Early flight out of Boston. We have to be to the airport about 5:30. If you look at it as Italy, it is 11:30 in the morning, no problem. If you look at Mountain time it is 3:30. Jetlag is interesting. No problems with our flight, other than it was completely full and we have the same movie showing. Oh well. We arrive in SLC. We can't beleive how green it is and how nice it is to be home. We are only a cab ride away.
We pull up to the house. Good to be home. We are welcomed by our neighbors. So weird to not be welcomed by Mirnyi.
The lawn is a bit long but the rain has treated us right and everything is green. Thank god for the help from Christine and Karl. We are so lucky to have friends that are so great.
Start a load of laundry, answer work emails, off to prep for a brew. Amazing how quickly real life comes back to us. Such is life. Our photos will keep our memories fresh and the blog is our notebook. We noticed that we were not diligent with spell and grammar check. Sorry for the errors. Oh well made it humorous to read.
We make some plans to get Mirnyi back. We hear some good stories about her experiences in Montana. It would seem a city dog has some growing up to do in the country. But she had a great time. City dogs are not used to the high water in the creeks and have some trouble on large hikes. That might be city or her just milking it from Bush and Kiley. She loves attention.
To make the story complete, we now are calling her Holyfield and her cousin Mike Tyson. Lets just say there was a trip to the Vet and some stitches. I guess her weird ear will also be a memory of our trip to Italy. I wonder what Dr. Perioux will say to me next check up. Nothing will surprise her after the goiter from last summer.
Ciao for now. We will get photos linked and updated soon.
5/27/08
GOOD-BYE ITALY
Florence to Rome to Boston to Salt Lake. Easy Easy.
Early morning, the cab picks us up about 5 am. We have to grab an early flight to Rome. Carol and Rob are Florence, Amsterdam, and Minneapolis to Salt Lake.
Good-bye see you in the states.
No problem with our flight to Rome. Good news. We get in and have a few hour layover. Next top Boston. Flight is delayed. Flight is delayed. What is the problem? Air Italia is on strike. It should only be a couple hour strike. Come back in an hour. Come back in an hour. The americans are getting embarrassing. They seem like they might riot. The air italia girls have a way to battle it. They go on a smoke break what do they care, the wait is nothing they can control.
The americans are harmless, they are just overly concerned about their snacks. "Will we get snacks while we wait? Where are the snacks?" Where are these people from? When was the last time you had a delayed flight for any reason and got snacks. We also notice we are with the type of passengers, that line up as soon as there is a chance we might be boarding. Imagine they have lined up no less than three times to be told we are delayed. They are willing to wait in a line of pushy people, just to go downstairs and then get on a bus that has to wait to be filled to then drive them to an airplane that won't be leaving until completely boarded. Maybe they don't realize we have assigned seats. Odd these tourists.
Finally we are off. They call it a strike. We call is a long smoke/caffe break. What do we know? Ironically, when we arrived in Rome 18 days ago the busses were on a 1/2 day strike. Very odd. Rumor is that the garbage collectors are on strike in Naples. What is with this country?
Oh well, can't get to stressed. We are on our way and technically this is still vacation.
Shit, we are going to miss our connection. Not to worry the nice gal at Air Italia, says "no problem, it is our fault, and we take care of you. No problem, just find the Air Italia desk we take care of you". Chris was pretty sure they were just pawning us off to Delta once we arrive in the states. But they did take care of us. Well that means they put us up in Boston for the night. Worse things could happen as we end our vacation. Pistons are in town, we get to watch the wings game and we get to end our fabulous vacation over LOBSTER.
We fly out in the a.m.
Early morning, the cab picks us up about 5 am. We have to grab an early flight to Rome. Carol and Rob are Florence, Amsterdam, and Minneapolis to Salt Lake.
Good-bye see you in the states.
No problem with our flight to Rome. Good news. We get in and have a few hour layover. Next top Boston. Flight is delayed. Flight is delayed. What is the problem? Air Italia is on strike. It should only be a couple hour strike. Come back in an hour. Come back in an hour. The americans are getting embarrassing. They seem like they might riot. The air italia girls have a way to battle it. They go on a smoke break what do they care, the wait is nothing they can control.
The americans are harmless, they are just overly concerned about their snacks. "Will we get snacks while we wait? Where are the snacks?" Where are these people from? When was the last time you had a delayed flight for any reason and got snacks. We also notice we are with the type of passengers, that line up as soon as there is a chance we might be boarding. Imagine they have lined up no less than three times to be told we are delayed. They are willing to wait in a line of pushy people, just to go downstairs and then get on a bus that has to wait to be filled to then drive them to an airplane that won't be leaving until completely boarded. Maybe they don't realize we have assigned seats. Odd these tourists.
Finally we are off. They call it a strike. We call is a long smoke/caffe break. What do we know? Ironically, when we arrived in Rome 18 days ago the busses were on a 1/2 day strike. Very odd. Rumor is that the garbage collectors are on strike in Naples. What is with this country?
Oh well, can't get to stressed. We are on our way and technically this is still vacation.
Shit, we are going to miss our connection. Not to worry the nice gal at Air Italia, says "no problem, it is our fault, and we take care of you. No problem, just find the Air Italia desk we take care of you". Chris was pretty sure they were just pawning us off to Delta once we arrive in the states. But they did take care of us. Well that means they put us up in Boston for the night. Worse things could happen as we end our vacation. Pistons are in town, we get to watch the wings game and we get to end our fabulous vacation over LOBSTER.
We fly out in the a.m.
A new day in Italy.
We slept in to day. We needed it. After so much walking, museum touring, and general excitement, our bodies told us to rest.
But now we must get going. The Pitti Palace and the gardens are first on our stop. What an amazing place. The exhibit in the gardens of where fashion in Italy came from was amazing. To see how the silk is made for a dress that then took 5 months to complete is unbelievable. We feel very un hip in our REI pants and walking shoes. Oh well comfort first when traveling.
We spent the rest of our Florence vacation taking in famous sites, including the Duomo (you MUST hike the stairs to the top). 424 steps up and then back down, but well worth it - even if you are slightly clastrophobic and afraid of heights.
The view of the Fresco'd ceiling was amazing, as was the view down into the cathedral. Michelangelo's 'David' statue, the Medici Chapels, and the churches of Santa Maria Novella (the Dominicans), Santa Croce (famous people buried there include Michelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli, and Galileo to name a few!). Another must is the view of the city from Piazza Michelangelo, which offers a very different view in the day and at night.
Chris and I took a bottle of wine up on Saturday at dusk. A little to touristy, but amazing views. Carol and Rob will need to join us tomorrow night for our last night in Florence. We will be sad to go.
Climb the bell tower and walk the square. We have seen as much art, architecture and taken in as much culture as we can this trip. We rent bikes and explore the rest of the neighborhoods. What a great day. We ride over to meet Carol and Rob for lunch at our favorite Kebab hole in the wall. We recommend they rent bikes as well.
Off to explore and do some shopping. Drop the bikes, grab salami, cheese, olives and bread for our evening up above Piazza Michelangelo. The four of us head up and reminisce about our great trip and how easy we all are to travel with. It is nice to have people you can travel with. We open the bottle of wine Alex gave us as a parting gift. Salute to Italy, our new friends and our travel partners. We are sad to go.
But now we must get going. The Pitti Palace and the gardens are first on our stop. What an amazing place. The exhibit in the gardens of where fashion in Italy came from was amazing. To see how the silk is made for a dress that then took 5 months to complete is unbelievable. We feel very un hip in our REI pants and walking shoes. Oh well comfort first when traveling.
We spent the rest of our Florence vacation taking in famous sites, including the Duomo (you MUST hike the stairs to the top). 424 steps up and then back down, but well worth it - even if you are slightly clastrophobic and afraid of heights.
The view of the Fresco'd ceiling was amazing, as was the view down into the cathedral. Michelangelo's 'David' statue, the Medici Chapels, and the churches of Santa Maria Novella (the Dominicans), Santa Croce (famous people buried there include Michelangelo, Dante, Machiavelli, and Galileo to name a few!). Another must is the view of the city from Piazza Michelangelo, which offers a very different view in the day and at night.
Chris and I took a bottle of wine up on Saturday at dusk. A little to touristy, but amazing views. Carol and Rob will need to join us tomorrow night for our last night in Florence. We will be sad to go.
Climb the bell tower and walk the square. We have seen as much art, architecture and taken in as much culture as we can this trip. We rent bikes and explore the rest of the neighborhoods. What a great day. We ride over to meet Carol and Rob for lunch at our favorite Kebab hole in the wall. We recommend they rent bikes as well.
Off to explore and do some shopping. Drop the bikes, grab salami, cheese, olives and bread for our evening up above Piazza Michelangelo. The four of us head up and reminisce about our great trip and how easy we all are to travel with. It is nice to have people you can travel with. We open the bottle of wine Alex gave us as a parting gift. Salute to Italy, our new friends and our travel partners. We are sad to go.
On to Florence
We are back on the road for Pisa. We have to skirt Florence. Should we dump the car in Florence? Screw the tower, does it really even lean? Let’s give it a shot. How hard can it be to drive in Florence? How out of the way is the airport?
To answer both of those questions, hard and not well marked. We drive in circles. Every corner a new sign and arrow for the airport. We are not even sure we can leave the car here instead of Pisa. Well we know we can but what is the cost in Euros? HHMMM. Finally the Aeroporto. We find Hertz, park and the guys run in to check with the Hertz desk. We are in luck; "In training" is on the job. No problem, yes no problem, of course, no problem. Not sure what our new bill will be, but he has customer service down.
We grab the shuttle to bus station. We should be checked into the Hotel Liberty in no time. Grab the D bus, and jump off at the end of the line. What a lovely stroll. Then we go up and we walk and we walk and we walk. Are we in the right place? Where in the hell is hotel liberty? Can we stop at the Italian Country Club for a Birra? Damn are we lost? No such worry. We finally find it. We walked completely up a hill to come down and around. We are a couple minutes walk from edge of town. Great location, lovely hotel. The rooms and bathrooms are huge.
Quick Shower and change of clothes and get settled in. We are off to explore Florence. There is enough stuff in Florence that you could spend weeks looking around the place - our time here will give us a good taste of the place. We walk over to the Uffizi. What no line, you can go right in, they close in just under 2 hours. Worth the try. Let’s go in. The Uffizi has a pretty amazing collection of Renaissance art. Of course everyone flocks to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus, which of course was pretty surreal to be standing in front of the original. As Rob put it, Boticelli kicks Michaelangelos ass. But there was must more to be seen. Room after room, gallery after gallery showcasing some of Medici's former private collection. Almost two hours later, what a great experience.
We continue to walk the streets and take in the tourist sites as well. I hate to say it but you have to do the bridge at least once.
We grab dinner and more vino and we know that we will have a lot to take in the next couple of days. We welcome it.
To answer both of those questions, hard and not well marked. We drive in circles. Every corner a new sign and arrow for the airport. We are not even sure we can leave the car here instead of Pisa. Well we know we can but what is the cost in Euros? HHMMM. Finally the Aeroporto. We find Hertz, park and the guys run in to check with the Hertz desk. We are in luck; "In training" is on the job. No problem, yes no problem, of course, no problem. Not sure what our new bill will be, but he has customer service down.
We grab the shuttle to bus station. We should be checked into the Hotel Liberty in no time. Grab the D bus, and jump off at the end of the line. What a lovely stroll. Then we go up and we walk and we walk and we walk. Are we in the right place? Where in the hell is hotel liberty? Can we stop at the Italian Country Club for a Birra? Damn are we lost? No such worry. We finally find it. We walked completely up a hill to come down and around. We are a couple minutes walk from edge of town. Great location, lovely hotel. The rooms and bathrooms are huge.
Quick Shower and change of clothes and get settled in. We are off to explore Florence. There is enough stuff in Florence that you could spend weeks looking around the place - our time here will give us a good taste of the place. We walk over to the Uffizi. What no line, you can go right in, they close in just under 2 hours. Worth the try. Let’s go in. The Uffizi has a pretty amazing collection of Renaissance art. Of course everyone flocks to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus, which of course was pretty surreal to be standing in front of the original. As Rob put it, Boticelli kicks Michaelangelos ass. But there was must more to be seen. Room after room, gallery after gallery showcasing some of Medici's former private collection. Almost two hours later, what a great experience.
We continue to walk the streets and take in the tourist sites as well. I hate to say it but you have to do the bridge at least once.
We grab dinner and more vino and we know that we will have a lot to take in the next couple of days. We welcome it.
SAD DAY WHEN WE LEAVE WINE COUNTRY
Monticino is a great place to lay your head. But the mornings come early and they are not quite. We are awoken by traffic, the sound of glass and footsteps on cobblestone. Time to get up. We grab some caps and a danish and say our goodbyes to Mario. A quick stop at the internet cafe to check on Uffizi tickets and we are off. No tickets as of yet. Keep trying.We have heard the wait in line can be over 2 hours. Even a 19 day vacation does not allow for that kind of wasted time.
We are off to drop the car in Pisa. We will then take in the Leaning Tower and head grab a train to Florence.
Sienna is our next stop on the way. We need to go through Sienna to get to Pisa. But we didn't realize we needed to go right through Sienna. Literally. Our last stop in Sienna was us wandering aimlessly, wondering if we would ever find our way out of the walled city. Second trip is a little different. "How do we get out of this town?" El Limited Traffico????? I guess this is the street for us. Before you know it we are actually driving through the city center of the walled town. The streets are getting more narrow and the policia are starring. Or atleast that is what Chris feels. Are we going the correct way? What should we do? How do we get out of here. Should we pull over and run up the bell tower. Clear day good views. We keep driving the uphill narrow streets. Signs for the Piazza.
"Wait is that a drive up Gelato stand? Life is good" Quick hard Right. Finally we are out of the chaos.
We are off to drop the car in Pisa. We will then take in the Leaning Tower and head grab a train to Florence.
Sienna is our next stop on the way. We need to go through Sienna to get to Pisa. But we didn't realize we needed to go right through Sienna. Literally. Our last stop in Sienna was us wandering aimlessly, wondering if we would ever find our way out of the walled city. Second trip is a little different. "How do we get out of this town?" El Limited Traffico????? I guess this is the street for us. Before you know it we are actually driving through the city center of the walled town. The streets are getting more narrow and the policia are starring. Or atleast that is what Chris feels. Are we going the correct way? What should we do? How do we get out of here. Should we pull over and run up the bell tower. Clear day good views. We keep driving the uphill narrow streets. Signs for the Piazza.
"Wait is that a drive up Gelato stand? Life is good" Quick hard Right. Finally we are out of the chaos.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)