Although relaxing “at home” is wonderful, we love to get out and explore. The back hills are home to a web of nearly forgotten roads. Sometimes we end up parking the car and going down a trail on foot, led by a stone wall, an old monument, or other indications that something’s out there to be found. That’s when we find a ruin of an old church, a barn, a home, or a tiny village. Some of these are being restored and lived in, but many sit empty or are falling down in ruins. Next door to us is an ancient stone barn full of old farm carts and barrels and other old equipment and hardware. I photographed them exactly as they sit today, about 35 years ago. Now the barn is even more overgrown with brambles, and the sagging roof could fall in soon. Gorgeous treasures to someone like me. Oh my…

In another place we found an old church and small graveyard in the woods, at the end of an old narrow road lined with tall, moss covered stone walls. The walls were exceptionally well-built with rounded cap stones. Nearby was an empty small stone house, sitting alone in the woods. As we looked around there were other walls and buildings and pigeonaires in various state of ruin. A village at one time, long ago. 

The other day we parked on the side of the road and crossed the little river on a foot bridge, led by the sound of church-bells ringing. We found a village and an old man and his wife, and that shocking story will get its own post.

On the way to our AirBnB in Wales, we stopped for the night in Llangollen, a sweet Welsh town we visited in 2014 when we rented a narrowboat for a week on the Llangollen Canal. We were excited to be there again, even if just for one night, and after checking in to the old historic Royal Hotel (with a view of the river!) we set out to see how far down the canal’s towpath we could go. It was a beautiful afternoon, and so fun to be reminiscing as we walked towards our possible turnaround point. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, 126 feet high and 4 feet wide, allows the canal to traverse a river that flows below. And you and your narrowboat float across in the suspended canal! Anyway, almost 10 miles round trip, we managed to walk far enough down the canal to get there, walk across it and then walk nearly 5 miles back. Our feet were mad at us, but we were happy. How could we miss such a great scenic walk? Of course the canal goes on for miles. There is something so romantic, so slowed down, about these beautiful old canals. Here are photos of our hotel, the canal walk, and the Pontcysylite Aqueduct:

The weather is beautiful and people are out, enjoying the parks, the cafes, their families and friends, and the beautiful city they live in. Life here is vibrant. On our frequently long walks around Paris I often look up, way up, and see these amazing apartments. They are bejeweled with curving rooflines, ballustrads and facades, art nouveau tile, balconies, and windows. Imagine their views, imagine their interiors!  I can’t help but wonder who lives in them?

PS: I also look down, and the other day I found a 20€ note on the sidewalk in front of me.

I awoke the morning of my birthday, from a sweet dream where I was being lovingly carried along beside the water in someone’s arms, like a child.

As soon as I was up and lucid, Dave presented me with a lovely proposal: that we would drive over to Lake Bled ( 1/2 hour away ). He would then rent a boat and row me across the lake to a tiny little island, upon which sits a darling and very old church. What a great idea! And this is what we did. First we circled the island before docking and climbing the 90+ steps to the cluster of buildings.  It was literally quite dreamy, and certainly unique to all of my (many) other birthdays.

Afterwards, after returning to Stara Fuzina, we took a short hike up a nearby mountain trail where an arched stone bridge crosses a deep cravass of stream and waterfalls. On the way home I stopped to photo our little village.

Stara Fuzina…sounds to me like STAR FUSION…!  Fine place for a birthday.

It is just after midnight on our last night in the very magical and ancient Etruscan village of Sorano. We have been here for 5 days, and I wish we were staying much much longer, but tomorrow we move on. Somehow in my searches on AirBnB, I found and bookmarked this special place, and months later we are here. It has been incredible to experience this place. The house itself dates back to the 1200’s, and the village is even older. From our windows, far below us, we can see that just outside the village walls, is a small stone bridge that crosses a little river, and the hills on the other side are dotted with cave tombs that date back to the Bronze Age or earlier. These tombs, carved into the tufo stone hillsides, are all over the nearby region. There is some strong energy that is present here, and we feel very privileged and humbled to have found our way to the land, this village, and this beautifully and intuitively restored home. Our AirBnB host, Clara, keeps a home almost next door, and has lived here in the village for 30 years. Her recognition of the sacred energy of the place was instant, and she has shared much with us during our time here.

Estruscan DNA is unique, and indications are that they may be aboriginal to Tuscany, the land named after them. Rome was heavily influence by them, as they existed long before the Roman Empire, and the first three Roman rulers were Etruscans. Roma is an Estruscan word, and Roma eventually conquered and absorbed the Estruscan civilization, their artistic and hydrologic expertise, and other knowledge and skills.

Honoring death was part of Estruscan culture. We have walked miles of shady and moss covered ancient sunken roads or Via Cave passageways, carved into the pumicelike stone call tufo, and all along these roads tombs have been carved into the rock as well. Beside the stone passageways are irrigation and water transport ditches. The Estrucans were geniuses in water engineering. Sorano was still using their ancient original aqueduct systems throughout the village until just 30 years ago when some copper piping was brought in. One of our longer hikes along a Via Cave, took us to a sculpted stone fountain, pictured, way off in the countryside.

Sorano is not the only Estruscan village in the area. There are many…perched on hilltops, and looking almost like visions. The area is rich with olive groves, grape vineyards, rolling hills, grazing sheep, and there are several places nearby for a bath in natural thermal waters. I had the great fortune to visit Saturnia Thermal Baths with my AirBnB host and her mother. It’s sulphuric waters are very purifying and healing. Just what I needed!

Again we are here in the off season, and it is beautiful and uncrowded. Spring is just beginning to show us a few flowers and the trees are budding and the birds are singing their songs. Food is of course a delight, with local wines, cheeses, pastas, olive oil, and veggies grown in rich soil. We have both cooked at home and eaten a few meals out, in sweet little tratorias run by kind and loving people with easy smiles and lots of patience for people who don’t speak Italian. Here in no particular order are photos of Sorano, our front door, our bedroom, the passageway just outside our door, the village, and the tombs and passageways carved by the Etruscans. Plus some of the Saturnia thermal waters, and our charming host, her mom, and a good friend.

Oh my gosh...today I got to walk again with the wonderful and charming French women that I have walked with before. It was a 3 hour, 10 kilometer walk through more oak and chestnut forest and more beautiful paths, with gently sloping vistas of plowed fields, cows in wooded pastures, and tiny stone hamlets in the distant hills. At one point we came across an old hamlet of stone houses and pigeonniers with a carpet of blooming lavender cyclamen flowers nestled in deep green grass. Ooo la la! I wasn’t the only one amazed.

The highlight of the day though, may have been finding about a dozen large and edible mushrooms, several the size of an open hand. These experienced French women knew exactly what kind of mushrooms they were. I ended up being gifted with half of them, and tonight, Dave’s and my dinner was these fungi, sliced and sautéed briefly in garlic, olive oil and butter. Holding the mushroom felt like holding a very light fluffy pancake, and they cooked up into a very tender and almost fluffy consistency with a mild and delicate flavor. We sat in front of a wonderful fire drinking champagne and thoroughly enjoying this rare treat, and my stories of today’s walk. Photos below:

The first one of a dozen!

I have just returned from another amazing walk, this time with 4 other women, all French, all local, and all presumedly over the age of 60. The fastest walker was 84 years young, a spry woman who I hear walks every day, and does gymnastics 3 times a week and dances on weekends.
Once again, I am unable to understand much of what is being said, but the sounds of their conversing was quite like a lovely babbling brook.
Today’s walk involved rendezvousing at the town fountain, then into a car for a short ride up the road to a parking area. From here we began, on a high meadowed mesa, with immeadiate views across the gorge to the white cliffs that were carved eons ago by the Aveyron River as it meanders its way down stream. There were also views of the village of St Antonin, and high on a plateau above, the spire of the church, or bosc, peering out from the trees. 
Beneath my feet were the now familiar polished rocks of the ancient routes traveled by shepherds, merchants, villagers; anyone going anywhere. And these routes, or chemins, are edged on both sides by low rock walls, sometimes intersected by other rock walls, or little stairways that must have led to pastures or terraces or homes in days gone by.  

At one point we passed a beautiful and quite intact, little round shepherds hut.

Further on we passed tiny pond which was a spring-fed laveur, with flat rocks placed at a slant at the water’s edge for washing clothes.

At times the pathways darkened and tunneled through thick groves of boxwood trees, before opening up to more views. After three hours and 11 kilometers of flat to gentle descent, we finally arrived back to our original meeting place by the fountain.