REFLECTION: Yep, I’m baaack! After my longest vacation absence ever, it feels odd to be sitting down at the keyboard to compose another edition in the ongoing saga of Pause. I confess I’m finding myself a bit out of practice. 

It’s been a challenge to shift gears from vacation mode to workplace mode. For six weeks, my husband and I have only had to think of ourselves – and toy with what we might want to do the wide open, uncommitted days that lay ahead. I must say that I loved it all, and that I could probably find it easy to get used to more of the same. 

That said, there was and is a part of me that was still keen to make sense of every experience, to look for the lessons, and to share them with others. You can’t keep a reflective, educative, contributing spirit down for long! (more…)

Three weeks of European restaurant eating yielded a variety of experiences – some zany, some tasty, some elegant, some comforting, some downright amazing – and the odd ‘I don’t ever want to go back there again’.

It’s not my intention to give a play by play recount of the culinary experiences. I leave that to my much more food savvy husband Dave to explore on his Kitchen Savvy web-blog. ( http://www.kitchensavvy.com/ )

However, if you happen to be headed to France or Italy or Spain, these are a few of the places we enjoyed. (more…)

One of the things I love most about Paris is the pace. Sure, there are places where cars and scooters are whizzing by, the traffic is heavy, and folks seem bent on getting somewhere in a hurry.

However, there are many more places where people are ambling along arm in arm, soaking up the sun on a park bench, or lingering over a coffee at a sidewalk cafe.

I thought you might enjoy are few images I captured of Pausing in Paris. Enjoy!

Sunning In The Tuileries

Snoozing On The Passerelle Solferino over the Seine

Nodding Off Near Notre Dame

(Yep, same afternoon. Nope, not the same girls)

Doggin’ It At The Place De La Concorde

This is me on our last day at sea on the Emerald Princess – as six weeks of vacation draws to a close – endlessly grateful for so many things.

The luxury of time to break away from the routines of everyday life.

The resources and good health that make it possible to travel the world.

My dear husband, a loving and congenial touring companion.

New places and old haunts that offer joy and beauty at every turn.

The hospitality and skill of those who have served our needs along the way.

Adventures and delights in abundance.

Challenges and disappointments in very small measure.

Fresh images to paint, and new stories to share.

Interesting and engaging work to head back to.

Family and community to anticipate our arrival back home.

Safe passage and safe return.

Life has been and continues to be very, very good to me.

This mosaic is inlaid into the floor at the entrance to the dining room in Villa San Michele atop the island of Capri – a beautiful island across the bay from Naples.

The Villa San Michele was salvaged and restored through the efforts and philanthropy of a Swedish physician, Axel Munthe.

The mosaic features a skeleton holding a wine carafe in one hand and a water jug in the other.

The meaning is that one should enjoy life while one can, as death lurks just around the corner. A sobering thought given that the mosaic is a copy of an image from the ruins of Pompei.

Italy is the home to the slow food movement – a concept that encourages leisurely dining on foods raised and cultivated close to where they are prepared and served.

Apparently some businesses recognize a marketing angle when they see one.

This fast food restaurant on the island of Capri prominently displayed its support for the slow food movement right on its promo sign touting the quick and easy ‘Take Away’. (more…)

Over the years, Dave and I have made a practice of connecting with waiters, desk clerks, and other service folks by creating opportunities to share a chuckle and a smile. We love it when others choose to play – and especially when they start the game themselves!

This trip’s hands down winner of the Lighthearted Playful Award is our Emerald Princess room steward, Vitor from Portugal.

We had an inkling that our exchanges were going to be fun on the very first day of the cruise, when I asked Vitor for a new stick pen. The plastic case on ours was cracked, and the nib and refill kept sliding out when I tried to write with it.

Vitor’s response to my request was an expression of mock horror as he proclaimed, “Madam, we have not yet set sail and already you have damaged precious Princess property!”

On handing me three replacement pens, he added sternly, “Don’t come running to me if they don’t work. That’s all I’ve got.” (more…)

So, here we were, wandering our way through the Alfama section of Lisbon, Portugal, when we stumbled upon a soccer stadium. There was neither a grandstand, nor a blade of grass nor a net to be seen.

Nope, this soccer pitch was carved out of the middle of nowhere in a place where a maze of narrow up and downhill streets opened to a small plaza. (more…)

The Cinque Terre is the name given to 5 villages north of Livorno, that are literally nestled in the coves of the Ligurian Sea and climb straight up the mountainsides from the water. The hillsides surrounding these villages have been terraced with backbreaking labour and are home to olive trees, lemons, and grape vines.

It is possible to walk the sea wall between the first and second towns, on the Via Della L’Amore which links Riomaggiore to Manarola.

On this Lover’s Lane you will find padlock after padlock attached to the railing.

Apparently lovers express their commitment to each other by attaching a lock to the rail and tossing their keys into the surf below, as a pledge of their undying love.

On the day we walked the Via Della L’Amore, someone had taken the symbolism one step further, and romantically trimmed this patch of pigweed in the shape of a heart.

Love is alive and well in the Cinque Terre.

You might think it would be impossible to find a moment’s solitude on a cruise ship carrying nearly 3000 passengers. However, at 6:30 in the morning, there’s a section of the Promenade Deck at the prow of the ship that is all yours – simply for the rising.

You’ll find the mist, the odd bird passing by, and the occasional lighthouse winking ‘hola’ from the Spanish coast.

It’s unbelievably peaceful – that visit between you, the morning and the rhythm of the sea.