IDEA130: Micro-blog with the Dayre App

If you follow me on Instagram then you know I just loooove posting pictures through out the day. I treat it as my little 'visual diary' of lovely things I see. It's an exercise in "stopping and smelling the roses", sometimes literally to re-affirm that life around me is indeed beautiful! I also take pictures of everything I eat and drink... don't give me that look, I KNOW I'm not the only one! Well, what I have been wondering recently is how to use Instagram more creatively, that is instead of just sharing photos, or quotes... what else could it be used for?

The first thing that popped into my mind was, I'd love to share recipes. It's so much easier to snap quick pics of what's cooking with your phone then be constantly grabbing your 5 lbs camera... Then you have to upload these photos online to your blog, etc, etc, etc. Sure if you're an aspiring food photographer and have a few recipe books in the works, I understand you would be spending the time to take higher quality photos, but what if you just want to share a quick recipe? You can do it on Instagram taking an individual picture of each step and writing down the instructions, but it's a bit of an awkward process.  So I searched for something that would allow a series of photos to be posted and lo and behold a few days ago I came across a new social media application called Dayre. I immediately downloaded it and tried it out...

It is structured like a daily diary, hence the name "Dayre", and you can:

- upload a photo
- upload a video
- write text (longer then 140 characters)
- apply location
- and there are also cutesy stickers, sounds and so on

The interesting thing is that you can do all of the above in ONE POST which you can then share on Facebook or by emailing your own dayre.me/yourname link. 

The initial marketing for this was for moms who want to take lots of pictures and videos of their babies to document their growth daily and share with the rest of the family. Obviously there are tons of other uses for this! The guys at Dayre came up with these "how to's" to give an example: 

View fullsize

(photo via Dayre)

Also Lifestyle bloggers can inevitably use this as a supplement to their online blogs to give quick updates and post reviews of restaurants, coffee shops, blog updates from media events, runway shows, etc. 

(photo via Dayre)

There are however a few questions. Like, since it's structured as a daily diary, how would you search for recipes for example? Yes you can use hashtags, but what if you want to search your own archives or someone else's in particular? Also there is still the hold up of not being able to put links.

What I see as a good supplemental use for this application that lifestyle bloggers can take advantage of is life blogging from events. You can geo tag your location, make short videos of what is happening, perhaps conduct interviews, and that way you can make a live reportage of the day and finding this would be a snap because you can just search for it by date.  

This app is new so I'm sure it will be evolving with new features, it'll be up to us to keep up and think of creative ways to apply it in our lives and our work. While I'm still thinking how to use this for On The Same Page purposes, I'm excited to see this app available and follow it's evolution! To check out what some of the 'seeders' for this app are doing see this list of profiles.

OTSP blog is on Dayre... but we're still figuring out how we'd like to use it. You might want to sign-up and grab your name since it's filling up fast with apparently thousands joining daily. 

We have started a new category "Blogging & Business" to talk about new trends and technologies for bloggers and entrepreneurs. I'm a huge technology fan and love keeping up with what's the latest and though why not share it! We also realized that we LOVE to read about the blogging process on our favorite blogs and follow their evolution from blog to business that we too decided to share any tips and tricks we are learning along the way. Hope you will like these posts! 

• • •

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin on Pinterest! ~ For More ways to Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

Blog

Make Delicious Sweets with Your Instagram Photos

about 11 years ago

Blog

How to Live Like You're Traveling : Part 2 - What Makes Us Happy When We Travel?

about 10 years ago

Love Without Borders : Courting in Chiapas, Mexico

Here at LLYT, we love a good love story, especially one that brings people together... beyond borders. We last visited (Wild Sicily) through global neighbor Jillian, of A Feathery Nest and today we bring you a taste of rural Mexico through Courtney, of Chiapas Bazaar. (Photos via Courtney)

Sure you can fall in love with a person or with a place, but to fall in love with someone who also lives in a faraway place? Sounds like something out of a fairy tale, right? But in today's world of high speed trains, planes, wifi and pretty much high speed everything, why should borders cultural or geographical still deter us from following our dreams? So starts a new series "Love Without Borders" in which we will take a peek at the lives of our Global Neighbors to see what happens when we transcend these barriers. Thank you Courtney for sharing your story!   

• • •

Chiapas and I have a curiously long history together. While I’ve only lived here full-time for a year and a half, Chiapas and I first heard of each other back in the year 2000. Chiapas was here, where it always is, and I was studying Spanish in a city called Cuernavaca, a beautiful town about an hour outside of Mexico City.  At that point, I hadn't yet visited Chiapas - that happened for the first time in 2004.  But sight unseen, it had always intrigued me - jungles, Zapatistas, Mayan ruins...

After finishing university, I moved to New York City and scrambled up the corporate ladder at LVMH, finally ending up at Marc Jacobs International. Life was cozy and delicious, but something was missing. I also had this dream of joining the Peace Corps, of serving a greater good - paying it forward. So I undertook the laborious process of applying to go volunteer in the developing world. I was finally assigned my country - with all my Spanish lessons and my extensive Latin America travels - and I went to Moldova (itty bitty country in Eastern Europe, in case you haven´t heard of it…).  

I had about three months to tie up loose ends with my US life, friends, and family. I decided to take one month and spend it in Chiapas, Mexico where I could eat tacos and mole to my heart’s content.  It was a solo trip - almost like a NYC decompression chamber. But I was also fortunate because I had some friends in Chiapas that I knew from my study abroad days.

 • • • 

During this time in Chiapas, it was through a friend of mine that I had met during my time in Cuernavaca that introduced me and my future husband. The following events are important because they just affirm how the universe had been conspiring to get us (me, M. and Chiapas) together. While living in Moldova with M. still in Mexico, I fell and broke my ankle and was eventually discharged from the Peace Corps. Once I healed, I moved here to Chiapas to be with M. and I haven’t looked back. I had always wanted to live in Mexico, so there wasn't much of a discussion between M and I about where we would start our new life together.

• • • 

So now you see - I have a background in world of fashion and I have a passion for service.  How did these two interests manifest themselves in my adopted home of Chiapas?  In this { www.chiapasbazaar.com }  

We started Chiapas Bazaar in early 2013 with the goal to provide a steady income to rural artisans in the state of Chiapas by exposing their products to international markets where there is a great demand for beautiful, handmade treasures. We are also keenly aware of the demand for factory-free pieces and are extremely proud to say that artisans work from home where they can still do their daily duties and create their pieces in their downtime.  It’s a “win-win” for everyone. The artisans can continue their trade but reach new markets and have steady work; customers around the world can own a piece handmade by a Chiapas artisan; and we create the connection between these two that wouldn’t otherwise exist.  

• • • 

Our job takes us to many beautiful rural places in Chiapas - the greenest place you might imagine, full of lush tropical vegetation or pine forests where the vast majority of the population works in agriculture in the countryside. We travel and visit the off-the-beaten path villages where Spanish is often the second language of the residents. It´s almost like the backdrop is the same, just the traditional dress of the people changes. In these villages with semi-paved roads, you’ll find the most beautiful colors and color combinations, traditions passed down generations, and true artists.  

We feel extremely honored to work with the artisans and we feel that we have a huge responsibility to educate customers and anyone who visits our site about the work the artisans dedicate themselves to and the time, effort and skill it requires to produce such beautiful things.

- - -  

Muchos saludos from Chiapas and we had so much fun "meeting" you both!  
- Courtney of Chiapas Bazaar

---

Head on over to ChiapasBazaar.com for Mexican handmade global finds! 
Here are some of our favorites:

Alla's Picks

Mu-Hsien's Picks

So wait... if you bravely defy any obstacles and just 'go for it' the universe actually HELPS you along? I guess we suspected that, it's just the universe wants us to be the ones to take that first scary step. --- If you're a Global Neighbor who has transcended cultural or geographical borders for love and would like to share your Love without Borders story, (we'd love to hear from you!)  
 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

Sometimes you have to break an ankle 
to get on the right path. 

Get everyday adventure ideas @LiveLikeYoureTraveling

---

READ NEXT:

---

There are no items to display from the selected collection.

There are no items to display from the selected collection.

Follow us for travel-inspired wisdom and unique cultural finds:
FEEDLY   |   BLOGLOVIN   |   FACEBOOK   |   PINTEREST 

IDEA129: Go Boutique Hunting for Your Next Unique Find

If you were to describe your style in 2-3 words...what would it be?

Starting this blog has helped me to understand what my personal style really is. What makes us "US" is so inherently woven into all of our decisions that somehow it makes it more challenging to actually SEE it. It wasn't until I started a pinterest board "Classic Naturalist" that I saw the reocurring themes that have resonated with me consistently through most of my life. Have you gone through any similar insights?

It's amazing how little I consciously I knew about my taste. But the exercise of collecting what I like helped me to see the patterns:

* Classic Naturalist *

/  modern elements with character /  nature themes  
/  texture and warmth  /  old and new

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

• • •
And if you follow the trail leading up to now, it all starts to make sense.
I guess {exchanging vows} in the canopy of trees was a clue...

• • • 

and is it a coincidence that the previous owner of our urban home
was a florist with more plants than square footage?...

• • • 

leaving me with big shoes to fill in our {garden space}...

• • • 

This past weekend...taking a much deserved *pamper* day for myself, I headed into a boutique with a fresh manicure looking forward to taking my time looking through the jewelry. I get the same kick out of being in a boutique shop whether it's flowers or fashion. I like to soak it in and take my time looking at every carefully draped piece. Usually the stores I like are not visually overwhleming and they are carefully curated and displayed in a way that is optimal for appreciation. <deep breath>...oh why helloo you...

I love the "hunt" aspect of discovering something I haven't quite seen before and this time it was a a labradorite bracelet from a Cimber, a designer out of Miami. The statement druzy stone, the natural but classic elements...oh there i go again. 

How well do you know your style? Can you describe it in just 2-3 words? 

Shop this post:

/ Pocket Shirt by Bella Dahl
Softest shirt EVER. I went home with it, and promptly bought another online. 

/ Arrow bracelet and Shield pendant by Stellaanddot.com
They have great video content for most of their pieces with ideas on how to mix pieces. 

/ Druzy & Labradorite Bracelet Via Mulberry & Me Boutique
Ashlee knows the selection inside and out and has a way with helping you find the one thing you MUST have. Designer: Cimber

{Pinterest image credits:  Burberry Trench via e-21em /Feather Ring via Verameat / Ginko Leaf via Nesstudio / French Inspired Blouses via IsabelAmyo / shoshanna}

For more ideas, follow our Pinterest Board: Classic Naturalist

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

Pay attention to the leaves and stones you pass along your path
and the answers you seek will unfold right before your eyes.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin on Pinterest! ~ For More ways to Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

Blog

IDEA131: Get a Stitchfix Personal Shopper Who Will Read Your Mind

about 11 years ago

Blog

IDEA114: Get Luminous Skin with this Natural French Beauty Secret

about 12 years ago

IDEA50 : Adopt a Party! Put on Your Dirndl & Lederhosen for Oktoberfest

Let me start out by reading you a small excerpt from the baby diary:   

Dear baby Vin, 

When you were born mommy and daddy were so excited! So much so that your daddy decided to celebrate the occasion by drinking beer 3 days in a row. In another country.

To save face, we told your big brother Mo that daddy was on vacation "doing sports and swimming". Of course we did not elaborate that doing sports meant lifting liters of beer and swimming was really referring to the ocean of beer being consumed. 
 

Do I sound a bit annoyed*? Well only because I haven't had a beer in what seems like ages and will not be partaking the rest of the year due to the milk production facilities that currently house themselves on the premises of my person. ***If you're concerned, mom-in-law spent the entire weekend with me and the kids so we were very well taken care of. 

• • • 

Back to the beers...
If you were ever curious what it's like to be at the famous Oktoberfest in the lovely Munich, Germany we've got just the reportage for you. First, a history bit.  

Once upon a time, on October 12, 1810 to be exact, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (I can't pronounce it either). To celebrate the happy occasion the Prince threw a mega party and invited his closest friends, or rather all citizens of Munich to come along, drink and be merry! There were horse races, pig roasts, folk entertainment and lots and lots of beer. Ever since then it has been a yearly celebration. In Germany Oktoberfest is actually called Theresienwiese, meaning Theresa's meadow, because the original party was held on the fields in front of the city gates. Locals to this day call it "Wies'n" for short. 

• • • 

So now that we've got the basics down, let's get to the tough decisions...

My oh my, what to wear!? The theme is peasant "chic" as you can imagine. Imitating how Alpine peasants used to dress. For gentlemen, Lederhosen (Leather overalls) with checkered shirt in red or blue. Fedora with a happy feather and very sexy white socks to the knees. 

Looking sharp boys! Looking sharp! (My Vito is the ginger one in the middle.) 

• • • 

For the ladies, the go to outfit is a dirndl dress. A circular cut dress with a boustier type top. There is usually a white blouse that leaves your ample bosoms on display, you know to show off the plenitude of Bavaria. A cute little apron and you probably want to braid your hair a la Heidi for the full effect. 

Nicely done ladies!  

• • • 

Now on to my favorite part! Drinking and eating!

This is the whole point of this shindig after all. The beer for Oktoberfest are produced by the following brewers who call themselves "Club of Munich Brewers": Augustiner-Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner-Bräu, Spatenbräu, and Staatliches Hofbräu-München. Now days the beer is golden, but originally it was a strong dark brew called "Marzen" named after the month of March which is when it was brewed and then left to ferment slowly over the summer months. 

*Please note the time of 9.15 AM. Breakfast of champions - redefined.  

Now obviously if you start your day with a liter of beer at some point you'll need to eat. So what's on the menu? How about a very manly pork roast? Or as the locals would say Schweinebraten! 

After you've devoured that beast, you can nibble on a whole roasted chicken... called Hendl.

But a real manly man will STILL be hungry, so it's only fitting to grab a Würstl sandwich!

Or a Weisswurst  with cabbage...

Belly finally full, it's time to be entertained with some music, and order another round.  

And then... things will get fuzzy, very fuzzy... and perhaps a grand leaning tower of
beer will be constructed?... I think putting beers on your head makes you smarter. 

Well I hope you've enjoyed this little manly visit to Oktoberfest in Munich. Are you inspired to come and be part of this crazy volksfest next year? Fret not if you won't be able to catch a plane to Bavaria, your very own city might be hosting a version of Oktoberfest so check it out! 

Oktoberfest near you:  
Amsterdam   /   New York City   /   Chicago   /   Beijing  /   Hong Kong 

Ahh, no beer for me this October, but don't you worry, I shall console myself when I go on a shopping trip to Paris with the girls. I'll be taking Vito's credit card with me. ;)

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

It takes teamwork, support and care to raise a child,
and sometimes also a few beers.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin it on Pinterest! ~ For more ways Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

There are no items to display from the selected collection.

Blog

IDEA119 : Bake the Easiest Lemon Tart Just Like the One in Normandy, France

about 12 years ago

IDEA126: Travel Like a Local and Stay in a Family Friendly Kid & Coe Home

Sometimes you come across a company and you just want to scream "YES!!! This is exactly what I've been dreaming about!". Well here is a fabulous new find for traveling with kids. (Thanks BozAround for the introduction!) Kid & Coe are taking "apartment" stay to the next level specializing in places with children's rooms equipped with toys and other child friendly extras. I don't know about you but when we travel we bring a suitcase for ourselves, a suitcase for the child (we have yet to travel with our new baby Vin, but he is only 3 weeks old) AND a suitcase with toys, not to mention a stroller. Staying at Kid & Coe place will surely help to eliminate the toy suitcase at least. 

Improving travel logistics is only one of the benefits, what we really love about this idea is how you can experience a destination while living like a local family! You know we here at OTSP are all about immersion travel. Eating like locals, or rather with locals, and now you can live like a local too. I for one can't wait to try this out. I told Vito last year that I thought it would be fun to celebrate Christmas in Iceland with the whole family. He thought it was a rather strange idea considering Iceland is a cold and dark place in the middle of winter. I however envision cozy strolls along the shopping street during the Christmas presents rush and having hot chocolates at the adorable cafes. Of course going for a family dip in the pools. Going on sled rides... the list goes on as I think there is plenty of family fun to be had in the wintry Iceland. By the way, each Kid&Coe apartment comes with a guide of kid friendly activities from a local scout. Perfection!

• • • 
[ The Hrisateigur Residence, Iceland ]

At the end of a fun filled day you want to come "home" and have a refrigerator available for the inevitable snacks and milk bottles, you want comfortable room to "stow" your kids away for a night of sweet dreams and TRUST me you want a comfortable living room with a TV and somewhere to perch your over-sized glass of red wine for an evening of relaxation. Vito and I call it the "happy moment", when we sit down on the couch alone after tucking in our oldest into bed promptly at 8pm. Yes it's a bit different traveling with a toddler because unlike a baby who will happily snooze through thumping samba music in his stroller while his parents sip caipirinas at a swanky South Beach, Miami lounge, a toddler needs a real bed and preferably a night light with star shapes. (Prince!) Thus unless you want to be sitting in the dark starting at 8pm you need a place with a living room.  

• • • 

Kid&Coe's accommodations look so adorable that I can just imagine having a sweet little Christmas dinner at the "borrowed home" and pretending we're an Icelandic family! Would you just check out this residence of 5 bedrooms! Three adorable children's rooms fully stocked with toys, shelves of books and plastic dinosaurs!!! Also check out the huge bathtub! I can definitely see a "happy moment" happening in one of those! 

There is only one issue remains to be settled... WHEN ARE WE GOING!? 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

For happy travels make sure your child
and YOU have plenty of toys.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin it on Pinterest! ~ For more ways Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

There are no items to display from the selected collection.

There are no items to display from the selected collection.

IDEA124: Expand Your Closet and Get Hat Saavy

During pregnancy I didn't really get the "nesting syndrome", I had the "shopping syndrome." And one day I HAD to find the perfect new hat for Fall 2013 season. I hit the internet with a fury and soon I had a candidate. I showed Vito the hat and he said very definitively: "I don't like it, you should just get a hat like the ones I wear." He wears beanies. What followed of course was one of those heart-to-heart discussions... about women's hats. By the end of it I realized that while Vito has a great eye for interior decorating, he is definitely less versed in women's fashion. (Which is perfectly OK, I really don't need him telling me what to do in yet another area.) I also realized that neither me or him were very equipped to be carrying out the discussion as we didn't even know the proper names for hats. I mean to describe the hat that I currently wear, he calls it a "helmet." And let me quote: "What ever you buy, please don't buy another HELMET." ...EXCUSE ME!? Yes, I definitely have to revisit the "absolutely no criticizing of your wife" policy. Now, before another marriage can suffer due to the lack of millinery vocabulary, and to save you from a mental hemorrhage as you search for hats...

• • • 

Let's Review shall we?  

1 - Cloche Hat (I'm an eternal romantic...)
fitted, round crown hat with really short brim. Invented in the begining of last century by Milliner Caroline Reboux.  These little hats were all the rage in the 1920's.  In case you're wondering "cloche" in French means "bell", thus explains the bell shape of this hat.  

 (via pinterest)

• • • 

2 - Fedora hat or Trilby (I once ran with the best of them Robin Hoods) 
The crown has some sort of a dent or crease, brim can be folded up in the back, or be a bit wider.

 (via pinterest.) 

• • •

3. Floppy Hat (I'm a diva, just call me Bridgitte or Sophia! No autographs please.)
Round crown hat with long enough brim to shade the face.  

 (via pinterest.) 

• • • 

4 - Western or Cowboy Hat (I'm so tough, I don't need a horse)
Usually creased crown with slightly upturned brim on the sides.

 (via pinterest.) 

• • • 

5 - The "Helmet" Hat (I'm brilliant. My mind is a coiled python of knowledge! I protect it by always wearing a helmet.) 
Oh and apparently there IS such a thing as a helmet hat! Also known as 60's mod hat. Basically it's a hat with a visor. Here is one of my "helmets" for the record.  

• • • 

6. Beanie hat  (I'm always ready for the grand slalom run! swoosh swoosh!)
Stretchy, sock like hat.  

If all else fails, I guess I'll have to take my husband's advice and get me a beanie... 
(My fear is that they're not glamorous enough, but Jill Sander is on the case.) 

Jill Sanders Beanie (via pinterest)

I'll just have to get away from the internet and actually go "live shopping" so I can try on the different hats and see which sits well on my head. My hair is huge so it's very tricky to wear any other hats then the stretchy "helmet". And sorry darling, unless you're taking me skiing in Zermatt I refuse to wear a beanie! 
 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

There is a perfect hat for every situation, and sometimes
 the hat you need IS a helmet. 

{ Keep in touch via Bloglovin, Feedly or Facebook }
For more fashion ideas: visit our Pinterest boards!
 

Love Without Borders : Meet Me in Sicily... (Italian Agritourismo)

We are so excited to introduce you today to a true "Global Neighbor," J of (A Feathery Nest) Who are global neighbors really? They're people with whom you have many things in common and despite not living near each other, they're always there for you with advice and inspiration! J will be taking us along on a trip to Sicily along with her Sicilian husband R. If you were as curious, as we were, about Italian agriturismo travel from the (Nudo-Italia post), this is a perfect opportunity to preview it before booking your own trip! 

• • •

Sicilia Selvaggia, Wild Sicily 

 In the spring of my final year of college I decided to create one of those new'ish blog thingies that everybody seemed to have. I had "discovered" them the previous summer when I Googled other people's experiences living in New York, before heading up there myself for an internship.

After getting my first blog started, I eventually gathered a circle of people who checked in on me and who I checked in on, too. One of them was a hotsy-totsy, feisty Ukrainian gal that lived in Staten Island and worked in Manhattan. We learned a lot about each other by commenting on each other's blogs and now three blogs later for me (and I believe the same number later for her!), we're still "in" each other's lives, despite trans-Atlantic moves, marriages, babies and 8 years passing. The crazy thing is, we've only ever met once!

When Alla and Mu-Hsien created On the Same Page, I got it. Immediately. After all, what better way to define the relationship between Alla and myself than "global neighbors"—friends that support each other from far away? So of course when Alla sent me a note asking if I'd like to share a story about one of my favorite topics on OTSP, I immediately agreed!

• • •  

Eight years ago I decided the perfect way to bridge my college chapter and the rest of my life would be to travel around Europe by myself for a month. Specifically, Italy. I crafted a plan to do a giant figure-eight of the country, spending the last few days with a friend who would fly over to meet me for the final leg in Sicily. That's how it came to be that I had a witness to the first time my eyes locked with R, the man who would become my husband.

R and I have been married now for almost 4 years, so if you're following the math here, that means that for 4 years I lived on the East coast of the U.S. while he lived on the East coast of Sicily. While trans-Atlantic dating is not exactly what I would call easy (especially given the limited amount of vacation time we get in NYC!), it does make for wonderful reunions.

One year I planned to meet R in Stockholm for Christmas, and then to fly down to Sicily for his birthday before I had to return home. As Christmas was spent with family in Sweden, and his birthday would be with friends in Sicily, we decided to fly to the west coast of the island for New Year's alone before renting a car and driving across the whole of Sicily to Taormina, his hometown, for his birthday.

• • • 

Neither of us are big New Year's Eve revelers, so we looked for tranquil seaside towns to ring in the new year together. We found a lovingly restored agriturismo (a farm-turned-B&B) outside Marsala—which would be a quick drive from the Trapani airport, where we landed from Stockholm, and a good starting point for the two day's drive back to Taormina on the first of the year. After we landed in Trapani, picked up a car, and drove to the Agriturismo Masseria Baglio Tenute Montalto (yes, a mouthful!) on the 31st, we quickly got settled and then back to the car we went. 

• • • 

We were on a mission to find the nearest little town to stock up on the fixings for an in-room picnic: salami, prosciutto, formaggio al pepe nero (Sicilian cheese with black peppercorns), wine, sparkling water, dark chocolate, figs, grapes, mandarines, sundried tomatoes, marinated eggplant, a loaf of bread, and some olives. We found everything we wanted and then some, so by the the time the sun was lowering in the sky, we were camped out at the farmhouse on our bed with a feast before us. 

• • • 

I fully intended to stay awake until midnight, but with a full tummy, and all the sea air I had breathed in while tooling around the coast that day, I fell asleep by 9. R gently awoke me for a midnight kiss and then we both slept deeply until morning. 

The sky was still somewhere between night and dawn when we padded out of our room and took a walk along the water to greet the new year. We weren't the only ones out—a fisherman had been hard at work before the sun rose and was already coming in with his haul when we emerged from our cocoon. With our boots in the sand and a few stones in our hands, we broke the surface of the water with a wish for each ripple we made as we launched pebbles into the Mediterranean Sea—our own morning's work.

• • • 

When we returned to the farmhouse, the Signora welcomed us to breakfast in the cantina. We sat a midst the barrels and iron tools and broke bread as the sun that streamed through the windows went from weak, hazy light, to full on Sicilian rays.

• • • 

After checking out, and receiving a few bottles of wine as a gift from the proprietors (made from their own grapes!), I lugged the massive wooden doors open, and we wended our way back up the coast along the wine road (Strada del Vino), past Trapani, through Erice (which looks like Rio de Janeiro!) where we stopped for lunch, and on to Palermo for the night. The next day we continued on through the heart of Sicily, with a pause to stretch our legs in Enna before arriving home.

I'm so glad that I fell in love with a Sicilian. There's something about the uninhibited, but many-times-over-inhabited land that makes sense to me. The fiery spirits and fiery food, the wildness of the plains, the roughness of the rocky crags, the introvertedness of people living in small, remote hilltop towns where they only speak Ancient Greek, the hooded glances and double-voweled and -consonant'ed dialects that echo Arabic origins, the fierceness and protectiveness of a much-conquered people. I don't think I'd ever set foot in a place that I recognized as much as I did as when I first rode the night train from Reggio Calabria on the mainland to Messina, the port of entry into Sicily.

Of course I could always return by myself if I hadn't met R, but experiencing the whole of the island from left to right, reading it my way, instead of the Arabic way, alongside someone who could guide me, and more importantly, translate, helped me see what I would never have been able to see on my own. There's no passport or visa that will open the doors and hearts of the Sicilians—the only way to gain entry, especially for someone that's passing through, is by the hand of one of the island's own.

Or by a glance from one of her sons.

• • • 

When we reached the summit of Erice and took a walk after lunch near the city walls, we leaned against the stones that have supported many who stopped to inhale the same magnificent views and saw an elderly shepherd herding his flock through the pasture below. He looked up and caught R's eye—perhaps recognizing the soul of his Sicilian brother. Then he directed his glance my way and tipped his head ever so slightly, acknowledging my presence. 

We paused to watch him walk slowly, purposefully, stopping every few paces to check that he was being followed by all of his sheep, and maybe to see if we were still observing him. He finally chose a boulder—his boulder, I'm sure—to sit upon while he took his canteen and wrapped lunch from his satchel, carefully unfolding the waxy paper and linen wrappings. His flock took note and found their own patches of meadow to chew contentedly on. The leader and his followers, all pausing for their midday meal.

R tightened his arm, which was draped across my shoulders and said to me, "Who do you think is the richer man, him? Or, Donald Trump?"

The answer was so clear, I didn't even need to say it aloud.

Goethe was right when he said, "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything."

- - -
Thanks for inviting me over, Alla!

XOXO,

J. of *sparklingly

• • •   ARE YOU A GLOBAL NEIGHBOR?   • • •

Would you like to introduce us to your part of the world
or take us along on a discovery? Write us!

---

READ NEXT:

---

IDEA123: Eat with a Local : Share a Home-cooked Meal with New Friends

Have you ever been on vacation and exclaimed: "Oh how nice would it be if we knew someone here so they could invite us to their house for an authentic home cooked dinner!"? Some of the richest experiences I've had while traveling is from sharing a meal with friends in their homes; friend's friends throwing us a bbq-pool party in Brazil, star-lit dinner on a terrace in Portugal, new years dinner in a 100+ yr old lake front family home in Switzerland. It's really not just about the food. A whole new dimension opens up when visiting someone's home. You can see how they've decorated, what kinds of things they have around their house, and of course get to hear first hand what life is like in their corner of the world! It's a real bonding experience that makes you believe, even if for just that evening that we can transcend our differences, cultural barriers and just all be... one big happy village. Isn't it why we travel after all? To connect and to find a little bit of ourselves in far flung places? 

This is why Alla and I are so thrilled to see *eat with a local* companies like these rising. We now have a direct dinner invitation in the homes of our global neighbors!  

• • • 

So where to first?

1 - www.cookening.com World (Mostly Europe)
Founded in France by three friends passionate about food and travel. Check out this veranda dining in the beautiful Vico Equense on the Amalfi Coast with a host who makes his own limoncello from lemons growing in his orchard. Oh...Ciao! 

• • • 

2 - www.plateculture.com (Asia)
Founded in Malaysia by two Lithuanian friends and entrepreneurs. How about a dumpling making lesson with an expat couple living in Singapore?  

• • • 

3 - www.eatwith.com  World (Mostly Europe and Americas)
Founded in Israel, the hotspot for tech start-ups, this company seems to be expanding daily adding new countries and new hosts! How about a real Argentine wood smoked BBQ feast in San Isidrio?    

• • • 

4 - www.bookalocal.com World (Currently mostly Belgium)
Founded in Belgium by an ex-New Yorker. How about a real Belgian experience of Beer Pairing Dinner with Evelyne & Brian. Or for international flavors you can make sushi with a Japanese host Haruko!

This is not only great for when you're traveling, but also right where you live.  Why not try this in your very own city? I can't wait to try a vegan dinner near me and on Alla's list is a Lebanese dinner in Amsterdam! Where will you go? 
 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

Eat culture, not food and you'll leave
the table more satisfied.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin on Pinterest! ~ For More ways to Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

IDEA122: Sweeten Your Day (and Tea), Russian Style

I was born in Ukraine and when I was about 10 years old, my family immigrated to the US first passing through Austria and Italy. Coming from a closed off (back then) to the world country and getting exposed to so many new places and sensations this experience has forever changed me. It was an adventure of a lifetime before that moment I only read about in my adventure books. That experience made me realize that anything was possible and since then I've been a nonstop pursuer of adventures. (Or as my mom would lovingly put it: "Someone who looks for trouble to befall their ass".)

First years in America I spent trying to understand this brand new culture, and being based in the colorful Brooklyn, it involved also understanding the Italian, Greek, Mexican, Hatian, Chinese, and Puerto Rican cultures as well! What a treat that was! All I wanted to do was know everything about my new friends and how they did things. I always say that New York is no melting pot, but more of a salad bowl.  All the ingredients are tossed together, but they very much retain their own character and taste. 

In college I was lucky enough to study abroad both in Spain and in Italy having the greatest time learning all I possibly can about these cultures and languages. I remember once picking up a book in Russian and being so out of practice that reading just one paragraph exhausted me when at the time I'd have no problem reading in Italian, my language love of the moment. 

But this isn't really a story about vagabonding through cultures. This is about coming 'home' and rediscovering your own roots with the same voracious curiosity. And this is exactly what has started to happen after I gave birth to our Mo two and a half years ago. All of the sudden I wanted to immerse in the culture of my long forgotten 'home' and discover everything about the Ukrainian and Russian cultures so I can teach him as well. I found the songs and cartoons on youtube that I used to watch as a child and of course I wanted him to taste the foods I used to eat.  

"Merchant's Wife at Tea"  by Boris Kustodiev.  She is feasting on the exotic fruits and wares her husband just brought back from his travels. Among them tea, which came to Russia with the merchants from far away China. Additional factoid, in the late 1800's the plumper the woman was the more beautiful she was considered. Plumpness was also a sign of good health and riches . (Oh to have those times back!)

But before this 'novel' gets any longer let me share with you something that I have just recently remembered. It's something very simple and you can find it in almost every fridge of any Russian or Ukrainian.  And that is: a little dish, cup or a glass jar full of lemon slices covered in sugar.  

• • •

Lemon with Sugar Concentrate

Russians add lemon with sugar syrup to tea.  This is how I always drank my tea when I was little. Though sometimes I would just sneak into the fridge and stick my little fingers into the bowl then suck up the delicious lemony syrup.

Ingredients
• 1 or 2 lemons (preferably organic, pealed or not that's up to you!)
• 1/2 - 1 cup of sugar (I use Caribbean brown sugar)

PrepSlice up one big or two medium lemons any which way you like. Pour the sugar over them and mix a bit to be sure the lemons are coated in sugar. Press with a spoon to pack lightly. Put it in your fridge! Next time you go to use it you'll see that the lemon juice has turned the sugar into syrup... yummy! (Good for about a week.) 

Serve
If you're a lemon lover like me, you'll soon discover yourself putting this in everything, and even eating it with a spoon in the middle of the night with the slightly open fridge illuminating your way... But here are some elegant ways to partake. 

• Add one or more slices of lemon accompanied by a teaspoon of syrup to your unsweetened tea. Why not go traditional with Russian Caravan tea blend. Russian merchants first brought tea to Russia from China among the other wares they were bringing back. The Russian Caravan tea bland is a black tea blend with rich smoky taste that is said to have been acquired at nights when merchants would make stops on their long road from China to rest and campfires would be lit to burn all night while they sat around drinking, eating and no doubt playing chess. How romantic! 

• Add it to a glass of cold water for a refreshing drink with a hint of sweetness. 

• Add it to cocktails whenever sugar syrup or agave is called for!!! OR (and this is strictly for "advanced" drinkers, I mean... readers, just put a few spoonfuls of the lemon sugar concentrate into a tumbler, pour Cachaça over it, add some ice and call it a caipirinha! NOW we're talking. If this isn't a beautiful example of a fantastic cross-cultural collaboration then I don't know what is! 

For a real Russian tea experience...
Steep tea and hot water in a small teapot. The resulting dark liquid is called "zavarka". You and your guests can variate the strength of your tea by pouring as little or as much zavarka into your cups according taste.  Fill the rest of your cup with hot water, from a "samovar" perhaps, and drink with lemon and sugar syrup. Check out more scrumptious Russian Tea blends from Kusmi Tea.   

And as a bonus, get a few of these authentic tea holders so you and your friends can sit around arguing late into the night whether Anna Karenina was a woman lost to the imposed societal laws of propriety or simply a hysterical selfish slut. I'll let you guess what 'camp' I'm in. 

Traditional Soviet tea cup holder (podstakannik) and glass. I remember drinking tea from these exact ones when traveling on overnight train from Kiev to Chernovtzy to visit my maternal Grandmother (babushka). 

Learn: 
More about the Russian Tea Culture.
Caipirinha recipe. (Cachaca can be replaced by vodka to make a Caipivodka!) 
For additional things you can do with lemons, visit J* over at Sparklingly. 

Where to find:  
Russian Tea Blends
Vintage soviet era tea holder and glass. 

--> For more refreshing drink ideas: visit our Pinterest board (First Sip!)

 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

If you look carefully you will find adventures
right in your own cup of tea. 

---

READ NEXT:

---

LLYT Challenge : Delightful Eating

You know how while traveling you taste foods you may eat everyday but for some reason they taste so much more delicious!? A lot of the times we just rationalize that everything always tastes better on vacation because we're usually outdoors, the sun is shining, and we just had a dip in the sea. Of course that's a big part of it, but also certain foods taste better because at those locales they're fresher, locally produced, homemade or organic. But does this now mean we can only really enjoy our food for a few weeks a year? Is there no way to gain the same kind of enjoyment from eating year round? Well obviously this is unacceptable and we here at OTSP blog want to do something about it! 

View fullsize

Few shots of delightful eating during our trip to the Loire Valley, France. 

Inspired (or I should say motivation renewed) by my recent success of dinding a fantastic source of delicious liquid gold, or olive oil, this challenge will be to upgrade EVERYTHING my family eats to achieve equal satisfaction. I want to be delighted every time we sit down for a meal and not just when we're on vacation. So join us as we kick off the next OTSP challenge! 

• • • 

Live Like You're Traveling : #DelightfulEating

Let's break this up into three steps. The first being to simply figure out what you eat on a weekly basis. I started by looking in my fridge, pantry and thought about what food we eat every day resulting in this nifty diagram for myself to follow so I can see clearly what needs upgrading, or "delightification".   
 

Step 1: Identify your staples.  

In the fridge:

Milk
Yogurt
Butter
Juice/drinks
Cheese
Mayonase
Sandwich meats
Meat
Fish

In the pantry:

Bread
Cereal
Honey
Jam
Fruits/Vegetables
Tea
Coffee
Olive Oil - Replaced! 
Spices

Step 2:  Raise the quality of ingredients.

I currently buy most of my food in my supermarket or my local health store. I usually buy the organic option but I don't pay too much attention beyond that. There are farms near me and I always wanted to figure out what I could be buying directly from them... 

Things I'll be researching for this step and sharing in the updates to follow: 

• How to source locally 
• Cooking with what's in season  
• Specialized grocery store vs. the supermarket. (Mu-Hsien immediately tipped to shop the "perimeter" as processed foods tend to congregate in the middle sections of the store.) 
   

Step 3: Try Making Your Own.  

My mom used to make cottage cheese at home! My grandma pretty much made everything at home. Perhaps I can transition some simple things to 'home production'? Ahhh... I'm already imagining freshly home baked bread enveloping my family as they sit down for a Saturday morning breakfast... And a tall, dark, and handsome Italian barrista serving us cafe lattes from just milled coffee beans while singing "con te partiro"... (Oh gosh, did I say that last one out loud? How completely inappropriate for a happily married, pregnant lady.) 

- - -  JOIN THE CHALLENGE!   - - -

Is there something you've been meaning to improve about what you eat? What are your tips for delightful eating? 

{ Show Us + Tag it ‎‎#DelightfulEating #OTSPchallenge } 
on INSTAGRAM or leave a blog POST LINK or PHOTO in the comments below.
Photos may be selected for our Challenge Pinterest board: