So I’m on Day 5 and I’m no longer waking up in the middle of the night. I’m also so exhausted from the days that I think nothing could possibly stop me from sleeping when my head hits the pillow.
I am SO exhausted but SO content and happy. My body is keeping up with the work, the long hours in the kitchen, the driving all over Tuscany, and the work outside on the property.
My mind is constantly racing a million miles an hour and even when I did find 20 minutes to sit down at sunset with my book, I could not focus on the words and kept re-reading the same page.
It’s very cold in the mornings and at night, with a beanie, coat, scarf and double socks but 12-4pm is gorgeous and I’m in a t-shirt enjoying the sunshine.
I’m really enjoying the craziness of being on the Tuscan roads again. The main differences are:
speed limits are optional and I think 90km is just a guide as everyone is travelling at least 120km and if you are not you get tailgated and high beamed
blinkers/indicators are non-existent and there are roundabouts everywhere, so Cally mentioned the best way to tell if someone is coming off or staying on the roundabout and if there is a gap for you is to look at their faces and you can tell which direction they want to go. Seems to be working for me so far!
Seatbelts also optional - some cars have 4 or 5 kids in the backseat or hanging out the windows
Parking - always an experience when you get back to your car and a few other cars have parked you in. I normally just go for a coffee and wait it out.
The views…I can’t describe how amazing the expansive views are from up here all times of day from every room. Every day is unique and every angle is so special. It’s hard to describe just how stunning this part of the world is right now and how appreciative I am being here with everything else going on. I find it hard to concentrate on the roads as stare at the amazing views from the car (although manual driving on the other side of the road should be my focus…I am doing a few videos when I pass deer and other wildlife).
One of the aspects of this journey I am enjoying most of all is the people. I am loving the group of people who have come together from all over the world in the house and sharing long lunches and dinners with them all in my favourite time of day. Cally mentioned when putting together the list of workaways they used to refer to us all as the ‘weirdos of the world’ and I love being part of that group.
The group will change a little this week but is currently made up of:
2 danish boys (Eigil & Hjalte) in their early twenties who are ‘seamen’ and we call them the pirates. They just trained for 3 months on boats that look exactly like pirate ships from Pirates of the Caribbean. Their stories of living on these boats, sleeping in hammocks and training with 80 students have been incredible. They also wear blue and white striped t-shirts all the time which goes with the sailor look!
A lovely German & Portuguese couple (Liisa & Tim) who are a dentist and a physiotherapist and in their late twenties, taking a few years out of their life to decide what’s next. They have already been travelling for 18 months (just had their workaway anniversary this week!) doing workaways so we’ve been brainstorming what careers they might want next!
Mai is a 22-year-old Israeli girl just out of the army, who is doing all the cooking (while I am her apprentice). She is cooking the most amazing meals for lunch hand dinner, the type of meals you yet at a nourishing yoga retreat. When she leaves next week I think I’ll do the cooking and it will be more like ragu with pasta or a lasagne.
Anton, a very confident German guy who just finished school last year and is making up for the 2 years of covid when he could not do anything, so he’s travelling and making up for lost time. Australia is on his list for later this year.
French/Slovakian Caroline & Juraj have finished studying and Juraj is interviewing for PhDs at the moment while they are travelling. They have picked grapes in Provence, renovated houses, worked with horses and so much more.
I went back to Siena for a few hours and although I felt I was cheating on my family by being there without them, one of the kids (not mentioning names) is getting really sick of so many photos. I LOVED being back, still knowing every street, shop, gelateria, and of course having a spritz in the campo.
While It’s SO busy and I’m running around doing grocery shopping, errands, taking people to and from the train satin (otherwise its a 4km walk up or down a steep white road), I’m finding time here and there for the obligatory cafe/pastry most days. I have not had a cafe corretto yet (coffee with Sambucca) and might stay away from that with all this driving around.
