Before the borders of modern Europe hardened into lines of power stretching across the Pyrenees, the Basque people lived with a quieter kind of authority—rooted in land, language, and community. Since the Middle Ages, they governed themselves through local councils that gathered beneath the great oak of Guernica. That tree was more than a landmark; it was a living symbol of continuity. Its branches offered shelter, its trunk a place of assembly, and its roots a reminder that identity, like nature, is sustained through interdependence and preservation.
Tag: garden travel
Shores of Lake Maggiore, View From Villa Aminta
I have a fantasy, and you won’t be surprised that it involves gardens. My fantasy is to return each September to the shores of Lake Maggiore.
I will sit on the terrace of Villa Aminta, and enjoy my breakfast while I look out over the Borromeo islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre.
Coffee?
One of the great adventures of international travel is ordering coffee; you just don’t know what you might get. Americano may be the closest to what we are familiar with, but asking for just coffee, who knows?
On a small-group tour in Rome with a local guide, we were walking through a large shopping mall when we came across an Illy coffee bar. We asked if we had time for a cup, and we had a small Illy espresso, and it was fabulous. Italian coffee lived up to its hype.
In 2004, we traveled by train to Grenoble, France. There, we ordered coffee: Rich, an Americano, and me, I tried something different. It was truly one of the most memorable cups yet. It was in a parfait-type glass, with a shot of espresso at the bottom and the top filled with whipped cream.
In 2019, we traveled to Costa Rica and with a private guide, we visited Cafe’ Don Cornelio Coffee farm, hosted by his daughter. We walked among her coffee plants, and we saw the size of the picking baskets, the drying, the roasting, and the eventual brewing of the fresh beans. We learned about blight that can destroy plants, and about machine harvesting vs hand harvesting only the ripest red coffee cherries.
Driving through the countryside, we saw workers hand-picking coffee beans on steep slopes. We saw women with their babies on their backs, coffee baskets on the front, picking coffee cherries by hand. To this day, I take care to never waste a bean that falls from the 2-lb bags we so conveniently buy at Costco.
In Porto, Portugal, we had a free day to explore and made our way to the famous Majestic Cafe, which opened in 1929. We had to wait in line to get a table, but once inside, we were surrounded by elaborate art deco glasswork, leather-tooled benches, and scrolled woodwork. We were seated near the bar, where we watched a variety of drinks prepared and picked up by the waiters. Again, I was game to try something different, and I asked the waiter for “one of those.” Lost in translation, I wasn’t sure exactly what it was called, but it had cream on the bottom, coffee in the middle, and whipped cream on top. More like hot ice cream than coffee, and oh-so-pretty.
One step at a time into the new year
Stairs are intentionally designed to connect one level to another, yet they hold a kind of magic. Depending on where you are, you might be ascending toward an extraordinary view or
Looking Up in Madrid & Portugal
It’s early fall in Spain & Portugal, the grape leaves are beginning to turn stripey red, the flowers are past their prime, but everywhere I look, something marvelous is in view. In Portugal, along the Douro River, terraced vineyards cover the hills. Olive trees grow in a line marking a border from the top of the rolling hills down to the river.
An Artist’s Legacy Creates Art in A Garden
The most beautiful garden space I experienced during my recent travels was in West Dean Gardens, on the Isle of Wight. (just off the coast of southern England) It was such a stunning combination of flowers, vines, and fruits everywhere I walked. I spun around in circles trying to take it all in.
Travel Moments in Summer Gardens
Traveling is a major part of my summer this year, and exploring gardens is a big part of these adventures. It isn’t possible to write a story about each one, so I thought I would highlight some notable moments.
The Place, The House & The Gardener
Every garden has a story: where the garden is located, what the architecture of the dwelling reveals about the times and place, and who the gardener was. Visiting the Jim Thompson Garden in Bangkok, Thailand, illustrates this thoroughly.
Flowers Have Powers
My recent trip to Asia opened my eyes to an interconnected way of living with nature. I believe I revere nature, but I have been listening to Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, and my thoughts have been challenged. Reverance of nature is a cultural bias. Asian cultures have it embedded in all aspects of life. I was surprised to discover our Western culture has a different view of nature; we have an inherited belief in dominion over nature. (which is perhaps why one man believes it is ok to clearcut 200 million acres of national forests)
Turtle Island–Wisdom for All
Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, and it is used by some American Indigenous peoples and some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a creation myth common to several indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of North America.