Day 15

At the airport early and made it our mission to spend all of the remaining Euros in our pockets.  After we completed that mission we went to our gate.  While waiting we saw a water spout form off the sea, begin to move onto land and eventually retract into the storms cloud.   As I was pointing out my siting to Bill a honeymoon couple from Manhattan overheard me and sure enough the female in full New york style yells out "Oh my God!  A tornado!"  Luckily panic did not ensue.
When my jet lag subsides I will summarize the trip with the "Persons of Interest", "Favorite Foods", "Favorite Towns" etc.
Arrivederci!

Day 14

Today is our last adventure.  Having mixed feelings about returning to the grind but I am definitely a little tired of living out of a suitcase!  We arrived very early at the bike shop so we had lunch in an area of Rome that we have never explored.  You could call it Little China Town.  I was up for the adventure of a Chinese lunch but Bill was a little suspicious.  The bike tour leader's name was Manuelo and picture this, a cycling tour guide that roles his own cigarettes and chain smokes throughout the entire 40k ride. The tour took us along the Appian way and surrounding neighborhoods which included the Catacombs, ancient aqueducts, the ancient cobblestone road, a sheep farm that produced the cheese and bread that we sampled and a night ride around the forum and the colosseum.  Learned many facts about ancient Rome but also learned that Italians also have the "Got to go,  got to get there" mentality.  Apparently it is against the law to drive on the Appia Antica but to save 7 minutes of drive time many drivers drive the road.  Believe me it can not be good for the tires and suspension of the car never mind what it is doing to antiquity.  We had our final meal of red sauce pasta and Bill ended with his final cioccolato gelato.

Day 13

Last night we went to dinner at an Enoteca in Umbertide, the town where we stayed.  The owner provided wine suggestions for each course.  Had some amazing blended minestrone soup and Bill had eggplant lasagna. 

Traveled today to Rome with mixed feelings.  The countryside is so relaxing and Rome on the other had is anything but that.  Walked for at least 3 hours and did what is known as the Dolce Vita Stroll.  In other words we hit all the main tourist spots.  Bill proceeded to drink a half a liter of wine with his lamb and pasta while I just watched.  Cocktails on the terrace of our room and off to dinner we went.  The self- appointed marketing Director for the Osteria was named Massimo and he was a side-show worth the purchase of a ticket.   Let’s just say his flare was largely responsible for that night's full house.  So one more day to go and then it is back to the grind.  I feel extremely grateful to have this adventure.  I plan to summarize with my list of persons, places and foods of interests.

Day 12

Just when our day was going as planned a major monkey wrench appeared out of nowhere. We went to Gubbio and took a gondola up to the top of a hill for the best view of the city. Well when it was time to go back down we noticed that the gondola had stopped running. No the gondola was not broken! The operators decided to take an hour and 30 minute lunch break. Once again we hiked down a mountain but this time I was like the numb skulls in 5 Terre. Wrong shoes. My plan for the day was to wear shoes not appropriate for hiking because I was in need of a day of rest badly. Well I didn’t get my day of rest and now I have sore feet.

Day 11

Traveled to a regional park just outside of Assisi and hiked to the summit. It was the most difficult of all hikes that we have done. The black fly infestation was as difficult to contend with as the actual climb to the top. At one point I had at least 15 flies on my legs nipping away – most likely compliments of the copious deposits of horse dung at the top. On the way down we gave a lift to a hitch hiking Italian family. They overestimated the hiking ability of a 5 year old and needed rescuing. Next stop was Spello. Fantastico! Another hill town but like no other hill town I have ever been to. The pink stone from Assisi was utilized in the construction throughout the city. We had dinner with Mom’s family near where we are staying. The restaurant they selected was in a very small community and was authentic as it comes. Barley soup, truffle pasta, roasted chicken and potatoes. We were very sad to say goodbye to our Italian friends.

Day 10

Must say the home cooked meal was good but nothing in comparison to the 3 hour Italian Sunday dinner we experienced with Mom’s family.  Here is the menu:

Lunch 12p – 3p (not an exaggeration)

Items listed in order of presentation:

• -       Non-alcoholic Compari
• -       Umbrian Bruschetta
• -       Vino Rose Frizzante
• -       Lasagna con Fungi
• -       Insalata and Turkey Roulade
• -       Crème Amaretto
• -       Dessert Wine
• -       Caffe with your choice of liquor

Need I say more? Following dinner we toured a museum and then went to Lucca’s girlfriend’s country house. Well it turns out that this house was a convent and outside of the convent is a cave that St. Francis Asissi slept in on his famous pilgrimage through Italy. You have to see pictures to believe this. This was better than the museum. We had dinner at this site and learned that the house is haunted. The ghost’s name is Raymond and we heard all the tails of about Raymond’s haunts. Paolo (girlfriend of Lucca) was very serious talking about this. It was too much too process!

Day 9

Found a great trail to run along the Tiber except when a pack of dogs came charging at me.  Luckily Bill was walking and ran to rescue me.  Further down the trail were more fishermen that I could count.  I have to say that waters of the Tiber look almost stagnant.  After the run we had breakfast with not a single English speaking person.  A 90 year old was sitting next to me when I accidently shot a piece of breakfast across the floor.  She looked at me and smiled and winked  which sorta calmed the nerves.  Also went to the Sat market and purchased food for dinner.  I am cooking fresh tomato sauce tonight.  After the market we hiked up to a Monastery.  Once again straight up a mountain.  Well we decide to snoop around and a monk comes out and escorts us out of the restricted area.  After the Monastery experience something needed to be cleansed so instead of our souls we went to the “WaterLand” to do laundry.  It was like a scene out of “I Love Lucy”.  We had no idea what to do until the attendant came out and intervened.  If that wasn’t bad enough we walked down the street and somehow convinced a restaurant owner (non-English speaking, of course) to serve us lunch when the restaurant was closed.  They thought we were German so they brought us beer and sausage sandwiches.    What a day!  It makes me tired just writing about it.

Day 8

Want to give an update about last night’s dinner.  It was so amazing that I am still wanting more.  It was a traditional Tuscan vegetable soup with a slice of grilled bread on the side and a fried egg on top acting as a cover to keep the soup warm.  The stock was freshly prepared of vegetables only.  Will definitely try to replicate this.

Another update from yesterday which concerns the brain again.  Wednesday was the epiphany day.  Being in the 5 Terre one cannot possibly attach feeling and emotions with the visuals and on Wednesday the actual ability to process the visual experience occurred. When we were in a small church in Panzano it struck me.  The experience was one that brought me to appreciate and love my life more.  Bill’s experience was much different.  His father served in Italy during WWII and on his last flight, which was actually a test flight, his plane was struck on landing by another plane in the same squadron.  A member of his flight crew and best friend was injured and died in his father’s arms.  Bill’s father loved Italy especially the sardines and planned on taking Bill’s mother but he died before they were able to do so.  Bill was sad for his parents never being able to fulfill a life long dream but happy we have been able to fulfill ours.

Today was really all about travel.  Stopped in Siena long enough to eat lunch and get a parking ticket.  Arrived in Umbertide  and pulled in to the Agritourismo and was relieved.  It is so beautiful.  Fruit trees and cypress along the Tiber River.  Paths to run on, mountains to climb and time to sleep because I am exhausted.

From the other side it leans to the left.

On the trail to Corniglia from Vernazza.

Harbor again - but from a little farther down the trail.  Our terrace overlooks the cliff in the background.

Harbor at Vernazza - from the trail to Monterosso.

On the trail to Monterosso from Vernazza.

On top of the bunker!

The German bunker on the other side of the point.

Getting close to Monterosso on our hike. There's an 'old town' and a 'new town'. The old town is this side of the point and the new town on the other. On the other side of the point is a WWII German bunker. Pictures of that to follow.

Day 7

Woke extremely early today.  Tried to force more sleep but that was not to be.  So I turned my self inward and started to analyze my approach to the trip vs. Bill's approach to the trip.  It all came down to brain types.  When we hike, vist landmarks etc. I tend to focus my attention on flora and fauna, people and the languages they speak, local food products and o.k. shopping.  Bill on the other hand is all about how something works.  Tractors, unusual mechanical objects and well just about anything that requires assembly.  Today we were walking around in a little town in Chianti and we both nearly peed in our pants when we saw a book titled "How Everything Works".  Walking around with a brainiac at times can be challenging and intimidating but if it were not for his brain type I would not be writing this blog.  Thank you Bill.  I love you more.
Visited a church today and light candles for both our parents.  In Vernazza also lit a candle in an outdoor sanctuary.  Have seen likenesses of Mom many times during this trip.  So many times I have wished I could tell her how amazing Italy really is.
Lunch in Greve was quite interesting.  Yes I had another bowl of bean soup but what we observed was definitely a Saturday Night Live kind of moment.  Let me explain.  There is a statue in the main piazza with a headless male with a very large penis.  Many people take pictures including me.  Well while eating lunch we observed a female tourist have her picture taken giving the statue's penis a hand job followed by a family of 6  which included 4 children ages 8 and under line up for a family photo.  Hopefully it wasn't their Christmas card photo!

Top o' the castle in Vernazza.

Entering the trail to Monterosso from Vernazza.

On the promenade at the breakwater in the Vernazza harbor.

Some Video Clips

Here is (hopefully) a link to some videos we uploaded.

http://www.youtube.com/user/bbarrington42

Proof of the suspicious internet point in Siena. Scarfs + computers+ young Arab boys?

First day. Just arrived in Siena. At the "Piazza Il Campo".

Finally - Some Pictures

Well, we're finally in some accommodations (a beautiful Italian villa just south of Greve) that has a reliable, sustainable, included in the price, Internet connection, so we can actually add some of the pics that we have been taking. There'll be a bunch from days 0-6, but from now on we'll try to add them as we go along (Internet availability permitting). Ciao!

Day 6

Left 5 Terre at 7am with Bill wearing his badge of pessimism.  Finally when we were down the mountain pessimism turned to optimism, concern turned to relief and we made our way to Pisa.  Bill was concerned that we would not make it to Pisa for our scheduled Torre (tower) tour time.  As it turned out we were an hour early.  Good job Bill.  The roads are nail biters. Can you say high altitude hairpin turns with an Italian in his Alfa 3 meters off your ass?  Up 297 steps and down 297 steps with a little vertigo.  Pretty amazing structure but the town is a circus.  Leaning tower is to Pisa as Rock City is to Chattanooga. Made it to Greve which is in Chianti by 2p.  Let the red wine and pasta and fagoli tour begin.  Found the villa after a wrong decision to drive down a road that eventually became a tractor trail for an olive grove.  Bill was not very happy.  Settle in to our room and the bathroom is as large as the entire apt. unit in Vernazza.  So very nice!   Dinner in 30 minutes and can not wait for the funghi pasta.

Day 5

Today we ventured off the beaten path to one of the high trails.  We hiked straight up the mountain for about 3k to the Santuario of the Madonna of Reggio.   At every switchback along the way was one of the stations of the cross. The down was much worse than the up.  Finally we both started running just to get the damn thing over.  After we finished that hike we went to Monterosso via the train and hiked up to a German WWII bunker.  All things war history when you travel with Bill.  Took a quick dip in the sea and then climbed around on some rocks.  As I was coming over the top of a few rocks I jumped right in the middle of an Italian couple having a special romantic moment. I was mortified but just said “Scusi.  I didn’t mean to ruin the moment”  Yes of course they spoke English and thankfully they thought it was funny.  In departing I advised them that maybe they could just recapture the moment which they also found humorous.  At least to my face.  Then we proceeded to take the wrong train back to Vernazza and ended up in Le Spezia.  Waited 40 minutes for the correct train and finally made it back. Of course the conductor didn’t understand our plea that we got on the wrong train by mistake. He took no pity and exacted a hefty fine for ignorance and lack of rule adherence.

Day 4 - Part B

Had dinner at Giuliani Basso’s place (Vulnetia).  Great meal!   Bill had the town special which is anchovies casserole with potatoes and tomatoes baked.  Of course I had more of the local pasta with pesto.  After the meal Giuliani came and sat down at our table as did 2 others (Aussies) and had a philosophical discussion about cultures and the way business in Italy has been compromised by catering to tourists. Our cheesy closet with a detached terrace rented for the same price as his spacious artfully crafted (personally built) apartment. The Aussie couple met him 4 years ago and have rented from him ever since. After dinner they took us up to see the unit. Quite impressive. Apparently, some American couple vented on TripAdvisor about one of Giuliani’s properties unjustly (complaining about having only one bathroom or some such nonsense) without even talking to Guiliani first. 

Day 4 - Part A

Followed the same plan as yesterday and hit the trail before all the other travelers.  You see it is Germany’s holiday month and 5 Terre is swarming with those of Germanic descent.  Much different than the Italians.  Uptight and generally a little constipated.  Anyway we finished the tour of the 5 towns today.  Between Corniglia and Manarola the trail is out because of multiple rock slides so we took a train to Manarola and fished the walk on the Via del Amore to Riomaggore.  Splendor is inadequate to describe the cliffs and crystal clear azure waters.  Completed the afternoon with a boat trip back to Vernazza and a dip in the Med.  Water temperature much like the Great Lakes but you just gotta do some things.  Sitting on Mike’s Terrace having some more of the local white wine and swatting the enormous black flies away.  As for now need to depart for a shower and post what I have written.  Sorry for the delay but internet access is a bit tricky as are the 91 steps down and up.

Day 3

We did as the Italians do, ate breakfast on the run only because we were tired of waiting to be served. Early to rise and early to hike makes for an adventure with less cigarette smoking Europeans and the ill prepared.  Flip flops, shopping bags, ballet flats etc., etc. I don’t think they have heard about cancer and coronary disease over here or the proper attire for hiking if you don’t want to bust your ass.  Gimme a break – we saw a woman with 2 shopping bags and flipflops on the way out of Monterossa.  Sorry, Ma’am, but I believe Nordstrom’s is closed on Sundays. The hike was unbelievable! We were on a cliff above the Med. weaving in and out of the forest between Vernazza and Monterossa.  We made it to Monterossa before the rain came and then took a train back to Vernazza where we proceeded to drink local white wine and blog about the day’s happenings.  After consuming more wine than I normally do in a week we made it to our dinner reservation in a castle on the side of a cliff.  Fresh calamari and shrimp and pesto lasagna were not enough so we ordered a local style pasta with red sauce, pesto and panna.  It may sound like we are making little piglets out of ourselves but Italian size portions are for little birds that have not hiked/walked all day.

Day 2

On our way out of Sienna a car pulls up as we are about to enter our car.  The owner rolls down his window and says “Scusi.  Piazza del Campa?”  What the hell - an Italian asking me for directions?  Well I stepped up to the plate and pointed out the direction and guess what? He got it.  “Ah straito” and off they drove.

Made it to La Spezia no problem but google maps was worthless for the rest of the drive.  We essentially were on tractor trails for about 10k but we recovered again with the help of an Italian gentleman who spoke zero English.  It’s amazing how helpful pictograms can be.  The drive was quite treacherous however.  We honked the horn for every switchback we encountered.  You really have to want to visit 5 Terre because it is remote and it takes a lot of work but it is an amazing mix of nature and man’s ability to coexist in rugged terrain.  I digress.  Finally walked through and met the greeter for our apartment and I use that word loosely.  Maybe closet is more like it.  We climbed 91 winding steps up and collapsed.  Had an amazing dinner.  OMG, I could eat a quart of the pesto by spoonfuls.

Day 1

Arrived early into Rome and picked up the rental car.   Now that was an experience.  Find your car by license plate number?  Wow, that was easy.  Made it to Siena with no problem.  Stopped at an area servicio along the way and Bill had his first espresso of the day and the first Italian espresso in four years.  The directions to the hotel were cryptic at best so I went into a coffee bar and asked for directions.  Service with a smile!  The non-English owner wrote down the directions in map format but we were still confused.  Re-entered the coffee bar and the owner walked down to the roundabout and directed us to the hotel.   Visited the main piazza in Siena and then Bill needed to find an internet point.  Well we found one – in a scarf shop with 2 young Arab males running the business.  4 very old desk top computers and hundreds of silk scarfs.  You can’t make this stuff up.  I was worried that someone with a suspicious backpack would appear around the corner at any minute. We heard there was a special event in the piazza so we positioned ourselves in a café waiting for the music and the polo team to ride through but after 2 hours of drinking we decided it might be like Gado and never happen and went to a bike shop and purchased an official Italian biking jersey.  Dinner followed and it was one grade above Mickey D’s. Long grain white rice for risotto? Ugh!

Day 0

Well I think vacation has officially started unless I receive another last minute SOS from the munchkins' parents, Medicaid, United Health Care, Aetna or the Health Dept.  Doggie Style (alias Jim Wilson) is on his way to transport Bill and me to the airport. Could elaborate on the rather graphic nick name but will leave that for another discussion/blog.  Bags are positioned at the door and I am positioned on my ass awaiting adventure and relaxation.  Stay tuned for daily progress reports.
KSE
Bill may comment in the future.