More Rome

I'm losing track of days but I think it was Saturday we went to The Coliseum (think Gladiator) and all the surrounding remaining buildings/sculptures left from 2000 years ago. We took a guided tour (there are a lot available) to get some idea of what went on there and how it was constructed. There was a lot of very brutal goings on in that arena. Now they have concerts (Paul McCartney was there recently). After a short food break we went on another tour to Palatine Hill where the rulers lived. It's hard to grasp that some of these building are still standing. There are still gigantic pillars and parts of the Roman Senate still left and the public is allowed to walk around and look at all of this. There is a huge amount of antiquities - we spent most of the day there.
On Sunday we left early to gain entrance in to the Vatican Museum. We waited outside in line for 1 1/2 hours, then spent at least 2 1/2 hours inside and didn't see half of what was there. There were ancient and Renaissance(sp?) paintings, thousands of sculptures from B.C. time, then all the paintings on the ceilings and walls. The biggest draw was the Sistine Chapel of course. The scope and sheer number of historical treasures there are beyond anything I can describe.Add to that the thousands of people from every country who are all there at the same time to view these items and it's quite the experience. That was pretty much our day and afterwards we went back to our B&B to eat and rest. There was a nice eating/dining area which gave us a place to eat and rest without being in our room all the time, altho we did nap after each of these outings. It's been about 90 degrees daily.
Today being our last day we checked out at 10 a.m. and went to a street market and went over to the Vatican one more time. There was a very brief scene from some film being made set in the '30's and there were actors dressed in German Nazi uniforms with the Vatican as a backdrop. We kept walking and ended up in a quaint small old neighborhood and they always have these huge ornate churches at every corner and all the streets are narrow and cobblestones. We had lunch at a restaurant outside again. It was good to get away from where all the major tourist draws are located so that we could get a real flavor for the normal neighborhoods. Afterwards we walked thru a beautiful old Botanical Garden from the 1600's.
By then it was time to head back to our B&B where they were holding our bags and we had a taxi pick us up for the 40 minute ride to our hotel at Fiumicino Airport. It's a clean, new, modern hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) which I like after all the B&B's. They are interesting and different, but a little luxury is nice too!
Tomorrow Kristin and I go our separate ways - I will catch my flight from this airport at 8:15 and then fly to London for a 5 hour layover before heading for Seattle. Kristin has to backtrack to a secondary airport to catch her Ryanaire flight to Spain.
This is a our last day in Europe. I'm ready to head for home - my shoes and sandals are worn out - it's been a great trip. I will ask Kristin to publish more pictures when she gets home from Spain. Time to get some sleep because tomorrow will be a long travel day. See you in the States! - Joyce

Pictures from Italia!

Due to the very slow internet connection which I am currently stealing from some nice roman person in our building, I have been anable to properly download my pics onto the shutterfly site. So here are some highlights from the past week including Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena, and now Rome! ~Kristin


The view of Vernazza while hiking in Cinque Terre


More Cinque Terre hiking!


Mom in Monterosso, the neighboring village.


Last sunset in Vernazza


The view from our B&B in Florence (The Doumo and Bascilica outside)


Florence from top of the bell tower (which I climbed, not mom).



Salumi at the city market in Florence


Me with Florence in the background.


The Tuscan view from outside our hotel in Siena


Piazza del Campo, Siena


Street artwork, Siena


Mozart winery, Tuscany



St. Peter's Bascilica, the Vatican, Rome


Me at the Spanish steps, Rome


Mom at the Trevi Fountain, Rome


Mom at the collosium, Rome

Italy

Here we are over a week after my last post. Have had no internet service until now. Here is a brief snapshot of our past week:
Left Nice, France last Thursday 9/17. Let's just say the train system in Italy leaves a lot to be desired. We were supposed to leave at 10:15 but the train never showed up and thus began our 8 hour day of hopping off and on trains (which should have only taken about 3-4 hours). Reached Vernazza, Italy on the coast about 6pm - beautiful picturesque small town. Next day took a hike along the upper coast line between 2 towns - this town has more stairs than I've ever seen in one place in my life. Saturday we hopped the trains between all 5 towns - another crazy train experience but at least they were short distances. Had a lovely dinner in the town square sitting at outside tables.
Last Sunday Sept 20 we took the 3 hour train ride to Florence, Italy. Stayed at a Bed&Breakfast in an old building that had been remodeled and it was right next to the 700 year old Cathedral. Kristin climbed up the tower attached to the church - 400+ steps - I declined and waited. On Monday we toured on foot - the 'market' was especially interesting - esp. the indoor food market. The meat case is fascinating - no animal parts go to waste (even the pig's head was there).
Tuesday we caught train to Siena, Italy - got right on and all went well - things are looking up with our transportation! We even took a taxi from train station to hotel - we're getting smarter. I liked Siena better than Florence - not so overwhelming and more laid back. We had a lovely dinner at an outside restaurant and met a couple from Alberta Canada with whom we had a fun visit. Next day we walked back in to the center of town and went thru a restored church/hospital that was hundreds of years old. We kept walking down deeper underground - got kind of creepy because we were about the only people there. It was nice to see daylite again! Had decided earlier to go on a Tuscany wine tour at 2pm - turned out to be quite an adventure and lots of fun. The last winery all 20 of us sat at long tables and were given 3-4 generous wine samples. It turned in to a party....The host was about an 80 year old man who only spoke Italian and the winery had been in his family for a long time. He was quite a character. Kristin and I had a nice chat with a couple from Colorado. There are a LOT of American tourists in Italy.
Yesterday (Thursday) - 3 hour bus ride to Rome - the best transportation we had yet -a nice CLEAN (unlike the trains) bus with only 12 passengers. Arrived Rome 3pm - insane traffic. Caught a taxi to our hotel, got settled, then went walking and ended up at the Vatican and St. Peter's Square where we spent about 2 1/2 hours. Got right in as it was late in the day. It is difficult to describe in words St. Peter's Basilica - it's like nothing I've ever seen. The sculptures are magnificent. Today we went to The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and many other places. Had another very nice dinner at a lovely restaurant just down the street from our B&B - every restaurant has outdoor tables and seating and the weather is perfect for that. Need to get some sleep. Tomorrow we will attempt to see The Coliseum and more. Ciao!

A Word From The Home Front

The cat and I have now been on our own for almost 2 weeks. Neither one of us has lost any weight, and we're doing alright. I got a new smoker / Barbecue that I have been playing with. I've cooked on it twice now, and am impressed. Yesterday I put a five pound pork shoulder on about 11:00 a.m., went to the baseball game about 2:00 p.m., and when I got home at 7:00 p.m., the meat was almost done. I gave it another hour, and it was as good as it gets! I'm getting hungry and it's only 10:30 in the morning.
I've spent 3 days with the motorhome getting things done. Tomorrow Keith and Sheila are having some BIG trees cut down, so I will go up in the morning to move the motorhome, and try to stay out of the way. Today I will be hanging out at the house doing laundry, etc. Woo Hoo!!
Unfortunately for Joyce and Kristin, the weather here has definitely been better here than it was for them in France, and so far Italy hasn't been too good either. Hopefully that improves and they get some beach time. They have been having a great time.
Anybody know how to operate a washing machine??????? Ernie

Monaco

Rain, rain and more rain. Felt like we were back in Seattle. By the time we figured out where to catch the bus for Monaco, we had been walking in the complete downpour for at least 15 minutes. Piled on the bus along with a huge German tour group.

We were anticipating a ride along the coast to Monaco which would have some nice scenery, but all bus windows were fogged up and we could see nothing. The bus driver was having a hard time clearing his window and we were on a narrow 2 lane road above the sea.

Got off the bus at the base of the granite rock that holds the castle. Climbed a steep grade for about 10 minutes to get there. Meantime it's still pouring. Kristin took some good pictures and then we got in line for a tour. The Grimaldi family has been in that castle since the 1200's. There were a lot of references to Grace Kelly who died in an auto accident above Monaco in 1982. Some of the family still lives there. The views of the harbor are stunning - many large luxury yachts. It's a compact crowded town and the traffic is very intense with narrow winding streets. The castle overlooks the sea and the town.

Kristin spotted the Monte Carlo Casino so we decided to walk there - by now the rain had let up a bit - we almost gave up because there's a lot of construction in the area (they're digging in to the granite rock below the casino) and we couldn't figure out how to get there. We finally find the front of the casino and they don't open for another 30 minutes. So Kristin took some pictures and we decided to catch the bus back to Nice (45 minute ride). We were so tired from walking around we both fell asleep on the bus. Walked back to our hotel and the sun finally peeked out a bit. We had planned to go down to the beach sometime while being here but the weather has not been good at all.

Tomorrow we catch a train to Vernazza, Cinque Terra, Italy where we will stay Thurs, Fri, Sat. On Sunday Sept 20 we head for Florernce, Italy - no internet service there. So the next time I post will hopefully be Sept. 22 or 23.

Au-revoir from France for the last time. Next time it will be 'ciao baby'....

A Day in Nice, France

Our day started out with a pastry from the corner pattiserie (bakery). Then we walked from one end of old Nice to another (3 1/2 hours). The pictures Kristin took best describes what we saw. Old buildings, steep narrow streets, old churches, town squares. We walked up to the top of the hill overlooking the town where the original town was built for defense purproses. The view of the Mediterranean Sea was stunning.

On the way back to our room we stopped at the daily market for fresh figs and nectarines. Bought some cheese and a baguette and had lunch on the patio on the roof of our bulding. Even tho the weather was deteriorating, we were able to enjoy the morning.

Went back to our room and I fell asleep (the result of a lot of walking and a lot of stairs). Afterwards we stopped at the train station to buy our ticket to Cinque Terra, then walked around looking at shops. Started to pour rain so we headed back for the hotel and I thought it would be a good evening for a nice dinner out. We found a reasonably priced Italian restaurant and had a nice meal.

Tomorrow we head by bus for Monaco for the day. That will be our last day in France.

From Avignon to Nice, France

Our morning started with a pastry from the bakery around the corner (there are bakeries around almost every corner!). After eating our nutritious breakfast we checked out of Hotel Colbert and found the bus stop for our short ride to the train station. We bought our tickets for the 3 1/2 hour train ride to Nice. Beautiful mountains and French vineyards, castles and cathedrals. Our train took us back to the coast where the tracks followed the Mediterranean.

We spent most of the day in transit between waiting for a bus, riding on a bus, then waiting for a train and riding on a train. However, it was a low key day which we need once in a while. Our train took us thru Cannes (film festival place) and pulled in to Nice around 3:45 pm.

Disembarked and followed our Rick Steves directions from the train station to the hotel - took us about 10 minutes to walk here. We are a few blocks from the water and the hotel is very nice. It had belonged to a nobleman back in the day and has been renovated. The room is quite small but has everything we need and it's clean and nicely decorated.

After settling in we took a 1 1/2 hour walk around Nice - it's a busy place. The sea is a beautiful color - like in the Bahamas. Finally got hungry so got some food to go and ate on the patio upstairs in our hotel. The wind has been blowing hard all day so after the umbrella blew over and almost hit me, we decided to retire to our room where we've been nailing down transportation for the next few parts of our journey. We won't have internet after this until we get to Siena on Sept. 22.

We are getting good at doing our laundry in the sink. Since we each have only one carry-on suitcase we have to schlep it on and off all the transportation we take. Every time I'm in a train or bus station and face more stairs I curse myself for packing too much, but at least it's all in one suitcase.

The weather is supposed to deteriorate significantly tomorrow and 100 percent rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday. Not good beach weather. The waves were really kicking up today.

We haven't tried too much local food just for economy reasons. The Euro vs. dollar rate is awful and when pricing anything, you have to 1 1/2 times the cost which is sobering. We usually just pick something simple up at an open air bakery or cafe. It would be nice to eat out more but have to save money somewhere. (Especially since Kristin is paying for most of her food, surface transportation and incidentals).

Not sure what we are doing tomorrow - we were going to sit on the beach - depends on the weather. Will probably take a day trip to Monaco on Wednesday and tour the castle there.

Au-revior from the Mediterranean!

Tour deFrance

Quick note - it's late and we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow we catch a bus to a train that will deliver us to Nice, France - our next stop.

Our tour today (from 9am-7pm) covered about 160 miles. There were 4 other people in our group - one couple lived in Bothell, Washington and the young woman had just graduated from UW. It's a small world....

We stopped and explored at least 4 or 5 towns with varying impressive histories. Our last stop was a Roman aqueduct over the Rhone River.

One thing I found interesting was the woman who was giving us the tour was fairly young. I mentioned we were driving on JFKennedy Hwy and she said, oh yes, there are a lot of Eisenhower street names too. She said that we (the French) owe Eisenhower a lot for what he did during WWII.

That's a very brief description of our day due to time constraints! Au-revoir again/

England and France

Wednesday morning we headed for The Tower of London (via the tube of course). It's not like I pictured it - which was one big tower where people were usally not seen again once they entered. It's a huge castle with a long history. Wall grafitti from prisoners from the 1500's etc are still there, protected by a covering. It's all very surreal and set in the middle of busy intersections and buildings from every era. A cold blustery wind blew that day - kind of went with the castle. I climbed a lot of stairs that day- some very narrow. After lunch we walked over the Tower Bridge which spans the Thames River, then on to the Tate Modern Museum which holds thousands of art pieces , including Andy Warhol. It's the largest space I've ever seen for an art museum, but then London has a lot of large buildings with large spaces. Went back to our room to rest for a while, then back on the tube! to meet a friend of Kristin's from high school. We ate at The Crown Pub in the Soho theater district and shared a meat pie. Their has been an eating establishment on that spot practically since London began.

Thursday morning up early to ride the London Eye and get a great view of the city. At the beginning it was a little disconcerting knowing we were on a gigantic ferris wheel but it moves very slowly. Got some great pictures which Kristin has on the other picture site. On the tube to Trafalgar Square where those huge lion statues and fountain are situated. It has a historial significance pertaining to some battle, but I couldn't tell you what that was. There are a LOT of memorial statues and monuments , a lot pertaining to war heroes, particularly WWII.

Then we decided to go to the neighborhood of Notting Hill (as in the Julia Roberts Movie). Very cute and a good neighborhood feel. We ate lunch at a corner cafe (ehcikcen crepes).

Last, but not least, we took the tube to Hyde Park where Kensington Palace is located (last residencedof Princess Diana). We took a self guided tour where they had displays of Di's gowns, plus some of the resident apts and bedrooms of past Kings and Queens. This is also where Queen Victoria was born. After that day, we packed up our suitcases, took the tube to the train station bought tickets for a train to the hotel we stayed at next to Gatwick airport, which is about 40 minutes out of London. Checked in to the Sofitel Hotel (very nice).

The next morning we were up at 4:45 a.m. to catch a 6:45 a.m. plane to Marsielle, France. 2 1/2 hours later we arrived. We had only begun our adventure. Transportation has been a challenge but it's worked out so far. From the airport we caught a bus, which took us to a train, which finally got us to Avignon at 2:30 pm Checked in to Hotel Colbert - quaint, cute, and with a million stairs set in to a very steep spiral staircase. Our two windows overlook the patio below - there are about 10 rooms in a very old building - very charming. The 5 years of French Kristin took has helped us out tremendously - she can communicate very well with the locals. We walked all over town - the pictures help describe it a lot. I'm thoroughly enjoying this town and since Kristin has been here before, it helps us to sort things out.

Today we took a 40 minute bus ride to St. Remy (where Picasso did a good amount of his art work) and that was every more charming. I've enjoyed interacting with the French and I like the sound of their language.

Tomorrow we have an all day tour in a mini-van with an English guide. We'll be gone from 9am-7pm.
Au-revoir!

European Adventure 2009

An overnite 8 hour plane ride to Heathrow airport on outskirts of London was the beginning of our journey. Boarded a commuter train, then transferred to the 'tube' (subway)which deposited us at Millennium Gloucester Hotel where we are staying. Got settled in to our room, rested a bit and then took a long walk. We are in a residential neighborhood dotted with an area of typical English shops and architecture.

Harrod's Dept. Store was our first stop today. All types of merchandise but I especially liked the all the separate food areas - so much variety and type from all over the world - the displays were like works of art. Harrod's has to be at the top of the heap when it comes to merchandising. Everything you could possibly think of is sold there.

After sensory overload at Harrod's we hopped on to the tube. It stops at stations called Gloucester Road, Notting Hill Gate, Sloane Square, Charing Cross, Paddington to name a few. It's fast, efficient and used by Londoners and tourists in all walks of life.

Our next stop was to see Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey. Even tho they are only buildings, I thought about all the history connected with them. These buildings survived the bombing of London during WWII. Seeing them up close I was struck by the detail and workmanship involved. They are much bigger when standing in front of them. I told Kristin it was worth the whole trip to me to see those buildings. These historical buildings are all within a stone's throw of each other but since they are so big it took us a while to walk around and look at them. We also went inside a church adjacent to Westminster Abbey called St. Margaret's - it was built in about 1100. Lots of people buried in the walls from over the centuries.

Next we walked and walked along the Thames river - saw the London Eye across the river- it moves VERY slowly in the course of 45 minutes. Which leaves a person about 30 seconds to hop on or off because it keeps going.


we took the 'tube' back to our hotel again to rest for a while. Then we walked to Hyde Park and walked all thru the grounds - the Peter Pan statue was a big draw for everyone. Kensington Palace is also located on those grounds (where Queen Victoria was born).

Some random observations: traffic is intense and since cars go opposite of what we're used to, I have to keep very alert - it's easy to forget and that would be deadly; the taxi cabs are quaint and cute; there are Bobbies (police) everywhere near Parliament; people actually live in very old dwellings and they're beautiful; charming cobble stone side streets with flower lined boxes in front of old row houses.

Kristin is the picture taker - she has put those pictures on a separate website: http://kristineurope2009.shutterfuly.com/#

The adventure continues tomorrow...Joyce