endless summer #42

the small village of garda

lake garda

ice-cream time...all the time.

the yacht club at garda...

the back of our villa at garda.

lake garda
jp and i decided to take some time out after the rush of the first week in piemonte and spend some lazy days on lake garda in the northern part of italy. we ended up using it as a base to visit the famous wine regions of valpolicella and soave. it turned out to be the most relaxing part of our trip. we stayed in a villa that was huge. it had its own pool and was walking distance from the edge of the lake. thus there was enough time to work in the mornings doing the tastings and relaxing in the afternoon next to the lake side. the place we stayed is tucked away between the lake garda and the hills behind verona...the city of romeo and juliet. we spent some time discovering the hills of verona. driving up and down the small country roads in jp’s small renault. we felt like true italians. driving fast. driving badly. the countryside absorbs you in and opens your imagination. sipping coffee in some small village or finding a place to grab something for lunch was a daily challenge. but watching the locals crawl out of there locations after lunch to find some sun is a activity that will never stop to amaze me.

endless summer #41

cascina lana
this story has to go down in the history as one of the best examples of hospitality. we arrived in the small town of nizza monferrato. not sure where to go and or what to expect we strolled into the tourist information office. they pointed us in a few directions and this is how we eventually ended up at cascina lana. what started out as a ordinary tasting of taking a stroll through the cellar and asking some questions we got asked to sit down for the tasting. bottles and bottles were carried out for us to taste. soon the lady put down some bread and a massive salami which must have weighed about five kilograms. what followed was a family feast. she started cooking lunch for us while we were tasting the wines. every now and then she would pop her head out of the kitchen to ask if we were still ok and shout something in italian at the grandmother sitting in her chair in the corner of the room. it was astonishing to see the whole thing play out in front of me. i am still dumb struck just thinking about it. there we where. stranger treated like children in our own home. at the end we were all sitting around the table drinking coffee and grappa. it was fantastic. we were told that if we ever visit italy again that we have a home to come and visit. i tell you it was emotional. i have never felt so well treated and so humbled in my entire life. the simplicity, honesty and openness of these people blew me out of the park. i ask myself how some people just manage to do these things so naturally while others cant seem to even give you a smile....

endless summer #40

dear bloggers. i have returned after three unforgettable weeks in italy. it has been a journey to remember and it seems that the further the summer progresses the more exciting and memorable it becomes. i will have to do some work over the next couple of days to put the whole italian picture together for you. so hang in there and be patient with me please. but it is good to be back.

i lay down the challenge before you...

here are some questions to those who dare to dream. dare to live a little. those that what to break the status quo of everyday life...

...if you had permission to do what you really wanted to do what would that be.

...what is keeping you from doing it.

...what can you do to get there.

i see often people that are afraid to dare. afraid to dream. why dont you sit down and write down ten things you have always wanted to do. then go out and do them. no ifs. no buts. just go. i promise you. you wont regret it for a second. i have done it. i learned french. i ran with the bulls. i have seen santorini which was a lifelong dream. and i will be working in champagne in less than a month. things i though i might achieve in a lifetime. i have done them. there should be no limit to your dreams. they can only be to small...but never too big. so set your sails for blue waters and take direction to horizon.

a tribute to friends...

VINFEROS: meinard. manu. nuno. clara. chef. fatih. jp. all pointing to where we come from.

uncle joe. an absolute legend .

my kid sister from colombia....nats.

madame coralie...

the chef himself.

to all the people out there that read my BLOG on a regular or not so regular basis...this is a tribute to friends. those back home....you know who you are. but this tribute it more specifically to the new friends i have made in the last couple of months. from the first day i set my feet on the european continent i have been surrounded by good people. the best people i could have asked for. i wanna thank you all for the part you are playing in making these times the most surreal and unforgettable times of my life. the wines we drank. the places we discovered. the roadtrips. the study night and writing reports. the fun in the sun. the rain storms and the cold. running with the bulls. seeing santorini. the list goes on and on and on...i was wanting to make a list of names but in fear of forgetting someone i will summorise the groups:

>VINIFEROS and outsiders (special mention to nuno. clara. jp. joe)

>classmates from ILA language school in montpellier (natalia. steve. sanna. sherry.)

>people i meet on my visits to spain, portugal and greece (claras friends and parents. nunos friends and parents. maria and demirti. ilias and iosif)

>the friendly people around france, especially in the loire valley (madame coralie and anthonie)

>my people and friends in london

what would life be without friends like you guys?

small posts along the side....

hey guys and girls. i am working on some columns that i wanna put up on the right-hand side of the BLOG. so keep your eyes and ears open for new and adventurous hints. the same old stuff remains...quotes. links. favourites. etc. if you wanna give me tips and ideas fire away. i have drawn inspiration from all the time in the sun around the mediterranean sea. perhaps it is a case of sunstroke. i dont know. but it feels real enough and theres no headaches that comes with the inspiration. i just have to say that the time around the med has been surreal. i am looking forward to share some stories with each one of you face-to-face when the time comes to meet again. till next time...cos i dont know where these feet will take me next.

endless summer #39

the perfect moment to take a picture...the chef...at peace with himself and the world around him.

always playful. always time for a joke. always time to have fun. never will i stop being a kid. it is just too much fun. being a grown up is way to much responsability for now...

so what happens next?