  ‘Hannes what are you waiting for?!’ I thought to myself.  That’s when Tess, in a soft, sweet voice asked me, “Would you mind kissing me?”  

‘Can she read my mind?!’  It was kismet.  And that’s when I had a new thought pop in my head – ‘WHAT THE HELL, MANGO FOR IT!  Even if you don’t see her ever again, it might just be the best kiss ever between two people!  I smiled and answered, “I wouldn’t mind at all.  Yes.”

Time seemed to be slowing down as our lips touched…  And OMG what a kiss!  Butterflies unfurled in my belly and started flying around.  I was floating on air.
‘Damn, Hannes, what if you wouldn’t have done that?!  You would have missed out on the best kiss you ever had!’  And I couldn’t get enough of kissing Tess… her loving, tender lips moved in perfect symphony with mine.  We kissed like we had kissed a million times before.  It felt so natural, so pure.  No doubt about it, that moment I found my match.

As the morning came closer and street cleaners began sweeping up, we decided to call it a night… or a morning… and go to the big square in front of the Parador Palace to say ‘bonne nuit.’  I had to do the one thing that has always scared me, and that was say goodbye…

No, that could not happen.  That shouldn’t happen!  If I had a hand in it, I will see her again!  So I just let it out – “We have to see each other again,” I told her.  We just have to, no doubt about it.

And we did in the Medieval town of Ponferrada with its Templar castle and hot Spanish wind… But that’s another story – Part 7 to be exact.

To be continued… 

Ponferrada where the love story continues...


Friday, March 2, 2012

Meet The Newest Guest Gypsy Writer!


Fellow gypsies and pilgrims, meet my roommate, writer, hotelier and travelphile, Emily Oestreicher.  We will both be setting off on our own Camino-esque adventures late March.  Myself, on my Italian Campervan honeymoon with my Camino love/husband and Emily, on a southwestern US road trip.  April 6th, however, we will join forces in Rome for the ultimate Roman holiday filled with pistachio gelato, sun speckled bicycle rides, spaghetti in every shape, taste and size, espresso shots on the hour, rambling cobblestone walks, limoncello at sunset, bustling farmers markets and lots of speaking with our hands.  

This will be the second time I get to explore Italy with one of my all-time favorite travel partners.  But what makes this trip special is that, while I'm writing you from the back of a van traipsing through the Tuscan countryside, she'll be writing to you in cozy cafes or on the plush linens of the hippest boutique hotels the southwest has to offer.  We're calling this segment....wait for it.... "Two Gypsies, Two Journeys, One Destination".  Excited yet?  I am.
  
So to give you a taste of what you're in for, Emily has offered up a pint-sized biography (fitting for a pint-sized adventuress) and past travel highlights in the hopes that you'll want to come along for the ride.  So without further adieu, may I present Gypsy EO!

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Born in a conservative valley town in California, I was raised by two liberal parents in a large, 70’s style house in the country. As much as I didn’t mind being surrounded by cows and brown shag carpeting, my Mother despised almost everything about it, so I was fortunate enough to travel a lot in my childhood. From Peru to Whales, many of my fondest memories were of the hotels. While most kids would write about their pet hamster or new Nintendo game in their school journals, I was discussing how lovely the Embassy Suites in Hawaii had been because they offered free Shirley temples and popcorn at sunset.

Come high school, I had taken on some of the same sentiments as mom with regards to my little town, so I headed to the Spanish Basque country for a semester. Not only was this was an amazing opportunity to learn a new language and culture; it was also a great way to be able to stay up all night and drink peach liquor with my host-sister. I noticed while living there, however, that when people found I was American, they immediately associated me with George Bush. When I then told them I was from California, suddenly talk turned to Baywatch. What was going on here?

When I later graduated from UC Santa Cruz with an American History degree, my time is Spain had left me curious about what it meant to be American. With all the travelling I’d done, I really hadn’t explored my own country, and it absolutely fascinated me. Yet, that curiosity would be put on the back burner, as I celebrated my American History major with a month-long trip to Europe. I travelled around with my dad and younger brother Alex and then met up with your very own gypsy writer, Tess, for a spell, eating pumpkin ravioli and attempting to sunbathe on the rock-infested French coastline.

Post college, I moved back to my hometown to open up a solar powered cafĂ© with my dad. After two years of valley living and untold hours of sandwich making, I sold the business and moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in hospitality (cut back to love of hotels). I am now a Sales Manager for the Hotel Abri, and I adore it! One of the great things about being in the hospitality business is that they recognize the importance of a good vacation. Because of this, I am able to take 20 days off to embark on a little adventure, which I believe has been a lifetime in the making. Leaving from San Francisco with my camera, prescription sunglasses and music mix in tow, I’m headed to Los Angeles and then over to Tucson and Phoenix to check out the Great Southwest. From there, I’ll be catching up with Tess and Hannes in Italy. I guess I just can’t stay away from Europe! Then, it’s back to Arizona and a route home to San Francisco through Utah and their amazing National Parks. I’ll also be searching out a variety of hotels and surfing a few couches along the way.


Don’t get me wrong, I long to sit in an outdoor cafe in Rome with Tess and Hannes drinking vino rosso and eating up an Italian storm, but mostly what I hope to gain from this trip is a better understanding of my own country. Like a lot of us, I began working right out of college and haven’t had more than 10 days of vacation in a row since. I have always wanted to see more of the United States, but the time and opportunity has never presented itself until now. I can’t wait to see with my own eyes this section of the country, and I look forward to expressing my thoughts, emotions, and the ups and downs of the journey as best as I can on this inspirational Gypsy blog.

Hope to take you all along with me!

-Gypsy E.O.