We left the Amalphi Coast a mere five days ago, feeling sad and unready to go home. Rome squeezed every last ounce of energy out of us so that yesterday we were ready to be done with this saga.
Carlo, an assistant guide on one of our tours has always lived in Rome. Many of his friends have moved to the suburbs, wanting a cleaner, greener place to live. Carlo explained, "Rome will never be a modern city. To live in Rome you must eat what the city offers--otherwise you will not thrive."
We ate and were sated in four full days. Of course the city showed her impetuous side as we left in the midst of an air traffic controller strike day...but we escaped her grasp.
It will be good to be home! This has been the trip of a lifetime that we all dreamed of! We've missed you all so much and are ready to re-enter our day-to-day lives again.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Finale: Pantheon
We ended our tour with Diane at the Pantheon. While the architect is still uncertain, she explained latest research that Hadrian is most likely due credit. This dome was not duplicated until very recently, that's how advanced its structure is.Bernini Turtles
As we walked with Diane, we passed another fountain with turtles courtesy of Bernini. See them up there at the top? The fountain had seemed incomplete, so they asked Bernini to add something above the nymphs' hands.
Crypt of Balbi
Diane took us through this crypt, which is an active archaeological dig during the week and open to the public on weekends. She showed us the layers of antiquity being revealed. This spot had been a theater, then medieval housing, an industrial site, a renaissance convent, burial ground, dump--simply paradise for an archaeologist!
One Last Tour: Classical Rome
Diane was our last tour guide, and she was extremely knowledgeable. From Vancouver BC, she is a PhD architecture and archeology professor, in Rome for three years. This view of the Tiber river shows Ponte Fabricio, one of two bridges surviving from antiquity.Piece de Resistance
This photo cannot do justice to this huge sculpture of Marcus Aurelius from 179 AD. It was astounding!
Final Day: Capitoline Museums
Sunday was cold but clear. We had taken Saturday afternoon off, so we headed out early for the Capitoline museums. This relief is typical of those we saw there.
Day 2 Continues: Borgese Gallery
After the fountains, we made our way over to the Villa Borgese for our 5 p.m. reservation at the Borgese Gallery. This collection of sculpture in particular was a favorite. Yet another Bernini we viewed there, Apollo and Daphne, is unforgettable.
Trevi
Trevi was spectacular, a monumental baroque fountain by Salvi! While it was quite crowded, the mood was festive and exuberant, the rush of water and beautiful sculpture filling your senses.
At Piazza Navona
This Bernini sculpture/fountain was under construction but was fun to see anyway. Piazza Navona was so relaxing, a series of three fountains with cafes and lots of people out and about.
An Afternoon of Fountains
We enjoyed the beautiful, sunny afternoon by visiting fountains all around the city. Republican Square sports this lovely work.
Day 2 Rome: Mosaics
Our tour of Mosaics and Icons with Eric started at Santa Maria Maggiore. This cathedral was built in the 5th century response to the council of Trent decision affirming Mary as mother of God. It was a medieval and renaissance amalgam with many mosaics.
Our experience there, however, was frustrating. The mosaics line the nave in the area between the top of columns and the ceiling—way above eye level—and each block is divided horizontally, so two stories are depicted in each. In addition, the renaissance facelift blocked half the windows so light was at a premium—and the church installed metered lights giving tourists 2 minutes of illumination for a euro. The upshot was that we couldn’t see them; it became almost comedic as our guide whispered in the dark the scene we would see (we couldn’t hear him), runs back and feeds the light meter, returns to us and whispers for another minute before the lights go out. No other tour leaders were paying for the lights, so poor Eric, clearly a grad student, is paying for about 100 tourists to see these darn things while we didn’t really learn what they were.
We left there a bit weary, but the next stop proved to be much more interesting. The basilica of St Praxedes (who ever heard of her?) had some wonderful mosaics and much better light, so we appreciated them a lot. We saw some interesting early conventions; for example, these mosaics marked living people with a square around there heads and halos indicated people had died—not that they were holy.
Our final stop was a 4th century church with fabulous mosaics. All showed the glorious vision of Christ, a much easier conversion tool than the suffering Christ, Marty observed. We all left with a deep appreciation of mosaics.
Our experience there, however, was frustrating. The mosaics line the nave in the area between the top of columns and the ceiling—way above eye level—and each block is divided horizontally, so two stories are depicted in each. In addition, the renaissance facelift blocked half the windows so light was at a premium—and the church installed metered lights giving tourists 2 minutes of illumination for a euro. The upshot was that we couldn’t see them; it became almost comedic as our guide whispered in the dark the scene we would see (we couldn’t hear him), runs back and feeds the light meter, returns to us and whispers for another minute before the lights go out. No other tour leaders were paying for the lights, so poor Eric, clearly a grad student, is paying for about 100 tourists to see these darn things while we didn’t really learn what they were.
We left there a bit weary, but the next stop proved to be much more interesting. The basilica of St Praxedes (who ever heard of her?) had some wonderful mosaics and much better light, so we appreciated them a lot. We saw some interesting early conventions; for example, these mosaics marked living people with a square around there heads and halos indicated people had died—not that they were holy.
Our final stop was a 4th century church with fabulous mosaics. All showed the glorious vision of Christ, a much easier conversion tool than the suffering Christ, Marty observed. We all left with a deep appreciation of mosaics.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Favorite Frescoes
Marty and I spent a lovely hour at Santa Maria Novella in Florence thanks to Michele's suggestion we visit there! (This was before the Sistine Chapel of course!) Lisa, our guide from back in Venice, pointed out that dalmations (black/white dogs) are a symbol of the Dominican order, "dogs/workers for God." It was fun to see them in occasional paintings and here in this fresco. Marty stayed and took this picture while I went to the farmacia to check out the oldest perfumerie around. It was heavenly!
Laocoon
Also at the Vatican, this sculpture from antiquity was found during the Renaissance; Michelangelo, the story goes, fainted when he saw this sculpture he had only seen in sketches.
Laocoon and his sons are being suffocated by snakes (sent by Athena, protector of Greece) because Laocoon advised against bringing the Trojan horse into Troy. "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts."
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Happy Birthday Martin!
So—what could be the perfect ending to a day at the Vatican? We decided to go out and celebrate Martin’s 80th birthday that very night! We chose a special place near our hotel called “La Scala” that had great food. Veal scallopini, risotto, gnocchi with basil, grilled seafood, eggplant Parmesan--multo buono! Dessert however, was a highlight worth mentioning—rum cake simply soaked and dripping with rum. Delicious!
We reminisced about birth stories and memories that Marty has of Martin's and Teddi's parents, remembering places and people that carry the stories of our lives. Peter and Dee, Julie and Tom, Jo, Mollie and Dave, and all the grandkids and cousins, you were all with us in spirit that evening.
What a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of a new decade for a very special man! Happy birthday Martin! Best wishes for many more years of health and happiness!
Sistine Chapel and St. Peters
Visiting the Sistine Chapel is a bit like Christmas. You spend a lot of time waiting and preparing, getting excited and hearing stories about what it will be like. Our guide John, did an excellent job of educating us about the context of the art. He explained the scenes of the chapel ceiling (using charts), pointing out colors, figures and scenes so that when we finally arrived, we were familiar with the material and could just experience its personal impact. Stories of Michelangelo’s temperament and dislike of painting brought the material alive as well.
So spending some time in the Sistine Chapel was pretty special! I particularly enjoyed the colors—lapis lazuli, golden oranges, reds…The bodies so beautifully robed (or not), the feeling of motion and beauty and God’s action through the ages came beautifully alive. We left feeling pretty sated and did our "post-Christmas dinner walk" over to St Peters.
Here again, John did a lovely job of preparing and leading us through the experience. He made explicit the intentional illusions of size that occur in the Basilica. Across the piazza, statues of saints welcome pilgrims as they enter. From the entrance, I felt surprisingly comfortable—the cathedral didn’t feel overwhelming. As an individual, I felt invited in to pray. Michaelangelo's Pieta here was stunning, absolutely beautiful.
As we moved forward through the nave of the church, its enormity began to dawn on me. The ceiling is decorated in gold. Huge marble columns line the nave on both sides. We heard music and responses as 5 o’clock mass began at a distant side alter. Markers in the center aisle indicated the length of other great cathedrals as we continued to move forward. Surpassing Chartres, surpassing St Patrick's in NYC, still we moved forward, closer we got to the bronze canopied alter.
When John pointed out the use of the original pillars from the old St Peter's Basilica, I was amazed! They looked like candy canes, not full size structures! It was the size and design of the bronze columns of the canopy that will stay with me, that and the golden “chair of St Peter” with its "gloria" alabaster window designed by Bernini behind the main alter. WOW.
We left the church quietly and felt a sense of peace. It had been a very moving and memorable experience for each of us.
So spending some time in the Sistine Chapel was pretty special! I particularly enjoyed the colors—lapis lazuli, golden oranges, reds…The bodies so beautifully robed (or not), the feeling of motion and beauty and God’s action through the ages came beautifully alive. We left feeling pretty sated and did our "post-Christmas dinner walk" over to St Peters.
Here again, John did a lovely job of preparing and leading us through the experience. He made explicit the intentional illusions of size that occur in the Basilica. Across the piazza, statues of saints welcome pilgrims as they enter. From the entrance, I felt surprisingly comfortable—the cathedral didn’t feel overwhelming. As an individual, I felt invited in to pray. Michaelangelo's Pieta here was stunning, absolutely beautiful.
As we moved forward through the nave of the church, its enormity began to dawn on me. The ceiling is decorated in gold. Huge marble columns line the nave on both sides. We heard music and responses as 5 o’clock mass began at a distant side alter. Markers in the center aisle indicated the length of other great cathedrals as we continued to move forward. Surpassing Chartres, surpassing St Patrick's in NYC, still we moved forward, closer we got to the bronze canopied alter.
When John pointed out the use of the original pillars from the old St Peter's Basilica, I was amazed! They looked like candy canes, not full size structures! It was the size and design of the bronze columns of the canopy that will stay with me, that and the golden “chair of St Peter” with its "gloria" alabaster window designed by Bernini behind the main alter. WOW.
We left the church quietly and felt a sense of peace. It had been a very moving and memorable experience for each of us.
Roma Etruscan Museum
Did you know that 40+ million tourists visit Rome each year? We’ve been in good company here and found the city has much to keep us busy! Switching into ‘city mode’ after our days on the coast woke us up quickly. After a hair-raising taxi ride to our bed and breakfast place in the near suburbs; a forcefully worded warning about pickpockets from our host; and a metro ride during rush hour traffic where Marty nearly got his arm caught in the train door—we realized the focus and energy that cities require.
We have four days in Rome, so we are filling them at our usual ridiculous pace. Day 1 we had the 4-hour Vatican tour starting at 1 pm, so you might imagine a morning off? No, I guess my regular readers would find that choice more shocking than our actual one: we walked from our hotel through the Villa Borgese park to the Villa Guilia “Etruscan” Museum, took about an hour. There I loved the building, an Italian villa with open central court of gardens, beige pea gravel paths, lovely stone building.
The art was amazing, especially the “newlyweds” sarcophagus. Probably the biggest insight I’ve had from this visit to Italy is that the art of the ancient world was truly advanced and amazingly sophisticated. Not simply, “Oh isn’t it cute that they made vases” but truly complex work that renaissance copied because it was so advanced. This carved sarcophagus showed expressive faces, graceful hands with manicured fingernails, shoes with laces, draped clothing…awesome detail from the 6th century bc.
Oh yes, we were on our way to the Vatican…we walked about 40 minutes through the Borgese Park (lovely), took a metro, and huffed into the meeting place for our tour about 25 minutes to spare. A quick lunch refreshed us--Martin and I had pretty mediocre ravioli but Teddi delighted us all by having fresh fruit tart and gelato for lunch--she had the right idea! Now we were ready to go visit the Vatican.
We have four days in Rome, so we are filling them at our usual ridiculous pace. Day 1 we had the 4-hour Vatican tour starting at 1 pm, so you might imagine a morning off? No, I guess my regular readers would find that choice more shocking than our actual one: we walked from our hotel through the Villa Borgese park to the Villa Guilia “Etruscan” Museum, took about an hour. There I loved the building, an Italian villa with open central court of gardens, beige pea gravel paths, lovely stone building.
The art was amazing, especially the “newlyweds” sarcophagus. Probably the biggest insight I’ve had from this visit to Italy is that the art of the ancient world was truly advanced and amazingly sophisticated. Not simply, “Oh isn’t it cute that they made vases” but truly complex work that renaissance copied because it was so advanced. This carved sarcophagus showed expressive faces, graceful hands with manicured fingernails, shoes with laces, draped clothing…awesome detail from the 6th century bc.
Oh yes, we were on our way to the Vatican…we walked about 40 minutes through the Borgese Park (lovely), took a metro, and huffed into the meeting place for our tour about 25 minutes to spare. A quick lunch refreshed us--Martin and I had pretty mediocre ravioli but Teddi delighted us all by having fresh fruit tart and gelato for lunch--she had the right idea! Now we were ready to go visit the Vatican.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Strolling through Sorrento
Sorrento has high bank waterfront--this picture gives a sense of how far below the 'beach' was from town.
Amalphi's Duomo
Amalphi has it's own Duomo, some 57 steps up to the entry. The inlaid marble was colorful and a signature we found in the churches of southern Italy, as were nine--count 'em--nine side alters to the blessed virgin. St Andrew's bones are supposedly interred at this church. While the painting of St Andrew behind the main alter perhaps eclipsed the crucifix, the statue of St Andrew in the crypt was incredibly moving.
Elysian Fields
Our morning in Paesteum was warm and magical as we viewed the stone remains of this ancient city.
Ravello
Sunny, warm, and breathtakingly beautiful, Ravello was our favorite town along the amalphi coast.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Carmelo and Raphaela
Following Rick Steves' recommendation, we hired a taxi-van driver to take us around the Amalphi coast sites. Saturday we had Carmelo as our driver; 71 originally from Northern Italy, he was a talker extraordinaire! We settled in the van sitting 3 across the back (me, Teddi, and Martin) with Marty up front, bearing the brunt of the conversation—which actually started out with instruction. Acknowledging his broken English, Carmelo had a spiral bound laminated set of news articles, describing everyone who has ever visited the Amalphi coast. While he drove down winding roads, he selected pages and pressed them into Marty’s hands, asking Marty to read them aloud, noting that famous people throughout history have visited Sorrento: Julius Casear, Cleopatra, all the Roman Emperors, Tolstoy, Goethe, Lord Byron, Sophia Loren has been to Amaphi coast, the pope has been to Amalphi…on and on.
Carmelo selected another page for Marty to read to us; a clip from a reporter who mentioned him as a “charming tour guide.” Carmelo just beamed. Then suddenly he realized none of us had said anything for 30 minutes—“Am I too much talking?” he asks—“do you want less talking?” We didn’t answer—and bless his heart, of course he was incapable of not talking. So we settled in and listened to Carmelo’s commentary.
He really was a sweet old fellow who grew on us quickly. We smiled as he drove slowly and carefully on these incredibly windy roads—and talked. When cars or scooters passed him, as they often did he gestured and said, “Piano, Piano! Only save 5-10 minutes!” He is mourning the end of tourist season, only weeks away, then everything will close up until about March. During off season, Carmelo goes to the biblioteca several times each week to learn more history to share with the tourists.
Carmelo outlined our next trip, scheduled for Monday, and mentioned the fabulous buffalo mozzarella cheese at a very nice tratoria where we would be visiting. This got him talking about his wife, Conchetta, who was big like Sophia Loren, he gestured, we got the picture. Conchetta makes wonderful pasta, she was originally from Sorrento, that’s why they’ve lived here for years. Somehow Marty got a word in near the end of our day about Steyers originally being from Austria. “Osterich!” exclaimed Carmelo. “The king of Osterich has been to Sorrento!” He was so excited and determined to show us proof from his laminated pages, that he pulled over to the side of this narrow road on a hillside and paged fervently through his selections. We roared, it was so funny! We left the car laughing to ourselves about Monday and another day with this character.
We were surprised on Monday to find that Carmelo was not back—rather, his son, Raphaela was our driver. He was the counterpoint to his dad’s chatter, a quiet, thoughtful person, who was the spitting image of his father 30 years younger. Raphaela explained that his dad was tired, he’d driven to Rome on Sunday, so he sent Raphaela instead. This young man was delightful in his own way. He’d driven Rick Steves around last April when they were making a new DVD on the Amaphi coast—so if any of you happen to see it on PBS, the driver is Raphaela. The weather when they were filming was terrible. They only had one nice day, so Raphaela drove the coast 12 hours that day, which was exhausting and nerve-racking. And those of you who know California’s highway one—narrow it by 50% and add medieval walls…that’s about what it was like on these roads. We had a glorious day, so lovely. We joked about Carmelo’s “Piano, piano” with Raphaela. These two drivers will remain in our memories as part of the local color that brought the area to life for us.
Carmelo selected another page for Marty to read to us; a clip from a reporter who mentioned him as a “charming tour guide.” Carmelo just beamed. Then suddenly he realized none of us had said anything for 30 minutes—“Am I too much talking?” he asks—“do you want less talking?” We didn’t answer—and bless his heart, of course he was incapable of not talking. So we settled in and listened to Carmelo’s commentary.
He really was a sweet old fellow who grew on us quickly. We smiled as he drove slowly and carefully on these incredibly windy roads—and talked. When cars or scooters passed him, as they often did he gestured and said, “Piano, Piano! Only save 5-10 minutes!” He is mourning the end of tourist season, only weeks away, then everything will close up until about March. During off season, Carmelo goes to the biblioteca several times each week to learn more history to share with the tourists.
Carmelo outlined our next trip, scheduled for Monday, and mentioned the fabulous buffalo mozzarella cheese at a very nice tratoria where we would be visiting. This got him talking about his wife, Conchetta, who was big like Sophia Loren, he gestured, we got the picture. Conchetta makes wonderful pasta, she was originally from Sorrento, that’s why they’ve lived here for years. Somehow Marty got a word in near the end of our day about Steyers originally being from Austria. “Osterich!” exclaimed Carmelo. “The king of Osterich has been to Sorrento!” He was so excited and determined to show us proof from his laminated pages, that he pulled over to the side of this narrow road on a hillside and paged fervently through his selections. We roared, it was so funny! We left the car laughing to ourselves about Monday and another day with this character.
We were surprised on Monday to find that Carmelo was not back—rather, his son, Raphaela was our driver. He was the counterpoint to his dad’s chatter, a quiet, thoughtful person, who was the spitting image of his father 30 years younger. Raphaela explained that his dad was tired, he’d driven to Rome on Sunday, so he sent Raphaela instead. This young man was delightful in his own way. He’d driven Rick Steves around last April when they were making a new DVD on the Amaphi coast—so if any of you happen to see it on PBS, the driver is Raphaela. The weather when they were filming was terrible. They only had one nice day, so Raphaela drove the coast 12 hours that day, which was exhausting and nerve-racking. And those of you who know California’s highway one—narrow it by 50% and add medieval walls…that’s about what it was like on these roads. We had a glorious day, so lovely. We joked about Carmelo’s “Piano, piano” with Raphaela. These two drivers will remain in our memories as part of the local color that brought the area to life for us.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A Day Off
Here we are at the beautiful Oasi Olimpia hotel on the Amalphi coast. We can see Mt Vesuvius from our balcony. It was wonderful to stay around the hotel today, walk into town for a latte and visit the local church in S'Agata.
Pompeii
We spent yesterday visiting Pompeii, Vesuvius, and Herculaneum very informative...here we are in front of Pompeii. Our guide, Gaetano was very good. He brought the information to life and illustrated the advanced nature of the Roman society: running water, pedestrian squares, one-way streets...We particularly enjoyed the evidence of household decorations: frescoes on the walls, mosaics on the floors. Teddi keeps saying she's going to have to get some color in her house when she returns.
Today I'm trying to get the hang of adding pictures, so details will follow. Check the old posts--I'm adding photos nearly all taken by Marty.
Frenzy Firenze
We are leaving Florence with so many visual images that words seem inadequate if not inappropriate. That said, I would like to capture some of our experiences. We joined the frenzy of the city, with its clamor of cars and scooters and bicycles down narrow streets and cobbled ways, visiting churches and art institutes. But as Martin commented, “It all works!”
Folks at our hotel commented they visited the academia and felt ‘done in.’ In contrast, we were warriors, cruising in a different mode. We managed about 3-4 stops each day. Martin made history if not the Guinness book of records by being one of the oldest people ever—days before he turns 80--climbing to the top of Santa Maria del Fiore, affectionately called The Duomo-- 476 steps up to the dome! He just beamed the rest of the day—and rightly so! Marty and Martin, shown here at the top of the dome, were awed by the view as they stepped outside, for a complete, panoramic view of the city, both scary and magnificent.
While Marty and Martin did the climb, Teddi and I listened to the audiotour of this lovely cathedral. This tape began with a welcome statement we did not hear anywhere else, that the Duomo is home for everyone and we were welcome there as part of god’s family. It was lovely and made us feel right at home.
It’s unique exterior of white, green and pink marble actually has three buildings on the site: The cathedral, the Baptistry and the Bell tower. We learned from our docent that the piazza, the huge open square in front of most cathedrals is actually viewed as the first waiting area, a spot for gazing and preparing for entry into the church. Entering the Duomo, there are two more areas of preparation, symbolizing the trinity of course. The centerpiece of the Duomo is Octagonal shaped, topped with a magnificent dome (that Martin climbed), stained glass windows, frescoes, marble altars and the choir (carved wood and marble).
The area of the octagon is the same as the Baptistry next door, which is also octagonal-shaped structure. The symbolism of 8 is the eighth day—Day of Christ, eternity. In the Baptistry, the center ceiling is a huge mosaic of Jesus, a welcoming Jesus. The doors of the Baptistry are very special, symbolizing passing through the waters of baptism, entering the church with new life. Interestingly the Baptistry also has a number of crypts, making direct connections between life and death, new life, life after death, eternal life…very moving.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Coffee
I’m getting the hang of the Florence coffee bar scene. Since entering Italy, we’ve found the caffe Americano is almost undrinkable and the drinkability/quality of a latte is totally unpredictable. So I’m getting into hard core espresso for the first time. Using my sagging energy a motivator, I went coffee bar hopping this afternoon.
Macchiato now is my drink of choice, espresso in a tiny cup with just a little milk on the top. Italians whip into a bar, order their espresso, a half-ounce of dark liquid served in white china, down it in one gulp, pay and leave, all within five minutes. Served this way, the drink costs .90 Euro. To sit down, the same drink is 3.50. I’ll be honest; I had three this afternoon, from three different bars—each with a unique name, but as common as Starbucks. I liked them all but am giving the nod to one place as my favorite. I may return with a new habit to support—but it sure helped me get though the afternoon today!
Macchiato now is my drink of choice, espresso in a tiny cup with just a little milk on the top. Italians whip into a bar, order their espresso, a half-ounce of dark liquid served in white china, down it in one gulp, pay and leave, all within five minutes. Served this way, the drink costs .90 Euro. To sit down, the same drink is 3.50. I’ll be honest; I had three this afternoon, from three different bars—each with a unique name, but as common as Starbucks. I liked them all but am giving the nod to one place as my favorite. I may return with a new habit to support—but it sure helped me get though the afternoon today!
Florence
Both Marty and I have fond memories of Florence from 1975; however, today, the crowds and hassles of the city are leaving us less enamored of Florence than we expected. Our hotel is wonderful, the proprietor very helpful, and the weather is sunny. Perhaps our travel schedule is catching up with us. Today we started at 8:15 at the Medici chapel, the most incredible crypt you can imagine and several sculptures by Michelangelo. We then saw the “piece de resistance,” the David at the Accademia. A simple lunch at a small place by the Mercado centrale provided welcome sustenance—Martin got photos of goods there, the Pikes Place Market of Florence. We prefer the Seattle fishmongers to the purveyors of sides of beef and tripe and other sundries we saw there.
Then we took a break—later in the afternoon, Martin, Teddi and Marty went to the Uffizi and spent an hour viewing Botticelli’s works. At six p.m. we all headed to our evening Transept walk through the city…very interesting historical overview of Florence. We ended the evening with hot chocolate, the best we’ve ever tasted. I’m beat and can’t believe Teddi and Martin are so chipper and energetic. And Marty’s on the phone, working…so I’m the slougher of the bunch…but we all agreed tomorrow we’re sleeping in, a first and welcome prospect.
Then we took a break—later in the afternoon, Martin, Teddi and Marty went to the Uffizi and spent an hour viewing Botticelli’s works. At six p.m. we all headed to our evening Transept walk through the city…very interesting historical overview of Florence. We ended the evening with hot chocolate, the best we’ve ever tasted. I’m beat and can’t believe Teddi and Martin are so chipper and energetic. And Marty’s on the phone, working…so I’m the slougher of the bunch…but we all agreed tomorrow we’re sleeping in, a first and welcome prospect.
Even in Venice
Monday morning we had a train to Florence at 11:30. Before we left Venice, Marty and I had wanted to see a special church, Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari (the frari). We packed up our luggage and had exactly one hour to find the church—no small feat in Venice—and get back in time for the taxi to the train station. Now those of you who know Marty and his ferry habits (routinely operated as fire drills) this was a challenge right up his alley—and I complicitly came along.
Between Greta, map and street signs, we got there, spent 5 minutes in the church—it was glorious and totally unacceptable, given the wonderful art there. But we sped out the doors and had an adrenaline-pumping return to the hotel. We somehow made it with minutes to spare, time to cool down before catching our water taxi to the train station. Marty has good karma when it comes to fire drills.
Venice is a city we'd all enjoy visiting again. The food is very expensive and not that special--but we're developing a rhythm of eating one big meal a day, either at lunch or dinner and just having coffee and a snack for the other meal.(Breakfast has always been included where we stay.) The sea bass has been good, as has the pasta. All in all, we really enjoyed Venice and our weekend there.
Between Greta, map and street signs, we got there, spent 5 minutes in the church—it was glorious and totally unacceptable, given the wonderful art there. But we sped out the doors and had an adrenaline-pumping return to the hotel. We somehow made it with minutes to spare, time to cool down before catching our water taxi to the train station. Marty has good karma when it comes to fire drills.
Venice is a city we'd all enjoy visiting again. The food is very expensive and not that special--but we're developing a rhythm of eating one big meal a day, either at lunch or dinner and just having coffee and a snack for the other meal.(Breakfast has always been included where we stay.) The sea bass has been good, as has the pasta. All in all, we really enjoyed Venice and our weekend there.
A Bellini Day
Sunday morning broke in full sunshine and with it, color—a Bellini morning in the city of canals. We headed out early to the Basilica of San Marco and entered soon after the basilica museum opened. Viewing this church was the highlight of our Venetian weekend. The mosaics, the gold, the adornments…were all remarkable. Mass was being celebrated in the basilica while we were upstairs in the museum. We passed through the transept and were able to listen to the choir sing the Gloria while we gazed at mosaic depictions of the Ascension. Our word for the Basilica of San Marco was “radiant.” Just imagining the handwork necessary to complete the mosaics virtually covering all ceiling space was astounding. The tapestries and vestments on display all echoed the gold theme, over the top, and incredibly beautiful. The golden horses here were amazing too. We spent nearly two hours there and all of us found it inspirational. As we left the basilica, the line was out around the building again so we were very glad we went early.
We were so absorbed in the experience at The Basilica San Marco, we nearly forgot we had tickets for a tour at the Doges Palace. We raced over and actually made it on time. We walked through but none of us were really able to absorb a lot of it because we’d spent our energy at the Basilica. We were glad we saw it and wouldn’t bother again.
Our day was just beginning. We headed next to Murano Island via water taxi. It was great to get out on the water; that really is the way to see Venice. After seeing the glass factory we headed to Burano, the lace capital of the area. It was a lovely day to be in this charming tourist trap. We bought a few souvenirs, had lunch, and took the water bus back to Venice.
We were so absorbed in the experience at The Basilica San Marco, we nearly forgot we had tickets for a tour at the Doges Palace. We raced over and actually made it on time. We walked through but none of us were really able to absorb a lot of it because we’d spent our energy at the Basilica. We were glad we saw it and wouldn’t bother again.
Our day was just beginning. We headed next to Murano Island via water taxi. It was great to get out on the water; that really is the way to see Venice. After seeing the glass factory we headed to Burano, the lace capital of the area. It was a lovely day to be in this charming tourist trap. We bought a few souvenirs, had lunch, and took the water bus back to Venice.
Our Introduction to Venice
Friday, my 54th birthday, we arrived in Venice for the weekend. First off, thanks to Karen and Jim for recommending La Calcina—we loved staying in Zattere (section of Venice) and found it a charming haven from the incredible crowds over on the grand canal. We arrived easily after a day on the train and had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant outside on the canal…just heavenly! We had great seafood and fell in love with this alluring grand dame city on the canals.
Saturday morning we headed to the Academia, just a short walk from our hotel, for a personal tour on the development of painting in Venice. Lisa, our guide, moved to Venice from Oregon for a masters in art history program 12 years ago. She is living in Venice now and married to an Italian. A real extrovert, personal, and a great teacher with incredible insights about Venetian art, she was a wonderful docent. She gave us background and illustrated the development of painting in Venice by focusing on one painting in depth in each room. We learned a lot and saw some fabulous art! It was a great introduction to Italian art.
It was raining a bit but we wandered—the operative word in Venice—over to the Piazza de San Marco, amazed at the crush of people. The line for the Basilica of San Marco was ridiculously long, so we browsed a bit and made our way back to the hotel. It rained, so it was a good excuse to take some down time.
That evening we went out to Cantonini Storico, a restaurant in our neighborhood, to celebrate my birthday. Marty and I had the best risotto primavera we’ve ever tasted!!! I wore the scarf and earrings from my spirit sisters—thanks so much!! They made the evening even more festive.
Saturday morning we headed to the Academia, just a short walk from our hotel, for a personal tour on the development of painting in Venice. Lisa, our guide, moved to Venice from Oregon for a masters in art history program 12 years ago. She is living in Venice now and married to an Italian. A real extrovert, personal, and a great teacher with incredible insights about Venetian art, she was a wonderful docent. She gave us background and illustrated the development of painting in Venice by focusing on one painting in depth in each room. We learned a lot and saw some fabulous art! It was a great introduction to Italian art.
It was raining a bit but we wandered—the operative word in Venice—over to the Piazza de San Marco, amazed at the crush of people. The line for the Basilica of San Marco was ridiculously long, so we browsed a bit and made our way back to the hotel. It rained, so it was a good excuse to take some down time.
That evening we went out to Cantonini Storico, a restaurant in our neighborhood, to celebrate my birthday. Marty and I had the best risotto primavera we’ve ever tasted!!! I wore the scarf and earrings from my spirit sisters—thanks so much!! They made the evening even more festive.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Salzburg
What a lovely small city! We were pleasantly surprised how well our Plan B worked out. We stayed right in old town and thus could easily walk to all the local sights. I was tired and took a day off while Marty, Teddi and Martin visited Mozart’s house. They thoroughly enjoyed that. As for me, I walked for over an hour, up steep hills nearly to the top of the city’s fortress. It was great weather again while we were there, clear and warm. When I rejoined everyone for the afternoon excursion, Teddi commented on how Midwestern the early evening felt, just a touch of humidity, warm and clear. We enjoyed people watching. Apparently the weather was a treat for everyone and filled the outdoor cafes to capacity. We had dinner on the platz and enjoyed the local scene.
St Peters is the basilica in Salzburg. The art and messages were such a contrast from the country churches. Heavy gothic style outside but rococo art inside adorned this church. However, the art here gave us immediate impressions of didactic messages—pictures of bible stories with literally chapter and verse, everything up high, little at eye level. We turned around and WOW—the organ was huge—4200 pipes I think Marty said! Now there’s a powerful statement!
The final cathedral we saw in Salzburg was for a concert—but in the context of services/high mass. Martin and I thoroughly enjoyed the music and choir. This church was grey cold stone inside with one central message. The alter, in sharp contrast to the places for the people, illustrated Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. And the organ here, which I couldn’t see, sounded fabulous.
Two Churches
Another highlight of Fussen was visiting two churches. At the edge of the town was an abbey, high on a hill. We climbed up through lovely trees on cobblestone ways until we reached the central court and entered the church of St. Mang (have to look up his story one day). Marty and I are interested in experiencing the themes or central messages of each church we visit so we were curious what we’d find here. While the outside of the church was unremarkable, the inside was alive with Baroque style pink marble and frescoes. Swirling and catching your eye, the walls and ceilings seemed alive with stories of rapture. The windows were clear glass cut in circles. The ceiling conveyed the entry of St Mang (we guessed) departing from this very church into heaven—a picture within a picture. Defeating death, which lay at St Peters gate, there were angels about to cover St Mang with a lovely pale green veil.
What interested me even more was at the back of the church, there were steps down to the baptistery. Dark, cold and grey, this low ceilinged room has a massive covered font and around it, simple painted figures of Jesus’ passion—one with Jesus on a donkey, another depicting the agony in the garden, with the 3 disciples asleep. Going back up stairs, you could really feel the belief system of the church’s designers: Passing through the waters of baptism allows us to experience God’s love and salvation. It was an interesting and expressive church!
Next we headed out of town to visit Wieskirche (church in the field). Marty remembered attending Christmas services there many years ago. Greta (aka our GPS unit) suggested we turn right on this fairly narrow road. We hesitated but had grown to trust her implicitly so we took a right turn. In the next few minutes we traversed through lovely fields with cows and neat farm houses and barns…and still no church. We kind of reached a dead end and decided to turn back. On our way we passed a sprightly young couple on bicycles, mom with a toddler on the back of hers. While they spoke German, they knew enough English to tell us nicely that we were on the bike path to Wieskirche. They had a map, gave us good directions and smiled good bye with a greeting that they’d see us at the church.
Back on the ROAD, we found the church easily (and a great parking lot). This church is truly out in a field, quite a striking with its whitewalls and neat trim as you pass through agrarian country. Stepping into this church, our first thought was—this is HEAVEN! A rococo style church, clouds, white and puffy fluffed the walls, accompanied by saints and Jesus and Mary, everybody happy and peaceful. The effect was glorious, relief from the tough life we imagined farmers lived day to day. The marble pillars and alters were pink and blue swirls, more colorful than St Mangs but reminiscent. I don’t remember stories of Jesus’ passion in this church—it was all glory and honor. Wieskirche is just a lovely spot in the countryside and worth a stop on our way through the area.
What interested me even more was at the back of the church, there were steps down to the baptistery. Dark, cold and grey, this low ceilinged room has a massive covered font and around it, simple painted figures of Jesus’ passion—one with Jesus on a donkey, another depicting the agony in the garden, with the 3 disciples asleep. Going back up stairs, you could really feel the belief system of the church’s designers: Passing through the waters of baptism allows us to experience God’s love and salvation. It was an interesting and expressive church!
Next we headed out of town to visit Wieskirche (church in the field). Marty remembered attending Christmas services there many years ago. Greta (aka our GPS unit) suggested we turn right on this fairly narrow road. We hesitated but had grown to trust her implicitly so we took a right turn. In the next few minutes we traversed through lovely fields with cows and neat farm houses and barns…and still no church. We kind of reached a dead end and decided to turn back. On our way we passed a sprightly young couple on bicycles, mom with a toddler on the back of hers. While they spoke German, they knew enough English to tell us nicely that we were on the bike path to Wieskirche. They had a map, gave us good directions and smiled good bye with a greeting that they’d see us at the church.
Back on the ROAD, we found the church easily (and a great parking lot). This church is truly out in a field, quite a striking with its whitewalls and neat trim as you pass through agrarian country. Stepping into this church, our first thought was—this is HEAVEN! A rococo style church, clouds, white and puffy fluffed the walls, accompanied by saints and Jesus and Mary, everybody happy and peaceful. The effect was glorious, relief from the tough life we imagined farmers lived day to day. The marble pillars and alters were pink and blue swirls, more colorful than St Mangs but reminiscent. I don’t remember stories of Jesus’ passion in this church—it was all glory and honor. Wieskirche is just a lovely spot in the countryside and worth a stop on our way through the area.
Two Castles
Marty lived in Fussen for four months when he was 19. He’d often shared stories about the beauty of the area and proximity to two castles—the castles of Ludwig II and his father Max. It was fun to visit and reminisce about Marty’s time there many years ago. Fussen is a lovely bustling town, very pedestrian-friendly. Everything refers to Swans here. We stayed in Schwangau, just outside Fussen, and had a view of Neuschwanstein (New Swan Rock).
Our tour of the castles was on a lovely fall day, crisp and clear. The autumn colors brought the foothills to life. We first toured dad’s castle, where Ludwig grew up. Schloss (Castle) Hohenschwangau (High swan --). The umber colored exterior with burnt orange trim juxtaposed perfectly with the season. The rooms struck me as higher than broad—ceilings easily 12 feet high but the rooms themselves not that big. The queen's rooms were decorated before she was on the scene so she lived with her husband’s taste—a Moorish-style bedroom. My favorite was a tea room, set with a lovely cream and green china echoed in the table linens as well, The rooms were heated with free standing tile fireplaces fed discreetly by the servants using hidden tunnel systems.
Her rooms were on the second floor while her husband’s were on the third—connected by a hidden stairway…dad’s bedroom had lots of Romantic voluptuous women in paintings on the walls. Hmmm, wondered what his fantasies were.
Ludwig’s bedroom showed the roots of his idiosyncrasies. He had little stars over his bed and some way of simulating the phases of the moon. He also had a huge telescope through which he watched the 17 years of construction of Neuschwanstein.
We took a bus up to Neuschwanstein, set quite high on the mountain. The white exterior is actually a plaster-type finish over red brick, both mined from nearby. Still about half unfinished, the tour allowed us to see both the vision and construction. We walked up over 100 steps to get to the 2nd floor and then 4th floor, the two finished interior areas of the castle. The servants quarters were nicer than mom and dad’s place so you can imagine Ludwig’s digs. While dad seemed to be a womanizer, his son was a bit weird—and his room certainly one-upped his father’s. Connecting his bedroom to his living quarters was a cave, complete with stalactites. Perhaps the psychologists among us could comment on that.
The throne room was truly out of this world. Gold and lapis lazuli adorned the walls—just unbelievable! Mosaic floors, statues, paintings, you name it. Martin reminded us that Ludwig nearly broke the treasury building this place. He only lived there 6 months, then died mysteriously after being declared mentally ill, either murdered or suicide, they are not sure. Interestingly, 6 weeks after his death, the castle opened for tours—and has been a bustling business ever since. Perhaps that was Ludwig’s genius for the ages.
Our tour of the castles was on a lovely fall day, crisp and clear. The autumn colors brought the foothills to life. We first toured dad’s castle, where Ludwig grew up. Schloss (Castle) Hohenschwangau (High swan --). The umber colored exterior with burnt orange trim juxtaposed perfectly with the season. The rooms struck me as higher than broad—ceilings easily 12 feet high but the rooms themselves not that big. The queen's rooms were decorated before she was on the scene so she lived with her husband’s taste—a Moorish-style bedroom. My favorite was a tea room, set with a lovely cream and green china echoed in the table linens as well, The rooms were heated with free standing tile fireplaces fed discreetly by the servants using hidden tunnel systems.
Her rooms were on the second floor while her husband’s were on the third—connected by a hidden stairway…dad’s bedroom had lots of Romantic voluptuous women in paintings on the walls. Hmmm, wondered what his fantasies were.
Ludwig’s bedroom showed the roots of his idiosyncrasies. He had little stars over his bed and some way of simulating the phases of the moon. He also had a huge telescope through which he watched the 17 years of construction of Neuschwanstein.
We took a bus up to Neuschwanstein, set quite high on the mountain. The white exterior is actually a plaster-type finish over red brick, both mined from nearby. Still about half unfinished, the tour allowed us to see both the vision and construction. We walked up over 100 steps to get to the 2nd floor and then 4th floor, the two finished interior areas of the castle. The servants quarters were nicer than mom and dad’s place so you can imagine Ludwig’s digs. While dad seemed to be a womanizer, his son was a bit weird—and his room certainly one-upped his father’s. Connecting his bedroom to his living quarters was a cave, complete with stalactites. Perhaps the psychologists among us could comment on that.
The throne room was truly out of this world. Gold and lapis lazuli adorned the walls—just unbelievable! Mosaic floors, statues, paintings, you name it. Martin reminded us that Ludwig nearly broke the treasury building this place. He only lived there 6 months, then died mysteriously after being declared mentally ill, either murdered or suicide, they are not sure. Interestingly, 6 weeks after his death, the castle opened for tours—and has been a bustling business ever since. Perhaps that was Ludwig’s genius for the ages.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Grossglockner
As we drove to Mayrhofen in rural Austria, we found it disconcerting that the highway continued to run straight thru the towns without slowing down or reduced traffic. We arrived at Mayrhofen and were shocked that the hotel was right on the hwy. Instead of fresh air we smelled diesel fumes. The hotel decorations were kitchy rather than authentic and we all agreed immediately this was not a place we wanted to stay. Plus they lost our reservation. So we stayed one night and began problem solving... where would we like to go instead?
Salzburg was an easy second choice. We reserved a place in the old town and headed out. It was hard to be leaving the mountains-but Marty found us the perfect antidote: a Day on the Glossglockner Hohenalpenstrasse (Try saying that five times fast! Once is more than I can manage!)
Salzburg was an easy second choice. We reserved a place in the old town and headed out. It was hard to be leaving the mountains-but Marty found us the perfect antidote: a Day on the Glossglockner Hohenalpenstrasse (Try saying that five times fast! Once is more than I can manage!)
Glossglockner is the highest mountain in the Austrian Alps. Hochalpenstrasse means High mountain road. That is the truth! The Alps we viewed in Switzerland were softened by villages nestled under the peaks. The Glossglockner section is pure massive rock and glaciers and snow. Raw beauty of the mountains, approached by a series of 14 switchbacks--amazing! More like Alaska than Hurricane Ridge. At the top we had nearly 360 degree views. An interesting aspect of the road is special acknowledgement of motorcyclists who have a special 'bikers path' to the top. Lots of Harleys and leather up there, all of us really awed by the mountains. We met some friendly folks from Toronto (driving a Nissan). We thoroughly enjoyed the jaw dropping views at the top and celebrated with warm apple strudel and vanilla custard (and a latte) in the bright sunshine.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Of the Earth
Sunday morning we drove through some of the most pristine countryside I have ever seen. The villages nestled against the mountains, mother earth the care taker, nurturing all. The peaks were changing as autumn became winter, colored foliage replaced by bright white, bleaching the countryside. Houses spilled geraniums out of window boxes, reds and pinks restating the richness and connections of the earth.
The glacial rivers, veins of ice blue, ran through the valleys too, washing and singing along our route. We played classical music and saw the echo in the landscape. The mountains were sopranos, carrying the melody, always attracting our attention, soaring above. The rivers carried the bass line, grounding the symphony in luscious rich sound. As a former mezzo soprano, I have a special connection with the trees, who fill in the background, adding depth to the melody. The churches and villages offered tenor, sometimes being the counterpoint, but often content to blend and connect. Before, behind, beside, the music was all around us, living, breathing mother nature in her glory.
The glacial rivers, veins of ice blue, ran through the valleys too, washing and singing along our route. We played classical music and saw the echo in the landscape. The mountains were sopranos, carrying the melody, always attracting our attention, soaring above. The rivers carried the bass line, grounding the symphony in luscious rich sound. As a former mezzo soprano, I have a special connection with the trees, who fill in the background, adding depth to the melody. The churches and villages offered tenor, sometimes being the counterpoint, but often content to blend and connect. Before, behind, beside, the music was all around us, living, breathing mother nature in her glory.
Hotel Sonne Fex Dinners
We cannot do justice to Suzanne's hospitality at the Hotel Sonne Fex without raving about the meals. Oh my goodness, each was delicious! Dinner was always a five-course meal. Here are several menus we experienced; they speak for themselves.
Day 1
Tomato turine with a warm jumbo shrimp
Corn soup
White fish/prosciutto/spinach/sea salt
Game hen/potato/broccoli
Raspberry sorbet/chocolate leaf/pineapple crepe
Day 2
Potato salad stuffed cucumber with parsley and cherry tomato garnish
Curry lemon grass soup
Salmon curry over cous cous
Veal with carrots with nest of buttered noodles
Pear in red wine/chocolate mousse and berries (presented as a beautiful still life)
Day 3
Caprese salad (radicchio/tomato/mozzarella)
crab bisque
Spetzel (noodle) wrapped with local greens and creme sauce
Char (fish) over asparagus with pearl potatoes
Citrice ice and ?
Day 4
Autumn salad (fresh greens with herbs)
Consomme with ricotta dumpling
Fish ?
Filet of beef with something incredible
Almond cake with creme/raspberry and vanilla ice
Each meal was delicious!!!
Day 1
Tomato turine with a warm jumbo shrimp
Corn soup
White fish/prosciutto/spinach/sea salt
Game hen/potato/broccoli
Raspberry sorbet/chocolate leaf/pineapple crepe
Day 2
Potato salad stuffed cucumber with parsley and cherry tomato garnish
Curry lemon grass soup
Salmon curry over cous cous
Veal with carrots with nest of buttered noodles
Pear in red wine/chocolate mousse and berries (presented as a beautiful still life)
Day 3
Caprese salad (radicchio/tomato/mozzarella)
crab bisque
Spetzel (noodle) wrapped with local greens and creme sauce
Char (fish) over asparagus with pearl potatoes
Citrice ice and ?
Day 4
Autumn salad (fresh greens with herbs)
Consomme with ricotta dumpling
Fish ?
Filet of beef with something incredible
Almond cake with creme/raspberry and vanilla ice
Each meal was delicious!!!
White to Green via Bernina
The Bernina Express is a train that loops on serpentine tracks over the Bernina Pass, from St Moritz to Turino Italy. We decided to use our Eurail Passes to enjoy a day of vistas. And the views were incredible! The train has special panorama windows so we could see nearly 180 degrees. The snowy peaks were nearly blinding, but so beatiful. The valley villages were so quaint, we just thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
We arrived at Turino, Italy, which was green and warm, late summer weather. What a nice change after our cooler climate. We only had a half hour there, took time for gelato and something to drink, then back on the train. The ride back was even more fun, just a great way to see the mountains in the snow.
We arrived at Turino, Italy, which was green and warm, late summer weather. What a nice change after our cooler climate. We only had a half hour there, took time for gelato and something to drink, then back on the train. The ride back was even more fun, just a great way to see the mountains in the snow.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Dry Run to Italy
We've had such limited access to internet I'm behind but have lots of stories to share. The night manager at our hotel is letting me use his computer now. Kindness of strangers continues.
Way back 3 days ago, we decided to drive down to Lake Como to check out warmer weather and a bit of Italy...We drove over the maloja (conveniently pronounced molloy-a) pass thru a series of switchbacks down to a charming town called Chiavenna some distance before Lake Como. There we found this great parking lot! Yes, Marty was on the lookout for ways to protect his new car from dings. Now a great parking lot is no small accomplishment in Italy as most of you know. We wandered around town, got lost, found the botanical garden five minutes after it closed for lunch...so we decided to drive on to Lake Como. We got there and began driving the north shore, lovely little towns but crazy drivers and narrow streets...no parking. so we kept driving on and on, finally decided we'd missed a good prospect with a decent parking lot so headed back there for lunch. With help from a couple of nice guys, we got a passable parking space.
Food was delicious!! Teddi and Martin each ordered calzone and had enough to feed a family of four! We thought about walking around a bit but the towns were so crowded and parking so nerve wracking, we decided to head back to Chiavenna to the great parking lot!
Seriously we had a lovely afternoon there. The botanical garden was really cool, a mix of flora unlike any we'd seen in one place--from pines to cactus right next to each other, and an old fort ruin from the year 1000. So after an enjoyable day we headed back to the Fex Valley, glad we'd had a little warm up for Italy and grateful we will be dumping the car before we get there again!
Way back 3 days ago, we decided to drive down to Lake Como to check out warmer weather and a bit of Italy...We drove over the maloja (conveniently pronounced molloy-a) pass thru a series of switchbacks down to a charming town called Chiavenna some distance before Lake Como. There we found this great parking lot! Yes, Marty was on the lookout for ways to protect his new car from dings. Now a great parking lot is no small accomplishment in Italy as most of you know. We wandered around town, got lost, found the botanical garden five minutes after it closed for lunch...so we decided to drive on to Lake Como. We got there and began driving the north shore, lovely little towns but crazy drivers and narrow streets...no parking. so we kept driving on and on, finally decided we'd missed a good prospect with a decent parking lot so headed back there for lunch. With help from a couple of nice guys, we got a passable parking space.
Food was delicious!! Teddi and Martin each ordered calzone and had enough to feed a family of four! We thought about walking around a bit but the towns were so crowded and parking so nerve wracking, we decided to head back to Chiavenna to the great parking lot!
Seriously we had a lovely afternoon there. The botanical garden was really cool, a mix of flora unlike any we'd seen in one place--from pines to cactus right next to each other, and an old fort ruin from the year 1000. So after an enjoyable day we headed back to the Fex Valley, glad we'd had a little warm up for Italy and grateful we will be dumping the car before we get there again!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wonderland!
We picked up Teddi and Martin from the airport. without any problems and officially began our mountains and catherdals together. Such a delight to spend time together.
The unexpected began soon after we got out of the traffic in Zurich. It began raining and as we approached the mountains, it began snowing! We drove several hours thru mountain passes wondering if it was possible that we'd have snow at Sils Maria--ja ja, as our hostess Suzanne would say. It is the first snow of the season, not typical but not the first time...she grew up here and now runs her great grandmother's hotel, Sonne Fex.
So here we are at this incredibly beautiful spot in Upper Engadine. Nietzsche, Hesse, even Anne Frank visited here and loved it--we join the long line of people who come to the mountains for solice and restoration. It is exactly the right way for us to be starting this expereince: The surprise waking us up, the mountains inspiring us and the snow blanketing everything with freshness. We hiked along Sils see (lake) yesterday, had coffee and pastries, vistied the Nietzsche museum, a nice pace and a wonderful day.
The unexpected began soon after we got out of the traffic in Zurich. It began raining and as we approached the mountains, it began snowing! We drove several hours thru mountain passes wondering if it was possible that we'd have snow at Sils Maria--ja ja, as our hostess Suzanne would say. It is the first snow of the season, not typical but not the first time...she grew up here and now runs her great grandmother's hotel, Sonne Fex.
So here we are at this incredibly beautiful spot in Upper Engadine. Nietzsche, Hesse, even Anne Frank visited here and loved it--we join the long line of people who come to the mountains for solice and restoration. It is exactly the right way for us to be starting this expereince: The surprise waking us up, the mountains inspiring us and the snow blanketing everything with freshness. We hiked along Sils see (lake) yesterday, had coffee and pastries, vistied the Nietzsche museum, a nice pace and a wonderful day.
Running with the Bulls
Emily warned me but I was still unprepared for our day on the autobahn in Germany. We left the ferry in Kiel and found the autoban with no problem thanks to the GPS we fondly refer to as Greta. She has been a lifesaver already.
We began cruising thru the idyllic German countryside, enjoying the green fields and rolling hills...then zoom--cars in the left lane blew past us. Before long we found ourselves cruising with the flow of traffic at 80 mph in the slow lane and the cars on the left were like hornets, on us before we even saw them coming. It was truly breathtaking, never seen anything like it. The raw surge of power in performance cars--bmws, mercedes is not wasted. We decided the Germans are just wired for speed.
We noted the surge in energy even when we stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. It was so instructive of the culture as men and women--well, shoved is too strong a word, but we felt slow none the less--just to get to the recently installed Sanifair--pay toilet system. From our limited sample, it appears that Germans seem torn between two twin values: clean or free? Truly A Solomonic decision. Ah but the tipping point leaned toward clean as you can redeem the fee toward a purchase at the store. We saw two old ladies take 4 tickets and buy ice cream cones...so there was some consolation.
Back on the autobahn, we ran into construction several times, extending or travel time just like at home. We finally made it to Switzerland about 9 pm, tired but well. Greta was a godsend as the main route to Winterthur was closed. She guided us steadily through little towns and got us exactly where we needed to go.
We began cruising thru the idyllic German countryside, enjoying the green fields and rolling hills...then zoom--cars in the left lane blew past us. Before long we found ourselves cruising with the flow of traffic at 80 mph in the slow lane and the cars on the left were like hornets, on us before we even saw them coming. It was truly breathtaking, never seen anything like it. The raw surge of power in performance cars--bmws, mercedes is not wasted. We decided the Germans are just wired for speed.
We noted the surge in energy even when we stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. It was so instructive of the culture as men and women--well, shoved is too strong a word, but we felt slow none the less--just to get to the recently installed Sanifair--pay toilet system. From our limited sample, it appears that Germans seem torn between two twin values: clean or free? Truly A Solomonic decision. Ah but the tipping point leaned toward clean as you can redeem the fee toward a purchase at the store. We saw two old ladies take 4 tickets and buy ice cream cones...so there was some consolation.
Back on the autobahn, we ran into construction several times, extending or travel time just like at home. We finally made it to Switzerland about 9 pm, tired but well. Greta was a godsend as the main route to Winterthur was closed. She guided us steadily through little towns and got us exactly where we needed to go.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Etudes: Waiting and Resting
I äm not good at waiting--or at resting. I'm getting lots of practice with both. Airports are a wonderful place to practice waiting, which then continues once you board an international flight...Actually the flight was fine, about 10 hours, not too bad. Funny to think about how artificial it is to sit for so long crammed between strangers, pretending it"s night time--that is where trying to rest kicks in. Resting and waiting. Actually things went smoothly, a few hassles at the end where we had the opportunity to vist all three Scandiavian countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. But it is all good, our luggage made it too, we were grateful.
I LOVE Swedish coffee, they serve espresso by the pot, so delicious!!! Just my style.
We spent the night in Goteburg Sweden, lovely place, picked up the new Volvo this morning. Of course there were two sets of Minnesotans there also, so friendly and talkative, 2 from Rochester, the others from Andover. Small world. Marty LOVES his new car.
We skipped the volvo factory tour to go to lunch at this great seafood place. It was memorable! Now we're on a ferry headed to Kiel Germany--tomorrow we take the autoban to Zurich. This ferry is nearly a cruise line, we have a tiny stateroom to sleep in. Should be fine. We are tired, that is part of the resting
I LOVE Swedish coffee, they serve espresso by the pot, so delicious!!! Just my style.
We spent the night in Goteburg Sweden, lovely place, picked up the new Volvo this morning. Of course there were two sets of Minnesotans there also, so friendly and talkative, 2 from Rochester, the others from Andover. Small world. Marty LOVES his new car.
We skipped the volvo factory tour to go to lunch at this great seafood place. It was memorable! Now we're on a ferry headed to Kiel Germany--tomorrow we take the autoban to Zurich. This ferry is nearly a cruise line, we have a tiny stateroom to sleep in. Should be fine. We are tired, that is part of the resting
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Suspending and Crossing Time
Well we’re at the airport, relaxing with a beer/glass of wine and just letting go. The airport is quiet, making our leaving very relaxed.
I’m thinking about time. The march toward leaving is building to a crescendo while our lives—work, family, friends—are being suspended in our minds at least while we explore the old world. We’ll cross time zones, lose a day in fact. But more than that, our lives are being put on hold so that we can explore other dimensions of life. The allure of mountains, vertical marking of the earth’s time and art, the cultural marking of beliefs beckons. We’ll soon cross oceans and time zones and end up in an entirely new dimension of life. Cool.
Then there’s time today. I recently used Marty’s beard clippers to buzz Danny’s head for him in preparation for his trip to Nicaragua (October 3). So Marty picked up his clippers today to trim his beard—and I’d changed the attachment. With one sweep across his face, Marty’s beard was gone. Oops! I thought of Phil Simmons in Learning to Fall when he shares the anecdote of his wife doing the same thing to his head ten minutes before the reporter from the NY Times showed up. Caught between the tragic and the comedic—isn’t that perfect. And the upshot is: Marty is going to Europe sans beard. He’s being a great sport about it and hey, he looks ten years younger I’ve reassured him. I think we’re off on the right foot. Asking forgiveness and taking whatever comes as a way to reinvent ourselves.
I’m thinking about time. The march toward leaving is building to a crescendo while our lives—work, family, friends—are being suspended in our minds at least while we explore the old world. We’ll cross time zones, lose a day in fact. But more than that, our lives are being put on hold so that we can explore other dimensions of life. The allure of mountains, vertical marking of the earth’s time and art, the cultural marking of beliefs beckons. We’ll soon cross oceans and time zones and end up in an entirely new dimension of life. Cool.
Then there’s time today. I recently used Marty’s beard clippers to buzz Danny’s head for him in preparation for his trip to Nicaragua (October 3). So Marty picked up his clippers today to trim his beard—and I’d changed the attachment. With one sweep across his face, Marty’s beard was gone. Oops! I thought of Phil Simmons in Learning to Fall when he shares the anecdote of his wife doing the same thing to his head ten minutes before the reporter from the NY Times showed up. Caught between the tragic and the comedic—isn’t that perfect. And the upshot is: Marty is going to Europe sans beard. He’s being a great sport about it and hey, he looks ten years younger I’ve reassured him. I think we’re off on the right foot. Asking forgiveness and taking whatever comes as a way to reinvent ourselves.
Friday, September 21, 2007
At Long Last
Over the years, Marty and I have chatted casually about taking a trip to Europe together. We each visited a lifetime ago (when we were 19/20 years old), and dreamed of one day taking a "museums and cathedrals" tour. Then a year ago last May, we mentioned our dream to Marty's folks, Teddi and Martin, when we met in Monterrey. One fantasy led to another as we chatted over coffee--or was it a glass of wine?
Before the evening ended we started spinning a web of dreams. We imagined visiting mountains as well as churches, enjoying hikes in the Alps as well as the art of Italy's cities. Totally outlandish--and just what we wanted!
So here we are, the night before Marty and I leave. Teddi and Martin will join us Wednesday in Zurich. Work is nearly done, still some editing on my reports to do before I can close shop but it will be done soon. We packed our suitcases last night--pretty light, not earning the Rick Steve's stamp of approval, but not too bad. And this afternoon we hugged Danny and Brian good bye--that was hard but a good role reversal they reminded us. We've sent them off many times; now it's their turn to wish us "arrivederci!"
Before the evening ended we started spinning a web of dreams. We imagined visiting mountains as well as churches, enjoying hikes in the Alps as well as the art of Italy's cities. Totally outlandish--and just what we wanted!
So here we are, the night before Marty and I leave. Teddi and Martin will join us Wednesday in Zurich. Work is nearly done, still some editing on my reports to do before I can close shop but it will be done soon. We packed our suitcases last night--pretty light, not earning the Rick Steve's stamp of approval, but not too bad. And this afternoon we hugged Danny and Brian good bye--that was hard but a good role reversal they reminded us. We've sent them off many times; now it's their turn to wish us "arrivederci!"
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