The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Sometimes old news is new news. Today I want to share with you news that only this week came to my attention. My research led me to the original article published in The Atlantic on October 22, 2013.  This is a tale of two cities.  That do not exist in pages written by Charles Dickens. Viganella, Italy  and Rjukan, Norway  are small cities located in valleys surrounded by mountains. Although located far from each other, they suffered the same problem. Up to six months of the year, both receive very little sunlight.  While many global cities rest in valleys, Viganella and Rijukan are swaddled by the Alps and Galdhøpiggen mountains respectively. These giant mountains shield the valley below from precious sunlight. If I were to visit either quaint city, I would only do so during the six months of sunlight. I really dislike the dark. And so did the residents. The word did is very important. Like a Hans Chris...

Hubby and I have returned home from a spectacular tour of Italy. The theme of this trip, I can't help but say it:  I'm falling for Italy! I can't limit my tales of this gorgeous county to one post. I'm devoting my November newsletter to our adventures and will tell more in a few blogs. This is a trip I'd take again in a heartbeat. Definitely. The people. The language. The food. The art. The history. Wow!! While I'm doing the laundry and getting over jet lag I'll leave you with: Photo Courtesy Leaning Photo Courtesy Romance on the water Photo Courtesy Worship Photo Courtesy a time in history POWER Islands These photos are bringing tears of great memories. I can't wait to upload my own photos. What place in Italy have you wanted to see? The laundry will be done for next Tuesday's post.

Photo by Vee family There were these three herons walking down the road one day. Oh, the chatter. Good grief. Like old men s wapping stories exaggerating, and one-upping each other mostly about the biggest fish caught. One said "I've been to Italy." Photo Courtesy The Second said, "No way. Do you realize how far Italy is from here? You can't fly that far." One said: Yes I can. See how sleepy my eyes look? The Third one said: If you really went there, tell us what fish you ate. One stood still, his eyes swaying to the side. "I had the nicest waiter bring a platter of shrimp and scampi. They were served in the shell and with the heads still on. So juicy. That was my first day. Well, you can see why I chose to stay for a few more days." The Second said: "Were they served fresh?" One: "I couldn't have plucked them from the water any fresher." Third  leaned cl...

I read a brochure about Rome.  Photo by Mary Vee Apparently the locals feel disrespected when Americans visit dressed in what we'd consider typical apparel. Jeans, tee, clothes we'd wear to a mall, park, even on a train or airplane.  Actually, most Americans like jeans and a tee/shirt but will dress up for certain occassions like  a fancy restaurant, certain conferences, church, weddings, etc.  I don't think Italians look down on American's apparel as much as they see a person who has not taken the time or consideration to research what the appropriate wear is for a given setting like touring Rome.  Seeing from the brochure that most Italians living in Rome wear nice clothes like sports coat for guys and a dress for girls, hubby and I decided to invest in giving respect.  I went to several dress stores and found the prices astronomically high. To stay within our budget and yet still show respect, I chose, in...

As one of my readers, you know I simply love to travel.  I love to hike, walk a beach, take a five-hour train ride to a remote wilderness, try a new restaurant, WAIT...hubby and I did all of that on our fall color trip this weekend!  I am bursting with news to share. I chose only one of the things I mentioned and will save the rest for my Nevergiveupstories newsletter that will be sent out to subscribers October 15th. (There is a sign up box to the right. It's free! And all subscribers get my novella free. The link will be in your confirmation notice. I hope you sign up) And now for the piece of news I chose to share. Hiking in the wilderness can crank up an appetite. For dinner, hubby and I drove by Giovanni's located on Great Northern Road in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada. The full parking lot told us this was a place worth turning back for. The fresh food aroma floating through the front door mesmerized me. My stomach agreed we needed to go inside. ...