by Yvonne Bauche
on July 6, 2024
In the past twelve years of housesitting we have spent a cumulative total of over four years living in the Caribbean Windwards Islands (Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada).
When asked “Aren’t we scared about the risk of hurricanes in the Caribbean?” we have always responded with “not really as we spend most of our time in the south where hurricanes are less common”. To be more accurate we are usually around 14 degrees North of the Equator. Most of the storms we have seen form head our way briefly then turn north. Some fizzle out and some turn into Tropical Storms or Hurricanes and do damage further North’.
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by Michael Bauche
on January 11, 2024
“Nature abhors a vacuum, and if I can only walk with sufficient carelessness, I am sure to be filled”.
— Henry Thoreau
2023 The Year in Review
As you probably know by now, we like to do a recap of the past year in our annual New Years newsletter. So here you go.
2023 has been one of our busiest travel years to date; our travels took us right around the globe! We started heading West in January and keep on moving in that direction, which of course eventually became East.
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by Michael Bauche
on December 10, 2023
Impressions of Barra de Navidad Mexico, November 2023
The place was dusty, almost as grainy as my memories of being in Barra de Navidad over 32 years ago.
The place looked familiar, and at the same time it didn’t. The same can be said about the traveller as well.
Barra de Navidad is a small beach town located about two and a half hours south of Puerto Vallarta, an hour north of Manzanillo and about a 5-hour drive from Guadalajara. [continue reading…]
by Michael Bauche
on October 1, 2023
Impressions of Dublin: September 15th to 18th 2023
Dublin reminds me of a well-worn tee-shirt. A very comfortable, old favourite, threadbare shirt sporting a few holes.
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by Michael Bauche
on June 30, 2023
Although it is a 45 minute drive from the center of Rome, Trevignano Romano is officially within the boundaries of Metropolitan Rome.
The city of Rome is an amazing place to visit, we were there for the first time in May 2023 and were blown away. As the locals say nonchalantly “Rome is Rome”.
Venturing out of the City of Rome is also rewarding for travellers.
We ventured North to Trevignano Romano, located on Lake Bracciano. We spent a month here in late May early June 2023. [continue reading…]
by Michael Bauche
on June 7, 2023
I have been to Italy once before in 2012 and Rome was never really on the radar.
In May 2023 we spent 4 days in Rome being tourists before we started a housesit in Trevignano Romano, 45 minutes north of the city.
Impressions of my first visit to Rome Italy.
Rome is a city that displays simultaneous elements of disciplined geometry and organic randomness. Some of the buildings employ amazing geometry, on the other hand life in the streets is wonderfully disordered.
The city is like a living museum – a cross between an exhibition and a living room.
Everywhere you look there is something of interest, around every corner there is a building that inspires awe. There are fantastic details hidden in obscure corners.
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by Michael Bauche
on May 30, 2023
One of the reasons I love to travel is it allows me to constantly view the world with fresh eyes.
Familiarity has a tendency to erase the obvious; the world can lose its sparkle and become dull after a while.
Seeing different sights, hearing new languages, and walking upon new terrain keeps things fresh, so routine things are never really become routine.
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