For those of you who have been upset by our lack of touristy enthusiasm, you shall be disapointed no longer! We have taken Rome (or Roma, as the locals call it) by storm. We have been site-seeing with the most avid of tourists, and have taken in some amazing sites...thanks to Matt! I would prefer to wander around to various cafes, searching out the citys greatest coffee. However, he is a true rock hunter at heart! He has systimatically taken me to see as many ancient ruins as is possible to see in 2 days. I periodically get disheartened by the hot weather, lack of shade, and similar looking ruins (essentially rocks), yet he pushes me to press on. As a result, we have seen the entirety of Vatican City, a castle (please do not ask me to remember the name right now...they are beginning to run together), the ruins of the steps where Julius Ceasar was assasinated, the Pantheon, the Colloseum, and the Roman Forum....wheeew, you can imagine my exhaustion! Nonetheless, it has been great fun, even if I have had a few moments of temporary insanity, brought on by the heat :-)
We will be flying home tomorrow morning and will be so excited to see everyone! We have hundreds...yes, hundreds....of pictures to show off and maybe a few untold stories! It has been wonderful keeping in contact with everyone through this blog! Thanks for taking the time to check in and write...it has been a great link to home. Love you all and see you soon...Kristin
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
July 10-12
We have now moved onto Positano....an amazing city built into the sheer rock cliffs along Italys Amalfi Coast (south of Naples). We arrived by train in Naples and were then lured by a fast-talking taxi driver to pay for his services to get us to Positano in "about an hour", rather than take the "slow, hot train and then small bus to Positano". It turns out that (for once) we were not sorry to be sucked into this tourist trap, as we got to experience the famous gut-wrenching curves and cliffs that line the Amalfi Coast. The views from that high up were absolutely spectacular, with turquoise to azure water and tiny villages built into the cliffs. However, at one point of the journey, I turned to Matt (as I, of course, was in the front seat due to my propensity to car sickness :-) ) and told him that it was a good thing that Grandma Wagner was not with us! Grandma, if you think the drive up to the Anthony Lakes Ski Lift is bad, DO NOT visit Positano :-)
While it is fascinating to stay in a town that is built into sheer rock cliffs, there is also a downside...literally...the stairs. Walking by oneself down these stairs can be a bit of a challenge, but this combined with suitcases full of clothing, wine, and olive oil....in our $20, 4 foot by 4 foot by 3 foot, suitcase...proved to almost be our undoing. Between the point when the taxi driver dropped us off and once we had finally made it to our hotel (down about 50 steps), that bloody suitcase had lost another leg, a handle and one of the wheels appears to be coming loose. If we make it back with our wine and olive oil, we may never partake of it, just out of principle :-)
Nonetheless, we are having a fantastic time in this place...and continue to avoid the most noteworthy options. I am sorry to report that we did not make time to visit the ruins of Pompei, although our kindly taxi driver did point out Mount Vesuvius to us, as we sped by towards the coastal cliffs. We have, though, enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner on the beach and spent the day swimming in the sea and lounging around on rented beach chairs, complete with their own umbrella and head covers. Unfortunately, the Meditereanian sun was not kind to us, and we left the beach looking more pink, than bronze :-)
While it is fascinating to stay in a town that is built into sheer rock cliffs, there is also a downside...literally...the stairs. Walking by oneself down these stairs can be a bit of a challenge, but this combined with suitcases full of clothing, wine, and olive oil....in our $20, 4 foot by 4 foot by 3 foot, suitcase...proved to almost be our undoing. Between the point when the taxi driver dropped us off and once we had finally made it to our hotel (down about 50 steps), that bloody suitcase had lost another leg, a handle and one of the wheels appears to be coming loose. If we make it back with our wine and olive oil, we may never partake of it, just out of principle :-)
Nonetheless, we are having a fantastic time in this place...and continue to avoid the most noteworthy options. I am sorry to report that we did not make time to visit the ruins of Pompei, although our kindly taxi driver did point out Mount Vesuvius to us, as we sped by towards the coastal cliffs. We have, though, enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner on the beach and spent the day swimming in the sea and lounging around on rented beach chairs, complete with their own umbrella and head covers. Unfortunately, the Meditereanian sun was not kind to us, and we left the beach looking more pink, than bronze :-)
July 8-10
Well, we are now in Firenze...or Florence, as most English-speakers know it :-) The city is spectacular with ancient art and history around every corner...this is the city that The David resides in. However, I did not fall in love with this city until we were out of it. I think that the citys greatest beauty is observed from the surrounding hillsides. We are staying in a small and ancient village on one of these olive grove-covered hills, called Fiesole. The city provides two sets of views...one of Firenze and the other of sweeping vineyards and olive groves, off the other side of the mountain. It is exactly as I imagined Tuscany (the region that Firenze resides in) to look like.
Many of you may be disapointed that, once again, we are not taking in the most popular sites. Unfortunately, we did not visit the magnificent Duomo, the Ufizzi, or the any of the various (and important, I might add!) art museums that the city has to offer. We did not even walk accross Firenzes most famous bridge, Ponte Vaechia...although we did come close and do have a great picture of it :-) However, we have experienced this city, and the surrounding areas, in our own way. Being the wine lovers that we are, we did not feel that we could come to Tuscany and leave without having visited a vineyard....and indeed, we have not. We discovered that there was a lovely fattoria (farm) directly below our bed and breakfast in Fiesole. The farm grows both olives and grapes and so we decided to trek down there to see what they had to offer us. Well, trek we did. Matt relieved his traveling backpack of all of his clothes and we set off to fill it with wine and olive oil. We had to hike down a treacherous hill...treacherous only because it was narrow and there were dozens of cars and motorcycles zipping around the corners at breakneck speeds. Anyways, it was a bit further than anticipated, but it was well worth the risks incurred...we bought bottles of wine, and jugs of olive oil. In fact, they barely fit into Matts pack. We had planned to find a UPS in Firenze and ship it home ahead of us. However, when we went to ship it, the total came to 450£ (over $600!!!)....so, we bought a HUGE $20 suitcase (clearly more quantity than quality oriented) and filled it with our purchases. I fear that this could be a probem, as the filled suitcase weighs well over 80 pounds.....and one leg broke after it bounced over the smallest cobbstone...five minutes following its purchase...we may be in over our heads.
Many of you may be disapointed that, once again, we are not taking in the most popular sites. Unfortunately, we did not visit the magnificent Duomo, the Ufizzi, or the any of the various (and important, I might add!) art museums that the city has to offer. We did not even walk accross Firenzes most famous bridge, Ponte Vaechia...although we did come close and do have a great picture of it :-) However, we have experienced this city, and the surrounding areas, in our own way. Being the wine lovers that we are, we did not feel that we could come to Tuscany and leave without having visited a vineyard....and indeed, we have not. We discovered that there was a lovely fattoria (farm) directly below our bed and breakfast in Fiesole. The farm grows both olives and grapes and so we decided to trek down there to see what they had to offer us. Well, trek we did. Matt relieved his traveling backpack of all of his clothes and we set off to fill it with wine and olive oil. We had to hike down a treacherous hill...treacherous only because it was narrow and there were dozens of cars and motorcycles zipping around the corners at breakneck speeds. Anyways, it was a bit further than anticipated, but it was well worth the risks incurred...we bought bottles of wine, and jugs of olive oil. In fact, they barely fit into Matts pack. We had planned to find a UPS in Firenze and ship it home ahead of us. However, when we went to ship it, the total came to 450£ (over $600!!!)....so, we bought a HUGE $20 suitcase (clearly more quantity than quality oriented) and filled it with our purchases. I fear that this could be a probem, as the filled suitcase weighs well over 80 pounds.....and one leg broke after it bounced over the smallest cobbstone...five minutes following its purchase...we may be in over our heads.
Monday, July 9, 2007
July 5-8, 2007
Venice has become my new favorite city! It is magical. As soon as I stepped out of the train station, I was met by a view of the Grande Canal. It is hard to describe Venices allure, but I must say, that the tiny canals around every bend have something to do with its immense charm and irreplicable beauty. There are no cars in Venice and so, although it is full of people, it feels quite ancient...and indeed it is, with construction beginning in the 6th Century!
Matt and I have spent most of our time wandering the tiny allies and getting hopelessly lost. I am afraid that we probably have not spent nearly as much time as we should, touring the museums, but it is just too much fun to experience Venice on our own!
You may be surprised to find out that Matt is taking to Italy rather handily. He has shed his baseball cap and tall white socks, in favor of his long-ish hair and leather sandals. Indeed, he was not in Venice but for 2 days, before he insisted on buying a pair of genuine original Gucci sunglasses. I directed him towards the vendors with the dozens of knock-off designer glasses, but he would have nothing of it. So, he is now very cool indeed, and if he would just try not to speak to anyone...I had to explain the difference between "Gracias"(Spanish-thank you) and Grazie"(Italian-thank you)...you know its bad when my Italian linguistic skills exceed someonelses :-)...he could be taken for any other Italian on the street :-)
Matt and I have spent most of our time wandering the tiny allies and getting hopelessly lost. I am afraid that we probably have not spent nearly as much time as we should, touring the museums, but it is just too much fun to experience Venice on our own!
You may be surprised to find out that Matt is taking to Italy rather handily. He has shed his baseball cap and tall white socks, in favor of his long-ish hair and leather sandals. Indeed, he was not in Venice but for 2 days, before he insisted on buying a pair of genuine original Gucci sunglasses. I directed him towards the vendors with the dozens of knock-off designer glasses, but he would have nothing of it. So, he is now very cool indeed, and if he would just try not to speak to anyone...I had to explain the difference between "Gracias"(Spanish-thank you) and Grazie"(Italian-thank you)...you know its bad when my Italian linguistic skills exceed someonelses :-)...he could be taken for any other Italian on the street :-)
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
July 4, 2007
Oh dear....I have made a grave mistake. Somewhere along the way, my dear Italian grandmothers name has been lost in translation. It appears that Grandma Rosa is, in fact, Grandma Flora....yes, I have been referring to this delightful woman by the wrong name for nearly 3 weeks. I hesitate to admit this embarassing error, but in the spirit of honesty and full disclosure, I am forced to air my miscalculation. In fairness, though, you must agree that "Rosa" and "Flora" are not terribly far off. Thankfully, I have not actually called her "Rosa" to her face...very often...and hopefully those few times were chalked up to a communication confusion.
I was asking Thomas (my brother) for the familys address and the spelling of their names. When it came to the granmothers name, my pencil was poised to begin scribing "Rosa", when all of a sudden, he rambled off F-L-O-R-A. You can imagine my surprise at this apparent turn of events. However, I was able to pull it together and only exhibited a mild about of shock....I went cross-eyed just briefly and quickly snapped my mouth shut. I quietly and humbly wrote "Flora" and took myself off to my bedroom to nurse my embarassment.
On a more confident note...HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! I am sure that everyone is enjoying the day relaxing, eating, and spending time with friends and family. Have an absolutely fantastic time! I miss you all!
P.S. I have added more pictures below-take a look :-)
I was asking Thomas (my brother) for the familys address and the spelling of their names. When it came to the granmothers name, my pencil was poised to begin scribing "Rosa", when all of a sudden, he rambled off F-L-O-R-A. You can imagine my surprise at this apparent turn of events. However, I was able to pull it together and only exhibited a mild about of shock....I went cross-eyed just briefly and quickly snapped my mouth shut. I quietly and humbly wrote "Flora" and took myself off to my bedroom to nurse my embarassment.
On a more confident note...HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! I am sure that everyone is enjoying the day relaxing, eating, and spending time with friends and family. Have an absolutely fantastic time! I miss you all!
P.S. I have added more pictures below-take a look :-)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
July 3, 2007
Hello! I think that I have forgotten to inform you that I am not actually teaching this week. Matt will be arriving on Thursday morning, and I found out from ACLE that I would not actually be finished teaching until Saturday, if I were to accept a position at a camp this week. So, I declined and instead have been staying with my family for a few extra days. They will take me to the station on Thursday morning, where I will hop a train for Venice. Venice is only about a 2.5 hour journey from here, and so I should arrive well before noon!
I am quite looking forward to Matts arrival! My family has been more than wonderful, but it will be truly fantastic to see a familiar face and get to speak English ALL DAY LONG...without use of hands, a dictionary, or confused expressions :-) It seems like forever since I have seen him, so I am anxiously counting down the days....only one more to go!
I am quite looking forward to Matts arrival! My family has been more than wonderful, but it will be truly fantastic to see a familiar face and get to speak English ALL DAY LONG...without use of hands, a dictionary, or confused expressions :-) It seems like forever since I have seen him, so I am anxiously counting down the days....only one more to go!
Monday, July 2, 2007
July 1, 2007
Today, my dear family packed up the children and we set off to visit Lake Garda, Italys largest lake. It really was quite spectacular and only about an hour from home! It is roughly shaped like a banjo and is 32 miles in length, and 10 miles across (at the widest point). We spent most of the day in the village of Sirmione, which is quite touristy due to its lovely views of the lake. Sirmione is not one to dissapoint the traveler who is filled with illusions of brightly colored buildings and flowers filling the wrought iron balconies. Its narrow allies were filled with lovely little shops and almost everywhere we went, we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the lake and the mountains off in the distance. Sirmione is on a spit that juts out from the mainland, and it is really quite narrow. The narrowness allows one to look to the right and the left, and see the lake on either side of the land. It was a beautiful day and it was delightful to see all of the sailboats careening across the lake. While it was quite warm, the cool breezes wafting in from the lake cooled us down immediately.
I was particularly thankful for these chilling breezes, after the hour spent in the car. While my family has the Italian version of a minivan, complete with airconditioning, they did not see fit to turn the AC on. At first, I politely tried to hide the sweat that was pouring out of my very being, discreetly collecting it in a water bottle stowed beneath my seat. The mother had generously offered me the front seat, and more than once, I came near to dialing that little button one click to the right...yes, one click was all that was between heat stroke and a pleasant day out with the fam. At first, I thought that I was the only one affected by the heat, and that they were just acclimated. However, when I turned to talk to the mother, I saw that she too was quitely collecting her sweat droplets in a water bottle. Why she did not request the AC, I will never know.
The cool lake breezes revived me, and indeed sustained me over the car ride home. At one point, I did pass out from the heat, but came to without much ado, when the car pulled to a stop at a village festa (festival). I was only a bit surprised when everyone poured out of the car, and proceeded to long tables, covered in food. While we ate, a live band played music, and hordes of people danced around the outdoor dance floor. It was a bit chaotic...but I am getting used to this...and turned out to be quite fun! A fitting ending to this memorable day :-)
I was particularly thankful for these chilling breezes, after the hour spent in the car. While my family has the Italian version of a minivan, complete with airconditioning, they did not see fit to turn the AC on. At first, I politely tried to hide the sweat that was pouring out of my very being, discreetly collecting it in a water bottle stowed beneath my seat. The mother had generously offered me the front seat, and more than once, I came near to dialing that little button one click to the right...yes, one click was all that was between heat stroke and a pleasant day out with the fam. At first, I thought that I was the only one affected by the heat, and that they were just acclimated. However, when I turned to talk to the mother, I saw that she too was quitely collecting her sweat droplets in a water bottle. Why she did not request the AC, I will never know.
The cool lake breezes revived me, and indeed sustained me over the car ride home. At one point, I did pass out from the heat, but came to without much ado, when the car pulled to a stop at a village festa (festival). I was only a bit surprised when everyone poured out of the car, and proceeded to long tables, covered in food. While we ate, a live band played music, and hordes of people danced around the outdoor dance floor. It was a bit chaotic...but I am getting used to this...and turned out to be quite fun! A fitting ending to this memorable day :-)
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