ITALY
Tour Days 9 and 10
Banner picture above - Victor Emmanuel monument Rome, Italy.
Day 9 begins in Munich. The group finishes breakfast quickly and we start our long bus ride as soon as possible. We all want to be in Venice.
By lunchtime we are in the Austrian Alps. As we enter another valley we stop at McDonalds for lunch. But this is not like any McDonald's I've ever seen. Set on a mountain side, ceiling to floor windows, panoramic views, gourmet desserts. Spectacular enough to be worth mentioning here.
We continue on and finally reach Venice about 3:30. It's warm, sunny with a few clouds. We collect suitcases and head off to the boats. The only way to the heart of Venice is across the water. Anxiously we board and are soon rewarded with another stunning moment - buildings rising out of the water.
Does it get any better moment
We approach Venice in the afternoon, riding a water taxi, sun shining off the water onto colorful buildings which seem to rise out of the water. It's almost indescribable - like nothing we have seen before.
We disembark from the boat, gather together and get an orientation to traveling around Venice before heading to our hotel. Ben leads us through the narrow streets, over a small bridge and to a courtyard. From there the signs indicate a direction to the next courtyard in our journey. We will soon understand that no streets are straight for long, no map provides detail and a GPS fails often between the tall, closely spaced buildings. Navigation is by site and moving from courtyard to courtyard until close to your destination. As time will tell this is Laure’s forte ~ navigate visually by building recognition. Thanks to our guides we navigate the maze to our hotel. We settle in, relax and then enjoy a group dinner.
Wednesday morning arrives and we are off to meet our local guide, Elizabetta. She currently lives at the end of the island, having spent much of her life here. We’re off to the first square and there’s a problem, the square is blocked off for the morning. A film crew is filming Spider Man 3 today so, sorry, but no tourists in the square. Fake rocks and fallen building are everywhere. After a brief overview we start to move away to find a quiet spot. But first we stand quietly as a rehearsal by some extras takes place on the bridge just ahead. Finally we can learn some of the rich history of the area, like the conquerors who avoided Venice because of the difficult travel. Many of the squares have stacks of short tables, 2 x 5 feet and 1 foot tall. These are used to cover the square during flooding to make dry travel possible.
In the late morning our group tour reaches the final destination, a mask shop. We meet the shop owners who make a custom mask for one member of the group while explaining the history behind the masks. Masks served to tell a story, not just to hide behind. They are made from a special paper mâché involving an intricate process that takes time and skill to master well.
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The afternoon and evening were free time. We joined friends to explore Venice. Through the major store we were able to go to the roof for a panoramic view of the city. We found a delicious chocolate shop and beautiful bridges as we walked further from our hotel. With the confidence gained after a week in foreign countries we managed to read signs and use the vaporetto (water taxi) to get back near our hotel. Ben, our guide, had arranged an optional event, a gondola ride. We went as a group in 4 gondolas and a common boat carried the newlyweds and singing gondoliers. It was around 6 pm, sun low in the sky with temps in the low 70s. It was the perfect ride. After a little more exploring then we joined Marietta and Bob for a nice meal, sitting outdoors with good company, food and a bottle of wine. We didn’t want it to end.
Tour point: The mask shop was small, barely allowing our group of 28 to fit inside. A group gondola ride. Times like this point out the value of the small group size.
Tour Days 11 and 12
Does it get any better moment
In the Tuscany countryside of Italy we stop at an isolated farm, set beside a vineyard, with gentle rolling hills in all directions. We are overwhelmed by the calm, peaceful and relaxing venue. By the time we leave we have to wonder why don’t we spend the rest of our lives here?
We left Venice by boat with the bright morning sun. Our hotels have all been interesting and near the ‘action’ so we were looking forward to today’s surprise. And surprise it would be. We are off the main road in the country. Roads narrowing we come upon a farm, technically an “agro-tourismo”. Orderly arrangement of grape vines along the hills, mini horses that grazed, the pomegranates growing, the perfect pool setting next to the stuccoed main house with its statue of Mary gracing it, I loved this place! Beyond the pool stand a dozen buildings with 3 rooms each. In the distance gentle mountains, sun low in the sky and peaceful calm everywhere.
Laure and I get a glass of wine and a camera and wander off to relax and take pictures. Returning we find most by the pool. Another glass of wine and all motivation turns to relaxation. We are treated to a cooking lesson by the head chef, Norma. We learn to correctly make pasta and a simple sauce. The dinner menu is explained. Dinner is a family style meal. Eating family style with wine flowing made an exceptionally lovely evening with our many friends.
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The next morning we were off to Florence to see the Uffizi museum. We met our local guide Marcello {I think Rick requires all local guides to be characters!} The marble buildings and baptismal doors of gold were all works of art in themselves. The David copy housed outside was just one of the copies we saw. Nothing really prepares you for the emotions that the real David brings out – you notice his right hand, huge in scale. David’s eyes seem to change expression as you move around him, is he scared, confident or trusting in God? The other hunks of marble with Michelanglo’s mark were also fascinating. You could see the arm or leg starting to emerge from the piece. We also loved the room where you could see how they trained the sculptors using marks at each key point – nose, eye, cheek, lips to measure how much stone to remove. How they did castings was also quite fascinating.
Back to our hotel for a buffet dinner and an evening of karaoke style music. Limoncello and grappa ran freely, laughter abounds and yes I think all of us danced! An evening brought about by the bonds we’ve all made and the spirit, enthusiasm and resourcefulness of our terrific guide.
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Tour Days 13 and 14
Rome – the last leg of our trip and we were so excited to be there and not at all ready to go home! Our hotel was near the Termine, making it very easy to figure out which way to take the trains! We were most excited to see the ancient ruins, lead by another local guide. But as Americans, it seems so weird to see places literally as old as Jesus. Stunning to see the Coliseum, entering it at as the gladiators did, through the darkness into the huge open bright space and places for thousands of people. We could see down below to the exposed sub layer. We leave and walk to the forum. We ran into rain, only the 3rd time in 14 days. The subsequent rainbow made an arch over the forum.
Sunday, out last full day with the tour We are up and out to the Trevi fountain, beautiful and majestic. We toss a coin in over our shoulder. Legend has it we must now return. Next, the Pantheon. Yet another piece of stunning architecture. Yet again we are left wondering how they could build this. A last look at the Roman Forum from atop a hill. Awesome. And we are turned free for the afternoon.
Our goal is to explore, find a church for mass and make it back in time for our final group dinner. This turns into a magical afternoon. While wandering we hear drums in the distance. Following the sound we find a festival. A drum corp is playing and marching. Tossing flags 30 ft in the air, flying across the court. Such a fun time. We continue our journey and enter an open church just to look around. It’s a beautiful church and a mass is just beginning. A special mass for 80 year old twins. We return to the hotel in time to walk to dinner. This is a bittersweet dinner ….. friends, memories, laughter and the realization the tour is over
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Does it get any better moment
We walk out into the Roman coliseum, just as the gladiators did thousands of years ago. We are in the center, on the main stage. Outside are the ruins of multiple past great civilizations. We realize we are surrounded some of the most significant historical events.
Post Tour Day 1
We stayed one additional day in Rome to tour the Vatican.
When we entered St Peter's Square, your first impression is "Wow, this is immense. The line is equally so". Instead of the lines, we began at the Vatican Museum.Phenomenal art has been collected for almost 2000 years and was well worth the visit. Would have been overwhelmed without our guide who skillfully led us around the over 4 miles of marble corridors to see the history of the world in art. Raphael's Rooms and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel make it well worth the visit.
Your second tip is that after you have toured the Vatican Museum and seen the Sistine Chapel (WOW!) turn to the right for a no line entry into St Peter's Basilica. As a Catholic, this home of my church was so spritiually uplifting. The Pieta, Pope Saint John Paul II's tomb, the tomb of St Peter, all on so grand of scale. A 747 could fit, that is how huge it is! The dome is so high above at 448 feet, it glows with sunlight this day. We ran out of time before visiting the crypt. Many Masses are offered daily and side chapels for prayer. Thanks be to God!
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Planning Tip: Visiting the Vatican ~ get tickets in advance. We booked tickets through www.museivaticani.va for a guided tour with 12:30 entry. We walked past a line 3 blocks long to the preorder entry. In 3 minutes we were inside.
Our journey continues...
Epilogue - Jim
I started this adventure for Laure. She hadn't been to Europe or anywhere with a long history. I was hoping this would be fun, that the museums and churches would meet the lofty goals I had. That we would come home with a few good memories.
We found that and so much more. I didn't expect:
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The friendships,
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The depth and richness of the history and how much I would enjoying learning,
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How we could be so lost in time, so relaxed,
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The surprises along the way.
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How the tour so exceeded our wishes ~ we expected excellent, we got exceptional
A friend said there was enough to see here at home, they had no interest in traveling to Europe. Once you've had a taste how can you not want to go. There is so much there. When done right the past can be brought to life.
I was asked what was best. It was Laure ~ the joy, awe, wonder and tranquil. The opening of a new life's passion. Like finding our true loves 40 years ago. There were too many great places, friends, foods and people to pick a best.
Would we do it again… absolutely. We are already planning. We are dreaming. We’ll be back.
Epilogue - Laure
This adventure brought us closer as a couple and reawakened what life was like before jobs, kids and too many responsibilities. We truly talked, laughed, relaxed, learned (he doesn't like heights?) and enjoyed each other and all that we were to see. At one point, I didn't even know what day of the week it was, and just laughed out loud in joy!
This trip has opened up my world and shown the beauty of God's and mans creation. Truly the nature of our itinerary led us from the height of culture in Paris to the natural majesty of Switzerland's mountains. From parties galore at Oktoberfest to quiet and peaceful Tuscany, then concluding with grandeur and sheer scale of history that is Rome. Pictures do not do it justice, this sampling of just a few hundred are but a few of the over 5000 images I took. Everywhere I looked I was inspired. Can't wait to recreate some of these images in art quilts.
Friends we made on the trip have been marvelous. Jen is even mentoring our college age daughter and helped her find internships to apply for summer jobs.
Now that we have the hang of the metro and rail systems. The fear I had was much alleviated by Ben's knowledge and teaching skills.
What a wonder, I can't wait to go again to see more marvels
The biggest problem is where do we go next?
Lastly, Laure loves to take pictures. We returned with nearly 6000 pictures. Many of her favorites did't make the previous pages, so a few are below. We hope you enjoy them ~ though it won't be as much as we enjoyed taking them.
