Blue Bee Odysseys

14/08/2024

Step back in time to medieval walled city of Evora, Portugal, a UNESCO site. Enjoy the magic, history and culture in Giraldo Square, named after crusader Giraldo the Fearless who freed the city from the Moors in 1165. The marble fountain dates back to 1570 with the 8 spouts representing the 8 streets leading to the square. Craft shops and cafes surround it now, making it a wonderful place to sit and have breakfast.

05/08/2024

The video below is very informative. Travelers must be mindful of their water usage. It would be very sad to see Sicily become a water desert by 2050.

Sicily is one of Europe’s regions most impacted by global warming. From droughts that devastate local agriculture to punishing heatwaves and more, Euronews travelled around the Italian island to witness first hand what it is like to live on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

05/08/2024

The drought in Sicily and throughout southern Europe is serious. I don't think it will evade tourists' attention in the future. I would hope that lodging establishments would suggest responsible use of water by tourists.

Like many Mediterranean islands, people in Sicily are used to long spells without rain, but human-caused climate change has made weather more erratic, and droughts can be longer and more frequent.

03/08/2024

Fascinating Palermo, Sicily. It has welcomed people of all faiths from all over the world for centuries. The Tamils of India have integrated Saint Rosalia into their pantheon of gods and goddesses. Saint Rosalia was born to a noble family in 1130. Early in her life, she felt a calling to Catholicism, spending much of her life meditating and praying in a cave on Mt Pellegrino near Palermo. She died in 1164. In 1624, the plague came to Palermo, and she appeared to a sick woman and a hunter, instructing them to carry her remains through the streets of Palermo. The plague ended after that and she has been venerated ever since.

The Sicilian capital, Palermo, has a long history of cultural melding. Its new arrivals from Sri Lanka have embraced St. Rosalia.

02/08/2024

The vibrant art and street art of the very old walled city of Asilah, Morocco on the northwest coast is stimulating and fun. It is a lovely and easy city to explore with shops, cafes, and endless varieties of street art that are created every year during the annual street art festival. Another northern Morocco odyssey is being created for the next 2025. Stay tuned, more images to come.

27/07/2024

Ear of Dionysius, located in Syracuse, Sicily has an ominous history. The Greeks first came to Sicily 2700 years ago. The tyrant, Dionysius, used the cave as a prison from 405 to 367 BC. The cave echoed the voices of the prisoners to an opening above where Dionysius spied on them, hearing their anguish and plots. Despots preceded him and failed and he ultimately failed too.

Travel gives us the history of what to avoid in the political realm and the responsibility of citizens to be knowledgeable and diligent with their choices. Plato was an advisor to Dionysius and even he failed to get Dionysius to change his direction and in fact he barely escaped from Sicily with his life.

One of the many enjoyable experiences you can have after having seen historical areas of the world, is the opportunity to talk about the information learned over food and wine with friendly people. Another delightful experience is hearing someone singing opera in the cave with outstanding acoustics, as when my co-leader Diane did. Learn some history, savor the food, listen to Italian opera coming from the depths of a very dark cave, laugh and have fun!

19/07/2024

History is complicated. The Roman Temple of Evora, located in the UNESCO city of Evora, Portugal, was built over 2000 years ago in the first century to honor the Roman emperor Augustus. Barbarians invaded in the 5th century and destroyed the temple. It was rebuilt in 1467 by King Alfonso V who also wanted it transformed into a castle. In the 17th century, a priest incorrectly associated the temple with the Roman Goddess Diana, the goddess of the hunt. The temple overlooks the city and provides a royal view for an emperor or a goddess. Ancient Roman baths have also been found in the city. Our Portugal odysseys explore the ancient history of Portugal that reaches back to the Neolithic era.

18/07/2024

"The Cat and the Wind" walking across the roof of Casa do Turismo in Setubal, Portugal captured my attention while staying in Setubal last year. The artist, Ricardo Romero, describes it as "looking but not seeing." Traveling slowly with intention supports your ability to see more. Travel can be so much more than a checklist experience. See, feel, remember, and smile.

11/07/2024

Sicily is severely suffering from climate change in the summer, with temperatures as high as 119 degrees F. It is tragic to see Lake Pergusa dry up. It is the focal point of the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone. One of the reasons for a focus on slow and sustainable travel is to reduce our impact on climate change.

Lake Pergusa was once described as a place of beauty and ‘eternal spring’

06/07/2024

Bennu, the blue heron, has appeared on my regular walks around Lake of the Isles, demonstrating incredible patience when hunting for food. This inspiring trait has assisted me in redesigning the website with a focus on slow and sustainable travel. The blue heron soothes my soul and reminds me that moving mindfully and with intention allows one to come into the “peace of wild things,” a reference to a Wendell Berry poem. Three slow journeys are listed on the website with more coming soon for 2025. Contact me if you have questions.

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

22/04/2024

Earth Day, treat her and your self kindly.

"Much of what is posted about Earth Day skips over Mother Earth altogether. A lot of it looks like vague, disassociated commercials. Jean Shinoda Bolen wrote: “Mother Earth” comes back to life again when we perceive ourselves and all of life as children of Gaia.” Without coming home to a deep connection and reverence for Her, we will never survive." -Trista Hendren, new post on Girl God Books Patreon https://www.patreon.com/GirlGodBooks

Art by Elisabeth Slettnes

Art "Earth Mothers" by Deborah Milton and others

06/04/2024

Exploring the magic of an Odyssey to Norway is in the process of being planned for early next year, maybe end of this year. Northern lights and learning more about the Sami culture of Norway will be some of the highlights of a Slow odyssey in Norway. The northern lights are visible in Minnesota but we do not have reindeer. The indigenous Sami in northern Scandinavian countries have herded the reindeer for hundreds of years. They also have a distinct vocal expression called joiking that connects individuals with nature, animals, and ancestral spirits. I heard a performance very recently in Minneapolis, "Avant Joik" with joik singer Katarina Barruk, Maja Ratkje and visuals by Matti Aikio. It was a captivating and immersive experience. The Norway odyssey will have you immersed in nature and the culture and hopefully many northern lights that are expected to be abundant this year and next year.

There are many myths surrounding the aurora but satellite technology provides insights into the celestial marvel.

09/03/2024

Lovely statement about International Women’s Day. I appreciate all of you.

"Look at women. They are strong you can feel it. They are the rocks on which we really build."
— Dolores Huerta

Happy International Women's Day! Celebrating all the amazing women in my life including our Relatives who identify as female or two-spirit, as well as our Relatives that don't gender-identify.

To you, artists, poets, and healers who support and uplift us;
To you, parents raising children to know they are sacred, wise, strong, kind, and powerful;
To you, land and water protectors.
To you, keepers of culture and ceremony.
I see you.
I thank you.
May you be blessed with all you need and dream of, today and every day.
—Maestra Grace, Curanderismo, the Healing Art of Mexico

Art by Soni López-Chávez

12/12/2023

On this day, I give gratitude and honor to Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue (Náhuatl), Bwia Ma’ala (Yaqui), our Mother Earth, who blesses us with shelter, food, flowers, breath, water, fire, and medicines —and lovingly accepts our body at death. Our Lady of Guadalupe, used by the Spanish to (forcibly) convert Natives to Catholicism, became a mantle of protection for the ancestors so they could continue to honor our Earth Mother in safety with ceremonies of gratefulness and reciprocity that their descendants hold and continue to offer today with prayers, ofrendas, and Danza. For me, it’s not either/or.

Cuetlaxochitl sit on my altar in honor of Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue-Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and the Winter Solstice. May our prayers and love-in-action bring peace and healing to our hearts, minds, spirit, and the world.

Bendiciones,
Maestra Grace

Art by Sue Ellen Parkinson, https://www.miracleofyourlife.com/paintings.html

16/09/2023

Your donation will help to provide fresh meals for those in need after disasters, and build long-term resilience in affected communities.

14/09/2023

The Odyssey to Morocco leaves on September 30th! We are eager to be there.

🇲🇦🙌🏼

22/08/2023

I am eager to see the Anou Artisan Store in Fez, Morocco in October with an adventurous group of women participating in a Morocco Odyssey. It is wonderful that Anou has eliminated the middleman, allowing the artists to make the profit for their hard earned works of art.

17/08/2023

Palermo, Sicily and many other towns in Sicily are marvelous to see and experience. We have been bringing small groups of people to Sicily since 2009 and continue to discover more treasures to experience. Join us again in 2024 with our Sicily specialist, Diane Magliolo, who knows every back street of Palermo by heart. Dates for the 2024 odysseys to Sicily will be available soon on the website.

Street food and medieval churches meet natural wine bars and compelling new museums in Sicily’s capital.

12/08/2023

It is a fascinating city. Great photo of the Quattro Cantù.

Palermo, una delle città più belle al Mondo ❤️

Foto di Markus Spatola

09/08/2023

This will be important to take care of if going to Europe sometime in 2024. There is no date yet for when it will go into effect or website, but it will happen. Happy Travels!

Europe’s new ETIAS authorization entry procedure is slated to go live sometime in 2024. Here’s what European authorities told us when asked about a specific launch date.

26/07/2023

The fires are horrifying to see in Sicily. BBO has offered many odysseys to Sicily and more sustainable odysseys are to come. Heat and fires are consuming a lot of the earth. Climate change is real. If you travel, do it sustainably, slowly, and avoid fossil fuel vehicles if possible. Walk a lot. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Canada has had many fires this summer. I live in Minneapolis and the smoke from Canada visits several times a week offering red alerts, all summer long. Sicily has heat, 116 degrees, and fires. They cannot breath in ashes. They cannot breath in extreme heat.

The heatwave that has been scorching southern Europe has increased the risk of fires and heat-related deaths in Italy.

18/07/2023

The recent Indiana Jones movie was filmed in two countries that Blue Bee Odysseys will be traveling in this fall, Morocco and Sicily. Fez and Tangier, Morocco are on the itinerary. Fez has the oldest library in the world. The architecture and artistic craftsmanship in Morocco is stunning. Film locations in Sicily were at several of my favorite cities as well as several other charming locations. Cefalu is a beautiful beach town, not far from Palermo. Cefalu Cathedral is an example of Norman architecture. The ancient Temple of Diana overlooks Cefalu and the Tyrannian Sea. Syracuse was founded by the Greeks and has some of the ancient temples there. Archimedes was born there. Ortigia, the island across the bridge, is very charming and has a museum dedicated to Archimedes and his amazing inventions. The Greek Theater in Syracuse is larger than the one in Taormina and still has Greek plays performed there. The Ear of Dionysus is a large grotto nearby with unusual acoustics that at one time allegedly allowed the Greek tyrant Dionysus to spy or listen to prisoners held in the cave. Segesta has a beautifully preserved 5th-century BC Greek temple that overlooks the countryside of Sicily. Join us on one of these odysseys where Indiana Jones discovered how rich and fascinating the history of the world is. We can all be Indy.:)

Guide to all the Filming Locations of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - The bridge, the hotel, and the city where the new movie was filmed

26/05/2023

"Start every day singing like the birds." Tina Turner, a powerful ecstatic woman who inspired many of us. Few people know that she also sang Buddhist mantras beautifully. I am listening to her album, "Beyond" as I write, where she sings sacred songs with Dechen Shak-Dagsay and Regula Curti. This article has a YouTube video of the song "Beyond", a beautiful song filled with wisdom. She healed herself with song and the study of ancient Tibetan female wisdom teachers, like Machik Labdron of Bhutan.

I went to the Bhutanese cave that Machik Labdron meditated in quite a few years ago and hope to go back in 2024, perhaps take a festival in, meditate and chant with others. Join me. May we all continue to sing like the birds and dance the ecstatic dance as Tina did and likely still does.

Tears started rolling down my cheeks the moment the opening lyrics of the mantra began, like a wild stream.

10/05/2023

This would make a difference in getting to New Zealand, a very long flight.

Air New Zealand will launch Skynest, a beds-on-board concept for economy class passengers, on select long-haul flights in September 2024.

02/05/2023

Charming cafes in back ally’s are the norm in Palermo, Sicily. Imagine seeing the Norman/Arab history portrayed on a colorful wagon next to you. Explore the best of Palermo, Sicily with us in September 2023. Tap the link in our bio for more information.

23/04/2023

Happy Earth Day, 2023! Nature continues to display its abundance and beauty with an abundance of spring flowers and a visitation by the Great Blue Heron, a messenger of good news.

21/04/2023

Excellent article about one of my favorite Sicily foods, caponata. I originally learned to cook it in a cooking class with chef Mimi at Osteria Bacchus in Sant Ambrogio, Sicily. I never knew the history behind it until now.. Enrica Bruno, one of our guides in Sicily is interviewed in the article.A cooking class is included in all our odysseys to Sicily. Join us!

Benedetta Jasmine Guetta shares the story behind this traditional vegetable-packed dish, a sweet and sour aubergine stew rooted in the island's pre-Inquisition Jewish community.

21/03/2023

I have an Odyssey to Morocco planned in late September this year. We will be in the mystical blue city of Chefchaouen for part of the journey.

Are you to this year? If so, to where in this amazing country?🤗🇲🇦

15/03/2023

Lovely video from Bhutan, one of my favorite countries in the world. I will be creating an Odyssey to Bhutan for 2024 very soon. It is time to be with more "inner peace and inspiration."

27/02/2023

Odyssey to Western Sicily, Sept. 8-19, 2023. Slow travel odyssey that offers many of the experiences mentioned in the article.

From the lively capital in Palermo to the hilltop city of Taormina to Trapani in the west, Sicily is finally being discovered for the magical destination that it is.