Slowly, but surely, Miss Maddie the alpine westie is gaining back her strength and stamina on these brief walks that we take around the mountainside. The hot summer temps are fading away, maybe too fast for my liking, but in the coolness of digits less than 70°F, the dogs handle it much better outdoors. We came across an old hotel over the weekend, its exterior still in good shape even if the property was no longer in operation. Along the outside wall, iron rings were firmly attached for way back in the days when people traveled by horse. An iron boot remover/puller was firmly embedded right next to the entrance. I've never taken riding lessons, but now I'm thinking, wouldn't it be fun to go on a vacation through the italian countryside only on horseback? I believe there are already these types of eco-tourism here, and I've read about one where you travel by donkey instead. The dogs would probably prefer to walk it themselves, as long as the pace was kept to a trot.
Comments
The place you found sounds really interesting. It's neat to hear that there are still iron rings and boot pullers in the wall. I wonder how old the place is, and why it's no longer in operation? Just the atmosphere would be a puller, especially for tourists.
Enjoy a lovely autumn with lots of chestnuts. Yummy!
~You are totally Cute ;)
...YES! This is my personal dream, and I live here and work in the industry! I can't wait to do this for myself one day...
Oh and I have an award for you. Come by.
Titania - I've been missing Billy! I'll add your link to the garden blog.
Ann - Maddie sends her doggie kisses to you ^-^
Peter - I'll be waiting in anticipation for that day. I'd love to mention your dream-come-true in a post!
Frizzy - I know, and it just isn't fair that they certainly can read ours, the little rascals.
Kat - heehee...Nate is just one step ahead of me this time.
Nate - will you be going on one of those and blogging about it? ;-)
RONW - arabians...wow! Gorgeous animals, but unfortunately, there is no space for them to sleep in the house. The dogs got dibs on that. Maddie agrees with you 100%.
I was shocked. I don't remember the house we lived in, in Germany, having these weird showers. I remember normal showers with a tub and heated water. Is this really such a rare thing? Is it typically only American homes that come with regular showers and bath tubs?
Your comment reminded me of a funny scenario years ago when a german friend was visiting me in Hawaii. She noticed how I rinsed dishes under a running faucet after washing in soapy water. This disturbed her a lot, and she said that if I filled the other half of the partitioned sink with clean water, I could save so much water by just dipping the plates in for a quick rinse. Of course this just didn't make any sense to me, and replied that running water guarantees that all of the suds will wash off. To this she vehemently replied, "You americans are so wasteful!"
I thought that was pretty hilarious! Of course I didn't retort with "and you european girls stink and don't shave your armpits!" as I'm very cool with different cultures and think it's more fun to have diversity anyway. It is true, however, that we are (were?) one of the most wasteful nations in the world. I'm sure the lousy economy taught us all how to be a little more frugal and conservative.
As for the dish washing incident, I agree with you. Using running water is the only way to make sure all the soap comes off. I don't particularly want to ingest large quantities of soap just to save a little water.
As for saving money, I think everyone has learned some lessons. Myself included. I expect my utility bills to be very low when I go back to NYC.
I'd be scared I think. Riding looks easy but I bet it's not!
Brad - I suppose that when Rome was being built, the ones in charge of supplying the city with water would never have thought that the needs [of the people] would go beyond what was carried over in those huge aqueducts. And those are still in operation today!
Zhu - I'm game for riding..it looks like fun! And donkeys are cute.
Nate - if you're talking about the ride in Molokai, the rates went up to $175 Thanks for tipping me off...next time I'm home, I gotta do this one. ^-^
http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=roman+aqueducts