The Best Time to Do Yoga Is When You Really Don't Want to Go

I recently started going to yoga again. I went for years and then didn't for years when there weren't any offerings to my liking nearby.  I knew from past experience that it would be very difficult at first but, over time, would get better.  I used to really enjoy going on Saturday morning. I found it to be a good way to start the weekend.  Lately I've been going after work and most days, I really don't want to go.  But I've found that on days that I really do not want to go, even if I struggle through Every. Single. Pose, I end up getting the most benefit and leave feeling much better than when I arrived.

 

This is pretty much how I feel part, if not all, of the time!

I just wanted to remind myself of this the next time I start thinking how much better it would be to just go home and take a nap!

How do you feel about yoga?

Awesome Travel Company (That Happens to be Vegan)

About a year and a half ago I posted about my trip to Malaga and the fabulous Vegan BnB where I stayed. The proprietor of the Vegan BnB, Emma, has expanded her operation and now runs a vegan tour company in Guatemala half the year. 

Even if you're not vegan (I am not) I can tell you that Emma's food is fantastic and her approach to tourism is very responsible, sustainable and locally-focused - which I love.  She has some amazing tours coming up in the next several months and if you've ever thought about visiting Guatemala, taking an eco-friendly vacation, trying amazing vegan food or are just looking for an adventure, I urge you to check out what she has to offer. 

She also offers accommodation (with amazing vegan breakfast) and tours in Malaga during the spring/summer months.  Malaga was one of my favorite vacations and Emma is part of the reason.

Check out The Veganbnb Travel site and book your next vacation!
         
All photos were borrowed from Veganbnbtravel.com (hope Emma doesn't mind) to show you what you can expect from Emma's trips!

 

**I received no compensation for posting this recommendation and all opinions are my own...I just think Emma is great and I'd love to see her business really take off.  Please feel free to post about her or pass along this information if you're so inclined...especially if you know other people interested in vegan travel!

Plitvice Lakes National Park - Sundays in My City

A year ago I was traveling around the Balkans.  One of the places I knew I had to see was Plitvice in Croatia (please don't ask me how to pronounce it...I never could get it right and always had to write it down to tell people (ticket agents, bus drivers...) where I was going.  It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest national park in SE Europe.

A million pictures wouldn't do this place justice.  The waters are so exquisitely blue-green that your brain almost can't process the color...it's too beautiful to be real! There are 16 interconnected lakes renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colours change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight. I feel like the camera didn't even come close to capturing the true intensity of the colors.

The day started off very foggy. I wondered if I was actually going to be able to see anything.

The trail leading into the park.

There are multiple different trails you can follow depending on how far you want to walk. 

I was pretty sure this was one of the views that comes up when you search for images online but all I got was a hint of it first thing in the morning.

The waters are so clear!

Finally getting to see some of the amazing colors!

And then the incredible reflections!

Miles and miles and miles of well-maintained (if not a bit slippery in the damp weather) trails throughout the park let you get right up close to, above and below the lakes and waterfalls.

Every time you think the view can't get more stunning, it does.

Back where I started but most of the fog had lifted and I could see!

Be warned, if you decide to ask the google to show you pictures of this place you'll likely end up with drool on your keyboard!  I could definitely see myself going back here!

Have you ever been somewhere that was so beautiful you couldn't capture it in pictures?

Thanks to Unknown Mami for hosting the SIMC link-up.  Go on over there and check out more stunning views from around the neighborhood or around the world.

To Canada With Love - Sundays in My City

As another Canadian soldier was killed this past week I thought I'd repost something from several years ago instead of more pictures of Italy.

 



I am currently deployed to Afghanistan. I just came from a ramp ceremony. It’s where they carry a casket to the plane to send home. His name is Brian. He was 42; from Ottawa. He has a wife and 2 daughters; one who shares my name.

Attendance is not required but it is something I feel everyone should do at least once. Just like I think the news should show flag-draped caskets arriving home. The men and women dying here are not just statistics. They’re people with families and they need to be honored and their sacrifice needs to be known by the general population. A population that’s busy trampling each other to get to the sale items at Wal-Mart. Priorities seem misplaced from here.

It was cold and very windy out on the flight line. It was difficult standing at attention. You had to brace yourself against a wind that was trying to blow you over and you couldn’t wipe the snot running from your nose or rub your eyes that were stinging from the wind and dust. But whatever the weather (and it does go to both extremes here), I’ll be out there. Because I don’t want to forget those fathers, mothers, sons and sisters. Because the next time, it could be me.

Next week I’ll travel home for the first time in 6.5 months. After 2 weeks I’ll return for another 6 months. Whatever your feelings on the war, I encourage you to attend a ramp ceremony for a returning soldier, airman, marine or sailor if you happen to live near a base. This war will not end if people at home are permitted to forget that it is still happening; that people are still dying.

And don’t tell my mother I said it could be me next time! As far as she knows there is nothing dangerous here, I never leave the safety of the base and the Taliban never fire rockets into our camp!

 

 My thoughts are with Canada this week.

 

 



 

**I am not in the Armed Forces; I merely work for them. I deployed as a civilian and enjoyed the protection of US, Canadian, Dutch and British Forces; for which I am eternally grateful.  I do not wish to be seen as making the same kind of sacrifices as those who sign up to protect and defend.

The Colorful Houses of Burano - Sundays in My City

A popular Venetian destination is the island of Murano. Murano is known for glass making.  We went there.  I was bored out of my mind and mom and Gran weren't that impressed either.  So we hopped back on the water bus and moved on to Burano; an island known for lace making.  I wasn't looking forward to this stop and lace making was equally boring for me but the colors on this island were incredible and taking pictures of the houses was more than enough to occupy me so mom and Gran could do their thing without me wanting to run away.

There were so many colors!!!

Orange over purple with teal blue shutters!

Apparently there is striped fabric available to match every house color so that you can fashionably let some air in without giving all the tourists a view of your living room.

Colorful reflections!

Such a beautiful little island! I'm glad I got to see it.

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by a place you didn't want to visit?

For more sights from around the world, head over to Unknown Mami and check out the rest of the Sundays in My City posts.

Eating Italian - Sundays in My City

Part of any vacation is the food. I love food! Most of my day is spent thinking about when I get to eat next and what I'm going to eat. So as soon as we decided to go to Italy I knew it was going to be a trip filled with pizza, pasta and gelato! As I mentioned in my last post, I have a lot of pictures!

I didn't take a picture of everything we ate and although I did take a picture of every gelato I'll save them for another post.  Here are some of our eats from the trip.

I don't remember exactly what Gran got but she didn't care for it much (not the only time that happened). 

Panzerotti are fried pockets of heaven! 

I got mine with mozzarella and tomato.

A nice view for dinner

This pizza was huge!  And delicious!!

Pasta at the Florence Central Market

Gelato from a veggie restaurant on a absolutely beautiful day.

Pesto pasta

Gran finally got the spaghetti and meatballs she'd been wanting!

Mama enjoying lasagna

All that remained of my spaghetti aglio e olio! We only ended up eating here because Gran had to pee and simply walked into a restaurant to use the bathroom as we couldn't find a public bathroom nearby. Since she used their bathroom they made us sit down and order something. I was Not happy.  But this ended up being my favorite pasta dish of the entire trip!

The only blueberry gelato I saw and it was excellent!

One of my two favorite gelato places and it was Right. Next. Door! to where we stayed in Milan.

Dishing out my extra dark chocolate.

The pizzas we made in our pizza making class ready to go into the oven.

Mom and Gran enjoying their pizzas

And the gelato we learned how to make.

The tasting part of our wine tour

Italian guys in straw cowboy hats making pasta at the Florence Central Market

What's your favorite Italian dish? 

Linking up with Unknown Mami for good eats and sights from around the world.