A Ticket for an Airplane...Traveling with Anima

Living in the United States, Miss A and I usually travel by plane, mainly because the distances are so great. Plane travel, when airfares are within our budget, becomes the most cost and time efficient method of transportation. There are people that love to travel by car and take long trips 'on the road' to all manner of places in the 50 States. We are definitely not that family. In our time here, we have found that the journey, which is said to be half the fun, is just not really exciting and engaging much of the time for the kids, even if the destinations are ok. Very often  the actual experience of driving takes too long and again, the spots along the road often lack in authenticity. Camping can be fun. Going to specific destinations can be exceptional. But for my money and 'feel good', the American road trip is no longer all it's cracked up to be for a seasoned traveler.

 If on the other hand you are traveling America for the first time and have not yet seen some of the natural beauty, strange canyons and gorgeous mountains, otherworldly forests and grand oceans - which are all truly spectacular and breathtaking - then you are in for a real treat. Otherwise, after a few times around the block, speaking for myself, the highways are endlessly uninspiring and boring.  This is why, a long time ago I decided that we would only travel by plane to get from one destination to another for trips that are more than a couple of hours from home.

Both Anima and I like the palpable feel of the hustle and bustle at the airport and it is always something that we look forward to when flying. Once we get to the airport its fun to see the expectant look on peoples faces as they are coming out of the airplanes looking for a kindred face or a surprise apparition. The romance of flying is still a big part of our travel agenda, I'm happy to say!

I do think that it would be fun one of these days to rent an RV or a roulotte and go on an extended trip to a particular corner of the US, like the Southwest canyons or the Northwest forests. Traveling in our own 'mobile hotel' as it were, would allow us to buy our own food and make home cooked meals. We would avoid the reliance on the ubiquitous fast food outlets located almost exclusively along the roads in America that is so disappointing. This is the way, I imagine, with plenty of time and traveling the back roads, that it would be a lot of fun!

On the contrary, when we are in Europe, we have most commonly traveled by car. On the excellent highways in  Germany and Italy, and many other countries,  it is altogether possible to drive for a few hours, kids, dogs and all, and then stop in a quaint village off the beaten path, find a nice, hospitable cafe bar or Osteria to have a coffee or some delicious home style type meal to make the drive even more pleasant. Then, it's off again towards your destination. Traveling by car is a much better way to make connections with people from the places you are wanting to discover  and since distances are not quite so great you have the luxury of taking your time, viewing the countryside and sampling the local sights, entertainment and cuisine along the way.

It will be interesting to see how  Anima will adjust to the change of traveling in Europe as compared to the United States. So many new things to experience. She has never been on a high speed train or a ferry that crosses over to an island, in a helicopter flying low over the rooftops of an ancient city or racing on a motorino in city traffic. In the next year we will probably be experiencing all of this and more!

What are your favorite modes of transportation, in the United States or in anywhere else in the world?
At Il Circolo delle Mamme Viaggiatrici  (The Traveling Mom's Club in English) we are six women travelers who are also mothers.  Melissa and I are American while Silvia, Alessandra, Valentina and Monica are Italian, although I think it is fair to say that in a way we are all women of the world.

Every month we will individually be posting a story of travel or travel related situation on our own blogs which we will then share with each other and our followers. This will give a wonderful and wide variety to families looking for suggestions, special fare notices and in general a good overview for other mom's and families that travel.

My virtual travel companions often write in both Italian and English and have truly amusing and informative articles for you to read and enjoy. Ciao Ciao!

Traveling with Anima

I was born in an ambulance on the way to the hospital and with few breaks in between never really stopped moving except for my last fifteen years in Colorado. I traveled with my family till I went to university and after that traveled the continents on my own. Even when my son was born, as soon as it seemed 'safe' we headed for Mexico, his first trip abroad at four months old. Many trips since then, 21 years ago but not nearly as many as I had planned while pregnant. Life slowed down a little bit as it invariably will and I concentrated on raising my children in a happy single parent, mulit-generational home with adventurous travel as often as possible.

aka 'Little Dragon'

Along with my daughter Anima Chiara , who is now eleven  we have been to many places here in the United States and to Italy and Germany twice.Our wanderlust hasn't been stifled by the recent downturn too much but we have entertained ourselves more readily with armchair travel and adventure books in the last few years. Until now.

We are moving to Italy,  Anima and I. The whole process of getting ready to go, not just on vacation but to actually live in another country is exciting and challenging at the same time.  When you take a trip somewhere and know you will come back in a few days or weeks time it's a little less daunting. Both Anima and I are very much looking forward to our new adventure and have decided to share our experiences in this blog, Traveling with Anima. We expect to share our experiences once a month about our move and consequent travels once we are settled in the beautiful and beckoning Val d'Orcia.

Just recently I started following Silvia Ceriegi, a very energetic woman who writes a blog called Tripando in Italian.  Silvia is from Pisa, Italy which is where I spent my teens and reading her travel blog really opened my eyes to all the places I had been missing. Tripando is really one of those wonderful and  enthusiastically written blogs that are chock full of  information and excellent local tips. Silvia just recently became the mother of a baby boy and has put together an association of  "mommy bloggers" who love to travel and do so with their children in tow.

  I am excited to be part of  "Il Circolo delle Mamme Viaggiatrici"  or  The Traveling Mothers Club.

The Circolo is made up of Silvia with her Tripando site, Alessandra who writes at LaliViaggi, Valentina Cappio who writes The Family Company blog and Melissa Muldoon who blogs at her website Diario di una Studentessa Matta. Sign up with us to get the latest news on what we are up to next!

 Travels with children. Come along with all of us. We look forward to engaging you in our travels and transitions. Ciao Ciao! Silvana e Anima Chiara

Makilam and the Kabyle Women of Algeria

In the last few weeks it's been hard to keep up with the continuous news of yet another revolution coming out of North Africa . This afternoon it  has me thinking about a fascinating woman and friend, Malika Grasshoff .  I met Mme.G in Bosnia  just about this time last year at a conference for women where we worked on a particular project together for three days.

Makilam

This woman. She has chutzpah. She is theatrical. She says what she means. I loved her instantly.

I saw in her my many sisters, mothers, grandmothers - the grand dames of the continent that exemplify what I consider my lineage - righteous and elegant women. Women who are by their very nature 'feminists'. Simple and profound.

Not cute, mind you. Nor subservient or mysteriously feminine or in any way caving in to the patriarchal dictum. Knowledgeable. Deliberate. Also charming. Full of power without ever resorting to man-erisms.

I could go on and on about her- but the reason I am posting is to link to her site, draw attention to her art, which is her work - this splendid story telling of an ancient female culture that obviously  lives and breathes through the story teller. I don't know if what is going on in Algeria and North Africa affects the Kabyles, the Berbers - I would imagine that it does and as such, hers is an interesting history to know.

Sarajevo

We met at the conference.  Her decision to help me with some scheduling complications took us on a madcap trip to Sarajevo for a meet up with a VIP acquaintance of hers who would supposedly help us break through the famous Balkan bureaucracy. That particular angle did not work, unfortunately. But I had so much fun running the Bascarsija with her, it almost didn't matter!

 As a cultured and wise woman who's life work and books are dedicated to the ancient Kabyle culture of  the North African continent, I imagine she would have a lot to say about these current events in North Africa. If and when I hear from her again I will report.

Here is more information on Malika from her website: 

"Makilam is a Kabyle, a historian and a PhD. She was raised in a village of the Djurdjura, (a region of northern Algeria) until she was seventeen, and has since lived in Europe. She has always remained very close to her roots, and her testimony, interspersed with personal experiences, sheds completely new light on the rituals and myths of this vanishing society."

For information about her work at the 2nd World Congress on Matriarchal Studies on the Societies of Peace  web site you will find her presenting her research via podcast in 'The Four Seasons of Life of a Kabyle Woman'.


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