Life & travel scribbles

Some time ago we were invited, by our neighbour living on the same property, for juice making! He's been making it every single year since he was 18. So probably for over 30 years now! (although I am not entirely sure how old he is ;) ) The juice. It is made from apples picked from a few places where Sebastian works as a handyman and there are  sacks of them offered to him as the owners are not going to make any use of them. This way, every year at early fall, he starts his apple juice production in his hut, which is built in the furthest corner of 'our' garden. He lives there, in that hut. He built it himself many years ago out of recycled material and made it self-efficient energy-wise.  Now, to the point > about the juice: To start with - cleaning the bottles: Using branch shredder - apples are getting shredded to a pulp: then it's taken in a bucket to a tumble-drier (yep, the one for clothes) and part by part ...

Brain enema. Mind decluttering. Brain detox . These and more elaborate are the definitions given by teachers of Vipassana meditation technique I decided to give myself in again, for the 2nd time. 10 days in complete silence, without or at least with a very limited human contact of any kind, with absolutely nothing to distract from looking inward: no reading or writing, no physical exercise - except from one > sitting 10-11hs a day and meditating. I took up the challenge again. Vipassana is a meditation technique , which is not simply  about gathering up your mind, focusing and concentrating it. It is so much more! The principles are non-sectarian and n ot associated with any philosophy, therefore - utterly universal. What one is focusing on - for some for the first time in their lifes - is the reality, the present moment, as it is. As it is, not as one wants it to be. Purifying one’s mind by constant and very scrupulous observation of the breath an...

This time I decided to visit another on my list, and the 3rd one now, country of Scandinavia. I haven't been to Denmark so far, so it was a great opportunity when decided with a friend, Carmen, to meet right there after a loooong time of not having seen each other. In Copenhagen my good and dear friend had been living for the past 4 years now,so I seized a chance to visit him as well. He was happy to host us two during our stay, so we happened to be v.lucky in this rather expensive (otherwise) capital city. Raffa, whom I met some years ago in London, when we bot lived there, worked with me in a busy restaurant in Soho - central London. I personally do not associate any warm feelings or remembrances with that place, so it's not worth mentioning any further. ;) Luckily though I got to meet my Spanish friends there, that's the plus at least. Thence in Copenhagen he was very happy to show us around the city and spend time venturing out together. Lucky me/us! :) We then ...