Breakfast at Savini in Milan

 

One of the perks of living in Switzerland (besides all the delicious cheese and chocolate) is how close it is to other cool places – like Milan.  I learned this week that a train from Lausanne to Milan is only 3 hours - and you know what that means. Day trip!!!  

 

 

Catching the first train out in the morning (around 6:30 am), I was in Milan by 9:30 am and in time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Savini. Savini is located in the Galleria which is one of my favorite buildings in the city. 

The restaurant Savini has been there since 1884.  It started as meeting place for celebrities and artists of the day, but now it’s filled with tourists like me visiting the Piazza del Duomo who want to relax with a good meal.

 

If you go, I will warn you that it’s not cheap.  My croissant and tea (and the complimentary box of biscuits they gave me) was $14 Euros.  While this would be a bargain in Switzerland, you can get really good food for fair prices at most places in Italy.

But at Savini you are paying for the experience of having breakfast in a super posh place.  Besides, their croissants are to die for.

I really didn’t have plans for Milan beside the whole “let’s go to Milan” plan, so spent my day wandering around and checking out the architecture. 

 

Naturally, I had to follow up my walk-about with pasta, which I did get a reasonable price.  My shrimp gnocchi, unusual appetizer (which was described as pine nuts and olives encased in a salty crust) and wine cost less than my breakfast.  And it was delicious. The best gnocchi I had ever had.  And that thing in the salty crust was fantastic.

Red Rocks and Drumming in Sedona (Vortex Tours)

Rahelio - I had to steal this from his
website as my camera didn't work.

If you visit Phoenix, then you have to take a daytrip to Sedona.  It’s gorgeous – and very red. 

The rocks are red, the dirt is red and even the buildings are red. People told me about the redness before I went, but you need to see them to believe it -- especially at sunrise or sunset. It's breathtaking.

But what Sedona is really famous for is their spiritual vortexes which are supposed to enlighten, renew and empower you. 

When I found out about the Sedona vortexes, I did a little bit of research (because you know I had to check them out as they sounded very "Dr. Who-ish") and there are number of tour groups that will take you there.  One of the most popular ones are these pink jeeps.  But here's my question:  why take a pink jeep when you can have a shamanic guide, who also does Sedona sweat lodge sessions, take you to the vortex location?

Yup, that’s right.  You know me. I can’t do the normal tour.  I have to do the weird one….and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

HE HAD ME AT “HELLO”

I found Rahelio and his  mystic tour by random chance on the internet.  He doesn’t have a fancy website (http://rahelio.homestead.com), but on the site he said his Sedona Vortex tours were for those “who might be awakening in consciousness or who are on a spiritual quest.”  On the tour, he said people may experience a powerfully transformative encounter with the mystical presence of a sacred land.

Am I on a spiritual quest? I don’t know. Maybe?

So I called him up, and instead of answering with a fancy company name, he answered with a simple “hello.”

I was sold.

DRUMMING AND FLIP FLOPS

When I called up Rahelio, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  He told me to meet him outside this organic grocery story around 3:30 p.m. because he was doing a sweat lodge session in Sedona the night before and needed to sleep in. 

I hung up thinking this guy is really sounding like my type of tour guide -- not fancy and likes to sleep in. Works for me.  Plus, I figured this way I could take my time getting there.  In my mind I imagined us and our little group hiking through red rock country for two hours in search of the sacred vortexes.  I would get this fantastic workout AND be spiritually enlightened. The ultimate in multi-tasking -- and you know how I love to multi-task.

Rahelio drove up exactly at 3:30 and he was in shorts and flip flops.  It was then I realized, we would not be hiking very far.  But what would we be doing? The answer: drumming. Yes, drumming – and it was more cool than I could have imagined, and something I had never done before. 

GETTING INTIMATE WITH THE SPIRITUAL VORTEXES

Rahelio drove our little group of 5 up the mountain to one of the vortex areas.  He grabbed mats from the back of his truck, his drum and ceremonial flute and then led us to this gorgeous area overlooking the red rocks.  I have no pictures of this as my iphone crapped out on me that day, so you’ll have to take my word that it was amazing.

He laid out the mats in a row and told us to sit or lie down on them. He then let us experience the energy of the vortex as he drummed, chanted and sung about Mother Earth, Mayan prophecy and the shamanic teachings he’s learned over the years. 

It was a relaxing and inspiring journey that I never expected. Laying on earth, the experience with the vortexes was much more intimate that it would have been on a jeep tour. I'm not sure how enlightened I was, but I’m glad it turned out the way it did and that I met Rahelio.

I could go hiking any time, but how often would I get to hang with a shamanic guide and listen to drumming as the sun set over the Sedona mountains?

I’m already thinking that next time, I may try his sweat lodge encounter the next time I go to Sedona.

Cruising in Santa Cruz

Ever since I bought my bike and discovered I can ride 65 miles without dying, I’m all about challenging myself with long rides. But not just any old rides. I’m looking for scenic rides because, hey, if they aren’t scenic, I might as well be sweating away in the gym.

So when I heard about this Coastal biking daytrip, I instantly signed up. First of all, it was free through Sactown Active Xplorers (just the cost of gas) and secondly, it was in Santa Cruz and I had been dying to check that place out. Of course, there one just one problem…the night before I had dinner plans in San Francisco so I knew I would not be getting my full 8 hours of beauty sleep. But what’s life if you don’t have a few little challenges along the way?

WAKING UP TO FUN AND SUN

My alarm went off at 7 a.m. on Saturday and I would like to say I bounded out of bed – but that doesn’t happen even on a good day, let alone one where you only had four hours of sleep.

I swear, I looked like poop, but that didn’t matter. My bike and I were going to Santa Cruz. Whoohoo!!

Our little group of three (yes, even I couldn’t believe only three of us signed up for this amazing free adventure) arrived at the Natural Bridges Regional Beach Park around 11 a.m. and I knew it was going to be good day. The weather was a balmy 80 degrees which is nearly unheard of in that area, the water was blue and the air …well, the air smelled like the beach. I know – it’s very Kramer-esque (Seinfeld reference), but the smell of the beach is amazing.

Unloading our bikes, I couldn’t wait to begin our biking excursion. We would begin by biking uphill to the top of the UC Santa Cruz Campus making our way through the beach town streets and then riding through the Redwood forest, and finally cruising along the beach taking in the incredible view of the ocean.

Our goal was to cover 25 to 30 miles and then stop and have lunch at a little Mexican place in the downtown area at the end.

I must say the journey and the scenery were incredible.

We didn’t quite make it to oldest wooden rollercoaster, which I’m told survived the Loma Prieta Earthquake, nor did I get to bike over the old railroad tracks used in the film “The Lost Boys”, but that just means I’ll have to back again – because the beauty of Santa Cruz really is worth a second trip.

The new girl in Houston

Yes, it's true. I am the new girl in town. Houston's 11 News found me in Tampa, Florida and convinced me that I would love Houston. And so far, they are right.

Yeah, I admit that I'm not exactly a long-neckin', two-steppin' type of gal, but I want to be - or at least I'm willing to try it. In fact, I want to check out everything Houston has to offer including TexMex, Kolochies (what in the world are those?), the rodeo and the cowboy shuffle.

I'm up for taking on anything you Texans have to offer. So whatever or wherever it is, you can count me in!