If you’re looking for the perfect excuse to fill up on mouth melting gelato, velvety mozzarella, tender pasta and a little self exploration to boot, there has never been a better time. With the recent release of Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts, the film heroine who puts us all to shame with her epic smile and larger-than-life laugh, an inspiring breath of life has prompted travelers to gleefully bound to Liz Gilbert’s (Roberts’s character in the movie) most celebrated destinations. The movie, based on Elizabeth Gilbert’s book and life experiences (first published in 2006), takes us through Italy, India and Indonesia (Bali), on an adventure to find beauty; the beauty of surrounding and the beauty of which hides within. The enthusiasm and loyal interest readers have taken in following the steps of Gilbert has been hard to ignore (the Lonely Planet publications released the Lonely Planet Eat Pray Love Pack), opening new doors of exploration through the mazes of cobblestone in Italy, the meditation sanctuaries of India and the serene beach hideaways of Bali.
San Crispino gelateria on Via della Panetteria in Rome, so named for The Patron Saint of
Shoemakers, busts at the seams with excited sweet-toothed lovers thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert’s devotion to the tiny shop just footsteps away from the Trevi Fountain. The most sought after flavor fusions, to name only a few, are meringue/hazelnut, pink grapefruit/chocolate/rum, honey/cinnamon/ginger, white fig/cream and strawberry/pear/limoncello (made with Amalfi lemons).
On the hot sands of India, therein lies the yearning for a journey of meditation through the temples and palaces of Delhi, Jaipur, Haridwar, Varanasi and the Taj Mahal. The bathing steps (called ghats in India) on the shores of the Ganges in Varanasi are dripping in brilliant color as the Taj Mahal, “A teardrop on the face of eternity,” steals one’s former idea of beauty, replacing it quickly with visions of brilliant sunlight dancing atop restful waters.
Deep in the lush foothills of Bali, Ketut Liyer, the ninth generation medicine man and healer for whom Elizabeth Gilbert was taught the way in which to see the world through her heart, will sit down with any brave enough to face his unflinching wisdom. Private cooking classes, Balinese massages, gentle yoga, villas aglow in candlelight and floral baths await at destinations such as the Ubud Hanging Gardens and on the mountainous peaks of Ayana.
The road to adventure, although lightly traveled before, has never looked so enticing.
Posted by : Courtney O’Kane Academy of Art University Alumna at 05:10 AM (IST)
