Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: Nature

  • Zermatt Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals Switzerland

    Zermatt Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals Switzerland

    I don’t usually think about bucket lists. Anywhere I am, is a worthy travel adventure as long as it is out of my ordinary. However, Zermatt and its wonderful Matterhorn have been on my wish list for decades. It seems unreal that we are on our way this morning. The road over the Simpson pass…

  • Rainy Days Are Still Beautiful: Travel Goals Italy

    Rainy Days Are Still Beautiful: Travel Goals Italy

    Sunny, magical days have to be interrupted occasionally. And so the rain sets in for a multi-day period of grey clouds and damp pavement. Since we are in Italy to experience Italy, we set off for a wet drive around the lake to Cannobio on Lake Maggiore (….not to be confused with Cernobbio on Lake…

  • A Walk On the Wild Side: Travel Goals Italy

    A Walk On the Wild Side: Travel Goals Italy

    After several weeks of touring historic sites and churches, we decide to broaden our Italian experience. Our destination for a local weekend experience is the Pombia Safari park. It is essentially a drive through zoo. You can drive your own car or ride in their safari wagon. We opt to drive. We arrive early, park,…

  • The End of the Road: Travel Goals Italy

    The End of the Road: Travel Goals Italy

    Wanderlust…our internal yearning of wanting to see new things, hear new sounds, smell new smells….means that every day we venture out to parts unknown. We try to keep the destination within two hours drive to ensure we have enough time to enjoy each new spot without tiring or feeling rushed. We never know what we…

  • Stranded: Travel Goals Italy

    Stranded: Travel Goals Italy

    Sometimes things are not as you want them to be. You just have to take a deep breath and deal with them as they are. We wanted to take the ferry to Intra and then on to Isola Madre, the last Borromean island we haven’t visited. It was market day in Intra…and I love market…

  • Gardens and Galleries in Verbania: Travel Goals Italy

    Gardens and Galleries in Verbania: Travel Goals Italy

    Some days just exceed my expectations. I wake up to a beautiful pink sunrise. The rain has washed the earth clean and the birds are singing their thanks. We have no where to be and take our time, lingering over coffee. We drive around the lake to Verbania and the Villa Taranto. I am not…

  • Mottarone, the Tiniest Alp: Travel Goals Italy

    Mottarone, the Tiniest Alp: Travel Goals Italy

    The morning broke cool and cloudy. Because the forecast for the rest of the week included rain, we decided to drive up to the top of Mottarone. The smallest mountain in the Alps. The tiniest Alp. The road was surprisingly busy, and unsurprisingly winding and narrow. Gangs of cyclists clogged the road. Once we got…

  • Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals Italy

    Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals Italy

    It is raining this morning. Light misty rain, but moving into an all day steady drizzle. I search google maps and apple weather for patches of dryness to see if anywhere close is a better (drier) way to spend our day. Rain. Check again. More rain. Eventually, I find dry patches high in the Italian…

  • Stress Free Stresa: Travel Goals Italy

    Stress Free Stresa: Travel Goals Italy

    It is a rare day that we both awaken at about the same time. In sync, we enjoy coffee. My husband decided to try Italian toasted bread. You buy it prepackaged and already toasted. It is hard as a rock. I took a hard pass. He is desperate because there is no toaster in the…

  • Skunked

    Skunked

    Friday started out normally. I had laundry running and was packing for an upcoming trip. As I moved from room to room, I caught whiffs of an unusual odor. I kept working. There was a heat wave, with temperatures reaching 100 and I wasn’t too keen on working outside in between my zoom calls and…