In an effort to stop complaining about the weight I have gained and start losing the weight I have gained, I have decided on a course of action. After much thinking and considering and general laziness, I have decided that since it's summer and I'd like to enjoy my exercise outside, I am going to attempt to walk 10'000 or more steps a day. (A friend and colleague lost considerable weight doing this.) ( I will also be loosely following the South Beach Diet, but whatever, this is about my travels - afoot.)
So, yesterday, I attached my counter to my belt and set about my day. Found all sorts of reasons to walk about the store yesterday and managed to hit the 4000 mark by the time I got home. Clearly, my normal daily activity wasn't enough - and isn't that the point? I decided to re-acquaint myself with the walk I used to take with Savannah before she was unable to take that walk. With ipod in pocket and the new John Mayer Live in my earphones, I set off. It's a few blocks to the river and then a loop through the park along the river, across the bridge and along River Street with all the 1800s houses, and then back up the hill home. At the end of this loop I found I was wanting more, despite the dank humidity and so I trekked along the river and across the bridge a second time and then returned the same way instead of finishing the loop up River Street a second time. (It was much breezier along the river, making for a much more pleasant walk.)
Along my journey, I saw a group of teens/early twenty-somethings filming each other while they did stunts on their skateboards along the brick picnic shelter wall. I saw a rather large snapping turtle sunning on a log pretty close to the edge of the river wall. I took pictures with my camera phone, but I do not know how to get my camera phone pictures to my computer. I saw a mother duck and her four ducklings nipping bugs and algae off the concrete supports for the railroad trestle and walkway bridge. I saw where one of the landowners along the River Road side of the river has let the marsh grass grow along his boat ramp. It appears that there is no boat to launch and no fence to keep from going in the river. And no levee to keep the river from coming up high. I think the marsh grass is meant to be both a visual and physical barrier. I saw a couple making out far across the park where they thought no one could see. I saw a toddler scream at a goose to warn it from coming near her and the goose hiss back at her in protest. I listened to sublime blues guitar and smiled without speaking to more people than I can remember. For the first time in ages, I smiled and was smiled at by people who were not customers. I saw a second mother duck and oddly enough four ducklings nipping at the concrete under the small walking bridge. I saw a duck with loon coloring but the wrong bill hanging with the mallards. I saw a crane preening and cleaning its feathers on a lawn across the river. And where the geese and ducks are always there, it's nice to see unique behaviour and other wildlife.
I returned home around 7:30 or so. Sweaty, hot, but invigorated and determined. It was a good walk.
When I called it a night and climbed in bed, I had walked 10'108 steps yesterday. Pretty good start.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Night Drive
Summer is the best time in the world to drive at night - the heat has cooled and in the country, where the city lights fade, nature takes over. Passing fields of corn and soy, if you look out over the night, you can see them in the thousands, streaking along - the fireflys come out. We used to call them lightning bugs. They look like little floating cities above the fields.
Favorite Drives
On my way home from home a couple of weeks ago, I travelled late in the day after 6:00pm like I used to do when I was in Grad school and would rather spend the day at home than at school. It's a north/south route, so that late puts the sun to the west. Any incoming weather is from the west as well. Driving in the midwest affords you the uninterrupted view of the sky and the weather.
The beginning of my drive was an unobstructed view of the storm that passed over. It was one long rather thin really strip of darkest gray thundercloud that brought with it a 15 minute downpour and then was on it's way. From the car, I could literally see three edges of the cloud and the bright blue sky all around it. I could see exactly the path it was on as well. It looked a little as I would imagine a funnel cloud to look, but was only rain.
Because it's a three hour drive, I was treated to the entirety of the sunset around 8:45 or so. All oranges and pink streaks against bright white and silver clouds. Magnificent really. It made me nostalgic for summer and for a different time when I was freer with my time - unconstrained by duty, fatigue, age or whatever.
Finally, on this same drive, I passed two semi trucks hauling loads of turkeys. At first I thought they were those trash trucks and they were losing bits of paper, but it turned out to be feathers. The semi trailers consisted of stacks of cages with 2-3 turkeys per cage piled the height and length and width of the shape of a semi trailer but without walls. It was so odd. And disturbing. Every turkey was white. The marvels of modern agricultural engineering I suppose. Anyway, an oddity for sure as I have never in all the years I have travelled that route and at all the different times of day I have driven it seen the turkeys. Too bad my camera phone doesn't focus at 80 miles an hour!
The beginning of my drive was an unobstructed view of the storm that passed over. It was one long rather thin really strip of darkest gray thundercloud that brought with it a 15 minute downpour and then was on it's way. From the car, I could literally see three edges of the cloud and the bright blue sky all around it. I could see exactly the path it was on as well. It looked a little as I would imagine a funnel cloud to look, but was only rain.
Because it's a three hour drive, I was treated to the entirety of the sunset around 8:45 or so. All oranges and pink streaks against bright white and silver clouds. Magnificent really. It made me nostalgic for summer and for a different time when I was freer with my time - unconstrained by duty, fatigue, age or whatever.
Finally, on this same drive, I passed two semi trucks hauling loads of turkeys. At first I thought they were those trash trucks and they were losing bits of paper, but it turned out to be feathers. The semi trailers consisted of stacks of cages with 2-3 turkeys per cage piled the height and length and width of the shape of a semi trailer but without walls. It was so odd. And disturbing. Every turkey was white. The marvels of modern agricultural engineering I suppose. Anyway, an oddity for sure as I have never in all the years I have travelled that route and at all the different times of day I have driven it seen the turkeys. Too bad my camera phone doesn't focus at 80 miles an hour!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Planes, No Trains, But Automobiles
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Continental Flight 5826 out of O'Hare at 5:45pm, arrive in Cleveland (yes, Cleveland) 7:59pm. We were delayed. I had to sprint from Terminal C to Terminal D. No really, I LLLLOOOOOOVVVVEEEEE sprinting with a 50 pound carryon bag. Love it...
Continental Flight 2534 out of Cleveland at 8:50pm, arrive in Birmingham 9:53 pm. Wait for bags, watch sister and brother-in-law drive by in lap one around airport arrivals lanes. Wait for bags, talk to sister on phone as they drive around lap two. Finally, conveyor belt is moving. Watch same 5 bags go around conveyor belt 285 times. Finally other bags begin to spit out. Retrieve bag and meet sister and brother-in-law on fourth lap around airport. We are off.
Apparently, Birmingham is not a half an hour away from Starkville, it's three hours from Starkville - that's Starkville, Mississippi to you and me. So, we drive in the pouring rain, for a long time.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
After four days of box packing, trailer loading, and graduation celebrating, I am returning home. I climb into the back seat of the big dually crew cab truck and catch a ride with the p's to Memphis. Two, to three hours later and several hundred miles, I am left in the care of my dear roommate from undergrad. We spend a lovely afternoon touring the University of Memphis where her husband is now a bigwig mucky muck, and then enjoy authentic Memphis barbeque. It's a nice visit. I stay overnight.
Friday, May 2 2008
Dear college roommate drives me from lovely Germantown where they have moved into downtown Memphis for lunch and souvenir shopping and a visit to the famous hotel with the ducks. Then out to the airport for my return trip.
Airtran Airways Flight 537 out of Memphis departs at 1:19pm arriving in Atlanta at 3:35pm. (Didn't I start in Chicago?) Oh, right...Airtran Airways Flight 20 out of Atlanta departs at 4:17pm arriving in Chicago Midway at 5:14pm. (Not really, try 6-something pm.) Good thing my ride was late to pick me up. Retrieve bags relatively quickly and then drive in rush hour traffic for an hour and a half home.
Yes folks, in order to get to Mississippi to see my sister graduate from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University, I traveled to and from six airports in five states and drove hundreds of miles between three states. If only I'd taken a train somewhere, I could write my own sequel. Thank goodness she's moved home and lives within driving distance now!
Continental Flight 5826 out of O'Hare at 5:45pm, arrive in Cleveland (yes, Cleveland) 7:59pm. We were delayed. I had to sprint from Terminal C to Terminal D. No really, I LLLLOOOOOOVVVVEEEEE sprinting with a 50 pound carryon bag. Love it...
Continental Flight 2534 out of Cleveland at 8:50pm, arrive in Birmingham 9:53 pm. Wait for bags, watch sister and brother-in-law drive by in lap one around airport arrivals lanes. Wait for bags, talk to sister on phone as they drive around lap two. Finally, conveyor belt is moving. Watch same 5 bags go around conveyor belt 285 times. Finally other bags begin to spit out. Retrieve bag and meet sister and brother-in-law on fourth lap around airport. We are off.
Apparently, Birmingham is not a half an hour away from Starkville, it's three hours from Starkville - that's Starkville, Mississippi to you and me. So, we drive in the pouring rain, for a long time.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
After four days of box packing, trailer loading, and graduation celebrating, I am returning home. I climb into the back seat of the big dually crew cab truck and catch a ride with the p's to Memphis. Two, to three hours later and several hundred miles, I am left in the care of my dear roommate from undergrad. We spend a lovely afternoon touring the University of Memphis where her husband is now a bigwig mucky muck, and then enjoy authentic Memphis barbeque. It's a nice visit. I stay overnight.
Friday, May 2 2008
Dear college roommate drives me from lovely Germantown where they have moved into downtown Memphis for lunch and souvenir shopping and a visit to the famous hotel with the ducks. Then out to the airport for my return trip.
Airtran Airways Flight 537 out of Memphis departs at 1:19pm arriving in Atlanta at 3:35pm. (Didn't I start in Chicago?) Oh, right...Airtran Airways Flight 20 out of Atlanta departs at 4:17pm arriving in Chicago Midway at 5:14pm. (Not really, try 6-something pm.) Good thing my ride was late to pick me up. Retrieve bags relatively quickly and then drive in rush hour traffic for an hour and a half home.
Yes folks, in order to get to Mississippi to see my sister graduate from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University, I traveled to and from six airports in five states and drove hundreds of miles between three states. If only I'd taken a train somewhere, I could write my own sequel. Thank goodness she's moved home and lives within driving distance now!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Trips of Christmas Past
Europe with Drew (And Art History Independent Study class credit)
27 Diciembre 1996 - 6 Januario 1997
Excerpts from my travel journal
26/27 December
Upon leaving the plane, the stewardesses presented us with a bag full of wine and champagne. Yum! We disembarked and found the train to Zurich downtown - very expensive for a 10 minute ride - we had called Brigitte Hosli and got directions to the Cafe where we could meet her. The Zurich train station was much more open that Chicago's. Everything is there, telecom, lockers, cambio (italiano) and a big shopping plaza - all underground. Drew left my new green scarf in the bar at O'Hare so we went on a mission to find a new one. Every store had that lime color in clothes and coats, but no scarves. We settled on a gray headband to cover my ears. (It's funny, because I remember the shopping spree, but not the lost scarf that needed replacing.) We then moved above ground to see Zurich and my first glimpse of a European city. It was very much like Chicago, except the buses are electric as are all trains in Europe. They run on regular tracks with attachments to cables above for power. So, the city was laced with electric lines one and a half stories above the street. It was very cold. That air was bitter and I had left the windbreaker of Drew's in the locker with our backpacks. But I had my ears covered, so okay. We wandered down Bahnhofstrasse to Paradeplatz to the little bakery to meet Brigitte. We were early, so we had a cappuccino went upstairs. Typical European coffeehouse (sprungle) - little spoons of sugar, all crome and gold plated and wood floors with little window seats and tiny tables. An older woman was there with her two grandsons. It was fun to watch. Zurich is very wealthy - every thing was like Michigan avenue but less modern looking. The pastries downstairs were scrumptious-looking but we waited until lunch of course. We were very tired and Drew insisted we stay awake all day until 10pm or we wouldn't be able to kick the jet lag. I was dying - lots of zoning and head bobbing....Brigitte came with a friend/assistant from work, Katarina. She spoke five languages fluently: German, Italian, Spanish, French, English. I wish. She has a child, but is very skinny. Also, very stylish in an 80s sort of way - not punk or bad hair, just lots of scarves and jackets with long skirt and boots.
We ate lunch at Movenpick - "Molto Bene!" but, not Italian yet. The Hosli's speak very good English. I had fish and potatoes and onions. Drew shared paella (his favorite) with Brigitte and Katarina. Maya also met us for lunch. I was so tired it was hard to concentrate, All the water has gas -gassato in italiano - fizzy. It's good, but tastes funny to me. (This is why I don't get it at home.) After lunch we went to Brigitte's work and she called the train station for us to get tickets to Firenze. We had tea and cappuccino and I had a coke to stay awake. Coca-Cola is everywhere in Zurich. But it comes in bottles (glass) and they are smaller than in America. Very few cans anywhere. Brigitte gave me a scarf and Drew a tie from their leftover Christmas gifts around the office - Bright, primary colors. It was a perfect addition to the blue coat and it helped keep my neck warm.
Finally, after I nodded off to sleep 10'000 times, Maya took us to Brigitte's apartment in Bilten. It was about 30 minutes from Zurich in the mountains. The mountains were beautiful in Switzerland, both at night and during the day. There were all snow-capped and seemed to rise straight up from the ground behind beautiful houses. We saw many large homes looking as if they came straight out of the movie "Heidi" - oh...before leaving for Bilten, we went to Musica Hug to get tickets for Beethoven. The Hungarian Symphony Orchestra was to play that night and we wanted to go see it. The posters were up by the pasticceria where we waited for Brigitte. The we walked back to the train station to get reservations overnight for Zurich. Our tickets were for the following night as that evening had been cancelled. Not enough sales. We got tickets for the balcony, back row of say eight rows. We would be able to hear better there, but not see anything. This was okay because these tickets were only 25 swiss francs. Maya insisted on paying and wanted us to get more expensive tickets, but we knew we had to leave early for the train and did not want to waste her money. It was very sweet of her to offer money an to buy our tickets to Beethoven, Unfortunately she could not join us for the concert. Then we got our reservations for Firenze in a crouchette - this is a sleeping car with four or six beds like bunks that hang from the wall. My ticket was cheaper since I was only 25, so we upgraded to four beds from six. This will prove to be a great fortune!! Then we go to Bilten.
Brigitte lives on the 2nd floor of an apartment house. The house has three floors and one apartment on each floor. Her sister, Sabine, and brother-in-law, Ian, live on the 1st floor. The basement is laundry, storage and a war shelter (required by National Law. The top floor is unoccupied, but Brigitte wants to turn it into a discotheque. The Hosli's are Swiss German and Fritz is a builder. They built this apartment bout and the daughters of course look after it. Maya's job is to look after their other properties - a family home across the street from her own in Glarus, a home up in the mountains, and the tenement buildings for the men who work for Fritz. They also built the house that grandma lives in. In Bilten, at Brigitte's, Maya made us tea and cappuccino and we slept for about an hour. Brigitte had 101 Dalmations on videotape in German. It was pretty cool. The apartment was beautiful. Two bedrooms, full bath, kitchen with dishwasher, dining and living rooms. There was a balcony with entry from three rooms. A great stereo and television system. Also, a view of the mountains and a little stream in the backyard.
Brigitte returned home and we woke up and showered - ah, heaven! It felt very good to be in a home and not a hotel. She cooked us cheese and potatoes with spices and salad. I didn't really care for the salad - too much cabbage, but the rest was great! We cooked the cheese on a stone plate that heated electrically. It melts the cheese and then you add spices and scrape it with a wooden spatula made especially for this onto the potatoes - very good. Brigitte is going to send us and extra cheese plate that she gave us - wow!! After dinner we drove to Glarus to meet Maya for beer. But, we were too late at the pizzeria, so we drove half way up the mountain to her house. Wow!! Big, beautiful, three floors built into the side of the mountain with huge windows to overlook the town and the mountains. She made us tea and cappuccino and gave us chocolates and me a bunch of sugar sticks. (To make cappuccino and coffee, both Maya and Brigitte had these funky machines that ground the beans and added exactly the right amount of water for one or two cups. Cool! Better than an espresso maker! We sat in her big living room as she lit real burning candles on a tree of pine and showed us pictures of Fridli's wedding to Hiromi. The living room had a big fireplace that stuck out into the room and was open on two sides. Fritz is a hunter, but his two faithful dogs were at home for the current trip in Germany because they were getting old and don't always come back. On their walls were MANY horns and skulls of deer and antelope(?). Kind of gruesome, but perfectly fitting for a Swiss mountain home. The chocolates were wonderful and Maya is like an energetic aunt. Always bustling and fawning but not interferring. I, of course began to nod off and finally we returned to Brigitte's for sleep. Before bed, we took a tour of the basement and had some water. Very nice.
28 December
Today, we slept until 11 am!! Can you say jet lag! Even Drew was amazed. But it was okay because Brigitte had slept until 10 am herself. Today we had decided to go shopping in Germany. We get dressed and packed our bags and Brigitte gave us a wonderful breakfast. Yogurt, cornflakes, milk, juice, cheese, bread (Drew had a nut reaction) and fruit. Yummy! We listened to Tina Turner (Goldeneye was my favorite movie at the time), as we had the night before for dinner and to Patricia Cross.
Our drive to Germany was via the scenic route and quite picturesque. We went through the mountains and small villages along highway 16. I looked forward to getting a German passport stamp as the Swiss officials did not stamp our passports at the airport. But, no luck. We did however get a photo of a covered wooden bridge - straight out of a postcard. Konstanz was the little German border town we went to, but it was after 3 pm before we could park and find a place to change our money. The information desk would change Brigitte's swissfrancs, but not American traveller's cheques, so we were out of luck again. Many of the shops were closed anyway for the holidays or at least for Saturday. Brigitte said that the shops were open late only one weekend a month, but you never knew which weekend. So we went to Woolworth's (no kidding) to a basement grocery for booze for her bar. We got Jack, Bailey's, vodka, rum and three or four bottles of wine. Only one bottle of liquor and two bottles of wine per person, be we talked Brigitte into risking it. We also got cheese and bread and summer sausage for our train trip. Then to a little caffe for chocalata and tea. Drew had Grand Marnier in his hot chocolate and I ate the chocolate candies. In the bar was a dog! Happens all over Europe according to Drew. It was quite well-behaved and only barked once. I was surprised but not offended. Then we were ready to go and on our way back to the car. Instead we decided to eat in Konstanz instead of chancing finding parking back in Zurich before the concert. So we chose the Mexican bar/restaurant outside our parking garage and enjoyed a pretty good meal. It was however, very expensive! Good thing we don't tip in Europe. (Waiters and servers are regarded as highly as anyone else and get hourly rates.) Our waiter was very tall and quite good-looking. Very nice. I chowed on guacamole, yum and sangria. And I slept most of the way back to Zurich. We arrived just in tine to have a Coca-cola and cappuccino in the lounge before the concert began. After sitting down, we realized the auditorium was not full. So we moved to the first row of the balcony right above the orchestra. The concert was absolutely amazing! Drew got goosebumps. It was the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra playing four movements of Beethoven's 9th accompanied by the Swiss Choir. It was beautiful. There were four solos - bass, alto, tenor, soprano and a piccolo. The cello and bass were my favorite - as well as the bassoons! It was an amazing, beautiful experience. And we got to hear the whole thing before we had to leave for the train. Yay!!
But it was a mad dash. We made it just fine. We thanked Brigitte again and again and then found our crouchette. It was a crouchettte for four and our bunk mates were already there. On the left were three bunks hanging from the wall and on the right a bunk up high with a couch below. Our crouchette mates were from Svengalin, Switzerland. They were Italian and spoke a little English. We ended up talking for hours to Nunzio and Emanuela before going to sleep at 2 am. Nunzio is 28 and was born in Palazzo Adreano in Sicily. This is the town where "Cinema Paradiso" was filmed - Drew's favorite film. Emanuela was born in Rome and is 27. They've been married for three years and live near his family in Switzerland. They were on their way to Anzio (one hour outside Rome to the East on the coast) to see her family. We invited them to stay for one day with us in Firenze, and Nunzio wanted to, but a big family dinner awaited then in Anzio. So they invited us to Anzio for New Year's Eve. Nunzio sells insurance. We conversed in broken English (them), butchered Italian (me) and fractured Spanish (Drew). We all worked very hard to be clear and understandable. It was of course one of those magical times when four people meet and have common interests or experiences - we hit it off immediately and immensely and I treasure the time spent getting to know them. Nunzio is rather slick or rather cosmopolitan. Emanuela, too, but in a naive way. He has light brown hair and wears glasses. Emanuela has dark hair - purple streaked - I told her mine was dyed too. She is beautifully featured, but quite curvacious. (Drew noticed her boobs right away. I noticed her curvy hips. We agreed she is quite beautiful). Our conversations were lengthy and diverse. Finally after deciding on our visit to them for New Year's Eve and the exchange of addresses and phone numbers, we drank some beer (birra) Kronenbourg and then said good night - buona notte. Drew and I slept on the two top bunks and Nunzio and Emanuela slept below me. We got about four hours of sleep, give or take 20 minutes of tossing and turning before we arrived in Firenza.
29 Diciembre
I am groggy and disoriented - the train is stopped and Drew is re-packing our backpacks, pulling things down from the top bunk. Our little service girl (whom Nunzio and Drew decided last night looks like Steffi Graf) has brought us coffee and tea and our passports. ASIDE: Last night at the border, the Italian polizia boarded the train and went through several crouchettes as well as teh bags of those people sleeping within. Nunzio kept teasing me, calling me a terrorist. (So harmless in 1996, such a different connotation now.) When he asked the polizia what was going on, the man said nothing - "we have time to kill and are bored, so we search bags." - very funny!!
We actually have almost 30 minutes, but we are rushing with excitement and urgency to leave the train and start our trip. I gave Emanuela my blanket as it was much colder on the bottom bunk than on top. Finally we disembark and strap our packs to our backs and go forth in search of a hotel. It is 6 am and we are exhausted. So we wander around near the station - me following several steps behind Drew and looking around in awe. I am letting him worry about navigating. Of course, America pervades with Coca-cola and McDonald's, but all is written in Italian. I am busy reading every sign I see, practicing my accent. We try several alberghi and pensioni, but all are completo o chiuso. Finally we go to Hotel Maxim - this is where Drew and Ken stayed when last in Firenze. But we cannot get a room until 10 am or 10:30. So we leave our packs and go exploring. (It is molto freddo by the way.) But we stroll through the Uffizii and Drew reminds me of portions of letters he wrote me. He is also lamenting the rudeness of all Japanese tourists everywhere he goes. At 7:30 there is already a line 100 people long all waiting to go to the Uffizii (all Japonese). We go and look at the Arno and then back to the Palazzo Vecchio. We've also peered at Santa Maria Novella, but Drew thought is was Santa Croce on this delirious Sunday morning. I have to say now though that the most awe-inspiring view I have ever seen is the Duomo in Firenze. It is immense and beautiful and ornate and looming. It floats across the sky when looking down side streets and it peeks between buildings to show itself in palazzi several blocks away. And from the arch of the Uffizii it is shrouded in morning mist. I was awestruck every tine we came into its view. I couldn't wait to see it and explore once we had slept. Soon, the cold touched our bones and we went back to the Hotel Maxim to enjoy the last half hour of complimentary breakfast wile waiting for our room. Finally at 10:30 we are allowed into Room 4 and we go immediately to sleep. Our plan was to sleep until 1pm and then go see some sights, but we did not wake up until 3pm. Oops!!
We adjust to having slept all day and decide to go see Santa Croce. We ventured out into the cold again. (Florence in December is like being in central Illinois.) It was too dark for slides, but we took some prints of the graves of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Dante's honorarium. We quit when our stomachs dictated a search for food. We found our way through the streets of Firenze to of all places, an Irish Pub. Se we decided to give a nod to the northern locales that we were neglecting on our first trip to Europe. We met Massi and another bartender who served us Guiness and Kilkenny pints and directed us to affordable Florentine food. We trekked across the street to Ghibellini Pizzeria for insalad, vino from a barrel, calzione, and gorgonzola. As is typical, our seats were in another table's lap. It was too expensive (again), but this did not stop us from returning to the Pub for more beer until 12:45 am. We had many deep conversations this night. It was refreshing and invigorating. At 12:45 we realized that we had a 1 am curfew at Hotel Maxim, so we took off quickly and quite buzzed...we/I ran a lot of the way. We bought a hat for Ken with "The Lion's Fourntain" on it and "Firenze." Luckily we made it to Maxim in the nick of time, only to find a beautiful kitty lounging in the hallway outside our door. I stroked him and snuggled him and bade him good night. He, however, wanted more attention and followed me into our room. He purred and rubbed against me for more lovin' and then I gave him a big hug and carried him to the front desk. And finally, blissful sleep for the second time in one day at Hotel Maxim which is good for 121.000 lire a night and no toilet (we shared the one down the hall) or shower. (The bidet however is great!)
30 Dicembre
We woke early on this day....the jet lag has been slow in leaving. But once again, rolls and tea at Maxim's for breakfast begins our day. But alas, we must leave Maxim's (Drew is excited and rushing me...I of course am quite groggy and not quite up to full speed.) We had head over to Albergho Firenze. This is my favorite pensione in Firenze. We leave our big packs in the lobby and head off for our first big sight-seeing trip. Naturally we go straight to the Duomo. It is immense, overwhelming - it is transcendent and it is truly magnificent. Brunelleschi was an engineering genius. The dome is the largest in Europe and is built with an interlocking rafter system. There is a space between the inner wall of the dome and the outer. It is between the walls where we walked to the top of the dome to overlook Firenze! We took many pictures outside and inside - and we saw the much smaller 9th century chapel where Ghiberti's doors were. Ghiberti was upset at losing the dome contest to Bruneleschi - he however wins the city-wide contest to make several door panels...the winning scene is Abraham and Isaac. None of the panels are actually on the doors - only replicas. The actual panels are spread throughout Firenze's many museums and galleries. We got many slides and photos. :)
Our morning hours at the Duomo must be interrupted by lunch. Drew leads the way to the self-service cafe. This is where Drew and Ken ate on their trip to Italy. It is very inexpensive and oh-so-delicioso! Every day is a new pasta and meat dish - plus fruit and drink and vino - vino with everything. Drew had rigatoni and I had spaghetti with bread and non-carbonated water for both of us. And a Coke too. We eat heartily and return to the Duomo for more slides and photos...and we must also see Santa Croce - Here is where Machiavelli, Fermi, Galileo, and Donatello are buried or honored. Since we could not get good slides/prints the day before, we are here to try again. Santa Croce has a large stone courtyard with surrounding buildings. Everything has character, age, fatigue, but history and dignity. I lag behind to take pictures and gawk at the architecture. When I catch up with Drew, he is impatient with me because he wants to get some slides before the light fades - he is also on a mission to get me to the Piazza del Michelangelo before sunset. It is a winding, slowly sloping road that curves it's way upwards to the plateau overlooking the Arno and Firenze. It is barely sunset, but the view is heavenly. I am out of shape and breathing heavy by the time I catch up with Drew at the top. There is yet another replica of David in the square. But the real splendor is the view of Florence. We take photos of a young couple who is American and has been travelling throughout Europe. They are nice, but I am tired and do not wish to waste my view of the sunset chit-chatting with them. Drew has already given and account of his trip to Stromboli adn the volcano. We take several photos and enjoy the view a few moments longer. The cold however once again touches our bones and my fee are going numb. WE trek back down the hillside to the Arno. Drew's little tripod come in handy in photographing the Uffizii across the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. I am impatient now because I am cold and hungry. So we stroll across the Ponte Vecchio - taking pictures as we go...
We decided to try the other Irish Pub in town - the Old Stove - for another Guiness for Drew and dinner. Once inside however, the waitress is completely rude and we cannot decide what to eat...so we have beer and water and chips and return to the Alberghi Firenze to shower and relax. We are in Room 401 - there is a full bath, bidet, tub and shower. A hair dryer, a television and a big double bed. I am quite happy. After a bubble bath to warm up and relax, I shower and we phone Nunzio and Emanuela to plan our adventure to Anzio for New Year's Eve. It took a couple of tries, but we got through and planned our arrival. I am determined to send off some postcards "posties," so I jot off a few and force two or three on Drew. Finally writer's cramp and fatigue get the better of us.
31 Dicembre, New Year's Eve 1996
It is New Year's Eve. Drew has let me sleep in while he goes to post our "posties" and get tickets for Roma later in the day. I was still a little slow in rising. Unbelievably fatigued still! (I would learn later that I was suffering from mono the whole trip, not just jet lag.) We do get going in time for breakfast rolls and tea in the lobby of the Albergho... Yay! Because it is an abbreviated day due to travel, we decide to save David and the Uffizii for when we return. So, we go back to Santa Croce for A.M. pictures to make sure we didn't miss anything wonderful. The actual altar and nave of the cathedral are beautiful. And in addition to the large tombs for Machiavelli, Dante and Michelangelo, there are tombs in the floor, marked by stone lids with foot worn imagery. Candles are lit in prayer to the saints it is an interesting mix of functions and tourism.
Next, we are off to the old prison, the Bargello, where Donatello's David is located. On the way, we must stop again for more tea and cappuccino. The little cafe is like a 1950s soda fountain - with team flags and antique knickknacks everywhere. But the best was the little old couple who ran the place...they were 70 years old or better and played Dean Martin music on the speakers. Drew asked if Dean Martin was as popular here as in France. To them, he was!! After tea we went on to the Bargello. We found out that the museum was closing early because of the holiday, so we moved quickly. Straight to Donatello's David...we got lots of great slides of Mary images from many time periods. Also, some great nymph imagery. The Bargello was huge...lots of intricate jewelry and beautiful wall plaques. Also, the door panels that Brunelleschi and Ghiberti submitted for the city contest were there. Donatello's David is beautiful, much more free in stance and supple in body contour than Michelangelo's David. Drew thought it was better than Michelangelo's David, but I disagree. The magnitude of M.'s David and how it affected sculpture is just too amazing. Donatello's David is quite beautiful but not in an historically changing way. It's much smaller and it reflects it's time period rather than transcending it. It is much more dainty and debonair, flambuoyant, kind of like a "dandy." It was fun running around the Bargello getting images of women everywhere. Drew is good with a camera...took everything I needed, or said I wanted. We took some great pictures in the courtyard next to the canons for my dad and some really cool heraldic plaques. We finish up just as they are closing. It is time to leave for Roma!!
We hiked to the station and waited for our train. Well, two were scheduled within half and hour, but both were late. We got on the first train to arrive, but it was so packed, we couldn't even get into a car. We were in the deck opening instead. Drew was very irritable and I was losing patience with the train and with him. So, we de-boarded the train for a second one that pulled up. Turned out to be an express train with luxury seating, chocolates and beverages. We had to pay extra lire, but it was worth it and we made up a little travel time. We were in a hurry to catch a short train from Rome to Anzio. We made it to Roma with only minutes to spare and so we had to call and tell them we were late. The train station in Rome was huge...and very commercial. The train to Anzio was short and after dark. I slept some, and we made it, finally. Nunzio and Emanuela were waiting. They are so cute. Nunzio is such a gentleman and Emanuela is just so sweet. We went to her sister Lidia's for dinner. They had waited for us..oh it was so good!! Pasta, wine, beans (for the New Year), a special New Year's bread - sooooo good. We also ate with Cati and Guilio. Stefano, Lidia's husband was very funny and well read. He and Drew talked non-stop about travel and exotic places. Even with language barriers, we spoke enough English, Spanish and Italian between the eight of us to communicate pretty well. Wonderfully, humor is successful in all languages. Their apartment was cute - bigger than mine and decorated with Lidia's artwork. Cute. Everything is economy size, but works well. After dinner, Drew and I took showers - so nice - then we changed to go to the discotheque.
Everyone looked bellisimo. Nunzio was especially handsome. I wore the brown skirt and copper short-sleeved shirt. We had to drive to a neighboring town to find the discotheque. The place was huge. A balcony, a big, dance floor, another room with an American theme and a crass D.J. And a great speakeasy style lounge with the great flamenco and lambada music. Nunzio and Emanuela can really dance!! We barely made the New Year count down...but we got complimentary champagne and streamers. We did some disco dancing to some bad American ballads turned into disco music ... very surreal. We kept laughing at songs we recognized as ballads made into disco! Pretty funny. We danced until our feet hurt ... then we wandered around exploring the many levels of the discotheque. The most fun was the speakeasy room. Great music!! Lots of drunks, but lots of revelers. We got worn out ourselves and went for cappuccino ... eight of us in one booth. But it was fun. It was also 4 am by the time we reached home - girls in one car, boys in the other. I was exhausted. But we had fun. Emanuela and Lidia and Cati were a little disappointed because we arrived late, but it was exciting for me. Drew was a good sport, disliking dance clubs and crowds the way he does. We had fun. Lidia and Stefano gave us their extra room and a fold out bed. We slept like rocks!!
New Year's Day, 1997
Unfortunately, my journal went by the wayside in the flurry of travel. But I kept an outline of activities which I will refer to for the remainder of this trip. We slept until 12:30, which of course we needed, but were upset to have wasted so much of our day. We awoke to cappuccino and tea with Emanuela, Nunzio, Lidia and Stefano. We also got to meet Emanuala and Lidia's Mama. Then we took a walk on the beach of Meditereneo in Anzio - bellisimo!! And we saw the ruins of Nero's summer house. Lots of pictures before catching the train back to Rome and then back to Florence. We unfortunately had no time for Roma. This time we are in Albergho Firenze 206 and we finally talk to Thom (friend of Drew's) who is not coming to Paris. Food, sleep.
2 January
Today we move to Montreal. Breakfast at the Cafe Duomo, another self-serve. We spend the day sight-seeing at the Academie, Opera del Duomo, Pallazzo Vecchio. We see works by Brancacci, Massaccio and Michelangelo's David. Nice. We go leather shopping in a wonderful outdoor vendor market. And we go boot shopping. Although the lire is nothing compared to the dollar, everything is priced to compensate for this. For example, something might be 20'000 lire which translated to $200. Kind of a nice bit of capitalism at work. We ate snacks from a street vendor. Finally returned to the Montreal to sleep early, 9:30.
3 January
It's Uffizii Day! We are in line at 8:45, enter the museum at 9:58am. It is a maze of room after room of paintings from all time periods. Sculpture too. Much is blocked off though for renovations from a bomb blast the year before. It's wonderful and a little like walking the Art Institute. From the Uffizii we go to the Ponte Vecchio. The Pallazzo Vecchio is 10'000 lire - no way. We stop at a shop called Prenatal to get a gift for Marco. Self-service for lunch. And the leather store to get a bag for Drew and a wallet for me. Then back to the Montreal to collect our packs and hit the stazione for the train to Milano. Laura and Enrico and Marco meet us and back to their place for a magnifico dinner. Marco cries a lot and the new parents hover, but it is a nice evening. We stay at the Hotel Edolo.
4 January
Cappuccino con Enrico a casa. Riposo. Drew and Enrico head to the airport to change our tickets from the 9th to the 6th - we are running out of money. I stay to play with Marco and help Laura. Laura, Enrico, Drew and I go to the Santa Maria Della Gratzie to see "The Last Supper" - it's small and above a doorway that was bombed during the war, but we are unable to see it because chiuso. Then we are off to La Scala. We see a Robert Mapplethorpe Expo of portraits and flowers that is wonderful. I am overwhelmed by art and loving it. Next a visit to the Duomo A Milano which is colossal and magnifico, but totally different from the Duomo. We take Metro to the train station for our tickets to Paris. Then back a casa for pizza and pictures. The train to Paris leaves at 9:55pm. Ten hours and no crouchette. Not nearly the romantic train ride we had from Switzerland to Florence. The train car has six seats Drew and I are in the window spaces and we are joined by Stefano, Benoit, Clidmore and Gabi. The former two are from Paris. The latter two are Brazillian and Romanian. Gabi says little and has a hick-ish look about him, but speaks French. He also smokes and shares his bubblegum. Clidmore and Gabi got on after us, not in Milano. Clidmore is Brazillian with an American accent. He was an exchange student in 1984 in Detroit and in 1986 in Crystal Lake. Un petit monde!! He and Drew have covered every topic from 1960's television (Lost In Space, Land Before Time) to politics of Old West/Indian relations to development and language in Central and South America. Clidmore is currently earning a Master's in International Finance in England. We stop in the French Alps in a nice little mountain town under 12" of snow. Finally, I attempt sleep.
5 January
8:30am we arrive in Paris. Clidmore helps us call for Hotel Des Vallies. Once there, we quick nap and tea and off to the sights. We see Notre Dame - lots of pictures and a lesson in diplomacy. Attempting the language will get a quick switch to English. (Also, when counting, "1" is the thumb, not the index finger, so if you hold up the index finger, you are asking for "2"). From Notre Dame, we walked to the Musee Rodin - amazing sculptures and history between him and his muse and lover. The garden is lovely and The Thinker is as iconic as always imagined. Then we walk to the Musee Orsay - my favorite museum. It's all glass and steel. Very open with side rooms full of art. There is the little bronze ballerina for Degas. Also, Manet, Van Gogh, Courbet and L'original du Monde. Lots of prints. Then off to the Tour Eiffel for fotos and eats at the Cafe Malakoff. Back to the hotel for relaxation, reading and sleep. Drew has a cold. All of Paris is arranged by arrondissments - neighborhoods. Some are easily walkable, others require metro rides. You can't walk anywhere without passing the patisserie full of pastries and chocolates. I indulge in coissants and cheese and fruit.
6 January
We slept til 9am, packed up and were off to the Model shop for a gift for Dad, but it was closed. So we walked the Champs Elysee to see the Arc du Triomphe. And then back to St. Germain (we walked 20 blocks) to the model shops. I got a model and kit for Dad. Then off to Maison du Sandwich for turkey and tomato on baguette with tarte de pommes - yummy! Then to the Louvre via Rue Rivoli. Souvenirs for the family and window shopping on Carousel du Louvre. Finally, to the Louvre - it closed early, but was amazing. Venus de Milo, Nike of Samothrace, Delacroix and Gericault and the Mona Lisa (which is very small). So much art and so many large canvases - really incredible. We fought about money and an art book I wanted. We took pictures of the I.M. Pei triangle entrance. Finally, snack shopping for baguette and orange for the trip home. I do not remember the Paris airport or the flight home.
Epilogue
There are little things I do remember but do not have a time frame for, like buying the Italian gun replicas for my father from a street vendor. Or, the mood I was in for certain aspects of the trip - even now, as I type, I can remember how my mood changed between Florence and Paris. To this day, I remember enjoying the cultural experience of Paris, but never really connecting with the city the way I did with Florence. I remember feeling at home in Florence, and being completely immersed in the culture. You could walk anywhere and there were almost no cars. Only mopeds. We randomly wandered through a bookstore - it was delightful. Paris is truly picturesque, but I just couldn't do more than sight-see there. It was perhaps because we had to shorten our trip and rush through Paris. Or perhaps it was because we began in Florence. Whatever the reason, I will always remember Florence with fondness and longing, but Paris with only memories of a nice visit.
I remember big lips at the discotheque and the lounge and watching Nunzio and Emanuela dance. I remember the glass windows of the Paris patisseries and the dark, pre-dawn light that welcomed our arrival in Florence. I remember the Art Nouveau entrances to the metro. I remember the Pub and the market, and the hotel rooms in Florence, but not the hotel in Paris. I have no memory of the hotel in Milan. I don't really remember getting from one place to the next in Paris or in Florence except on specific trips like from the train to the first pensione. And I remember both cities in both sunshine and clouds, but other than cold, I couldn't say which days were which. It makes me wish I had kept up with the journal or been more detailed. I'm glad we took so many pictures. And I am grateful for the trip. An experience that I will treasure long after the specific memories fade away.
27 Diciembre 1996 - 6 Januario 1997
Excerpts from my travel journal
26/27 December
Upon leaving the plane, the stewardesses presented us with a bag full of wine and champagne. Yum! We disembarked and found the train to Zurich downtown - very expensive for a 10 minute ride - we had called Brigitte Hosli and got directions to the Cafe where we could meet her. The Zurich train station was much more open that Chicago's. Everything is there, telecom, lockers, cambio (italiano) and a big shopping plaza - all underground. Drew left my new green scarf in the bar at O'Hare so we went on a mission to find a new one. Every store had that lime color in clothes and coats, but no scarves. We settled on a gray headband to cover my ears. (It's funny, because I remember the shopping spree, but not the lost scarf that needed replacing.) We then moved above ground to see Zurich and my first glimpse of a European city. It was very much like Chicago, except the buses are electric as are all trains in Europe. They run on regular tracks with attachments to cables above for power. So, the city was laced with electric lines one and a half stories above the street. It was very cold. That air was bitter and I had left the windbreaker of Drew's in the locker with our backpacks. But I had my ears covered, so okay. We wandered down Bahnhofstrasse to Paradeplatz to the little bakery to meet Brigitte. We were early, so we had a cappuccino went upstairs. Typical European coffeehouse (sprungle) - little spoons of sugar, all crome and gold plated and wood floors with little window seats and tiny tables. An older woman was there with her two grandsons. It was fun to watch. Zurich is very wealthy - every thing was like Michigan avenue but less modern looking. The pastries downstairs were scrumptious-looking but we waited until lunch of course. We were very tired and Drew insisted we stay awake all day until 10pm or we wouldn't be able to kick the jet lag. I was dying - lots of zoning and head bobbing....Brigitte came with a friend/assistant from work, Katarina. She spoke five languages fluently: German, Italian, Spanish, French, English. I wish. She has a child, but is very skinny. Also, very stylish in an 80s sort of way - not punk or bad hair, just lots of scarves and jackets with long skirt and boots.
We ate lunch at Movenpick - "Molto Bene!" but, not Italian yet. The Hosli's speak very good English. I had fish and potatoes and onions. Drew shared paella (his favorite) with Brigitte and Katarina. Maya also met us for lunch. I was so tired it was hard to concentrate, All the water has gas -gassato in italiano - fizzy. It's good, but tastes funny to me. (This is why I don't get it at home.) After lunch we went to Brigitte's work and she called the train station for us to get tickets to Firenze. We had tea and cappuccino and I had a coke to stay awake. Coca-Cola is everywhere in Zurich. But it comes in bottles (glass) and they are smaller than in America. Very few cans anywhere. Brigitte gave me a scarf and Drew a tie from their leftover Christmas gifts around the office - Bright, primary colors. It was a perfect addition to the blue coat and it helped keep my neck warm.
Finally, after I nodded off to sleep 10'000 times, Maya took us to Brigitte's apartment in Bilten. It was about 30 minutes from Zurich in the mountains. The mountains were beautiful in Switzerland, both at night and during the day. There were all snow-capped and seemed to rise straight up from the ground behind beautiful houses. We saw many large homes looking as if they came straight out of the movie "Heidi" - oh...before leaving for Bilten, we went to Musica Hug to get tickets for Beethoven. The Hungarian Symphony Orchestra was to play that night and we wanted to go see it. The posters were up by the pasticceria where we waited for Brigitte. The we walked back to the train station to get reservations overnight for Zurich. Our tickets were for the following night as that evening had been cancelled. Not enough sales. We got tickets for the balcony, back row of say eight rows. We would be able to hear better there, but not see anything. This was okay because these tickets were only 25 swiss francs. Maya insisted on paying and wanted us to get more expensive tickets, but we knew we had to leave early for the train and did not want to waste her money. It was very sweet of her to offer money an to buy our tickets to Beethoven, Unfortunately she could not join us for the concert. Then we got our reservations for Firenze in a crouchette - this is a sleeping car with four or six beds like bunks that hang from the wall. My ticket was cheaper since I was only 25, so we upgraded to four beds from six. This will prove to be a great fortune!! Then we go to Bilten.
Brigitte lives on the 2nd floor of an apartment house. The house has three floors and one apartment on each floor. Her sister, Sabine, and brother-in-law, Ian, live on the 1st floor. The basement is laundry, storage and a war shelter (required by National Law. The top floor is unoccupied, but Brigitte wants to turn it into a discotheque. The Hosli's are Swiss German and Fritz is a builder. They built this apartment bout and the daughters of course look after it. Maya's job is to look after their other properties - a family home across the street from her own in Glarus, a home up in the mountains, and the tenement buildings for the men who work for Fritz. They also built the house that grandma lives in. In Bilten, at Brigitte's, Maya made us tea and cappuccino and we slept for about an hour. Brigitte had 101 Dalmations on videotape in German. It was pretty cool. The apartment was beautiful. Two bedrooms, full bath, kitchen with dishwasher, dining and living rooms. There was a balcony with entry from three rooms. A great stereo and television system. Also, a view of the mountains and a little stream in the backyard.
Brigitte returned home and we woke up and showered - ah, heaven! It felt very good to be in a home and not a hotel. She cooked us cheese and potatoes with spices and salad. I didn't really care for the salad - too much cabbage, but the rest was great! We cooked the cheese on a stone plate that heated electrically. It melts the cheese and then you add spices and scrape it with a wooden spatula made especially for this onto the potatoes - very good. Brigitte is going to send us and extra cheese plate that she gave us - wow!! After dinner we drove to Glarus to meet Maya for beer. But, we were too late at the pizzeria, so we drove half way up the mountain to her house. Wow!! Big, beautiful, three floors built into the side of the mountain with huge windows to overlook the town and the mountains. She made us tea and cappuccino and gave us chocolates and me a bunch of sugar sticks. (To make cappuccino and coffee, both Maya and Brigitte had these funky machines that ground the beans and added exactly the right amount of water for one or two cups. Cool! Better than an espresso maker! We sat in her big living room as she lit real burning candles on a tree of pine and showed us pictures of Fridli's wedding to Hiromi. The living room had a big fireplace that stuck out into the room and was open on two sides. Fritz is a hunter, but his two faithful dogs were at home for the current trip in Germany because they were getting old and don't always come back. On their walls were MANY horns and skulls of deer and antelope(?). Kind of gruesome, but perfectly fitting for a Swiss mountain home. The chocolates were wonderful and Maya is like an energetic aunt. Always bustling and fawning but not interferring. I, of course began to nod off and finally we returned to Brigitte's for sleep. Before bed, we took a tour of the basement and had some water. Very nice.
28 December
Today, we slept until 11 am!! Can you say jet lag! Even Drew was amazed. But it was okay because Brigitte had slept until 10 am herself. Today we had decided to go shopping in Germany. We get dressed and packed our bags and Brigitte gave us a wonderful breakfast. Yogurt, cornflakes, milk, juice, cheese, bread (Drew had a nut reaction) and fruit. Yummy! We listened to Tina Turner (Goldeneye was my favorite movie at the time), as we had the night before for dinner and to Patricia Cross.
Our drive to Germany was via the scenic route and quite picturesque. We went through the mountains and small villages along highway 16. I looked forward to getting a German passport stamp as the Swiss officials did not stamp our passports at the airport. But, no luck. We did however get a photo of a covered wooden bridge - straight out of a postcard. Konstanz was the little German border town we went to, but it was after 3 pm before we could park and find a place to change our money. The information desk would change Brigitte's swissfrancs, but not American traveller's cheques, so we were out of luck again. Many of the shops were closed anyway for the holidays or at least for Saturday. Brigitte said that the shops were open late only one weekend a month, but you never knew which weekend. So we went to Woolworth's (no kidding) to a basement grocery for booze for her bar. We got Jack, Bailey's, vodka, rum and three or four bottles of wine. Only one bottle of liquor and two bottles of wine per person, be we talked Brigitte into risking it. We also got cheese and bread and summer sausage for our train trip. Then to a little caffe for chocalata and tea. Drew had Grand Marnier in his hot chocolate and I ate the chocolate candies. In the bar was a dog! Happens all over Europe according to Drew. It was quite well-behaved and only barked once. I was surprised but not offended. Then we were ready to go and on our way back to the car. Instead we decided to eat in Konstanz instead of chancing finding parking back in Zurich before the concert. So we chose the Mexican bar/restaurant outside our parking garage and enjoyed a pretty good meal. It was however, very expensive! Good thing we don't tip in Europe. (Waiters and servers are regarded as highly as anyone else and get hourly rates.) Our waiter was very tall and quite good-looking. Very nice. I chowed on guacamole, yum and sangria. And I slept most of the way back to Zurich. We arrived just in tine to have a Coca-cola and cappuccino in the lounge before the concert began. After sitting down, we realized the auditorium was not full. So we moved to the first row of the balcony right above the orchestra. The concert was absolutely amazing! Drew got goosebumps. It was the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra playing four movements of Beethoven's 9th accompanied by the Swiss Choir. It was beautiful. There were four solos - bass, alto, tenor, soprano and a piccolo. The cello and bass were my favorite - as well as the bassoons! It was an amazing, beautiful experience. And we got to hear the whole thing before we had to leave for the train. Yay!!
But it was a mad dash. We made it just fine. We thanked Brigitte again and again and then found our crouchette. It was a crouchettte for four and our bunk mates were already there. On the left were three bunks hanging from the wall and on the right a bunk up high with a couch below. Our crouchette mates were from Svengalin, Switzerland. They were Italian and spoke a little English. We ended up talking for hours to Nunzio and Emanuela before going to sleep at 2 am. Nunzio is 28 and was born in Palazzo Adreano in Sicily. This is the town where "Cinema Paradiso" was filmed - Drew's favorite film. Emanuela was born in Rome and is 27. They've been married for three years and live near his family in Switzerland. They were on their way to Anzio (one hour outside Rome to the East on the coast) to see her family. We invited them to stay for one day with us in Firenze, and Nunzio wanted to, but a big family dinner awaited then in Anzio. So they invited us to Anzio for New Year's Eve. Nunzio sells insurance. We conversed in broken English (them), butchered Italian (me) and fractured Spanish (Drew). We all worked very hard to be clear and understandable. It was of course one of those magical times when four people meet and have common interests or experiences - we hit it off immediately and immensely and I treasure the time spent getting to know them. Nunzio is rather slick or rather cosmopolitan. Emanuela, too, but in a naive way. He has light brown hair and wears glasses. Emanuela has dark hair - purple streaked - I told her mine was dyed too. She is beautifully featured, but quite curvacious. (Drew noticed her boobs right away. I noticed her curvy hips. We agreed she is quite beautiful). Our conversations were lengthy and diverse. Finally after deciding on our visit to them for New Year's Eve and the exchange of addresses and phone numbers, we drank some beer (birra) Kronenbourg and then said good night - buona notte. Drew and I slept on the two top bunks and Nunzio and Emanuela slept below me. We got about four hours of sleep, give or take 20 minutes of tossing and turning before we arrived in Firenza.
29 Diciembre
I am groggy and disoriented - the train is stopped and Drew is re-packing our backpacks, pulling things down from the top bunk. Our little service girl (whom Nunzio and Drew decided last night looks like Steffi Graf) has brought us coffee and tea and our passports. ASIDE: Last night at the border, the Italian polizia boarded the train and went through several crouchettes as well as teh bags of those people sleeping within. Nunzio kept teasing me, calling me a terrorist. (So harmless in 1996, such a different connotation now.) When he asked the polizia what was going on, the man said nothing - "we have time to kill and are bored, so we search bags." - very funny!!
We actually have almost 30 minutes, but we are rushing with excitement and urgency to leave the train and start our trip. I gave Emanuela my blanket as it was much colder on the bottom bunk than on top. Finally we disembark and strap our packs to our backs and go forth in search of a hotel. It is 6 am and we are exhausted. So we wander around near the station - me following several steps behind Drew and looking around in awe. I am letting him worry about navigating. Of course, America pervades with Coca-cola and McDonald's, but all is written in Italian. I am busy reading every sign I see, practicing my accent. We try several alberghi and pensioni, but all are completo o chiuso. Finally we go to Hotel Maxim - this is where Drew and Ken stayed when last in Firenze. But we cannot get a room until 10 am or 10:30. So we leave our packs and go exploring. (It is molto freddo by the way.) But we stroll through the Uffizii and Drew reminds me of portions of letters he wrote me. He is also lamenting the rudeness of all Japanese tourists everywhere he goes. At 7:30 there is already a line 100 people long all waiting to go to the Uffizii (all Japonese). We go and look at the Arno and then back to the Palazzo Vecchio. We've also peered at Santa Maria Novella, but Drew thought is was Santa Croce on this delirious Sunday morning. I have to say now though that the most awe-inspiring view I have ever seen is the Duomo in Firenze. It is immense and beautiful and ornate and looming. It floats across the sky when looking down side streets and it peeks between buildings to show itself in palazzi several blocks away. And from the arch of the Uffizii it is shrouded in morning mist. I was awestruck every tine we came into its view. I couldn't wait to see it and explore once we had slept. Soon, the cold touched our bones and we went back to the Hotel Maxim to enjoy the last half hour of complimentary breakfast wile waiting for our room. Finally at 10:30 we are allowed into Room 4 and we go immediately to sleep. Our plan was to sleep until 1pm and then go see some sights, but we did not wake up until 3pm. Oops!!
We adjust to having slept all day and decide to go see Santa Croce. We ventured out into the cold again. (Florence in December is like being in central Illinois.) It was too dark for slides, but we took some prints of the graves of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Dante's honorarium. We quit when our stomachs dictated a search for food. We found our way through the streets of Firenze to of all places, an Irish Pub. Se we decided to give a nod to the northern locales that we were neglecting on our first trip to Europe. We met Massi and another bartender who served us Guiness and Kilkenny pints and directed us to affordable Florentine food. We trekked across the street to Ghibellini Pizzeria for insalad, vino from a barrel, calzione, and gorgonzola. As is typical, our seats were in another table's lap. It was too expensive (again), but this did not stop us from returning to the Pub for more beer until 12:45 am. We had many deep conversations this night. It was refreshing and invigorating. At 12:45 we realized that we had a 1 am curfew at Hotel Maxim, so we took off quickly and quite buzzed...we/I ran a lot of the way. We bought a hat for Ken with "The Lion's Fourntain" on it and "Firenze." Luckily we made it to Maxim in the nick of time, only to find a beautiful kitty lounging in the hallway outside our door. I stroked him and snuggled him and bade him good night. He, however, wanted more attention and followed me into our room. He purred and rubbed against me for more lovin' and then I gave him a big hug and carried him to the front desk. And finally, blissful sleep for the second time in one day at Hotel Maxim which is good for 121.000 lire a night and no toilet (we shared the one down the hall) or shower. (The bidet however is great!)
30 Dicembre
We woke early on this day....the jet lag has been slow in leaving. But once again, rolls and tea at Maxim's for breakfast begins our day. But alas, we must leave Maxim's (Drew is excited and rushing me...I of course am quite groggy and not quite up to full speed.) We had head over to Albergho Firenze. This is my favorite pensione in Firenze. We leave our big packs in the lobby and head off for our first big sight-seeing trip. Naturally we go straight to the Duomo. It is immense, overwhelming - it is transcendent and it is truly magnificent. Brunelleschi was an engineering genius. The dome is the largest in Europe and is built with an interlocking rafter system. There is a space between the inner wall of the dome and the outer. It is between the walls where we walked to the top of the dome to overlook Firenze! We took many pictures outside and inside - and we saw the much smaller 9th century chapel where Ghiberti's doors were. Ghiberti was upset at losing the dome contest to Bruneleschi - he however wins the city-wide contest to make several door panels...the winning scene is Abraham and Isaac. None of the panels are actually on the doors - only replicas. The actual panels are spread throughout Firenze's many museums and galleries. We got many slides and photos. :)
Our morning hours at the Duomo must be interrupted by lunch. Drew leads the way to the self-service cafe. This is where Drew and Ken ate on their trip to Italy. It is very inexpensive and oh-so-delicioso! Every day is a new pasta and meat dish - plus fruit and drink and vino - vino with everything. Drew had rigatoni and I had spaghetti with bread and non-carbonated water for both of us. And a Coke too. We eat heartily and return to the Duomo for more slides and photos...and we must also see Santa Croce - Here is where Machiavelli, Fermi, Galileo, and Donatello are buried or honored. Since we could not get good slides/prints the day before, we are here to try again. Santa Croce has a large stone courtyard with surrounding buildings. Everything has character, age, fatigue, but history and dignity. I lag behind to take pictures and gawk at the architecture. When I catch up with Drew, he is impatient with me because he wants to get some slides before the light fades - he is also on a mission to get me to the Piazza del Michelangelo before sunset. It is a winding, slowly sloping road that curves it's way upwards to the plateau overlooking the Arno and Firenze. It is barely sunset, but the view is heavenly. I am out of shape and breathing heavy by the time I catch up with Drew at the top. There is yet another replica of David in the square. But the real splendor is the view of Florence. We take photos of a young couple who is American and has been travelling throughout Europe. They are nice, but I am tired and do not wish to waste my view of the sunset chit-chatting with them. Drew has already given and account of his trip to Stromboli adn the volcano. We take several photos and enjoy the view a few moments longer. The cold however once again touches our bones and my fee are going numb. WE trek back down the hillside to the Arno. Drew's little tripod come in handy in photographing the Uffizii across the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio. I am impatient now because I am cold and hungry. So we stroll across the Ponte Vecchio - taking pictures as we go...
We decided to try the other Irish Pub in town - the Old Stove - for another Guiness for Drew and dinner. Once inside however, the waitress is completely rude and we cannot decide what to eat...so we have beer and water and chips and return to the Alberghi Firenze to shower and relax. We are in Room 401 - there is a full bath, bidet, tub and shower. A hair dryer, a television and a big double bed. I am quite happy. After a bubble bath to warm up and relax, I shower and we phone Nunzio and Emanuela to plan our adventure to Anzio for New Year's Eve. It took a couple of tries, but we got through and planned our arrival. I am determined to send off some postcards "posties," so I jot off a few and force two or three on Drew. Finally writer's cramp and fatigue get the better of us.
31 Dicembre, New Year's Eve 1996
It is New Year's Eve. Drew has let me sleep in while he goes to post our "posties" and get tickets for Roma later in the day. I was still a little slow in rising. Unbelievably fatigued still! (I would learn later that I was suffering from mono the whole trip, not just jet lag.) We do get going in time for breakfast rolls and tea in the lobby of the Albergho... Yay! Because it is an abbreviated day due to travel, we decide to save David and the Uffizii for when we return. So, we go back to Santa Croce for A.M. pictures to make sure we didn't miss anything wonderful. The actual altar and nave of the cathedral are beautiful. And in addition to the large tombs for Machiavelli, Dante and Michelangelo, there are tombs in the floor, marked by stone lids with foot worn imagery. Candles are lit in prayer to the saints it is an interesting mix of functions and tourism.
Next, we are off to the old prison, the Bargello, where Donatello's David is located. On the way, we must stop again for more tea and cappuccino. The little cafe is like a 1950s soda fountain - with team flags and antique knickknacks everywhere. But the best was the little old couple who ran the place...they were 70 years old or better and played Dean Martin music on the speakers. Drew asked if Dean Martin was as popular here as in France. To them, he was!! After tea we went on to the Bargello. We found out that the museum was closing early because of the holiday, so we moved quickly. Straight to Donatello's David...we got lots of great slides of Mary images from many time periods. Also, some great nymph imagery. The Bargello was huge...lots of intricate jewelry and beautiful wall plaques. Also, the door panels that Brunelleschi and Ghiberti submitted for the city contest were there. Donatello's David is beautiful, much more free in stance and supple in body contour than Michelangelo's David. Drew thought it was better than Michelangelo's David, but I disagree. The magnitude of M.'s David and how it affected sculpture is just too amazing. Donatello's David is quite beautiful but not in an historically changing way. It's much smaller and it reflects it's time period rather than transcending it. It is much more dainty and debonair, flambuoyant, kind of like a "dandy." It was fun running around the Bargello getting images of women everywhere. Drew is good with a camera...took everything I needed, or said I wanted. We took some great pictures in the courtyard next to the canons for my dad and some really cool heraldic plaques. We finish up just as they are closing. It is time to leave for Roma!!
We hiked to the station and waited for our train. Well, two were scheduled within half and hour, but both were late. We got on the first train to arrive, but it was so packed, we couldn't even get into a car. We were in the deck opening instead. Drew was very irritable and I was losing patience with the train and with him. So, we de-boarded the train for a second one that pulled up. Turned out to be an express train with luxury seating, chocolates and beverages. We had to pay extra lire, but it was worth it and we made up a little travel time. We were in a hurry to catch a short train from Rome to Anzio. We made it to Roma with only minutes to spare and so we had to call and tell them we were late. The train station in Rome was huge...and very commercial. The train to Anzio was short and after dark. I slept some, and we made it, finally. Nunzio and Emanuela were waiting. They are so cute. Nunzio is such a gentleman and Emanuela is just so sweet. We went to her sister Lidia's for dinner. They had waited for us..oh it was so good!! Pasta, wine, beans (for the New Year), a special New Year's bread - sooooo good. We also ate with Cati and Guilio. Stefano, Lidia's husband was very funny and well read. He and Drew talked non-stop about travel and exotic places. Even with language barriers, we spoke enough English, Spanish and Italian between the eight of us to communicate pretty well. Wonderfully, humor is successful in all languages. Their apartment was cute - bigger than mine and decorated with Lidia's artwork. Cute. Everything is economy size, but works well. After dinner, Drew and I took showers - so nice - then we changed to go to the discotheque.
Everyone looked bellisimo. Nunzio was especially handsome. I wore the brown skirt and copper short-sleeved shirt. We had to drive to a neighboring town to find the discotheque. The place was huge. A balcony, a big, dance floor, another room with an American theme and a crass D.J. And a great speakeasy style lounge with the great flamenco and lambada music. Nunzio and Emanuela can really dance!! We barely made the New Year count down...but we got complimentary champagne and streamers. We did some disco dancing to some bad American ballads turned into disco music ... very surreal. We kept laughing at songs we recognized as ballads made into disco! Pretty funny. We danced until our feet hurt ... then we wandered around exploring the many levels of the discotheque. The most fun was the speakeasy room. Great music!! Lots of drunks, but lots of revelers. We got worn out ourselves and went for cappuccino ... eight of us in one booth. But it was fun. It was also 4 am by the time we reached home - girls in one car, boys in the other. I was exhausted. But we had fun. Emanuela and Lidia and Cati were a little disappointed because we arrived late, but it was exciting for me. Drew was a good sport, disliking dance clubs and crowds the way he does. We had fun. Lidia and Stefano gave us their extra room and a fold out bed. We slept like rocks!!
New Year's Day, 1997
Unfortunately, my journal went by the wayside in the flurry of travel. But I kept an outline of activities which I will refer to for the remainder of this trip. We slept until 12:30, which of course we needed, but were upset to have wasted so much of our day. We awoke to cappuccino and tea with Emanuela, Nunzio, Lidia and Stefano. We also got to meet Emanuala and Lidia's Mama. Then we took a walk on the beach of Meditereneo in Anzio - bellisimo!! And we saw the ruins of Nero's summer house. Lots of pictures before catching the train back to Rome and then back to Florence. We unfortunately had no time for Roma. This time we are in Albergho Firenze 206 and we finally talk to Thom (friend of Drew's) who is not coming to Paris. Food, sleep.
2 January
Today we move to Montreal. Breakfast at the Cafe Duomo, another self-serve. We spend the day sight-seeing at the Academie, Opera del Duomo, Pallazzo Vecchio. We see works by Brancacci, Massaccio and Michelangelo's David. Nice. We go leather shopping in a wonderful outdoor vendor market. And we go boot shopping. Although the lire is nothing compared to the dollar, everything is priced to compensate for this. For example, something might be 20'000 lire which translated to $200. Kind of a nice bit of capitalism at work. We ate snacks from a street vendor. Finally returned to the Montreal to sleep early, 9:30.
3 January
It's Uffizii Day! We are in line at 8:45, enter the museum at 9:58am. It is a maze of room after room of paintings from all time periods. Sculpture too. Much is blocked off though for renovations from a bomb blast the year before. It's wonderful and a little like walking the Art Institute. From the Uffizii we go to the Ponte Vecchio. The Pallazzo Vecchio is 10'000 lire - no way. We stop at a shop called Prenatal to get a gift for Marco. Self-service for lunch. And the leather store to get a bag for Drew and a wallet for me. Then back to the Montreal to collect our packs and hit the stazione for the train to Milano. Laura and Enrico and Marco meet us and back to their place for a magnifico dinner. Marco cries a lot and the new parents hover, but it is a nice evening. We stay at the Hotel Edolo.
4 January
Cappuccino con Enrico a casa. Riposo. Drew and Enrico head to the airport to change our tickets from the 9th to the 6th - we are running out of money. I stay to play with Marco and help Laura. Laura, Enrico, Drew and I go to the Santa Maria Della Gratzie to see "The Last Supper" - it's small and above a doorway that was bombed during the war, but we are unable to see it because chiuso. Then we are off to La Scala. We see a Robert Mapplethorpe Expo of portraits and flowers that is wonderful. I am overwhelmed by art and loving it. Next a visit to the Duomo A Milano which is colossal and magnifico, but totally different from the Duomo. We take Metro to the train station for our tickets to Paris. Then back a casa for pizza and pictures. The train to Paris leaves at 9:55pm. Ten hours and no crouchette. Not nearly the romantic train ride we had from Switzerland to Florence. The train car has six seats Drew and I are in the window spaces and we are joined by Stefano, Benoit, Clidmore and Gabi. The former two are from Paris. The latter two are Brazillian and Romanian. Gabi says little and has a hick-ish look about him, but speaks French. He also smokes and shares his bubblegum. Clidmore and Gabi got on after us, not in Milano. Clidmore is Brazillian with an American accent. He was an exchange student in 1984 in Detroit and in 1986 in Crystal Lake. Un petit monde!! He and Drew have covered every topic from 1960's television (Lost In Space, Land Before Time) to politics of Old West/Indian relations to development and language in Central and South America. Clidmore is currently earning a Master's in International Finance in England. We stop in the French Alps in a nice little mountain town under 12" of snow. Finally, I attempt sleep.
5 January
8:30am we arrive in Paris. Clidmore helps us call for Hotel Des Vallies. Once there, we quick nap and tea and off to the sights. We see Notre Dame - lots of pictures and a lesson in diplomacy. Attempting the language will get a quick switch to English. (Also, when counting, "1" is the thumb, not the index finger, so if you hold up the index finger, you are asking for "2"). From Notre Dame, we walked to the Musee Rodin - amazing sculptures and history between him and his muse and lover. The garden is lovely and The Thinker is as iconic as always imagined. Then we walk to the Musee Orsay - my favorite museum. It's all glass and steel. Very open with side rooms full of art. There is the little bronze ballerina for Degas. Also, Manet, Van Gogh, Courbet and L'original du Monde. Lots of prints. Then off to the Tour Eiffel for fotos and eats at the Cafe Malakoff. Back to the hotel for relaxation, reading and sleep. Drew has a cold. All of Paris is arranged by arrondissments - neighborhoods. Some are easily walkable, others require metro rides. You can't walk anywhere without passing the patisserie full of pastries and chocolates. I indulge in coissants and cheese and fruit.
6 January
We slept til 9am, packed up and were off to the Model shop for a gift for Dad, but it was closed. So we walked the Champs Elysee to see the Arc du Triomphe. And then back to St. Germain (we walked 20 blocks) to the model shops. I got a model and kit for Dad. Then off to Maison du Sandwich for turkey and tomato on baguette with tarte de pommes - yummy! Then to the Louvre via Rue Rivoli. Souvenirs for the family and window shopping on Carousel du Louvre. Finally, to the Louvre - it closed early, but was amazing. Venus de Milo, Nike of Samothrace, Delacroix and Gericault and the Mona Lisa (which is very small). So much art and so many large canvases - really incredible. We fought about money and an art book I wanted. We took pictures of the I.M. Pei triangle entrance. Finally, snack shopping for baguette and orange for the trip home. I do not remember the Paris airport or the flight home.
Epilogue
There are little things I do remember but do not have a time frame for, like buying the Italian gun replicas for my father from a street vendor. Or, the mood I was in for certain aspects of the trip - even now, as I type, I can remember how my mood changed between Florence and Paris. To this day, I remember enjoying the cultural experience of Paris, but never really connecting with the city the way I did with Florence. I remember feeling at home in Florence, and being completely immersed in the culture. You could walk anywhere and there were almost no cars. Only mopeds. We randomly wandered through a bookstore - it was delightful. Paris is truly picturesque, but I just couldn't do more than sight-see there. It was perhaps because we had to shorten our trip and rush through Paris. Or perhaps it was because we began in Florence. Whatever the reason, I will always remember Florence with fondness and longing, but Paris with only memories of a nice visit.
I remember big lips at the discotheque and the lounge and watching Nunzio and Emanuela dance. I remember the glass windows of the Paris patisseries and the dark, pre-dawn light that welcomed our arrival in Florence. I remember the Art Nouveau entrances to the metro. I remember the Pub and the market, and the hotel rooms in Florence, but not the hotel in Paris. I have no memory of the hotel in Milan. I don't really remember getting from one place to the next in Paris or in Florence except on specific trips like from the train to the first pensione. And I remember both cities in both sunshine and clouds, but other than cold, I couldn't say which days were which. It makes me wish I had kept up with the journal or been more detailed. I'm glad we took so many pictures. And I am grateful for the trip. An experience that I will treasure long after the specific memories fade away.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Back in the Burgh
December 26-28, 2007
Travelled back to Pittsburgh for the first time in a few years for Kay's funeral. She died in her sleep on December 21, 2007 at age 93. Unexpected, but not surprising. We ate out at Italian places all three days. We stayed at a Hyatt Wyndam. Completely remodeled suites - very nice, very plush, very cush. We drove 221 Cheryl Avenue for old time's sake. Bought Steelers apparel in the airport on the way home. Got Philly souvenirs in the airport on the layover.
It was mostly a family reunion. Nice to see everyone, catch up, re-connect. The boys have all grown. Sewickley looks the same. It was a nice trip for a sad reason. Farewell to 2007, and to the last of a generation.
Travelled back to Pittsburgh for the first time in a few years for Kay's funeral. She died in her sleep on December 21, 2007 at age 93. Unexpected, but not surprising. We ate out at Italian places all three days. We stayed at a Hyatt Wyndam. Completely remodeled suites - very nice, very plush, very cush. We drove 221 Cheryl Avenue for old time's sake. Bought Steelers apparel in the airport on the way home. Got Philly souvenirs in the airport on the layover.
It was mostly a family reunion. Nice to see everyone, catch up, re-connect. The boys have all grown. Sewickley looks the same. It was a nice trip for a sad reason. Farewell to 2007, and to the last of a generation.
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