By Plane and Train: 24hours of travel

It would be a long twenty-four hours to my destination but well worth the journey. My aunt bid me farewell at the train station near Warwick and I was off to Newark Airport. I thought I was going to die with the weight of my bags while I was moving from train to train to airport and the thought occurred to me that if the bags were heavy now, then six months in Italy would break my back.

As I boarded the Air India plane to Paris, I realized there was no going back now, this was it, my journey was now beginning, and what a long journey it would be.

I got an excellent seat with three times the amount of leg room that I needed, but hey who should complain about that. I slept a few hours and when I awoke the light was just coming over the horizon and lit up the clouds over the ocean. The flight into Paris was cloudy and wet but excitement ran through my veins as we landed.

First Lesson: if you expect to ask for directions in a foreign country, at least learn the bare essentials for communicating.

It took me about an hour and a half to buy my ticket and figure out what train I needed to take into Paris and to the train station. Alas, I was at the train station waiting to board my train to Italia. The signs, the conversations of people all around, the announcements over the speakers, and school children passing me by let me know that ‘I wasn’t in Kansas anymore’.

I boarded my train to start my eight hour journey through the countryside of France and the Alps into Italia. Next stop Torino.

(Here are some excerpts from my diary)….
Traveling should not be about being a tourist and leaving…it should be about being half a tourist and the other half embracing the locals and the culture… How beautiful the countryside is in France. There are cows, rolling hills of green grass as if it has just rained and the colors of fall are showing themselves in the autumn leaves. .. I could sit here for days…just keep going without stopping while the outside world passes me by.
…end

When I got off the train in Torino it was dark and I had no idea which way to go. After twenty minutes of trying to use my Rick Steve’s Phrasebook with an old Italian woman, I was on the subway to the bus station. The old woman took the subway with me, found an English-Italian translator and then left me at the bus stop. I was waiting on the wrong side of the street when a man pointed out that I was going in the wrong direction. I crossed the street again and walked up just as the bus was arriving.

Second Lesson: When booking a hostel or hotel, always ask the receptionist how to get there BEFORE you get into town. Planning is most essential when going to a foreign country.

As I was trying to figure out which stop to get off at (because there are no signs to tell you) the bus got more and more empty, and alas it was me and three other people. As the bus doors opened at the next to last stop a young man advised me that the hostel was at that stop and to follow him, which I cautiously did. He led me up a very dark street, up a hill, and as I dragged myself and all my contents I felt the sweat beading off my tired body.

Eureka…it was 10pm on October 9th and I had finally arrived at my hostel.
Hello Italia!!!!!!!

My New York Family Affair...

After the fun in Florida, I settled down a bit with the fall colors in New York. I stayed for about six days at my Uncle Matt and Aunt Julie's house in Warwick New York. Their view from the front porch is amazing and if I could put it in my pocket to take out when I want I would. They introduced me to their community and invited me to participate. My first night in I was brought to their church potluck and sat in on a lecture about religious history. It was educational and warming to be around all those people.

To give me a homey welcoming....my uncle made me some yummy waffles.

On Saturday my Aunt Julie brought me to the church thrift store to volunteer for a few hours.

The next day I volunteered with my Aunt and Uncle at Warwick's AppleFest...There were more attendees to this event then there are people that live in the town...WOW!

I dedicated some time in their yard as a way to say thanks for their hospitality...I planted two trees (unfortunately it wasn't enough to offset all my traveling carbon, but it was a start)...

...then I helped paint my uncle's "barn" red.

I was able to spend some much needed time with my 89-year-old Grandma Lois and 91-year old Grandpa "Blaze". We ate some pizza (nothing like Italian food) and went for a spin in the car...

She brought me to the house that my mom first lived in, which is now a historical site.

Then, she brought me to my mom's old high school in Tappan Zee.

When we got home....She showed me her mother's wedding dress from 1903 and then her dress to my Grandfather William (my hero) from 1942.

They walked me to the door for a loving sendoff and of course tears were shed.

I love you grandma and grandpa

Burney and Tank were excited that I visited and saw me off as my Aunt Julie took me to the train station where I saw the last familiar person before heading off to Italy.

I would like thank every single person in my family for all the love and support that has been given to me in the over the past few months. It is becasue of you that I have made it this far in my life. I couldn't ask for a better group of siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neices, nephews and parents. May all the love you have given to the world be returned to you in one way or another.

With Love,

Apes

Getting Some Florida Sun...

Hello everyone! I've had some technical and not-so technical things happen over the past month. Everything is up and running now. My time on the computer is very limited but being able to share my travels with each one of you is important....So back to our regualarly scheduled blog.

My trip to the Florida sun was much needed after the rain and clouds in Seattle. My sister Tiffany and her fiance (soon to be husband....Congrats Tiff) so graciously put me up in their house. For the first few days I did almost next to nothing except eat and watch Ghost Hunters. It felt really great to be extremely lazy for a while but once my sister was off work then the fun factor really got started...

I was greeted by my neice and nephew Jax and Coco...awww!

Tiff, Mike and I made our way out to the water...

...where we kayaked, swam and I got too much sun.

Then, we headed to a local National Park to make cotton with a Park Ranger...

...we ran into an old friend...

...and got some much needed margaritas...Good times!

Mike and Tiff...

...showed me how to smoke a hooka...combined with wine...not so good.

Tiff took me to St. Augustine and we found the closest thing to Italy...Spain. I drank my first Sangria and we toasted to a good trip.

...But before I could head off the Florida mascot had to wish me a proper farwell.

Thanks Florida, your mascot, Jax, Coco and most importantly my wonderful sister Tiffany and her soon to be husband Mike for a relaxing time in the afternoon(...and morning...and evening) sun. I have a great time.

3 Weeks in Seattle

If you've been reading my blog, then you will know that I spent some time in Seattle, Washington. My sister Aubrey and her roommate Monnell so graciously allowed me to stay with them for three weeks. I spend a lot of time getting acclimated from being away from the life that I have always known in Sonoma County.

My first bit of advice for any traveler is visiting the library before you get to your destination or during the first day of your visit. Check out travel guides and historical books to familiarize yourself with the city or region you are visiting. Sometimes there are places that take you off the beaten tourist maps that make the trip completely worth it.

While I was in Seattle I worked for a few days, relaxed in my sister’s apartment, walked probably 50 miles sightseeing many of Seattle’s best attributes, hung out with a few locals that I had just met, took a ferry across the sound, met Rick Steeves travel extraordinaire, watched the sunrise almost every morning, hung out with my mom while she visited, saw the area where they filmed Twin Peaks, caught up with a friend from California and hiked around, cooked a lot, and lastly and almost most importantly I went to a chocolate tasting room.

I had a wonderful time and it was thanks to Aubrey, Monell, Benson, Tim, Veronica, Lin, Tracie, Chris, my Mom, Gavin and all the other people that I met during my visit that made it exciting and rich. Thank you everyone in Seattle. You will be missed.

I hope you will stay tuned for next time to hear about what adventures Florida gave me...

Early Mountain Sunrise in Seattle...

...Mom and Aub at Snoqualimie Falls...

...Chief Sealth...

...Aub and I on the ferry...

...a chocolate tasting room..

...consiplating life...

...Sunset Seattle.

My future time in Italy

A few years ago I came across this thing called WWOOFing, which stands for World-Wide Organization of Organic Farmers or Willing Workers of Organic Farms. You subscribe to the country's WWOOFing organization, they send you a list of farms that take part in the program, you contact the farm you want to go to, and then you make your way there (on your own dime) and work 5-6 days a week in exchange for food and shelter.

Italia, known for great fashion and beautiful people, is also the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement (think opposite of fast food- local, organic and healthy). With it's mediterranean climate comes thousands of hectares of vineyards, olives, chestnuts and so much more good food. The country has over 300 farms in the WWOOFing program, so I decided to subscribe.

The painting on my wall that inspired me to go to Italy is located in a region in the southern Alps on Lake Como. There is only one farm on Lake Como that takes WWOOFers, it is in the small town of Colico and is about 45 mins north of Milan. This farm is the first stop of my visit to Italy, which I will stay at until the end of November. I will make my way down south for the winter stopping to sight see along the way.

Being a part of this program really offers some incredible experiences to learn organic/sustainable agriculture both small and large scale; it offers travelers a chance to see more of the world with less money; and most importantly it really gives people a chance to be immersed in a different culture through the eyes of the locals.

I look forward to sharing my future travels with you and I hope that you find some inspiration to do what you've always wanted to do but haven't yet...

Your not alive until you start living.
Carpe Diem.

"What's with all the traveling?"

As I explained before, I have ended some major things in my life like college and the Army. In February I started the application process for the Peace Corps. I was nominated in May for the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Samoa, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu) as an Environmental Educator to leave in May 2009. The commitment is 27 months and I won't get my invitation until the end of this year for the specific island and date. So that leaves me with 8 months to do whatever I want to do. Since I don't have any commitments in my life right now I have decided that traveling the world, learning new things to be more sustainable, meeting new people and cultures, and exploring who I am was what I really wanted and needed to do.

Right now I reside in Seattle with my sister Aubrey; on the 23rd I will make my way to Jacksonville, Florida to hang with my sister Tiffany and to meet her fiance Mike; on the 2nd of October I will head up north to New York to visit my uncle, grandma and hopefully some cousins I haven't seen for awhile; and lastly I will head to Europe and make my way to Italy until next spring.

Stay tuned for my next blog to hear about what I'm going to be doing in Italy....

Question of the day (please answer in the comment section): What is your favorite place you've traveled to and why? If you haven't traveled much, then tell me about the place you have always had a desire to go to.

Monell(left) and my sister Aub (Right) having a drink with me at the oldest saloon in Seattle.

In the beginning...

It was hazy day in early July; I was sitting on a train, leaving a funeral, when this sensation came over me. It was my inner voice calling out to me or it was my soul reaching for an outlet to tell me my real needs. I got out my computer and begin to write. What I discovered was that I was sad, dissatisfied with where my life was going and what my soul screamed out to me was just what I had been looking for. She said “April, my dear, go find yourself. Go discover a part of you that needs to be unveiled. Follow your heart, embark on a journey and leave this place.”

The signs came to me and I realized that I needed to travel for a bit. My soul, my inner self, had been suffocated, tortured and held down for too long. I needed to breathe, scream and roam this world freely without a single finger holding me back.

One night I looked upon my wall and stared into a painting that had entranced me for so long. The answer was there, I needed not to look any further. The painting said to me “go to Italy”. Go to Italy, eat, find joy, experience life, roam freely and nourish your soul.

So now I sit here overlooking Lake Union in my sisters North Seattle condo feeling excited, worried, strong and alive because this is where my journey begins.

A Radical Ranger Reunion...

Quote of the week

Find joy in all you do.

On Saturday I attended my good friends Leah and Terry's wedding. It was such an honor to be there and experience their day with them. The love that these two share for one another is spectacular (even after 12 years). Unfortunately I didn't have the privilege to work with them at Lake Sonoma (I came later), but I was introduced to them through many stories that were told by my fellow ranger colleagues. I finally met them at a holiday party and I instantly saw why these two people were special.

On Saturday I celebrated Leah and Terry's day with a few of my favorite rangers from Lake Sonoma. To say the least we had fun...

Congratulations Leah and Terry!

Me, Leah, Terry, Hillary and Joel

Chappy, Wife and Bobby Beaver

Mikey and Bobby Beaver

Change of plans...

Due to unexpected family events, my sis and I decided to stay closer to home for our time together. We settled on me visiting her and the kids up in Lake County. We made the best of it and after a few days I realized it was a blessing in disguise.

My sister and I were still able to bond and she was able to take care of things around the house and for the kids. We went to a bio-dynamic winery, hung around downtown Lakeport, took the kids to Fort Bragg and got some good food from the farmer's market. In the end it all worked out and I was still able to be there for my sister.

Last thoughts...no pun intended

“Thoughts lead on to purpose, purpose leads on to actions, actions form habits, habits decide character, and character fixes our destiny”

Tryron Edwards

From Sac to SLO...

I spent all of last week with my family in Sacramento. I spent my days sleeping in and watching tele. It was my step-mom's bday, so part of the week was spent celebrating. I also got a few dates with my lovely sister and her little princess (my niece) Sophia. Although some of the trip was a little chaotic (as family things normally are) it was really nice to spend time with those that matter most in my life, mi familia.

Tomorrow I start my day at 6am to take a long bus/train ride with my big sister down to San Luis Obispo (aka SLO). This is a much needed vacation for my sis...like say four or five years overdue. With two children, a husband in the military and distant family support...five days near the ocean, away from it all, with her little sis is what my sister needed. I hope I can help.

Happy Birthday Pam...Muah!

Presently Living in the Present...

Quote for the month:

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

Greg Anderson

I had a discussion with one of my friends last summer about this very quote. We talked about how in life we tend to move fast, heading right to the end product or destination. How often do we literally stop to smell the roses on our evening walk, sit on a bench on vacation to take in the sights and sounds, or really watch our children play and interact with their friends, all without judgement and just a pure present awareness? He left the conversation with: it's not about where we end up in life but how we got there.

Currently I'm in Sacramento visiting my family and I have found myself mentally wandering in and out of the adventures of the coming months. My future plans could change at any moment and yet I sit here wasting my present time thinking of the future. I realize how important it is to live in the present and enjoy the gifts, such as family, that life offers you.

So I write this now as a reminder to you the reader and me the writer that if we hurry too fast in life then we might just miss it.

The end of a chapter...

Wow! This is it. The last page is turned from this chapter of my life. In May I graduated college, I ended 8 years and 2 months of Army Service in June, and this week I am ending the best job that I have ever had at Codding Enterprises.

Sometimes its hard to let go because you have become so accustomed to the people and activities around you but as the world turns so must the pages in your own life. I am eternally grateful for everything that I have learned and I will take all these lessons and experiences with me onto the next section of my journey. As I pack up the contents of my life, it gives me a chance to reminisce about where I've gone, what I've done and most importantly the risks I've taken. All of this lets me know that no matter where I end up in the next few years I will be ok. So far so good.

This panda is signing off....