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Do You Have a Favorite Travel Purse?

When you travel…what purse do you like? Is it RFID? Is it large enough to hold everything? Or, is it small enough for just the basics?

I’ve had different ones over the years. Some I liked…some, not so much.

Recently, I came across a site with stylish, yet functional and safe purses for travel.

I will be trying this on at least two different types of trips.

Stay tuned for how I fill it…and how I like it. I’ll give you all the details then.

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Cookery Course With A Difference In Italy

L’arte di mangiar bene, the art of eating well, lies at the heart of the Italian lifestyle — and that’s just what you’ll enjoy during this cookery week. You’ll learn the secrets of healthy eating from The Watermill team, among them an Italian grandmother, an organic farmer and our gardener’s wife! You’ll choose freshest local ingredients (many from our own gardens) and prepare them deliciously. We’ll visit markets, vegetable gardens, olive groves and vineyards.



The Italians are the healthiest people in Europe and this is due not just the quality of the food, but to la bella vita italiana, the relaxed lifestyle which means taking time to talk to friends and to enjoy their company, not least in convivial meals around the dining table. You’ll be savouring all that, too.
You’ll stay in stylish bedrooms in elegant buildings around the sunlit courtyard. The mill’s gardens, secluded millstream paths and riverside walks are all yours to enjoy.  This is the art of eating – and living – well!


On this cookery course with a difference, you’ll gain hands-on experience of cooking mouth-watering, healthy Italian meals with the freshest ingredients. The emphasis will be on culinary techniques that will help propel the healthy Italian lifestyle into your own home.
Our team is led by Lois Breckon, who has masterminded the Watermill menus for many years, and her friend and colleague Ingrid Fabbian, an expert on nutrition, as well on the preparation of home-made pasta and bread. Our Italian experts include our cook, grandmother Mirella Musetti, professional chef Angelina Benedetti, organic farmer Federica La Sala and our gardener’s wife Marida Tognini. We will share their decades of culinary and horticultural experience, based on knowledge passed through the generations of Italians.

Your hands-on cooking sessions and our daily demonstrations will cover many aspects of the Italian and Tuscan cucina, from appetisers (antipasti) to after-dinner biscuits (biscottini) and much else in between; from pane to pasta, through main courses, to homemade puddings and ice cream.
There will also be trips out to markets and food producers, to an ice-cream parlour and a hill-top gourmet restaurant, and a panigaccievening (rounds of unleavened bread brought hot to your table and served with local hams and cheeses.) So, as well as learning l’arte di mangiar bene you’ll also sample the vita bella italiana.
Everything is included in the cost of your coking at the watermill:  all tuition, accommodation (including all linen and towels), pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals and wines (including outings to charming local restaurants) and all local transportation (including transfers to Pisa airport and an excursion by train to Lucca or the Cinque Terre). You get to Pisa, Italy, we do the rest!

Please go to www.watermill.net to learn more.


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Holiday Of Learning In Tuscany. Cooking, Painting, Writing and More.

Watermill
Looking for a fantastic cooking experience in Tuscany? Recently, I partnered with the owners of Watermill at Posara, Tuscany. This unique setting is the ideal place for their relaxing, inspiring, fun-filled painting holidays and creative writing courses.
They also offer unique self-catering holiday accommodation in three self-contained apartments. The mill has been beautifully restored and furnished and all the bright, well decorated bedrooms enjoy lovely views over the river, the gardens or the mountains.
Check out their beautiful and historic watermill beside the River Rosaro in the small village of Posara. Peaceful and secluded, yet part of the village, the mill is just a mile or so from the walled medieval town of Fivizzano with its cafés, restaurants and shops. This is the heart of Lunigiana, in the North-west of Tuscany.
Want a painting holiday? According to the owners, Lois and Bill Breckon, their relaxing, inspiring and fun-filled painting courses with hand-picked internationally renowned tutors are designed to help both experienced painters and beginners to release their talent and most of all, enjoy their painting.
“We offer courses in watercolours, oils, pastels, acrylics and other media. The courses run from Saturday to Saturday and we usually spend the first day or so painting around the mill, followed by excursions to the hills (olive groves and mountain views), to the medieval walls of Fivizzano and the castle and village of Verrucola for lots of en plein air experience. There’s also a visit to the walled city of Lucca or the fishing villages of the Cinque Terre.”

Maybe creative writing is what you’re looking for. “The Watermill at Posara is the ideal place for an inspirational writing course. Set in a beautiful valley in Lunigiana, Tuscany’s unspoilt corner, the mill provides the perfect environment for focusing on your writing without the distractions of everyday life. Our sympathetic tutors will share with you the secrets of writing success and what publishers are looking for. And after a hard day’s work you can slip into holiday mode with wonderful food, good company and relaxing surroundings.
Our intimate creative writing courses (for 10 or so students) are designed to help both enthusiastic beginners and more experienced writers. Your tutor will give you a one-on-one tutorial during your stay as well as feedback on your work.”
If you’re interested, bookings should be made using the Watermill’s Booking Enquiry Form at http://watermill.net/mill-forms/form-cooking-holiday-enquiry17.php. If you book via this form, you can use my name as “Introduced by Wendy”. You might just get some special treatment…or a glass of wine!
Want to learn more? Check out their blog. http://www.watermill.uk.net/blog/?p=11873
Stay tuned to my next post and learn more…
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Park Guell. A Barcelona Delight!


Park Güell was commissioned by Eusebi Güell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona aristocracy. Check out the famous Gaudi dragon fountain, all done in colored tile, at the entrance.
Meander through the walkway, supported by twisting rock pillars that appear to be growing right out of the ground. Gaudi used nature in his works and it is evident here.
At the top of the park is a terraced area where you can view the entire park and Barcelona. Take some time to sit on one of the many vibrant, multi-colored tiled mosaic seats. They look hard and not very comfortable. But, the way they are constructed provides a delightful seat with just the right amount of back support. 
The park was built between 1900 and 1914 and officially opened as a public park in 1926. Guell and Gaudi wanted this park within the entire park to be for the group of homes surrounding it.
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Do You Visit Museums?


Museums are major tourist destinations. There are many ways to get the most out a museum visit. You  want to do the museum justice and have fun at the same time. So…how do you do that?   

For some museums, it’s best to set an amount of time you want to spend there. If it’s a huge museum…think the Louvre…you won’t see it all!
Make sure you eat before you go. Your concentration will be better if your stomach is not growling at you.
Try to plan a focus. If you hurry though, you probably won’t remember the 200 paintings or exhibits you glanced at. Maybe pick a room or an artist or a time period.
If an audio tour is offered, take it. You might be surprised at the information you learn while you’re studying the exhibit. In the case of the Last Supper in Milan…the audio tour is an absolute must.
If you need or want to view certain pieces, hiring a guide might be the best thing for you.
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Amboy Crater…Ever Heard of It?




Amboy Crater is an extinct North American cinder cone type of volcano that rises above a 27 square mile lava field in southern California. This 250-foot-high crater is 1,500 feet in diameter. Located in the Barstow-Bristol trough, a conspicuous west-northwest trending physiographic feature, this field was created by at least four distinct periods of eruptions, resulting in a group of volcanic cinder cones. The most recent eruption of Amboy crate was about 10,000 years ago.

 One of the best examples in the Mojave Desert of a volcanic cinder cone, it is situated in one of the youngest volcanic fields in the United States.

A footpath leads to the top of the cone where you can get a good view of the surrounding area. The hike to the Crater and back can take 2-3 hours. Late January through March are good times to see the wildflowers.



Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973, Amboy Crater was recognized for its visual and geological significance. Although Amboy Crater is not unique, it is an excellent example of a very symmetrical volcanic cinder cone.

The inside of the 250′ high crater contains two lava dams behind which has formed small lava lakes. These are now flat in general appearance, covered with light colored clay, creating the impression of miniature “dry lakes.” There is a breach on the west side of the crater where basaltic lava poured out over a vast area. Beyond the crater lies 24 square miles of lava flow containing such features as lava lakes, collapsed lava tubes and sinks, spatter cones and massive flows of basalt.

 The scenic and solitary Amboy Crater was a popular sight and stop for travelers on U.S. Route 66 in California before the opening of Interstate 40 in 1973. Other than a stretch of U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico, Amboy Crater was one of few extinct volcanoes along the entire route, so generations of U.S. Route 66 travelers from the 1920s through the 1960s could boast that they had climbed a real volcano. Visits decreased after Interstate 40 opened, but have increased in recent years with the nearby Mitchell Caverns, Mojave National Preserve, and renewed historical tourism interest in “old Route 66.”


The Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommends using the Western Cone Trail to reach the volcano peak’s rim, a steep and rocky hiking trail. The trailhead is at the Amboy Crater day use parking area, which provides shaded and open picnic tables and public restrooms. Regular desert precautions apply here: being alert for rattlesnakes and old military explosives, and having a hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, and abundant drinking water. Educational and organized groups are advised to contact the BLM before heading out to Amboy Crater.
To get to the trailhead: From Barstow, take Interstate 40 west to exit 50. Turn right on Crucero Road and make an immediate left onto Route 66. Take route 66 for 26 miles to the crater.
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Bodega Bay Beaches…Great Summer Fun

Looking for some beach time this summer? 

Head north to the beaches along Bodega Bay. They’re close, they offer a variety of activities, the rugged coastline provides endless photo opportunities, and the scenery is spectacular.

Here are just a few:

Salmon Creek is a wide expanse of beach at the point where Salmon Creek meets the Pacific. Surfers and families love this beach.

Goat Rock is a fantastic spot for kayakers and anyone enjoying a great view. Plus, there’s the rock…Goat Rock.

Portuguese Beach is a long, wide beach between Bodega Bay and the Russian River. It’s one of the largest sandy beaches in the area, providing a lengthy walking beach.

Arched Rock Beach is named for the big rock with a hole in it. The rock is actually next to Marshall Gulch Beach. Visit here during low tides.

Schoolhouse Beach is one of the wider and nicer beaches along the Pacific between Bodega Bay and the Russian River. Explore the tide pools and the sandy expanse.

Wright’s Beach consists of coarse sand, smooth, small pebbles, and Jade, agates, and chert. Looking for some true California Jade? You’ll need to spend some time looking closely at each pebble. Happy hunting.