2016 is the year of travel. Even with March coming to an end, you still have plenty of time to explore the world (or even your home state).
If you're lacking inspiration, try looking at the New York Times' list of 52 places to travel to in 2016, Lonely Planet's lists for the top countries and cities to visit, and National Geographic's album of the best spring trips for 2016. While international travel can get expensive, staying local is much cheaper and equally as fulfilling. Look for events in nearby states or cities (or pick a city to spend the weekend in). Some cool events coming up this year are the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. and Coachella in California. Look around for things you might be interested in and plan a trip!
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Winter farmer's markets are hard to come by, so I was pumped to find the Coventry market, at the Coventry High School on Sundays from 11-2. With plenty of fresh local produce, cheese, baked goods, preserves, and tea; as well as handmade jewelry and pottery, the market is a breath of fresh air in the dead of winter. There were also local handmade soaps and wildflower honey and maple syrup. Don't miss the Coventry Winter Farmer's Market before it closes in March.
I was fortunate enough to be in Venice during their Carnevale celebration. Carnevale is usually held 40 days before Easter to celebrate Mardi Gras across Italy (and other countries). Cities hold large parades and parties with amazing food and dancing to commemorate the Pagan holiday and have a final celebration before the beginning of Lent. Go Italy describes Carnevale as; Carnevale in Italy is a huge winter festival celebrated with parades, masquerade balls, entertainment, music, and parties. Children throw confetti at each other. The most iconic celebration is in Venice, where masked participants wander the streets and the Piazza San Marco in elaborate costumes. They put on comedy shows and pose for pictures with locals and tourists alike. If you’ve seen any pictures of Carnevale, they’re likely from Venice. Masks are a very important aspect of Carnevale in Venice. They are sold in nearly every shop and street kiosk, and range from 2€ to over 100€ depending on how elaborate the mask. Types of masks include the Bauta, Colombina, Medico della peste, Moretta, Volto, Pantalone, Arlecchino, and Zanni. Many are hand painted, and many people choose to pair them with different hats or head pieces. Walking through Venice, especially the Piazza San Marco, during Carnevale was incredible. So many people dressed up in full and elaborate costumes with beautiful masks. In general, a lot of people wore masks, even if they didn’t dress up. It was incredible to see the amount of effort people put into their costumes, and it felt like walking back in time as many of the costumes were very traditional. As I was only in Venice for one day, I would very much like to visit again. Carnevale was an incredible experience, but I think seeing Venice outside of the festivities would be beautiful too as it is such a unique city. NOTE: All images were taken by me in Venice on February 6, 2016. No distribution or infringement of the characters photographed intended
I thought it was appropriate to spotlight We Are Here Venice (and other Venice-based activism groups) while I am in the city. We Are Here Venice is a campaign to save the city from the damaging tourism industry (which so many of us, including me, are guilty of) and coastal damage and pollution. The surrounding lagoon’s ecosystem is compromised by negligent boating and water pollution, but this isn’t the only problem the small city is facing according to Venice the Future. More Venetians are leaving the city, leaving a dwindling native population to make room for a more demanding tourism industry. The managing director of We Are Here Venice, Jane Da Mosto, moved to the city in 1995 after growing up in South Africa and London. According to Mosto: “Working on my book opened my eyes and made me more concerned for the future of the city [Venice]. When you analyse it in detail, you realise how much isn't functioning properly. Take the lagoon. The presence of deep navigational channels for tankers and cruise ships has caused strong currents that wash away vital sediments. Huge tracts of salt marsh are disappearing very fast. And it's impossible to remain oblivious to the impact of tourism and the precipitous reduction in permanent residents. One month you go and visit someone in their office here and the next, you find they have moved to the mainland.” (You can read more here). According to Da Mosto and other activists, Venice is facing many problems that go relatively unnoticed by the larger population as a result of increased tourism and industrialization. Many organizations have formed in response to this crisis to protect Venetian culture, history, and art. For instance, Save Venice is one of these organizations. With a focus on Venetian art, Save Venice funds many restoration projects to preserve the city’s treasures. The work of groups like We Are Here Venice and Save Venice are important in protecting Venice from its current obstacles. Remember that if you are visiting Venice, be respectful. According to the International Business Times: “Venice welcomes millions of tourists every year, and on any given day in the summer its residents are outnumbered by visitors. With few industrial opportunities existing in the island city, tourism has long been one of its main sources of income. Most of the revenue there is booked through hotels, museums, restaurants and tours. However, as tourists increasingly exhibit bad behavior -- sleeping on bridges, swimming in canals and tagging churches with graffiti -- some Venetians fear the visitors who keep their city alive could also be slowly destroying its culture and history. You can read more about the problems facing Venice through We Are Here Venice and Venice in Peril. NOTE: The image above was taken from We Are Here Venice and is not our own. The image was given to We Are Here Venice by Anna Zemella and Steven Varni (neither of which are associated with us, but you can check out their blog here).
Castel Gandolfo is one of several small scenic towns bordering Lake Albano. The town, a hidden gem located a train’s ride away from the city-centre of Rome, hosts beautiful views of the lake and mountains, a large nature preserve, a charming town, and territory of the Vatican City. Residents and visitors are even able to tour the Pope’s summer residence; the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo.
Castel Gandolfo is the perfect destination for a day trip away from the busy city. It is very calm and quiet, and has fewer visitors than other neighboring towns. It hosts some lesser known Bernini architecture and fountains, as well as beautiful art located in the Papal Palace. If you are able to visit Castel Gandolfo, I also suggest visiting neighboring Albano and Ariccia. Ariccia, a baroque-style town, also hosts many Bernini pieces. The easiest way to reach the lake is by car (depending on traffic) or bus. I left from Termini station in Rome, and went through the Ciamino Airport station, which took less than hour collectively. I suggest visiting on a clear day, as the view is spectacular. No pictures could ever do it justice. Apartments in Rome are very different from apartments in the United States. I quickly learned that in Rome, landlords must completely furnish their units before renting them out. This includes not only beds, chairs, tables, and wardrobes, but also basic essentials like bowls, silverware, appliances, paintings and wall decorations, linens and towels, and lights. Unlike in the United States, this ensures that the renter will not need to bring their own furniture and other basic items.
The apartment I am living in while in the city is rented through CIS Abroad, and has three bedrooms (one of which I am sharing with my roommate), a bathroom, a kitchen, a balcony, and an entry room. There is also a small collection of English, Italian, and Greek books and movies in the hallway that have been left behind by past residents. According to folk stories, La Befana (the good witch) delivers candy and small toys to children on Epiphany Eve, which is January 5th. The following day, January 6th, brings the end of the Christmas celebrations in Italy. I was fortunate enough to experience some of the festivities for Epiphany Day (also called “Three Kings Day”) in Rome. If you’re interested in learning about Three King’s Day, you can read this article by the Huffington Post.
In the Piazza Navona, a public square built during the 1st century AD, features the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Moro, and the Fountain of Neptune. During the celebration of La Befana (which you can read about here if you’re interested), children played on a carousal, bought colorful balloons, watched street performers, and got their faces painted by a Befana, all while enjoying the beauty of the piazza. I visited the celebration with my roommate, and while we arrived too late to see the parade and the majority of the festivities, it was fun to see everyone celebrating. The fountains were beautiful (just like the rest of Rome’s architecture), and the sky was crystal clear (if only for a few moments, since it rains often in Rome). Visiting the Piazza Navona was well-worth the tram ride and city navigation. The Villa d’Este in Tavoli, Italy (on the outskirts of Rome) is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. If you are familiar with it,the Villa is far more beautiful than Versailles (located outside of Paris in France). For only 8€ (4€ for visitors living in the European Union under 30), you are able to walk around a beautiful Renaissance-era interior villa and leave through balconies to the expanse of garden behind the building.
The gardens are picturesque and very scenic, with an incredible view at every turn. The gardens are filled with various sculptures, fountains, and pools of water. It was very difficult to capture these sights on camera, although I tried. It was almost overwhelming to see all of the stairs, walkways, and levels visitors meander through. My roommate had the idea for visiting the Villa d’Este, which is a two-hour train ride from the city center of Rome, from the Lizzie McGuire Movie. While I visited the Villa during its off-season in January, it was still beautiful. I suggest looking at Google images of it during the summer, when everything is green and in bloom. I definitely suggest you visit the Villa d’Este if you’re visiting Rome. It’s definitely worth spending a day taking the train to see Tivoli, which is more easily walkable than the city center of Rome, and the incredible Villas and parks within it. Here is yet another throwback to our trip to Montreal this past summer. While in the city, we stumbled upon the Chinatown sector, which is located along De la Gauchetière Street. While exploring Chinatown, looking for one of our favorite knick-knack shops (the Shun Fat Trading Company), we decided to try bubble tea for the first time from Jus Aloha. While there are several shops in Chinatown Montreal that sell bubble tea, we were attracted to Jus Aloha for its colorful shop and the line of customers inside. Below is a picture of the shop, courtesy of Yelp. I ordered a honeydew melon tea, and was very pleased with it. While I did not enjoy the tapioca “bubbles” in the tea, I was impressed with the flavor of the beverage, and would certainly like to try more upon my next visit. Jus Aloha offered many different flavors of tea, including strawberry, mango, coconut, honey green tea, lychee, and passion fruit. You can check them out on their Facebook page.
Okay, I'm a terrible New Englander. Dunkin Donuts isn't my favorite coffee chain, I don't care about the Yankees or Red Sox, and before a few days ago, I'd never been apple picking (which is apparently a rite of passage around here.) On the last day of the season, 10/31, I headed to Buell's Orchard in Eastford. I wasn't expecting too much, I assumed that most of the apples would have been picked and it wouldn't be very entertaining. There were plenty left, and I picked my very first apples. We drove up to the general store and paid for bags, then were directed to drive out to the rows of trees. The trees weren't clearly marked so it took a few tries to go down the right sequence of dirt roads to the trees with fruit still, but we eventually made it. The types of apples weren't labeled well either, so I have no idea what I picked, but I don't really mind that. An apple is an apple, right?
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Places we've gone, things we've seen, stories worth telling Archives
April 2019
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