Italian & Worldwide Bed & Breakfast Barter Week

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Sixty countries on every continent offera chance of a free stay and the fun of meeting the owners, a personal relationship. 

I was interested in half a doze places in the UK including the seasisde of Torquay. The novelty of Ukraine, Dnipro.

In the middle East there's oly one in Jordan and none in Israel.

How did it start?

In the dead month of November in Italy the guesthouses offer free or discount night of accommodation in exchange for services or goods that potential visitors can offer.  

You could get a night in Italy, including the islands of Sicilty and Sardinia.

Only one night? Would it be possible to offer your services so that you had four nights, a long weekend, a whole week, or two free nights on a week long holiday?

I logged on and found one artist offering a single watercolour for a week's stay.

A guesthouse was offering accommodation any time of year.

What could you offer?

One website lists goods and services, and towns and areas of participants.

For example

Services

Dancing lessons

Do their website, with an online booking system.

Write or rewrite their literature in good English

Take photos of their property.

Write the menu and wine menu

Do a free booklet of the area which they could give to every guest

Build a children's playground

Decorate the rooms

Sew curtains and matching cushions

re-upholster chairs and sofas

Plant herbs, vegetables and fruit in the garden.

Plan a program of themed dinners and events

Paint the inside

Paint the outside

Create a games room

Paint chessboards on old tables

Mend fences

Print tee shirts and matching baseball hats for the staff and to sell to guests

Print a book of the hotel recipes to sell to guests

Make a travelogue of the area's attractions for the hotel's website

Build an aviary, chicken area, rabbit hutches

Set up an aquarium in the hall and teach staff how to look after it

Create a Japanese style stone garden

Paint a mural on a dead wall

Mark out parking places

Put waterproof and amusing signs all over the garden and outdoor seating area

Create sculptures for the house and garden

Install double glazing

Create scarf uniforms with aprons and scarves in matching colours, such as grass green sea blue or the national flag colours

Make drapes for four-poster beds

Paint murals of sea scenes and trompe l'oeuil of open windows with sea views on blank walls of the restaurant and corridors

Install carpets in the upper corridors

Varnish wooden floors

Re-tile bathrooms

Create a book room, library, reading room and writing room

Draw caricatures of the owners and their pets

Teach English

Goods

Donate Xmas decorations

Paintings

A car or truck or motorbike or scooter

 A piano

A sculpture

Garden urns

Italian - English

alloggiare -stay

approfondisci - read more

baratto - barter

del - of the

oggetto - object

proposte - proposal

settimana - week

vorresti - would you

English - Italian

barter - baratto

object - oggetto

of the - del

proposal - proposte

read more - approfondisci

stay - alloggiare

week - settimana

would you - vorresti

https://www.barterweek.com/en/country/united-kingdom

Countries

UK

I found some charming properties in the UK, some of which offered year round free accommodation.

Websites

UK

https://www.barterweek.com/en/country/united-kingdom

WORLDWIDE

https://www.facebook.com/BarterWeek

https://www.settimanadelbaratto.it/en/

https://www.203challenges.com/barter-week-how-to-sleep-for-free-in-bbs-around-the-world/

https://www.settimanadelbaratto.it/en/how-to-take-part-in-barter-week

ITALY

https://www.bed-and-breakfast.it/en/

UKRAINE

https://www.barterweek.com/en/bb/fish-andrey-hostel-dnipro-dnipropetrovsk-oblast-ukraine/2076

Portuguese words for travellers to Brazil, Madeira and Portugal

flag of Portugal

Portuguese - English

aguas - waters/rainfall

amor - love

apartamento (um apartamento) - apartment (an apartment)

avenida - avenue

barco - boat

bilhete - ticket / bilhete de volta - return ticket

carro - car

casa - house

castelo - castle

condominio - condo/condominium

de - of

doutor - doctor (this is from translate google, different results from Wiki phrasebook)

eu - I

Eu te amo - I love you (literally I you love, subject, object, verb)

jardim - garden

lago - lake/pond

livre - free

livro - book

mapa - map

mar - sea

Marca - March (noun, the month)

mercado/supermercado - market/supermarket

meu - me/mine

nova - new

perdido - lost

pinheiro - pine tree, pine tree forest (Place name)

piscina - pool/swimming pool

policia - police

ponte - bridge

porto - harbour

real - royal

rio - river

rua - street

sapato - shoe

torre -  tower

triste - sad 

English - Portuguese

apartment - apartamento

avenida - avenue

boat - barco

book - livro

bridge - ponte

car - carro

castle - castelo

condo/condominium - condominio

doctor - doutor

free - livre

garden - jardim

harbour - porto

house - casa

I - eu

lake/pond - lago

map - mapa

lost - perdido

love - amor

me/mine - meu

new - nova

of - de

old - velha (feminine) velho (masculine)

pine tree/pine tree forest - pinheiro

police - policia

pond/lake - lago

rain - aguas

return ticket - bilhete de volta

river - rio

royal - real

sad - triste (the same word in French)

sea - mar

shoe - sapato

street - rua

swimming pool - piscina

ticket - bilhete

tower - torre 

Useful Websites

FREE

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Brazilian_Portuguese_phrasebook

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Portuguese_phrasebook

UNDER ten dollars

https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/products/portuguese-phrasebook-4

https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/products/brazilian-portuguese-phrasebook-5

2015 Àguas de março SANT ANDREU JAZZ BAND ALBA ARMENGOU RITA PAYES JOEL ... and The Girl From Ipanema, Portuguese language, Brazilian weather

This is the earliest and slowest of two recordings of this song, which my family found on the internet.

Portuguese language songs. I looked up the words in Portuguese of the band's song Triste, then translated it into English. 

the song doesn't really go anywhere. Many of this genre are just reptitions of the theme of love or unrequited love, romance, mood and the weather.

If you are not into Jazz, or think you are not, let me explain how my attitude has evolved.  As a teenager, I liked music with a pronounced beat which I and partners could dance to. I like ballads and songs which told a story, were affirmative rather than negative. I was happy with trad jazz songs, such as When the Saints go marching in.  But I was bored and confused by modern jazz. Now that has changed.

Jazz seemed a waste of time because it seems to lack what to me were the essential qualities of both the music and the words.  My husband is a jazz fan and enlightened me about modern jazz. 

Let's start with one of the most recorded songs which you probably know, or should know, which is a Brazilian popular song and jazz and bossa nova..

'The Girl from Ipanema" (Portuguese title "Garota de Ipanema") is one of the most recorded songs of all time, allegedly only second to The Beatles' "Yesterday," as well as one of the most famous bossa nova jazz songs ever.' Frank Sinatra, Madonna and Amy Winehouse have sung versions of it.

Bossa nova means new trend or new wave.  Nova, new. The adjective new comes after the noun in Portuguese.  Bossa nova was derived from samba, with more added.

Samba had lots of percussion and flambuoyant costumes, reminiscent of Rio's carnival.

Samba started in the early 1900s. Bossa Nova took over in the 1950s and 1960s. The Girl from Ipanema was created in 1962 by a song-writing pair, a musical partnership. Composer Tom Jobin. Lyrics (words) by Vinicius de Moraes. 

The girl who inspired the song can be seen in Wikipedia and various articles about the song and her.

If you ever visit Brazil, Madeira or Portugal, these words from maps, signs and songs will be useful.

 Handy English- Portuguese translations

Portuguese - English

aguas - waters/rainfall

amor - love

avenida - avenue

casa - house

castelo - castle

de - of

eu - I

Eu te amo - I love you (literally I you love, subject, object, verb)

jardim - garden

Marca - March (noun, the month)

meu - me/mine

nova - new

pinheiro - pine tree, pine tree forest (Place name)

ponte - bridge

porto - harbour

rio - river

rua - street

torre -  tower

triste - sad 

English - Portuguese

avenida - avenue

bridge - ponte

castle - castelo

garden - jardim

harbour - porto

house - casa

I - eu

love - amor

me/mine - meu

new - nova

of - de

old - velha (feminine) velho (masculine)

pine tree/pine tree forest - pinheiro

rain - aguas

river - rio

sad - triste (the same word in French)

street - rua

tower - torre

Useful Websites

https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/what-is-bossa-nova-music/

https://kidadl.com/baby-names/inspiration/portuguese-last-names-with-meanings-and-history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helo%C3%ADsa_Pinheiro

https://www.houseofnames.com/pinheiro-family-crest

The girl from Ipanama, in Brazil. Helo Pinheiro.

Passover, Pesach, Seder Night, When and what in 2023 and other years

Happy Passover. Picture showing wine and matzoh.

In 2023 Passover starts just before Easter and overlaps it. Passover starts on the evening of April 5th and ends on April 13th.

One year I went to Israel when Easter and Passover coincided. It was hard to get flights. The overlap of the holidays is pretty common.

Many scholars believe that the last supper was a Seder meal. Seder means order. You eat foods in order, recalling the escape from the plagues and slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt.

Features of the Jewish festival include the basic foods, wine, bread - special flat bread (matzo sometimes called crackers). Something bitter to recall the times of hardship. Something sweet. To entertain the children and the family, sometimes a piece of matzah is hidden and had to be found, and children of different ages, especially the youngest are given a line to say. The evening ends with songs.

If you have a family, the elders preside. If you don't, you can hope for an invitation from a friend's family, or even a stranger's family. Increasingly nowadays, with smaller families, people marrying later, increased numbers of widows, for those without families, travellers, holidays, group events are held,group celebrations.

You can buy greeting cards online to send overseas.

Useful Websites

 https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/671901/jewish/When-Is-Passover-in-2023-2024-2025-2026-and-2027.htm

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/2019/03/07/easter-and-passover-why-they-often-overlap-and-other-fun-facts/3091807002/

https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/1751/jewish/What-Is-a-Seder-Passover-Meal.htm

Edible Gifts from Honolulu, USA

 This is what I have been looking for. Edible birthday or anniversary gifts with fruit. I hope that now I have seen this website, the magical search engines will send me advertisements for similar places until I find one which sends to my address or the address of family members in other countries.

Useful Websites

https://www.facebook.com/ediblearrangements/photos

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Cugini Restaurant For The Fine Italian Cooking in Singapore's Restaurant District

 The decor of Cugini restaurant is a delight. The arch from the outdoor area into the restaurant is blue, which matches the chairs,  table lamps, and the water glasses.

Our dinner began with a glass of Prosecco. As far as I'm concerned, after that you can do no wrong.

We had an amuse bouche, mushroom tartlet, and cheese and asparagus puff. Perfect.

If you want to wash your hands, all is clean and fresh, with blue and white tiles.

Bread and butter. Filling and satisfying.

Pasta with butter and anchovy sauce. Mm!

The only item I was not sure about. Slightly too salty for me.

Delightful dessert. hazelnut crumbles and chocolate sauce on a Hazelnuts semifreddo. Creamy. Reminded me of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

We paid an extra five dollars each for coffee. Not really necessary. 

The Italian flag.

Xavier, a new friend met at the Barolo wine dinner at Cugina Italian Restaurant in Singapore.

Xavier was taken with the wine and bought a bottle to take home.

Useful Websites

Miraculous snowboarder's rescue from snow well under a tree

An online newspaper article alerted me to dangers and safety when skiing. 

Anna Frodesiak - Own work. Wikipedia

Dangerous Snow Well

The danger is tree wells, soft snow like quicksand under the shelter of trees. A skier can fall into it, head first.

Shovels 

The safety measures include carrying a shovel in your backpack. Like passing a smile around a circle. The shovel is mainly to rescue somebody else. A bit like masks which protect others. If everybody has one, the whole group is protected. The principle is what goes around comes around.  

Folding snow shovels with ice picks and bag to contain it, many sizes and styles from Amazon (and Lazada in Singapore).

Safety Classes

Apparently you can take classes in safety and rescue. My view is these classes should be free and mandatory, perhaps paid for and required by the insurance of the individuals as well as the insurance of the ski slope or tourist area.

Useful Websites

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11925361/Dramatic-moment-skier-rescues-snowboarder-got-buried-tree-slopes-Washington.html#reader-comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_well

https://www.deepsnowsafety.org/

https://www.amazon.sg/s?k=folding+shovel

https://www.amazon.sg/YARNOW-Entrenching-Gardening-Portable-Collapsible/dp/B08MDX6YBM/ref=sr_1_33?adgrpid=90979648010&hvadid=587350252302&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9062509&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=4682281968298444068&hvtargid=kwd-11763383&hydadcr=5595_341166&keywords=folding+shovel&qid=1680320649&sr=8-33