23 Comments
Oct 17, 2022Liked by Brent Hartinger, Michael Jensen

It beats living in a country where half its voters bow to Trump and MAGA.

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yeah that too LOL

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Oct 16, 2022Liked by Brent Hartinger, Michael Jensen

Another great piece! The important take away for me is letting go of those annoyances in the past and keeping the forward momentum going. I think you capture that in your PS!

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thank you!

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Oct 16, 2022Liked by Brent Hartinger, Michael Jensen

Great that you shared the quirks we have to deal with. We rarely find sharps knives. . .

Levanto is a great spot. Be sure to sample the excellent focaccia you find everywhere in Liguria. We enjoyed the hike from Levanto to Monterosso. Not as busy as the others.

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We have already done several hikes right from Levanto. Tuesday, the boat to Porto Veneri, then a hike to Riomaggiore, where we can catch the train home. Hopefully, that won't be too mobbed with. There was a crush on the hikes between a couple of the towns... And thanks!

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We never find sharp knives, either. That's why we started traveling with a whet stone. In a few instances, the cutlery available was so dreadfully inadequate for our purposes, we gifted our hosts with a new set!

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Oh God, why are sharp knives so rare? A friend recently also suggested using the back of a ceramic plate as a whetstone. As for gifting Airbnbs, we oftne buy and leave a blender!

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Great idea!

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Oct 16, 2022Liked by Brent Hartinger, Michael Jensen

I love that you covered this!! I frankly don't think it gets talked about enough, including, "The funny thing about the annoying stuff that happen while we travel? Once we solve a problem — and we always do solve it, one way or another — we barely even remember it happened." I have NEVER had a trip that something didn't go wrong, even if it was small, but is also never becomes the focus of the trip. Lift will always hand you issues, no matter where you are in the world. Being able to handle those problems, no matter the location or language, is part of what makes us resilient as humans. It's all the more reasons that we should travel MORE, even if it's just 1 state or 1 country away.

When I saw the subject line for this post, I immediately thought, "Why the #$!@%! Would Anyone Live in One Place?"

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Hahaha, yeah, why WOULD anyone live in a one place? We are truly kindred spirits. (I obviously wish more people would write about the things that go wrong in travel. I also think the mindset you develop -- "None of this really matters in the end!" -- would have been very helpful when I lived a "normie" life. Travel quickly puts it all in perspective!)

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Oct 16, 2022Liked by Michael Jensen, Brent Hartinger

I imagine there is a sense of fear or even helplessness that amplifies issues when you are traveling because you're not "at home", in your usual neighborhood, and if you're in a different country with a different culture or language, that heightens the nerves ... but in the end, people are people are if you approach them respectfully, most issues can be solved :) When we let our emotions get the better of us - at home or abroad - that's when it all falls apart, haha (been there!)

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Yeah, the first couple of times that happened to us there was a bit of a sense of not quite panic, but oh crap. Now we know it's always going to work out.

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Oct 19, 2022Liked by Michael Jensen, Brent Hartinger

There are *LOADS* of great reasons, in my book, too! Thanks for touching on the fact that this stuff happens no matter where one might choose to live. We absolutely remember the frustrations. Those are the parts of our adventures that make the absolute best stories--when we're able to look back and laugh at ourselves and how resilient we were. ;-)

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haha yes, this is true too. the MINOR frustrations fade away but the big ones because fun memories in their own right.

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Oct 16, 2022Liked by Brent Hartinger

popcorn and pinwheels 😂

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Oct 16, 2022Liked by Michael Jensen, Brent Hartinger

From the photo, Levanto looks like an excellent choice towards the beginning of the trail. If you visit Manarola on the other side of the trail....let us know how that town compares. Also, Santa Margherita Ligure as a stop over and short easy walk to Porto Fino? And, how the weather conditions are this time of year....fog? Milano which is inland can be fogged in during the winter months, Genoa on the Coast not so bad on fog.

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Will do! I'm hoping to take a look at Manarola Saturday morning. And Levanto has worked out to be a great base.

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Good suggestions! We plan to do a detailed run-down of the whole area. So much to do and see! (And yes, as Michael sais, Levanto seems like the perfect base.)

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Oct 16, 2022Liked by Brent Hartinger, Michael Jensen

looove Cinque Terre. we like to spend a few days there before the Palio of Siena each summer. hope u have an amazing time. one of our favorite experiences was making gnocchi with Luca in Riomaggiore. highly recommend.

https://abnb.me/yWjYjlsWaub

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Oh, that looks lovely. Big gnocchi fan!

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Oct 23, 2022Liked by Brent Hartinger

Perspective is everything!

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Indeed!

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