Well we have been going
strong for nine days and on Day 11 we depart Umbria and drive several hundred
miles to the northwest of Italy and Lake Como. So we make Day 9 a day to chill
and just relax at the Country Houses and virtually everyone took advantage of
it – including me.
I think Isabel and I slept in
until 10 am had some coffee, relaxed, worked on the blogs, got some computer
time in, got some laundry done, and then it was time for a two hour nap.
Others also slept in, hung
out by the pool or went for little jaunts around the countryside as every
couple ahs their own car. Some went to Cortona, some went to Lake Trasimeno,
some to Preggio and some to Umbertide for a festival. That is the beauty of
this trip – you have your own car and so although there is an itinerary you
have freedom.
As the day wound down and we
all realized we still had a lot of leftovers from the week it was Pot Luck Happy
Hour in Umbria. Glen and Steve made their way into Umbertide and found a
butcher and snagged an amazing 2” thick steak which they grilled on the grill
we all mastered during our cooking class just two nights before. The rest of us
all pitched in with different dishes and wow what a spread we created out of
nothing! 
You realize at that point the
one, main, unique aspect of this trip and that is the bond that is created
between my travelers on every trip. It is an amazing thing to see a group of
virtually complete strangers at the start of the trip become such good friends
so quickly that you would swear they had been friends for 40 years. I LOVE that
part of this trip. I know now why it happens and why Italy and its culture is
so special. It has to do with the preparation and enjoyment of food, wine and
company over several hours. Not a rushed dinner with the TV on and no one
really engaged. When we cook in these houses it is a 4-6 hour party filled with
laughter, great smells, dancing, tastes, and magical conversations and images
that imprint on your memory forever. I think it pulls a subliminal and primal
part of our humanity that man and womankind have shared since the days we lived
in caves and collectively hunted and gathered to survive. It is special and only those that have been
on this trip truly understand what I am talking about here – but it is real and
it is most definitely lasting.
