Livin´the Dream!

It´s true....we're only working 25 hours a week, have our own camper - compact, but functional and clean, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and are sandwiched in-between the mountains and the sea. We can even hear the roar of the waves from our camper! Oh, and the stars absolutely light up the sky at night. It´s unreal to think how much beauty there is that so many of us living in cities just don´t see.

Los Canas de Meca is about an hour outside of Cadiz and within two hours we can be in Morroco. It rained the first couple days we were here, but we didn´t work anyway, so it didn´t much matter ;) We went to the beach our first day here, and while it´s beautiful, unfortunately there seems to have been an oil spill or illegal dump or something. There was tar over much of the beach, and I still have the reminents on my feet to prove it! Got most of it off using vinegar, but there was some that was just too stubborn. So now I have paper towell in-between my monkey toes and a little more comes off each time I try....could have been worse I suppose...I could be one of those poor seals or penguins covered in oil with no way to get it off. We brought it up to Karen, our hostess, and she said it was NOT normal! She called the police and natural resource management folks and said if they don´t come out and do something soon, she´ll go to the papers. Looks like someone went out to survey the area (we went to watch the sunset last night) but nothing has been done so far. We have a couple good pics - including one of the bottom of my foot covered in tar....we´ll try to get those uploaded soon.

Our work is varied, which is nice. Patrick, the caretaker, is really laid back and easy to work with. There isn´t actually a farm here yet. They´ve been composting and getting the area ready for a garden, but so far there are just a bunch of plants and some herbs around the land. We think we´ll be able to help spread the compost and prepare the soil to plant - it´s a good time for that here...the weather is cooler but still warm and while there is plenty of sunshine, there is a bit more rain than other times of year.

Our travels through Italy and Spain were fantastic!

Quickly - Cinque Terre was stunningly beautiful and peaceful, Rome I loved much more than I thought I would (great green space), Florence was nice (although we couldn´t get on the wine tour to Chiante like we hoped to), and Venice was fabulous (ridiculous amounts of shopping). I need more time in Italy next time.

Barcelona exceeded my expectations. It was beautiful and there were green spaces and parks everywhere! My one complaint of Italy - not enough green space....completely remedied in Spain. We found our favorite restaurant so far as well - Juicy Jones - chalk full of vegan fair and a different Indian platter each night. It was unreal it was so good! We´ve already recommended it to 10 or 12 people. LOL The hostel we stayed in was out of the city near Park Guell - where all the Gaudi stuff is (awesome does not begin to do it justice). It was a perfect location, but full of high school groups! We might have been the oldest ones there with the exception of the chaperones. But it was cheap, clean, and we got our own room for two of the three nights. Oh, and I learned that they speak Catalan in Barcelona - mix of French and Spanish...nothing like what I learned in school!

Madrid, where they speak Spanish, was again full of green space and parks and was just beautiful. Unfortunately it rained a good deal while we were there, but that just forced us inside to get some culture ;) Picasso, Dali.....some really random modern "art"....good stuff. We stayed at Cat´s Hostel - ridiculously loud, but we met some fantastic people and ended up hanging out with a good group while we were there. Even went to watch the Barcelona vs. Madrid Futbol game on Sunday night. Saturday and Sunday we ended up at places where we were the only English speakers - it was pretty nice.

And now we´re at Casas Karen - www.casaskaren.com if you want to check out the luxury we´re living in ;) There´s so much more...but there´s only so much time you have to read and I have to write :)

Hope you are all doing well and getting ready for my favorite holiday. Yes, Halloween :) Dress up as something crazy and send me a picture! I´ll be missing the trick-or-treators here.

xoxo, Lor

What day is it??

Hey all :)

I´ve gotten a few emails about my not blogging lately....not to worry, I´m happy and healthy...just haven´t wanted to spend 9 euro (you heard me right) and hour to blog.

I´m in Madrid one more day and then heading to Cadiz for the second farm on Monday. I´ll have more access to internet there (I hope) and will update you all then :)

Love and hugs to you all!!!
Lor

PS - I LOVE Spain!!!!

Final days of Arta Bio....

which will live im my memory forever. All said and done, Arta Bio was a great experience! While it might not have been ideal, it was certainly interesting!!

I have to admit that I became a bit disheartened while weeding kiwi's that admittedly had not been weeded yet this year....they just have too much to care for to do it right, and more than they could possibly use. If the aim is self-sufficiency, they'll need to scale back quite a bit! Aside from these moments of "why even bother?", I did end up enjoying the experience. I made a friend in Barbara, was called a "thinker" by Giorgos, and have been told that I am "allowed" to come back and volunteer again any time. LOL ;)

So let's see....where did we leave off...ahh, weeding. Yes, weeding....well that didn't change. We continued to weed, except when we planted spring onions - also called scallions where I'm from and I use them to cook, not plant - but it was good work. We moved on to weeding the Kiwi's, which turned out to be amusing....we played "find the kiwi plant" and took photos of our triumphs over the grasses which were taller than all of us. It also happened that Thali and Ludwig (the dogs) brought home another little pup that day. She was delicious! Adorable, soft, quiet, playful, mischevious...she followed us to the kiwi field and tried to eat the leaves of the plants, sat right where I was trying to weed, and would steal your glove as fast as you put it down....we named her Kiwi, and adopted her as our own. Unfortunately it only took a couple days for the fleas to find her and our hosts to put her on a leash (which she didn't like one bit!) but we still just loved her. Good grief - three dogs and two cats kept at a home that no one other than volunteers inhabit at this point....I only wish I could have taken them with me.

Anke's parents arrived a few days before we left. They came out to the Straw-bale house and we introduced ourselves. Anke's mom was the only one who spoke any english, but her granmother wanted to talk to us, so we smiled and nodded :) What was strange, and a little uncomfortable was that one of the first things Anke's mom said to us was that it was very difficult for them to visit her there on the farm. Her disapproval shining through, perhaps looking for validation from us. I, instead, focused on the beauty of the farm...the sunsets, the herb garden, how much Anke had accomplished in such a short time....it really made me appreciate (even more than I already do) how supportive my parents are of my decisions - even when they aren't the best decisions. Having them there made everything quite a production! Not only did they clean the house - it looked completely different than when we'd arrived - but Anke showered, wore clean clothes, and catered to them. We were invited for lunch on Monday (they arrived Sunday afternoon) and had a fabulous meal with wine and even homemade, vegan ice cream! Frozen bananas put through the juicer, covered in homemade cherry sauce (mom - I know you have a ton of bannanas in the freezer...now we know what to do with 'em), beyond delicious! The following day we made lunch for oursleves, which was actually pretty nice. I made curried pumpkin and chick peas with veggies....good stuff :) Made me excited to be able to cook while we're at Casas Karen.

Her family worked while at the farm...cleaning wheat, preparing corn kernals, cleaning pumpkin seeds....her father even helped us weed on the last day! I think he'd grown restless from all the sit-down work he'd been doing. I really enjoyed one of her grandmothers...even though I scarcely had any idea what she was saying, her good nature was infectious and I felt that she truly wanted to be happy for and supportive of Anke. It was nice to see....she loved her enough to put aside judgement and just find a way to be happy for her.

We were planning to go the Arta fair the afternoon of our last day of work (mostly just vendors selling their wares), but it rained so that didn't work out. We spent our last working hours dancing on chick peas (to get them out of their shells). It was probably the most fun we've had working :) The rain was incredible...it just didn't stop! It rained and rained and rained....the sound was fairly soothing on the tin roof and it meant that there was no loud music - not too shabby. It also meant our plans of fig and grape picking the afternoon or morning before we left was out of the question - which was too bad since we'd been eying those figs....but I figure we'd had plenty while we were there. What's funny is that I've never been a big fig fan...probably because I've only had the purple/black kind and I like the fresh green ones much better. You never really know if you like something until you've had it fresh, I suppose.

During our last days working, I wondered around humming the tune of "favorite things" from the Sound of Music, making up silly little versus that related to Arta Bio. Adam and Barbara chimed in after a while with a few lines of their own, and we decided to write our fearless hosts a funny little ditty that went like this: (If you don't know the tune, try looking it up online...it'll make reading the song make a bit more sense)

Ode to Arta Bio

Sunrises, sunsets and trips to the sea,
Lemon Verbena to put in our tea.
Blackberry picking and killing mosquitos,
olive bread, fresh figs, and yellow tomatoes.
Muesli and orange juice that Giorgos brings...these are a few of our favorite things.

When mosquitos bite, while I'm weeding,
when I'm feeling stiff and sore.
I think of a few of my favorite things,
and I couldn't ask for more!

Giorgos' joking and Anke's teaching,
exchange of knowledge without all the preaching. (a bit of a stretch :)
Pumkin and curry and ratatatoulli, (yes, it's mispelled on purpose so it fit)
banana ice cream with cherries all gooey.
Muesli and orange juice that Giorgos brings...these are a few of our favorite things.

When the bathroom leaks, when it's raining,
when I'm feeling cold and wet.
I think of a few of my favorite things,
that never make me fret!

Kiwi and Ludwig and Thali and geckos,
meals with Dimitri are always...(pause)...mmm, NOSTRIMOS!!!
The Sound of Music and other great classics
a sturdy straw-bale house, we've seen George's tactics.
Muesli and orange juice that Giorgos brings...these are a few of our favorite things.

When the disco beats, while we're sleeping,
when we're feeling tired and sad.
We think of a few of our favorite things,
Arta Bio ain't so bad!

It was a smashing success! They took a photo of us singing, laughed throughout the song and cheared when we'd finished. We gave them the song, written out on scrap paper we found at the house and signed by all of us. Anke said it was the nicest gift a volunteer had ever given them, and I believe her. They really seemed touched - evidenced by the fact that Giorgos didn't charge me for the fax I sent that night (he's always scheming for a way to make a buck!) Dimitry loved it too, and the next morning Grigorios asked us to sing it with him so he could get the tune right. Needless to say, we were glad we'd taken the time to write it, and that we weren't too bashful to perform ;)

The morning we left went much too quickly, but no one likes drawn out goodbyes anyway. Dimitry offered to drive us to the bus stop...said it was a pleasure and told us again how much he liked us, which meant a lot coming from him - he's genuine, gentle, bright and engaging....a true gentleman! After our quick hugs and words of well wishes we were told again that we were welcome back anytime. Who knows...maybe one day. I'd be curious to see what's become of the farm after a few years time.

I know our experience at Casas Karen will certainly be much different....but it's all about the experience. Currently, we're experiencing Italy. So far, so good. We've had both pizza and gelato (yes they make some without milk) already...tomorrow - limonchello ;) I'll keep you posted. Until then, lots of love and hugs!

Lor

Birthday Bliss

First of all...thank you, thank you, thank you for all the kind birthday wishes :) I do appreciate your thoughts and warm wishes!

If you are feeling wary, tired of working, like you need a vacation; and might experience pangs of jealousy from reading about the most wonderful day(s) ever, please stop reading now.... OK, now where to begin??

We arrived on the beautiful island of Corfu on September 28 at 5pm and were greeted by Paul in his friendly Sunrock shuttle. Corfu town is bustling and cramped, and while it looked enchanting from the sea as we approached, I was just as happy to leave the hustle and bustle and head for the hills.

About 15 minutes later, with my heart in my stomach thanks to Greek driving (which even this Englishman has adopted), we arrived at Sunrock...a lovely hostel tucked back from the road overlooking the sea. We were greeted by other backpackers who had accepted work in exchange for room and board at the hostel and enjoyed the view from the roof-deck while waiting for Madelena to show us to our room....our clean, bug-free, beautiful room with a real bed and a balcony overlooking the sea. We must have appeared as little rag-a-muffins who had never seen a hotel before the way we kept commenting about how nice everything was, our eyes as big as saucers. First order of business? The sunset - of course! I can not wait to upload these photos!!! This was most certainly the most incredible sunset I have ever seen....on the water...in Greece...while sitting on the beach. The sunset alone was enough reward for my hard work and endurance of so many other things on the farm! But this was just the beginning.

After the sunset we took hot showers :) I haven't felt that clean in AGES, and it was absolute bliss! Weeks of grime just melted away...I was a new woman! We also ordered a half liter of homemade wine from the hostel and proceeded to relax until dinner - included in the price of the hostel!! We drank a lot of wine during our stay in Corfu...and I have to say, the Greeks have some pretty good stuff...just stay away from the Retsina ;) Our first night, the employees (working for room and board) outnumbered the guests and most of them were American. We had a good time chatting, enjoyed some pretty decent food and were invited to the beach for a bonfire. We contemplated going...but then thought about the clean warm bed waiting...no music playing, no dogs barking, the sound of the waves crashing, a good night rest almost gauranteed... and we succumbed to our need for rest. Aside from the mosquitos buzzing in our ears, it was fabulous!

September 29...my "golden birthday"...we slept in, had pancakes for breakfast (included - nice amenities at this hostel!) and made our way to the beach. Pelekas beach...small, uncrowded, and relaxed. We soaked up the sun...ate baklava soaked in honey...drank good wine...and just relaxed. It was absolutely heavenly! We heard there was a "mud beach" nearby - also a nudist beach, but the mud part outweighed the nude part, so we decided to venture over. We found the beach, but did not see the mud...it was a bit disappointing, but we vowed to ask again - we figured we were just in the wrong place - and try again the next day. So we went back to our beach and relaxed some more - rough day, I know. About 6pm we decided to head in to shower and then watch the sun set. Again - hot showers...ahhhhh.... We watched the sun set from the beach - it was lovely, but there was a layer of clouds above the horizon that blocked most of the sun's disappearance into the sea. We did catch glimpses of the bright pink sun, however, and the colors in the clouds above were a nice gentle pink. We ventured in to the dining room and had a delicious meal! We even had a shot of uzo after dinner, which was disgusting, but when in Greece! A few more travellers had arrived, so we took some time to talk with new people and get this - relax some more ;) Bliss I tell ya, Bliss!

The next morning we asked again about the mud beach. Nikki told us that it was, indeed, the nudist beach we wanted and that we just needed to go into the sea and dig around for the mud. OK - second try....we scaled the steep, dirt "path" to get down to the tiny, secluded beach. Leaving our inhibitions and our clothes on the beach, we waded into the sea in search of mud. After a few minutes of feeling around on the shallow, sandy ocean bottom, we felt the smooth mud we were in search of. After gathering enough to cover us from head to toe, we retreated to the beach and began the transformation to sea creatures. We caught a few odd glances, but were otherwise ignored. As we sat on the beach to dry, we could feel the mud tighten on our skin and watch the mud turn from a deep gray-green to a light greenish-gray. It was sooo cool ;) After washing off in the sea (at least we thought we'd washed it off until we dried and could still see faint shades of mud all over us) we returned to the other, more modest side of the beach and relaxed (if you can believe it) for the rest of the day. At this point, we decided to stay another day. Neither of us needed much convincing from the other that this was a good idea. It was something we needed...something we'd earned...something so obvious.... Well, our one extra day turned into two because there were no ferries to Italy that next day it turns out...oh, shucks! ;) Corfu, and Sunrock in particular is a fabulous place to rest, relax and rejuvinate.

I'm sorry to leave you all in such a rush....and I will indeed get back to our last days in Arta next time, but my time is up. I'm due on a ferry to Brindisi in about an hour. We're travelling through Brindisi...taking a train straight to Napoli, where I hope to get back online. Soon, in any event.

So thank you again for all your love, thoughts, wishes and comments. I leave you now, fully rejuvinated and ready to take on Italy! Bring on the Gellato ;)

Hugs!
Lorien