Happy Birthday
Monday, November 14, 2011
Mike's Birthday
Yes 27 years ago Mike came into this world. He has had an amazing 27 years and we love him very much and are very proud of his accomplishments. Way to go Mike!
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Cruising Home
We boarded the Celebrity Ship Silhouette on Saturday and were able to check out many areas of the ship before we left the port. It is a new ship that was made in Germany and has only made 8 voyages in the Mediterranean this summer. There are about 2800 guests on board, so while not small, it isn't over whelming either. We settled in and prepared for our first port of call, Sardinia.
We met Jessica at the port in Sardinia at 9AM Sunday morning. She had arrived on Saturday and was staying at a Hostel on the island. Using the cruise ship information we started our walking tour of the city. The old part of Cagliari is called Castello, the castle, which lies on top of a hill, with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Cagliari.
We happen upon the botanical gardens of Cagliari and enjoyed all of the identified plants including this cactus garden.
Back to the ship and a new island on Monday. Palma De Mallorca, Spain.
Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral originally built in 1229, it did not finish until 1601. The Parc de la Mar (Park of the Sea) lies just south overlooked by the great building which sits above it on the city's stone foundations. Between these two are the town walls. After our cathedral visit we opted for rental bikes and a ride along the ocean. There is a 15 mile bike path right along the beach. We stopped for some local sangria and then returned our bikes and made our way back to the ship. A beautiful island worthy or more time than a cruise ship stop.
The next day we travelled through the Straits of Gibraltar on our way to Lisbon Portugal. We viewed Africa from the deck. Great sights in the straits with lots of other ships in view!
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The 25th of April suspension bridge in Lisbon, Portugal is one of the world's longest suspension bridges at 1.5 miles (2.2 kilometers) long. Built in 1966, its reddish-orange color makes it look like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
Our day in Lisbon was wet but fun. We toured the city with our ship neighbors from Vancouver Island. We had some great local food and we purchased some local port wine to bring home. We decided Portugal would be on the long list of places we would visit again.
Back to the ship and six wonderful long days at sea. No pictures from this part of the journey but it was a great way to get home from Italy. Safely home now.
We met Jessica at the port in Sardinia at 9AM Sunday morning. She had arrived on Saturday and was staying at a Hostel on the island. Using the cruise ship information we started our walking tour of the city. The old part of Cagliari is called Castello, the castle, which lies on top of a hill, with a wonderful view of the Gulf of Cagliari.
Back to the ship and a new island on Monday. Palma De Mallorca, Spain.
Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral originally built in 1229, it did not finish until 1601. The Parc de la Mar (Park of the Sea) lies just south overlooked by the great building which sits above it on the city's stone foundations. Between these two are the town walls. After our cathedral visit we opted for rental bikes and a ride along the ocean. There is a 15 mile bike path right along the beach. We stopped for some local sangria and then returned our bikes and made our way back to the ship. A beautiful island worthy or more time than a cruise ship stop.
The next day we travelled through the Straits of Gibraltar on our way to Lisbon Portugal. We viewed Africa from the deck. Great sights in the straits with lots of other ships in view!
>
The 25th of April suspension bridge in Lisbon, Portugal is one of the world's longest suspension bridges at 1.5 miles (2.2 kilometers) long. Built in 1966, its reddish-orange color makes it look like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
Our day in Lisbon was wet but fun. We toured the city with our ship neighbors from Vancouver Island. We had some great local food and we purchased some local port wine to bring home. We decided Portugal would be on the long list of places we would visit again.
Back to the ship and six wonderful long days at sea. No pictures from this part of the journey but it was a great way to get home from Italy. Safely home now.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Oops...Day Eight Friday leaving Siena and Driving to Civitavecchia
Casale il Colombaio di Toiano, is the name of the B & B we stayed in in Tuscany.
This is the bed and breakfast we stayed at in Siena (Tuscany). It is an old farmhouse build in 1300 that has been converted into a B & B. Paul and Joshephine were our hosts. Their English was not very good but thankfully our Italian has gotten much better and we communicated with the help of smiles and gestures...and maps. Their suggestions for dinners were wonderful. Steve will remember his Wednesday night dinner as being one of the best in Italy. It was one of the few times he ordered both a primi (pasta) and a secondi (entree). The pasta was good but the veal was exceptional. The dinner was even more fun because we were seated next to a young Italian couple with their baby and 3 year old. We had fun talking to them after our dinners. Many of the younger people in Italy seem to have some understanding of English and enjoy getting to speak it.
Our drive today is only a little over 2 hours so, at Paul's suggestion, we stop at Porto Santo Stephano for lunch. It is a little fishing village and ferry port beautifully situated in a valley running down to the sea. We enjoyed the views but once again we were glad to be visiting in the off season. The road out to the island is narrow and winding and adding lots of traffic would make it much less fun to drive.
We arrive in Civitavecchia and check out the port before we find our B & B for the night. Our ship does not appear to be in port but we do see that it is a large and busy place. For our last meal in Italy we visit a restaurant within walking distance of our B & B and have an early night.
Saturday is beautiful and with the help of our B & B host Valerio, we drop off the rental car and he then delivers us to the ship. One of the significant benefits of staying in the local establishments has been the helpfulness of the hosts. Without exception we were treated like family not paying guests.
Steve relaxing before our last mainland Italian dinner.
This is the bed and breakfast we stayed at in Siena (Tuscany). It is an old farmhouse build in 1300 that has been converted into a B & B. Paul and Joshephine were our hosts. Their English was not very good but thankfully our Italian has gotten much better and we communicated with the help of smiles and gestures...and maps. Their suggestions for dinners were wonderful. Steve will remember his Wednesday night dinner as being one of the best in Italy. It was one of the few times he ordered both a primi (pasta) and a secondi (entree). The pasta was good but the veal was exceptional. The dinner was even more fun because we were seated next to a young Italian couple with their baby and 3 year old. We had fun talking to them after our dinners. Many of the younger people in Italy seem to have some understanding of English and enjoy getting to speak it.
Our drive today is only a little over 2 hours so, at Paul's suggestion, we stop at Porto Santo Stephano for lunch. It is a little fishing village and ferry port beautifully situated in a valley running down to the sea. We enjoyed the views but once again we were glad to be visiting in the off season. The road out to the island is narrow and winding and adding lots of traffic would make it much less fun to drive.
We arrive in Civitavecchia and check out the port before we find our B & B for the night. Our ship does not appear to be in port but we do see that it is a large and busy place. For our last meal in Italy we visit a restaurant within walking distance of our B & B and have an early night.
Saturday is beautiful and with the help of our B & B host Valerio, we drop off the rental car and he then delivers us to the ship. One of the significant benefits of staying in the local establishments has been the helpfulness of the hosts. Without exception we were treated like family not paying guests.
Steve relaxing before our last mainland Italian dinner.
Friday, November 4, 2011
End of Trip in Italy with pictures
Day 5 Monday
It is time to leave the Piedmont region. After another delicious breakfast, we say our goodbyes to Gloria and Antica casa Fiore, and we head back to Milano. Jessica is a student and has to attend class today. We decide to spend the night in Milano and drive through the Lake Como region on Tuesday, spending the night in Verona. Staying flexible this trip has been an effort for me. I would typically have had an agenda with all of the stops and sights planned out. But we wanted to include Jessica in as much as we could and do some of the things she would not otherwise have done. We were not sure if she would have more time during the week or even the weekend. On Saturday we must board our cruise ship in Civitavecchia. So today became a planning day. Over the weekend, Jessica found a flight out of Milan to Sardinia. She has wanted to visit the island too, so she will now join us in Sardinia on Sunday. This is our first stop on the return cruise home. Monday night we meet Jessica after class for aperativos and gellato.
Day 6 Tuesday
Goodbye Milano. No problems getting out of the city and north to Como. The town of Como is much more alpine than anything we have seen so far, although the Gothic medieval style is still prevalent. The route took us from the city of Como to Bellagio and then south down the other side of Lake Como to Lecco, and onto the autostrade to Verona. A busy, fun, but long day in the car.
The town of Bellagio is a highlight for me so far. We drove into the town, parked and walked around before settling on a cute outdoor patio restaurant for lunch. The sun was shining, and the lake was beautiful. We were truly on vacation. I would definitely return to this area to spend more time. The off-season is probably even better because it was not crowded at all.
The southern trip away from Lake Como was much less interesting, and the Autostrade to Verona was boring. We did not have a room booked for that night. I had emailed B&Bs on Monday night, assuming I would pick up internet service while we were in Bellagio and be able to confirm a reservation. But there was no free internet access in Bellagio. Even when we arrived in Verona, there were no responses from any of the Bed and Breakfasts that I had emailed. We park and walk around the center city of Verona tossing out ideas when we passed this little hotel and voila! They had a room and the price is right. It is small but very clean and with service that is excellent. Our Bellagio lunch sustained us that night, albeit with a bottle of Giuseppe’s wine from Piedmont.
Day 7 Wednesday Verona
What a gem of a city. Since Verona was not in any of the tentative agendas, I did not have much information on what we would see here. I knew it was the setting for Romeo and Juliet but there is so much more. We visited the medieval arena which is still used for theater productions in the summer time. The arena itself is in much better condition the Roman Coliseum.
After the arena we walked to a church which was being renovated, and then we visited Verona’s castle. Again, the history which is everywhere in this country begins to overwhelm. There is so much, and it is so old. We left Verona with a confirmed reservation for Thursday night in Siena and what we thought were good directions to a country farmhouse B&B in Tuscany. We had the reservations, but the directions were less definitive.
We were encouraged that the B&B’s web site was in English and the email reply from the owner was also in English. But when we called for better directions, the owner spoke only broken English. He was friendly and he tried hard to explain, but there was still a big gap between us. It was an adventure finding this place, but after three stops asking for directions we finally arrived at Casa Columbia in Sovicille, Italy. This is “Under the Tuscan Sun” land. The owner’s wife was present, and she spoke not a word of English.
Day 8 Thursday Sienna
Paul, our bed and breakfast host who speaks broken English, has given us an itinerary for today. We will first visit Monteriggioni, a walled village on the top of a hill that is in remarkable condition. Monteriggioni, first built in 1203, is encircled by high walls with fourteen fortified towers, built to guard the northern borders of Siena against invasion by the Florentine armies.
From Monteriggioni we travel to Castellina of Chianti. We have an appointment to meet with a wine shop owner and taste the local wines. As it is raining and cool we visit, taste, and elect to do lunch at a local trattoria. We have some of the best bruschetta, and a primo serving of ravioli, complimented by Chianti Classico. It makes me hungry again writing about it.
We left Castellina of Chianti and headed to Vagliagli, where Paul has set up a visit with a local Chianti producer. Unfortunately, the road to Vagliagli was closed. GPS again might have gotten us there another way. By the time we got back to the main road we were ready to head to Siena. The time was slipping away and there were a few highlights in Siena that I wanted to see.
We arrived in the town Centro, found free parking and walked to San Domenico. This is a barnlike Gothic church dedicated to Saint Catherine, Siena’s patron saint. Her preserved head is now kept in a gilded marble tabernacle on the altar. It is here that Steve sees and greets a fellow Toledoan – Renee Ellis. We were quietly walking through the church when he and another lady exchanged glances. She got up and the two of them laugh. Renee is an employee of O-I that Steve has known for years. She is in Italy with her parents and siblings and in Siena on a day trip from Florence where they are staying. The world is a small place.
We next visited the Siena Duomo, which is said to be one of the most spectacular in Italy. It is one of the most ornate I can remember. I am sure you could spend an entire day or more just looking at the details. Unfortunately we did little more than a walk through. I am getting to the point of overload on history. It is almost overwhelming to realize the life the people of these times must have led. I am glad to return to my bed and breakfast and go to dinner.
It is time to leave the Piedmont region. After another delicious breakfast, we say our goodbyes to Gloria and Antica casa Fiore, and we head back to Milano. Jessica is a student and has to attend class today. We decide to spend the night in Milano and drive through the Lake Como region on Tuesday, spending the night in Verona. Staying flexible this trip has been an effort for me. I would typically have had an agenda with all of the stops and sights planned out. But we wanted to include Jessica in as much as we could and do some of the things she would not otherwise have done. We were not sure if she would have more time during the week or even the weekend. On Saturday we must board our cruise ship in Civitavecchia. So today became a planning day. Over the weekend, Jessica found a flight out of Milan to Sardinia. She has wanted to visit the island too, so she will now join us in Sardinia on Sunday. This is our first stop on the return cruise home. Monday night we meet Jessica after class for aperativos and gellato.
Day 6 Tuesday
Goodbye Milano. No problems getting out of the city and north to Como. The town of Como is much more alpine than anything we have seen so far, although the Gothic medieval style is still prevalent. The route took us from the city of Como to Bellagio and then south down the other side of Lake Como to Lecco, and onto the autostrade to Verona. A busy, fun, but long day in the car.
The town of Bellagio is a highlight for me so far. We drove into the town, parked and walked around before settling on a cute outdoor patio restaurant for lunch. The sun was shining, and the lake was beautiful. We were truly on vacation. I would definitely return to this area to spend more time. The off-season is probably even better because it was not crowded at all.
The southern trip away from Lake Como was much less interesting, and the Autostrade to Verona was boring. We did not have a room booked for that night. I had emailed B&Bs on Monday night, assuming I would pick up internet service while we were in Bellagio and be able to confirm a reservation. But there was no free internet access in Bellagio. Even when we arrived in Verona, there were no responses from any of the Bed and Breakfasts that I had emailed. We park and walk around the center city of Verona tossing out ideas when we passed this little hotel and voila! They had a room and the price is right. It is small but very clean and with service that is excellent. Our Bellagio lunch sustained us that night, albeit with a bottle of Giuseppe’s wine from Piedmont.
Day 7 Wednesday Verona
What a gem of a city. Since Verona was not in any of the tentative agendas, I did not have much information on what we would see here. I knew it was the setting for Romeo and Juliet but there is so much more. We visited the medieval arena which is still used for theater productions in the summer time. The arena itself is in much better condition the Roman Coliseum.
After the arena we walked to a church which was being renovated, and then we visited Verona’s castle. Again, the history which is everywhere in this country begins to overwhelm. There is so much, and it is so old. We left Verona with a confirmed reservation for Thursday night in Siena and what we thought were good directions to a country farmhouse B&B in Tuscany. We had the reservations, but the directions were less definitive.
We were encouraged that the B&B’s web site was in English and the email reply from the owner was also in English. But when we called for better directions, the owner spoke only broken English. He was friendly and he tried hard to explain, but there was still a big gap between us. It was an adventure finding this place, but after three stops asking for directions we finally arrived at Casa Columbia in Sovicille, Italy. This is “Under the Tuscan Sun” land. The owner’s wife was present, and she spoke not a word of English.
Day 8 Thursday Sienna
Paul, our bed and breakfast host who speaks broken English, has given us an itinerary for today. We will first visit Monteriggioni, a walled village on the top of a hill that is in remarkable condition. Monteriggioni, first built in 1203, is encircled by high walls with fourteen fortified towers, built to guard the northern borders of Siena against invasion by the Florentine armies.
From Monteriggioni we travel to Castellina of Chianti. We have an appointment to meet with a wine shop owner and taste the local wines. As it is raining and cool we visit, taste, and elect to do lunch at a local trattoria. We have some of the best bruschetta, and a primo serving of ravioli, complimented by Chianti Classico. It makes me hungry again writing about it.
We left Castellina of Chianti and headed to Vagliagli, where Paul has set up a visit with a local Chianti producer. Unfortunately, the road to Vagliagli was closed. GPS again might have gotten us there another way. By the time we got back to the main road we were ready to head to Siena. The time was slipping away and there were a few highlights in Siena that I wanted to see.
We arrived in the town Centro, found free parking and walked to San Domenico. This is a barnlike Gothic church dedicated to Saint Catherine, Siena’s patron saint. Her preserved head is now kept in a gilded marble tabernacle on the altar. It is here that Steve sees and greets a fellow Toledoan – Renee Ellis. We were quietly walking through the church when he and another lady exchanged glances. She got up and the two of them laugh. Renee is an employee of O-I that Steve has known for years. She is in Italy with her parents and siblings and in Siena on a day trip from Florence where they are staying. The world is a small place.
We next visited the Siena Duomo, which is said to be one of the most spectacular in Italy. It is one of the most ornate I can remember. I am sure you could spend an entire day or more just looking at the details. Unfortunately we did little more than a walk through. I am getting to the point of overload on history. It is almost overwhelming to realize the life the people of these times must have led. I am glad to return to my bed and breakfast and go to dinner.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Day 4
Delays with uploading pictures on the ship internet means I will only be posting the verbage I have written not the pictures
Day 4 Borolo. Sunday
After a delicious breakfast, we have our day to Borolo mapped out. The first stop was the town of Alba. It is a walled historical town that Gloria says is a must-see. We arrived and found it to be unusually busy. Surprise!! There is another local festival being celebrated in this town. Again, we are delighted to participate in the local events. The streets are lined with food and wine vendors and skill games from the past. I am thinking there are some great fund raising ideas that will come from this visit. Fishing for wine will be one of them. It is harder than it looks and only I was successful at capturing a free bottle of the local Alba vintage.
From Alba to Borolo we encountered some driving directional problems that confounded Jessica and me. I am an awful backseat driver, and since Jessica had GPS on her I-phone, I should have let her do all of the driver directing. It was just that she was looking at the phone waiting for a GPS location update, and I was looking at road signs we were passing. We got to Borolo so all was well. Borolo is another small town with many wineries and shops. Even a museum dedicated to wine bottle openers. We did what we have done in Italy, which is eat, and we drink some local wine (Barolo, of course). The trip back to Antica Casa Fiore (B and B) offers some great picture stops. Gloria has taken care of our dinner reservations. The original restaurant in Castagnole Lanze decided they were busy enough at lunch, so they will not be open for dinner business. Fortunately for us, Gloria booked us into another of their favorites. Steve has rabbit for dinner and loved it. I had a salami platter and Jessica had some kind of “little fish”. It was good food and interesting service. We were the only English speaking people in the restaurant. Jessica has a captivating smile and enough Italian to make most of the Italians think she understands everything they say. It was fun.
Day 4 Borolo. Sunday
After a delicious breakfast, we have our day to Borolo mapped out. The first stop was the town of Alba. It is a walled historical town that Gloria says is a must-see. We arrived and found it to be unusually busy. Surprise!! There is another local festival being celebrated in this town. Again, we are delighted to participate in the local events. The streets are lined with food and wine vendors and skill games from the past. I am thinking there are some great fund raising ideas that will come from this visit. Fishing for wine will be one of them. It is harder than it looks and only I was successful at capturing a free bottle of the local Alba vintage.
From Alba to Borolo we encountered some driving directional problems that confounded Jessica and me. I am an awful backseat driver, and since Jessica had GPS on her I-phone, I should have let her do all of the driver directing. It was just that she was looking at the phone waiting for a GPS location update, and I was looking at road signs we were passing. We got to Borolo so all was well. Borolo is another small town with many wineries and shops. Even a museum dedicated to wine bottle openers. We did what we have done in Italy, which is eat, and we drink some local wine (Barolo, of course). The trip back to Antica Casa Fiore (B and B) offers some great picture stops. Gloria has taken care of our dinner reservations. The original restaurant in Castagnole Lanze decided they were busy enough at lunch, so they will not be open for dinner business. Fortunately for us, Gloria booked us into another of their favorites. Steve has rabbit for dinner and loved it. I had a salami platter and Jessica had some kind of “little fish”. It was good food and interesting service. We were the only English speaking people in the restaurant. Jessica has a captivating smile and enough Italian to make most of the Italians think she understands everything they say. It was fun.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
italy day 3
Day 3 The Piedmont Region. Saturday
We picked up the rental car Saturday morning, and we were then off to Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy. We had arranged a bed and breakfast in Castagnole Lanze, which is half way between Asti and Alba. The drive is on the Autostrade, so there was not much to see except the Mercedes and BMWs flying by our little Ford Focus. We exited the Autostrade and had lunch in a little town called Alessandria. Again, the local charm is amazing as well as the food. The foothills of the Alps (Piedmont) begin here and the scenery is beautiful. Thank you Steve, for being such a good driver. We arrived at the bed and breakfast with only minor detours and were greeted by the nicest Italian couple imaginable. Gloria and Vittorio showed us our rooms and asked what we would like to do for our 2-day stay. Of course, we were here is to visit the local wineries and wine producers of the region. Gloria said, freshen up and we will take you to visit our friend Guiseppi, who is a local winemaker. A half hour later, we were with Vittorio and Gloria tasting wine and grapes of the local vintage.
Gloria then offered to allow us to join them for a local wine and food festival later that night in a neighboring town. The festival is in the medieval setting of the town of Colossa. There are thousands of local people, and it seemed that Steve, Jessica, and I were the only tourists. We bought coupons for food and wine tastings and spent the night enjoying a very local festival. Truly a unique experience.
We picked up the rental car Saturday morning, and we were then off to Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy. We had arranged a bed and breakfast in Castagnole Lanze, which is half way between Asti and Alba. The drive is on the Autostrade, so there was not much to see except the Mercedes and BMWs flying by our little Ford Focus. We exited the Autostrade and had lunch in a little town called Alessandria. Again, the local charm is amazing as well as the food. The foothills of the Alps (Piedmont) begin here and the scenery is beautiful. Thank you Steve, for being such a good driver. We arrived at the bed and breakfast with only minor detours and were greeted by the nicest Italian couple imaginable. Gloria and Vittorio showed us our rooms and asked what we would like to do for our 2-day stay. Of course, we were here is to visit the local wineries and wine producers of the region. Gloria said, freshen up and we will take you to visit our friend Guiseppi, who is a local winemaker. A half hour later, we were with Vittorio and Gloria tasting wine and grapes of the local vintage.
Gloria then offered to allow us to join them for a local wine and food festival later that night in a neighboring town. The festival is in the medieval setting of the town of Colossa. There are thousands of local people, and it seemed that Steve, Jessica, and I were the only tourists. We bought coupons for food and wine tastings and spent the night enjoying a very local festival. Truly a unique experience.
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