Yep – that’s Sicily . . just across the Straight of Messina (and that’s Messina over there – where I’m pointing) . . we were just about to board the ferry!
I tried to take some panoramic of the shoreline of Sicily from the mainland. Pretty lame, I think, but I was pretty excited!
Enjoy what ever is here . . .
**Lots of great pics coming on this one – once that damn WiFi re-engages!
I remember Mom telling me how much she loved the Amalfi Coast. So, when I told her we would be visiting the Amalfi Coast for a few days on this trip, she said “you have to stay in Positano”. Well Mom – you DID NOT steer us wrong! To top it off, we ended up at the “top of the world” (or top of Positano anyway) in the little hamlet of Nocelle (it’s one of the 10 principalities that make up Positano). Check it out – it’s an UNESCO world heritage site and is right on the Walk of the Gods trail that spans the high mountains of the Amalfi Coast. BEAUTIFUL is an understatement. (Note: I’ve tried to include as many pictures of the views, but it was a little foggy so they are not as clear as they could be.)
Well . . getting there was interesting. So quickly after leaving Pompeii, we find ourselves in a small town with VERY small, narrow streets. Thank God the drivers weren’t as crazy as Napoli – but they do drive fast & don’t really follow any traffic laws that we could tell. We later found out that we were in Sorrento and once we got to the top of Sorrento – we started to “hug” the coast on even narrower, winding roads filled with hairpin curves AND tour buses (and mind you, we’re in off season here).
We have to WIND on those roads for about 35 minutes until we reach this sharp left hand curve to turn off to reach Nocelle. And then, the real fun begins. I truly don’t know how we made it up this narrow road that must have truly been built for donkeys – NOT cars! At one point, we come around this very blind & sharp curve and I have to slam on the breaks to avoid side-swiping a car coming down the mountain. I have to do about a “5 point curve” to back up & then a nice guy on the side of the road came over & directed me to a safe spot. The other car passed and we were on our way again! 6 km total and we finally arrive at the Nocelle parking lot where our host is waiting for us with a donkey. This is the last point that cars are allowed in the village and she was not going to have us carry our own luggage – good thing, cause it was about ¼ of a mile to the B&B, up & down so many steps I stopped counting – and if you remember, I still have ALL THAT LUGGAGE!!! (Note: On the way in, I have my first meeting with Agnello {aka Boyfriend #1}– the cutest blue-eyed, somewhat toothless “70 or 80 something” year old man – who reminded me of my grandfather. We fell in love instantly and he kept telling me how beautiful I was & kissing my hand.)
We arrive at this lovely 2 bedroom villa with a balcony that looks at the sea & Capri. It is stunning and Sherine says I’ve done really well in picking the spot and that she’s fine if we stay here for the rest of the trip. Of course, our host Amolia (who I started calling the “hostess with the mostest”) had left us SO MUCH food in the fridge, including a bottle of Prosecco and wonderful hors d’oeuvres, which we gobble right up. Amolia made us a reservation at the local restaurant up there in Nocelle and we had a huge dinner with a full bottle of wine and limoncello (on the house) – and we stumbled home to get some much needed sleep.
**Note to my “Zia Em-Meh” (that’s Auntie M) – the rooms were HUGE and gorgeous. I took some pictures for you. When we come back together we will stay here and you will feel like the queen you are! No worries about the steps – we have the donkeys!!
The next morning, Amolia suggests that we walk down the hill to Positano. It’s 1800 steps! It’s OK – after the last 2 days of driving, I’m perfectly OK to leave the car right where it is!!
It takes us about 45 minutes – as we keep stopping to snap pictures and talk to people (locals, Americans, Germans, even a few Chinese . . and Agnello!). This picture of me & Agnello was taken after he told me I was a model who belongs in the movies – and kept giving me endless hugs!!! We also come down to this gorgeous villa that has a magnificent swimming pool built into the steep hillside (these Italian men are superior & amazing craftsmen). As we sweep around the bend, we come to the front of the house with magnificent gates and a gorgeous entry garden – and Boyfriend #2. He had the same bright blue eyes (these Southern Italians all have gorgeous blue eyes), was charming and while he was OK to have me take pictures of his hard work – really didn’t want to be in the pictures – too bad, he was very handsome. He told me I was beautiful too and gave me those great Italian air kisses!
Agnello – Sorry you can’t see his stunning blue eyes!
We arrive in town and head to the beach for lunch; Amolia says we must go to Tre Sorella and have seafood. I am to ask for Salvatore or Guare and tell them “I am the granddaughter of a fisherman, so I know fresh fish. . . none of this tourist seafood for me”! We order wine (it’s hot, so we go for Pinot Grigio) and a wonderful seafood pasta. They bring us limoncello on the house and I ask if Salvatore is here. The waiter says, “yes, that’s him over there”. Salvatore comes over and we find out that Guare has been serving us all along. Then Fabio comes over too (women traveling without men get a lot of attention you know?). We all start talking and I tell them about Amolia’s comment and they just laugh and say, “you got the best”. I wouldn’t disagree!
We wander through town and find “THE” bakery! Of course, it’s got gelato too – so finally, my first gelato of the trip. I order a bunch of pastries to take home from Boyfriend #3 – Pepino! Now, Pepino could have been a model for a Roman statute. He’s probably mid-60s and really handsome and really charming! I find out later he’s the boss. He packages it all up so pretty with a gold tray, paper & string and comes out from behind the counter to deliver it (as I’ve now moved on to the gelato counter for my cioccolotto & pistacchio gelato – DELICIOSO!!!). I give Pepino a big “grazie” and we do a double European kiss to say goodbye . . he tells me to be sure and come back again!!!
We take the bus back up (we are full & a little tired) and decide to have light dinner at the villa with our pastries and all the food we have left over from breakfast. I guess I forgot to mention that Amolia & her staff come into our room each morning and COOK us breakfast. Whatever we want and believe me, the choices are endless (cause she’s stocked our fridge with even more treats while we were traversing the steps of Positano . . this time, it’s fresh strawberries & tomatoes from her garden and more meats & cheeses . . I love this woman . . really, a woman after my own heart!).
Next day – we’re going to take the bus to Amalfi town, walk around there, take another bus to hill town of Ravello, take bus back to Amalfi, transfer to another bus and go to Bocalinga (the head of the Walk of the Gods) and walk back to Positano. Now, despite really planning & looking at bus schedules, Italian buses are sort of on their own time schedule, so it’s Sunday and by the time we go to the Tabbachi to buy our bus tickets for last leg of this journey, the clerk tells us it’s too late to do the walk but we can do it tomorrow (we can’t, we’re driving to Sicily tomorrow). He was right, we wouldn’t have gotten to trail head until 3:45 and it takes 3 hours and we didn’t have flashlights or trekking gear – so while disappointed, we opt instead to drink Aperol Spritzes and sit overlooking the harbor to wait for the next bus back to Positano. Aperol was refreshing until we boarded the most over-crowded, HOT bus and it was standing room only (would NOT have been prudent to wait for next one – as it was the last bus of the day). I end up sitting on the back step area with an English couple from Cambridge and Sherine (who gets worse seasick than I) stands with a German gal and they are leaning on each other for support. We’re all getting sick and anxiously waiting for each stop so the driver will open the doors and let in some fresh air. By the time we get to Positano – we’re all wanting to puke. It took about an hour and some lemon soda to “sober up” – because remember, we have to get on another bus to Nocelle (6km up that winding, narrow road!).
We arrive in Nocelle to find Amolia excited to see us. She said she’d been worried all day that we wouldn’t make it back and kept telling her husband to watch out for us (of course, we hadn’t met him at this point). We lay down for a bit and then join Amolia & her husband, as well as some other guests (Russian couple) for dinner at Amolia’s. Her husband, Natale (no he wasn’t born at Christmas, but his father was, and after all, he’s a junior) made this stuffed “tart thing” with fresh tuna (he caught) and escarole encased in really good “pie-like” dough and she made pasta with fresh mussels. Of course, the limoncello came out again and we drank that after the prosecco the Russians had brought and wine that Amoila served. Our contribution was a big tray of Martorana Reale (marzipan candy shaped & painted like fruits & vegetables) but everyone was full, so Amolia sent them home with us for our travels. I kiss & cuddle Big Jim (Amolia’s cat who I’ve fallen in love with – and he with me) and we have an early night so we’re fresh for the drive to Sicily in the morning. We tell Amolia not to worry about cooking breakfast, as we’ll just have leftovers.
The next morning, she knocks on the door to deliver fresh, buffalo mozzarella and croissants and checks to see that we really DON’T want breakfast (it’s killing her) but she agrees that we can go “light”. The donkey arrives at 8am for our luggage and we pack up our stuff to hit the road. The drive down is a bit easier as most of Nocelle is still sleeping or preparing for a late start at work. We head back to Sorrento on an easier route that the GPS arbitrarily decides to select and we’re on the autostrada in about an hour headed to Sicily.
Three Days Close to Paradise . . . undeniable & amazing!
Driving out of Napoli was MUCH easier than getting into it – but nevertheless, once we wound around the town, had a brief stint on the autostrada and then found ourselves back on old, narrow streets . . it was like “wah-la” – we’re here! We pull into Camping Spartacus for parking right across from the entrance to Pompeii. We find it a bit strange that this magnificent historical site is completely surrounded by apartments & houses on one side and tourist & refreshment stands blocking the view to the sea (which is right across the street) on the other.
The ticket seller tells us if we have limited time to just concentrate on zones 1 (the baths), 7 (some religious areas & the center of city government) and 8 (some really nice villas and a couple of religious areas). There are 9 zones in all – and we end of hitting 7 of the 9. As we wonder through the main piazza (very magnificent) we are impressed at the sophistication of this place and how complete of a city it was in terms of architecture, business, government & social structure – as well as beautiful works of art, so much practicality (washing streets to clear out animal dung), stunning parks and beauty (yes, it was quite colorful in its day).
As we continue into Zone 2, we are overwhelmed by this HIGH RENT district. . the homes are MAGNIFICENT. Huge porticos for entry, many rooms, incredible & intricate tile floors, frescos on every wall, inside gardens & water collection methods, and huge outdoor patios & gardens that are impressive size for any urban area (modern or ancient). There are Spring flowers & vines everywhere and the fruit trees are heavy with citrus; they are beautiful and impressive indeed!
Sherine chooses her favorite and says she wants to live here. I find the restaurant of my dreams!! Yes, this area housed a number of large homes that had shops & restaurants in front of their personal spaces – kind of an ancient “multi-use” commercial / residential set-up (these Romans were SO smart . . before you jump down my throat for not referring to them as Pompeiians – note that Rome had Pompeii built for their own “pleasure” – and I know you’ve heard of all the types of “pleasure” they had here!)
Anyway – the first home I see with beautiful marble counters with holes in them – there’s a sign that says these were thought to be for separating & storing money. But – Sherine finds another sign that talks about how these holes were used for holding food – for restaurants. They had covers (which were gone at this point of course) so could be used for either hot or cold food and the marble would keep them sort of insulated. I start thinking that this would be the best set-up for me. I could make different dishes everyday based on my whims & the season and serve the hungry workers when they took their afternoon break from work. The counters were beautiful and the location was perfect – right on the street. You know what they say about choosing a spot for a restaurant . . location, location, location! Perfetto!! (of course, they need a little updating BUT the foot traffic is still very much there!!)
Over the past 30 years or so, many contemporary artists have been commissioned to do sculptures to replace many of the works of art that have been destroyed or pillaged. These are for the most part, made of bronze, so they really do blend in well with the antiquities. Many of the photographs we took showcase these works of art – in fact the cover shot of the foot / leg on this post is one of those statues.
All in all – an awesome day. It wasn’t very crowded and only about 60 degrees. I’m sorry that the pictures only give you a glimpse of this incredible city. If you ever have the chance, you have to come & see it. Note to all – they have left about 30% of the city covered and unexcavated. The archeologists wanted to be sure that as the exposed parts deteriorate that there are still parts left for future generations to see. It was mind-blowing to see how large this city was (even with the 30% still uncovered). I can only imagine how vibrant & impressive Pompeii would have been in its heyday.
Note to Ivania – after sharing your impressions of your trip to Pompeii, I was actively looking for the phallic symbols that you said you saw everywhere. We must have hit different areas, because other than at the baths (where I did see some quite risqué pictures) I didn’t see a one. As we were walking back to the car, just before the main piazza, I looked down and saw this. I laughed, took this picture and thought of you! Wish you were here!! 😊
So, I’m writing this post about 36 hours AFTER the experience of driving in Napoli (Naples, for those of you that aren’t familiar with its Italian name). Thankfully, I’ve had a LOT of alcohol this evening and can find the humor in it all – but truly – I don’t know how we got out of Naples without a single “ding” to the rental car . . or a visit to the emergency room. .or the morgue!
These people are CRAZY! I’m not talking on the scale of a little risky or aggressive – I mean 100%, certifiable CRAZY. These people don’t drive – THEY ASSERT!
So after a VERY pleasant experience with AutoEurope and an upgrade to a nice, new car – we easily find our way out of Rome Airport and begin our journey south. While we’re on the autostrada, it’s still beautiful with the green of Spring blooming everywhere & loads of mountain ranges framing the drive. The GPS says we’ll be there around 1:45pm and we’re cruising along. We are warned by the GPS of speed cameras and slowdown at appropriate points to avoid tickets. ALL GOOD! We manage to figure out the ticket “road toll” machines (which seem to keep popping up with requests for money) and even stopped for water at one of the really nice servico (rest stops) stations.
All of a sudden, we’re taking the turnoff to Napoli Centrale. We hit a ticket booth and struggle with payment, then the real fun begins. We merge onto a major city street that is brimming with cars going very fast. There are really no lane markers and people are just driving wherever they feel like it – sometimes, right at my tail – sometimes, 2 inches from my side fenders and doors. But what really FREAKS ME OUT every time I look in a mirror – is there are vespas coming at me from every direction! Weaving, cutting me off, barely missing me as they change lanes, darting between stopped cars, making U-turns through the small openings in the cement barriers that separate the direction lanes. Add the pedestrians that are crossing the streets, at random, from every direction and it feels like you’re in a car wash with fire hoses pounding you from every direction. THESE PEOPLE ARE NUTS! My blood pressure is rising, I’m using way too many 4-ketter words and the GPS had sent us twice around the same set of streets & we still don’t know where the hotel is.
**Note to self . . . the GPS had told us it would be about 6 minutes to the hotel once we exited the autostrada and at this point, we’ve been driving around for over 50 minutes! What the f&$#?
Finally, Sherine spots the hotel down a small alley and we have to circle the same route AGAIN to get back. In the meantime, I have old men flipping me off, people openly swearing at me as I go by, and others marketing types trying hard to get me to turn into their parking garages or hotels . . all while those damn vespas are darting in & out of everywhere!
All the while, I’m dying to pee and wondering if I can hold it much longer. When we finally pull in, I send Sherine in to quickly access whether we can park in front of the hotel. When she returns with the manager, he decides we can stay inside the stanchions in front of the hotel, rather than driving further to the secure parking lot. Since I’ve insured the car for EVERYTHING and at this point could really care less if someone were to just “jack the car”, I toss him the key & tell him he can park it where he likes – cause I’m off to find a bathroom! The gal at the desk directs me to the bagno (toilette) and I must have released about 2 cups of urine. I decide the volume must be tied to stress relief . . and Sherine agrees!
Once up in the room, I tell Sherine I MUST meditate – and I do. 16 minutes later – I’m good to go!
We decide to hit the Eat, Pray, Love Pizza Place . . Pizzeria Antica de Michele and once we finally find it, we wait a few minutes to get seated. We wait another 10 minutes to order and another 20 to get our food. These guys don’t care about service – they have plenty of business and could care less if you’re happy! The pizza is good – but not the best I’ve ever had – but I did get some interesting pictures. The check finally comes after trying for 5 minutes to get our waiters attention and he tells us it’s 11 Euros with NO service – but service is up to us. Sherine hands him a 50 and he says, “if you give me a 5 too, I can give you some change”. Of course, he brings back bills and 4 one Euro coins and says, “how much for me”? We give him the 4 Euros and he gets REALLY nice – cause of course, he’s just gotten a 40+% tip from the “sucker Americans”. All good – we’re off to the museum – walking through some interesting neighborhoods along the way (this is where we found the puppies & their mama).
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It’s dark when we come out of the museum, so we decide to take the metro, rather then walk back. We even stop at the marina stop to see the port at night, but after trying to find a route to the water that won’t get us killed, we decide to turn back & just return to the hotel. Getting back is definitely an exercise in programming the GPS and following its instructions – but we manage to get there after stopping for a gelato at a bar close by. All good – we’re safe & sound and Sherine’s off to bed.
I find a wonderful library & bar off of the lobby and park for the evening – checking in with Scott & email – and writing blog entries.
I finally fall into sleep only to get up around 3am and open the window to let in the cool air, as our room is stifling & hot in the humid Spring of Napoli. Strangely, all is quiet. . the CRAZY of Napoili has gone to bed too!
The church bells begin to ring at 7:30am . . . not sure what’s significant about this time of day or why they have to ring them so many times (seriously – doesn’t 30 rings seem a bit excessive?) – but I know one thing for sure – CRAZY TOWN is awake and ready to start another day!
Breakfast at Hotel San Pietro . . I’m going to gain 10 pounds!!
So, let me preface this post (the first one of the trip) with that fact that I have had VERY little sleep in the past 40 hours and some of these accounts could very well be sleep-deprived hallucinations. Matters not, this is HOW I experienced the “trip” to Italy.
March 21st
1:48am PST – Redmond WA, USA
I wake up after about 3 ½ hours of sleep and there is no way I’m going back to sleep. Action: get up, turn on MSNBC’s Morning Joe & take to yoga moves. Around 3:45am, I move to the bathroom, dress & start to get ready to move! Scott & leave the house at 4:30am for SEATAC and surprisingly find a lot of cars on the road. Nonetheless, we’re at the airport in less than 40 minutes. I hug & kiss him goodbye and he leaves me at the curb with my “what I deem to be very manageable” luggage (all 4 pieces of it)! **Yes, for all of you that I told I was “traveling light” – I lied!
5:25am PST – SEACTAC, USA
I’m through security (gotta love TSA’s Pre-Check) and trying to find some food, since I’ve been up for 3 ½ hours and haven’t had anything to eat. For me, to have forgotten to bring anything but some energy bars & dark chocolate, is crazy & somewhat perplexing. I go on the hunt for protein! At 6:20am – Alaska begins to board (down the steps, onto the open rainy tarmac & up the wet staircase) for the flight to Portland. We leave 5 minutes ahead of schedule . . and the journey begins.
7:50am PST – Portland, OR USA
Another outside, rainy disembarking on the Portland tarmac, up a bunch of stairs and I’m in search of the gate for my next flight – cause I only have a 40 minute layover. **Sorry, Kim, I was going to text & say good morning – but the call of a potty break took precedence! I quickly board the flight for the next leg which will take me to Dallas. Almost everyone is aboard and I think I’ve lucked out pretty good because there’s no one in the window seat & a nice lady who’s planning to move over from her middle seat – when this brother & sister board the plane. The boy is very much in the “take care of your sister mode”. I was very impressed at how take charge & mature he was – and asks if the lady in the middle seat would be willing to trade with him – so he & his sister can sit together. So my seat mates turn out to be a 17 year old brother and his 10 year old half sister. His father was a missionary and they’ve lived all over the world (most of the exotic places were when he was a baby – so he doesn’t really remember – has just heard the stories). They have the same mother – but different fathers – and they both live in Dallas (and their mother is in Eugene, OR – I’m sure there’s more to “that” story – but I didn’t ask!!). They were SO excited that I was going to Italy “for fun” and that I was practicing the language AND that I was going to be there for Easter and see the procession (these are afterall, kids of missionaries – so not surprising I guess that the religious holiday would be the high point of the discussion for them). Anyway, they were charming & so curious & so polite & so friendly. . . I kind of thought I was traveling with Alex & Sienna.
2:20pm CT – Dallas, TX
We arrive a few minutes behind schedule, but no worries, I’ve got 3 hours to kill. I asked the gate agent where my connection would be and in “very thick Mexican accented English” she tells me to take the train to D34. I get on the train & go to the next stop and go to the gate but no one’s there and the flight isn’t posted. So, I find another gate agent who tells me that I need to go to E34 (see the hallucinations are starting) so I jump back on the trainAll this on & off of escalators & trains AND dragging all that luggage around and a hot flash is coming on fast! About that time, I realize that the 84 degree, sunny weather in Dallas coupled with my “running around” to find my gate is NOT a good combination of activities for me – ESPECIALLY when I begin to smell myself and recall kicks in that I DID NOT PUT ANY DEODARANT ON this morning when I got dressed. Really?!?! So I run into the bathroom & put some on – but frankly it’s a little late!! Oh well . . . sorry international seat mates.
We finally start to board and I realize my boarding pass doesn’t have a zone # for loading. I go up to the counter and the agent says, where have you been, we’ve paged you 4 times (did I mention he also spoke a very thinkly accented South American English and I had to ask him to repeat himself twice)? I asked if they’d given away my seat – thank God, they did not. He must have taken some pity on me because I found myself boarding with the priority people. Turns out when you sit in the VERY BACK, they really just want to get you out of the way 😊. So I get all settled in a nice, aisle seat 2 rows from the back and a nice, elderly English guy even helps me put my luggage up in the overhead. No one comes to sit in the last 2 rows and apparently they’re holding them for the flight attendants’ breaks (more on that later). However, the flight is pretty light – meaning not all the seats are full – and the flight attendants start actively working on getting things balanced & people spread out. Long story short, they ask me to move to the very back row so 2 people that are sitting together could have the 3 seats in the middle that I would have had to myself. I ended up with a very delightful 60-something woman who retired in Hawaii – but was traveling to Spain to spend 2 months looking at & studying art – pretty cool & somewhat inspiring that others are doing the “gotta travel” thing!
The Boeing 787 is a very impressive plane indeed! During loading one of the flight attendants shooed a passenger away from the back galley saying that the bathrooms were in the middle. So, my seat mate & I spent the flight telling people who came back looking for the bathroom that they needed to go up front. Turns out – there was a bathroom right behind us – but we managed to keep it much to ourselves and avoid that “smelly overused” state that so often accompanies those back seats!!!
I slept maybe 3 hours off & on – and finally gave up about 2 hours before we landed. (It didn’t help that two of the male flight attendants decided to sit in those reserved seats behind the center row that I’d been in originally- and turn on their overhead lights & begin to have a lengthy discussion on what they do when they’re not flying.) I decided to do my morning mediation (as it was morning in Europe by now and I had already adjusted my watch) only to have a boxed breakfast of sugary carbs slapped down on my tray table & one of the male attendants (yes, one of the aforementioned ones) interrupting me with “what would you like to drink?”. I opened my eyes, smiled and said “hot tea please” and went right back to mediating. All good . . I’m on my way to Italy after all!!
But the way, it’s NOW March 22 – at least where I AM!
9:00am local time – Madrid, Spain
We land at what IS UNDOUBTEDLY the largest airport that I’ve ever been to – and that even includes Heathrow. I have never walked so much in my life . . and of course, I’ve still got all that luggage in tow. The walk to customs was at least 7 minutes, but at least customs was a piece of cake. Despite my best & most friendly “Buenos Dias” – I didn’t even get a hello from the dude, he just stamped my passport& handed it back. Another 10 minutes and I finally arrive at baggage claim & wait about 20 more minutes for the bags to start coming up. (btw – I had stopped to ask which terminal to go to for my last flight – Alitalia – and was told to take the bus to Terminal 2) I finally see my bag (I checked one – carried 3) and grab it, consolidate some stuff in prep for security check point and start to make my way to the exit. A nice gal stops me to ask if I need a taxi or gate connection information and I tell her I’m going to Alitalia in Terminal 2. She asks if it’s international and I say, “no, domestic to Rome”. She looks at my boarding pass and confirms that I really must go to terminal 1, not 2. Error obverted – thank goodness!
After boarding the bus, we seriously drove for about 5 miles & 10 minutes – did I mention I started at Terminal 4? I follow the crowd and they enter a door that leads us back to the area where we were dropped off originally (more unnecessary movement) and then I finally find the escalator to check in (easy). Security check point was easy with help of nice TSA-equivalent gal that “had to feel me up” – as the sensors went off with all the metal in my hips. Then I walked another 15 minutes to get to the very last gate in Terminal 1. (Note that this airport actually has posted times on all signs that tell you how long it should take you to move / walk to your gate. Mine said, 17 minutes, so I think I did pretty well.
Flight is delayed – but pilots make up some time. I’m barely awake at this point, as I’m on like hour 25 of this trip!
Note to self – and clarification for all of you . .
I SUCK at remembering to take pictures – but I finally remember this as I arrive at Madrid’s baggage claim area and realize – THIS IS A REALLY COOL PLACE. So here you go – Baggage Claim in Terminal 4 in Madrid. The picture of the chairs actually has MADRID incorporated for proof – but honestly, I really took that picture for my niece, Lindsey, she would love these chairs!
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2:10pm local time – Rome Airport, Italy
We touch down and quickly (and I mean quickly) drive to the gate. Except, it’s not a gate, it’s another set of stairs and there are buses at the bottom waiting to take you to the actual gate . . and more walking to get to baggage claim (another 15 minutes of walking!). Takes about 10 minutes for bag to come up & I know I have to walk to the airport hotel – but first I have to go up 3 floors to the walkway. I follow the signs and after about 15 minutes finally arrive at the hotel. The young guy that checks me in is charming & so cute. He tells me he just split with his girlfriend and I ask “was that a good thing?”, he assures me it was – as she is just “too young & doesn’t take me seriously”. I say you’re too young to be serious and get married and he asks how old I think he is. In my best broken Italian, I say “you’re probably trentadue (32), but look venticinque (25)”. He laughs and says, your pronunciation is beautiful & yes, I’m 25!
3:05pm local time – Rome Airport Hilton Hotel, Italy
So I’m finally in my room. I’ve been traveling for close to 27 hours and up for over 29 (with a few hours of broken dozing) and I am exhausted. I’m punchy and smelly and I just want a nap. So I splash water on my face, clean up using the bidet (first time – could kind of get used to one. . Scott, make note for new house!) and crawl into bed for a 3 hour nap.
5:17pm & my phone buzzes and I’m wide awake. I stay in bed for another hour watching the horror of London terrorist attack and think about my girlfriend Sherine, who’s landing in London about now to jump on a flight and meet me in Italy. I spend another hour or so repacking my stuff to make it more manageable and consider shipping some home (or just throwing stuff away!!). I get re-dressed and decide to find something to eat. I opt for the café over the formal restaurant and have a wonderful first meal in Italy (see subsequent post). A hot bath in a big tub and a rain showerhead bring me back to smelling nice and now I sit here waiting for Sherine to arrive and typing this post.
So this is what 27 hours of travel looks like! Oh, and did I fail to mention that this leg of the trip cost a mere 20,000 miles & $19??? SO REALLY – who cares – I’m in Italy!!!
I really love these oldie, but goodies!!
What is this thing anyway? I’m thinking a sacrificial altar?!?!
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My husband takes great pictures! Really, this pic of Lady Liberty could generate lots of money from postcard sales!
Me – I’m all about the MEAT! Those are prosciutto hams hanging at Eataly – Mario Batali’s Italian Food Emporium. The cheese, the meat, the bread, the pasta . . that’s just the beginning! I could literally live in this place for the rest of my days!!!
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The older I get, the less I want “stuff”. So for this last Christmas, Scott promised to not buy me any presents – and he didn’t (for those of you that know him – that was a really hard for him, cause he loves buying & giving presents). Instead, we had an experience, made some memories & visited somewhere neither of us had been before . . Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Not to bore you with historical & interesting details – but there’s some pretty cool stuff I didn’t know about Santa Fe.
We visited Taos in an attempt to see the Taos Pueblo. Unfortunately, one of the elders had died that day (so we were told) and they had an unscheduled closely. Taos was not what I expected AT ALL. It must be more quaint in the winter with snow . . in February, it just looked old & dirty. Oh that’s right – February IS winter. None the less, their snow had come & gone about a week earlier and I was still unimpressed.
We did see a herd of mountain sheep on our drive along the river (suggested by a local guy we met that morning at breakfast – where we were eating red chile pork stew & tortillas – who said we had to get off the highway and hit the dirt road along the river – A REALLY GREAT suggestion by the way!) . . AND a really cool suspension bridge that’s like 600 feet above the Rio Grande River Gorge (again, we were told we had to go there – but found out that it’s a huge site for suicide jumpers – there’s actually call boxes along the bridge that are direct lines to the suicide hotline – kind of sad, but there’s also graffiti messages all over the boxes telling people they’re loved & have value in the world . . kind of nice if you think about it).
So the next day, we go to Bandelier Museum. This place is really awesome if you’re in to seeing how the Pueblo Indians lived – and we were. After climbing from the “floor” of Santa Fe, way up in to the mountains (covered with snow – so you know we had to be much higher than Taos), we drove about 2 miles DOWN into this huge valley, ravine, cavern – I don’t know technically what they called it! There we find the ruins of an entire city – yes, city . . partially on the valley floor and the other built into the hillside (these were we told, made up kind of a “high rent” district of the time!). Amazing to see & crawl around them. The picture of Scott & me below was taken at the top of cliff – it was the ceremonial site and we had to climb up FOUR ladders (and back down again) to get there. This was a bit gnarly for a little chicken shit like me – but I did it and was pretty proud of myself!
We also got saw a small herd of deer (about 7) that were NOT afraid of us humans at all. The buck was just laying down by the tree watching “his herd”. We saw them twice while we were in the park. We walked a path of about 2 1/2 miles and they had moved about an 1/8 of a mile in the same time frame. Oh well, we all have our own priorities!!
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So of course, the rest of the trip was spent looking for the best places to eat (we actually did some other touristy things – but honestly, food is always MY priority)!! If you go – there are three places I highly recommend:
Scott picked up the crud the last night we were there – but persevered though another Pueblo Monument & the drive back to Santa Fe on Sunday – only to arrive to a flight that was delayed by 3 hours. I have to say – he held up well – but as usual when traveling with Scott – something happens! That kind of stuff just follows him – makes for interesting travel stories (at least after the fact).
All in all – a great Christmas “present-experience” – that I only wish would have included my parents (since we’d all talked about going together for years). Oh well – there’s always another time!
Where is Kari 