Carolina in my mind

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Janette
Can’t you see the sunshine,
Can’t you just feel the moonshine?
You must forgive me,
If I’ve up and gone to Carolina in my mind.

James Taylor sings right to me…I don’t know if many people knew that…but he does 🙂  And the sentiment of the song fits perfectly with my experience of North Carolina.

I worked in the Western corner

I’m taking you back to my summer stock theatre days, where I worked in a land of make-believe.  Picture it: Two months in the summer, for three years in a row, working 80+ hour weeks, in 95 degree heat, in the middle of nowhere, making almost no money.  I know what you are thinking, but my time in the North Carolina hills was pure magic, (especially my very first summer there), and I learned how little one needs in life to be happy, not how much.  It was a surreal experience, to say the least. 

Brevard, NC is a small town located in Transylvania County, in the western part of the state.  The music center I worked for was a semi outdoor venue which produced 4 operas, countless orchestral recitals, and touring performances like Peter, Paul and Mary, Burt Bacharach, Lucinda Williams, etc.  During my time there, I did everything from clean the dressing rooms, to build and paint scenery, to assistant stage manage guest artist performances, to run lighting equipment for the other shows in between.  Our schedule was tight, considering how much we had to do in 8 weeks.  On a normal day, I would get up around 7am and walk to work, to the tune of someone practicing a cello, or upright bass, while dew drops were still on every blade of grass.  Not a bad way to begin a day of work.  Then, after hours of moving set pieces, or orchestra pieces, putting on a show, or just assisting with a full rehearsal of some sort, I would return to my cabin, while being serenaded by a pianist or violinist.  My days were so long, that time seemed to stand still.  Sometimes it seemed like a never-ending summer, but in a good way…no one wanted the enchantment to end. 

I joke that I used to live in a shack in the woods behind a dumpster, but that really is true.  Staff housing was located all over the wooded “campus” and mine was right behind a dumpster next to a babbling brook.  The boys cabin was on the other side of the dumpster and dirt trail, and in between was the area called “roadside.”  That is where we made our nightly camp fires, which lasted for hours.  The crew for the music center comes from all over the US, so we would talk to our compadres about life in different parts of the country, listen to someone play the guitar/sing, roast marshmallows, play lots of Bob Marley,  and stargaze into the wee hours of the morning.

The music center had a large pond on one side, and any moment of free time (during a work day) would be spent down there.  There was no better way to get cooled off than a dip!  Plus, it was one of the only areas of the compound that you could just listen to nature, and nothing else…incase you were tired of listening to beautiful classical music every now and again. 

Days off were a different story.  Everyone had an adventurous spirit, and that spirit was put to good use.  No one went into “town” unless it was necessary, most of the time.  It was the cutest town ever, but the crew seemed to be made up of adventure seekers, so exploring nature always came first. 

Transylvania county is the land of waterfalls, and Brevard is in the middle of a rain forest.  Water was everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE.  Ponds, streams, rain, waterfalls, rivers…we were surrounded.  I made it my mission to seek out as many waterfalls as I could manage, and in 3 years, I made it to 13!  Considering that there were hundreds to hunt for, this may not sound like a lot, but although some were on the side of the road, others required hours of hiking.  And with one day off a week (maybe), time was limited.  Here is a list, incase anyone wants to do some sightseeing down there: Hickory Nut Falls, Hooker Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Cullasaja Falls, Connestee Falls, Toxaway Falls, Whitewater Falls, Slick Rock Falls, Dry Falls, Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock Falls, Skinny Dip Falls and Triple Falls.  And, they were all amazing….

Triple Falls

Cullasaja Falls

When waterfall hunting wasn’t on the menu, the crew would always find unique, fun things to keep everyone busy.  This included going to the Hob Nob (a local bar/cafe) to listen to live Jazz on the weekends, having themed costume parties, watching movies outdoors via projector and sheet, and taking leisurely drives along the fabulous Blue Ridge Parkway (where the mountains really do look blue).  And no matter where we were or what we did, the sounds of rolling water and the smell of campfire lurked around every corner. 

Blue Ridge Mountains

Plus, I would always arrive a few days early and leave a few days after the season ended to take advantage of the other points of interest on my to-do list.  One summer I went hangliding, which was awesome.  And another summer, I got to go to Cliff Rock park, with a boat cruise down Lake Lure, and also made a stop at Grandfather Mountain to see the mile-high swinging bridge.  Every where you turned, there was something breathtaking to see or experience. 

Grandfather Mountain

Life there was beautiful.  Even during the daily rains, through the stifling heat, the sunlight or starlight was always glinting on the water, and everything seemed to sparkle. 

Carolina is in my mind quite often…. 🙂

Posted in adventures | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Italy: part due

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Janette

For me, Florence was “quintessential Italy”.  Everything I expected to see and feel and experience, I found in Florence.  Romance seemed to ooze out of every nook and cranny, and life there just seemed to have a warm glow of love.

The hostel where we stayed was an old villa set on top of a hill, surrounded by nature…so peaceful.  We journeyed to downtown to see the Duomo, the Baptistry, Santa Maria Novella, the Boboli gardens and the Pitti Palace, all of which were amazing and beautiful.  But my favorite part was an afternoon in Fiesole, a little tiny town on a hill that sat just above the city.  It was quite a hike, considering that in order to get there and back, we had to climb hundreds of stairs…everywhere!  But it was definitely worth it.  We saw an oldfashioned outdoor theatre, walked through a delicious smelling vineyard, and made our way to a cliff to get a bird’s-eye view of the city down below.  There were musicians playing accordion music like you would expect to see in the movies, and rows of artists on the street, each with an easel, painting the beautiful skyline.  What a life….

ancient theatre

typical streets

Venice was our last city to visit.  I didn’t feel as though it was the “most romantic place on earth,” but it was still pretty cool.  We stayed on the Island of Giudecca, which was very tiny but very cute.  (For those of you who may not know, Venice is built on 120 little islands, connected to the mainland by 400 bridges.)  There definitely was a majestic quality to life in Venice…having to take water taxis or gondolas everywhere, seeing huge buildings rise straight out of the water, and wondering how they were able to have streetlights all over the city with no visible power lines.

While we searched the islands, we saw St. Marks square/basilica, the Doges Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge, took a Gondola ride down the Grand Canal, shopped for famous Murano glass, and ate lots of gelato…which is nothing like we have over here!

The pace of life seemed to be the slowest in Venice.  Especially on our little island, in the evenings, where everyone spent time at the little cafe, sipping the most delicious coffee in the world.  We spent a few nights staring at the stars, while listening to the constant movement of water that was literally at our doorstep, a few feet away.  Not too shabby.

Multiple times during my trip I felt that I was really at home.  Perhaps it was the gestures and mannerisms of the locals that I found familiar, or maybe deep down, I could just sense that my blood had come from this magical place.  Either way, it was hard to leave.  After 10 perfect days, miles of trekking, tons of pictures and countless cones of strawberry gelato, it was time to say “ciao.”

Posted in adventures | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Italy: The Mother Land

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Janette

viva italia

Going to Italy for 10 days in college was a dream come true.  I worked with one of my theatre professors to create this trip, and we actually got it approved for credit.  It counted as a “senior synthesis” course…college is all about what you make it, so I made the system work for me 🙂

We worked for a few months getting everything together, and I selfishly got to see the country where my roots all began.  Mapping out our trek was exciting enough, but actually getting to see all the things in person that I grew up reading about was incredibly moving.

This was my first real trip anywhere.  I changed time zones, crossed an ocean,  heard lots of different languages being spoken in the airport, and I couldn’t read any of the Italian signs…the weight of my adventure was sinking in!

Rome was the first stop, naturally.  Where to begin?  Our small group stayed in hostels, which (I believe) cost about $20 a night (which included a free standard breakfast).  It was like dorm life at school, which was fun.  Guys and girls were separated, we had large bunk rooms and shared bathrooms.  And I don’t think I met another American staying at any of the hostels we went to, which was a nice change of pace.

I guess I expected Rome to be less hectic, a diamond in the rough, so to speak.  I was blown away by how busy, noisy and modern it was.  Everyone drove scooters or smart cars, and parked them in every free inch of space that was available.  The constant stream of traffic was reminiscent of NYC, and public busses were everywhere.  And as we were whisked away through unsafely crowded streets, every so often we could catch a glimpse of a famous building, old ruins or other point of interest.

The Vatican was a high point of the trip, of course.  It was by far the largest building I had ever been inside of, and it was actually a little overwhelming.  Every inch of the building was beautiful.  Uniquely colored marble was everywhere.  The huge altar was completely hand-carved wood.  The dozens of large mosaics were so big and perfectly done, that everyone thought they were smooth paintings.  I was totally awe-struck at the level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into every inch of the building.

After seeing the most iconic structure in Italy, we continued to see a number of other landmarks that also inspired awe.  Some of these included the Pantheon, the church of Santa Maria Minerva (which had beautifully painted blue ceilings), The Bridge of Angels, the Coliseum, the Arch of Constantine, the Sistine Chapel, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain (the most popular tourist place in Rome), and St. Paul’s cathedral.  And lastly, before moving North, we took a drive to Pompei for the day, to see the remains of the city.  After the congestion of Rome, it was so nice to be out in nature for the day, drinking in the sun and fresh air, and imagining what life must have been like for my ancestors before the volcano erupted.

Posted in adventures | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Meaningful Memories

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Janette

I have always been a journal junkie…tirelessly writing my thoughts down in order to preserve a particular location, feeling or event, trying to remember every last detail so those experiences would not be lost forever.

After traveling to a number of enchanted places and diligently documenting the beauty I’ve been lucky enough to see, I realized that I wasn’t doing that beauty any justice if I wasn’t sharing it with anyone else.  Many people who are close to my heart are far away from me, and by pouring out these closeted memories, I could be inspiring others to make a reality out of their daydreams as well.

Travel has been a dream of mine, a privilege, a goal and a way of life…and it has never let me down.  As I go back and talk about my past trips and as I continue to write about any future experiences, I hope you get lost in the majesty like I do, every single time.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Posted in adventures | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment