So, here it was. My last week of traveling - after 9 weeks of adventures, fun, friends and a little introspection, I was embarking on the end of this journey. And I'll admit, I did not have mixed feelings about returning home. I didn't want to...but knew that I needed to. It's funny, when I started planning the trip, I thought...wow...9 weeks! That's soooo long! But it went by in the blink of an eye, and now it's just a memory....or I should say, a series of outstanding, once in a lifetime, best ever memories. I can't remember a time I've felt so free, so aware and so engaged in the present moment of my life. It's like a rebirth in a way - and I want to hang on to the feeling for as long as I possibly can.
I left Geneva and began my travel down to Naples where I was met by a driver that Fausto had arranged for me. Fausto was waiting for me outside my hotel and therein began 4 days of fun, relaxation and a little romance. There's actually not too much to tell in terms of things I saw or did..because each day was like groundhog day. Begin the day with a run, head off to one beach or another midday, relax and nap in the early evening and go out for a great dinner/drinks at night. And there couldn't have been a more perfect way to end my trip. Fausto was the perfect host, we got along great, enjoyed each other's company, and each learned a little more of each other's language. Thank God for the little English/Italian dictionary - it came with us everywhere! Life was very simple in Sorrento for these four days..and it made me long for a more simple life altogether. In Sorrento, everyone knows each other. I swear Fausto was like the mayor walking down the street saying hi to everyone, but then I realized that everyone said hi to everyone. They all relied on each other, checked in with each other and seemed like one big family. Every night, the whole crew goes to the main square, Piazza Tasso. Every night. And they'll just stand there next to their Vespas and hang out - and talk to each other - and then later on, maybe go to a disco or have a drink or whatever. It was nice. I admit, being there for a short period of time made these simplicities seem very attractive - but I did question how I would deal with this kind of lifestyle day in and day out. Hard to tell - but I might start to get a little antsy. Anyway, it reinforced for me what I kept learning over and over again over these past few months - that life does not need to be complicated to be enjoyed - and in fact, we're all better off if we just simplify a little. In our world, it is truly easier said than done, no doubt.
Anyway, after 4 days, it was time for me to get on a plane and begin my journey home. It was such a sad goodbye. Fausto and I really had a wonderful time together and it seemed really strange to just walk away from that. Plus, I was extra sad knowing that I wasn't off to my next European adventure...but back to a place that would serve me with some big decisions in the coming months.
I traveled through London where I spent the night and then flew back to SFO where I was met by my parents (on the plus side), and some very cold grey weather (BIG downside). We spent the day and evening catching up and the next day it was back to San Francisco and "my life."
So the big question that I keep getting is "what's next?" And my answer is...I really don't know. I'm the kind of person that always has a plan...that always knows what's around the next corner...and right now, I just find it impossible to answer that question. While I was gone I did some major soul searching about where I want to live. Most of you know that I've considered a move to the east coast in the past - and that is still something that I am seriously considering. It's become more and more clear to me that many of the "west coast values" really don't match mine - and I have a feeling that I may be more aligned with the east coast "way". This is not a done deal by any means, and I am going to go spend some time there in September...and explore job opportunities on all fronts - both east and west. I do realize and deeply value the family and friends I have here in the west. And that is something I don't take lightly. So believe me, if I do decide to move it will be because I am STRONGLY pulled in that direction. And I do know that all those I love will always be here for me...and I'll be a short plane ride away. But this is a big decision for me, so I want to take my time in making it and not jump into one thing or another unless I am totally at peace with the decision.
So that's it...Angie's Adventures. Not sure if they are over or just starting....but I do know that I am looking forward to catching up with each of you. Thanks for reading and staying in touch these past few months...I truly love you all!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Adventures in the Alps
I was so excited to arrive in Geneva for several reasons. One to see another beautiful part of Europe...this time the Alps...a landscape different than any other that I had seen thus far. But I was also very excited to see my friend Veronique - and after 11 days of being on my own, to have a close friend to talk with. I arrived a the train station, and after a little drama with my phone and connecting with Veronique (my phone decided to stop working for 24 hours) we found each other and began 6 days of fun in the Alps. I arrived on a Wednesday night - and for the first few days, we just spent time around Geneva, seeing the sights, shopping, and meeting up with Veronique's friends for nights out in this great city. I also did a lot of catch up on writing, errands, and laundry...the necessities of a two month trip. Geneva is really a beautiful city. The whole city surrounds the lake which affords incredible views everywhere you turn. It also makes for some great running and just walking all over. I was able to see Veronique's friend Anna - who was also with us at our villa in Siena, as well as meet a couple of her other friends Jennifer and Rich. They are all great - and it's fun to see my friend thriving in a city that is somewhat new to her as well. Veronique moved from Brussels 2 years ago. It took her awhile to adjust, but somewhere in her second year she really got to know Geneva, started making friends and settled in. Now she loves it. And I can see why. Aside from being beautiful, Geneva is a VERY international city. Yes - they speak mostly French - for instance in the stores and public places...but as you walk down the street and listen to the languages spoke, it's a mixed bag. Lots of English, Spanish, Arabic, you name it. There are also a lot of veiled women in the city...really didn't expect that...but a huge Arabic presence. Very interesting people watching.
On Friday evening, we ventured to the charming little city of Nyon...just 15 minutes by train from Geneva. It's the typical little Swiss town, complete with castle, chalets and swimming in the lake. We started by heading down to the "beach" for a swim...and well...it was a lovely day...but the "beach" was a grass field - and it was swarming with little gnats. For those of you who know me well, you might know that I didn't last too long. But I was happy to crack a bottle of wine at the outdoor restaurant with Veronique and Anna - and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my night ;-).
The next day Veronique and I decided to go to Chamonix. Chamonix is actually in France...but is only 1 hour from Geneva by car, so its a great destination for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. We checked into the Mont Blanc hotel, and started our hiking in the afternoon. It was spectacular. First of all the town of Chamonix itself is sooo charming. From the center of town you literally look up in any direction, and the high snow capped mountains are surrounding you. So when you get up on the mountain and look down, it looks like the town is a little miniature playhouse. It was really cold at the top - and snow was everywhere. Wasn't quite prepared for that in my long shorts and warm up jacket - but we made the best of it! The hiking terrain is very rugged...all rock - and somewhat difficult to walk on. Needless to say after an afternoon of hiking and running around in the snow, we were both incredibly wiped out. So what do you do in that case? Get a massage! Followed by a good bottle of wine and some typical Swiss savory pancakes. Nearly a perfect day.
But we didn't have enough that Saturday. On Sunday, we got up and headed up to the highest point possible called the Aiguille de Midi - over 12,5o0 feet. We took the gondola to the top - and if I thought yesterday was cold, well today it was -2 degrees. Brrrrrr. But yet again, we warmed ourselves by vigorous exercise hiking all over the mountain while admiring views of the Mont Blanc above us. It was really incredible. Simply awesome in the true sense of the word. Our hiking was pretty much a day long affair - but around 7 we began our drive back to Geneva where we were meeting up with our dear friend Sherry who had just arrived in town.
Sherry has most recently been in Morocco and Northern Africa - and she was arriving in Geneva to spend about 10 days before heading to India to do some volunteer work. Happily our times in Geneva overlapped for two days so we also had a great chance to catch up. Sherry was waiting for us at Veronique's apartment - and we sat up and talked for hours over a great bottle of Chateauneuf de Pape (straight from the town itself) and Italian food. The next day was a little more of the same - errands with Sherry, meeting up with Veronique midday, seeing some sights in Geneva and a yummy long dinner. It felt so good to be with two of my best friends and to download all our thoughts and impressions with each other. I'm often amazed by how small this world is. I literally have friends all over the world - and no matter how long I go without seeing them, no matter how far away they are, in any moment, we lay our eyes on each other and there's no denying how much we love each other. I guess it goes to show that the people closest to you are always close to you no matter how far away they physically may be. The human heart is an incredible thing.
Tuesday morning I had to say goodbye, as I was off to my next adventure...and one that was a little shift in plans. I had originally planned to spend my last week in Europe in Barcelona and Paris, but after a few phone calls and notes to and from Fausto, I quickly decided that instead, I would spend my last week back in Sorrento. So - I was off...back down to Naples airport and to Sorrento for my last week of traveling bliss....
On Friday evening, we ventured to the charming little city of Nyon...just 15 minutes by train from Geneva. It's the typical little Swiss town, complete with castle, chalets and swimming in the lake. We started by heading down to the "beach" for a swim...and well...it was a lovely day...but the "beach" was a grass field - and it was swarming with little gnats. For those of you who know me well, you might know that I didn't last too long. But I was happy to crack a bottle of wine at the outdoor restaurant with Veronique and Anna - and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my night ;-).
The next day Veronique and I decided to go to Chamonix. Chamonix is actually in France...but is only 1 hour from Geneva by car, so its a great destination for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. We checked into the Mont Blanc hotel, and started our hiking in the afternoon. It was spectacular. First of all the town of Chamonix itself is sooo charming. From the center of town you literally look up in any direction, and the high snow capped mountains are surrounding you. So when you get up on the mountain and look down, it looks like the town is a little miniature playhouse. It was really cold at the top - and snow was everywhere. Wasn't quite prepared for that in my long shorts and warm up jacket - but we made the best of it! The hiking terrain is very rugged...all rock - and somewhat difficult to walk on. Needless to say after an afternoon of hiking and running around in the snow, we were both incredibly wiped out. So what do you do in that case? Get a massage! Followed by a good bottle of wine and some typical Swiss savory pancakes. Nearly a perfect day.
But we didn't have enough that Saturday. On Sunday, we got up and headed up to the highest point possible called the Aiguille de Midi - over 12,5o0 feet. We took the gondola to the top - and if I thought yesterday was cold, well today it was -2 degrees. Brrrrrr. But yet again, we warmed ourselves by vigorous exercise hiking all over the mountain while admiring views of the Mont Blanc above us. It was really incredible. Simply awesome in the true sense of the word. Our hiking was pretty much a day long affair - but around 7 we began our drive back to Geneva where we were meeting up with our dear friend Sherry who had just arrived in town.
Sherry has most recently been in Morocco and Northern Africa - and she was arriving in Geneva to spend about 10 days before heading to India to do some volunteer work. Happily our times in Geneva overlapped for two days so we also had a great chance to catch up. Sherry was waiting for us at Veronique's apartment - and we sat up and talked for hours over a great bottle of Chateauneuf de Pape (straight from the town itself) and Italian food. The next day was a little more of the same - errands with Sherry, meeting up with Veronique midday, seeing some sights in Geneva and a yummy long dinner. It felt so good to be with two of my best friends and to download all our thoughts and impressions with each other. I'm often amazed by how small this world is. I literally have friends all over the world - and no matter how long I go without seeing them, no matter how far away they are, in any moment, we lay our eyes on each other and there's no denying how much we love each other. I guess it goes to show that the people closest to you are always close to you no matter how far away they physically may be. The human heart is an incredible thing.
Tuesday morning I had to say goodbye, as I was off to my next adventure...and one that was a little shift in plans. I had originally planned to spend my last week in Europe in Barcelona and Paris, but after a few phone calls and notes to and from Fausto, I quickly decided that instead, I would spend my last week back in Sorrento. So - I was off...back down to Naples airport and to Sorrento for my last week of traveling bliss....
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Cote D'Azur and City of Popes
I have to say that I was sad to leave Rome...again...but this time was the last time - at least on this trip. It's such a great city...so much life...so much to offer...I will miss it, but I know I will be back! But now it was off to a new adventure...and after several weeks in Italy...a new country. I boarded my flight to Genoa and then made my connection by train to Nice Ville...the Cote D'Azur...better know as the French Riviera. I had been in communication Fausto, the guy I met in Sorrento, and sadly he wasn't able to find a flight in such short notice, so I was on my own in Nice...and would be in Avignon as well. So including Palermo and Rome, it would be a total of 11 days traveling on my own. I definitely had mixed feelings about this, but I figured I needed to suck it up and give it a try to get over the fear of being alone. Before I launch into all that I saw, did and experinced in these days, let me say that I have completely overcome my fear of being alone...or should I say I realized that I never actually had this fear. Traveling alone is fine. I didn't feel threatened, or unsafe, or even especially lonely. But I did find that despite all this, I don't particularly like traveling alone. Here's the problem....for me, traveling is one of my favorite things to do. You see so much, you experience new things and you learn a lot about yourself. But all of these great discoveries are just not as much fun when you can't enjoy them with someone else. Like you see something great or interesting or beautiful and you just want to talk about it. You want to share memories with someone so you can look back on them someday. You want to bounce your impressions of things off someone to see if they see it the same way. The whole experience just becomes more full and more meaningful when you have a partner in crime. I know that I've met people that even prefer traveling on their own...but well, I'm not one of them. And not that I wouldn't do it again...but I'd try like crazy to plan my journeys with others.
So all that said, I really did enjoy the south of France. But it started out a little rocky. I got off the train in Nice and flagged down a taxi to get to the apartment that I had booked. It was on the Rue Jean Medecin and Rue Massina. Probably means nothing to most of you, but if you've been to Nice, you know that the area around the train station is not very nice...kind of seedy. But the area closer to the water is very pretty, very safe and not at all dirty. Well I get in the cab and tell him the address and he proceeds to kick me out of the cab telling me that my apartment is just a block away. I knew it wasn't, but he insisted that I was wrong and that he couldn't take me because it was too close. I doubted myself, thinking maybe I was wrong...which was bad news because that meant that my apartment would have been right next to the train station...not good. So I started walking. And walking. And walking....all the way down the Rue Jean Medecin with all my bags weighing probably 60 lbs until I hit the Place Massina where my apartment was located....about 15-20 blocks away. Oh, one other side note....the Rue Jean Medecin was under construction...I mean compeltely ripped out...so there was no proper sidewalk...so I was walking trying to roll my suitcase on gravel. Good times. I curse that cab driver to this day. My apartment was really great...with two caveats. The first is that there was no air conditioning...and it was bloody hot. I cannot believe I booked a place without air conditioning...I could have sworn I did...but apparantly not. So the thing was, the windows HAD to be opened all the time. Remember I mentioned the construciton on Rue Jean Medecin.?...well it was piercingly loud during the day. And at night, since the apartment was so well located, it was right in the heart of the action. Sidewalk entertainers and hoardes of people very late into the night. So lets just say it wasn't peaceful. Ok - so a couple hurdles for the princess and the pea... I kept the windows open all day with the fan going (there was a small fan), and then shut the windows at night and kep the fan going. Totally tolerable. On the bright side - aside from the apartment being in an absolutely perfect location, it was right across the street from the Gallerie Lafayette which had a gourmet grocery store...and...ready for this...it had a washing machine. In the 5 days that I was there I must have done 8 loads of laundry. I washed things over and over again, just because I could. A little neurotic actually, but after 6 weeks of traveling, this was a blessing.
So aside from laundry, I did actually get out and see and do some things in and around Nice. Mostly what the French Riviera offers is the beach and the sea...which is where I spent a great deal of my time. The first full day I had there, I spend the morning walking around and shopping a bit, and I had the fortune of walking into this fantastic shoe store. As I was walking around admiring the beautiful shoes, a gentleman asked me if i needed help and then proceeded to help me pick out several pairs of shoes. He was incredibly charming and a great salesman...his name was Angelo...and Italian/Lebanese guy...who was running the store. Well I fell hook line and sinker for his charm because in a matter of 30 minutes I had purchased 3 pairs of shoes. Ok the shoes are really great...so it wasn't all Angelo, but he definitely helped ease my conscience on the purchases. As I was on my way to the beach, I asked Angelo if I could come back later to pick up the shoes since I didnt want to carry them with me...he said of course, they were open until midnight. I had a fantastic day relaxing on the beach. The beaches in Nice are rocky rather than sandy. This may be a drawback for some, but I actually really like it. You can rent the sunbed for the day so you're not laying on the rock...and then you don't have the problem of sand all over everything at the end of the day.
After a shower and walking around a bit more, I did go back to pick up my shoes, and Angelo invited me for a glass of wine out on the terrace. It was great to have someone to chat with and have a glass of wine with at the end of a terrific day. He was a pretty intersting guy...grew up in Beirut...and as such, had some pretty crazy political opinions about America and their involvement in Iraq and the whole Arabic world. He predicted that once America gets the Muslim world under their control (which he thought they would accomplish in the next few years) America would enter their Golden Age of power...and it would last another 30 - 40 years, and then a new chapter would begin...we didn't get as far as what that exactly would be. Anyway that's the simplified version - not sure I totally agree with his interpretations of everything, but we had a really interesting conversation.
The next days were spent in Cannes, more of Nice and Monaco...exploring, beaching and chatting with different people I met along the way. Of all the cities around the Riviera, I really liked the flavor of Nice the best. I thought the beaches in Cannes were not as nice even though they are sand beaches, and Monaco was a little pretentious. Although I admit my Monaco expeience was colored by missing one train, another train being late...and the best part...within 5 minutes of arriving there, my sandal strap broke...so I was limping around for the next 2 hours, half thinking about when I should go back, and half hoping to find a shoe store where I could afford to buy yet another pair of shoes. God forbid. I did make it back to Nice that night (in my old shoes), and despite the challenges of the day, I stumbled a great little place in the old town for dinner, where my day was compeltely redeemed. As I sat down by myself at the table, the whole staff of the restaurant was buzzing around me asking what I needed, how was it possible that I was alone, etc. The restaurant was owned by Phillippe, who was like the Godfather...literally..everyone there was related - and I met all of them. There was Julien, Phillipe's Godson, Julien's father Tony, Sherif, who was Phillipe's nephew, Jennifer, Phillipe's daughter and Luigi...who was the chef...surprisingly no relation to Phillipe. But throughout the night, they all came and talked to me, making me feel like I was in fact, not dining alone. I went back there agiain the next night (which was my last night in Nice) and they were all so happy to see me. And that night I actually didn't dine alone. First one of them sat with me for an apertif, then the next for dinner, then the next for wine..it was pretty great. They totally made me feel like part of the family. And they were all very funny too. So much fun.
After doing some reading on my next stop, Avignon, I decided to leave Nice one day early to have an extra night in Avignon. Turns out I was going to be visiting Avignon during the Avignon Festival, which is the biggest theater festival in Europe and has been going for over 60 years. So my last day in Nice was Sunday. I got up and went to church at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral there...and it was an absolutely beautiful church. Bright blue onion domes and ornate detail in the architecture. The service was in French and Russian, but since it 's the same liturgy said - I could compeltely follow it - even though I couldn't completely understand it. After the service, I got on the train to Avignon and arrived at the City of Popes early in the evening. A but of history...Avignon became the center of Catholic Christendom in the 14th Century, when one of the popes (can't remember which) decided that Avignon would politically be a better center for the papal see than Rome. This lasted for about 100 years and as such, there is a beautiful papal palace there and lots of historical monuments and sites to see. I had two full days in Avignon. The first day I spent actually in Avignon Centre walking around and seeing all the important sites. I spent several hours in the Palais du Papes and the Musee du Papes. The site has a great audio tour that makes it much more interesting than just walking around and trying to figure out what each thing is. Then I went to the Ponte Saint Benezet. The story of Saint Benezet is that he supposedly had a divine revelation that he was supposed to go to Avignon and build a bridge over the Rhone River. He came to the pope at the time and told him of this divine revelation and the pope said to him that if he could move a great stone to the water than he would let him build the bridge. So the story goes that Saint Benezet with no effort moved a rock of great weight (otherwise impossible to move by hundreds of men) to the water and the pope then believed in his divine revelation and allowed him to build the bridge. The bridge which although now is broken half way across the river, was one of the most important bridges for commerce and developement along the Rhone in history...and the Rhone became a major route for shipping at that time and still is to this day. I was a littel burnt out on sites so I sat for a late lunch and looked through the theater schedule to see if I could see something of the Avignon festival while I was there. There were literally hundreds of shows so it took a while to sort through all of it...but all of the theater was in French, so I settled on a Flamenco show for the following night. Spent the evening having dinner in the Palce D'Horloge the main square in the town and watching all the street performers that come out for Festival.
The following day, I booked a wine tour of the Rhone region...and that was good fun. We visited three wine regions including the famous Chateauneuf du Pape and tasted some fantastic wine. The whole region is beautiful...but very different than our wine country in Napa and Sonoma Valley. Our vines are very perfect...pruned and in perfect rows. The French vineyards are much more wild looking and imprefect....both charming in their own way. In the evening, I went to my flamenco show which was even better that I though it would be. I love watching people that are really good at somehting....and especially when I can see how much work it took them to perfect it. The dancers were extremely athletic and precise and the music was great too. I left with a big smile on my face.
Also as a side note, I had a great hotel in Avignon...it was called the Avignon Grand Hotel. It's right outside the gates of the old city which ended up being a blessing rather than being right in the heart of town. Off festival, being in the center would be a good thing, but during festival it's crazy until late at night...so my hotel was very quiet...and also the room was really big and beautiful...like a little suite. The princess was happy ;-).
So the next day I was off to Geneva to stay with my dear friend Veropnique. I loved my time in Southern France, but I was very excited to have some company again...and especially with such a great friend. I am getting really sad because my trip is close to being done and I'm totally not ready to come home...i guess I just need to make the most of it while I'm here!!!
So all that said, I really did enjoy the south of France. But it started out a little rocky. I got off the train in Nice and flagged down a taxi to get to the apartment that I had booked. It was on the Rue Jean Medecin and Rue Massina. Probably means nothing to most of you, but if you've been to Nice, you know that the area around the train station is not very nice...kind of seedy. But the area closer to the water is very pretty, very safe and not at all dirty. Well I get in the cab and tell him the address and he proceeds to kick me out of the cab telling me that my apartment is just a block away. I knew it wasn't, but he insisted that I was wrong and that he couldn't take me because it was too close. I doubted myself, thinking maybe I was wrong...which was bad news because that meant that my apartment would have been right next to the train station...not good. So I started walking. And walking. And walking....all the way down the Rue Jean Medecin with all my bags weighing probably 60 lbs until I hit the Place Massina where my apartment was located....about 15-20 blocks away. Oh, one other side note....the Rue Jean Medecin was under construction...I mean compeltely ripped out...so there was no proper sidewalk...so I was walking trying to roll my suitcase on gravel. Good times. I curse that cab driver to this day. My apartment was really great...with two caveats. The first is that there was no air conditioning...and it was bloody hot. I cannot believe I booked a place without air conditioning...I could have sworn I did...but apparantly not. So the thing was, the windows HAD to be opened all the time. Remember I mentioned the construciton on Rue Jean Medecin.?...well it was piercingly loud during the day. And at night, since the apartment was so well located, it was right in the heart of the action. Sidewalk entertainers and hoardes of people very late into the night. So lets just say it wasn't peaceful. Ok - so a couple hurdles for the princess and the pea... I kept the windows open all day with the fan going (there was a small fan), and then shut the windows at night and kep the fan going. Totally tolerable. On the bright side - aside from the apartment being in an absolutely perfect location, it was right across the street from the Gallerie Lafayette which had a gourmet grocery store...and...ready for this...it had a washing machine. In the 5 days that I was there I must have done 8 loads of laundry. I washed things over and over again, just because I could. A little neurotic actually, but after 6 weeks of traveling, this was a blessing.
So aside from laundry, I did actually get out and see and do some things in and around Nice. Mostly what the French Riviera offers is the beach and the sea...which is where I spent a great deal of my time. The first full day I had there, I spend the morning walking around and shopping a bit, and I had the fortune of walking into this fantastic shoe store. As I was walking around admiring the beautiful shoes, a gentleman asked me if i needed help and then proceeded to help me pick out several pairs of shoes. He was incredibly charming and a great salesman...his name was Angelo...and Italian/Lebanese guy...who was running the store. Well I fell hook line and sinker for his charm because in a matter of 30 minutes I had purchased 3 pairs of shoes. Ok the shoes are really great...so it wasn't all Angelo, but he definitely helped ease my conscience on the purchases. As I was on my way to the beach, I asked Angelo if I could come back later to pick up the shoes since I didnt want to carry them with me...he said of course, they were open until midnight. I had a fantastic day relaxing on the beach. The beaches in Nice are rocky rather than sandy. This may be a drawback for some, but I actually really like it. You can rent the sunbed for the day so you're not laying on the rock...and then you don't have the problem of sand all over everything at the end of the day.
After a shower and walking around a bit more, I did go back to pick up my shoes, and Angelo invited me for a glass of wine out on the terrace. It was great to have someone to chat with and have a glass of wine with at the end of a terrific day. He was a pretty intersting guy...grew up in Beirut...and as such, had some pretty crazy political opinions about America and their involvement in Iraq and the whole Arabic world. He predicted that once America gets the Muslim world under their control (which he thought they would accomplish in the next few years) America would enter their Golden Age of power...and it would last another 30 - 40 years, and then a new chapter would begin...we didn't get as far as what that exactly would be. Anyway that's the simplified version - not sure I totally agree with his interpretations of everything, but we had a really interesting conversation.
The next days were spent in Cannes, more of Nice and Monaco...exploring, beaching and chatting with different people I met along the way. Of all the cities around the Riviera, I really liked the flavor of Nice the best. I thought the beaches in Cannes were not as nice even though they are sand beaches, and Monaco was a little pretentious. Although I admit my Monaco expeience was colored by missing one train, another train being late...and the best part...within 5 minutes of arriving there, my sandal strap broke...so I was limping around for the next 2 hours, half thinking about when I should go back, and half hoping to find a shoe store where I could afford to buy yet another pair of shoes. God forbid. I did make it back to Nice that night (in my old shoes), and despite the challenges of the day, I stumbled a great little place in the old town for dinner, where my day was compeltely redeemed. As I sat down by myself at the table, the whole staff of the restaurant was buzzing around me asking what I needed, how was it possible that I was alone, etc. The restaurant was owned by Phillippe, who was like the Godfather...literally..everyone there was related - and I met all of them. There was Julien, Phillipe's Godson, Julien's father Tony, Sherif, who was Phillipe's nephew, Jennifer, Phillipe's daughter and Luigi...who was the chef...surprisingly no relation to Phillipe. But throughout the night, they all came and talked to me, making me feel like I was in fact, not dining alone. I went back there agiain the next night (which was my last night in Nice) and they were all so happy to see me. And that night I actually didn't dine alone. First one of them sat with me for an apertif, then the next for dinner, then the next for wine..it was pretty great. They totally made me feel like part of the family. And they were all very funny too. So much fun.
After doing some reading on my next stop, Avignon, I decided to leave Nice one day early to have an extra night in Avignon. Turns out I was going to be visiting Avignon during the Avignon Festival, which is the biggest theater festival in Europe and has been going for over 60 years. So my last day in Nice was Sunday. I got up and went to church at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral there...and it was an absolutely beautiful church. Bright blue onion domes and ornate detail in the architecture. The service was in French and Russian, but since it 's the same liturgy said - I could compeltely follow it - even though I couldn't completely understand it. After the service, I got on the train to Avignon and arrived at the City of Popes early in the evening. A but of history...Avignon became the center of Catholic Christendom in the 14th Century, when one of the popes (can't remember which) decided that Avignon would politically be a better center for the papal see than Rome. This lasted for about 100 years and as such, there is a beautiful papal palace there and lots of historical monuments and sites to see. I had two full days in Avignon. The first day I spent actually in Avignon Centre walking around and seeing all the important sites. I spent several hours in the Palais du Papes and the Musee du Papes. The site has a great audio tour that makes it much more interesting than just walking around and trying to figure out what each thing is. Then I went to the Ponte Saint Benezet. The story of Saint Benezet is that he supposedly had a divine revelation that he was supposed to go to Avignon and build a bridge over the Rhone River. He came to the pope at the time and told him of this divine revelation and the pope said to him that if he could move a great stone to the water than he would let him build the bridge. So the story goes that Saint Benezet with no effort moved a rock of great weight (otherwise impossible to move by hundreds of men) to the water and the pope then believed in his divine revelation and allowed him to build the bridge. The bridge which although now is broken half way across the river, was one of the most important bridges for commerce and developement along the Rhone in history...and the Rhone became a major route for shipping at that time and still is to this day. I was a littel burnt out on sites so I sat for a late lunch and looked through the theater schedule to see if I could see something of the Avignon festival while I was there. There were literally hundreds of shows so it took a while to sort through all of it...but all of the theater was in French, so I settled on a Flamenco show for the following night. Spent the evening having dinner in the Palce D'Horloge the main square in the town and watching all the street performers that come out for Festival.
The following day, I booked a wine tour of the Rhone region...and that was good fun. We visited three wine regions including the famous Chateauneuf du Pape and tasted some fantastic wine. The whole region is beautiful...but very different than our wine country in Napa and Sonoma Valley. Our vines are very perfect...pruned and in perfect rows. The French vineyards are much more wild looking and imprefect....both charming in their own way. In the evening, I went to my flamenco show which was even better that I though it would be. I love watching people that are really good at somehting....and especially when I can see how much work it took them to perfect it. The dancers were extremely athletic and precise and the music was great too. I left with a big smile on my face.
Also as a side note, I had a great hotel in Avignon...it was called the Avignon Grand Hotel. It's right outside the gates of the old city which ended up being a blessing rather than being right in the heart of town. Off festival, being in the center would be a good thing, but during festival it's crazy until late at night...so my hotel was very quiet...and also the room was really big and beautiful...like a little suite. The princess was happy ;-).
So the next day I was off to Geneva to stay with my dear friend Veropnique. I loved my time in Southern France, but I was very excited to have some company again...and especially with such a great friend. I am getting really sad because my trip is close to being done and I'm totally not ready to come home...i guess I just need to make the most of it while I'm here!!!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
My Honeymoon with Allison
After Amy and went our separate ways (boohoo), I was on to my next destination of Southern Italy....first from Dubrovnik to Bari by overnight ferry and then from Bari to Rome on the train. As you might imagine, I was so sad to say goodbye to Croatia...it had brought me such full memories...and I've learned that the scary thing about travel, is you never know what is next. Had I only known that the next 10 days would bring equally crazy/intriguing adventures and fun memories, I would have been much less sad to move on. I call this post, "my honeymon with Allison" because every place we went was fit for a honeymoon...and for any of you planning one in the near future (or even in the not so near future) I've got some fabulous suggestions for you.
I met Allison at our hotel in Rome around 7pm when my train got in from Bari. She was fast asleep...after a nightmare layover in Toronto, she really had no idea what time it was or what day it was...but I quickly reminded her that it was night time in Roma - and we had one night to enjoy the magical city. On the suggestion of a friend of Allison's, we headed to a restaurant near, but not in, the Camp Fiori called Pier Luigi around 9:00. And it defintiely lived up to the good review. We were met at the outdoor restaruant with a glass of champagne while we waited for out table...dined on such yummy antipasta and pasta...and without ordering it were given the traditional limoncello, compliments of the owner who happened to be sitting next to us with his friends. Despite our urge to soak in the Roma nightlife, we actually were both pretty exhausted, Allison from jet lag and me from a night on a ferry boat...so we turned in for a good night sleep before our journey to the island of Ischia the next day.
Ischia is an island that is just off the coast of Naples. It neighbors the more famous island of Capri..but is in the same family of islands. I've been to Capri before - it is a short trip from Sorrento - our next destination. So we decided to check out soemthing new to both of us. Sherry has made a visit to Ischia in May and took a sailing school there. She loved it. We did not take a sailng school, and we stayed on the other side of the island in a town called Forio d'Ischia...and we, too, LOVED it. After a train to Naples, a taxi to the port, a ferry to Ischia and another taxi to Forio, we fainally reached our hotel which was called Paradiso Terme...indeed, a small paradise. The area in the hills above Forio where we stayed, is known for it's healing waters and natural springs. Our hotel was also a spa, and the pool was filled with these healing waters. When we arrived on thursday night, we took the bus down to the main town to find a place to eat. We figured we'd just walk around to find something. But the more we walked around, the more we realized, there wasn't much...or at least not in the area we were looking. It's funny, because the one complaint I had about Capri when I went there, was that is soooo insanely crowded. Shops and restaurants and tourists galore. Ischia on the other hand, was full of locals, little known restaurants and quaint shops with wares from local artisans. As we were walking around, we walked by this one shop that had several art pieces and other household decorative items...and I fell in love. Outside the shop was an oil painting is subtle hues of pink/purple/grey of tulips...not obvious...but beautiful. I stared at is for several minutes and asked the shopkeeper about the possibility of shipping it. He looked at me like I had four heads....not sure if the idea of shipping was way outside the box for him or if he didn't understand a word I said. I walked away, still in love and all the more determined to figure out how I could make it happen.
We continued our search for food until we came upon a church built into the rocks, that had a restaurant just next to it on the cliffs overlooking the water. Jackpot! It wasn't cheap, but the food, wine and view were fantastic. We later learned from the locals that it's the most expensive restaurant on the island. No shocker considering it's me and Allison - but in our defense, at that moment in our eyes, it was the ONLY restaurant on the island.
After a great night sleep and a run on the treadmill overlooking the hills, the sea and the thermal pools, Allison and I settled into our day by the pool of our hotel and spa. I threw in a much needed pedicure...man, that felt good. And, in our usual routine, we went down into town later in the day to shop and eat...this time with a recommendation from the hotel. And we ended up back at the same shop, again, me staring at the painting. The shop owner, who now I know is named Mauricio, saw me and said in very broken English "wait - I find friend." Not sure for what...but then he hands me his cell phone and I am speaking to Domenico. Domenico was a friend of Mauricio who spoke perfect English. He had worked for the cruise lines for several years, so was certain that the painting could be shipped and he would come down to the square to discuss it with me. In the matter of 5 minutes, Allison and I were sitting having wine and bruchetta with Domenico and Mauricio and discussing everything from life in San Francisco, to all thier families, to Ischia vs. Capri...everything but the painting. It was an afterthought right before we left...Domenico would go to the post office tomorrow to find out what the shipping cost would be for the painting and then we would meet to figure out the details. I still couldn't tell if this was actually going to happen, but the process was sure fun. The next several hours after dinner, we came back to the square so Allison could buy a couple things from Mauricio's shop, and next thing you know we're being introduced to all the 7 brothers of Mauricio, his niece, nephew, wife....bascally the whole town. Life in Ischia.
So the next day, Allison and went our separate ways for the morning...I to deal with my painting and she to Sant Angelo...a neighboring town with rumored great shopping. So I met Domenico in the square....good thing there was just one...basically it was where everyone was. And believe it or not...it all happened! I bought the painting and had it shipped home (thanks Mom and Dad) and actually for a very reasonable cost all things considered! It was about 1:00 then and Allison and I had until about 4 before we had to catch our ferry to Sorrento, so Domenico handed me a helmet and said "jump on" and proceeded to take me on a tour of the island on his motorcycle. It was a hoot. Understand that Domenico is probably about 55, divorced, and hilarious. Seriously great sense of humor. He showed me all the spectacular views, a gorgeous resort (one of the perfect honeymoom spots called MezzoTorre....look it up) and a view of Poseiden which is a massive hot springs park in Forio...like an amusement park with healing water. We then went to meet Allison in Sant Angelo for lunch and Domenico suggested a real local place right on the beach. No menu - just tell them what you want. Domenico ran into some of his friends - also in the 55 plus crowd - and I think they were in 7th heaven hanging out with such spunky "young" women. We had a good laugh over it all. But then at four , sadly, we had to leave our little Forio adventure...and we caught a ferry to Sorrento....more adventures awaiting.
We arrived in Sorrento in the early evening and checked into out hotel....La Residenza. It was OK...but not sure I'd return to that specific hotel. I would return, however, to Sorrento, the hub of the breathtaking Amalfi Coast. We walked into Piazza Tasso, the main square in the town and had dinner right on the square. It's such a treat eating outside, wearing sundresses and not even thinking about bring a sweater. This has been the case throughout my trip, and I don't know how I'm going to adjust when I go back to San Francisco! After dinner we strolled around a bit and around midnight started our walk home. On the way home, we heard a lot of what we had gotten used to..."ciao belle" "hallo beautiful" etc, but for the most part it's a little wierd and you just ignore it. But as we were walking a couple of guys that looked really normal, stopped and in a total NON gawking NON creepy way, said hello and asked us where we were going. Apparently there was a place to go dancing that they were going to and wanted us to come, but we declined and said that we wanted to get up early to run before going to Positano which was our plan for that Sunday. They protested a little, but didn't harrass and said good bye. Their names were Fausto and Alfonso...how much more Italian can you get.
As promised, the next day, we got up to run and then took the bus to the town of Positano. Positano is built completely into the side of the mountain...and it is virtually all steps. About a million steps down from the main road - and about a million steps back up. We started our afternoon with a little lunch, and then we walked up to do a little shopping before spending the rest of the afternoon on the beach. As we were finishing our shopping and walking to the beach, who do we run into? You guessed it....Fausto and Alfonso. Pretty cute...they knew we were gong to be in Positano, so decided to spend their Sunday afternoon there as well. It's a fairly small town, but not so small that you'd be sure to run into someone, but sure enought, we did. We said hello and talked for a few minutes, and then they graciously let us go our own way to the beach and they did the same. Because they were not aggressive and just nice, we actually didn't mind having their company, and were happy when they later found us on the beach and sat with us for awhile. The side bar is that I actually thought Fausto was really cute...nice looking, but also great personality. Figures I find a nice guy in Italy. Anyway, we agreed to meet later for drinks after dinner and finished our gorgeous day in Positano with a ferry ride back to Sorrento.
We ate dinner in the same square as the previous night and then went to a little bar on the Corso Italia to meet Fausto and Alfonso. Had a drink there and then took a ride on their vespas to another place near our hotel. It was a local Karaoke bar - where women in too high heels and too big hair were singing along to random italian music. We drank limoncello and cracked up at their horrid singing style. After Allison and I decided to try our ability at riding the vespas on our own (we weren't too bad either) we finally headed back to the hotel....late...
And despite the need for a good night sleep, poor Allison woke to a nasty bout of food poisoning...and was up all night getting sick. Our plan was to go to Capri together for the day, but Allison couldn't move...and had to spend the whole day of her precious vacation in bed. I did end up going to Capri for a few hours in the afternoon on my own, and then came back into Sorrento to browse through the shops. When we had left Fausto and Alfonso the prvious night, there was an offer on the table for Alfonso to cook us dinner at his house...which I gathered in typical Italian fashion would also be mamma's house. Not sure, but on some level I think it was going to be mamma cooking us dinner. I met Fausto for an Apertivo around 6 when I got back and then got in touch with Allison to make plans for the nght. Unfortunately becuase Allison was not well, we had to forego the homecooked meal, but as fate would have it for me, that was the night I went out on a bonafide date in Italy with Fausto. I got picked up on the vespa at 9:30...never the best for the hair situation, but when in Italy...we went to a restaurant on the water, took a walk and ended with a drink at a bar with very good music. Depsite the fact that his English is far from perfect, and my Italian is, well, pretty non existent, we managed to have some pretty great conversations that gave me the impression that he was actually a really good guy. I told him all about my trip and he was saying that he needed a holiday. He's an architect for the mega five star hotel in Sorrento and oversees all the renovations. So I told him he should go to Nice at the same time as me. It's one of the few places I'm on my own, and what better place for an Itaian to take a holiday. It was a throw away comment, and he said he'd think about it..but I really had no expectation that he would follow through. Another late night, great memories, and in the morning, it was off to our next little slice of Heaven...Taormina.
Fortunately Allison was feeling much better in the morning, so after our daily run, we took a taxi back to the Naples airport and caught a flight to Catania, Sicily...the airport closest to Taormina. What can I say. It was another adorable, stunning, perfect town, that made me never want to leave. Taormina, like Positano, is a city built on a cliff. The town was at the top of the cliff, and the main drag, Corso Umberto, was full of great shopping. The beach, on the other had, was, of course, at the bottom of the cliff. About 650 stairs down and...well...650 back up. There was a gondola that you could take both ways, but that was for the weak. Allison and I not only walked it to get to and from the beach, but we added a morning run to the mix, including all those stairs. So each day in Taormina, we did over 1200 stairs....and walked all over town shopping like the girls we are. The hotel we stayed at in Taormina was called Villa Schuler..and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. It was sooo cute, well located, and really friendly staff. Again our days were filled with running, beach, shopping, and dining outdoors without a sweater. No drama or other excitement to report, except that on our last night, our waiter fell in love with Allison, and literally would not let her leave. At first it was kind of cute and sweet, despite the fact that Allison had no interest whatsoever from the get go. But then it got a little wierd. That creepy kind of aggressiveness that just ends up pissing you off. We did finally get out of there...and we did get a free bottle of really great wine, but really...nothing is free. Our price was dealing with the dorky, unrelenting waiter...
Sadly, Allison left on Friday....the whole 10 days, though eventful, seemed to have gone by so fast. I so enjoyed the time with Allison and will look back and laugh at our adventures for years to come. I sayed one more night in Taormina and then continued my journey to Palermo.
A word on Palermo....
I arrived around 3:30 in the afternoon by train that was delayed at least an hour. When I got to my hotel, the incredibly rude man at the receoption desk told me that I didn't have a reservation, despite the fact that I was holding the printed confirmation, with confirmation number in hand. Clearly the hotel had made a mistake, but instead of apologizing and putting me in an upgraded room, he made me feel like it was my fault and put me in a dark room at the back of the hotel. A four star hotel nonetheless...meant nothing. I didn't even unpack before I came down to go out to explore Palermo. I asked the guy where I should go and he gave me very little information, including the fact that everything would be closed until after 5. I walked around and here are things I noticed. It felt deserted. It smelled. It wasn't particularly charming. I felt unsafe. And all I could think about it...how am I going to spend three days here. Aroun 5:30 or 6 I came back to the hotel and called Alitala. The flight to Nice that I was supposed to take on Tuesday connected in Rome, so I asked if I could fly to Rome tomorrow and keep the second leg on Tuesday....and bless his heart, the Alitalia guy made it happen. So with a littel change fee, that was that...I was on my way back to Rome in the morning. I ran across the street to the internet cafe to book a hotel and voila...Palermo could be a memory. I did try to make the most of my stay by walking around the city in the evening when things seemed to come alive a but more. But all I could think was Tijuana with better architecture. Bye bye.
The next day I walked tot he train station to buy my transfer to the airport and I walked by a guy that did the classic once over and made some rude comment....I kept walking...but then about 1 minute later I turned around and saw that he had turned around and was following me! I panicked....and walked as fast as I could to the train station. I thought I had lost him, but then as I walked out of the train station, there he was walking in. Ugh...hate that feeling. I made my way back tot he hotel and even though I had an hour before I had to leave, I sat in the lobby of the hotel and read my book under the watchful eye of the rude front desk guy until I had to leave. Never was I so happy to be on my way.
Now I'm in Rome and having a ball. My hotel is charming, my dinner last night delicious, and I am safe. I love Rome. I've now been here 3 separate times on this trip, and 3 times previously...so I'm getting to know it very well. It feels familiar and comfortable. I have a run here that I do every morning. I know the squares, the shops, the restaurants and some of the restaurant staff. It's nice to have that sense of comfort. So now, I think I'm gonig to pick myself up and head right over to Trevi Fountain and throw my money over my left shoulder...the legend is that if you do this, you are sure to return to Rome one day...I believe I will.
I met Allison at our hotel in Rome around 7pm when my train got in from Bari. She was fast asleep...after a nightmare layover in Toronto, she really had no idea what time it was or what day it was...but I quickly reminded her that it was night time in Roma - and we had one night to enjoy the magical city. On the suggestion of a friend of Allison's, we headed to a restaurant near, but not in, the Camp Fiori called Pier Luigi around 9:00. And it defintiely lived up to the good review. We were met at the outdoor restaruant with a glass of champagne while we waited for out table...dined on such yummy antipasta and pasta...and without ordering it were given the traditional limoncello, compliments of the owner who happened to be sitting next to us with his friends. Despite our urge to soak in the Roma nightlife, we actually were both pretty exhausted, Allison from jet lag and me from a night on a ferry boat...so we turned in for a good night sleep before our journey to the island of Ischia the next day.
Ischia is an island that is just off the coast of Naples. It neighbors the more famous island of Capri..but is in the same family of islands. I've been to Capri before - it is a short trip from Sorrento - our next destination. So we decided to check out soemthing new to both of us. Sherry has made a visit to Ischia in May and took a sailing school there. She loved it. We did not take a sailng school, and we stayed on the other side of the island in a town called Forio d'Ischia...and we, too, LOVED it. After a train to Naples, a taxi to the port, a ferry to Ischia and another taxi to Forio, we fainally reached our hotel which was called Paradiso Terme...indeed, a small paradise. The area in the hills above Forio where we stayed, is known for it's healing waters and natural springs. Our hotel was also a spa, and the pool was filled with these healing waters. When we arrived on thursday night, we took the bus down to the main town to find a place to eat. We figured we'd just walk around to find something. But the more we walked around, the more we realized, there wasn't much...or at least not in the area we were looking. It's funny, because the one complaint I had about Capri when I went there, was that is soooo insanely crowded. Shops and restaurants and tourists galore. Ischia on the other hand, was full of locals, little known restaurants and quaint shops with wares from local artisans. As we were walking around, we walked by this one shop that had several art pieces and other household decorative items...and I fell in love. Outside the shop was an oil painting is subtle hues of pink/purple/grey of tulips...not obvious...but beautiful. I stared at is for several minutes and asked the shopkeeper about the possibility of shipping it. He looked at me like I had four heads....not sure if the idea of shipping was way outside the box for him or if he didn't understand a word I said. I walked away, still in love and all the more determined to figure out how I could make it happen.
We continued our search for food until we came upon a church built into the rocks, that had a restaurant just next to it on the cliffs overlooking the water. Jackpot! It wasn't cheap, but the food, wine and view were fantastic. We later learned from the locals that it's the most expensive restaurant on the island. No shocker considering it's me and Allison - but in our defense, at that moment in our eyes, it was the ONLY restaurant on the island.
After a great night sleep and a run on the treadmill overlooking the hills, the sea and the thermal pools, Allison and I settled into our day by the pool of our hotel and spa. I threw in a much needed pedicure...man, that felt good. And, in our usual routine, we went down into town later in the day to shop and eat...this time with a recommendation from the hotel. And we ended up back at the same shop, again, me staring at the painting. The shop owner, who now I know is named Mauricio, saw me and said in very broken English "wait - I find friend." Not sure for what...but then he hands me his cell phone and I am speaking to Domenico. Domenico was a friend of Mauricio who spoke perfect English. He had worked for the cruise lines for several years, so was certain that the painting could be shipped and he would come down to the square to discuss it with me. In the matter of 5 minutes, Allison and I were sitting having wine and bruchetta with Domenico and Mauricio and discussing everything from life in San Francisco, to all thier families, to Ischia vs. Capri...everything but the painting. It was an afterthought right before we left...Domenico would go to the post office tomorrow to find out what the shipping cost would be for the painting and then we would meet to figure out the details. I still couldn't tell if this was actually going to happen, but the process was sure fun. The next several hours after dinner, we came back to the square so Allison could buy a couple things from Mauricio's shop, and next thing you know we're being introduced to all the 7 brothers of Mauricio, his niece, nephew, wife....bascally the whole town. Life in Ischia.
So the next day, Allison and went our separate ways for the morning...I to deal with my painting and she to Sant Angelo...a neighboring town with rumored great shopping. So I met Domenico in the square....good thing there was just one...basically it was where everyone was. And believe it or not...it all happened! I bought the painting and had it shipped home (thanks Mom and Dad) and actually for a very reasonable cost all things considered! It was about 1:00 then and Allison and I had until about 4 before we had to catch our ferry to Sorrento, so Domenico handed me a helmet and said "jump on" and proceeded to take me on a tour of the island on his motorcycle. It was a hoot. Understand that Domenico is probably about 55, divorced, and hilarious. Seriously great sense of humor. He showed me all the spectacular views, a gorgeous resort (one of the perfect honeymoom spots called MezzoTorre....look it up) and a view of Poseiden which is a massive hot springs park in Forio...like an amusement park with healing water. We then went to meet Allison in Sant Angelo for lunch and Domenico suggested a real local place right on the beach. No menu - just tell them what you want. Domenico ran into some of his friends - also in the 55 plus crowd - and I think they were in 7th heaven hanging out with such spunky "young" women. We had a good laugh over it all. But then at four , sadly, we had to leave our little Forio adventure...and we caught a ferry to Sorrento....more adventures awaiting.
We arrived in Sorrento in the early evening and checked into out hotel....La Residenza. It was OK...but not sure I'd return to that specific hotel. I would return, however, to Sorrento, the hub of the breathtaking Amalfi Coast. We walked into Piazza Tasso, the main square in the town and had dinner right on the square. It's such a treat eating outside, wearing sundresses and not even thinking about bring a sweater. This has been the case throughout my trip, and I don't know how I'm going to adjust when I go back to San Francisco! After dinner we strolled around a bit and around midnight started our walk home. On the way home, we heard a lot of what we had gotten used to..."ciao belle" "hallo beautiful" etc, but for the most part it's a little wierd and you just ignore it. But as we were walking a couple of guys that looked really normal, stopped and in a total NON gawking NON creepy way, said hello and asked us where we were going. Apparently there was a place to go dancing that they were going to and wanted us to come, but we declined and said that we wanted to get up early to run before going to Positano which was our plan for that Sunday. They protested a little, but didn't harrass and said good bye. Their names were Fausto and Alfonso...how much more Italian can you get.
As promised, the next day, we got up to run and then took the bus to the town of Positano. Positano is built completely into the side of the mountain...and it is virtually all steps. About a million steps down from the main road - and about a million steps back up. We started our afternoon with a little lunch, and then we walked up to do a little shopping before spending the rest of the afternoon on the beach. As we were finishing our shopping and walking to the beach, who do we run into? You guessed it....Fausto and Alfonso. Pretty cute...they knew we were gong to be in Positano, so decided to spend their Sunday afternoon there as well. It's a fairly small town, but not so small that you'd be sure to run into someone, but sure enought, we did. We said hello and talked for a few minutes, and then they graciously let us go our own way to the beach and they did the same. Because they were not aggressive and just nice, we actually didn't mind having their company, and were happy when they later found us on the beach and sat with us for awhile. The side bar is that I actually thought Fausto was really cute...nice looking, but also great personality. Figures I find a nice guy in Italy. Anyway, we agreed to meet later for drinks after dinner and finished our gorgeous day in Positano with a ferry ride back to Sorrento.
We ate dinner in the same square as the previous night and then went to a little bar on the Corso Italia to meet Fausto and Alfonso. Had a drink there and then took a ride on their vespas to another place near our hotel. It was a local Karaoke bar - where women in too high heels and too big hair were singing along to random italian music. We drank limoncello and cracked up at their horrid singing style. After Allison and I decided to try our ability at riding the vespas on our own (we weren't too bad either) we finally headed back to the hotel....late...
And despite the need for a good night sleep, poor Allison woke to a nasty bout of food poisoning...and was up all night getting sick. Our plan was to go to Capri together for the day, but Allison couldn't move...and had to spend the whole day of her precious vacation in bed. I did end up going to Capri for a few hours in the afternoon on my own, and then came back into Sorrento to browse through the shops. When we had left Fausto and Alfonso the prvious night, there was an offer on the table for Alfonso to cook us dinner at his house...which I gathered in typical Italian fashion would also be mamma's house. Not sure, but on some level I think it was going to be mamma cooking us dinner. I met Fausto for an Apertivo around 6 when I got back and then got in touch with Allison to make plans for the nght. Unfortunately becuase Allison was not well, we had to forego the homecooked meal, but as fate would have it for me, that was the night I went out on a bonafide date in Italy with Fausto. I got picked up on the vespa at 9:30...never the best for the hair situation, but when in Italy...we went to a restaurant on the water, took a walk and ended with a drink at a bar with very good music. Depsite the fact that his English is far from perfect, and my Italian is, well, pretty non existent, we managed to have some pretty great conversations that gave me the impression that he was actually a really good guy. I told him all about my trip and he was saying that he needed a holiday. He's an architect for the mega five star hotel in Sorrento and oversees all the renovations. So I told him he should go to Nice at the same time as me. It's one of the few places I'm on my own, and what better place for an Itaian to take a holiday. It was a throw away comment, and he said he'd think about it..but I really had no expectation that he would follow through. Another late night, great memories, and in the morning, it was off to our next little slice of Heaven...Taormina.
Fortunately Allison was feeling much better in the morning, so after our daily run, we took a taxi back to the Naples airport and caught a flight to Catania, Sicily...the airport closest to Taormina. What can I say. It was another adorable, stunning, perfect town, that made me never want to leave. Taormina, like Positano, is a city built on a cliff. The town was at the top of the cliff, and the main drag, Corso Umberto, was full of great shopping. The beach, on the other had, was, of course, at the bottom of the cliff. About 650 stairs down and...well...650 back up. There was a gondola that you could take both ways, but that was for the weak. Allison and I not only walked it to get to and from the beach, but we added a morning run to the mix, including all those stairs. So each day in Taormina, we did over 1200 stairs....and walked all over town shopping like the girls we are. The hotel we stayed at in Taormina was called Villa Schuler..and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. It was sooo cute, well located, and really friendly staff. Again our days were filled with running, beach, shopping, and dining outdoors without a sweater. No drama or other excitement to report, except that on our last night, our waiter fell in love with Allison, and literally would not let her leave. At first it was kind of cute and sweet, despite the fact that Allison had no interest whatsoever from the get go. But then it got a little wierd. That creepy kind of aggressiveness that just ends up pissing you off. We did finally get out of there...and we did get a free bottle of really great wine, but really...nothing is free. Our price was dealing with the dorky, unrelenting waiter...
Sadly, Allison left on Friday....the whole 10 days, though eventful, seemed to have gone by so fast. I so enjoyed the time with Allison and will look back and laugh at our adventures for years to come. I sayed one more night in Taormina and then continued my journey to Palermo.
A word on Palermo....
I arrived around 3:30 in the afternoon by train that was delayed at least an hour. When I got to my hotel, the incredibly rude man at the receoption desk told me that I didn't have a reservation, despite the fact that I was holding the printed confirmation, with confirmation number in hand. Clearly the hotel had made a mistake, but instead of apologizing and putting me in an upgraded room, he made me feel like it was my fault and put me in a dark room at the back of the hotel. A four star hotel nonetheless...meant nothing. I didn't even unpack before I came down to go out to explore Palermo. I asked the guy where I should go and he gave me very little information, including the fact that everything would be closed until after 5. I walked around and here are things I noticed. It felt deserted. It smelled. It wasn't particularly charming. I felt unsafe. And all I could think about it...how am I going to spend three days here. Aroun 5:30 or 6 I came back to the hotel and called Alitala. The flight to Nice that I was supposed to take on Tuesday connected in Rome, so I asked if I could fly to Rome tomorrow and keep the second leg on Tuesday....and bless his heart, the Alitalia guy made it happen. So with a littel change fee, that was that...I was on my way back to Rome in the morning. I ran across the street to the internet cafe to book a hotel and voila...Palermo could be a memory. I did try to make the most of my stay by walking around the city in the evening when things seemed to come alive a but more. But all I could think was Tijuana with better architecture. Bye bye.
The next day I walked tot he train station to buy my transfer to the airport and I walked by a guy that did the classic once over and made some rude comment....I kept walking...but then about 1 minute later I turned around and saw that he had turned around and was following me! I panicked....and walked as fast as I could to the train station. I thought I had lost him, but then as I walked out of the train station, there he was walking in. Ugh...hate that feeling. I made my way back tot he hotel and even though I had an hour before I had to leave, I sat in the lobby of the hotel and read my book under the watchful eye of the rude front desk guy until I had to leave. Never was I so happy to be on my way.
Now I'm in Rome and having a ball. My hotel is charming, my dinner last night delicious, and I am safe. I love Rome. I've now been here 3 separate times on this trip, and 3 times previously...so I'm getting to know it very well. It feels familiar and comfortable. I have a run here that I do every morning. I know the squares, the shops, the restaurants and some of the restaurant staff. It's nice to have that sense of comfort. So now, I think I'm gonig to pick myself up and head right over to Trevi Fountain and throw my money over my left shoulder...the legend is that if you do this, you are sure to return to Rome one day...I believe I will.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Carpe Diem
While we were in Hvar, the hot bar in town was called Carpe Diem. At the end of the day, everyone would head down there for a drink...and the view, sunset and great crowd made you never want to leave. Thay also had en extensive drink menu that had little stories and parables attached one of which I'd like to share with you. It seems to me to be the quintessential description of the difference between the way Americans think vs. Europeans....I think we can learn something from this...
One day, an American was in Hvar and saw a Croatian fisherman pull his little boat up to shore around noontime. As the fisherman unloaded the fish from the boat, the American noticed that the fish looked beautiful, but there wasn't very much of it.
So the American said to the Croatian fisherman, "Sir, you have such quality fish, but why is it that you've only caught such a small amount? Why don't you stay out at sea longer and bring back more fish so you can sell it?"
The fisherman answered, "Well sir, the fish that I have caught is enough to feed my family, and the extra gives me enough to support my family on th island. When I am finished fishing at noon, I can take a siesta with my wife, play with my children, watch the sunset and see my friends."
The American came back and siad, "Oh no sir, you have it all wrong. I am a Harvard MBA and I can help you! What you need to do is stay out there all day and catch all the fish you can. Because you have such quality fish, you will make a name for yourself and soon you can start selling your fish to a distributor and exporting all over the county. Little by little you can start your own import/export company, of course you will have to move to New York or LA to do this, but you make millions of dollars and be a very rich man!"
The fisherman said, "How long will it take for me to do this?"
"15-20 years," the American replied.
The fisherman asked, "And then what?"
And the American said, "Then you can retire to an island in Croatia, fish in the morning, take siestas with your wife, play with your grandchildren, watch the sunset and spend time with your firends..."
Carpe Diem indeed...
One day, an American was in Hvar and saw a Croatian fisherman pull his little boat up to shore around noontime. As the fisherman unloaded the fish from the boat, the American noticed that the fish looked beautiful, but there wasn't very much of it.
So the American said to the Croatian fisherman, "Sir, you have such quality fish, but why is it that you've only caught such a small amount? Why don't you stay out at sea longer and bring back more fish so you can sell it?"
The fisherman answered, "Well sir, the fish that I have caught is enough to feed my family, and the extra gives me enough to support my family on th island. When I am finished fishing at noon, I can take a siesta with my wife, play with my children, watch the sunset and see my friends."
The American came back and siad, "Oh no sir, you have it all wrong. I am a Harvard MBA and I can help you! What you need to do is stay out there all day and catch all the fish you can. Because you have such quality fish, you will make a name for yourself and soon you can start selling your fish to a distributor and exporting all over the county. Little by little you can start your own import/export company, of course you will have to move to New York or LA to do this, but you make millions of dollars and be a very rich man!"
The fisherman said, "How long will it take for me to do this?"
"15-20 years," the American replied.
The fisherman asked, "And then what?"
And the American said, "Then you can retire to an island in Croatia, fish in the morning, take siestas with your wife, play with your grandchildren, watch the sunset and spend time with your firends..."
Carpe Diem indeed...
Monday, July 9, 2007
Croatian Paradise
Well what can I say about Croatia? It is in many ways my favorite place so far and somewhere I felt totally at home for so many reasons. Stunning views, hot weather, friendly people and great memories. After leaving the villa and dropping Joy and Sherry off in Rome, Amy and I took the train from Rome to Ancona, and then took the overnight ferry from Ancona to Split. We decided that we would forego the cabin and just take regular seats for the overnight trip - thought we could save a little money and we could sleep on the beach in Hvar. Well it was in that moment we both realized that despite our slightly warped sense of our age, we are NOT 22 year old backpackers. We saw the seats and within minutes we were at reception begging for the cabin with shower and window. Ok so there it is...not into roughing it like that anymore...
We arrived in Split at 7am and then took one more ferry to Hvar Island and a bus to Hvar Town. All I can say is wow. The sea is so blue, the skies to clear and the town charming as can be. And I think its Europe's best kept secret because despite it's supreme beauty, it wasnt overly crowded. I'd arranged for a great little apartment a short walk from town , so we got settled there and then headed into the perfect beach town to start our week of fun.
We stayed in Hvar for five nights and Mona, our friend from Rome came to join us for three of those nights. The next five days were spent laying on the beach, hanging out with the locals (specifically one very cute guy) and indulging in fish and wine sitting right on the water with some of the best views I've ever seen. In addition to fantastic vistas, I can't go without saying how gorgeous the people are. Both men and women, although I had more fun observing the former. They love practicing speaking english and are very taken by Americans. The other thing that was great for me, is that the Croatian language is more or less a derivative of Russian, so once I started paying attention, I could understand some of what they were saying and could learn the crucial phrases really quickly. Dorba vecher (good evening), Gde toilette (i'll let you figure that out), dobar dan (good day)...and so on.
Anyway, needless to say it was very bittersweet leaving Hvar and all the fun friends we met there, and I even found myself conjuring up ways to change my itinerary so I could go back to Hvar one more time before going home...that's still up in the air. Nonetheless, after our gorgeous 5 days, Amy and I headed down to Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is an old walled city - that yet again - is stunning. I mean literally breathtaking. I can't even decribe the feeling you get when you see it. We had a great little apartment there as well and set out to explore the town the evening we arrived. The one thing that almost ruins Dubrovnik is the crowds. It is one of the most inappropriately crowded places I've ever seen...inappropriate because it's not a busy city, it's a charming seaside town. But talk about tourists galore...and not the understated ones, but the ones that get off cruise ships and tour buses and follow the red umbrella through the city. Totally annoying.
Amy and I circumvented the crowds by getting out of the city walls during our days there. On our first day, we hired a guide to take us to Montenegro on the suggestion of Sherry who had just been there in April. Our guide's name was Mio and he was a Montenegrian that lived in Dubrovnik. So he had sooo much information on the history of Montenegro as well as all of the republics that made up the former Yugoslavia. He is about 47 now, but was an Olympic hopeful in Judo. Very interesting life and great guide for the tour. We hit several places in Montenegro including Sveti Stephan whre they recently filmed the movie Casino Royale, Kotor, and one other town I simply can't remember the name of. The observation that Amy and had about Montenegro was that is was like an adolescent...trying to be a country that caters to western europeans, but wasn't quite there. Still, the vistas were superb, the fiords and seaview panoramas...another best kept secret in Eastern Europe....I give it 5 years..we'll all be taking our holidays in Montenegro...
The rest of our 3 days in Dubrovnik were spent at the beach just relaxing and soaking up the sun. Sadly, Amy left after our time in Dubrovnik, back to figure out what's next for her...and I will continue on to Southern Italy and meet up with my friend Allison. I'm looking forward to all that I have left in my travels, but I can't even imgaine it getting any better. Amy was such a great travel partner...and I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to spend all this time with her! Amy - I'd do it again in a heartbeat...you're the best! Now back to Italy...I'm sure more adventures await!
We arrived in Split at 7am and then took one more ferry to Hvar Island and a bus to Hvar Town. All I can say is wow. The sea is so blue, the skies to clear and the town charming as can be. And I think its Europe's best kept secret because despite it's supreme beauty, it wasnt overly crowded. I'd arranged for a great little apartment a short walk from town , so we got settled there and then headed into the perfect beach town to start our week of fun.
We stayed in Hvar for five nights and Mona, our friend from Rome came to join us for three of those nights. The next five days were spent laying on the beach, hanging out with the locals (specifically one very cute guy) and indulging in fish and wine sitting right on the water with some of the best views I've ever seen. In addition to fantastic vistas, I can't go without saying how gorgeous the people are. Both men and women, although I had more fun observing the former. They love practicing speaking english and are very taken by Americans. The other thing that was great for me, is that the Croatian language is more or less a derivative of Russian, so once I started paying attention, I could understand some of what they were saying and could learn the crucial phrases really quickly. Dorba vecher (good evening), Gde toilette (i'll let you figure that out), dobar dan (good day)...and so on.
Anyway, needless to say it was very bittersweet leaving Hvar and all the fun friends we met there, and I even found myself conjuring up ways to change my itinerary so I could go back to Hvar one more time before going home...that's still up in the air. Nonetheless, after our gorgeous 5 days, Amy and I headed down to Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik is an old walled city - that yet again - is stunning. I mean literally breathtaking. I can't even decribe the feeling you get when you see it. We had a great little apartment there as well and set out to explore the town the evening we arrived. The one thing that almost ruins Dubrovnik is the crowds. It is one of the most inappropriately crowded places I've ever seen...inappropriate because it's not a busy city, it's a charming seaside town. But talk about tourists galore...and not the understated ones, but the ones that get off cruise ships and tour buses and follow the red umbrella through the city. Totally annoying.
Amy and I circumvented the crowds by getting out of the city walls during our days there. On our first day, we hired a guide to take us to Montenegro on the suggestion of Sherry who had just been there in April. Our guide's name was Mio and he was a Montenegrian that lived in Dubrovnik. So he had sooo much information on the history of Montenegro as well as all of the republics that made up the former Yugoslavia. He is about 47 now, but was an Olympic hopeful in Judo. Very interesting life and great guide for the tour. We hit several places in Montenegro including Sveti Stephan whre they recently filmed the movie Casino Royale, Kotor, and one other town I simply can't remember the name of. The observation that Amy and had about Montenegro was that is was like an adolescent...trying to be a country that caters to western europeans, but wasn't quite there. Still, the vistas were superb, the fiords and seaview panoramas...another best kept secret in Eastern Europe....I give it 5 years..we'll all be taking our holidays in Montenegro...
The rest of our 3 days in Dubrovnik were spent at the beach just relaxing and soaking up the sun. Sadly, Amy left after our time in Dubrovnik, back to figure out what's next for her...and I will continue on to Southern Italy and meet up with my friend Allison. I'm looking forward to all that I have left in my travels, but I can't even imgaine it getting any better. Amy was such a great travel partner...and I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to spend all this time with her! Amy - I'd do it again in a heartbeat...you're the best! Now back to Italy...I'm sure more adventures await!
Monday, July 2, 2007
Life at the Villa
Saturday we headed off for our week at a villa just outside the city of Siena. Two years ago, I joined a group of 7 at a villa in Tuscany near Regello and had the most amaying week. So based on the insanely fun time we had then, I rallied a group to do the same thing again. This time the players were all women. It was a 6 bedroom house, with 6 women...so we all lived in luxury. The house consisted of Amy, Sherry, Amy's friend Joy from Washington DC, my dear friend Veronique from Geneva, her friend Anna, and me. Joy met Amy and I at our apartment in Rome on Saturday morning and then after picking up our car, we gathered Sherry and headed off to Tuscany. Veronique and Anna were driving down from Geneva the same day and meeting us at the villa. We stopped at a little town called Pienza right near Montalcino where they are famous for their Pecorino cheese. Needless to say, we stocked up on some of that great cheese, as well as some yummy Montepulcinos and then headed off to our villa.
The villa was restored in the 1970's, but was originally built in the 15th century...so it was very old and beautiful...albeit a little dark. One bonus to the villa living, was that Sherry had just finished a month long cooking class in Sorrento, so she wanted to use us as guinea pigs for her Italian recipes. We willingly olbliged...and may I just say...Sherry knocked herself out. We had three great nights of Sherry's cooking and I'm not sure which was best....all fantastic!
Our day were spent either laying by the pool, or taking a day trip to one of the great Tuscan destinations. Our first day was a relaxing pool day...followed by dinner in Siena right on the Campo. Day 2, we deceded to do a little wine tasting in the Montepulciano/Montaclino regions. Veronique was the master planner on this one. She called several wineries and made appointments for us to go in and see their wineries and taste the wine. The highlight was definitely our first stop. It was a winery in Montepulciano called Villa St. Anna that is run by all women. The owner/caretaker, Simone, took us on an extensive tour of her winery told us the stories of how the winery had been in her family for several generations and then invited to come and taste the wine. When we walked into the tasting room, she had a table set up with 5 bottles fo wine open, lovely big wine glasses, and an assortment of cold cuts, and breads to eat with out tasting. It was so lovely and she was so passionate about each wine that we tasted, that it made the experience one of the best wine tasting experiences I've ever had... but the kicker was...the wine was FANTASTIC! For those of you who love wine like I do, Simone distributes in the US and there were three that I loved...The Rosso de Montepulciano, the Nobile de Montepulciano, and the ˝Poldo˝ which is also a Nobile. Villa St. Anna...buy it! We sure did - and drank it every day for the rest of the week. We visited another winery in Montepulcino that day, but I honestly don't remember the name...and then we stopped by the town of Montalcino to try some Brunello. Not sure if it was just that we had already drank too much, or if the first wines were so good compared to everything else, but we just couldn't seem to get into the Brunello's...and those are supposed to be the best! We came home to another Sherry dinner...yet again delicioso!
Tuesday Joy, Vernoque, Ana and I did some shopping at the outlets (fortunately without too much damage, while Amy and Sherry kicked it by the pool. We had a chef come in a prepare dinner for us that night - something we arranged though the villa company, but I gotta tell you...he had nothing on Sherry! After the dinner...and apparently a lot of wine, Anna who is originaly from Bolivia decide to teach how to slasa, mambo, and whatever other latin dances there are out there. It's a little embarassing actually, but picture 6 intoxicated) women all shaking their booties to latin beats. I have video of it...but only the privilged few will be allowed to see it...or not...
Wednesday was a day in Florence...always a treat....Thursday another pool day, and Friday was a day in Siena. It also so happened that Friday was Joy's 40th birthday! So we decided to make it a little special. During the day, we created a list of tasks that she had to compelte having to do with Siena. she had to light a candle in the Duomo, climb to the top of the tower, find out the history of Simone Martini (I still haven't figured that one out) and then get a gelato and take a picture with the gelato store owner. Those were the daytime tasts. For the nighttime, she had to ask three different men a series of questions. One young, one middle aged and one old. I actually don't thing she got past the young one...but who can blame her! We had dinner at the Osteria Le Logge, which is a reall great restaurant in Siena...in fact last time Sherry was there she ran into Al and Tipper Gore. We didn't have any star sightings, but our waiter knew the owner of one of our favorite wine bars in San Francisco...which was a little bit of a small world story. I hope it was a great b-day for Joy...we all had a great time!
One side note for anyone who wants to rent a villa. The company I worked with was
www.TuscanyNow.com. The have gorgeous villas and a great selection if you book early. I highly recommend this as a way to see Tuscany, as well as to have an incredibly fun week with friends. But be ready for the mosquitos! They were rampant in our villa. The doors and windows didn't have screens...but it was too bloody hot to close the windows during the day, so we shared our villa with about one million mosquitos. Sherry who has been traveling to some pretty exotic locations for the past 10 months commented that it was the worst mosquito experience she's had since she's been traveling. Says something...bring bug spray!
So great to travel with such stellar women. Each great in their own way and made the week extraordinary. Big hugs to all of you and thanks for such a great time! Stay tuned for updates on Croatia!!!
The villa was restored in the 1970's, but was originally built in the 15th century...so it was very old and beautiful...albeit a little dark. One bonus to the villa living, was that Sherry had just finished a month long cooking class in Sorrento, so she wanted to use us as guinea pigs for her Italian recipes. We willingly olbliged...and may I just say...Sherry knocked herself out. We had three great nights of Sherry's cooking and I'm not sure which was best....all fantastic!
Our day were spent either laying by the pool, or taking a day trip to one of the great Tuscan destinations. Our first day was a relaxing pool day...followed by dinner in Siena right on the Campo. Day 2, we deceded to do a little wine tasting in the Montepulciano/Montaclino regions. Veronique was the master planner on this one. She called several wineries and made appointments for us to go in and see their wineries and taste the wine. The highlight was definitely our first stop. It was a winery in Montepulciano called Villa St. Anna that is run by all women. The owner/caretaker, Simone, took us on an extensive tour of her winery told us the stories of how the winery had been in her family for several generations and then invited to come and taste the wine. When we walked into the tasting room, she had a table set up with 5 bottles fo wine open, lovely big wine glasses, and an assortment of cold cuts, and breads to eat with out tasting. It was so lovely and she was so passionate about each wine that we tasted, that it made the experience one of the best wine tasting experiences I've ever had... but the kicker was...the wine was FANTASTIC! For those of you who love wine like I do, Simone distributes in the US and there were three that I loved...The Rosso de Montepulciano, the Nobile de Montepulciano, and the ˝Poldo˝ which is also a Nobile. Villa St. Anna...buy it! We sure did - and drank it every day for the rest of the week. We visited another winery in Montepulcino that day, but I honestly don't remember the name...and then we stopped by the town of Montalcino to try some Brunello. Not sure if it was just that we had already drank too much, or if the first wines were so good compared to everything else, but we just couldn't seem to get into the Brunello's...and those are supposed to be the best! We came home to another Sherry dinner...yet again delicioso!
Tuesday Joy, Vernoque, Ana and I did some shopping at the outlets (fortunately without too much damage, while Amy and Sherry kicked it by the pool. We had a chef come in a prepare dinner for us that night - something we arranged though the villa company, but I gotta tell you...he had nothing on Sherry! After the dinner...and apparently a lot of wine, Anna who is originaly from Bolivia decide to teach how to slasa, mambo, and whatever other latin dances there are out there. It's a little embarassing actually, but picture 6 intoxicated) women all shaking their booties to latin beats. I have video of it...but only the privilged few will be allowed to see it...or not...
Wednesday was a day in Florence...always a treat....Thursday another pool day, and Friday was a day in Siena. It also so happened that Friday was Joy's 40th birthday! So we decided to make it a little special. During the day, we created a list of tasks that she had to compelte having to do with Siena. she had to light a candle in the Duomo, climb to the top of the tower, find out the history of Simone Martini (I still haven't figured that one out) and then get a gelato and take a picture with the gelato store owner. Those were the daytime tasts. For the nighttime, she had to ask three different men a series of questions. One young, one middle aged and one old. I actually don't thing she got past the young one...but who can blame her! We had dinner at the Osteria Le Logge, which is a reall great restaurant in Siena...in fact last time Sherry was there she ran into Al and Tipper Gore. We didn't have any star sightings, but our waiter knew the owner of one of our favorite wine bars in San Francisco...which was a little bit of a small world story. I hope it was a great b-day for Joy...we all had a great time!
One side note for anyone who wants to rent a villa. The company I worked with was
www.TuscanyNow.com. The have gorgeous villas and a great selection if you book early. I highly recommend this as a way to see Tuscany, as well as to have an incredibly fun week with friends. But be ready for the mosquitos! They were rampant in our villa. The doors and windows didn't have screens...but it was too bloody hot to close the windows during the day, so we shared our villa with about one million mosquitos. Sherry who has been traveling to some pretty exotic locations for the past 10 months commented that it was the worst mosquito experience she's had since she's been traveling. Says something...bring bug spray!
So great to travel with such stellar women. Each great in their own way and made the week extraordinary. Big hugs to all of you and thanks for such a great time! Stay tuned for updates on Croatia!!!
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