The Wanderer
At age three, I began exploring my world: escaping from my house, wandering my neighborhood as far as my little legs would take me. (More later on taking the car at age four.) My love of escape, adventure and the outdoors has remained strong.
The scope of my travels has expanded considerably since age three. Wondering what lay across the ocean, just a few blocks from home, led me to Europe, and a love affair that has yet to end. Spain, Italy, and Germany, are places I have called home. I have spent considerable time in Belgium and France, and speak enough French, (and Spanish, Italian, and German) to get around.
Getting to know a place on foot or on bike is the best way to meet people, and experience the area and culture. It is a sort of “slow” tourism, as I focus my attention on very local traditions and cultures. What I like about local wine culture in particular is what it represents, (beyond some delicious and intriguing flavors): local tradition, history, and art. All of which synthesize beautifully in a bottle.
Getting to know the “terroir” (the specific place, as the French call it) of the different vineyards by foot, or on bike, encompasses more than just viewing famous vineyards. It includes noticing the different types of soil, the lay of the land and the exposure to wind and sun as you pass through villages and pass by wineries and the local experts working in the vineyards. I find it makes me remember and appreciate the wine more as a symbol of place.
More than promoting slow tourism, though, I promote activity. Movement nowadays in our cubicle-filled, web-based, data-generation work-world, is a real luxury. And while gyms or exercise rooms exist throughout the world, these are practically homogenous, and do not provide the unique and personal boundary-expanding experiences of hiking or biking through peaceful vineyards, or the added benefit of sampling the local product!
So now, I spend my free time wandering from vineyard to vineyard, winery to winery, and village to village in a quest to learn about local customs and cultures, and to find that elusive, unforgettably exquisite glass of wine experience. I am still having the time of my life exploring!
Linda