Oh, Venice… you get me.

Dear Venice,

I want to thank you for today.  You showed me a great time in our last stop through Italy.  I was a little skeptical after last night.  It was a long day of traveling, which went extremely well, but all I wanted was a nice hot shower and a good relaxing meal.  We had trouble finding our hotel and when we stepped in the room it was very basic.  That wasn’t a problem, but after the amazing room we had in Cinque Terre, I was a little spoiled.  We took quick showers and headed out to dinner. 

We found a nice casual patio and ordered some seafood dishes since that is what Venice is known for.  However, our service couldn’t have been worse.  It was very clear that they could careless that we were there.  We didn’t stay for long after the meal, even though our original plan was to enjoy a nice espresso or another glass of wine at the finish of our dinner.  We paid and headed out in search for a café to enjoy a cappuccino and some gelato to make up for dinner.  We found a great little spot down the street and started to take our first bite when the server brought over our bill.  (It was late and they were closing down so we paid up front.)  20 euro!  For 2 cups of coffee and two scoops of ice cream.  Are you kidding me?  The night ended there for me where I went back to the room to read while Logan hit the local casino.

Venice, you made up for it in style this morning.  We woke up early to hit the more touristy spots and caught San Marco before it got over crowded with tourists.  The rest of the day was spent getting lost down various allies and crossing every bridge we could find.  We enjoyed the beautiful views of canals.  When it got a little later we began popping into little ‘snack shops’ where they sold small portions of sandwiches and various lunch treats for only a few euros.  We got a taste of what the city was known for.  The best was our last stop where we each had some white wine and the best lasagna we’ve ever tasted.  It puts my lasagna to shame.  At least now I have something to aspire to.

As we roamed the city streets heading towards our hotel to relax before getting ready for dinner we sighed as we reflected on the time we’ve spent in Italy.  The last two cities have flown by and it is bitter sweet to say goodbye.  We know we will not be back for a long time, if ever and have enjoyed our stay here.  I think we are both ready to take in one last meal in this romantic city before experiencing a completely different culture before embarking on our journey home.

Cinque Terre

If there is one place I am going to tell anyone thinking about traveling to Italy that they must see it is Cinque Terre.  I knew from the photos that it was going to be a beautiful place, but the photos do not do it justice.  The water was a crystal clear sapphire blue that reminds me of the Caribbean surrounded by plush green mountains connected by hiking trails.  Each trail ends in a new waterfront city with boutique shops and quaint restaurants.  For the adventurous type, you could spend every minute of your day discovering new trails that will lead you to scenic views, each a little more majestic then the last.  For the beach lovers, you could sit under an umbrella not moving for days while being waited on hand and foot.  And for those looking for an escape, you could get away with doing nothing but getting lost in a book enjoying the cool sea breeze listening to the waves crash and the birds chirp. 

We did a little of it all.  We spent a full day traveling to get to Cinque Terre even though it should have only taken a few hours.  We got caught up in another train strike that altered our plans quite a bit.  We ended up getting rerouted on any train we could jump on that wasn’t on strike and ended up in La Spezia.  There we were stuck.  We had no way of getting to the coastal town of Monterosso, which is where our room was.  Luckily we met a pleasant couple from Australia who was trying to reach the same destination and we ended up sharing an expensive cab ride.  It was worth it when we were able to put our stressful travel day behind us and unwind with new friends over a beer.  We chatted for a few hours and exchanged information.  We now have a home to stay in when we make our journey down under.  (Another trip Logan and I discussed doing prior to starting a family.)

The next morning we woke up before the sun to hit the trails while it was cool and less crowded.  Fortunately for me, the best trail is the one that connects our town with the neighboring city of Vernazzo.  It was a 2.5 hour hike through the mountains all along the coast so we always had views of water.  This was noted as the most difficult and longest of the various hikes to chose from which Logan was less then thrilled about.  Even though the morning’s excursion proved to both of us how out of shape we are, the views were worth it.

We arrived in Vernazzo before 9 a.m. as the town was just waking up.  We enjoyed cappuccino and croissants and were pleased that we had an entire day ahead of us with no agenda.  We took advantage of our lazy day by spending the afternoon reading on our private terrace, napping to the quite sounds of the water and taking a long leisurely lunch watching the people enjoying the beach.  In the evening we shared a bottle of wine on the terrace while staring up at the black sky glittering with more stars then I’ve ever seen.  We talked about everything and nothing.  It was the perfect break we needed in the middle of our trip, especially after the two hectic crowded cities we just left.    

Contentment

If there was one word I would use to describe the overwhelming feeling I’ve experienced over the past two days it would be contentment.  Florence is a beautiful city full of great little shops, world renown museums and historical monuments and of course, plenty of great little cafes and restaurants to choose from.  With that also brings lots of people.  The streets here are incredibly crowded.  Street vendors trying to sell you their cheap knock offs by pushing them in your face, sweaty sticky tourists from every corner of the world huddling in groups with ear pieces to listen to their tour guides describe what it is they are looking at and locals that do not have patiences for any of it.  They will push you off the side walk, run you off the road and make an obscene gesture towards you while doing it.  It did take long before we felt we were over it.

We woke up early and were greeted by the smiling face of a small English woman downstairs of our hotel.  We hoped in her van while listening to he life story while picking up 3 other couples.  Our host for the day traveled to Italy in the early 1970’s and planned on heading back home to England after studying for a year.  Instead she met her now husband of over 40 years and never left.  The van filled up with 3 other couples all who were either celebrating their honeymoons or anniversaries.  One man and woman were from North Carolina and had the accent to match who were celebrating 30 years of marriage.  The woman who was 50 years young had the skin of a teenager and would be able to pass for her young 30s in any circle.  We asked what their secret to a happy marriage was and she said contentment.  No matter what place the were in through their lives, the highs and the lows they were content with what they had and where they were.  Such a simple concept that we all tend to overcomplicate.  How much time do we waste stressing out over life?  Stressed about how much work we have to do at our job, how much money we don’t have, the weekend that is overbooked, etc.  Wouldn’t life be more enjoyable if we could all just practice the art of being content no matter what?

Our hostess drove us out of the city and up through the country side.  As we cruised up into the Chianti region of Tuscany we slowly increased altitude along beautiful hillsides covered in row after row of grapevines.  The landscape was filled with huge farms and cute cottages.  This was the Italy I came to see.  I am now seeing the part of the country that inspired this vacation in the first place.  We arrive at a castle looking vineyard that is the home of Castello Di Verrazzano.  I do not feel I can adequately describe the experience we had here.  It was more then just a tour, wine tasting and lunch.  It was an experience that anyone who is fortunate enough to be able to travel to Italy must share in.  We pampered ourselves with a 5-course meal, each course paired perfectly with a glass of wine.  The two and a half hour long lunch was by far the best culinary experience I’ve ever had.  I was in perfect bliss.

We floated back into Florence where the high didn’t leave.  Suddenly walking the streets of Florence didn’t seem as hectic, the crowds didn’t seem as big and I was so focused on being in this beautiful city with Logan it was almost as if everyone else disappeared.  That evening we weren’t as hungry after the indulgence we had earlier so we looked for a place we could split a meal.  We found a cute little place and explained to our server that we weren’t starving but would love to try whatever it was the restaurant was known for.  We wanted a taste of their specialty.  We were told by friends that we should be eating this way everywhere we went, but this was the first time it seemed like the proper way to eat.  They did not disappoint.  The owner of the restaurant dropped of a plate that had a small sample of every meat and cheese they had in the place.  It was an unbelievable variety, but just the right portion for Logan and I to try a little bit of it all.  After the meats and cheeses they brought out a bowl of home made pasta tossed in a spicy sausage red sauce and of course, covered with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.  The noodles alone were the best noodles of any pasta I’ve ever tried. 

We wrapped up our meal and tried to hurry to finish our wine because we saw we were the last people in the restaurant.  The owner and his wife did not make us feel hurried at all but we didn’t want them to have to wait on us either.  We went to pay and as one final treat, the owner handed us each a glass with melonchello and asked us about our trip and where we were from in the best English they could.  The high from earlier continued…

We woke up early and hit the street towards Plaza de Michelangelo.  We could have caught a bus to get there but we both were ready for a little exercise.  We hiked up the steep roads and stairs that lead to a large plaza with amazing views of the city.  The plaza was a little crowded so we walked for a while until we found a quite church up a long staircase.  We found a little spot in the shade and were able to enjoy the views where it was quiet.  Logan finally was able to sit and sketch and I sat and used this time for a little quiet time with God.  It was the perfect spot to reflect and soak in what all we have experienced the first half of our excursion through Italy.  We are so fortunate to be here.  With all that is going on in our lives with our job, our move, etc. it is nice to be reminded that we have a lot to be joyful about.  It is a nice reminder to be content.    

Bucket List

Today was an emotional day of firsts.  I was able to successfully cross two bucket list items off.  I traveled to a new city via train and I attended my first Opera, an Italian Opera at that.  Not even a full day into Florence and already I am in love with the city.

The morning started off a little rough.  Traveling is always a little hectic, especially when you do not speak the language and everyone is in a hurry.  After a little confusion we were able to find out seats aboard the first class car to say arrivederci to Roma and ciao to Florence.  The train ride was smooth, with the exception of a misunderstanding with our tickets.  It only took about an hour and half to get to the city. 

Our hotel is located on a main strip, which was great when we were towing around our luggage.  We checked into the hotel and dropped off our bags to our room and were pleasantly surprised at the size of our accommodations.  Everything I read prior to arriving in Florence had me anticipating a glorified closet for our room.  Instead we have a queen-sized bed that is twice as soft as our bed in Roma.  Our shower is much larger and the furniture is all very traditional with an antique feel.  This is what I imagined a hotel in an ancient city to look like. 

We dropped our bags off and wandered to find some lunch.  We found a little sandwich café and grabbed a few Panini’s to go and brought them to a little park by our hotel.  Florence has a lot of similarities to Rome except that the roads and sidewalks are much narrower.  When you are on a busy street, it is uncomfortably obvious.  But when we stepped onto the park, only steps away from a main street, it was amazing how quiet things became.

The later afternoon was spent relaxing and recovering from our morning’s travels.  We got cleaned up and headed out for a long walk through side roads making our way across the river.  Instantly I saw I was going to like Florence much more then Rome.  There were a lot more boutiques and little cafes.  I see shopping in my future.  We cross the river and find ourselves in a great little artsy section of town.  Lots of galleries and little shops and cafes that have more of an authentic feel.  We pop down in a little café for an early dinner.  We were blown away by the experience.  Immediately when we sit down, our waitress greets us with a glass of prosecco and bread with an olive dip.  Sparkling wine without asking?  Yes please.  We order a wild boar sausage and cheese appetizer and ravioli with a walnut cream sauce.  Both were amazing.  The wild boar appetizer came with sun dried tomatoes unlike any I’ve ever tried.  We finished it off with a nice cup of espresso before continuing our journey.           

We made our way to St. Mark’s church for the opera.  Along the way we see a courtyard swarmed with local people.  We pop into one of the bars with a crowd for a little after dinner limonchello.  We see people eating what looked like a buffet and asked the bartender about it.  She said they do it every night for only 1.50 euro.  All you can eat buffet for only $2?  We know where we are eating tomorrow night.

We walk through the massive wooden doors that lead to St. Mark’s church.  The auditorium boast beautifully painted arched walls with iron chandeliers hanging low from the ceiling.  The room only holds 70 people at most so we take our seats in the intimate setting centered around a grand piano.  The performance was better then I could have hoped.  The program consisted of classic love duets from the biggest composures including Puccini, Verdi and Lehar.  We heard favorites such as Verdi’s ,Libiam, libiam nei lieti calici’ from La Traviata.  My favorite from the evening had to be E. di Capua’s ‘Non ti scordar di me.’  The surprisingly exquisite meal followed by the stunning performance was a beautiful way to start our experience in Florence. 

Funny random thing of the day:  Check out the best spray on hair you’ve ever seen.  We got to stare at this during the opera.  It made appreciating the beauty, that much more challenging.

A Day of No Expectations

With the hectic two days we have encountered, today was a day of no expectations.    After dinner last night, Logan and I picked up a few bottles of wine and played cards until 3 a.m.  We went to bed intentionally with no alarms set.  That resulted in me rolling over casually to look at the clock and check the time to discover it was 11:00 a.m.  We slept the morning away and we were both okay with that. 

After spending some time catching up on the internet, obviously checking how our fantasy teams did (We are both 1-1) we got ready to head out for the day with the only destination on our agenda being Roma Sparita.  Rather then taking the time to walk because it was already 1, we decided to take the metro to Circus Maximus and walk to lunch.  I am glad we did, because we were dropped off at the top and it was a much better view of the field.

We arrived to what once was Rome’s best kept secrets until Antony Bourdain showcased it on his show, No Reservations.  We knew we both had to go here while in Rome to get the now famous bowl of Cacio e Pepe.    It did not disappoint.  Cacio e Pepe is a simple pasta dish made up of only three ingredients:  butter, parmesan cheese and pepper.  Even though the ingredients are not complex, the flavor was something I’ve never experience.  We took a long lunch enjoying Vino della casa (house wine) of course Cacio e Pepe and grilled calamari.  We finished off the perfect meal with Espresso and Cappuccino.  Beyond the incredible food, we finally got to experience what we have been waiting for, sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by Italians, listening to casual conversation in one of the most romantic languages in history.    This is Roma.

After lunch we began to casually make our way back to the hotel taking side streets all the way.  The venture took us several hours, of course making some stops along the way.  I’ve truly enjoyed popping into shops, window shopping, and making our way back through the streets.  We feel we have taken in all the sites, gotten a taste for the food and now feel ready for our next venture of Florence.  Our final day in Rome was just what we needed to appreciate it for its beauty and leave knowing we saw what we wanted to saw, but missed enough to warrant a trip back in the future.  After all, that is what you wish for at the Trevi Fountain. 

Getting Lost in Rome

I now understand why people told me I didn’t need to worry about gaining weight on this trip, regardless of how much good food and wine I consumed.  I don’t feel I am exaggerating when I say you CAN see all of Rome in one day.  I think that is exactly what we did, unintentionally.  That is the most I've walked in a very long time. 

The day started off as we hoped it would.  Nice filling breakfast, quick trip on the metro and at the Vatican by 9:00 a.m.  We didn’t have to wait at all to get into Basillica of St. Pietro.  It is hard to question the power God has when you look at such an ornate structure such as this devoted to Him.  I stood in awe of the detailed statues, extensive marble work and the massive size of the building.  As I watched nuns and priests touring the facility I realized this must be a Catholic’s dream daytrip.  I finished the visit by saying a quick prayer and soaking in one last time the beauty of the building. 

While we were in Vatican city we of course visited the museum.  It was no wonder they saved the best for last because getting through the museum was a bit difficult for me.  Normally I love wondering around various wings of museums, taking my time to take in all the artifacts and various works of art.  This museum was not lacking any of that.  However, the amount of people that were poured into the rooms like cattle made it a bit difficult to appreciate.  We moved through the museum as quickly as we could while trying to take in the beauty around us.  Finally we arrived at the spectacle we came to see:  Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.  We approached the room where there was silence.  Everyone with their necks as far back as they could go looking up at the astonishing work of art we’ve all read about in textbooks.  But now for the first time, I got to see it in person.  Photos might be able to showcase the details of his painting better then what I could see from the ground floor, but no image can truly express the magnitude of this piece.

After the Vatican our mission was to slowly make our way back to the hotel while hitting a few landmarks on the way, and of course stopping for vino on the way.  On our detour back we were able to see the Piazza Navona (along with a bunch of other Piazzas) the Pantheon, and many other land marks that weren’t as meaningful.  The Pantheon was my favorite site of the day.  Even though the Basillica was much grander, the Pantheon was more beautiful.  The idea of a place where common people of all faiths can come and worship no matter what their belief is remarkable. 

After eventually making our way back to the hotel, relaxing and cleaning up we made our way back out to the city.  We continued our theme of ‘getting lost in Rome’ by wandering to the Spanish Steps followed by a nice relaxing dinner.  I finally got the pasta carbenara I had been craving.  It was simple and balanced just as I hoped.  When we made our way back we took several ‘alternative routes’  making it a long leisure walk home.  The nice thing about being on vacation is we had no where we had to be and no time we need to wake up, so the extra hour of walking was just a funny story to take home.

To cap off the evening we picked up a few bottles of vino and are now back at the hotel unwinding.  I can’t believe we are only in day two.  We still have so much more to experience.  

When in Rome

After we arrived at our hotel, we dropped off our luggage and began wandering.  Both of us were full of energy and were surprised at how good we felt after only having an hour of sleep.  We wandered over to Ancient Roma.  We jumped in a line of people waiting to walk their modern day feet over the same paths that the sandals of our ancestors once traveled.  While basking in the hot sun and being harassed by street vendors, Logan got understandably tired of the line and ready to leave and continue aimlessly wandering. 

By this time it is now afternoon and after wandering around for a while I began to get hungry while the exhaustion from not sleeping on the plane began to kick in.  Needless to say, I was getting irritable.  Logan and I could not get on the same page and we were both thinking that this might not be the trip we wanted it to be.  That is until Logan pointed us to a hill to walk up, which I reluctantly followed.  When we reached the top I looked over the ledge on my right where several tourist were standing with their cameras.  There it was, Ancient Rome in all its glory.  The only sight that I wanted to see, but neither of us wanted to wait in line for was in front of me and was just as amazing as I imagined it.  Quickly I apologized for my grumpiness’.  (Obviously since I’m writing this, I am going to come across much more pleasant then I am sure I actually was.) 

We both were able to smile and admit we weren’t on the same page and continued our journey to find lunch.  We found a greatly little spot with pizza for 6 euro.  Over lunch we decided for the rest of the day we would wander and stop occasionally to get wine.  That is, after we go back to the hotel and get ourselves refreshed from a full day of traveling and a half day of walking around in the hot sun.  We heading back to our hotel which was now ready and took a much needed nap and shower.  We woke up refreshed and ready to take on the evening.

After dressing we started to walk towards the Trevi Fountain.  Along the way we came across a little restaurant down stairs on an ally way.  We poked our heads in and for the first time felt like we weren’t in Disney.  This is Rome.  These are Italians.  We were going to eat like a local.  We got a liter of house red wine and the biggest appetizer we’ve ever seen.  We ate like kings and it was good.  After our amazing meal we continued to the Fountain.  It was as incredible as I imagined.  Just like most things in Rome, you scroll in search of something amazing and just when you look down at your map trying to see if you missed a turn, you gaze up and see a monument so incredible you could never miss it.  The Trevi Fountain did not disappoint.  We took our coins and made our wish to come back to Rome and started our journey down winding streets that might eventually make our way back to the hotel.  Of course we made a stop to get more Vino. 

A perfect way to end the day.  What we thought was a disaster ended up to be pure bliss.  We laughed about earlier on our walk back and both agreed that our trip had started off just the way it needed to.  We will now be able to appreciate Rome for what it is – the best city to start our Holiday in Italy.

Traveling

This morning I woke up with knots in my stomach.  Even though our flight wasn’t until 3:30 I was anxious to get to the airport.  We woke up early and took care of all the last minute errands we needed to run and prepared our house for us to be gone for two weeks.  We enjoyed our last ‘American’ meal in true fashion with BBQ.  I am confident we will not be eating anything like that when we get to Italy, which excites me.  Rather then watching the clock until we had to leave, we decided to go ahead and get to the airport.  I think Logan was feeling the same eagerness I was.  

When we arrived to the airport we experienced what has been my smoothest experience since 9-11.  Due to the anniversary this weekend, there was extra TIA staff on  hand, but with the mid afternoon flight the security line was completely vacant.  We were 2 hours early for a process that took no longer then 20 minutes from start to finish.  Since we had down time we were able to enjoy a beer and relax for the first time in over a week.  For the first time we could finally put out of our minds work, moving, and all the other daily stresses of life.  For the first time I feel like I am actually on vacation.   

The flight to Rome was a lot more enjoyable then I anticipated.  Maybe it was all the excitement I felt for the adventures to come.  Maybe it was because I finally had a clear head and no stress.  Regardless, it was uneventful which is all you can ever ask for.  As I watched the sun rise over the clear skies an announcement came over the intercom communicating that coffee and a hot Danish were coming to us and we will be touching ground in 45 minutes.  Even though I only caught an hour worth of sleep, it felt right.  We flew through customs and into a taxi cab on our way to drop luggage off at the hotel.  It still hasn’t hit me yet exactly where we are and what lies ahead.  As I sit at a tourist catered pizza joint sipping on a Peroni while looking at the Colosseo writing this I am wondering when reality will hit.