The scenic route of my mind. Puting my mind on airplane mode

Hi players,

I usually take notes on my phone while traveling.

Taking notes helps me remember things so I can write about them later.

This time, I didn't. Intentionally

I know that when I write, my mind starts to wander.

It's not bad, but on this trip, I decided to give my mind a vacation to cleanse it from any passing thoughts.

We decided to take this trip on a whim. We watched a movie filmed in Bari. Its simple charm was captivating.

Valle d'Itria. Stunning views of the fields

We were excited to find that there was a direct flight to Bari. This would allow us to plan a shorter trip with minimal driving in the area.

We divided our stay between three locations. We stayed most of the time in the countryside, for fewer distractions and triggers for my restless mind 😎

Puglia has many “Masseria” options: charming and affordable farmhouses. We rented a car so we could get around easily.

Our trip started in Bari, the city that ignited this trip. Our first impression of the town was a local legend.

Antica gelateria Gentile. https://www.gelateriagentile.com/en/

I later learned that their ice cream was the main attraction, but we instantly fell in love with the pasticcio, a typical dessert of Puglia (I still have difficulty pronouncing it).

It’s a cream-filled pastry.

The dough and the cream were divine. We ate them in every village around Puglia.

For some locals, as you can see in the photo, the pasticcio is equal to religion. (totally get it)

The invention of pasticciotti is credited to Andrea Ascalone, a chef near Lecce, who in 1745 used ingredients left over from a full-size cake to create smaller cakes.

Once again, I learned that some of the best inventions come from scarcity.

We are called to more innovation and creativity when we have fewer options.

Abundance can be an obstacle rather than a gift.

Ostuni. The charming white city. Makes renovating easy..

Abundance makes me think about my cluttered mind.

When there are so many thoughts running around, it's hard to gain clarity, but the quieter it is,

The more I can catch a smaller thought that can be powerful, but is lost in my inner noise.

We clean our houses and bodies regularly,

But we often neglect our minds, which orchestrate our lives.

I feel that relying on a messy mind is risky, don’t you think?

Grotta della Poesia. The poetry cave. The place for inspiration

Enough with food for thought,

Let’s talk about real food

the orecchiette—Puglia’s pasta. (It was too al dente to my taste.)

Its preparation is captivating.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the woman who made it. She did it without even looking at her hands and at an unbelievable speed.

If you want to be an expert, do what these women do. Keep practicing to become the best.

Repeating the same thing creates a neurological path in the brain.

We no longer have to think about the task; we simply know, and our body remembers.

It becomes a habit.

Pretty much as the habit we developed every time we smelled a pasticcio,

We ate it.

Expert eater. check✅

Bari Street — Bari. Women making pasta on the street

We were driving in the area, embraced by the never-ending fields of ancient, majestic olive trees;

We stopped occasionally in the small villages (see itinerary below) and wandered in the narrow, charming streets.

The streets were mostly quiet and empty, as if no one lived here.

The shops seemed closed when they were open, unless it was after 1 pm, when the entire place was shut down until dinner time

at around 7:30 pm.

Good luck finding something to eat in between…

When I think of it now, I can easily imagine how these narrow streets reflect the neurological paths in my brain.

Some paths are more crowded; I walk there often; they are familiar, even ordinary, like the tourist streets everyone follows, the “must-see” sites,

The ‘top’ attractions

While other paths are rarely visited and seem closed, even during working hours…and hardly ever used

I enjoy the fun and lively atmosphere of visiting the places many recommend; following the crowds is easier and much safer.

For example, visiting Alberbello, a UNESCO site famous for its Trulli houses, was great,

But discovering Trulli (in the “wild”) while driving on the country's little roads was more satisfying.

The raw experience was more exciting than the “organized” and “polished” site.

When things are too organized, I feel it takes away some of the fun of the adventure, the magic of the journey of wonderous discovery

While I follow the “must-see” as a reference and starting point, I think the real gems hide in the less-walked paths.

Finding new ways of thinking, opening new doors, trying fresh ideas, and adopting different habits is far more interesting than doing “more of the same.”

The more we take the less-traveled paths in our minds, the more we grow.

The more we wander, the more we reveal new pools of our potential and create new pathways in our minds.

Our mind is flexible and hard-wired to develop in extraordinary ways.

I wonder if we truly challenge its potential by providing enough opportunities to expand,

or if we settle for less and stay comfortable browsing ordinary ‘tourist attractions.’

Don’t get me wrong. I love cheesy shops, finding nice things to take back home as a souvenir

I mostly enjoyed the ceramics shops, which sold balloon or heart-shaped magnets and a variety of colorful vases.

They said it was made in Italy by local artists, but who knows if that’s true; today, everything is made in China.

I didn’t care; I liked them and bought a few.

Our mind is like a colorful, beautiful container

But sometimes, we fill it with black-and-white thoughts, which is a shame.

We should be mindful of what we consume and make sure our mind’s nutrition is healthy.

There is a lot of junk food…

A nice colorful selection from local tourist shops

We found many beautiful, natural, mesmerizing blue pools along the shore.

Though it was too cold to swim, gazing at the water, cleansing the mind, and doing practically nothing was refreshing.

We were positively surprised by a boat tour in Polignano a Mare, which we spontaneously booked 5 minutes before the tour.

https://dorinogiteinbarca.com/it/home-gite-in-barca-polignano/

Our guide was fun, the ride along the shore and inside the caves was great, and the music on the boat was energizing (it was instantly added to my Spotify playlist).

Exploring new paths in our minds doesn’t have to be hard. Don’t overthink; be spontaneous, and follow your gut. Be ready to be surprised.

Having said that, I must admit that some paths are more challenging to find than others.

We were looking for Cava di Bauxite.

We had a rough idea of where it was supposed to be.

There were a few possible paths, but no signs.

We followed a couple that we assumed were going there. That was a mistake.

We soon understood that they were on a romantic stroll to the sea. (This could be nice as well, though four is a crowd😉)

Naturally, we opened Google Maps to reorient ourselves and found a new path to get there.

Our mind is a great instrument, but there is no harm in using the many tools we are fortunate to have today for help.

There is a caveat. I am growing concerned that I rely more than ever on technology, my cellphone, and AI tools at the expense of stretching my cognitive skills.

At least I don’t use AI to write this blog…so all the mistakes you find are humanly mine…

No trip to Puglia can be complete without mentioning the majestic old olive trees.

Puglia is known for its unique approach to preserving what they call “monumental” olive trees.

Specific criteria are used to declare an olive tree “monumental,” such as the trunk's diameter having to be between 70 and 100 centimeters

and the tree has at least three different characteristics: spiral shape, hollow, or unusual formations.

Old olive trees next to Masseria Brancati

The different shapes of the trees were mind-blowing: the complexity, the spirals, the twists, the holes.

I could spot many unique ways every tree developed to handle the changes of time and weather to survive and to keep growing.

One hollow tree was big enough for me to get inside.

Our beautiful mind is like an olive tree, shaped by our experiences, good and bad.

We, too, have wounds and scars, holes, bumps, and twists.

This makes our minds uniquely beautiful.

We have different backgrounds, experiences, mindsets, and approaches; everyone is a “monumental” human being.

Likes the trees;

We share the same space and soil on Earth.

We don’t have to look or behave the same to share similar human struggles.

We can learn from each other and make great “oil” together to add more flavor to our world.

I often wonder…

What could be possible if we set aside the differences and use our collective mind power?

I don’t know the answer, and my mind is still in ‘vacation mode’, so I will leave this question open

On our way back to Bari for our flight, we stopped at Matera.

We were impressed with the place, but didn’t have enough time to explore it as much as we wanted.

Looking at the caves and the houses stacked one on top of the other in a beautiful chaos

left me with a sense of gratitude for my complex, crazy, awkward, unorganized mind, which never rests

But it is also capable of creating wonderful things when it is not on vacation:)

Playfully yours,

Rina:)

Our itinerary in a nutshell:

Bari- 3 nights. (The first was late evening when we arrived)

Trani - took a train from Bari

Masseria Soluco - 4 nights

https://www.taleacollection.com/masseria-soluco/

Visited: Alberbello, Monopoly, Martina Franca, Polignano a Mare, Ostuni ,Locorotondo, Cisternino

Masseria Stali- 2 nights

https://www.masseriastali.it/?utm_campaign=uberall&utm_source=googlelisting&utm_medium=organic

Visited: Lecce, Otranto, Galipoli, Matera (just a small bite)

Puglia, Italy- My mind on vacation mode..

New Zealand - Achieving our goals