Entries, Featured, Peggy Dobbs 1 entries
Laura Girardeau is down to earth(in Italy, five times)
Dec
(pleased to say I trod these same steps a few years back, in search of the perfect—you choose: wine, romance, adventure,pasta,story prompt, location for the towers that are A Word with You Press, all of the above)
For those of you counting, this is #10 of 24 stories I have sworn to post since Thanksgiving for The First Annual Peggy Dobbs Write-of-Passage Contest.
Literati!
Laura Girardeau is an adventurous soul and believer in serendipity. When her traveling companion was declined entry to board the flight from Spokane to Italy due to a technical flaw on her passport, Laura brazenly scuttled the original game plane–oops!–PLAN–and chose to brave the trip on her own, finding herself on the cliffs of Cinque Terre, which has for centuries produced its own wine. But the earth in which the vines take root was carried in a basketful at a time long before USPS declared “If it fits, it ships.”
Sometimes our true selves are discovered halfway around the globe. Sometimes we need a magical place like Cinque Terre for that to happen.
Here is Laura’s magic:
5 Earths, 3 Waves
by Laura Girardeau
I’m in Italy, solo. Not alone: self-reliant, self-indulgent. I swear, it’s not too late. I travel to the farthest place: the Cinque Terre, 5 Earths. Five villages above the sea, protected by pirate castles, reached only by train or by hiking a delicate necklace of vineyards between them. Held in time by law, a national park to protect the natural resources of wind and wine. The houses must stand a millennium; the menu must be caught in the green sea at the mouth of each village.
I step off the train into a gallery of sounds. The sights are sublime: houses hang in multicolored jumbles like the laundry strung over it all. But sounds are more prominent, bouncing between cliffs. The absence of sound strikes first: no cars, no TVs. Singsong of bambinos playing. Every hour, a train dribbles tourists like last drops of wine. Mostly, the hush-hush of waves, whispering in Italian. The tourists hush too—that’s why they came. Nothing to do but eat pesto, imbibe joy, engage with those around you. These are your friends now, not your Facebook friends.
The only other sound is hard to place. I stroll down the one street to find out. No McDonald’s here, only Pasta-to-Go. A chef cooks it up with the sauce of your choice: Kalamata, walnuts, Chianti, brought by men carrying bounty on their backs. You eat on the bench outside–with the chef, who’s required to be your new friend. This is the Happy Meal. This is the prize.
There it is again, the sound rising from the village’s salty mouth. It’s the clatter of dishes, ricocheting between the cliffs. Plates of pleasure: anchovies, pesto, offered by bowing waiters until we slow down and receive. That’s the continual bass line. The melody is the higher clink of glasses, wines suggested by the sommeliers. Like Venice’s gondoliers, sommeliers are artists. They grew up like grapes in these vineyards, their memories distilled into one glinting glass.
May I recommend the Cinque Terre D.O.C., full of my formative years rolling in the sea, color of sand beneath the castle, bite of loam on my shins as I hike between 5 Earths? Or will you have the sweet Sciacchetra, my seductive siestas taken every day by law, turned to liqueur? Will you dip biscotti in La Dolce Vita, or is that too much for you Americans?
Will you fall off the cliffs of steep pleasure because you move too fast? Buy too much for the overhead compartment and bring down the plane? Or can you chuck your cell phones to the sea, cut the cords of your computers, sleep with Jesus smirking above the bed, hang your skivvies out for all to see?
Can you let it all go and just breathe at the edge of the world? I enter the sea-faded chapel. My gods are sacred coincidence, ancient trees, my daughter. Still, I bow to goddess Mary with her altar of candles. A man recites the rosary. Our breath matches the waves. After a slow while, 5 Earths worth, I begin to let loose the shipwrecks of my life. In all of them, someone returned the plate to the waiter, couldn’t ultimately risk the pleasure. Silence. Bambino laughter. Then, I start steering again.
What will I do today? Lose track of where I am, who I was before. Hop trains. Get on, get off. Go to my room, open the window to a square of sea. Take a huge bite of it, just for me. When will I be courted by dark surf again? When will I be queen at the edge of the world, the sea air spreading the curtain’s thighs? I recite the rosary with my body, fall in love again and again with myself.
I follow the clink of dishes to the restaurant. I find we’re all travelers with our own shipwrecks—trying to untie an anchor or tie one fast. Instead of work or politics, we talk of the need to taste: this musky lamb stew from Tuscany, mussels from waves lapping our feet, olive oil glistening our chins. The need to sip each other.
The sommelier appears: Kalamata eyelashes, a mole signed by Da Vinci, smelling of licorice and lust. His own shipwrecks glisten inside. He teaches me Italian in whispers. Maybe he’s praying; maybe he’s swearing. Maybe it’s both. With the light clink of a glass, he offers it to me. It’s a small sip of hope, the color of sunset. And the waves whisper, “Of course.”
The trail is closed for safety, exposed cliffs slick. I climb higher and higher into what will be, finally safe in my danger. I peer over the cliff and see it all below: waterlogged cell phones, umbilical cords of computers cut. And there they are: a few pieces of floating wood. The smithereens of my shipwreck, set out to sea on my breath at the chapel. Not just mine: everyone’s. They reform into the crossbow of a kite, to protect its heart and help it fly. There are enough out-breaths and prayers out there to make the wind pick up.
The waves come in threes, here in the 5 Earths. Three waves, three gratitudes make up this moment, fully tasted. What are yours, every day, no matter what? Pesto, licorice, lust, the waves chant. Daughter, trees, coincidence. Heartbreak, travels, try again.
What will you take from the edge of the earth? Too many souvenirs, too much pizza? Or the right to pleasure, to doing nothing? The right to danger, turned to surprise? The right to make mistakes, to rebuild shipwrecks? You’ll never be here again, like any place, any moment. Will you receive or return the plate?
The tunnel towards Florence means I’m flying home soon. But I still think I hear it: the clink of glasses rising to the pirate castle. An offering continually renewed, like chapel candles. A sommelier bowing, every night for a thousand years, until we finally whisper, like the waves, “Of course.”
Brava, Laura. Lovely prose, slipping, at times, into poetry.
Laura is one of only 4 Muscovites to enter our contest. If somebody from Moscow wins I am sure to be able to finagle dinner outta the deal. Hope you guys understand..Oh Wait! Can everybody read this?
I would very well understand considering this Muscovite as a finalist. The story is off the charts. As far as your finagling i’m sure you know what to do.
Thank you…you stung me, Stang!
On the mountain tops of 5 Earths and mounted on top of 3 waves and pasta 4 you which makes enough for the 12 days of Christmas. Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo Thorn.
Well – dance around my May Pole!!!! Do I see a conspiracy here????? You’d rather have dinner with an incredibly talented writer than come down here and buck out a few bulls? What’s it gonna take to win this?
No bull, of course
So am I buying you dinner or are you buying it for me? How about lamb stew from Tuscany, pesto from Cinque Terre, spinach pie…if we can find that in Moscow.
I am sure we will find something to wine about
I let Italy melt me about ten years ago. Never been the same since but never have I read a discription of the experience as full of the essence of the thing as I have read just now. Consider me properly swooned.
Welcome to the site, Laura.
Agree 100%, Stang. I needed a cigarette and eight hours sleep after I read this one.
Thank you–that’s a high compliment. Or perhaps you need some Schiacchetra and a 3-hour siesta!
Michael, somehow just your last name swoons me. Stang sounds like being stung, makes me curious. Is this a pen name? If so, it is very effective…hopefully your writing stings!
(You should see the rest of me-LOL)
Ah, unfortunately no but I can tell you I had Popeye arms graduating high school defending this heathen appellation.
You mentioned my writing. I encourage you to scroll back to earlier entries in this amazing contest.
Good luck, Laura, again welcome.
Just read it. Yes, your writing stings in a most meaningful way. See comments under your story.
Hey Clark, got an extra smoke?
I’m thinking that part of the human spirit longs for beauty and another part wishes to be part of nature. In life, we often settle for lesser beauty and attempt to rearrange nature to our purposes. This story falls on the side of beauty where she blends with, appreciates, falls in love with a natural setting and people worthy of life. There are times in which Rick Steves gets on my last nerve, so I turn the sound off and watch the beautiful places he takes us to. Here is a story, a gentler less forced emotional appeal which blends with the journey the writer takes us on with her. Your story, Laura, made my Sunday afternoon far more pleasant, pretty and peaceful.
Parisianne, Thank you for your thoughtful comments! I agree about Steeves…
So many pictures painted with strokes of ‘just the right’ words. This is a visual story that you tell your lover/best friend, “Close your eyes and I’ll take you to Italy.” I’m a fan, Laura. Can’t wait to tell Granny to close her eyes so I can take her to Italy. If there were only so way I could leave her there.
Thanks for your thoughts! The non-fiction essay is new for me and I consider myself more of a poet…so I’m glad that any poetry slipping in is a good thing! Hopefully you can grab granny and actually take her to Italy soon…
Laura, this is stunning. Leaves me breathless like wanting the touch of an old lover that slipped away in passing time. I know of this place. I did research on the cliffs of Cinque Terre and have dreamed of visiting ‘alone as’ i write and inhale life… slowing down just enough to ride a cloud, drink wine, write, sing, dance and talk to neighbors. Thanks for making this come alive again. My personal finalist.I must get a copy. I must! You rock!
Kyle, thank you for sharing your emotional reaction. You’ve encouraged me to continue in this genre, which is new for me!
Kyle, If you decide to go, we’ll talk later about trip planning…And the eternal question is, did she actually go out with the sommelier, and if so, how do Italians woo their women? For another story…
Italy, butlers, wine and woo? I’m feeling faint. I traveled to Rome, Venice, Florence, Bolzano(Northern Italy, loved this spot).Milan i didn’t care much for. But I have never been pinched so much. My girlfriend taught me how to handle the Italian men. Oh My! I love talking to all kinds of people, asking questions, revealing more of me than I should.(what else is new).I talk with my hands and my body, so I did have a brilliant time in Italy. You are right the men just have a way about loving all women. Have you ever thought of doing a travel theme, a tour guide of sorts to far away places that women like to go with an erotica bend to it? I really enjoyed your piece so much!
“And the waves whisper, ‘of course.'” I love that, Laura. This journey stream is like a breath of fresh air, flowing like the waves. And I am totally impressed that you took on the trip by yourself so suddenly. The heart of an artist for sure.
There’s always a dream-like quality when I write–the feeling that it’s beautiful, but it lacks substance. You wake up from those dreams, feeling disappointed.
This didn’t feel like a dream. It felt real <3
Your words filled me like a gourmet meal…. Simply divine…..
Loved the solo journey set up. Such talent! My, my….
I loved this essay. It brought me to tears. It transported me to Cinque Terra. I could see it, smell it, hear it, feel it. What made me cry was not only the sublime sense of “being” somewhere else for a short time but the feeling (upon my psychic return) of how far away the world Laura describes is from the one I live in. How can I create this feeling in my own American life? How do I slow down and savor the flavors in my day, or even insist that my world is slow, sensual and rich in such textures?
Lisa, I am grateful for your honest response and profound questions. We all live the questions every day, and maybe that is why we write! Good point that we don’t need to travel to do this…perhaps we can help change the culture and workplace to embrace La Dolce Vita somehow…
Love love love this beautiful story. The minute I read it I called my daughter over and read it to her. Thank you Laura for sharing this little holiday gift with me!!
I am a slow traveler. It’s my lifestyle. I live out and about on Planet Earth. I don’t always have peak experiences as Laura imparts in such a lush and sensual way, but they have happened and they are the very reason I have chosen this life. Although I’ve been to a million and one places, I have now been to one million and two! Bravo, Laura Girardeau! You have given a piece of yourself to me and for this I am fortunate.
Like Laura, I am a solo traveler, the difference for me is that it is by choice, not by accident. The result is the same. Going solo opens ones eyes, ears, heart and mind. This way all experiences are magnified in appreciation and understanding. I am a photographer and live through my camera. This gives me a rich appreciation of life around me. I never thought I could match that experience any other way, until I read Laura’s story. The poetry of her expression moved me so much that I really believe I have been to Cinque Terre. The experience is as alive in my head and heart, as is my recent visit to Venice, which produced a complete book about Venice. Laura’s few pages fill my emotions every bit as does my book. I wish I make photographs the way Laura makes words.
Thank you, Image Man! Maybe your next photo trip will be there. Nice to spend time photgraphing the back streets of Venice with you. Enjoy the wonders of Australia (maybe my next travelogue should be on the Outback)!
The Outback is magical. It is like a wild animal. Beautiful if respected, but dangerous if approached the wrong way. I would love to guide your experience there, or anywhere.
Nice
Dolce far niente…done perfectly. Bravisima. I can’t wait to go to Cinque Terre – the Tuscan hills and vineyards…oh be still my heart – all in good time.
Diane, let me know if you are planning and we can discuss how affordable it really is! Esp. in October, which is a beautiful time to go…