Hiking in Tigray, Hiking in Tuscany

        Hi there!  Today's subject...The Pork of Italy.

These are pictures of pork that Marta took. She loves pork and has missed it a lot.  Pork would have been
part of Marta's theme for this blog, but thankfully, Micah took over when she got stuck.  
A pork-centric blog will have to wait for another time.

        Just kidding. Todays blog, is not at all about pork, in fact, it is about comparing hiking in the middle-of-nowhere Tigray Ethiopia, and middle-of-nowhere Tuscany, Italy. By the way this blog is by Micah.

Moges, Marta, Noah hike in the Gheralta Mountains, Tigray

Eli and Nancy in Chianti, Tuscany

        Let's start with Tigray, Ethiopia, where we are living right now. In Tigray you're not just any old tourist. You're different. There's kids coming up to you so surprised to see a foreigner that they all just group up and stand outside the restaurant that you're eating at, and occasionally make a dash in to look at you. But there are also people around that you've gotten to know, who hug you when they see you. 

People we don't know

People we got to know (Moges greets Donica's great uncle while Donica looks on)

Maria greets her great-aunt, Hadgi

        In Tigray usually, when you're just starting the hike you walk by villages with small stone houses and people come out and wave at you. In Italy the equivalent to that is walking by an Air B&B, or quiet villa where no one, alas, comes out and waves at you. But on the trail in Tigray it's regular to walk by cows, donkeys, sheep, etc.  You don't see many of these on the trail in Italy, but when you do, they're HUGE!

Tigray Cows

Donkey crossing near Mariam Papaseit Church - Tigray

 

They may not look like it, but each of these Tuscan cows was twice the size of the average
Tigray cow.

        In Tigray the hikes are known for the churches. So at the end of the trail there is a church. A priest comes and opens the door of the church, and you go in with your shoes off. You walk in the church and right in front of you are all these beautiful paintings. You then receive a blessing stick and listen to the tour guide talk about the church. You then exit the church and walk back to the trail head. You can lean up against the paintings, and touch the Bibles. In Italy, you definitely can't do that.

Waiting for the priest to open the gate leading to Mariam Papaseit Church - Tigray

St. George - Mariam Papaseit Church in Gheralta

Mary, Jesus, and Saints - Mariam Papaseit Church

Just like in Ethiopia, people in Italy place shrines to saints near footpaths

        In Tuscany you start your hike usually by taking a bus from a super touristy town, (the one that you stay in), to a smaller, and less touristy version of that town. That town might be about 20 minutes away. Then you start the hike from there. Or, if you're with my dad, you start at your town, make a loop, see some hill towns, and hike for a long time until you end up back at your town.  Loops are very important for my dad.

Every single little town in Tuscany has a church. Sometimes the paintings are very old.
The oldest and most elaborate paintings were removed and are displayed in various museums.

        In Tuscany the churches that you stop at are in random hill towns, that you pass by. There's no specific church at the end of the trail. In the church no priest comes out to greet you. (Neither does the pope, for that matter). But sometimes the paintings inside were taken out and brought to museums.

        On the hike, (when you're on main roads), you go through hill towns where many tourists go through, so no one is surprised to see you. When you're on walking trails you see many vineyards and small country houses, (occasionally) with dogs that bark at you if you're anywhere close to the fence that they're behind. But I have to say that it definitely feels more peaceful in Italy.

Tigray

front row: Gabriel
Back row:  Micah, Daniel, Eli, Noah (holding Maria)
Background: Uncle Berhane

        But both places were both beautiful, and wonderful cultural experiences for me. And I feel so lucky that I got to experience both places.



     

Tuscany

Daniel, Nancy, Eli, Micah