Walks with 2 feet

"She smells good, doesn't she?" Sophie asks.

"She smells great," I agree.

"It's okay to kiss people when you love them."

"I don't love your mother," I tell her. "Not like that, anyway."

"You give her all your french fries, even when she won't give you back onion rings," Sophie says. "And when you say her name it sounds different."

"How?"

Sophie thinks. "Like it's covered with blankets."

"I do not say your mother's name like it's covered in blankets. And I don't always giver her my french fries, because you're right, she doesn't share."

"But you still don't yell at her when she's not being fair," Sophie points out. "Because you don't want to hurt her feelings." She slips her hand into mine and repeats, "You love her."

 

--Taken from Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

I am home now, safe and sound. Off to bed very shortly as I haven't had a wink in over 24 hours. Thanking God for the alterness on the drive home from Halifax. :) The travel home went...mostly uneventful. We did almost miss our first plane out of Rome, but I put on the Canadian Charm and managed to find fellow passengers who were willing to let us butt lines.
 
I will be hibernating for a couple days as I recover so if nobody hears from me in the next day or two please don't be offended. Just recharging.
 
Thanks all for traveling with me. I have fun writing the "journal". Until next time. Ciao!

As is always the case at the end of a wonderful trip I am both saddened to be leaving Italy and looking forward to being home (seeing family and friends). Barb and I have traveled so well together during the last two weeks we are now planning our Australia trip (Sarah, would that interest you?). I know, not even home yet and making the next plans. Those of you who know me well, won't be surprised. I simply get restless. :)
 
We spent the last couple days relaxing at the villa (where I got some writing done), sauntering around Florence again, and finally trying the wild boar (yummy). The Uffizi gallery was nice. Here we got to see pieces by Divinci, Michaelangelo, and Rembrandt. There was a series of work that I really enjoyed called "The Seven Virtues". I'm not sure who the artists were but really neat.
 
After the gallery we sat in the piazza and people watched, enjoying our very expensive bowl of fruit and caffe latte. We saw Robert Dinero, Moses, and a lot of tourists more fasinated with the horse in the square than Michaelangelo's David. Giggle.
 
Eventually we made our way back up to San Lorenzo market. I was on a mission to find a purse and knew exactly what I wanted: Red, shoulder strap, with a flap, and soft leather. Omid called me "Nice but difficult" as I talked him down 29 euros for the one I finally chose...brown btw. Shrug.
 
Last night we caught our live jazz...in the most unlikely of places. We had a private performance in a small art gallery just across the piazza from our villa. Two older men, one played the piano and the other the saxaphone. Smooth!!
 
Today, is another relaxing day of writing and walking some of the local trails along the rolling hills.
 
Tomorrow we head back towards Rome along the coast and the first leg of our journey home.
 
Ciao!

It's been a busy couple days. So this is likely to be a lengthy email.
 
Sunday we went to Frienze (Florence) and took in the city sights in the rain. My newest Italian souvenir is the umbrella I bought there from an enterprising young lady selling them in the downpour.
 
We began by thinking up the brilliant idea of driving in and around Frienze to see the sights dry and then try to get into the Uffiz gallery...what better day to look at art than on a rainy one right? We quickly learned what a bad idea it was to drive into the city.
 
It is under so much construction that our map was useless. We somehow got caught in an endless loop, returning frequently to the same spots. Eventually we saw a service truck enter a "Do Not Enter" lane and decided to get out of that cyclical madness and follow him. We found ourselves on a piazza (a pedestrian only area) in short order. I was exclaiming to Barb to continue on ahead as we drove by an italian man wagging his finger at us in a "you are doing an illegal thing" kinda way. We finally broke free by jumping a curb! Poor Barb, she's nervous about tight spaces now. giggle.
 
So we parked just outside of the city centro and walked the many kilometers in. I'm definately getting my 30 Ann! It was a really nice walk, even if it was in the rain. Along the water and crossing Ponte Vecchio. A bridge covered with store fronts and divides the city into the touristy and local hang out areas.
 
We easily found the Uffizi and turned our noses up at the minimum 2 hour wait to get in. So we chose door number two (Yes, there was door labeled number 2) and made reservations for Thursday at 9 am. From there we followed a marathon trail up to the Duomo and San Lorenzo (an outdoor market that sells locally made leather, pashminas, and other lovely things).
 
Here we met Marco, a 28 year old man who said his wedding ring represented only his commitment to all women, not just one. A big WhatEver! Althought quite the flirt he did give us really good prices on the leather coats we are each bringing home. Mamma Mia! I got your leather belt dad, I think you are really going to like it!!
 
That night we ventured out to see an Italian Opera in very a small, beautifully dressed church on the local hang out part of the town. Tosca by Pucinni! All I can say is Wow!!! Truly fantastico! Mom, you would have loved the tenor; his voice was so robust!
 
The next day we attempted to see Siena again, but we are beginning to think the city has taken a disliking to us as again there was no parking available. Marco tells us we just need to be patient but that's just another big WhatEver. giggle. So we decided to go out to the Brunella region and see what we could see. We drove to Montecino and ate lunch at an Enoteca (a wine store) and just soaked in some of the local flavour (food and personality).
 
Yesterday we hit the road early and went to Cinque Terre. A national park comprised of five very tiny fishing villages percariously perched on mountaineous cliff edges. Each village is connected by train and coast line walking paths. Although mostly overcast and the occassional rain it was a stunning walk.
 
Today we are thinking of sticking around in the area of our villa and venture out onto some of the local walking trails through the rolling hills of Tuscany. Not a bad way to while away a day. :)
 
Tomorrow is back to Florence and our Uffizi visit, lunch with Marco, trying wild boar, and lounging in a live jazz club.

Yesterday we started early and got to Pisa before the traffic started getting nuts. Was a good choice. We were in and out of Pisa in one hour. Just long enough to take some pictures. It was nicer than I had expected and much more different. I thought it was simply a tower standing in a park by itself but it, silly me, it is part of a duomo (church). Shrug.
 
We then ventured along the back roads down the west coast of Italy. So beautiful. Our first stop was at Tirrenia. A beach resort town. You could walk on the beach forever, we did 40 minutes and came across two men fishing.
 
Down the road the coast gets rocky and cliffy and the residential area more ritzy! Quite stunning. We stopped at a Marina in one location to watch some wind surfers, kayakers, and kids spin on the disney carasel. Fun!
 
Today was a Chianti wine tour. Very lovely indeed. The region is quite mountainous and lush. As are their wines.

Venice has been by far my favorite spot in Italy..yet. Maybe it has to do with the water instead of rolling hills. Dont get me wrong, certainly not complaining about tuscany! I loved everything about the city, except the number tourists. I now understand how the masked tradition came about in Venice as after only one day I was recognizing many people as we wandered around. Venice was so much easier to get around that Rome. The maps were actually accurate.
 
San Marco was amazing...I was stunned by its beauty, especially as I had no high expectations of it. I discovered that Barb has this aversion to birds however and San Marco is definately bird land. Pigeons dive bombing everywhere.
 
We both agreed that 2 maybe 3 nights would have been ideal for Venice but I am happy to have the taste that we did. We went to Burano, an island off the coast of Venice (considered part of Venice) to see the vibrant colors of the buildings. As our tour guide at the Vatican would have said, the colors were super natural. Definately worth a visit.
 
It was in Venice that I was asked if I was fluent in Italian, by an Italian man I should add. Obviously, my pronouciation of my limited word list is doing me well. :) The attention from the men is a bit much, but gave us a good chuckle as we exchanged experiences with a couple of travelers from Australia.
 
We toasted Sheri on her birthday from the Grand Canal in Venice. She may not have been with us, but we were definately thinking of her and her new daughter Kate.
 
Ive been spending much of today sketching and writing in our villa as I enjoy some local wine. There is a wedding in the village today so the place is just alive with celebration.
 
We met the gals from Australia last night in Empoli. We were returning from Venice and they from Cingue Terra. This weekend we are reversing destinations. I was excited about Cingue before we came to Italy but after hearing how much they loved it Im that much more thrilled.
 
Its hard to believe a week has gone by. Im already planning my next trek here.

Bonjourno from Monteriggioni! Our villa is perfect! I am so content I find my soul swelling. :) Not a bad feeling at all.
 
Roma may not have been built in a day but we saw it in a day. We had the brainstorm of taking the hop on and off bus tours to see all of the major sites. We saw everything and toured around the collisium, vatican, treve fountain, and spanish steps. The tour guide at the vatican was worth it. Highly recommend.
 
Saturday we picked up our cute little rental car and took the autostrade to Tuscana and the very tiny village of Monteriggioni. Its a walled city that takes about 2 minutes to explore. (That may actually be generous.) Tuscana is bella (beautiful) and everything I had hoped for.
 
Yesterday we toured around San Gimiginano and Voterra. Two more walled cities, one that is called the Italian Manhattan. Too funny. Similar to other mountainous regions the roads include a lot of hair pin turns. FUN!
 
We met up with Bruce this morning, the fine gentleman who helps us get the fantastic deals for our trip. His villa is not too far from here. Today we have talked about exploring Pisa and the coastline...maybe. Its a little chilly today (well I find it a little chilly...Barb finds it nice). Jac, Im sure you can sympathise with her. giggle. At least this time Im layering up like the locals.
 
You will also be thrilled Jac to know that the meals here must have changed greatly. I havent had one with cheese or dairy yet! Crazy no...in the region we are in wild boar and truffles are on the menu. Ill let you know how they are.
 
Well Im outta here...off for more Italian adventure. Can somebody (Pam and/or Iva) let mom and dad know Im still safe and enjoying myself. Please wish mom a happy mothers day for me. Thanks.
 
Tomorrow is Venice.
 
Ciao!