Before going to Europe Jon and I had decided that we would try and find a Workaway, where you work 25 hours a week for food and accommodation. We figured they would give us the opportunity to settle into one place, meet other people, learn a new skill and save money! It was fate because the perfect opportunity presented itself in the form of a Buddhist Meditation Center high in the Italian Alps. The Center, Bordo, was in a 400-year-old stone village halfway up a mountain. The only way to get there was to throw your bags on a teleferica and walk 20 minutes uphill.
The funicular at the bottom of the hill.
Jon walking on the path to the village.
As we approached the village the forest cleared and there before us was a stone village with the magnificence of snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. We knew right away we had found something special. The buildings were in various states of repair but it was obvious all were loved.
Our first sign of the village which spoke of its Catholic roots.
The spectacular view of the mountains from the village.
Bordo in the morning sunlight.
There were six of us there from Italy, Switzerland, Brazil and Argentina and we were all assigned various tasks to get the property ready for the upcoming season under the supervision of the coolest man on earth, Gerhardt. The first few days was rainy so I was stuck in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. After that I did various task outside such as raking, cutting small firewood, and clearing brush. Jon mostly cut trees down and lugged them up the steep terraces to later chop and use as firewood. Any time either of us got weary all we had to do was look up at the spectacular view.
`Jon and I working on the property.
As part of our program we were able to participate in morning and evening meditation sessions and also learn a little more about Buddhism. Meditation, easy right, you just sit there. The first session I squirmed in my seat antsy thinking about EVERYTHING. At the end, I could not stand up because both of my legs fell asleep from sitting Indian style. I’d like to say I improved but that would just be a lie. What I did learn is that a short period of calm when I wake up and before I go to bed is soothing for both my mind and my body.
So as many of you may know Buddhist are vegetarian and therefore that is what we would be served at Bordo. I kept this tidbit of information to myself not sharing it with Jon, a meat and potatoes kind of guy, for fear that he would not want to go. After we arrived and he figured it out I somehow managed to convince him to give it 24-hours. The first few days were going fine as we could sneak in a lot of meat as none of us were actually vegetarian.
Then the vegan from Brazil who loved to cook, arrived and everything changed. We went from eating a normal diet to eating 100% vegan. Now, the vegan from Brazil is one of the sweetest, kindest people we have ever met but vegan food is NOT good. Jon and I were going through meat withdrawals and were scrounging scraps of salami and cans of tuna and sneaking them in our room. Thank god it only lasted about a week before the vegetarian German chef arrived. Even Jon was grateful to make the transition back to vegetarian.
While we were there we were able to enjoy some of the area. Gerhardt took us to the most beautiful alpine lake, Lago di Antrona, where we relaxed in the sun at the lakes edge after a hike up to the spectacular waterfall. We went to the market in Domodossola, the closest town of any significance and samples salami and cheese until we could eat no more. I also enjoyed several of the hiking trails that went right through Bordo and disappeared up the mountain.
The hike behind the waterfall at Lago di Antrona.
Looking down on Bordo from a hiking trail above.
Our original workaway crew.
The house we stayed in and our bedroom.
Journey with Christina 