Filling the creative well…
The run-up to our recent holiday was wrought with tension and stress, and there was a moment there when I thought we’d never get on the plane. We had a death in the family plus my father had an unexpected op and a month-long hospital stay. He has subsequently been diagnosed with dementia, so we have a new set of problems, which are ongoing.
However, despite the setbacks, we did get on the plane and flew off to Barcelona and the start of our Med cruise.
I have to say that this is one of our favorite parts of the world. We love the food, the spring temperatures and the wealth of old buildings and history. Centuries of history, which I’m envious of. New Zealand is a young country and while we have gorgeous scenery the breadth of our history isn’t quite as impressive as the European one.
For once, I didn’t pay much attention to the online world. I scanned my emails since I had a few business coals in the fire, but mostly, I ignored the internet and what was happening in the rest of the world.
We embraced the local food and culture and had a blast.
Here are some of the highlights, which I’ll blog about in greater detail in the weeks to come.
1. Visiting the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, which was full of gorgeous art deco features.
2. Tapas in Barcelona
3. Sicily and Mt. Etna
4. Herculaneum and Mt Vesuvius
5. Santorini, the donkeys, the scenery and the food
6. Kotor, Montenegro – a welcome surprise
7. Food tour in Istanbul, Turkey. Awesome!!!
8. Italian food – pasta and pizza. Wow!
9. Rhodes, Greece. History, castles and gorgeous food.
10. Mdina, Malta. More history and good food.
We soaked up the culture, and I took notes and many, many photos as ideas for future romance novels exploded in my mind like popcorn. Watch this space.
I’m slowly getting back into writing and have several projects underway. The writing is going fine, although I’m still on a bit of a go slow when it comes to the internet. I’m sure I’ll get with the program soon, although it has been good to switch off from online drama.
When you go on holiday, are you able to switch off from the internet and social media?
Sounds like you did a lot and kept busy and had a good time. I think it’s pretty easy to turn the internet off when on vacation or when family comes into town because I’m too busy to worry about the internet.
I don’t know – I’d probably still manage to sneak in some internet time. I think next time I’ll leave my laptop at home. About halfway through September, I’ll be in a position to let you know if that worked!
Oh, Shel, I am so sorry to hear about the family situations but so glad you got to take your vacay. Sounds heavenly and the pic is gorgeous.
Hugs,