THE LAST GASP OF CITIES
Could say Rome, but this would be a lie. Can no longer walk down from my apartment during ferragosto and hear the silence - for there is silence no longer in Trastevere- the heart of Rome Now, you must pay and wait before you walk into the Pantheon and dwell on Raphael and the Renaissance and, they tell me the Romans have made an exodus, Airbnb all over…every time I go I say no no no and know but on my last trip, in April, they are right….
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Ennui, yes, that is the right word. To suffer from it, feeling stagnate, listless, then move out, and find our bliss. For many, including me it is writing and letting those thoughts and feelings sing in each sentence. For when they don’t; ennui.
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ITALIANS ARE ATTACHED TO THEIR LAND, ESPECIALLY ANNA
Anna’s from Piemonte, a northern Italian living in the the province of Asti, nestled up against the Italian, Swiss and French Alps. I spent 7 years in Piemonte and Anna’s spent a lifetime learning everything there is to know about herbs and their healing powers. She continues her lessons and offers monthly hikes, now famous, in a town called Olmo Gentile. People come with their own knowledge, handed down by nonna but continue to learn and gather herbs as precious as jewels as we place them in our paper bags.
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Road Trips through Transylvania, Tranfagarasan and Transalpina. Reading to you from ‘A European Oydssey’ on youtube.
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WHO IS YOUR MUSE
Maybe it’s your life, or your experiences. Oscar Wilde said experience is the name we give to our mistakes. And they do inspire to create meaningful work, and find our bliss. Yes?
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WHO AM I?
A short story writer. Capturing the last gasp of a continent that is changing fast in a book called, “A European Odyssey; how a boxer’s daughter found grace” We sailed from Seattle, to Vancouver, then drove and flew across Canada and set sail from the port of Halifax to Gibralter in 2002 Then arrived in Rome where the odyssey began, lasting 20 years before finding a home. But the book reads like an airport novel.
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WHO AM I?
A short story writer. Capturing the last gasp of a continent that is changing fast in a book called, “A European Odyssey; how a boxer’s daughter found grace” We sailed from Seattle, to Vancouver, then drove and flew across Canada and set sail from the port of Halifax to Gibralter in 2002 The odyssey began in Rome and lasted 20 years but the book reads like an airport novel.
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EMOTIONS MOVE AT THEIR PACE
You never know when you might need it. I couldn’t have written my books unless I had written it down at that moment, no matter how mundane the event appeared at the time. After all, emotions move at their own pace. “See enough. and write it down, i tell myself. And then some morning, when the world seems drained of wonder, some day when I’m going through the motions of doing what i am supposed to do, which is write.
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WAITING FOR GODOT
We named him Godot because sometimes you have to wait and know when you’ve arrived
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THIS STRANGELY HAPPY ENTITY
Gore Vidal spent half his life in Italy and called it ‘this strangely happy entity’. Don’t know how they do it, but they still are….some say it’s all about ‘nonna’. Could be, most days I hear someone talking about their grandmother, in the street, the market, my house - she is still protected, she must not be cold in winter, left alone, but held dear, in spirit; above all else.
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VELLUM VS ATTICUS
After 15 years of publishing I thought it was time to offer some advice. Coming at you from Lake Garda, located one hour from Europe’s most romantic; here’s some balcony advice. From platform compatibility to pricing, the latest video is on baileyalexander.com.
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MEANWHILE IN NORTHERN ITALY
Weather was unsteady this summer, super hot, then cool, more rain than I remember and lots of moments like this
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WILL THE EU DIE A DEATH, AS PREDICATED BY MANY PODCASTERS, OR WILL IT WAKE UP AND RESHAPE ITS DESTINY
The EU has strayed from its founding principles, of an organization created to ensure peace among its members, pooling sovereignty in very specific areas, defined by the Treaties unanimously approved by its member states, to something that resembles an autocracy, trampling over its members legitimate concerns. The Europhiles discuss this, and the broader geopolitical changes sweeping our worldview. Available on Apple, spotify, Castos and all the rest…. Link: couple-of-europhiles.castos.com/episodes/…
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN SEATTLE
To think I haven’t been back home in 15 years. Everyone I loved has left the city. Change is constant and time does fly and it was such fun to sail around the city, and up north, where the mountains and the sea meet. Little wonder I ended up on Lake Garda.
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Lido life on Lake Garda
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The winds of Lake Garda; Ora, Peler, Viness, Panolot, Vent to name a few
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CROSSING A THRESHOLD INTO THE WORLD OF SUPERHEROES WITH ANNA FILA ROBATTINO
In my book, “Personal Legends of Piemonte” we meet Anna Fila Robbatino and cross another threshold, entering her secret garden. Anna is famous for her nature hikes in Piemonte, Italy - and they really do provide a peak experience. Young and old people alike take copious notes. She refers to her herbs as Superheroes, and we discover how to heal our body; realizing our bodies are much wiser than we think.
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