Who Needs a Gondola?: 2nd day in Venice, Day 14

As I said yesterday, the hostel desk clerk said they were going to move us this morning---and he did---to a basement bedroom, with it's own bathroom, but no windows! It reeked of cleaning products to cover the mold smell and had a fan blowing at high speed. This wouldn't do! I'm pretty flexible, but sleeping in a coffin-like bedroom was not something I was ready to try. The desk clerk sympathized with me and booked us another room at their sister property, 'Hotel Astoria' for the same rate. Before we had a chance to get ready for the day, we grabbed our backpacks and walked the 15 minutes toward St. Mark's Square where we were told we could check in at 2:00, UGH! We tidied up in the bathroom and headed out the door to get breakfast. Cappuccinos and a panini is what we ate in the street by a church (eating outside if not at a table is apparently is against the rules...but why have food to go?) Sorry!

We went into the Henri Rousseau (amazing) exhibit in St. Mark's Square which was housed in a beautiful old building, grabbed a salad and French fries (cheapest food on the menu) at a quaint spot and went back to our 'hotel' (I use the term loosely). This room looked like the basement room only it was on the 3rd floor and had two small windows and one bathroom to share on our floor. I know that Jim would not be happy with the standards this hotel set! We are living la vida loca!

Three great things we did in Venice which left us with wonderful thoughts of this city:

1. The Biennale Arte Exhibit was in Venice from May through November and we were able to visit, free of charge, many of the exhibits! Mackenzie loves art as much as I and we didn't hestitate on this.

2. Found the quiet section of town away from the tourists and as we walked down the cobbled stone streets we saw locals in front of a pub munching on beautiful little bruschetta and drinking Aperol Spritzers. We ordered both for 9 euros. Next we found a grocery store and bought cheese, bread, procuitto, and olives and headed outside to eat on a bridge over one of the canals (which was allowed on this side of town). It began to rain and we moved to an old stone wall under a tree to finish. We walked in the light rain and found a little pizza shop who served 1 euro cappuccinos and we sat under an awning eating the chocolate bars I forgot to mention we bought at the grocery store.

3. The best deal in town is buying the 20 euro bus pass...which is really a boat pass to ride the ferry all around the Venice area. The gondolas were way out of our price range...80 euros for 30 minutes. We rode the ferry for 2 hours all over and we sat directly in the front of the boat. We pretended we were wealthy and had hired the boat...when in truth we were sleeping on cots and drinking boxed wine. (Okay, so the liter of wine cost 1.29 euros and it was so bad that we each took only a sip and left it for the maids...if there were any....)

Tip of the Day: When you visit, look at St. Mark's Square, maybe visit the church, and then get the heck out. Go sit by the larger canals and watch the International tourists whip out their, iPads, iPhones, camcorders, Nikkons, Go-Pros, and selfie sticks as they cruise down the cannal in private boats. Quite entertaining...I have a photo somewhere...

Peace from Venice,

The Traveling Women

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

A Coincidental Encounter in Florence: Day 12

I fixed coffee in the dark stained Italian coffee maker and put out bread and delicious jam for Mackenzie and I and we were out the door by 9:00, quite early for Italy, but we wanted to see as much as we could.

We did all of the ususal things, climbed towers, visited churches, ate prosciutto and melon, and made our way through the crowds. A couple of highlights:

1. Standing on the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno river at sunset.

2. Attending Mass in the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (this way we get into the church without paying and worship the Lord in one swoop) It really was a touching service and allowed me more tears to shed.

3. Not eating a lot because Florence was double the cost what we'd been paying.

4. Meeting Steph and Meredith from Iowa.

Meeting two women from Iowa was one of the highlights? Most definitely!

One thing Rick Steeves said was to stay in Florence because night time is when the locals come out and it is the most charming. We had just had mass, toured the church, climbed up the bell tower, stopped in a chocolate shop to stand under the air-conditioning to cool off, sat on the steps of the Ufitzi gallery, and we were thirtsty and hungry for sometthing sweet. We strolled through the narrow busy streets and came to Santa Maria Plaza which we had seen before and that had many places to eat. We chose one, 'Grillo Ristorantinte Pizzeria', but had to wait 15 minutes for an outdoor table, which we usually don't do.

About 9:30 we ordered a glass of Tuscan Rosetello wine, fresh fruit and a Torte alla ricotta and pere (Ricotta cake with pear). 30 minutes later, these two lovely young women sat down right next to us, Steph and Meredith. We politely said, "hello" and they replied Hello and then this conversation took place:

Them: "Italy is a great place, isn't it?"

Us: 'Yes, but don't hug old men."

Them: "Why did you say that?" They looked shocked. "We have a story to tell you!"

Us: "No, we have a story to tell you!"

Them: "Ours is a good one!"

Us: "But it wasn't here."

Them: "It was in Cinque Terre."

Us: "Monterossa?"

Them: "Yes."

Us: "Does it involve lemons?"

Them: "YES!!!!" Oh, my gosh!"

They had been to Monterosso the day we left (the 24tth) and had met the same old man who used the same lines:

"Bonjourno, Bellisimo, Italianne ou Americana? Do you like lemons? I will give you some!"

We laughed and got sick to our stomachs all over again. We all agreed that he was an old man so we were trying to be polite and we were like children being asked if we liked candy and he had lured us into his store! He is a man who probably does this everyday...ugh! This man needs to be arrested!

Needless to say, we bonded immediately. Steph and Meredith said that they had a choice of tables and saw us and thought we'd be nice to sit by. They bought us another glass of wine and we talked until midnight. Wonderful women! And, how is that for coincidence in Italy?

It was too late for our 30-45 minute walk back to our apartment so we dropped 15 euros on a taxi...well worth it.

Tip of the day: When you go into buildings in Italy, look up. You will never ceased to be amazed at the beautiful ceilings. Mackenzie and I are always saying to each other, "Look up."

Pax,

The Traveling Women

 

Posted with Blogsy

Ah, Venice! Day 13

Coffee with Marina and her mom, Lina in the morning in the small, funky, apartment and then a 10 minute walk to the train station where we found that there was another strike going on and our train to Venice had been cancelled. Luckily, the high speed train train to Venice was not cancelled, yet it was totally booked, so we had to pay an extra 18 euro per person to stand the entire way to Venice. Love these strikes...I think that they are self-imposed holidays!

Venice. We almost pooped our skirts when we walked out of the station and saw the view! But no time to look because our host at the Air B&B we had requested, had cancelled our request. We were homeless in Venice. We did the next best thing, we found a food establishment with wifi and ate Kabobs, fries, and drank a coke and booked a hostel. Now to find it.

Venice is one tough city to manuver and it took us 45 minutes to get to our Hostel. We climbed up some dirty, red-carpeted winding steps and arrived at a front desk...sort of. It was actually a desk with a computer and we were shown our room which was directly in front of the front desk. It was a small room with a sink and a very unsafe balcony...no fire codes here in Venice! We were told that we would be moved tomorrow because this room was booked, but we would have our own bathroom. Didn't really care...we were here to see Venice!

We tried to see Venice...it was so unbelievably crowded that getting around was difficult. Walking from the train station to our hostel, we had passed beautiful, uncrowded streets, but now we were at ground zero...St. Mark's Square! We listened to beautiful music played by talented musicians at the restaurants and then wandered away from that area and found a cute little bar and each got an Aperol Spritzer, which is turning out to be our favorite. We asked the bartender for a restaurant that she would go to and she pointed us in the direction of a local restaurant around the corner. Sitting next to us at the bar was an Australian couple who decided to go as well. They left about five minutes before us and when we went to be seated at the restaurant, they asked if we would sit next to them. Why not, mate?!

We spent the next hour and a half talking with Ann and Graham Cunningham from Melbourne, Austrailia about biking (he is an avid road biker and was going to bike in Italy), art (Ann is an artist and made their beach cottage her studio), children, Italy, and life. These were well-traveled people who retired well. They bought a bottle of very good Tuscan wine and we all enjoyed it. They agreed we could put them in our blog. I would love to visit one day with them again. Ann said that she liked my spirit and even though what I was going through was difficult, I had a strong spirit.

We left there and walked along the canal and stopped like tourists do and had a $6 cappuccino...which was the worst cappuccino I'd had so far. Back to our tiny abode and to sleep. We said goodnight to the night desk person and stepped two feet into our room....certainly not the Marriott, but one of the pricest place we've slept! This was the first place we'd stayed that had no towels so we used our headbands (thanks to Kathy Langr) to dry ourselves...whatever works. The shower was a little creepy, but we needed to wash the hot day from our bodies. Venice had been hot as hell!

Tip of the day: Tie a scarf to your purse to cover your shoulders when you enter churches.

Ciao,

The Traveling Women

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Off to Florence by way of Pisa: day 11

An American breakfast was in order for today before our next adventure. With all the talk of Jim, his breakfast meals came to mind. We threw on our backpacks ( I think I'm getting stronger because I can lift it and throw it on with one hand!) and we found a little place around the corner from my room, passing by the old man with lemons ( did I mentioned he lured us with lemons?)  and set down to our ' American breakfast': cappuccino, cold ham with a slice of cheese, orange yoked eggs, huge bacon, all accompanied with mayonnaise, ketchup and bread. The eggs were wonderful! We sat next to two hysterical people from Seattle named Donnie and Ross. A delightful couple who lived near Rick Steves and we entertain them with our tales of the Cinque Terre hike and they were so funny.... A standup comedic act! Our conversation left us feeling happy.

We walked toward the train station and were blown away by the amazing day. The water was still, turquoise, and peaceful. The sun was radiant and we hesitated to leave, but we had enjoyed this area and now it was time to move on.

We easily found the train to Florence and waited only a few minutes before we headed off. Pisa was on our route and Mackenzie use the #Mapsme app to find the station closest to the leaning Tower and we hopped off. We walked ten minutes and there we were. That tower really was leaning and quite interesting, but the best part of Pisa was people watching.

 When we arrived, the grass area was full of people and there were signs all over saying "Keep off the grass" ...in Italian of course. Suddenly whistles started to blow and the polizia shouted and no one moved. It took 10 minutes to finally get people to react. Then we watched,  and participated in, the photo shoot to ' hold up the tower '. EVERYONE  was doing it and taking Selfies and we got lots of pictures of other people taking selfies. Our backpacks were weighing us down so we couldn't climb into the tower so we headed back to our ride to Firenze (Florence).  We met a really nice family from Colorado at the station and chatted about Italy...although they were way out of our league. They actually stayed in places with Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, and private bathroom every night!

The Air B&B had changed our reservation, but still had a place for us to stay. Marina and Lena, mother and daughter, had given  us directions from the train via the bus. It took about five minutes to figure out the bus system and we managed to find the correct bus and just climbed on board without paying because to pay, one had to enter the front of the bus and once on, moving was not possible...and again, no one checks tickets here.

We met Marina and her 80-year-old mother, Lena, at the bus stop and we walked a few minutes to our apartment, which we found out later was shared by Marina. First let me say that these were two of the nicest people we had met so far. The apartment was about a 20 minute walk from downtown in a maybe middle-class area.  Marina was so funny and explained to us in Italian:

"The bathroom sink is clogged, you have to wait 10 minutes to reflush the toilet, the badet doesn't work but it is right in front of the toilet, so you must sit sideways to use the toilet, we have lots of mosquitoes so keep these repellents lit, we don't lock our  doors, your bedroom door only locks from the outside,  help yourself to anything in the refrigerator, theWi-Fi doesn't work, capice?"

After saying that, she and her mom satt at the kitchen table and talked for 30 minutes and then made us Italian coffee. It wasn't the best place we had stayed, and certainly not the worst, (as we were to find out in Venice) but seriously after talking with these two women during our time in Florence, I'd stay there again. And the mother loved Mackenzie and invited us both to her home in Sardinia.

It was around 5 PM (doesn't get dark until 10) when we left to explore Florence and we managed to see very little of the sites, only the local culture. We found a Wi-Fi place that offered a drink and an appetizer buffet for seven euro, so we sat down, ordered a Bellini, grab some food and posted one of our blogs. This was the first time  in Italy that we had bad food and a bad drink. Florence wasn't looking too great.

 Passing a Chinese restaurant, we thought looked good, so we sat down, ordered a huge bottle of water  (towash down the last food) and ordered. Tip of the Day: do not order Chinese food in Florence. Seriously the worst we ever tasted and we had wasted our euros!

Exhausted and still hungry, we walked 30 minutes home in the almost dark and entered a pitch black apartment that wasn't locked (because they don't lock doors here) and we heard someone across the small hallway from us. We realize later that we had missed in the all Italian introduction that Marina lived in the apartment as well.

As we lay cowardly under our sheets, I said, "I'll keep the first watch, Mackenzie! "

 She replied, "Drop a pin on the #mapsme app and send it to Marguerite, Madeleine, and Jesse so they will know our last coordinates before we are 'Taken'!

It was one of the best sleeps of the trip and we didn't wake until almost 10 o'clock.

 Tips of the day: bad food isn't worth free Wi-Fi. The Mapsme app is necessary in every country thank you to Sean!

Hiking the Cinque Terre: More difficult than a 14r?

Mackenzie and I started out bright and early after a quick European breakfast at a nearby bakery (going the long way around to avoid the old man with lemons...did I tell you he lured us with lemons?) and began hiking the towns along the Cinque Terre. I must say that my stomach was a bit upset and I blame it on one of the barnacle covered mussels I'd eaten the previous nght, but we were at sea level, so how hard could the hike be?
Monterosso to Vernazza wasn't too bad, lots of hills and rocky paths with beautiful views and we made it in 1 hour and 15 mintues stopping in Vernazza for coke and foccacia, visited an old church and watched the waves pounding the surf...it was a rough ocean day and there would be no boat ride back.

Vernazza to Corniglia was again a bit steep, but it took us only 1 hour 10 minutes...we were on a roll. We stopped and had some homemade lemonade and procuitto and melon and were able to get on line to make a quickn post on Facebook. We visited an old church here as well. Perhaps I was tired and hungry, but I pretty much sobbed in this church and I let out more tears to mourn Jim (this is a healing journey after all).
Okay, so Corniglia to Manarola is normally a nice sea hike, but with the storm destruction of that trail, one must hike up, up, up, and down, down, down, through the park to get to Manarola. This part of the journey took 2 and a half hours. With my stomach still sore from that damn mussel and still 5 months from the conclusion of my cancer treatment and it being my 30th wedding anniversary...I don't know, I wasn't my ususal singing self who climbed Pikes Peak with Jim and Cathy and Bruce Eskew a few years back. So by the time I got to Manarola, my body was shot (Mackenzie wasn't too far behind me). I must say though, walking through vineyards high on tiered mountains did make the trip worthwhile. We ate a prosciutto pizza (Mackenzie did actually) at a cute little restaurant and the young waiter gave us his name, gmail and # on a tiny scrap of paper and asked us to come back into town for the music and dancing because as he said: "This is my town"...which cracked us up as we thought of the Irishman in Braveheart saying, "It's my Island"!"
We started along the Via Del Amour...the "easy" path to Riomaggiore, the last town, but of course, that was wiped out as well. As we gazed at the one milliom steps leading again into the park to get to Riomaggiore, and thought of the last 2 and a half hours...we took the train to the last town. We had already hiked almost 16 miles! Gelato in Riomaggiore, down by the sea watching rowboats sink...that's how we ended our hike! A ten minutes train ride back to Monterosso where we bought cookies we saw advertised on TV by Antonio Banderas and a large bottle of water and we were zonked. What kind of Colorado women are we?!?
Tip of the day: #Ricksteeves lies. The route is not now a brisk easy walk...it is like hiking a fourteener or doing the incline 10 times in one day...I'm sticking to that story!

Posted with Blogsy

When Life Hands you Apricots in Monterosso: Day 9

As I said, Italians sleep in...or at least where we've been...who knows? Maybe they get up early to have a break from the tourists? It was time to wash some clothes and I arrived bright and early at 8:05 and got one of the first machines and actually figured it out...fake it till you make it. I think lauder-mats are universal.

Soon after, Mackenzie and I made cappuccinos in our room. Our beautiful little apartment's pantry consisted of: olive oil, light balsamic vinegar, sea salt, coffee, tea, and instant cappuccinos. What else does one need? We then dolled up in our beach attire, walked down the alley for a focaccia, and then took a 30 minute hike in the "Valley of Lemons" and you won't find that in any Rick Steves book! It's straight up a rocky path surrounded by lemon orchards on tiered hills with a clear brook running through it. The photo with my hands in the air is along that path.

 

We knew we would be walking the next day so we headed to the beach. However, on the way, we came across 90 year old man who said we were beautiful and looked like sisters...I made the mistake of hugging him and he literally tried to kiss me and then he went after Mackenzie...it was horrifying and he asked us to come back tomorrow. Needless to say, we never passed that way again...too bad, because the focaccia was amazing.

The public beach was the size of my deck so Mackenzie spied two "beds" as the chaise lounges are called and we paid the 9 euros a piece to be on the private beach and dang if the attendant didn't walk us right to those two chairs! Yep, we swam in the Mediterraneo and seriously thought of Jim. As some of you might know...Jim and I swam in the Atlantic in Virginia beach less than two weeks before he died...he really was a man who loved the water. Sometimes I think his soul needed the ocean and living for so long without being around large bodies of water was too much for him to bear.

 

Ah well, nothing like a swim to work up an appetite, so we left our chairs (don't worried we went back after lunch; 9 euros good for the whole day!) We walked up a side road and found a sweet little restaurant 'Il Brigantino' and split a panini and prosciutto with melon and a small local beer which reminded us of #Red Leg's Blue Nose Brown, for 15 euros. Melon and prosciutto has been our go to food. And why not?

Left the beach at 5:00 ish and decided to take a walk up the mountain to see the city from above. We were walking on the road, which was rather precarious with the speed in which the cars travel on roads as wide as a bowling alley. At one point, Mackenzie and I both said that we were thirsty. I swear within 30 seconds, an apricot fell from a tree directly in front of us. (Mana from heaven) We scooped it up and devoured it. Pat Messick, you would have loved that apricot! We saw a "Free wine tasting" sign and followed it down through a vineyard (the back way) but it was closed but as we walked up the driveway, there in our view was the cemetery we had wanted to visited, but could not from the front of the town since the path there was damaged from a storm they had a few years back. Monterosso Al la Mer is a cemetery with amazing history. Eerily silent, we walk gently past rows and rows of interned people whose pictures as they were in life were proudly displayed. One woman had a picture with her on her bike and it read; "Le anime dei giusti sono nelle mani di Dio"

 

 

Well, you can probably figure out the rest of the day...food and wine, this time a glass of the local Cinque Terre wine. We ate at L'Osteria and sat next to a man who owned the town...he was like the god-father of Monterosso. Charming and well spoken, having been educated in London; he seemed confused as to why he didn't know Fredericco Rasso, the man who rented us the Air B&B...I hope we didn't get anyone in trouble!

Bed time at 9:30 since we were to hike the path from Monterosso to Riomaggiore the next day. We fell asleep watching the Property Brothers in Italian...those two brothers look even better speaking Italian; I had to force Mackenzie to turn off the TV!

Tip of the day: 1. We've only had our Euro Rail passes looked at once on any of the trains. 2. Don't hug old Italian men....

Peace and Ciao, The Traveling Women

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Siena in a Day: day 8

A whirlwind of a day! The breakfast at the air B and B was fabulous! Coffee...Italian and American ( both stronger than any Starbucks I've ever had.

Finished the other two tours!

Bought some jewelry (hard to resist)

Ate at a restaurant on one of the old squares. We ask for the house wine and she brought an entire bottle of chianti, but said, "You only pay by the glass." We only paid 2 euro for both of our glasses! I guess we aren't drinking like the Italians! Toured the old market so many beautiful things we couldn't buy since our backpacks have limited space. (Okay, so the other rings we bought did fit!)

Visited the church we saw from the window of our B&B and it was beautiful. Lit another candle for Jim and Mackenzie tried to break in to the monestary.

Gelato at Nice gelato and espresso and a coffee cannoli at Nanninni's a semi-famous bakery, although it should be famous...my espresso duble!

Got our bags from our B&B and kissed the cute baby goodbye and took the elevator straight to the train station. (Train to empoli to La Spezia and then to Monterossa). Walked along the Mediterranean for ten minutes and arrived at our little one room apartment with the biggest shower we have had (with only a 10 gallon water tank). It was adorable and in the old part of Monterossa right next to a pizza/focaccia local restaurant and a beautiful old church!

We had pesto (they are known for pesto) with the local pasta (short, rolled) and clams in white sauce with housemade spaghetti. It came In a steaming cauldron and seriously was the best I'd ever eaten!

 

Tip of the day: Italians are up late and the streets are empty in the morning. Nothing really opens until 10:30 except for the pastry shops, so hit Nanninni's in Sienna in Monterrosa wash your clothes at the laundromat at 8:00 am when it opens as I will do tomorrow in Monterossa.

Pace!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Day 7: A Beautiful Train Ride to Medieval Sienna

After cappucinnos at the hotel and paying our bill (which took about 10 minutes because the clerk carefully printed each letter and number), we headed off down the escalators to the train station below. After the escalators ended we still had to walk another mile and a half to the station, but ran into a farmer's market and grabbed a pound of cherries which we ate the rest of the way. We had to wait one hour for the train to Florence so we ate a slice of the local pizza...it's just that the food looks and smells so amazing here that we can't resist!

We traveled from Perugia passing by lovely Lake Trasimeno to Florence where we disembarked and again smelled and saw the food of Italy. I actually made and American decision and got a cappuccino to go (they offered this). Mackenzie grabbed yet another pannini and we boarded the train to Sienna. Even with the caffiene I still slept the majority of the ride. It was a very peaceful time.

The escalator to go up to the hill town of Sienna was the path we chose and then walked about 10 minutes before arriving at a beautiful locked door where we were to stay: Casa di Osio. Before the owner came to let us in, we met a lovely young Vassar graduate and we chatted and found that she was an art history major and Italian major who writes a food blog...her name is Moorea. Her blog is 'ThealmostItalian.com.' We can't wait to see what she writes...since food is as most of you all know our favorite thing (still missing those gourmet meals Jim prepared!)

Casa di Osio on Via dei Motanini is a funky, quaint B&B that is housed on the third floor of an old home. We were shown to our room which had an amazing view overlooking the city. It is a fairytale-like room and we felt like princesses. The small 4 room home is owned by a young family with a 3 year old daugher and a 2 month old boy.

We quickly headed into town to the Duomo and purchased 12 euro tickets to see the church, museum, the Crypt, and the Bissterieo. We only had time for the church and museum, but with the 3 day pass, we would head out on Sunday. The marbled church was one of the loveliest we had seen, yet didn't light any candlee for Jim as the touristy aphmospshere took away the holiness of the moment. We then visitedTorre del Mangia and climbed tiny, dark, marble, winding stairs and arrived on a slender 14th century tower high above the city.. We took so many pictures (selfies included) and one photo I took of Mackenzie showed her surrounded by a circle of light, and we attributed the light to Jim being with us..because of course he is always now surrounded by the true light. We headed back down the 300 steps and visited the museum whiched housed Italian works of art from the 1200's and earlier. Chalices galore and we brought out our Indiana Jones, "Choose wisely!"

And, of course we were famished from all of that art work and the weather was turning nasty so we found 'Cava De' Noveschi' and sat on green velvet benches and ordered a Kir Royal (my first I'd had was with Jim 30 years ago) and a Spritz. Amazing place because without asking and for no charge they brought a little plate full of Italian delights that the chef prepares to his own choosing. Could this night get any better? Well, yes it did because as we sat sipping our drinks and shoving our faces (I mean delicately eating) and one of Jim's most favorite group, Simon and Garfunkel comes through the speakers with "The Sound of Silence". I kid you not...now do you doubt the light surrounding Mackenzie? I know what you are saying, Madeleine, (my oldest daughter) "That's not his favorite S&G song, but guess what?! A few songs later, "I am a Rock, I am an Island" drifted from the speakers. It was truly a peaceful and happy moment. Salute, Jimmy.

We walked through the plaza where the bare-backed horse races are held each year and I spoke with Mackenzie about traveling with her Dad and how people would give him free food or offer him a special wine tasing and the like...he just had that kind of presence, I think people sensed his love of food and people. As I was saying this we looked up and saw "Free wine tasting"; this night was getting better! We were treated to about 8 regional wines and a sherry by Pasqual. We talked to a lovely young couple, Julia and Wilmet, who invited us to go with them outside the city to an organic farm and have dinner. It is a place where they only serve what they produce. (Of course I knew this because I watch Top Chef!) We turned them down, not like me, I know, but I wasnt' ready for small talk and instead Pasqual pointed us to a local restaurant (the size of my kitchen) and we ate salad and pasta with duck. We sat near 2 couples from France and they couldn't stop talking to Mackenzie who used every word of French she had ever learned (albeit the bad ones)

Time to go to bed, so we again walked through the plaza and listened a few minutes to the band that was playing...

Tip of the day: Look for escalators when you arrive at a hilltop city! And, Italians do not put olive oil and balsamic vinegar on their plates to dip their bread although Mackenzie had the French couples trying it!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Perugia All day: day 6

Perugia is a university town so the vibe is young and fun while the town itself predates Christianity.We Had cappuccinos in the morning at Hotel Umbria and off to explore. We visitied the old artesian well from 300 BC and then wandered all over through narrow streets. We met a Columbian women from Florida who had lost her husband 3 year prior at the castle and then walked with her into a wine shop (to use the restroom) and the proprietor gave us each a small taste of local sherry. The three of us continued through the town for hours, stopping at old churches whenever we came to one.

We got lost finding St. Pietro and a nice woman from the consulate gave us a ride to our destination. A beautiful church filled with more frescos than we've seen thus far! Continued our journey and stumbled upon the largest and oldest church in all of Umbria. We parted ways after that and Mackenzie and I exploredthe archeological museum which was fabulous and set in an old stunning building. Later we found again the church steps to watch the sites.

We did stop in one of the many chocolate stores to grab some of the local chocolate first!

Wandering again, we found a lovely outdoor spot near the wall, overlooking the country side and town below and had an Italian aperitif. Walked a few blocks further through narrow stairways and found a delightful restaurant where we had a salad, prosciutto and melon, and a ricotta an spicy salami calzone. We overlooked the sunset and watched a distant thunderstorm and spoke of Jim. I told Mackenzie things about him she didn't know. I told her that I felt bad about leaving him for so long last summer, but she said that it was a time for her to spend with him.

Oh, Parsa, our Hotel front desk person wanted to have dinner and drinks with Mackenzie, he said she was a bella donna!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Under the Umbrian Sun: Days 5

More on day 3: When we left Pompeii, the train rides were 1000 times better sans the strike and we arrived in Rome within 2 hours...First class! Mackenze hopped on board quickly and when I said "This is 1st class and we are not" she replied "Says who, this looks like us!". So we sat and the delightful train captain smiled and said, "It's okay!".When we reached Roma, we had missed the last train for Perugia, so we took the train to Foglina which was the closet town north to Perugia. Arriving late, we walked across the street to the taxi stand and a man about Mackenzie's age came out of a small restaurant and called the taxi. Alboro was an actor and gave us his facebook page. The taxi driver, who had to get out of bed, took us to our hotel, Via Casale Elvira (for $20 eruo) and the hotel actually was a resort, but for only $60 euro a night since we told the clerk we saw it on Expedia for that price, and the room was spectacular (well in small-town Italy standards!)
Day 4: Breakfast at Casa Velle was included: Procuitto (they eat that here like we eat Bologna in the states), cheese, hard boiled eggs, pastries of all sorts, cappucinos, fruit, etc. Yummy. We left with our packs and hiked 4 miles to the station, but first walked around 'downtown' Foglino. Hopped on the train and headed through beautiful Tuscany, passing Assisi, and then to Perugia, a hilltown between Florence and Roma.
"Should we take the bus up to our hotel, Mackenzie?" I question.
"No, mom, we have our 'Maps Me App' let's walk!" Mackenzie encouragingly replies.
'8 hours later....' (Sponge Bob) we arrive to our hotel. Amazing hike straight up the road and then up 1 million steps and voila, we arrived at Hotel Umbria where Parcha greeted us with "You must be Sandra!" and then said, "I saw you at the train station and we all said what beautiful women, maybe they are coming to our hotel?" But, they did not...he was very disappointed in himself (we hated him)..Just kidding, the hike was fun.
Famished, we sat in the square at a restaurant called, Ferrari, which gave 10% off for our hotel and drank a local beer and shared bruchetta for 2 and fried olives. We walked for about an hour then sat and drank a cappucino overlooking the city below and then headed for the church steps where the town congregates at sunset. Pretty much every person had a beer in one hand and a cigarette in another. What fun people watching. I know a few of my friends (Bev and Ann) who would have loved this moment.
Mackenzie and I talked about Jim and what he would have like here in Perugia. He would have loved everything, especially the food...which brings me to our next meal at La Botteggi dei Priori, a local family restaruant that gave 15% off for Hotel Umbria. A plate of meat and some homemade pasta left us completely satisfied so we headed back to our small, yet quaint room and listened to the sounds of the people of Perugia filter through our ancient wooden shutters.
Thank you, Lord, that we get to just rest tomorrow as we explore Perugia and its Chocolate factory!

 

Posted with Blogsy

A Childhood Dream: Day 4

Pompeii. A place I have wanted to see since the third grade book report I did on Pompeii and its people. I couldn't believe that something like that could ever happen, and that even today we can see the bodies of some of those poor unfortunate souls. The brochure said that in a single day their everyday lives changed. Some people actually left when the volcano got scary, but for those who stayed..."death was on the line." (Princess Bride) I too, know how life can change in an instant...many of us do. The viewing of the bodies was hard for Mackenzie and I (even though we, like all of the other tourists, took pictures)...don't judge!
After seeing the city, we took a bus to Mt. Vesuvius and climbed for about 30 minutes to reach the top and gazed down into the crater to see the still steaming, volcano. And then we shared a Pannini and Limoncello at the top (tradition). At the bottom of the volcano, while waiting for our bus, Mackenzie and I played a quick game of football (soccer) with a few Italian men and ordered an espresso. It was a joyous day and we talked about how Jim would have loved that Volcano and watching me freak out at seeing Pompeii since he knew how much it meant to me.
We had stayed in Vesivue Hostel in beautiful downtown old Pompeii within walking distance from the ruins. #Hostelworld app is great for choosing the best hostels and this one even had dinner. Homemade Gnocchis, Lasagne, Proscuitto/mozeralla Bruschetta, Caprese with amazing basil and arugula from their garden and a bottle of wine from Mt. Vesuvius. They even brought us a bit of Limoncello from Sorento where the lemons we witnessed were as big as basketballs! Great breakfast in the morning, can't get enough of the Italian coffee. Total cost for the stay, dinner, 2 bottles of water and breakfast (and they kept our bags while we toured)...73 euros...we splurged!
Since we left Pompeii so late, we missed the train to Perugia, our destination, so instead we decided to go to Foligno...

Posted with Blogsy

Day 3: the day from hell

this is mack talking now. prepare for errors. i am tired and too lazy to fix anything after this journey.

Today we woke up and had a great little breakfast at our b&b and took the train into rome... we were planning on going to pompei today, but the STRIKE at the train station had a different plan. Oh my goodness, LITERALLY CRAZY HOT SMELLY RUNNING SCREAMING PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. it was complete chaos. every train that we ran to and and filed in on top of smelly italians was canceled. no body was helpful in the trainstation, they kept sending us to different places and the only people that would help us were the gypsies who would ask for money AFTER they helped you. 5 hours later of running around in the craziest place i have seen, we finally landed a train. We jumped on and italian man yelled "quick sit down." we didn't even make it two inches from the door. we sat right there on our luggage in the hallway. it quickly filled and for 2 and a half hours we stood, shoulder to shoulder, with older men who would just stare at us... and one nice lady who laughed with us in our misery. by the way the whole time our huge back packs are hitting other people. (later we unpacked some stuff and shipped it back home)

next we arrive in naples. we got off the train and i watched a man pick-pocket the man in front of me, lucky nothing was in his bag. then this old rich looking italian man started talking to me. we chit-chatted and he joyfully took my mom and me to the place to buy our next tickets to get to pompei, then after his kind help-- he asked me to coffee, and i guess my mother ;) we declined and peaced out to the most horrific train.

i almost passed out, my feet were not even touching the ground the train was so full. an old man grossly stuck his tounge out at me, and old man tried to touch my moms boobs, a lady was resting her elbows on my backpack and \\\\was basically crying and falling over and it was a thousand degress. that was a run on sentence, but hopefully you get it --- it was BAD.

p.s. still had not eaten or had water. hours later.

hooray we finally get to pompei, we GET OFF THAT TRAIN and get lost in pompei and arrive at our sweet hostel.

looking back it was pretty funny. mom was calm and smiling. i was sweating and cussing. but it was definitely an experience. that night we ordered a BOTTLE of wine.

xxox

mack

 

Posted with Blogsy

day 2 montage: go below to read all about it :)

 

Posted with Blogsy

Day 2 in Rome and We Finished

I am not kidding!. We toured the Vatican, (big, hot, and full of smelly people, us included) St. Peter's Basilica (Lovely, mass was going on), bought Pope post cards and stamps, visited the Pantheon (our favorite) and a few famous squares (shopping & street performers) ate pizza (with egg on it), walked around Rome in the evening (bella) and called it a day! Roma is big. but all of the sites are assessible by foot if you are willing to walk 15 miles a day. We could stay another day, but being in the crowds and standing in line is not very peaceful...Jim would not have enjoyed the lines...he never did. We enjoyed our time here and now we must seek out our next adventure

Tip of the day: McDonald's has the best signage to the sites. Find the big Arches and you are directed to where to go, other than that, there are no good signs anywhere.

We made it back to our B&B in one piece...Metro, Bus ride and including the 1 mile walk in the dark complete with barking dogs and stray cats, packed our bags and readied for our trip to Pompeii on Tuesday. More homemade Jam in the morning and we were off....I'll let Mackenzie write the next post.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Roaming in Roma: day 1

What a day yesterday we had in Rome, wandering around, for the most part, without a map. First, let me start by saying that, because we were on a journey of peace, we decided to stay outside of Rome, near the airport at a delightful bed and breakfast I found on #Hostelworld. Set in the countryside in a little farmhouse, Al Glicini B&B in Ciampino, Italy is a perfect place to stay if you are willing to use the public transportation to get to the heart of Rome. (AKA, walk a mile through a lovely lane to a local bar/coffee house to buy tickets for the train and for the bus. Take the bus (20 minutes) to the train station, and take the train (20 minutes) to the Spagna stop and walk out right beside the Spanish Steps. Time to take a rest on the steps and people watch.
From the top of the Spanish steps we spied where we wanted to go which happened to be the Piazza del Popolo. Along the way we visited three churches, where one can see some of the most amazing artwork in the city...and free of charge. In SS Ambrogio Carlo al Corso, we lit a candle for Jim in an alter with a painting of one of the Saints on a horse riding in heaven. The painting and the candle made me weep for the loss of Jim and find joy that he, too, might be riding a horse in heaven... As we continued our walk to the Piazza, we grew famished from our small, yet delicious, breakfast of bread, jam, juice, and coffee from the B&B and we stopped for an early lunch and ate one of Jim and my favorites, prochuitto and melon. Mackenzie and I shared this along with a tuna salad and a 1/2 crafe of white house wine and a loaf of bread (seriously).
We were pressured constantly by men selling "selfie sticks", yet still enjoyed our walk through the Piazza and then along the river to cross over the Pointe S. Angelo bridge arriving in front of the Castel S. Angelo, which we did not go into because it had a fee. Follwoing the Via della Conciliazione, we arrived at the Vatican and the Piazza San Pietro. Here we ran into a southern woman and her daughter who were complaining that the Piazza was readying to be emptied of all tourist so that Pope could give a private Mass. She was one unhappy lady, but helped us to decide our next adventure...the Colosseo (Colleseum).
#RickSteeves, says to buy your tickets for this, the forum, and Palentine Hill at Palentine Hill, where there is no line. He is correct. Buy there and head over to the Colosseo and head right in quickly through the mass of people buying tickets. Afterward, head back over to the Forum/Palentine Hill, using the same ticket and head right on in. Upon entering the Forum, I couldn't find my ticket...I finally did, stashed in my bra...don't ask! Tip of the day...there are so many natural water fountains throughout the city, so bring your #Nalgene or other water bottle to make frequent fill-ups to hydrate.
The Colleseum, Palentine Hill, and Forum were remarkable and you can read about them on any travel blog or book....Our favorite part was taking pictures of people taking selfies! I think we will do an entire blog of these pictures!
We left that area around 7:30 and headed back to the steps, stopping to get a map at Capitaline Hill and then stopped at the under-construction, Trevi fountain, and we still threw a coin and stopped the 'Selfie Stick' hawkers in their tracks when I held up my #Nikon D5000 camera. Seriously, I was tempted to grab one of those selfie sticks and clobber them with it!
Hungry, yet again, we grabbed a nice dinner near the steps at Caffe Leonardo. Bruchetta, Ravioli, and red wine was completely satisfying (by then we'd walked 15 miles). Back to the metro and then waiting at the bus stop for 45 minutes while we were stared at by a 90 year old gentlement in a suit and tie, smoking non-stop (as most Italians we've encountered do). We spoke a little to him and when we got on the bus, he sat next to us and helped us to find our Due Santi stop. With a wink and a Ciao! we left the bus and during our 1 mile walk back to the house, we realized that he was our guadian angel in a place where no one spoke English and we were completly aliens seeking peace in a strange land.
Pax!

Posted with Blogsy

We're Neither Here Nor There:

We've been traveling for 24 hours and we are still in the Dublin airport where they have free butter...and Irish butter is my favoritie. We dipped our Irish Cider Vinegar and Seasalt Crisps in it. We each had a 1/2 pint of the beer they are known for here in Ireland...Guiness something:) and we split a chicken, goat cheese, and caramelised onion ciabatta.

We sat for about 2 hours going over our trip and places we couldn't miss in Italy. I tried to read a book, 'Wild' that I have been attempting to read since August 3, 2014 (I started reading it the night before Jim died) but as I've been doing, I get stuck on one page and then fall asleep. One of my goals after this adventure is to be able to read again.
Coolest thing: we saw a man who looked like and moved like Jim would have looked liked and moved when he was 75 or 80. Same profile, same determination in his choices of food, and lots of beautiful lines in his face like he had. He would have loved being here, although the long trip would have been a drag for him and I'm certain that he would have had a full pint of that Guiness stuff (okay, maybe 2!)
We had a 3 hour layover in Atlanta which should have been 9 hours, but the plane we were to take had been struck twice by lightening and it took us forever to actually leave Colorado Springs. During that 3 hour tour in Atlanta, my newly-married, and newly-pregnant cousin, Amie Cofiell La Roux, picked us up and we ate lunch at a remodeled gas station, called 'Brake Pad' and caught up on life...thanks, Amie...I've missed you.

Time to check in to grab our last flight...finally, ROMA! We then have to take a 20 minute bus ride and then walk a mile to get to our first hostel. I might have to catch up tomorrow as I am certain I will be done-in.

síochána 

Posted with Blogsy

Why 40 Days For Peace?

    A memorable quote from the BBC series, 'Call of the Midwife' was part of the inspiration for my upcoming journey: "You just keep living. Until you are alive again." But, more than that, it was travel that I have always done during difficult times in my life. And, if you've read my earlier Facebook posts, you know what's been happening...'My husband died and I had Ass cancer'.

     Case in point:1981: My first husband (yep, a very stupid move on my part) left me after 13 months of 'marriage' and I took off solo across country in my Chevy Chevette...a very popular car in its day...for five weeks. I quit my job as an assistant bank manager and headed out. From that I found out that his leaving was the best thing that happened to me...and from that I fell in love with Jim and lived happily ever after...
     1983: I was a mortgage banker when the mortgage rates were 20% and dramatically dropped to 13% and EVERYBODY refinanced! I couldn't take it! I moved to the Caribbean with Jim and became a cocktail waitress, wearing a one piece swimsuit, with wrap and high heels...best 2 years of my life! And, those years with Jim helped us to develop an amazing relationship.
     1989: Marguerite was born with Hydrocephalus and the doctors said something like, "Just take her home and love her because we aren't really certain of her future." With those encouraging words Jim and I packed up 3-year-old Madeleine, and 3 MONTH old Marguerite and drove west for a 3 week camping trip...seriously, we camped at Custer State Park on the last day it was opened. We cried and prayed and didn't even consider that we might need to run to the hospital if Marguerite's shunt became clogged. Those weeks bonded our family and strengthened our faith. Now at 26, Marguerite is one of the strongest young women I know. 
     2013:After completing my breast cancer treatments in May of 2011, going through a burglary of our house, and a very stressful first year as a middle school counselor, I took off solo back east to visit my family and my amazing friends in Virginia. I surrounded myself with those people who gave me strength and encouragement to continue. And after that I began a most amazing job with DCC as a high school counselor.
     2014: I took my family: Madeleine, her husband, Jesse, Marguerite, and Mackenzie back to the Caribbean for Christmas 2014 to spread Jim's ashes in Drake's passage where he had always wanted to be after he died. Our family cried, prayed, sang, and drank LOTS of rum, and came back stronger and more united than ever. 
     2015: I have a clean bill of health from my anal cancer and will reached the 5 year mark on my breast cancer in May. Of course, I will have to be checked every 3 months for the next 2 years for my anal cancer, but for now I'm claiming victory. Jim was to retire this June, 2015 and our plans were to travel to Vietnam where he served as a Marine in 1967/68. He said it was the most beautiful country he'd ever seen. I'm not heading to Vietnam, but to 3 other countries of which he and I had connections.Italy: seriously, who wouldn't want to go to Italy? We never did, but it was always on our list.
     Scotland: the land where his family hails...Peterhead, Scotland to be exact. His mom came to the USA as a young girl.
Paris: just for a night because the one time we were there we didn't have time to visit the Musee d'Orsay and he promised he would take me back one day.
     Ireland: my mom's family, the Cofiell's, have roots there and I've always loved the magical  and spiritual side of Ireland (oh, the Guinness, too). I'm taking my youngest daughter, Mackenzie, who just graduated from college, and has been separated from the four of us since Jim died. She needs to heal...we all do and I wish Madeleine, Marguerite, and Jesse could come, but let's be realistic $$$$!
     Grief is hard...that's an understatement. We all need to heal--- between the cancer and Jim's death we have all been rather in shell shock, numb, lost. I pray for my family at home and hope that this time for them will be healing as well (after all they don't have to put up with me!)
     We will be traveling for 6 weeks...we have backpacks...good shoes...good cameras. What else do we need? I've entered into this adventure through much prayer and I know that the Lord will go before us and we will heal, as I've always done when I've traveled after life becomes unbearable.  
    Oh, Yeah...the 40 days part...so many references to 40 days or 40 years in scripture...and those 40 days/years references always ended with the Lord's direction...can't wait to see what direction the Lord has for me and for Mackenzie.


Peace!