Day 12 - Venice to Lauterbrunnen

We're up early today. We need to catch an 8:30 train from Venice to Spiez, Switzerland. We get to the St. Lucia train station with time to spare only to find out that our train leaves from the Maestre station on the mainland. Fortunately we catch a local train and make our connection on time. We sure are learning alot on this trip, like pay attention to detail!

So we settle in for the next five hours, bread, cheese and wine in tow. The train to Milan is pretty crowded. But from Milan to Spiez we're able to stretch out. At the Swiss border dogs are brought on board searching for either drugs or weapons. It only takes a few minutes and we're on our way.

In Spiez we transfer to the Interlaken Ost train. And from Interlaken we transfer tot a local train to Lauterbrunnen. This town only has one street so finding our hotel is a breeze. Hotel Staubach was built in 1890 and we can hear the years creak as we walk over the worn wooden floors. Our room, #14 has a view of the main drag and the Staubbach Falls, the grand dame of the village.

We freshen up and head out to dinner at the Oberland hotel. Tony has a great dish of vegetable lasagna and I opt for the green salad with rasberry vinigerette dressing and chicken skewers. After two weeks in Italy my palate was ready for a change. Both meals were delicious.

After dinner we walk past our hotel to the Staubbach Falls and find a path leading up to the falls. So we suck in our full bellies, walk past the field of sheep with clanking bells on their necks, and hike up the path behind the waterfall. I'm so proud of Tony. He made it to the top! A couple of photo ops and back down we go. Our hotel is only a block away so we head home and call it a day. But not before skyping with family back home.

Day 11 - Exploring Venice

We're up early listening to the church bells of Venice. So we shower and dress. At 8 Cristina delivers our breakfast cart. Coffee, fruit tarts, toastt & cereal. Just enought to give us a kickstart for the morning. After breakfast we're off to St. Marks Bacilica.

It's before 9 when we get there and we have the square to ourselves. We walk through the square, past the bell tower which is open, but fenced off for reinforcement. The line to the Doge'z Palace is virtually non-existant so we decide to take the tour and we're glad we did. Two hours later we exit after seeing the private quarters, council quarters, the prision and walking over the "Bridge of Sighs". It was a great tour.

We leave St. Mark's ready to wander the streets and alleys of Venice. With the assistance of a good map, we find our way back to the Rialto, then walk through the farmer's market where we munch on fresh fruit cups. What's Venice without a (quick) walk through the fish market! It's only noon, but the fish stands are beginning to close. Locals buying their dinner and pulling their little shopping carts behind are are mingled with the tourist's. Wandering through the streets of the Rialto neighborhood we find a cafe with cold beer and pizza. The pizza's always cheap, but the beers - ah, who cares, we're on vacation. We're served by an Asian waitress and after a bit more observation we realize we must be in the Chinese section of Venice.
After lunch we take a traghetto, or public gondola across the canal. There are only 3 bridges on the Grand Canal. But there are 7 Tragetto stops used mostly by locals to get quickly across the canal. The streets in this area are much wider. We to head toward the train station and noticed there are alot of police standing around in riot gear. Mmmm, don't know what's going on but we decide to cross over the Canal at the station and then head back to the apartment for a siesta. Eating gelato is tiring.

This evening we head back to St. Marks before dinner. The crowds have thinned, but it's still quite busy. We're wearing long pants and jackets and we're glad we are 'cause the wind on this side of the island is quite cold. After a couple more photo ops we decide that neither of us are hungry enough to eat out so we head back to our neighborhood where we find a corner market to purchase some local wine, bread and cheese. Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. Tomorrow morning will come quickly. Time to head back to our place, nibble on our groceries, pack up and hit the hay.

Tomorrow .... Switzerland.

Day 10 - Venice

Dinnner last night was at Sandro's in Vernazza. We dined on pesto, pasta and sword fish and lots of local white wine. We even took a bottle from the restaurant and walked down to the waterfront completing the evening with reminiscence of the past 9 days. We've had a wonderful time and can't believe that after six months of planning our Italian holiday is coming to an end. But we're all looking forward to the next leg of our separate vacations.
Tony & I woke early Friday morning & got ourselves packed up and headed out to the train. On the way out of town we stopped at the internet cafe steps to check email. While surfing we heard someone call our names from above. It was John sticking his head out of their apartment window. We wished each other farewell again and headed up to the train station. From Vernazza we had to catch the local train to Monterossa. The local Cinque Terra trains aren't real reliable and for some reason there's an hour break in train service at the time we needed to leave so we left a bit earlier, got ourselves to Monterossa and had coffee and pastry for breakfast while waiting for our train.

Besides being long, the train ride to Venice was uneventful. The scenery out of Cinque Terra was breathtaking. The countryside of Northern Italy is green and prosperous. And between Milan and Venice I think I may have spotted the mountain where our kitchen granite came from. We had passed some marble mines training out of Florence, but these mines (are they mines?) were amazing. Whole sides of mountains just sawed off. I think I'm having some granite guilt.

We pulled into the Venice's Santa Lucia train station around 5:15. Found our way to the vaparetto and floated down the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge. Our B&B was only a block in from the bridge and we had no trouble finding it. Climbing the steps however....left us winded. Our room was a 3rd floor attic conversion with sloping roof and open beams. We could only stand straight in half of the room and the bath. But the plumbing was new, breakfast was included and it was very clean. Not to mention the fact that it was relatively inexpensive by Venice standards,especially considering our location.

After freshening up we headed out to a restaurant recommended by our host, Cristina. More great Italian pasta and wine. We finished off the evening by walking back to the Rialto. While standing on the bridge we heard a bunch of shouting by the vaparetto stop. Oh my gosh, someone fell into the Canal while trying to get on the vaparetto! We watched as another man from shore jumped into the water to rescue the man. Then the vaparetto crew threw in a couple of life rings. There was alot of commotion and then we saw one of the crew members jumped in to the canal to assist. There was a water taxi and a gondola near by. They also helped with pulling the person out of the water. As we walked down along the canal the vaparetto was still stopped and the guy was still laying in the boat with people attending him. Being in that canal water had to have some serious health consequences.

Enough excitement. We're off to bed. Tomorrow's a busy day.

Day 9 - Vernazza

I'm sitting on the steps next to the internet cafe. Sorry there are no photos in the earlier blog. Will try to add some when we get to Switzerland on Sunday.

We had a wonderful day walking a part of the Cinque Terre Trail. It was hot and high. I'm so proud of Tony. He made it all 2.6 miles with not problem with the heights.

We're on our way to dinner. Tomorrow we part ways with the Bernardi's. They head north and we'll be going to Venice.

Day 8 - Florence to Cinque Terre

Our bags are packed. We'll be training to the Cinque Terre later this morning. But first we walk over to the Caffe Conti for a caffe latte and pastry. Yum, I can get used to this! We stop back briefly at the hotel, to freshen up, and then head over to the Duomo. We're a little early for entry, so we head down the street to Lorenzo's Market were we do a little shopping. Then we head back to the Duomo for a 10 am entry. I would love to climb to the top, but we really don't have time and I would have to do it alone. So after viewing the interior of the church we head back to the hotel to check out and then head toward the train station.
The train station in Florence and the train ride to Cinque Terre is uneventful. We left Florence around noon, and arrived in Vernazza around 3:30. The train station is packed and we exit the train in a tunnel and work our way to the center of town. Wow, what a mob of people. We're approached by a man asking if we're looking for a room. We refuse is offer because we had a particular boarding house in mind. We walked over to what we thought was the right building, but couldn't find the place. I knocked on one door and entered. Two ladies at the top of the steps offered a room. So after an exhausting hike up the alley steps of Vernazza we settled in. The rooms looks new. And the shower is the best we've had in Italy. Our view consists of the hillside between Monterosso and it's quiet.
We freshen up and head out in search of a cold beer. We only had to go a few yards to the waterfront to find the beer and one of the best views in the world. By now it's late afternoon - 5ish and we're getting hungry so we order some bruschetta, pizza and pesto lasagna, 2 more beers and a caraf of the local white wine.This will be our home for the next two nights.

Day 7 - Tuscany to Florence

We're up and moving by 8. Today we're heading to Florence.

Our host family invites us back into their kitchen one more time for cappacino and pastry. They guys settle up, and we head north. Because we're dropping the car off at the airport and will be taking public transportation to the hotel, we decide to pack all the luggage into John's car and take Greg & Blake with us. Surprisingly, the airport was simple to find, so we drop off the car, and walk to the bus station. But those air conditioned taxi's look inviting and the difference in cost is minimal for the 4 of us. So we opt for the taxi ride into the city center. I'm glad we did. Our taxi driver dropped us off at the front door of Hotel Dali. As we walk in we see John parking the car in the courtyard. Perfect timing!

So we settle in and relax a bit. The Bernardi's have reservations at the Uffizi. Tony & I head over to the Academia to view David. We have no reservations, but walk right in. Ás you would expect Michaelangelo's David is amazing! Ya just gotta stand and stare at this beautiful piece of sculpture. What a masterpiece!

But we can stare at those tight butt cheeks for only so long so we're off to wonder the streets of Florence. We walk toward the river, through plaza's, past the Uffizi to the Ponte Veccia Bridge. We soak up the sights and move on to find something to eat, not a difficult task in Italy. On a corner, near our hotel we settle for some outdoor seating and order a couple of birra. After a light snack we head back to the hotel to do some laundry and settle in for the night.

Day 6 - Tuscany - Montelcino - Pienza

Heard the rooster crowing this morning, But it's easy enough to turn over and fall back to sleep. But we're up by 7:30 and prepare for another day of touring Tuscany. We head to Pienza where we spotted a caffe bar. Our breakfast consists of cappacino and pastry, surrounded by the beautiful village. After breakfast we hop back into our cars and head over to Montelcino, a town know for it's red wine. We find some parking and hike to the castle at the top. By now our calves are getting pretty tough, but we're hiking up and down some pretty steep streets here and I know I'll be feeling some knew ache tomorrow. But the sites are well worth it.

On the way back to the car we stop at a wine store for some sampling. The proprietor gives Greg a shot of grappa, Italy's firewater, for his birthday. That's a gift he'll never forget! Hiking back up one of many hilly streets we pull off to a side park, relax and ejoy the beautiful views of the Tuscan countryside. Then back to the agritoursimo for a little pool time.

Tonight our host family has prepared dinner for us. We begin our meal at 8:30 pm with wine and 4 different types of bruccetta: tomatoe, ricotta cheese & onion, mushroom, and cheese, and a, bread salad consisting of bread, tomatoes and shreds of lettece. The family wine dots the 15 foot table we're sharing with the family and two other couples. The second course consisted of 4 different homemade pasta dishes. (I'm writing this two days later and I'm having a difficult time remembering what they were - more wine kept appearing!) I know one was ragu, and another was mushroom in a cream sauce. The pasta is served with alot less sauce than we're used to. But it's delicious. After resting a bit, the third course consisted of roasted vegetables and green salad. Around 11 pm we reached the dessert course which consisted of a chocolate and lemon cake, and a tres leches-type birthday cake for Gregory. We sang happy birthday to Greg in english and italian. At midnight we pushed our chairs away from the table, offered to help with the dishes which was strongly refused. So we headed to bed, full of food and wine, and exhausted.

What a wonderful experience.

Day 5 - Tuscany - Montepulciano

We part ways for a bit today. The B's head out toward Montepulciano on their own. Tony and I hung back a bit, and head out a bit later in the day. Montepulciano is a beautiful mountain top city in the Tuscan hills. Viewing the city from a distance is the classic Tuscan picture: A rolling hilltop capped with centuries old buildings, towers and cyprus trees.

We park at the low end of the town, and walk the other end always moving upward. When traveling like this it's importand to keep your energy level up with a bit of gelato for fuel - we're working toward our two day minimum. At the high end we climb the city tower and enjoy the view. Well, I enjoyed the view. Tony clung to the interior wall. Then we headed back down to our car to return to the agriturismo. They have a wonderful pool and it's a great way to refresh.

The B's were already in the pool. The 3 kids, along with the owners daughter, had a gread round of water volleyball while the rest of us found lawnchairs or just dangled our feet in the water. It was great to relax by the water and watch the sun dip closer to the Tuscan hills. Belisimo.

For dinner we headed up the road to Pienza and found a little cafe. I never eat at 9pm at home, but it seems to be our habit while in Italy. Good food, more good wine, and we're off to our beds.

Day 4 - Rome to Tuscany

Our last day in Rome and we still need to see the Colosseum. So our bags are packed and we head off to pick up the train at San Pietro Station and head to Termini, the central rail station. We're planning to check our bags at the station, but after some conversation we decide to head to the car rental at the station, check out our cars and leave them in the garage with our luggage. Then head back to the Colosseum.

It's only 10 am when we arrive, but the temps already over 90 degrees and it is HOT! But we're seasoned Rome travelers by now so in we go to the Colosseum where it has to be at least 100 degrees. We tour the top ring, walk the bottom ring and head out. The site is amazing, and there's alot to read, but standing in the blazing sun just isn't our thing this morning. We're ready for Tuscany!

So off we go, back to the cars to drive out of Rome. And I'm proud to say I'm an official card carrying Rome driver! Now I have to admit getting out of Rome was pretty funny. John lead the caravan with Gail and Greg giving directions, and I was following with the GPS and Tony. After a few circles around the same block, I took the lead and moved us a bit further out of the city. Then after a few more circles around another block, John took the lead again, we got further out so the driving was less intense. Then I took over with the GPS lead again and we finally made it to the Autostradda. Now you would think getting out of Rome with a GPS would be easy. It would be if there were readable street signs, or even a street sign appeared on every corner. But this is Rome and we're building memories.

We headed north to Chuizi to pick up Blake, a friend of Gregs who had been studying in Florence. He's spending the next few days with us. After we made the connection we heade toward Pienza. We're spending the next 3 nights at Casal Prado, an agriturismo. The family, mom, dad and daughter Thaby, started the business four years ago. Mom grew up on the farm. Her mother and father, who was a German POW during WWII live with them. They are wonderful people, and after 3 days in Rome, this place is just what the tour director ordered. After settling in we headed out for dinner at the Tre Stelle in Montepulciano. Then back to our beds to wait for the roosters to crow in the morning.

Day 3 - Vatican City

I think our jetlag finally caught up with us. We all slept in 'til 10 this morning. After assembling we headed of to spend the day with the Pope. Arrived at the Vatican around noon and St. Peter's was closed. So we went to the museum first. Only waited 1/2 hour in line, not bad considering we didn't have any reservations. We walked through the museum, the only way to the Sistine Chapel, I can't believe we were sitting under the master works of Michaelangelo. Just amazing!!

After the museum we walked back to St. Peters and we were able to get in. There was a mass being held and attended by a number of german bands. We could hear them playing hymns, but couldn't see them at the 2nd alter. The Basillica was blocked off before the high alter and the mass was still too far away to see anything. The Basillica is over 2 football fields in length! But we did stick around for the procession of attendants. Why German bands? Ahhh, is the Pope German? We walked through oohing and awing at the incredible sights. Of course the most impressive is the 95 foot Canopied Bernini alter, the remains of Pope John XXIII, and Michelangelo's Pieta. We can see pictures, but nothing compares to standing in front of these masterpieces. Incredible!

We were going to climb the dome, but time was running out. So off we went to the Colosseum. We hoped to get in before the sunset cutoff, but missed it. So we walked along the streets viewing the Forum ruins, then found a cafe for dinner. We found two cafe's side by side. The B's ate at one and we decided to eat at the one with a little lighter fare. We had pizza, a couple of beers, great coffee, the italian version of flan, and then limoncella! Whoa, I think I saw the green fairy.

After dinner we walked past the Colosseum showered in lights..
My pictures don't do it justice. Again, an amazing sight. We decided to get up early tomorrow (Saturday) and tour the Colosseum before we leave. John & the kids headed back to Trevi Fountain for the night view. Gail, Tony & I headed home to pack up to leave the Mimosa in the morning

Day 2 - Rome

Rome's second day's schedule included Ostio Antica and the Borghesse Museum. But first a stop at Banka Firenze to see if Tony and I could retrieve Tony's ATM card. After nearly two hours of two very helpful bank employees calling multiple resources we requested the card be destroyed, which it was, and we put the issue behind us.

On to Ostio Antica, a Roman ruins uncovered 2000 years ago and located west of the city. We're mastering our mass transit skills and even managed to meet up with the Bernardi's who visited the Pirimida while we were visiting our new bank friends. We have a set of walkie talkies which have been helpful - when both are working properly! After a 30 minute train ride we arrived at Ostio Antiqua. The Italian countryside is beautiful, and the ruins -- just amazing. We spent 3 hours, and could have easily spent 3 more. But we had reservations for the 5 pm entrance into the Borghese Gallery and we had to figure out the transit system to that destination. With a few inquiries and a bit of discussion the bus dropped us off at the gate of the gallery and we toured the gallery.

After the gallery we walked to the Spanish Steps were we rested for a while among the thousands of other visitors.

Then on to the Trevi Fountain. Let me just say the crowds are amazing in Rome. We enjoyed the view, purchaced our first gelato and moved on to toward the apartment. On the way we walked through Piazza de' Fiore and found a restaurant where Gail & John ate at during their last visit, and then headed home. Finally around 1 am, we hit the sack - EXHAUSTED!

Day 1 - Welcome to Rome

Wednesday, 20-May

We're here! After 18+ hours of travel we made it to our Mimosa apartment, home for the next three nights. Tony & I arrived in Rome around 9:15 am. We spent a bit too much time at the airport searching for the Rome Pass counter. It was a bit frustraiting, mostly because of pure exhaust. But we found it, purchased our 3-day transportation and museum pass and then proceeded to attack the public transit system.

So we found the train, traveled the FM1 to Trestevere station, transferred to another line, got off at San Pietro station and walked the 3 blocks to our apartment. BTW, house numbering on many streets aren't sequential. Well, they're kinda sequential, but not really. After Tony & I settled into the apartment we walked down the street to the neighborhood market, purchased the essentials (beer & wine), we went back to the apartment and sat on the balcony to enjoy the view of St. Peter's and to wait for the Bernardi's, John, Gail, Greg & Cara. A couple of hours later we saw the four touristas walking down the street, pulling their suitcases.

After the Bernardi's settled in we put on our walking shoes and headed across the Tiber river to the old centre. Needing some money we stopped at a money wall. John had no problem extracting some cash. But not the story in our case. Tony used his atm card, and the machine decided not to return the card or any cash. Well, you can imagine how we felt. The bank was already closed. So we decided to call the bank but had no success using Gail's international calling card at a public phone. By now Tony & I were beginning to feel the stress on top of exhaustion, so we decided to go back to the apartment and decide what to do while the Bernardi's did a bit more site seeing.

Our apartment doesn't have WiFi, but I've been able to pick up some unsecure connections where I've been able to Skpe intermitently. So I called our credit union only to discover that the travel notification that we checked on 3 times before leaving was indeed on our account, but only for my card. The bank checked their system where they confirmed Tony's card had been captured for possible fraud. But mine should work. There was nothing the credit union could for us so we decided to keep that card locked and wait until the next day to visit the local bank and attempt to get the card back.

So on to happier things. The 3-bedroom, two bath apartment we're staying at is great. Does anyone know how to use a bidet? Our balcony has a view of St. Peter's dome. We can see the backside of all the marble statues at the top of the vatican. The Bernardi's had a great time walking around the city center. And we're all exhausted. Time for some sleep. 36 hours is just too long to be up.

We made it!

Yes! We made it to Rome. I'm looking at Dom of Peter's as I type. Nothing too exciting to report about the flight(s). Thanks Shannyn for getting up at 0-dark-30 to get us to the airport. It's

Two Weeks and...

counting. It's hard to believe that after six months of planning our departure date is almost here. The list of "to do's" keeps getting longer. Definately in the panic mode!