8, October
We do some last minute shopping, park walking and gelato eating before heading up to pack. Can sea/lake glass be carried on?
Friday, October 8, 2010
Roommates
6, October
We got an early start to the train station and except for the blow out on the rear wheel of Pam's suitcase the trek went smoothly. Does anyone know if transporting copious amounts if lake glass invalidates the warrantee on suitcases? Jim and several volunteers hoist the glass laden bag onto the train and we are off for our final stop...Milan. It is a quiet trip, no school children and a minimal amount of train issues. Even the route to the underground metro is easily navigate. We are all beginning to worry now...this is a little too easy. We come up from the metro, prepared for the Italian version of the Baton death march, after all we were told a five minute walk from the metro and we all know what that means and yet...it IS a five minute walk. WE all receive our keys and Pam and Sheila head up to their room. Only one small problem...someone is already staying it their room! Two twin beds and four people, not to mention strangers, is probably a bit cozy. The situation is rectified and we are off to sight see Milan. Bill, Jan, Pam and Sheila head to the top of the Duomo and Debi and Jim go off to find a restaurant . We end the day with dinner a Da Bruno, a walk through the Galleria and of course gelato.
7, October
Jim has everyone up and out early we are off to see the Last Supper. Its about a 15 minute walk and there is no window shopping...we have a mission. The tour is interesting and of course the painting and it's history amazing. After the tour we walk to Sforza castle, walk the beautiful park and check out the museums. One whole section is devoted to musical instruments....Pam had band flash backs.
We got an early start to the train station and except for the blow out on the rear wheel of Pam's suitcase the trek went smoothly. Does anyone know if transporting copious amounts if lake glass invalidates the warrantee on suitcases? Jim and several volunteers hoist the glass laden bag onto the train and we are off for our final stop...Milan. It is a quiet trip, no school children and a minimal amount of train issues. Even the route to the underground metro is easily navigate. We are all beginning to worry now...this is a little too easy. We come up from the metro, prepared for the Italian version of the Baton death march, after all we were told a five minute walk from the metro and we all know what that means and yet...it IS a five minute walk. WE all receive our keys and Pam and Sheila head up to their room. Only one small problem...someone is already staying it their room! Two twin beds and four people, not to mention strangers, is probably a bit cozy. The situation is rectified and we are off to sight see Milan. Bill, Jan, Pam and Sheila head to the top of the Duomo and Debi and Jim go off to find a restaurant . We end the day with dinner a Da Bruno, a walk through the Galleria and of course gelato.
7, October
Jim has everyone up and out early we are off to see the Last Supper. Its about a 15 minute walk and there is no window shopping...we have a mission. The tour is interesting and of course the painting and it's history amazing. After the tour we walk to Sforza castle, walk the beautiful park and check out the museums. One whole section is devoted to musical instruments....Pam had band flash backs.
Rainy Days and Menaggio
4, October
Today we braved the rain and took the ferry to Menaggio. Quiet and peaceful and totally untouched in the lake-glass sense. A little shopping, a little eating and a lot of wandering.
5, October
Pam and Sheila took to the trails and investigated the castle and the Fiuma Latte. They had a wonderful time learning about the castle and the falcons that reside there as well as seeing Italy's shortest river in all it's glory. Bill, Jan, Jim and Debi hit an easier trail to the local wine bar for drinks, sun and a tasty treat.
Today we braved the rain and took the ferry to Menaggio. Quiet and peaceful and totally untouched in the lake-glass sense. A little shopping, a little eating and a lot of wandering.
5, October
Pam and Sheila took to the trails and investigated the castle and the Fiuma Latte. They had a wonderful time learning about the castle and the falcons that reside there as well as seeing Italy's shortest river in all it's glory. Bill, Jan, Jim and Debi hit an easier trail to the local wine bar for drinks, sun and a tasty treat.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Ferry Tales
3, October
We have breakfast with the resident cat and then catch the ferry to Bellagio. We go right to work on supplementing Jim's t-shirt collection and finishing off some last-minute gifts.
Pam and Sheila take a second ferry across the lake to Villa Carlotta. The weather is nice and we enjoy wandering through the beautiful gardens. It reminds us of Disneyland. It's quiet and peaceful and there are benches to sit and enjoy the beauty. We wander along the paths and hike up and down staircases to see all of the different types of plants. At one point, we hear a bell ringing and look up to see a mule with a big cow-bell feeding in a meadow. Once we've seen everything, and Sheila has taken pictures of all of the flowers, we head in to see the villa. It's a three-story building that was given by a princess to her daughter, Carlotta, as a wedding gift. OK, Bethany, no villas on the horizon for you! Carlotta's husband was really interested in botany and is the one responsible for the beautiful gardens. Pam and Sheila split a pizza and then catch a ferry back across the lake to meet the others in Bellagio.
Jim does some shopping at a small store run by two hilarious sisters. By the time the purchase is done, we know all about her drinking habits and she said she could come home with Jim since "he knew what she liked". It is a good purchase but even if it hadn't been, the price was worth the floor show! We arrive back at our hotel in time for a drink at a bar over-looking the lights on the lake and a late night pizza.
We have breakfast with the resident cat and then catch the ferry to Bellagio. We go right to work on supplementing Jim's t-shirt collection and finishing off some last-minute gifts.
Pam and Sheila take a second ferry across the lake to Villa Carlotta. The weather is nice and we enjoy wandering through the beautiful gardens. It reminds us of Disneyland. It's quiet and peaceful and there are benches to sit and enjoy the beauty. We wander along the paths and hike up and down staircases to see all of the different types of plants. At one point, we hear a bell ringing and look up to see a mule with a big cow-bell feeding in a meadow. Once we've seen everything, and Sheila has taken pictures of all of the flowers, we head in to see the villa. It's a three-story building that was given by a princess to her daughter, Carlotta, as a wedding gift. OK, Bethany, no villas on the horizon for you! Carlotta's husband was really interested in botany and is the one responsible for the beautiful gardens. Pam and Sheila split a pizza and then catch a ferry back across the lake to meet the others in Bellagio.
Jim does some shopping at a small store run by two hilarious sisters. By the time the purchase is done, we know all about her drinking habits and she said she could come home with Jim since "he knew what she liked". It is a good purchase but even if it hadn't been, the price was worth the floor show! We arrive back at our hotel in time for a drink at a bar over-looking the lights on the lake and a late night pizza.
Two Weddings and a Funicular
2, October
While the morning was overcast, the day was beautiful. We walked around town, collected what was left of the lake glass and had a wonderful pizza lunch. While we were eating, the bells began to ring at the church and a bride arrived. Sheila had seen her arrive by boat, climb out in full attire and walk up to the middle of town. Later in the afternoon the whole scene replayed for a second bride. Beautiful and deafening. After lunch, Debi, Jim, Sheila and Pam head out to explore more of the town. We walk to Eremo Guadio, a hotel/restaurant which sports its own funicular to ascent the steep hill to the upper hotel. Unfortunately, the funicular is only for guests staying at the upper hotel - maybe next time!
While the morning was overcast, the day was beautiful. We walked around town, collected what was left of the lake glass and had a wonderful pizza lunch. While we were eating, the bells began to ring at the church and a bride arrived. Sheila had seen her arrive by boat, climb out in full attire and walk up to the middle of town. Later in the afternoon the whole scene replayed for a second bride. Beautiful and deafening. After lunch, Debi, Jim, Sheila and Pam head out to explore more of the town. We walk to Eremo Guadio, a hotel/restaurant which sports its own funicular to ascent the steep hill to the upper hotel. Unfortunately, the funicular is only for guests staying at the upper hotel - maybe next time!
Taxi Drivers - or - Shall We Dance?
1, October
We have frustrated the coffee woman for the last morning. As we all leave the breakfast room, clothed in our matching travel day shirts, complete with the blingy "La gioia e' nel viaggio" , another patron is over heard commenting " I believe they are a dance troupe". Ok, you all know us. What aspect of this group would lead one to believe we dance??? It's time to put Venice in the rearview and our suitcases are packed. Bill and Jan decide to hire a water taxi for the journey to the train station and Pam will accompany them. The hotel owner assures us the taxi will arrive and gives us the boat number but then accompanies us to the canal. There is a boat waiting, but he points out that the number does not match. Soon after, another boat arrives, banging into the side of the canal. Pam checks the number and is really grateful that poorly-trained driver is not ours! A few minutes pass and the driver asks - train station? The hotel owner speaks to him in Italian, the gist of which we understand is the discrepancy in boat numbers. Finally, they decide this is our taxi and launch our luggage over the open water into the boat. We settle in for a quiet ride to the train station. By now the rain has started and while we're under cover, the driver is in the open but we see that now he's flipping up a small canopy to keep dry. Evidently, the small canopy severely restricts his vision as he spends the remainder of the trip flipping it up and down and popping out of his seat in an attempt to avoid various obstacles, like boats and gondolas and bridges. To complicate the trip, it is garbage collection day on this canal and the water is full of little floating garbage trucks. Generally, this would have been a really interesting thing to watch but at this point we're just concerned that we're going to hit one of them! All of the little bridges we crossed during our stay are even smaller on the underside - especially when being shared with other boats or gondolas! Finally, the train station is in sight and it's time to disembark. Our luggage takes one last flight across the open waters and we've arrived.
In the meantime, Debi, Jim and Sheila head out to catch a vaparetto. At first glance it appears this will be an easy trip. Then the crowd of travelers begins to show, suitcases and rolling bags in hand. It still appears that we can make it and then the smallest boat in all of Venice arrives to pick us up. We manage to arrive in one piece and dry. Once at the station Jim and Debi go to verify the track number for our departing train. Generally it's on track 6...but wait track 6 is under construction. No problem, let's just pop into the train information and ask, after all it's obvious that track 6 is under construction and there should be some kind of semi-permanent assignment for those trains. The man at the desk looks at us like we are crazy when we ask for the track assignment and he say the Milano train always comes in on track 6, oh wait track 6 is impossible...well even we had figured that out!
We arrive in Milan and the train is there early, so we're able to board and get seats together and stow the luggage easily. This trip has gone surprisingly well! Our train is getting close to Varenna, so we get the luggage together and are standing next to the door as the train stops as these stops are really short - and nothing happens. The doors don't open. We're pressing buttons and trying knobs and finally succeed in getting one small door open, so we're tossing luggage and trying to squeeze six people through that one opening before the train pulls out again. We walk to the hotel, uphill, until we reach a sharp descent right before the hotel; imagine our roller suitcases on a downhill slope, on slick cobblestones. It nearly becomes Bowling for Tourists, but we make it through.
Sheila and Pam take advantage of the nice weather to do some exploring around town. Sheila asks the hotel owner where we should walk and he points to his round stomach and asks - does it look like I do much walking?! Where is the map I gave you?! Finally, he parts with another map and we take off in search of the lake walk. We walk until we reach the Fuimelatte, the next town over. OK, must have missed the turn for the lake walk. A quick trip down to the small beach yields lake glass though. We head back towards town and pass beautiful gardens and finally find the lake walk turnoff. We find more lake glass before heading back to clean up for dinner. Debi and Jan are sure that Sheila and Pam have cleaned out all available lake glass!
We have reservations for dinner with Chef Moreno tonight and we walk down to the main square to meet him for a ride 10 minutes further up the mountain. A small van arrives that will seat five, driven by his non-English speaking wife. Another couple is also in the square eyeing the same van when the wife assures us that another car is coming. Sheila and Pam hop in the van with the other couple and head up the mountain. We wind and twist for several miles in the dark when all of a sudden, BANG - a car heading the opposite direction has side-swiped the driver's side mirror! Sheila and Pam are a bit shaken but the chef's wife is merely irritated and just continues the drive to the restaurant! In the meantime, Bill, Jan, Debi and Jim have met up with Chef Moreno in the square and are now experiencing a ride similar to our ride into Rome with regular gas in the diesel tank. Finally, we're all at the restaurant and have a wonderful meal served by Chef Moreno and his wife and daughter before climbing back in the cars for a much less eventful drive down the mountain!
We have frustrated the coffee woman for the last morning. As we all leave the breakfast room, clothed in our matching travel day shirts, complete with the blingy "La gioia e' nel viaggio" , another patron is over heard commenting " I believe they are a dance troupe". Ok, you all know us. What aspect of this group would lead one to believe we dance??? It's time to put Venice in the rearview and our suitcases are packed. Bill and Jan decide to hire a water taxi for the journey to the train station and Pam will accompany them. The hotel owner assures us the taxi will arrive and gives us the boat number but then accompanies us to the canal. There is a boat waiting, but he points out that the number does not match. Soon after, another boat arrives, banging into the side of the canal. Pam checks the number and is really grateful that poorly-trained driver is not ours! A few minutes pass and the driver asks - train station? The hotel owner speaks to him in Italian, the gist of which we understand is the discrepancy in boat numbers. Finally, they decide this is our taxi and launch our luggage over the open water into the boat. We settle in for a quiet ride to the train station. By now the rain has started and while we're under cover, the driver is in the open but we see that now he's flipping up a small canopy to keep dry. Evidently, the small canopy severely restricts his vision as he spends the remainder of the trip flipping it up and down and popping out of his seat in an attempt to avoid various obstacles, like boats and gondolas and bridges. To complicate the trip, it is garbage collection day on this canal and the water is full of little floating garbage trucks. Generally, this would have been a really interesting thing to watch but at this point we're just concerned that we're going to hit one of them! All of the little bridges we crossed during our stay are even smaller on the underside - especially when being shared with other boats or gondolas! Finally, the train station is in sight and it's time to disembark. Our luggage takes one last flight across the open waters and we've arrived.
In the meantime, Debi, Jim and Sheila head out to catch a vaparetto. At first glance it appears this will be an easy trip. Then the crowd of travelers begins to show, suitcases and rolling bags in hand. It still appears that we can make it and then the smallest boat in all of Venice arrives to pick us up. We manage to arrive in one piece and dry. Once at the station Jim and Debi go to verify the track number for our departing train. Generally it's on track 6...but wait track 6 is under construction. No problem, let's just pop into the train information and ask, after all it's obvious that track 6 is under construction and there should be some kind of semi-permanent assignment for those trains. The man at the desk looks at us like we are crazy when we ask for the track assignment and he say the Milano train always comes in on track 6, oh wait track 6 is impossible...well even we had figured that out!
We arrive in Milan and the train is there early, so we're able to board and get seats together and stow the luggage easily. This trip has gone surprisingly well! Our train is getting close to Varenna, so we get the luggage together and are standing next to the door as the train stops as these stops are really short - and nothing happens. The doors don't open. We're pressing buttons and trying knobs and finally succeed in getting one small door open, so we're tossing luggage and trying to squeeze six people through that one opening before the train pulls out again. We walk to the hotel, uphill, until we reach a sharp descent right before the hotel; imagine our roller suitcases on a downhill slope, on slick cobblestones. It nearly becomes Bowling for Tourists, but we make it through.
Sheila and Pam take advantage of the nice weather to do some exploring around town. Sheila asks the hotel owner where we should walk and he points to his round stomach and asks - does it look like I do much walking?! Where is the map I gave you?! Finally, he parts with another map and we take off in search of the lake walk. We walk until we reach the Fuimelatte, the next town over. OK, must have missed the turn for the lake walk. A quick trip down to the small beach yields lake glass though. We head back towards town and pass beautiful gardens and finally find the lake walk turnoff. We find more lake glass before heading back to clean up for dinner. Debi and Jan are sure that Sheila and Pam have cleaned out all available lake glass!
We have reservations for dinner with Chef Moreno tonight and we walk down to the main square to meet him for a ride 10 minutes further up the mountain. A small van arrives that will seat five, driven by his non-English speaking wife. Another couple is also in the square eyeing the same van when the wife assures us that another car is coming. Sheila and Pam hop in the van with the other couple and head up the mountain. We wind and twist for several miles in the dark when all of a sudden, BANG - a car heading the opposite direction has side-swiped the driver's side mirror! Sheila and Pam are a bit shaken but the chef's wife is merely irritated and just continues the drive to the restaurant! In the meantime, Bill, Jan, Debi and Jim have met up with Chef Moreno in the square and are now experiencing a ride similar to our ride into Rome with regular gas in the diesel tank. Finally, we're all at the restaurant and have a wonderful meal served by Chef Moreno and his wife and daughter before climbing back in the cars for a much less eventful drive down the mountain!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Frenzy
30, September
Today is for frantic shopping. But first let's throw in a possible train strike tomorrow on our day to travel. That could cause a small problem since we need to catch two (possibly now on strike) trains to reach our next stop...Lake Como. The wonderful hotel owner suggests we go to the travel agent (you just go over the bridge) and he will be able to tell us everything we need to know and make any necessary changes. Jim and Debi arrive at 9:50 (they open at 9:30). There is a sign on the door "be back in 10 minutes"....at 11:15 when they finally arrive they bring with them the good news...no train strike after all! There are masks to buy and glasses to search for, there are t-shirts to exchange and more to buy, a glass fish and bowl also join the cast. That looks like a lot of stuff to pack...no problem we are going right from here to the post office to ship it...what! Closed! It can't be closed! Oh, there is another one on the Rialto, let's just run over there and...what? You don't have any boxes bigger than an orange??? Before we panic we head back to the hotel and he directs us ...yes...over the bridge to the DHL shop. There we meet Roberto, the shipping savior in purple pants, who not only stays open an hour late to take our package, he treats us to an aperitif while we fill out the paperwork!! Only in Venice! Meanwhile, Sheila and Pam, unaware of the postal crisis in progress, go exploring. We find quiet neighborhoods, a quaint little park with a pond and statues of Garibaldi, complete with a mysterious message about turtles (don't abandon your pet here; give it to the Turtle Club!) the Public Gardens and the Lady in the Sea statue. It is wonderful to experience the quiet, slow-paced side of Venice before we leave!
Today is for frantic shopping. But first let's throw in a possible train strike tomorrow on our day to travel. That could cause a small problem since we need to catch two (possibly now on strike) trains to reach our next stop...Lake Como. The wonderful hotel owner suggests we go to the travel agent (you just go over the bridge) and he will be able to tell us everything we need to know and make any necessary changes. Jim and Debi arrive at 9:50 (they open at 9:30). There is a sign on the door "be back in 10 minutes"....at 11:15 when they finally arrive they bring with them the good news...no train strike after all! There are masks to buy and glasses to search for, there are t-shirts to exchange and more to buy, a glass fish and bowl also join the cast. That looks like a lot of stuff to pack...no problem we are going right from here to the post office to ship it...what! Closed! It can't be closed! Oh, there is another one on the Rialto, let's just run over there and...what? You don't have any boxes bigger than an orange??? Before we panic we head back to the hotel and he directs us ...yes...over the bridge to the DHL shop. There we meet Roberto, the shipping savior in purple pants, who not only stays open an hour late to take our package, he treats us to an aperitif while we fill out the paperwork!! Only in Venice! Meanwhile, Sheila and Pam, unaware of the postal crisis in progress, go exploring. We find quiet neighborhoods, a quaint little park with a pond and statues of Garibaldi, complete with a mysterious message about turtles (don't abandon your pet here; give it to the Turtle Club!) the Public Gardens and the Lady in the Sea statue. It is wonderful to experience the quiet, slow-paced side of Venice before we leave!
Day at the Museum
29, September
Today the group gets a little culture. At Bill's urging, we all visit the Peggy Guggenheim museum of modern art ( yes, you read that right, Bill wanted to go to Peggy's!). It is very interesting and really an enjoyable experience. Jim writes a note to hang on Yoko Ono's tree and Jan and Debi buy Picassos (ok, only post cards). Dinner is at a tiny restaurant, 4 Feri. We sit down and there is only one menu on the table and when we ask if we could have some more menus, we're told they only have three (!) and the other two are in use! The meal is fun and the staff very entertaining! The waitress appreciates the way Jim cleaned his first plate and the asks if he needs more bread to finish up when he doesn't do as good a job on the second plate! There are people dancing in the square and we finish the evening with Grom gelato and more moonlit canals.
Today the group gets a little culture. At Bill's urging, we all visit the Peggy Guggenheim museum of modern art ( yes, you read that right, Bill wanted to go to Peggy's!). It is very interesting and really an enjoyable experience. Jim writes a note to hang on Yoko Ono's tree and Jan and Debi buy Picassos (ok, only post cards). Dinner is at a tiny restaurant, 4 Feri. We sit down and there is only one menu on the table and when we ask if we could have some more menus, we're told they only have three (!) and the other two are in use! The meal is fun and the staff very entertaining! The waitress appreciates the way Jim cleaned his first plate and the asks if he needs more bread to finish up when he doesn't do as good a job on the second plate! There are people dancing in the square and we finish the evening with Grom gelato and more moonlit canals.
The Islaqnd of Dr. Murano
28, September
The sun is out and so we take the opportunity to grab a boat out to the islands for glass and lace shopping. The venture is very successful as we manage to replace the glass horse from the 2008 visit, which was broken under mysterious circumstances. It's procurement does not even require sitting through the obligatory glass-making demonstration. Lace hankies for brides current and future are also purchased. After the island hop we boarded the vaporetto to Rialto for dinner at La Madonna, a restaurant suggested by the hotel owner. We should have know there would be trouble when the directions start out.."you just go over the bridge..." The restaurant is " on the third street after you go over the bridge" - how hard can that be? We go over the bridge and the first thing we see is not really a street but kind of a tiny cul-de-sac...that can't count, so off we go, 1, 2, and 3...hmmm that's not the name he gave us, but we counted. We travel down what is really no more than an alley and while we can hear eating and dishes no restaurants in sight. Finally we get directions from the gelato man (Pam makes a mental note where he is for after dinner) and there is on what by our counting is street number two...the cul-de-sac must count in Venice!! Wonderful dinner and a delightful moonlight ride back to the hotel.
The sun is out and so we take the opportunity to grab a boat out to the islands for glass and lace shopping. The venture is very successful as we manage to replace the glass horse from the 2008 visit, which was broken under mysterious circumstances. It's procurement does not even require sitting through the obligatory glass-making demonstration. Lace hankies for brides current and future are also purchased. After the island hop we boarded the vaporetto to Rialto for dinner at La Madonna, a restaurant suggested by the hotel owner. We should have know there would be trouble when the directions start out.."you just go over the bridge..." The restaurant is " on the third street after you go over the bridge" - how hard can that be? We go over the bridge and the first thing we see is not really a street but kind of a tiny cul-de-sac...that can't count, so off we go, 1, 2, and 3...hmmm that's not the name he gave us, but we counted. We travel down what is really no more than an alley and while we can hear eating and dishes no restaurants in sight. Finally we get directions from the gelato man (Pam makes a mental note where he is for after dinner) and there is on what by our counting is street number two...the cul-de-sac must count in Venice!! Wonderful dinner and a delightful moonlight ride back to the hotel.
How Much is That Doge in The Window? - or - A Bridge Too Short
27, September
Even though the clouds are threatening, we venture into the hotel breakfast room and begin to learn the intricacies of the "Breakfast Fascist - La Duca". Her breakfast room, while orderly, do not move the table top garbage can or take the bowl reserved for spoon to put cereal in....things must be done the way things must be done. And then, Sheila asks for chocolate in her coffee....both in the same cup? How can that be done?! *sigh* I will just make them separate and you will do what you must do. After our breakfast training we are off to the Doges Palace for a "secret tour". We are swept in ahead of the rest of the queue and enjoy a delightful tour behind the scenes of the Doges Palace, including a walk across the Bridge of Sighs....one can only guess that they must have asked for chocolate in the same cup with their coffee. When we re-emerge from the tour, the rains have begun and St. Marks has begun to flood. That's ok because those crafty Venetians have put out the famous walkways and after passing two men in rubber boots, we hop on the one right outside the palace. But wait, this walk way just ends. Apparently, the two men we saw in rubber boots were professional walkway installers...on a caffe break. We retrace our steps, now moving against the tide of people who will soon discover this bridge leads to nowhere. Our mistake, we‘ll do better next time. We weave our way around the back side of the piazza and finally reach the point where we must once again hop on the walkway and trudge towards our intended destination. We pass many smiling Venetians and are feeling confident that we have really mastered Aqua Alta , when, yes, the walk way ends...not the water, just the walkway. Eventually we do make it out of the square and are able to enjoy the rest of our day.
Even though the clouds are threatening, we venture into the hotel breakfast room and begin to learn the intricacies of the "Breakfast Fascist - La Duca". Her breakfast room, while orderly, do not move the table top garbage can or take the bowl reserved for spoon to put cereal in....things must be done the way things must be done. And then, Sheila asks for chocolate in her coffee....both in the same cup? How can that be done?! *sigh* I will just make them separate and you will do what you must do. After our breakfast training we are off to the Doges Palace for a "secret tour". We are swept in ahead of the rest of the queue and enjoy a delightful tour behind the scenes of the Doges Palace, including a walk across the Bridge of Sighs....one can only guess that they must have asked for chocolate in the same cup with their coffee. When we re-emerge from the tour, the rains have begun and St. Marks has begun to flood. That's ok because those crafty Venetians have put out the famous walkways and after passing two men in rubber boots, we hop on the one right outside the palace. But wait, this walk way just ends. Apparently, the two men we saw in rubber boots were professional walkway installers...on a caffe break. We retrace our steps, now moving against the tide of people who will soon discover this bridge leads to nowhere. Our mistake, we‘ll do better next time. We weave our way around the back side of the piazza and finally reach the point where we must once again hop on the walkway and trudge towards our intended destination. We pass many smiling Venetians and are feeling confident that we have really mastered Aqua Alta , when, yes, the walk way ends...not the water, just the walkway. Eventually we do make it out of the square and are able to enjoy the rest of our day.
Happy Birthday to Me!
26, September
Sheila pops out of bed in the morning and rushes into the bathroom to decorate the mirror with a birthday message. Pam and Sheila then enjoy a leisurely morning getting ready - unaware the rest of the group has surprises planned for breakfast. Finally, Debi hurries them along and Pam arrives to find the breakfast table decorated with a t-shirt emblazoned "Birthday Girl", cards, blue candies, and an apple with a sparkler stuck in it. Jim eyes the apple as the sparkler looks suspiciously like HIS sparkler from Nemi!
We enjoy our breakfast, finish packing our suitcases, and bid Giacomo good-bye, and head out to the train station. The rain has held off, we're out of the hotel on time, and we retrace our steps to the train station, where our smooth journey hits a bump - our train is in "retardo". Since we have reserved seats for the connecting train in Parma, this is a problem. Jim finds another train heading to Parma which is leaving soon, so we rush to the track and get really good seats on a really nice train, so all turns out well after all. Our train to Venice arrives on time and other than having a hard time finding room for our luggage, the ride goes well and we arrive to nice weather in Venice. We decide to walk to the hotel as we're not sure about all of the luggage on the vaporetto. We walk and walk and walk, winding through Venice, over bridges, and through crowds. An hour later we arrive at our hotel and are so glad to check in and have someone else haul our luggage up the very steep stairs to our rooms. Our rooms are beautiful and Sheila and Pam even have a small balcony. Cell phone reception is great and Pam's phone is buzzing with birthday texts from family and friends! Bill and Jan settle in to rest up from the hike and the rest of us head out to look for a restaurant that Bill/Jan/Pam remember from last time. We finally find it, just to discover that Debi and Jim ate there on their previous visits but they always entered from the front and ate inside and Bill/Jan/Pam always entered from the back and ate outside! We make reservations for dinner and head back to find the Hard Rock - Venice store that we'd seen earlier. Later that evening we take a vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal and finish the evening off with a birthday Skype session with Al and the kids.
Fast and Furious in Maranello
25, September
We are up early and out the door to the Ferrari museum. Giacomo assures us the bus to Maranello leaves every 15 minutes. The young intern from yesterday rolls her eyes and Giacomo says..."she disagrees, perhaps every hour instead". We take a leisurely walk to the station , stopping at a couple of shops and wandering through an antique flea market. We finally arrive at the bus station and there is a bus leaving in 5 minutes, and then again in an hour and a half...not quite every 15 minutes!! The tour of the museum is amazing. Enzo Ferrari was interesting as a man and it was amazing to see the cars close up. Unfortunately the simulator was broken and we couldn't convince Bill to take a test drive in the real thing...maybe next time. One last aperitif and sorpresse with Gianni at Roberta's bar, one last dinner at the trattoria and course a final gelato and pictures with "the guys" at Gelatoria Ducale.
We are up early and out the door to the Ferrari museum. Giacomo assures us the bus to Maranello leaves every 15 minutes. The young intern from yesterday rolls her eyes and Giacomo says..."she disagrees, perhaps every hour instead". We take a leisurely walk to the station , stopping at a couple of shops and wandering through an antique flea market. We finally arrive at the bus station and there is a bus leaving in 5 minutes, and then again in an hour and a half...not quite every 15 minutes!! The tour of the museum is amazing. Enzo Ferrari was interesting as a man and it was amazing to see the cars close up. Unfortunately the simulator was broken and we couldn't convince Bill to take a test drive in the real thing...maybe next time. One last aperitif and sorpresse with Gianni at Roberta's bar, one last dinner at the trattoria and course a final gelato and pictures with "the guys" at Gelatoria Ducale.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Cheers
24, September
Sheila is having difficulty connecting to the internet and Giacomo, one of the wonderful concierge at the hotel works on her computer and finally ends up just letting her use his computer. She has a way of getting to know the staff!! Did our own guided tour of Modena. Saw the giant indoor market, the bar where Lucciano hung out and the theater where he often sang. There are several churches here, a huge military academy and a lot of bicycles...it appears Italian cyclists are as safety-minded as the Italian drivers. Against Alessandro's sage advice (always go left when leaving he hotel) but with well-delivered directions from one of the hotel's young interns, we turn right when leaving the hotel and head off to find the Coop...a supermarket. There is success and after an adventurous shopping spree we return to the hotel proudly bearing our Coop bags, toothpaste, hair conditioner, Kleenex and dried figs! We end our day with a visit to Roberta's bar, the same restaurant and, of course, gelato. Gerardo introduces us to all of his friends. They are all hanging out in front of the shop and as each arrives it's like a scene from Cheers with everyone shouting the newcomer's name.
On The Road Again
23, September
Sadly, it’s time to leave Vernazza behind. Sheila and Pam pay one last visit to the Pirates and say good-bye to the Canoli Brothers, a hug for Bernie and we are off. We’re sad to leave The Cinque Terre but we head to the train station to catch the first of three trains to Modena. We make all of our train connections without incident and only get a little lost finding the hotel…turned left a little too soon. Alessandro gives us directions to a trattoria, a pizzieria and of course a gelatoria. Before dinner we stop at a tiny bar to have a quick aperitif. The sweet barman, Giaani brings our drinks and wait…a little sorpressa, tiny little sandwiches. Dinner is tasty and at the gelatoria, Jim and its wonderful owner, Gerardo, have an animated discussion on the failure of FIAT.
Sadly, it’s time to leave Vernazza behind. Sheila and Pam pay one last visit to the Pirates and say good-bye to the Canoli Brothers, a hug for Bernie and we are off. We’re sad to leave The Cinque Terre but we head to the train station to catch the first of three trains to Modena. We make all of our train connections without incident and only get a little lost finding the hotel…turned left a little too soon. Alessandro gives us directions to a trattoria, a pizzieria and of course a gelatoria. Before dinner we stop at a tiny bar to have a quick aperitif. The sweet barman, Giaani brings our drinks and wait…a little sorpressa, tiny little sandwiches. Dinner is tasty and at the gelatoria, Jim and its wonderful owner, Gerardo, have an animated discussion on the failure of FIAT.
The Last Samuri
22, September
Our gelato search has yielded three shops in Vernazza. Sorry, Rick Steves, your top choice came in dead last - nowhere near this group‘s standards! Jim’s “guy” on the harbor has great gelato but very erratic hours - open every day except when he’s not. We’ve come to rely on the shop owned by the Samurai of Vernazza - so named for his Samurai-esque hairstyle. He has delicious gelato and stays open late enough each night for us to get that one last gelato and/or granita before heading to our rooms. And he so nice, well, except for when Jim is walking across his freshly mopped floor! Today, the group decides to divide and conquer. Sheila and Pam stop by the Pirates for pastry and then hit the trail to Corniglia. It’s a beautiful hike along the coast which they cover in about an hour and a half. For the faint of heart, there is a bar located in the middle of nowhere, about halfway through the hike. Bill, Jan, Debi and Jim head out to Bernie’s hometown of Levanto. It has a lovely beach where they collect sea glass. The town is not on any must-see list, so it’s refreshingly free of tourists. The train, unfortunately, is in “retardo” and we have visions on sleeping on park benches here. Finally, the train arrives and the group reconvenes in Vernazza to compare notes on the day.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Beaches
21, September
The Ligurian Sea is beautiful from Vernazza. In the afternoons, Sheila and Pam head down to the beach to hunt for sea glass. When the tiny beach is full or when the local boys have taken it over for an impromptu game of soccer, they head to the harbor to people watch or pull up a convenient rock along the path on the far side to watch the gulls and take in the beautiful sunsets. Today, we catch the train to Corniglia, just a quick ride one town over. We find the shuttle bus for Bill and Jan to ride up to the village from the train station and then Debi, Jim, Sheila and Pam hit the steps - all 370 of them. We explore the tiny town, enjoy the wonderful view and of course, find some gelato, before Bill and Jan catch the shuttle and the rest of us go back down the 370 steps. The view is much nicer on the way down! We see some German tourists who have stopped in the shade halfway - they have pulled wine and cheese out of their packs! We train back to Vernazza and separate to gather picnic supplies and meet again on Debi and Jim’s balcony - fortunately, sans cat. We enjoy the lovely view and food under the “Great Curtain”!
Cats
20, September
The nice weather has arrived and along with it, the cats of Vernazza. The cats are everywhere - lounging in the sun, sleeping on their own rugs, climbing in the boats, and posing for the tourists. But, mostly, one in particular is stalking the one anti-cat member of our group. Debi and Jim’s room comes with a lovely balcony overlooking the harbor, complete with their own orange tabby who welcomes herself into their room whenever the window is open and pressing her little nose up to the glass when it is not. She particularly likes Jim who does not return her affection! Today, once Jim shakes his tailed tail, we catch the boat to Portvenere. We climb up to a lovely view of the sea and look in a quaint old church. Later we see a couple having wedding pictures taken and think of Bethany and her wedding planning.
Pirates of the Cinque Terre
19, September
By accident, Sheila and Pam have discovered Il Pirata delle Cinque Terre - OK, we just call it The Pirates. It’s run by twins, known as the Canoli Brothers. Having breakfast with the Pirates is watching mass chaos in progress, but they serve the best home-made pastries and hot chocolate that is best described as drinking still-warm chocolate pudding. After fortifying ourselves, we catch the train to Riomaggiore. We shop and enjoy the cute little town before walking the Via dell’Amore.
There are locks along the trail as the custom is for couples to secure their lock along the railing of the trail and then toss the key into the ocean. It’s a picturesque trail that leads us to Manarola where we find some lunch, enjoy watching the kids jump off the rocks into the sea, and of course, find some gelato before catching the train back to Vernazza.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Prison Break - or - It's a Small World!
Prison Break - or - It’s a Small World!
16, September
Annie has made reservations for us at Da Bado, per Francesco the best tripe in all of Italy. We walk about 10 minutes outside the walls of the city and enjoy a perfect lunch. Tripe, radicchio rissoto, and Volterran vegetable soup. Amazing service provided by Paolo, our former mafia hitman now waiter…more on that later. After lunch we toured the Palazzo Vitti. We discovered a painting by G. Martinelli, which Mom is sure must be a relative. It was interesting that since the family still lives in the palace there would be pictures from the late 1800 right along side the wedding pictures from the 80s (1980s that is!!). After Vitti’s place we caught up with Annie for a one-hour tour of Volterra. Only one other tourist showed up so the tour was informal and fun. We learn that the state prison here is an experimental prison where life-term prisoners are trained as actors for a touring stage production, chefs for the monthly “Eat at the Prison” events (these quickly sell out not only for the quality of food, the guest celebrity chefs which instruct the prisoners and the fact that this is the only opportunity available to view the Fortress which is a historical wonder. Jim whispers to me that he thinks the other guest might be American…turns out that Bobby, is from California and his fiancée lives in Stockton! Go figure. We end the tour at the wine bar…where all tours should end…talking and laughing and visiting with Annie and Francesco.
17, September
We have done our research and determined that we should leave earlier so that we can have a better chance at actually making all the transfers for the four separate trains we need to catch today. We see Bobby at the bus, he is heading to Siena. We catch the first bus without a problem and arrive at Volterra-Saline, gather all of our luggage and join 200 elementary children to wait for the train to Cecina. Jim had helped an older lady get her luggage off the bus earlier and in return she now informs him…no train, bus. We quickly verify that indeed the train isn’t coming and we pile on the bus, along with the 200 children. We were all happy to see Cecina! And even happier to learn the children were not catching the train to Pisa! We navigate the various lifts and track changes and train connections and arrive in Vernazza…along with the rain. Certainly don’t remember all these boats being in the piazza last time we were here…did someone say storm! We buzz Martina and each retire to our rooms to dry ourselves and our luggage. After the rain let up and we headed out to dinner, we found Valeria’s shop (Bernie). Mom says that a young woman was knitting in there earlier…Debi spots her and yell “Bernie?” She gives her a very odd look…must not be Bernie!
18, September
It’s drier this morning. We mill around the main street and Debi returns to the knit shop and this time connects with Valeria. There are introductions all around and her friend arrives and exclaims in Italian “that is the woman that yelled at me yesterday…she was with a very tall angry man” (Jim..angry??). Much laughing and hugging. We are off to Monterrossa to check out the town and see if the anchovy festival is today. We do a little shopping, a little sea glass collection and then try to find something to eat, and of course some gelato. Here comes the rain again! Sometime during the night, the storm knocks out the power and emergency lights flash on in everyone’s rooms. Quite a surprise in the dead of night!
16, September
Annie has made reservations for us at Da Bado, per Francesco the best tripe in all of Italy. We walk about 10 minutes outside the walls of the city and enjoy a perfect lunch. Tripe, radicchio rissoto, and Volterran vegetable soup. Amazing service provided by Paolo, our former mafia hitman now waiter…more on that later. After lunch we toured the Palazzo Vitti. We discovered a painting by G. Martinelli, which Mom is sure must be a relative. It was interesting that since the family still lives in the palace there would be pictures from the late 1800 right along side the wedding pictures from the 80s (1980s that is!!). After Vitti’s place we caught up with Annie for a one-hour tour of Volterra. Only one other tourist showed up so the tour was informal and fun. We learn that the state prison here is an experimental prison where life-term prisoners are trained as actors for a touring stage production, chefs for the monthly “Eat at the Prison” events (these quickly sell out not only for the quality of food, the guest celebrity chefs which instruct the prisoners and the fact that this is the only opportunity available to view the Fortress which is a historical wonder. Jim whispers to me that he thinks the other guest might be American…turns out that Bobby, is from California and his fiancée lives in Stockton! Go figure. We end the tour at the wine bar…where all tours should end…talking and laughing and visiting with Annie and Francesco.
17, September
We have done our research and determined that we should leave earlier so that we can have a better chance at actually making all the transfers for the four separate trains we need to catch today. We see Bobby at the bus, he is heading to Siena. We catch the first bus without a problem and arrive at Volterra-Saline, gather all of our luggage and join 200 elementary children to wait for the train to Cecina. Jim had helped an older lady get her luggage off the bus earlier and in return she now informs him…no train, bus. We quickly verify that indeed the train isn’t coming and we pile on the bus, along with the 200 children. We were all happy to see Cecina! And even happier to learn the children were not catching the train to Pisa! We navigate the various lifts and track changes and train connections and arrive in Vernazza…along with the rain. Certainly don’t remember all these boats being in the piazza last time we were here…did someone say storm! We buzz Martina and each retire to our rooms to dry ourselves and our luggage. After the rain let up and we headed out to dinner, we found Valeria’s shop (Bernie). Mom says that a young woman was knitting in there earlier…Debi spots her and yell “Bernie?” She gives her a very odd look…must not be Bernie!
18, September
It’s drier this morning. We mill around the main street and Debi returns to the knit shop and this time connects with Valeria. There are introductions all around and her friend arrives and exclaims in Italian “that is the woman that yelled at me yesterday…she was with a very tall angry man” (Jim..angry??). Much laughing and hugging. We are off to Monterrossa to check out the town and see if the anchovy festival is today. We do a little shopping, a little sea glass collection and then try to find something to eat, and of course some gelato. Here comes the rain again! Sometime during the night, the storm knocks out the power and emergency lights flash on in everyone’s rooms. Quite a surprise in the dead of night!
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