Walking, Hiking, Hiking, Walking

     I'm getting ready for my Tuscany Walking Tour in September.  We will have almost 2 weeks of walking/hiking between dozens of little hill top villages in the region of Tuscany, Italy.  It's been awhile since I've done much walking other than taking the dogs for a walk or walking around the neighborhood.  But the walking we'll be doing in Italy will be on gravel/rocky trails going from the tops of hill towns down into the valleys below and then up to the next hill town.
     Last week I started doing some "serious" walking!  My new favorite place to walk?  The Garden of the Gods!  If you do not live in the Springs or have not visited this glorious city park, I suggest you google it and see just how wonderful this place is.  I will include some photos on today's post to give you an idea as to why I love this place so much.
     I came across an article in one of my magazines the other day and want to share it with all of you:
          "It's time to fit 'mind blowing moment' into your schedule.  People who often feel awe
     have healthier levels of certain infection-fighting proteins, a University of California Berkeley
     study revealed, and that can help you stave off heart disease and more.  'Awe has a stronger
     link to this outcome than even love or joy,' says lead study author, Jennifer Stellar, PhD."
    
     WOW!  That's pretty powerful.  As I had lunch with Andy today and he was showing me his photos from yesterday's climb up Mount Yale (one of Colorado's 53 "fourteneers" - mountains over 14,000 feet in elevation) I shared that quote with him.  We both are believers!  Those awe inspiring moments are such a rush of feel good emotions and for both of us those happen mostly in nature.
     So my three hikes in the Garden of the Gods last week were good for me in so many ways.  I like knowing that I'm strengthening my legs, increasing my lung capacity, getting in some good cardio and fighting infections all at the same time!  We are so fortunate to live in an area of the world that is so "mind blowing" awesome.  In 15 minutes I'm in the Garden or 20 minutes and I'm on Cheyenne Mountain.  Love it!

Garden of the Gods

On one of the trails

Pikes Peak from the Garden

     I also went to the zoo twice last week.  Our zoo is built on the side of Cheyenne Mountain and it's great exercise walking up and down the mountainside to visit all of the exhibits, not to mention the stairs to get to the Grizzlies and the stairs to get to the elephants.  I can easily spend four hours there visiting all the animals and getting in a good workout at the same time.  It's a Win Win!

The Original Deer Statue at the Zoo

     I've been planning this trip to Italy for about a year and a half thinking that it was taking a long time to get here.  But now we're less than 2 months away.  We got our flight info on Friday which makes it even more real!  So now I am planning at least 2 hikes a week (not including my visits to the zoo).   And my friends Kelly and Paige want to do the Incline sometime before they head back to school so I may join them on that - at least as far as I can go up that mountain.  Don't want to wear myself out before I get to Italy!
     And so I challenge all of you this week to find your "awe moments".  Even if you can't get to a place of nature, you can always see the sky, the moon, the sunrise, the sunset, the clouds and maybe a rainbow!  Even a work of art!  Visit a local gallery or Google the statue of David or the Sistine Chapel and see what I mean.  I am in awe of the gothic cathedrals and the medieval castles.  One reason I love to travel is to enhance my experiences of those moments of awestruck wonder.
     As always, I thank you all for reading my blog and for joining me on my journey.  Wish me luck on getting in shape to walk all over the Tuscan hills in September.  I'll keep you posted as to my progress :-)
     Merci!  And Ciao!

Reliving My Childhood

     When I was growing up, my cousin Cindy (who was living in Liberal, KS) spent every summer at our house in the Springs.  We always looked forward to having her come stay with us.  She and I are exactly four and a half years apart - me being the older one.  But our age difference never seemed to matter.  Cindy is the only person that I would let play with my Barbies.  Our grandparents built me a two story Barbie doll house when I was ten.  It was so wonderful with a living room and kitchen on the main floor, a staircase leading up to the second floor which had two bedrooms and a bathroom and there was even a balcony!  We spent hours playing with my dolls.  I still have them - Barbie, Ken, Skipper and Tutti.  Unfortunately, the house is long gone except for a few pieces of furniture and the original carpeting that actually was the carpet in my grandparents' house.  I figured out that I have about $5,000 of original Mattel Barbie dolls, clothes, car, board game, etc.  My dolls were always like a part of our family so I took really good care of them.
     Every summer, my parents and Cindy and I would do all the fun touristy things like the zoo, the North Pole, the Manitou Incline (when it was the actual cog train that went to the top of Mount Manitou!).  We would picnic in Cheyenne Canyon and go camping in and around Tarryall River and Reservoir.  We had marvelous adventures and as long as we had our Barbies and a stack of books, we were never bored!
     So when Cindy spent a few days with me last week, we decided to revisit many of our former fun places.  I picked her up Sunday around noon.  We had lunch with her mom, Aunt Mary Ann, at the Wines of Colorado in Cascade.  They are spending most of the summer at their cabin outside of Cripple Creek so we chose Cascade as our meeting place.  Then after lunch, Cindy and I went to the North Pole!  Oh my goodness, we had a ball!!!  I was very pleased to find that if you are 60 or older you get in FREE!!!

At "Santa's Workshop"

Yippee!!  We rode the zipline, the Ferris wheel, the carrousel, the gondola, and the roller coaster.  I couldn't remember where the coaster was.  (I hadn't been to the North Pole since Andy was little.)  So when Cindy and I were getting ice cream I asked one of the high school kids working behind the counter if they still had the coaster.  He said "Well, we have a KIDDIE coaster"  (Emphasis on kiddie!)  And I said, "Can't adults ride on it?"  "I guess so . . . "  :-)  Needless to say, Cindy and I rode on the roller coaster.  It was not easy getting Cindy's long legs in and out of the little car.  We were laughing so hard and so was the young man who was running the ride!

     We wanted to sit on Santa's lap (one of the ladies who worked in the shops said Santa would LOVE that!), but there was quite a line to get in to see him so we will have to go back someday :-)
     The next day we went to my favorite place - the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo!  We spent the morning there and ate lunch before checking out the baby lions.  They can only be seen on a TV monitor as they and their momma are being kept in the "nesting area".  I can't wait to see them in person.  They were born June 25 so hopefully in another 3 - 4 weeks they will be ready for public viewing.  After our zoo visit we drove up the mountain to see the Will Rogers' Shrine of the Sun.  I hadn't been up there since I was little.  It's so beautiful and quite impressive.  A tribute to Will Rogers by his good friend, Spencer Penrose, who built the Broadmoor hotel and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Asha and Dembe snuggling

The Will Rogers Shrine

     The day I took Cindy back to Cripple Creek, we decided to go a little further up Ute Pass and visit our favorite campground from childhood days, Blue Spruce Campground.  It certainly looks different than it did in the 60s.  There are designated camping spots on the other side of Tarryall River now.  And trails are marked and have names.  We tried to find all the rock formations that we had given names to back then - the Monster Cave and the Indian Head, and I can't remember the others.  We couldn't get to the "Monster Cave" as the water was running so high in the river that it covered the access to the cave.  But we really enjoyed walking around and seeing everything and remembering how we climbed all over those huge rocks - and the time that Cindy fell in the river!

Beautiful mountain wildflowers

Near our campground

     We also drove up Cheyenne Canyon to Helen Hunt Falls and visited with the volunteer at the resource center for a little bit.   There are so many things to do in and around this city.  It was a blessing growing up here and enjoying all the area has to offer.  Oh, I forgot to mention the Garden of the Gods!  Cindy and I drove through it and then had lunch at the Trading Post.  My mom loved eating there also.  They have an outdoor patio with a waterfall and "babbling brook".  Very peaceful and lovely.  We exercised self control by not buying a box of their homemade fudge!
     This week I need to start walking, walking , walking!  Our walking tour of Tuscany is in two months.  I've been planning this trip for about a year and a half and now it's upon us.  I did some hiking on Sunday and plan to go again (in the Garden of the Gods) tomorrow.  It's a great place to hike - lots of trails and the scenery is magnificent.  I'll post some photos next week.  What am I doing on the house right now, you ask?  Nothing!  I realized that I'm still in the teacher mentality of it being summer vacation.  I don't want to do anything right now except enjoy my visitors and spend time with my friends and sit outside and drink my ice tea and read!
     I hope you are enjoying your summer also.  I feel blessed to live in a part of the world where we can be outside almost every day of the year.  I love the sunshine and the blue skies.
     Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I always appreciate your comments and questions.  It makes me feel so good to know that there are people out there reading my posts.  And I thank you for joining me on this journey around the many bends.  Merci!

     Bonjour!!  I will have company all week - my wonderful cousin (more like a sister), Cindy, will be staying with me and we have lots of things planned.  As I will be picking her up Sunday at noon and have a full day planned I will not be able to devote any time to my blog.  So I am offering you a chance to read someone else's blog!  ha!  The author works for Rick Steves (my travel guru) and his name is Cameron Hewett.
     I hope you enjoy his point of view.  I would like to add my resounding "YES"!  He is right on the mark, in my humble opinion!  I'll be back next week to give you a rundown of my week with Cindy and all the fun things on our itinerary.  Until then  . . .  au revoir!  and Merci! 

Happy Bastille Day - Le Quatorze Juillet

Loving the French (What’s Not to Love?)

I’m always a little intimidated when first arriving in France. I suspect living in America has programmed me — against the sum total of my actual life experience — to think of French people as being stuffy and snooty and unkind to outsiders. With each visit, I have a million mini-epiphanies about how wrongheaded that is. And then I go home and forget all that I’ve learned.
On this trip, it didn’t take me long to remember how much I love this place — and especially its people. French folks aren’t rude and abusive. They’re reserved, and a bit formal. They believe in a certain orderliness to social interaction. They just want to be respected, and if you respect them, you’ll get more than your share of respect in return.
The typical “Howzit goin’?” American cowboy stampedes all over the French social order. We Yanks pride ourselves on our independence, on bucking convention, on being on an instant first-name basis with every stranger we happen to ride the elevator with. And, in their place, those can be wonderful qualities. But the fact is, it clashes with the French worldview.
One of my colleagues, who guides our tours all over Europe, recently confessed to me that she finds France one of the hardest places to bring Americans to. It’s not because the French are unpleasant; it’s because we Americans aren’t always the most adaptable when on someone else’s terms. And the French do expect us to respect their turf.
A few years ago, a Parisian shop clerk explained this dynamic to me with a sublime simplicity: “In France, we don’t want to be defined by our work. We want to be acknowledged as a human being first, and only then as a provider of services. So just say bonjour before telling us what you want from us. Treat our shop the way you would our living room. Would you walk into my house without saying hello?”
And that’s really all there is to it. When you interact with any French person, first acknowledge their humanity. It’s easy: Just say, “Bonjour!” Everyone can say that, without even practicing. For extra credit, throw in a Madame or a Monsieur. And when you leave, say “Au revoir!” If you do this, the French will instantly warm to you.
Another thing to keep in mind is that we Americans are always in a hurry. Time is money, and impatience is a virtue. But in France, they’ve mastered the art of fine living — and that means savoring the moment. Slow yourself down to their pace (or, at least, meet them in the middle). They’ll appreciate it…and you’ll likely find that it’s more enjoyable for you, too.
And here’s yet another way to think about it: France is a country of introverts. As an introvert myself, I can appreciate how extraverts sometimes come on too strong — getting in my face with an aggressive chumminess that, to me, feels fake and exhausting. As a country that values extraverts, we need to empathize a bit with the French. Don’t bowl them over with your enthusiasm; give them a gentle smile and a kind greeting, and they’ll be on your side.
Putting this approach into practice, I’ve had exactly zero terrible interactions with French people. After two straight weeks of traveling in France — and talking to dozens of people each day to update our guidebook — I honestly can’t recall a single difficult moment. (In fact, I find the French much warmer than most of their neighbors.)
And what about that language barrier? Wait, what language barrier? I speak no French, beyond a few pleasantries, but it’s pas de probleme. I find more and better English spoken in France than in Spain or Italy. People here can be a bit shy. When I ask locals if they speak English, many say to me, “A little bit. I will try.” What a nice way to put it. And by the way, many of those who are “trying” express a mastery of English that eludes some native speakers.
Even when they don’t speak English, they listen patiently, with a sweet smile, while I mangle their precious language in front of them, as if stomping on a delicate carpet with muddy boots. (I accomplish this by speaking Spanish with a French accent. Yeah, I’m that guy…and they still seem to like me!)
If there’s one caveat to this, it has to do with Paris. Look, it’s a big, busy city. And, like New York, London, or Tokyo, it’s a mix of kindhearted people and  troubled cranks. Some Americans go only to Paris, have a couple of awkward interactions with surly Parisians, and extrapolate those to the entire country. I’ve met my share of grumpy Parisians, too. But overall, I’ve had many, many more positive experience there than negative ones.  (When standing on a street corner puzzling over a map, I’ve been approached by helpful locals offering directions far more in Paris than anywhere else in Europe.)
I recently ran into one stubborn American who embodies this cultural disconnect. Perhaps a closet Freedom Fry-er, he clearly came here with a massive chip on his shoulder — tightly wound and ready to pounce. Over breakfast, I was enthusing about how friendly the French are, and how well they speak English, when he cut me off. “Oh, yeah?” he snapped. “If their English is soooo great, then why do I have to tell everyone bone-joor all the time?” While his wife — a francophile who clearly had been coaching him on this — died a silent death next to him, I replied, simply, “To be polite. Is it really that hard to say bonjour?”
What I was thinking, though, was this: To not get along with the French, you pretty much have to be a jerk.

Freedom and Liberté - A Short History Lesson

     Yesterday, July 4, our country celebrated our Day of Independence and next Tuesday, July 14, France will celebrate hers which they call Bastille Day.  While the Democratic Republic of the United States of America and the Republic of France are different in many ways, we do share a common history when it comes to the philosophical ideals of what it means to be free from tyranny.
     Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution were the products of the Enlightenment period that emphasized the idea of natural rights and equality.  This movement began in France in the late 18th century and is associated with the writings of Rousseau and Voltaire.  People of all classes, especially the middle and lower classes, began to use these ideas to formulate an ideology of resistance and insisted on the implementation of new measures that would guarantee the natural rights of all citizens. 

     These ideas shaped the American Revolution and the success of it went on to inspire the French.  Each country could not have been successful without the other.  The poorly equipped and trained farmer/merchant militia of the colonies got a tremendous boost from the French in the person of the Marquis de LaFayette.  He brought training and munitions to the colonists and helped them in their fight against the tyranny of King George of England.  The French then were inspired by the Declaration of Indepence (based primarily on the idealogies of the previously mentioned French philosophers) and wrote their own Declaration of the Rights of Man.
     And both Revolutions had a basis in unfair taxation by a monarchy which was far removed from the needs of its people.  In France the chasm was one of class ranking.  The nobility and the Church were exempt from paying taxes.  Therefore, the entire revenue system was built on taxing the already poor.  In America, the chasm was one of distance with a huge resentment of a monarchy who was so far away telling the citizens of America to pay taxes which did not even benefit the colonists.  There was much unrest in both countries and the wounds continued to fester.
     The differences in the two revolutions spoke to the depth and anger of the citizens.  The colonists were able to bring about a change with very little bloodshed considering the range of battles.  The anger they felt was directed to a government that was far away from them and the men in charge of setting up the new government did so with an exchange of ideas and philosophies which most people were ready to accept.
     The French, on the other hand, had been under the rule of a hereditary monarchy for their entire existence.   While the new philosophies held great hope for them, they were so downtrodden; many of them without food and in a country in bankruptcy, that the anger was so much deeper than that of the colonists.  Inspired initially by the great thinkers of Brissot and Robespierre, they were driven by a desire of freedom.  But no one knew what that looked like and things quickly got bloody. 
     We celebrate the Fourth of July as that is the date in 1776 that the Continental Congress signed that incredible document that we call the Declaration of Independence.   The French celebrate Bastille Day because on the 14th of July in 1789, the king's prison - the Bastille - was attacked by the citizens and those inside were freed.  It doesn't sound like much and there was only a handful of prisoners, but it was symbolic of the times they were a'changin'.  The will of the people was being forced upon the nobility.  And then it took a very bloody turn with the guillotines executing thousands, including the intellectuals who had helped get the revolutionary ball rolling. (no pun intended regarding the heads that rolled!)
     The French Revolution offered the world something totally novel:  an ideology that allowed and encouraged the questioning of historic power structures.  And so at the end of the 1700s and into the beginning of the 1800s Europe would see many revolutions taking place leading up to World War I.
     Both revolutions created ripe conditions for constitutionalism and deep patriotism.   The United States is an example of how a country can survive such a war and come out with strong leaders and a democratic government that was successful.  France, on the other hand, had many struggles trying to figure out just  what it meant to self-govern.  It would not be until after World War II that the Republic of France would have a stable and well-functioning government.
     So, there you have it!  A short "revolutionary" history lesson as we begin the month of July.  I love this month with Wimbledon and the Tour de France and women's World Cup soccer and other international sporting events.  It shows what can happen when countries work together and appreciate each other - not just for our similarities but also for our differences.  What a wonderful world we live in!
     Thank you for reading this post.  It's a little different than most that I have written.  I felt inspired to write about the two revolutions.  Independence Day and Bastille Day are so much more than fireworks, picnics, parades, etc.  Let us be proud of our heritage and how we got to where we are today, by the thoughts and writings of great men who got everything started and those who were willing to fight to bring us a democratic republic that, even with all of her faults, seems to work pretty well.  Vive l'Amerique et la France!