yoga retreat

Finally, some pictures and stories from Casperia (north of Rome - about 1 1/2 hours by train/bus):

This was where I stayed for the week - the window above the archway looked into the hallway directly across from the bathroom. The window up and to the right was our bedroom window. There were windows on the other side which allowed a breeze to flow through (very helpful as no airconditioning). It was lovely (really)!

This was the view from our bedroom window!

An old monastary across the valley from Casperia (abo

Another cooking class, this one with Paola and her daughter Cincella - what a great time we had! By the end of the night, Karen (the woman to the left of Paola) and I were supporting each other up the winding steps of Casperia - chalk it up to too much homemade Lemoncello!! We made spinach/ricotta raviolis, eggplant parmesian, vanilla ice cream, and Saltimboca (a simple veal dish that literally translated means "Jumps in your mouth") - the spelling may be off! As an added treat, Paola taught us how to make Papa al Pomodoro (a traditional Tuscan soup). We asked if she had any ideas to use up old bread and we whipped up this soup:

Tomotoes dropped in boiling water for 1 minute then in a bowl of cold water (to get the skins off). Heat some olive oil, garlic, and chili peppers (if you want it spicy). Add the tomatoes cut into big chunks and salt. Add some water or stock and stale bread cut into big chunks just to the top of the liquid (or a little bit more). Then simmer for 30 minutes or so so the bread dissolves (doesn't have to dissolve all the way). It was so simple yet so yummy!!

Paolo shared her Limoncello recipe too but I was not able to write it down (I wonder why) so she promised to send it to me (which I will share with you - that's a promise, Anne!!!). Cincella said we were the best group ever - could have been the sing-alongs with the radio during cooking (Frank Sinatra, Creedance Clearwater, and others - quite the mix).

A little market in the nearby town of Orvieto where I went on an underground tour and visited a beautiful cathedral (one of many in Italy).

Sunset from the restaurant where we ate each evening in Casperia. The food was amazing - prepared by Stefani whose family owns a Trattoria in Rome as well (called the Happy Tummy). Mom and I found it near the Vatican and had our best meal in Rome with Marcello and Stefania.

Lost in the countryside around Casperia. I'm not kidding! We followed a trail guide and some signs posted sporadically along the way until.... hmmm, where are we? Kim and Ellen (from Port Townsend) suggested turning back and retracing our steps. However, intrepid Cary convinced them that we were bound to find our way if we circled back around "this way." (Ask Steve and Kristi about their crooked fence sometime and you'll understand how convincing I can be!)

They were troopers even when we all realized that we had no idea where Casperia was (hard to lose a town perched high on a hillside). I waved down a car and he got us going on the right road. Then we realized that we'd never make it back in time to shower and catch the shuttle for Rome. I tried to wave down other drivers, but alas, my hitchhiking attempts were not met with the most willing helpers. Until Saint Gabrielle saw us! She was heading in the opposite direction and must have pitied us. She circled back, we hopped in, and made it back in plenty of time!! See, it all turned out OK :)

Random scenes from within the walls of Casperia. Notice the water spigot - all the water in Casperia and Rome was drinkable! It comes from springs and was quite good. I was a little reluctant to drink it at first (given my past experiences in Oaxaca, Mexico) but I waited until I saw others drink it and gave it a try (no tummy bugs yet).

Last day of Yoga class - participating in a "Mindful Snack" activity. Hopefully, we can have a "Yoga Reunion" when I arrive in Portland on Oct. 3rd. Everyone promised to try! The group consisted of some amazing individuals, all from the Portland area (except for the two from Port Townsend, and me of course).

The course was so much more than I expected!! Lynea is a school counselor in Estacada and uses yoga poses, activities, and games to teach and practice social/emotional skills. One example: one game we played using tree pose required us to imagine someone helping us stay rooted and strong. The two leaders pretended to be animals making noises and waving in our faces to break our concentration. Afterwards, we discussed what strategies we used to ignore them and how we could use similar strategies to ignore real pests in our lives. That would be such an excellent game to use with students in the classroom!

I had a fabulous time! My sister laughed - she didn't know there was a "teacher" component and was very proud of me for doing something all for myself for a change. Well, I ruined that image - can't change my spots that easily!!