06 November 2007

migraines, foreign style...

30 days of thanks...gratitude for the beautiful places i have been privileged to see, for those i have met along the way, & for the memories i have carried home in my heart.
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traveling...
travelogue, stardate September something, 2003.

D. & i were luxuriating in the perks of Tuscany in the fall - cooking classes, wine, hiking, more wine, visiting hill towns, and yes, some wine. We were on a bus trip from our villa to Siena, fortunately returning to the villa, when my not-so-good friend, Mr. Migraine came calling. This was a little bit if a trial to handle on a bouncy Tuscan bus ride! D. gallantly whipped out some pain meds and water, then turned 2 seats into a makeshift bed.
I was seeing the geometry of a spectacular visual aura when i would have much preferred the passing countryside. but oh, well. my mind was bouncing around like the bus...will i miss the cooking class to be held later? how can i effectively communicate this to our hostess (my italian was worse for the wear in '03)? and, most importantly, will this bus ride ever end??

it did, and as D. helped me off the bus i was swamped with the other nice lodgers staying at the villa. i guess i didn't look so good.
now, honestly, neither my regular doc nor my chiropractor *ever* suggested this, and i make a disclaimer here and now...neither do i!

but nonetheless, this crazy bunch of folks took me under their wings (what i really desired in the moment was my comfy tuscan bed) and handed me a lit Cuban and a glass of the villa's finest red!

"smoke this, drink that" was what i heard.

huh?

taken up in the tide of intrepid travel, i blindly did what they said. hmmm...interesting since i have never smoked anything, let alone a bonafide Cuban! (can't say the same about red wine though!)

in a matter of 30 minutes i was with the cooking crowd, gathered round the demo table, not a smidgen of migraine left. whodathunk?

a Cuban & glass of Villa Sesta - cin, cin!!
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poetry...today is here.
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and finally...i know, here in the US, this is an "off-year" election, but nevertheless...get out there & exercise your right to vote!!!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL.....and wow, you have been to Italy to learn cooking. Great!

I just got a message from Italy today. I will be celebrating my birthday there next spring, and the message was from the owner of my favorite, family owned restaurant where I will hold my birthday dinner - I am allowed to come to the kitchen to help making the dinner!!!!! I am thrilled :-)

Anonymous said...

Bummer about that mıgraıne--my Mother gets these and I know the drıll. Ack. However--the remedy story ısn'nt surprısıng. In Bulgarıa they were always gıvıng us homemade grape whıskey when we were stuffed up and ıt always worked! Although thıs ıs ane ven bıgger deal as mıgraınes are trıckıer stuff. What a way to have your fırst cuban!

Anonymous said...

Those Italians (and Cubans) certainly gave you a magic gift! Wonder if the people hoping for you to feel better helped too!! Beautiful photos of Tuscany! Hope you have a fabulous day!

Rebecca E. Parsons/Cre8Tiva said...

gratitude...uplifting for me...beautiful images...and your thoughts are inspiring to me today...thank you...blessings, rebecca

Karina said...

Red wine and a cuban huh? How about that!