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October 27, 2004 - November 3, 2004
Several weeks after my mother passed away in May of 2004, I decided to visit Italy. I invited my dad to come along. Although he'd never been an eager traveler, he agreed. Between the planning of the trip and the departure date, he met, decided to marry and then actually married a nice lady by the name of Jean Gaylor. They married on October 9th. I suppose it is not considered good form to get married, then travel overseas without your new wife within the first month of marriage, so we invited Jean to come along.
Hello!
What a day the last 24 hours have been! Philip dropped us off at the airport yesterday and we had no line at the check in counter. We zipped right through security and had still about 1.5 hours left until boarding! So, we wondered around until Daddy got a little agitated that we were not at the gate yet, so we went and sat at the gate for the hour prior to our departure. |
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The flight from Dallas to Chicago was only half full. 2.5 hours, no sweat. We got off the plane in Ohare and found that our departure gate was only about 4 down from where we had landed, so we went through a Wolfgang Puck fast food place and got these REALLY YUMMY sandwiches to eat while we waited.
We got to see Homeland Security folks finger printing people who did not have US passports to record their departure from the US. Very interesting times we live in.
The configuration of the plane was 2,3,2. Daddy and Jean had two seats together and I was 2 rows behind them. I had a two seats to myself! I could not believe my good fortune. The third Harry Potter movie was the first movie. The most exciting thing that happened on the flight was that we got to witness the entire lunar eclipse from 10 miles above you guys! Our view was not obstructed by any clouds or barrier of any kind. I could see it right through my window.
We all cat napped a little on the plane, but not a whole lot, and not very well. We were comfortable enough, I guess, for being on an airplane, but it was the middle of the day to us!
So, we arrive in Rome and claim our bags. Jeans was the very last one off the plane. We were getting a little nervous, but I had made an executive decision to buy °Pack and Go° insurance from Travel Guard right before we walked out the door. So, if we had not made it with the luggage, we would have been covered.
We went to the rail station at the airport and purchased tickets to to to Roma Termini Station. The train was standing room only (with luggage) so that was fun, but we arrived soon enough. We walked from the rail station to the hotel and a band of gypsies tried to steal from us. One little girl actually had her hand on Dads coat, which was draped over his suitcase, and he slapped her hand off. She acted horribly offended.
One of the rooms was ready at the hotel, so we went up and freshened up and hit the road again. We ate a little lunch, then we hopped in a cab to the Vatican. We saw St. Peters Basillica and the Sistene Chapel. From there we took a cab to the Pantheon, saw that...and walked to a nearby Gelato place. From there we walked to Piazza Navona, then the Spanish Steps. From the Spanish Steps we took a cab back here to the hotel. We were in motion for 24 hours, so it is now time for bed. I am trying to decide if I am going to put my shoes back on and go out for some food, or if I just want to get in the shower and go to bed. I will probably eat. I feel that I have been eating nonstop since I got here. So why break with tradition.
Tomorrow, rail to Venice!!
Rome Photo Gallery |
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| The Pantheon | The Vatican | The Spanish Steps |
When I sat down here to do this email, this is the first thing I read (an email from Philip)
==This morning (5:00AM) I was awoken by two scared kids. Trey was having trouble breathing and had gone to the most responsible person in the house (Ruthie) for help. We went to the ER where they did tests and Xrays. I was shocked that Trey was negative for Strep (there was a strep notice sent home with Trey Yesterday). He has Croup (inflammation of the larynx caused by a viral infection). The doctor gave him a steroid shot and a prescription. If he struggles to breathe again, we are supposed to bring him back in asap. Trey and Ruthie were both very sad to miss the parade this year. I was especially proud of Ruthie who understood that there would not be enough time to get her to Greenhill after Trey was released from the hospital. The kids and I are going to bed.==
At this time I am IMing with Philip and it sounds like things are going well. I IMed with Ruthie for a few minutes and told her how proud I am of how she took care of her brother. She said she was scared. I am very proud of her.
Last night I slept for 14 hours. I think I should be given the opportunity to sleep that long every night. It was GREAT!
This morning we woke up and ate the hotel breakfast. Then we got all packed up and walked back to the Termini Rail Station. We were, of course, very early - so we sat and read the newspaper, etc. Then we made our way to the track where our train was to come in. A few minutes later it did come in. We found our car number and got on. A nice lady helped us get our bags onto the luggage rack and then promptly requested 20 Euros for the help. We gave her 5 (she really was helpful). Another person on the train told us that the day before when they took the train from the airport into the city that that same type of person had helped them and charged them 90 Euros. They were so sleepy after the flight that they thought they were supposed to pay her and they did! So, word to the wise. If you get on the train and someone not in a train uniform starts to help you with your bags...either stop them or be prepared!
It was a very beautiful train ride from Rome to Venice. We stopped at Florence and Bologna along the way but did not have to change trains. We got off the train at Venice Santa Lucia station and got on Vaporetti number one. We took the full 45 ride down the Grand Canal until we got off near St. Marks Square which is where our hotel is.
You would not believe this place. It is pretty much impossible to understand the endless web of weaving streets. Things that, to us, look like alleys are indeed streets with shops and hotels on them. It is raining quite hard this evening, I am hoping it will calm down so I can go get lost again.
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I have been taking sleeping pictures of Daddy and Jean. I will make a photo montage of them called "Daddy and Jean Sleep through Italy". They may very well make one of me called "Cathi Eats Her Way Through Italy". |
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Being on the train today drove Daddy crazy. He had the map and he kept asking me what direction my compass said we were going. When we left Rome, our seats faced the direction the train was going. Then after Florence, we were always riding backwards. It just never seemed that we were going in the proper direction toward Venice, but we did indeed get here.
Okay - I am going to go check on Daddy and Jean and...perhaps go get something to EAT!
CB
...Tomorrow we are in Venice all day. Rain Rain Go Away!!
Venice Photo Gallery |
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| Our Gondola Ride | Our Hotel | San Marco |
Howdy Again,
I just came back from further exploring in Venice. It is hard for me to sit still because I am worried about my little boy. I hate that I was not there...and I hate that Philip had to, once again, take Trey to the Emergency Room alone.
Trey talked to me briefly on the phone and still sounded troubled that his throat was so swollen. He sounded awful. I asked him how he was and he said °BAD°.
I bought travel interrruption insurance right before we left...I just might use it.
CB
Hello again from Venice,
First of all, I got an email from Philip that says Trey is doing much better. Thank you for your prayers on his behalf. I will go up and call to check in them in just a minute.
We have had quite a day exploring Venice. We slept until 8am when the noise through our open windows woke us up. The best we can figure out is that it was the sound of the street vendor carts being pulled down the cobble stones to the waterfront in order to sell for the day.
The first thing we did was walk to the Doges Palace. We took the audio tour. It was interesting enough, but the logistics of the audio tour need some improvements. For instance, this summer when I did the one at Buckingham Palace, each room had a sign with the number it was within the audio tour...so, if you got messed up, you always knew which room you were standing in. The tour today did not do a good job of describing which way to go. We pretty much got lost on the Bridge of Sighs and in the prison. Glad we finally got out of there!
After that we went and took a vaporetti down to Rialto. From there we just got off and started walking. We managed to find ourselves in the fish and produce market. It was interesting and colorful and smelly. Shops with glass and masks abound. Pez dispensers though, seen to be hard to find. (Sorry, Jackson...I will keep looking.)
We came by this store (www.lush.it) which is located on the Rialto Bridge. Apparently they also have stores in the US. I just checked and one of them is in Portland (Phyllis) and one of them is in Boston (Chuck). What a cool place! I bought a couple of things even though I am not entirely sure what they are since I could not read anything in the store. Seems like an even funkier Body Shop...and if you know me...you know I love the Body Shop.
After a fair amount of exploring, a Gondolier approached us and offered us a price for a ride of $80.00 for a ride. We said we would think about it and we walked off. The man followed us and offered a new price of $70.00. Daddy decided to take him up on it. Riding a gondola in Venice was something Jean particularly wanted to do. So, we hopped on the boat. I had read that a gondola was particularly relaxing, but I could not figure out why it would be relaxing. Well, count me among the convinced. I really was a highlight of the day.
I read that the gondolas cost around $10,000.00 used and upwards of $65,000.00 new. Add to that the cost of maintenance and those special gondolier shirts and hats they have to wear. I asked the guy how many trips he normally takes per day. He said the average is 2 to 3. So, let us do the math. If he does three trips a day, at $80.00 per trip, assuming he works 7 days a week and it never rains (which would result in a day with no trips) . That comes to $87,360.00 per year. I think another expense is that the guy that bargained with us is not the guy that took us...So I think probably the driver had to pay some sort of a fee to the guy who brought the passengers. Suffice it to say that they are not raking in the dough.
Anyway, enough of trying to figure out the economy of the gondola industry. Next we found our way to San Marco and Jean and I went into the Basillica. Daddy stayed outside and held my backpack. They are not allowed inside and Daddy did not want to go in bad enough to stand in line.
So now we find ourselves back at the hotel. I am going to go upstairs and call. I think I will try to find a place with an outside seating area where we can just sit and have a coke and whittle the hours away. Think we will get away with that?
We will see.
Ciao!
Well, it is about 9:30pm here in Venice. We have had a wonderful evening. After this mornings tour of Doges Palace and the San Marco church, we were back here at the hotel for a while, checking email, checking in at home, etc.
After that I told Daddy and Jean that I did not mind sitting down, but I would rather do it outside. So, we went to a cafe just by the hotel that looks out on the water front. We each ordered a hot chocolate and sat and watched people go by and what not. Jean saw an artist doing paintings and told daddy she would like to have one. So, they got up and went and looked at them all and decided on which one to get. They are very happy with it. I have not seen it because it was rolled up in a tube for packing by the time they got back to me.
The biggest hit of our cafe experience was when Daddy ordered a bowl of ice! It still was not very much, but it was nice to have ice at all!
After we got up from the cafe to walk around we heard this big BOOM! I said "OH, Fireworks!" My good friend Sherry and her husband are here in Venice also right now (we have not managed to find each other yet....) and she emailed me that there were going to be fireworks tonight. So, we hurried over right to the edge of the water so that no one could get in our way. We stodd there for .... I do not know how long it was half an hour? 45 minutes? I do not know, but I do know that it was probably the greatest fireworks display I have ever seen. I do not know if the effect of having the water, not to mention Venice, as the backgrop had an effect on my opinion or not.
I asked at the hotel what the occasion for the fireworks was. He said "I do not know, no reason I guess!"
Anyway, after fireworks we thought we would go sit and eat somewhere so we started roaming around and looking at all of the menus we came to. Finally we decided on a certain restaurant...they really seemed to be nice...we just kept walking until we were tired of walking :-) We had a pretty good meal, then we started home. We got helplessly hopelessly lost....then asked directions of someone who did not speak a lick of english. But, we eventually found our way back.
So, tomorrow we will go to Florence. We even have daylight savings time tonight...just like at home!
More Later,
CB
More Venice Photo Gallery |
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| A View of Venice | Raised Sidewalks for flooding | |
Greetings!
This morning we awakened to the sound of hard rain outside our window. We slept with the windows open all night both nights in Venice. Since we allowed for daylight savings time, we had awakened early at 7am. We took showers and went down to breakfast. After breakfast we packed up and braved the driving rain to get on the Vaporetti and go to the train station. It was raining very hard and it was difficult to manage the umbrella and the luggage at the same time.
We did, however, make it to the rail station in more or less one piece. We went in and got our reservation on the appropriate train. While waiting for the train to come we had a nice conversation with a couple from Ohio. Then on the train we sat with a gentleman who is taking a year off from being a special interest lobbyist from Washington DC.
Upon arrival in Florence we decided to walk to the hotel. It was longer than we guessed, but still within the realm of reasonable. We got to our bed and breakfast and had to ring a buzzer so that they could buzz us in. Claudio met us at the door and helped us up the flight of stairs and put the bags on the lift. This is a 5 room bed and breakfast. We have Internet access in the room, complete with computer in each room. We also have a fax machine in each room with a direct phone and fax number.
After getting settled in and doing some laundry in the sink, we set out for the computer place down the street because my big memory stick was full and I needed someone to burn the images to a CD. The gentleman there told us about a great sandwich shop...so we went down there next. Boy was he RIGHT! We had the best sandwiches I may have ever had. The place is actually an olive oil shop and they happen to also make sandwiches. The owner told Jean (when she was making boring sandwich choices) that "In Italy you have to let your fantasy choose your food". They are having a balsamic vinegar tasting and an olive oil tasting tomorrow night. I will call in the morning and, assuming they are not full I will attend.
Yesterday I forgot to tell you that I was reminded why I hate those currency exchangers that are everywhere. We greatly prefer to use ATM machines because you get no markup on the exchange rate, and no commission. Yesterday daddy had to get more money for our gondola ride, so he stopped by one of those places. I had some US currency in my money belt...and the exchange rate did not seem too far off the wholesale rates I had seen before leaving home...so..I went ahead and exchanged some US dollars for Euros. As I examined the receipt later I realized that I had forgotten that not only do they mark up the exchange rate, but they also charge just a fee for doing the money. Yikes! I hate that I did that...but it was a good reminder...which I am now passing along to you!
Okay - I had better go see if Daddy and Jean are ready to go find dinner.
More later,
CB
Florence Photo Gallery |
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| The Duomo | The Ponte Vecchio | |
Greetings All!
Yesterday we saw the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio, and we have no interest in seeing the inside of another church or museum...so we decided to go ahead and take a day trip to Pisa.
So, we hit the streets and walked back to the sandwich shop I told you about yesterday. He made us sandwiches to go. Then, we walked to the train station, looked at the board to find the next train to Pisa...and went and bought Jean a ticket. (Daddy and I both have passes.) Then, we just went to the track and hopped on. This was just an inter-city train and was not nearly as nice as the ones we have been on thus far. The trip is only an hour, however.
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We got off at the Pisa Centrale station and got a taxi. Then we got out, walked through the wall surrounding Miracle Square and said "Yep, it sure is leaning!" Then we found a place to perch and eat our sandwiches. It was raining (Philip, wasnt it raining when we were there last time?) After we ate, we went back to the taxi waiting area to catch a taxi back to the train station. There was not a taxi in sight. I walked up to the street....only one taxi passed by...it did not turn..and it had someone in it anyway. |
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So, after waiting a while more, I walked into a hotel and asked the front desk lady if she could call us a taxi. She was very friendly and did call us a taxi. I tipped her a little bit and she seemed pleasantly surprised.
So, back to the station we went, there was a train leaving shortly, so we hopped on it. We got back to Florence without incident and walked back to our hotel.
We had heard about a wonderful restaurant and wanted to eat there for dinner. So, we got out the map and walked over there....only to find out they do not open until 730pm. It was 5pm when we were trying to eat. (We are an early to bed bunch.)
So, we ended up getting sandwiches and eating them in the outdoor courtyard here at our B and B. Now I am here writing to you.
I think I am about to run a hot bath and watch CNN. (This place has more english language channels than anywhere else we have been...but it is still all news channels.)
Tomorrow we go to Vernazza!
Ciao!
CB
Greetings all!
This morning we got up in Florence and had decided to catch the 801am direct train to LaSpezia, rather than a later one that would change in Pisa. So, we got up extra early and went out to check out. Claudio was no where in sight. So, we wrote him a note and told him to go ahead and make all of the charges to the credit card I had provided him when I reserved the room. We left our keys on his desk.
As we walked out onto the street a breathless Claudio came out right behind us. He seemed to be in a poor mood every time we saw him, and his mood was especially poor now. He was holding the note I had written..so i do not think he thought we were trying to walk out on him..but he kept saying I should have told him last night that we were leaving so early. Well...when we checked in he said that he was there (and I quote) ALL THE TIME. So, I did not see the need. Anyway, Daddy went up and took care of Claudio while Jean and I stood on the sidewalk with the luggage. In just a few minutes we were on the way to the train station. It seems I just get familiar enough with the streets when we leave a city.
The train ride to LaSpezia was uneventful. We were in a little couchette sort of setup. We got off the train at LaSpezia and waited for the train to Vernazza. On the trip between LaSpezia and Vernazza we were a lot of the time in tunnels because we were going through mountains. Then from time to time we would get a beautiful glimpse of ocean. How beautiful! Then we arrived at Vernazza. We got off and walked down the stairs on to the main street of Vernazza. It was like a postcard or something in a movie. We called the gentleman who was renting us our rooms and he walked down to get us at the train station and walked us back to the rooms. You can walk all of Vernazza in about 5 minutes.
The rooms are lovely and even though they do not have a sea view, they have lovely views of the surrounding hills. I could waste alot of bandwidth trying to describe how beautiful and lovely and perfect this place is...but I would fail. You just must come yourself.
If I had it to plan again we would skip everything else and just come here. I have already informed Philip that we are bringing the kids here.
We are taking our afternoon rest right now because the restaurants for dinner do not open here until 730pm. Since we feel safe here we want to stay out late and see what it looks like at night here.
Tomorrow at about noon we will leave and make our way to Rome where we will spend the night at the Marriott Courtyard at the Rome airport. Then its home...and although this place is lovely, there is no place like home.
If you havent already...go vote.
God Bless America.
CB
Vernazza Photo Gallery |
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| Isn't Vernazza Beautiful? | Boats Lined Up | |
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| Vernazza From Up High | Umbrellas Out to Dry | |
Greetings All!
This last day in Italy was spent traveling from Vernazza to Rome. We have been on three trains and one hotel shuttle bus. We are currently in the Marriott Courtyard Rome Airport. The telephone number 011 39 06 999 351 if anyone wants to call me :-) I am in room 210. Daddy and Jean are in 209.
I want to describe yesterday and today to you, but I am very tired. We all are...and Jean is waiting for this computer.
I know this email goes to people of varying political affiliations, but we were very relieved to get here and see that our candidate had won. Daddy and Jean are behind me here in this business lounge watching the acceptance speech. Bush is very unpopular here.
We are eager to begin the last leg of the journey in the morning. We have already decided that we are going to go through Whataburger drive through and have hamburgers, fries and Dr. Pepper with LOTS OF ICE! ...and Philip, tell the kids that if they ask for Milkshakes...the answer is YES! Mommy is on her way home!!
God Bless America,
Catherine Banks