Archivi dei tag: sea

This Christmas

This Christmas I didn’t go home to Italy. This Christmas I am in Cuba.

Many have asked me why Cuba.

For many years I wanted to visit Cuba and finally I decided to book the flight, organize a small tour with a local agency and then finish the holiday in a hotel on a beach, that looks like the photo you see above.

I have been travelling alone with my son, my husband did not feel like coming with us. It’s a pity, this makes me a little sad, because Christmas is meant to be with the family.

But this Christmas is different. After two years of Covid, now there is war in Europe, we must save on energy, our homes and offices are all rather cold.

So, I said to myself:

  1. Carpe diem. Life is short, sometimes it is also difficult, my son will be finishing his master, I received a promotion at work, this year is the right time that we will go to Cuba.
  2. Considering the temperatures there are here in Brussels (but in Bologna it would not be better), I decide to go to get some sun on a beautiful Caribbean island rich in history, and an outpost of communism in the American continent.

That Cuba is the outpost of communism in America has not benefited them much nor does it continue to benefit them. In fact, the island has been under an embargo since the sixties precisely because of this, because they are communists. Life on the island is difficult, many things are missing. My guide told me that what for us is normal here for them is a luxury. Unfortunately, medicines are also not easily found. So, this Christmas, instead of making the usual donation to an association that wants to protect human rights or the environment, I decided to show my solidarity with the Cuban people by going to visit their island.

Wherever you are right now, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year

And remember: carpe diem!

Salt from the Ocean

India, April 6, 1930. Under a hot sun, a fatigued crowd arrives on a beach. An old man goes to the sea to get water.

The man is Mohandas Gandhi. He is at the head of a peaceful revolt against the occupation of the British. With his followers he traveled about 400 km on foot to get to the sea. Not for swimming, but for salt.

At the time, the British forbade Indians to collect salt. Only the colonial state had the right to collect and sell it. The Indians were therefore obliged to buy salt from the British at a price set by them.

The British actually organize what is called the “state monopoly”.

In fact, in the history of mankind, salt has always been an essential product because it was the only way to store food. In the economies of the time, salt occupied a particularly important place.

Exchange currency, a source of income for the state, under the Roman Empire, salt was used to remunerate labor (hence the word “salary”).

That’s why controlling salt has caused wars and popular uprisings. The unfair salt monopoly symbolizes colonialism and pushed the Indians to protest with this “salt march” led by Gandhi. However, this was not appreciated by the British who severely repressed the movement. Gandhi spent 9 months in prison, but in the end he won the battle: the Indians could finally collect their salt and begin the path to independence.

Summer Holidays Are Approaching

We are in a very nice period of the year: summer holidays are approaching. Summer has been in the air for a few months now and in a few days I will be leaving for Sardinia with my husband and our son, who, even if he is almost 19, still appreciates coming on holiday with us.
We will go on vacation in a beautiful village in the Gulf of Asinara, Lu Bagnu. Sea view apartment from two terraces. Not only sea view, the sea can also be felt and heard by opening the window, so close it is. Beautiful sunsets accompanied by an aperitif in an idyllic setting. Not by chance they call it Sunsets Bay.

What will I do on vacation? I want to get up in the morning calmly, have breakfast with my husband, get ready to go to the beach to take our long morning walks, which are so good to me. The feeling of my feet on the sand is priceless, it makes me feel good when I put my feet on a soft silky ground, which at that time of the morning is warm. It is an energizing contact that puts me in a good mood.

Then go home to pick up our son, who likes sleeping long, and take the car to find a new beach to explore. Lie down in the sun, take a swim in the sea, get dry with the warm sea breeze. Read the books by Guillaume Musso that I have downloaded on the e-reader, practise meditation, listen to music. Eat grilled fish, a good pizza, a special pasta dish. Take a walk in the town centre, eat an ice cream, buy some souvenirs that will brighten the dark winter days.

This is how my summer holidays look like. What about yours? Share it with me!