Well, we made it home safely. Everything went pretty smoothly until American Airlines decided to lose my bag somewhere between Dallas and Burbank. This is the third time American Airlines has lost my bag. I will fly them no more. Hopefully they will return it tomorrow. Apparently the barcodes are just for show. They don't aid in tracking luggage.
I have been up for 27 hours. Time to sleep.
God Bless America,
Kelly
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Hills and Canals
Well, we are on the verge of leaving Italy so I thought I should compose a final entry. I apologize to those of you expecting or hoping for post cards. I didn't have a chance to send any on this trip. Please think of these riveting blogs as your post cards.
Yesterday Sara and I spent a few hours in Venice. It was most certainly the most touristy leg of our trip. I don't know if there were more tourists or pigeons. We didn't do too much in Venice. We at lunch and wandered the streets for a bit. It was definitely beautiful and worth the trip but I wouldn't spend more than a day there. It's pretty crowded and there isn't a very long list of "attractions". I think Trent was right when he likened it to California Adventure.
Today we took a little trip to Cortona. It was cut short by a train incident. Our initial train was over an hour late and eventually canceled. We kept getting on and off the train 'til a conductor set us right and told us the train was staying in Florence. We hopped on another and arrived in Camucia about an hour and a half later than we planned. We then spent over an hour trying to get up the hill to Cortona. Apparently remote areas of Italy are against buses on Sundays. We called a taxi and arrived in the city around 3pm. After lunch and a lot more wandering around we decided we loved Cortona and we hope to return one day. It's a beautiful Tuscan hill town with breath taking views. I am so happy we had a chance to visit.
Now we are packed and ready to go home; all of our Italian expectations have been met! Our plane leaves Florence at 7:55 tomorrow morning. Here's to another 21 hours of travel and jet lag!
P.S. We saw a man at dinner this evening who looked EXACTLY like the statue of David. It was amusing. We tried to get a picture but instead captured his friend and the waiters arm. Ah well.
Yesterday Sara and I spent a few hours in Venice. It was most certainly the most touristy leg of our trip. I don't know if there were more tourists or pigeons. We didn't do too much in Venice. We at lunch and wandered the streets for a bit. It was definitely beautiful and worth the trip but I wouldn't spend more than a day there. It's pretty crowded and there isn't a very long list of "attractions". I think Trent was right when he likened it to California Adventure.
Today we took a little trip to Cortona. It was cut short by a train incident. Our initial train was over an hour late and eventually canceled. We kept getting on and off the train 'til a conductor set us right and told us the train was staying in Florence. We hopped on another and arrived in Camucia about an hour and a half later than we planned. We then spent over an hour trying to get up the hill to Cortona. Apparently remote areas of Italy are against buses on Sundays. We called a taxi and arrived in the city around 3pm. After lunch and a lot more wandering around we decided we loved Cortona and we hope to return one day. It's a beautiful Tuscan hill town with breath taking views. I am so happy we had a chance to visit.
Now we are packed and ready to go home; all of our Italian expectations have been met! Our plane leaves Florence at 7:55 tomorrow morning. Here's to another 21 hours of travel and jet lag!
P.S. We saw a man at dinner this evening who looked EXACTLY like the statue of David. It was amusing. We tried to get a picture but instead captured his friend and the waiters arm. Ah well.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Olive Oil
Today we took a cooking class at a local restaurant. It's the slow season so it was just Sara and I and the chef in the tiny kitchen. We had a wonderful time and learned a lot. We are looking forward to going home and trying some new things. The key ingredient seems to be very good olive oil. We are returning to the restaurant for dinner tonight and plan to buy some of this good olive oil. The chef's family has a factory outside of Siena and they sell olives and olive oil to William Sonoma. Good to know we can buy more when we run out. :)
Off to Venice tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing it in the off season. More later!
Off to Venice tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing it in the off season. More later!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
More Places with Things to See
So many great days on this trip! It feels like I've been gone a month. I'm looking forward to returning home though I will be very sad to leave Italy.
Yesterday we visited the David at the Academy Gallery. There are other works of art there but no one seems to care about them. What an amazing sculpture. We also enjoyed Michelangelo's Unfinished Prisoners. He used to say that the people were in the marble. He was just cutting away the excess. The Prisoners seem a testament to this.
After lunch we went to the Uffizi Gallery. I think I saw half of the paintings we studied in the first month of my art history class here. Nearly one in every room. It was wonderful to see them in person. I learned some other things at the Uffizi. Apparently Sara and I both had a crush on Abel from Genesis when we were children. I also learned that Samson is Sara's type of guy. She thinks I am most suited for someone like Luke. Hilarious. It's amazing the dumb things you say when you're surrounded by masterpieces. It's much like the time Laura, Alec and I spent several minutes admiring a plain metal chair at the Orsay Museum. Sometimes you have to break up the brilliance with some silly moments.
Last night we ate dinner at a wine bar/restaurant recommended by the great Rick Steves. It was the best meal we've had thus far. I ordered spinach and ricotta ravioli in a truffle sauce. Sara ordered gnocchi. Both were fantastic. We're going back there tomorrow for a cooking class. We are very excited!
Today we visited Siena. It is a wonderful, well preserved medieval town in Tuscany. We visited the Duomo and were very impressed. It may be our favorite church on the trip. (Don't tell St. Peters.) We ate on the town square, went shopping, then returned to the town square for gelato before departing for Florence. It was a really nice day.
Happy Valentine's Day to all!
Yesterday we visited the David at the Academy Gallery. There are other works of art there but no one seems to care about them. What an amazing sculpture. We also enjoyed Michelangelo's Unfinished Prisoners. He used to say that the people were in the marble. He was just cutting away the excess. The Prisoners seem a testament to this.
After lunch we went to the Uffizi Gallery. I think I saw half of the paintings we studied in the first month of my art history class here. Nearly one in every room. It was wonderful to see them in person. I learned some other things at the Uffizi. Apparently Sara and I both had a crush on Abel from Genesis when we were children. I also learned that Samson is Sara's type of guy. She thinks I am most suited for someone like Luke. Hilarious. It's amazing the dumb things you say when you're surrounded by masterpieces. It's much like the time Laura, Alec and I spent several minutes admiring a plain metal chair at the Orsay Museum. Sometimes you have to break up the brilliance with some silly moments.
Last night we ate dinner at a wine bar/restaurant recommended by the great Rick Steves. It was the best meal we've had thus far. I ordered spinach and ricotta ravioli in a truffle sauce. Sara ordered gnocchi. Both were fantastic. We're going back there tomorrow for a cooking class. We are very excited!
Today we visited Siena. It is a wonderful, well preserved medieval town in Tuscany. We visited the Duomo and were very impressed. It may be our favorite church on the trip. (Don't tell St. Peters.) We ate on the town square, went shopping, then returned to the town square for gelato before departing for Florence. It was a really nice day.
Happy Valentine's Day to all!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Back to Firenze
Just a quick note to say we made it to Florence. We spent the morning in Rome (well, Vatican City) at the Vatican Museum. We were hearded like cattle through miles (not an exageration - it's 4 miles) of statuary, religious artifacts, tapestry, and paintings to get to the real reason for the visit - the Sistine Chapel. Ok here I am being a little obtuse. The walk there is actually quite wonderful. Lots of interesting pieces mixed in with some boring ones. :)
The chapel was absolutely beautiful. I think I appreciated it a bit more this time, post art history class. To think all of the work was done in fresco by someone who didn't consider himself a painter. Clearly his view of himself was skewed. Not unlike many artists today.
After checking into our very cute Florence hotel (Hotel Pendini), Sara and I headed over to the Duomo. It's about a 3 minute walk. I was struck by the magnificence of the building. I don't think I took it in last time. I was so busy hurrying thru, anxious to pass Melissa's sweater off to the next traveler (we weren't dress code appropriate in our tank tops - no dress code worries this time, it's 40 degrees).
Tomorrow we may visit David. Or we may head to Sienna. So many possibilities!
The chapel was absolutely beautiful. I think I appreciated it a bit more this time, post art history class. To think all of the work was done in fresco by someone who didn't consider himself a painter. Clearly his view of himself was skewed. Not unlike many artists today.
After checking into our very cute Florence hotel (Hotel Pendini), Sara and I headed over to the Duomo. It's about a 3 minute walk. I was struck by the magnificence of the building. I don't think I took it in last time. I was so busy hurrying thru, anxious to pass Melissa's sweater off to the next traveler (we weren't dress code appropriate in our tank tops - no dress code worries this time, it's 40 degrees).
Tomorrow we may visit David. Or we may head to Sienna. So many possibilities!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Ancient Places
Well hello there! I apologize for the delay in "blogging". I will try to get you caught up quickly.
Sara and I are currently in Rome. We arrived around noon on Saturday and we leave tomorrow afternoon for Florence. Our last day in Naples was splendid. We took a guided tour of Pompeii in the morning. It was rather informative and lots of fun. February is the perfect time to visit Pompeii. It was near empty which made our pictures nice and erie. I look forward to sharing them with you. (This internet point does not support memory cards.) We learned quite a bit about the ancient city and, as a result, we are pleased to be so far from Mt. Vesuvius.
Our first day in Rome was fun. We managed to view the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. I threw another coin in the fountain to make sure I return to Rome. It worked last time and as they say, "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it." The Pantheon was more spectacular than I imagined. Truly awe inspiring. It may be my favoite ancient site because it isn't a ruin. It's so well preserved. And the church inside is beautiful.
Yesterday we took a tour of the Colosseum. It was quite good. Our group was small and that allowed our guide to go a little more in depth than she would have gone with a larger group. It was my second time visiting and well worth the duplicate trip. You see something new each time. We also roamed (or romed) the Forum and Palentino Hill. Both were stunning in their own way. No guides her so we made up the details. I'm pretty sure we were right.
Today we visited Saint Peters. We didn't know ahead of time but they were holding a big service today at 4. We waited in a large, unruly line for an hour and a half to get in the church. We were only allowed access to a bit of it. I was very sad to miss a closer view of Michelangelo's Pieta. Oh well. Next time! We learned that Italian lines are very subjective. Apparently you can join up wherever you like, particularly when you are old. Age also gives you the right (and perhaps the obligation) to yell at all young people. I'm sure you can tell this was our favorite part of the trip.
Well, more later from Florence!
Sara and I are currently in Rome. We arrived around noon on Saturday and we leave tomorrow afternoon for Florence. Our last day in Naples was splendid. We took a guided tour of Pompeii in the morning. It was rather informative and lots of fun. February is the perfect time to visit Pompeii. It was near empty which made our pictures nice and erie. I look forward to sharing them with you. (This internet point does not support memory cards.) We learned quite a bit about the ancient city and, as a result, we are pleased to be so far from Mt. Vesuvius.
Our first day in Rome was fun. We managed to view the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. I threw another coin in the fountain to make sure I return to Rome. It worked last time and as they say, "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it." The Pantheon was more spectacular than I imagined. Truly awe inspiring. It may be my favoite ancient site because it isn't a ruin. It's so well preserved. And the church inside is beautiful.
Yesterday we took a tour of the Colosseum. It was quite good. Our group was small and that allowed our guide to go a little more in depth than she would have gone with a larger group. It was my second time visiting and well worth the duplicate trip. You see something new each time. We also roamed (or romed) the Forum and Palentino Hill. Both were stunning in their own way. No guides her so we made up the details. I'm pretty sure we were right.
Today we visited Saint Peters. We didn't know ahead of time but they were holding a big service today at 4. We waited in a large, unruly line for an hour and a half to get in the church. We were only allowed access to a bit of it. I was very sad to miss a closer view of Michelangelo's Pieta. Oh well. Next time! We learned that Italian lines are very subjective. Apparently you can join up wherever you like, particularly when you are old. Age also gives you the right (and perhaps the obligation) to yell at all young people. I'm sure you can tell this was our favorite part of the trip.
Well, more later from Florence!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Pizza di Napoli
Naples is wonderful! I've never seen more graffiti in my life and the drivers are frightening but it is truly wonderful. Last night we had dinner at a restaurant in Heidi and Mark's neighborhood. (Heidi is a dear friend of mine from childhood. We're staying in her home.) The food was terrific and the the service was perfectly Italian.
Today Sara and I explored the city a bit. First we went to the older part of town near "Spaccanapoli". I managed to get us lost right away. I blame Rick Steves' map but I'm pretty sure it was my hasty process of orientation. After a 2 mile round trip detour we were back on track. We had lunch in a hidden square in old town. We ate fabulous food and watched the locals kick around a soccer ball and play with their dogs.
After more wandering in old town, we took the metro to Piazza Vanvilletti and shopped a bit. Unfortunately for me, Benneton was having a 70% off sale on everything. Sara confirmed it with the clerk, "Scuzi... tutti saldi?" "Si, si. (really fast Italian) Saldi." I bought a $220 coat for about $75. It's excellent.
Sara and I waited for the C31 bus for 28 minutes. Then we got off the bus about a mile too soon. Heidi located us in her car and took us home. We got pizza from another neighborhood favorite and it was perfect. Very Neopolitan (I'm told). We loved it. After several hours of conversation we're finally going to bed. We have to get up at 7 to catch the tour bus for Pompeii. More later!
Today Sara and I explored the city a bit. First we went to the older part of town near "Spaccanapoli". I managed to get us lost right away. I blame Rick Steves' map but I'm pretty sure it was my hasty process of orientation. After a 2 mile round trip detour we were back on track. We had lunch in a hidden square in old town. We ate fabulous food and watched the locals kick around a soccer ball and play with their dogs.
After more wandering in old town, we took the metro to Piazza Vanvilletti and shopped a bit. Unfortunately for me, Benneton was having a 70% off sale on everything. Sara confirmed it with the clerk, "Scuzi... tutti saldi?" "Si, si. (really fast Italian) Saldi." I bought a $220 coat for about $75. It's excellent.
Sara and I waited for the C31 bus for 28 minutes. Then we got off the bus about a mile too soon. Heidi located us in her car and took us home. We got pizza from another neighborhood favorite and it was perfect. Very Neopolitan (I'm told). We loved it. After several hours of conversation we're finally going to bed. We have to get up at 7 to catch the tour bus for Pompeii. More later!
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