A return to the Pacific Northwest

Back to the land of tall trees and lost coastlines. Where the fog rolls in like a thick blanket and settles in the valley making islands of the hill tops. The sun shines almost daily and the views are breathtaking. A great garden spot for creating the best soil and watching what grows. Hard to believe it's November and the chard, kale, beets and peppers still grow! It is also an amazing spot for sunsets, and makes you marvel at how lucky we are to see the sun sink into the pacific. Seems we're attracted to the west coasts...from Turkey to Greece, Albania and even Italy the sunsets have been amazing. Even better when you have lovely people to share them with!

A time of change...

After much debate on our next travel path, heaps of research, contacts and soul searching...we have made the decision to leave Europe for the time being. We both feel called to return at some stage, but for now our path leads elsewhere. As part of an attempt to soak in the sights before departure, we made our final rounds (for now anyways). Until next time...




Arezzo
















gelato soaked with espresso




Florence




























Pisa, the leaning tower.












...and back in Pianezze, welcome home Patty!








"Growth comes from change. Happiness comes from acceptance. Merrily, you're built to do both, at once."
- The Universe

Cinque Terre

Part of our 'last hurrah' in Italy was to make it to Cinque Terre, where five coastal towns are connected only by train and hiking trails. Once just sleepy fishing villages, they are now protected by parks and sought out by many a tourist and traveler. Although many of the trails along the coast where closed due to recent mud slides, it gave us the opportunity to take the much less traveled trails up through the hillside vineyards. They awarded the most spectacular views! We couldn't imagine harvesting grapes on these hillsides, but came across many rails in which the grapes would be collected in crates and rolled down hill. The area is thus known for its white wine, as well as sardines, pesto and honey gelato. Yum!








Riomaggiore
















Manarola




























From the train station to the town of Corniglia there are over 300 stairs to climb, but when you get there...honey gelato awaits. :)












Vernazza








Monterosso