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Mindful Presence filmed by Phyllis Sarkaria in Italy 2019 - Oggi Dog Productions

on June 10, 2020

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A walk to Castelmola

Alone on a sunny October afternoon I started up the hill from Taormina to walk to Castelmola via a country footpath. The trail has been used for hundreds of years by locals who surely carried many provisions up and down together with the family mule. Half way up the mountain path one comes upon this tiny gate called Porta del Saraceno which is dated to around 950AD. The little window narrows on the outside - for protection I guess. But it stands alone ... Castelmola is far above. The path continues around the steep and desolate hillside with occasional prickly pear and olive trees. During my hot sticky climb (where is my water bottle when I need it?!) I pass abandoned farmers' huts; they are literally in ruins which is hardly surprising since the only access is on foot and I have already been walking steadily uphill for at least 15 minutes and land drops off all around me. No way could they bring a road in here! and yet suddenly here is a restored church dedicated to ...

Feet and footcare before an active travel adventure.

Talking about feet, foot-talk, We walkers need to make sure we take care of our feet so that they can take us comfortably along those trails and paths we love. This means a lot more than just putting on a pair of shoes. It means taking care of the intricate network of bones, tissue, muscles, and nerves which connect every part of our foot, ankle, and toes. We use our feet all day long, every day of every year of our lives. So what do we have to do to make sure we can continue to enjoy walking throughout our life? We need to exercise them and then we need to rest them, reward them. We need to keep our feet and nails healthy by washing them, massaging them, and cutting the nails short enough. Avoid getting black toenails by not bumping or rubbing them on the front of your shoes. It is important to care for blisters or hard skin, corns, and cracks but much of that can be avoided. You might ask: can I have a pedicure? - Yes, it is okay to have a pedicure but you want to ma...

A sense of peace from being within the walls Sant'Antimo Abbey.

Not far from the region that produces the delicious Brunello di Montalcino wines sits the Abbey at Sant’ Antimo. It is very old (5 th century?), simple, and incredibly beautiful. I’ve visited Sant’ Antimo twice, both times with Caspin Journeys. It’s hard to describe but there is a sense of peace from being within the walls of the Abbey. at Sant'Antimo, Tuscany The first time I glimpsed the simple structure was on a Sunday. We slipped into the back of the church as the priests celebrated mass, adorned in brilliant red robes. More than a decade later, we walked into the quiet beauty where beams of light from the high windows illuminated the simple, unadorned beauty of the church’s interior as five monks chanted their midday prayer. Absolutely incredible. On both occasions, the sense of peace energized this weary pilgrim as we set off on foot – up, down, up, down – along winding paths and hilly terrain with the prize of a picn...

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