Arrivederchi

Goodbye Italy! We are traveling today to Nice, France. I will miss the accordion music on the clear warm nights, strolling through St. Mark's Square, as well as the paper-thin and delicious pizzas. Although I avoid generalizations, it sure seems the Italians are the most cheerful and happy people around! In the four Italian cities we visited, we relied on locals for directions, advice and lots of services - and we were greeted, almost without exception, by happy people. Can't say we had that experience in Greece. Wonder how we will find France and Spain...

We passed the time on the train from Milan with some smart, seasoned young Aussie travelers, Mark and Teresa Bushell, from Melbourne. They had so many interesting stories as they had been traveling for a month already and had been to LA, Vegas, NY, Dublin, Edinborough, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Prague, Venice and now traveling to Nice. We enjoyed drinking wine and visiting with them and hearing about their reccos for another trip - Thailand or Bali is what they suggest! Who knows! Wherever we go next. I hope you'll come along!

At the top of the back of the boot!

Venezia! It's fabulous! SJ and I are doing some needed chillin' and soaking up this car-free town! We've been walking by the Adriatic Sea, enjoyed a gondola ride, and drank wine at a sweet spot on Piazza de San Marco. And we've gotten lost more than a couple of times, what with the narrow sidewalks and abundant canals! This town is ADA-compliant - NOT! One fun discovery is that you can buy wine by the liters - on tap - and stroll the shops while enjoying it! Now that's a great idea! And now the sun is down...Shawn negotiated a very good rate for a short gondola ride because we wouldn't have it any other way. We went to the top of the Camponile and got a 360 * view of Venice!  We stopped into the grocery store where we made friends last night with the main daughter (age 29) and her little brother (26) and we shared pics of Kate and Matt. We love the Italians! It seems like a generalization but time and again we have noticed cheerful Italians: brothers look after sisters, fathers look after daughters, mothers look after their children, and the family is the sacred core. We shared stories and made friends with newlyweds Brad and Amanda from Wash DC, who followed our lead in getting cheap and good vino from a tap! We love you Venezia! Tomorrow we travel to Nice - viva la France!

Traveling with SJS

I think I'm down two kilos. I'm drinking (strong macchiato, elegant Italian wines, formidable beers) and eating (white pizza and calzones with artichokes, mushrooms, spinach and lots of cheeses) but feeling a little less full. We are on the move! I should've predicted this - my dear traveling buddy is moving like he's wearing Brown and the air is late! My dear readers - my kids - you recognize this! You've seen this movie, maybe Steve, too. When SJS has a project to complete, move over! While I didn't know him as a very young man, I'm getting a glimpse of what he might have been like as a boy: hearty appetite when I finally proclaim that's enough for one day; he wants to tour every church we pass, jump up on things to get the best shot with his new camera, and set the alarm every night because there's so much to see tomorrow. I have my own personal Rick Steves! But he always grabs my suitcase when there are steps to navigate, he seems to have memorized most of the maps we need, he knows key Italian phrases and uses them at appropriate times (we were charged €3.2 last night at dinner for the linen table service and I'm still not sure what my Iowa boy was muttering) and today he reserved us first class on the train, which meant a little more room, and complimentary drinks and snacks, as we travel to one of the most romantic towns on our trip - Venice - and we're not setting an alarm tomorrow! Love from Venezia!

Siena and Florence

Wowza - is the Tuscany region of Italy beautiful! We spent last night in Siena, as in Burnt Sienna (the crayon). All the buildings are that burnt orange color, many with bright green (as the green in the Italian flag) shutters. Very picturesque. Today we met some new friends from Atlanta, Jay and Mary, we were ready to communicate with some Americanos and we gabbed all the way as we traveled to Firenza (Florence) and saw Michelangelo's David! Now that was a pinch-me moment when I first saw him! He is very buff and the artistic sculpturing is amazing, too! Michelangelo's partially-finished statue of St. Matthew is very moving, too! We experienced Brunnelleschi's dome and a few more amazing churches, one of which is the burial site for some popular guys: Galileo, Michelangelo,   da Vinci, and Machiavelli, among others. And then we saw Palazzo Pitti - Napolean's palace - that little guy was clearly self-conscious: this place is huge! We did not tour it because we agreed we would rather keep traveling the next several days! It's on to Venezia (Venice) for us!

Rome wasn't built in a day

We are northbound on Monday afternoon to Siena, traveling on the coastline alongside the Mediterranean and Roma is left behind, along with many unexplored and, no doubt, undiscovered treasures. We liked Rome a lot - and may have to return for a longer visit. The sheer number of beautiful churches, all with intricate mosaics and awesome domes - was astounding - like every few blocks a different one and style. The monuments, fountains, statues, frescoes, paintings, tombs and piazzas so historically rich and significant. Magnifique! These artists: Michelangelo, Bernini, Raphael...what rock stars! I saw the Pieta (a highlight) and the Sistine Chapel! How did Michelangelo paint that ceiling? Geez...that's the last time I'm complaining when I help paint one of our ceilings! Today our pilgrimmage to Vatican City (Vatican museum and St. Peter's Basilica) was so meaningful to both of us - thanks to my parents and Shawn's Grandma Jessie - and to Father Vu for keeping it alive. xoxo