random notes from Away

Greetings! Hope everyone is well!

Italy traveler’s tip XXIV: Seeking local directions? Ask a woman. She knows or she doesn’t and will say so. Males often feel honor bound to help, even when they have no idea. And a group of Italian men will get into an argument over the best route. I hear rumors this holds true in Spain, Portugal and Romania.

We are comfortably ensconced in Orton Hall, a tad south of Scotland.
Looks and feels like the ancestral home of a Scottish Laird.
Construction dates from the 1600’s.

A pullout bookcase (no kidding!) leads from our great room to the kitchen, bath and bedroom. (“Put the candle back!!)

The winner of this month’s best sign in the UK award, several strong contenders notwithstanding, is the one on on the condom vending machine exhorting customers to, “Play Hard!!”

Honorable mention (restaurant): “Leonardo di Caprio never ate here.”

Driving UK is a challenge. Wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road. After so many years, perhaps driving becomes more autopilot than we care to admit. Winding, narrow picturesque country roads especially so.

Years ago in Nova Scotia I was introduced my host’s friends as, “Mike, from away.” Away? Not America, California or LA, but from “away.” The sole qualifier being from another place, elsewhere. Anyplace elsewhere.

Home is a moveable feast. It’s where we are today, and where we’ll be next. And next. The journey is the destination.
The world is big. I want to see all I can before it gets dark.

Got a new UK phone number, which will hopefully work everywhere in Europe: +44 7365 003407.

Very Best to All!

Mike + Cookie

La Spezia

The Florentine steak is now a fond memory as we headed to La Spezia adjacent to Cinque (cheen-quay) Terra. This area is composed of five hamlets on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. You can hike from one to the other – a more than daunting task – or take the train from one to the next or travel on a boat. Taking the boat was a wise decision for us. We opted to visit two of the five: Riomaggio and Vernazza, tiny towns carved into the cliffs. Quaint and scenic pretty much sums up our visit.

We really enjoyed La Spezia where our airbnb was. It was sort of like ‘European town square meets [new] Pasadena. It was very cool. It was small enough that we able to really get around town by foot – and we did! Now Heathyr will tell you that Italian doors been an obsession of mine ever since I first visited Italy in 2000. Usually wooden, they exude great character. Michael & I came across this grandiose porto in La Spezia – you can get an idea of its size and scale. [below] We also discovered a beautiful park down by the marina. After living so long in drought-stricken Southern California, I am drawn to lush, green, giant trees.

Milan

Ahhh, Milano. Molto bene!

We discovered ”Hidden Treasures of Milan” on a bike tour. This city is truly beautiful. Towering trees, lush and green … and the terrain is flat! Barely an incline. This was greatly appreciated since our bikes had no electric assist. Our tour guide was a young Russian woman who spoke 5 languages and has been living in Milan for 8 years. We keep meeting so many interesting people! Our fellow bikers were mid-thirties Belgian couples. We kept up – no problemo!

We enjoyed the sites and were surprised by a few: the modern sculpture below is ‘squarely positioned’ as a gesture to the city’s financial district.

and Napolean’s Arc – fashioned after his Arc d’Triomphe in Paris. It is said that the Milan Arch of Peace is positioned in a straight line geographically with its Paris sibling. I had no idea how much impact Napolean had in Italy. We have learned that he played an integral part in the history of Rome, Florence, Milan. He was a busy guy.

We further broadened our horizons by taking a city walking tour which included a visit to the magnificent Duomo and a viewing of Leonardo da Vinci’s original Last Supper. What a treat!

Even though it rained steadily, we ignored the weather and enjoyed tour. The Duomo defies description. It’s taken 600 years to build. Its spired exterior design is impressive. However, the size and scope of the interior is staggering. There are 3400 statues alone. Each stained glass window is a work of art. The pillars… like I said, defy description – it just needs to be seen.

Michael and I are big fans of da Vinci. So, visiting The Last Supper was a special event. We could see and feel the emotion that he incorporated in this work! He painted it on the dining room wall at a monastery. [who knew?] Bombing during WW II threatened to destroy it but it was protected by sandbags.

As you are probably aware, Milan is known for fashion and style. And it’s noticeable everywhere. From the cosmopolitan air of the city to the well dressed Milanese. I felt so ’under-dressed’ by comparison. There’s only so much fashion one can pack into a 25” suitcase.

Out in front of the main Metro Milan Station stands this symbol of the city: Needle & thread in 4 colors of the city metro lines.

Ciao for now!

Arriving at the train station in Sant’Agnello, well in advance of our planned departure time for Florence, we found it odd that the ticket office was closed. Inquiring minds needed to know…what the heck?! Communicating with other would-be passengers of many different languages, it became apparent that there was a Rail strike.The strike was to be”on” from 9:00 to 13:00. Interesting. Seems they even publish – in advance – when they will strike. Of course, it’s published in Italian in newspapers & on their website. Sigh. Well, we decided to wait them out since the alternatives were not any more helpful than waiting. We took turns taking walking breaks while the other stayed with the luggage. The 3 sets of extremely steep stairs with two 50 lb. bags was an effective deterrent to both of us leaving at the same time. Schlepping the bags up & down and then wheeling them everywhere was a non-negotiable. 13:00 eventually arrived. Tickets were purchased. The first train was packed – SRO. So we waited for the next one. A wise decision. We were able to get a seat & have space for our luggage for the one hour trip to Napoli to catch our train for Florence. It was a long travel day.

We figure that each day that we change location is a work day. This is not a complaint but a reality that is part of ‘the adventure’: Up early, packing, check out, getting to the train station, figuring out the tickets, platforms and proper coaches. And stairs -always the stairs. No lifts. Stairs, steep and multiple staircases. Then it’s anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to our next destination. Upon arrival, we venture out into our new city to find our Airbnb. It can be challenging – especially with the terrain. Cobblestones, uneven pavement, uphill, streets with no names etc. By the time we arrive, we’re spent. Next, it’s unpacking, settling in and determining what to do that night about dinner. It’s all for a good cause and with a worthy outcome. But it’s work.

Thank goodness we stayed in Florence for a full week. That gave us a bit of a break.

First of all, we loved Florence, the birthplace of gelato. Si, it’s true! We celebrated its birth each day that we were there. Yum!

Our walking tour guide, Ricardo, introduced us to the city and shared its history. We strolled through piazzas, learned more about the Medici family who governed Florence during the Renaissance. They were exiled 3 different times & came back each time. (Like yo-yo’s) Powerful people! We hiked over bridges that span the Arno and we’re able to navigate this city quite well.

We spent an entire day in the Chianti hills, visiting a Castle that is also a winery and enjoyed an exquisite lunch prepared by a guest chef … with lots of wine – multiple bottles of wine for each delicious course after course… for 6 of us in our group. A delightful day!

We also spent a day participating in an Italian Cooking Class. We went to an amazing market – all under one roof – with everything from cheeses, pastries, fish, all kinds of meat, gorgeous produce and more. I would love to shop there all the time! Then we were whisked off to the outskirts of town to a palatial villa where we were all sous chefs. We made the most outstanding bruschetta I’ve ever had. And there was wine. The kitchen was state-of-the art. A stove & ovens to die for. We made a pesto for pasta that was fantastic. And we made pasta – from scratch – Si! ’we’. Michael was a willing and fun participant as well. He did everything. And there was more cooking. Bolognese sauce. Pork roast. Tirimisu. The class was large -30 -but the kitchen accommodated us easily. We even had a separate work area for making our pasta. Of course, after our afternoon in the kitchen, we enjoyed the meal. A delicious finish!

We were told “When in Florence, eat like a Florentine.” We were encouraged by Ricardo to eat ‘beefsteak’ – served only rare and 4 fingers thick. We took his recommendation for an authentic Osteria that was known to make the best. OH MY! What an experience. When presented table side, it was about 2.5 lbs. – for the two of us. Granted, there was a bone. It was uniquely grilled and flavored and oh sooooo delicious. The carnivore in both us was satiated.

We were told that it’s a law in Florence that it’s a crime to cook steak any other way….

Ciao for now!

It seems that all roads DO lead to Rome … and you have to walk all of them. Well, that’s the way it felt. But we realized that Rome wasn’t conquered in a day – it was a nine day campaign for us.

The ancient Romans had chariots. We opted for Electric assist bikes to get around the first day. OY! Centrale Roma was a zoo. Pedestrians on their May Day holiday weekend, shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow, oblivious as to how their movement affects others put our bike-adventuring group through some unexpected and stressful maneuvers. Perhaps chariots would’ve been a better choice. The E-assist on the bikes though, was awesome – we effortlessly scaled the hills of Roma. Up and away from the masses.

We also enjoyed Jobe, the Neil de Grasse Tyson of Roman history. What a great tour guide! He regaled us with stories of Rome through the ages – not your everyday history lesson.

The Colosseum especially blew Michael away. Talk about bringing history to life – bigger than life! As we stood in the emperor’s box and looked out over the ‘field’ it was easy to imagine “games” of the past and the people being entertained on so many levels.

While we rocked the Metro system with ease, Roma has a few geographical quirks. Did you know that streets in Roma change names about every 30 feet? Well, that’s if the street actually has a name. Many do not. Oh, and addresses seem to be optional. Those facts frequently presented navigational challenges. Yes, it is easy to be lost in Rome. And we were. But eventually we got found – every time! We have come to love Uber.

We dipped our toes into cultural waters at The Borghese Art Gallery. It is truly a Mecca of art treasures. While in Rome, we have become huge fans of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. His impact throughout Rome is most impressive. While Michelangelo brought form and scale to sculpture, Bernini sculpted stone into life with emotion and movement. It’s pretty awesome.

Because it’s now considered one of the wonders of the modern world, we toured Vatican City and its museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Simply amazing. Books have been written about all of this. Well, I’ll just say from our point of view, Michelangelo’s masterpiece – the ceiling is jaw-dropping. The scale and extravagance of St. Peter’s is mind-boggling. From the perspective of a librarian, I am impressed that the Vatican library is beautifully preserving history.

The Piazza de Fiori hosts a ginormous farmers market everyday. We browsed and sampled fresh fruits, vegetables, aged balsamic vinegars and lovely olive oils as part of a food walking tour. Now, I found myself wondering why we don’t see these healthy items offered on most menus in restaurants throughout Rome. We have seen that ‘Bars’ which proffer various delivery forms of caffeine, gelato, all kinds of delicious pastries, a full bar and wine seem to lack any form of protein or veggies. These Bars appear in every block. Then there’s Pizza. Roma style-thin crust, sitting under warming lights and looking fairly unappealing. It’s everywhere. Every other store front. Then, perusing the posted menus outside, in front of ‘sit-down’ restaurants, we note that the majority of each menu is pizza, pasta and pane (bread). How do these people stay slim and healthy? Well, they’re not obese. Enough about food. I’m getting very hungry!

We enjoyed Roma at night. Especially, the night we joined ‘Blitch’ [no, we didn’t ask] our Ghost & Mysteries storyteller. He led 4 of us around Central Roma sharing interesting, sometimes gruesome, and always entertaining tales. Definitely a highlight of our visit to the Eternal City.

Sant’Angello

So, after ‘conquering’ Roma, we headed south on a fast train. It was pretty cool. – a smooth and quiet ride. We stayed at a lovely ‘villa-type’ Airbnb. Our intent was to visit Pompeii & climb Vesuvius and then visit the Amalfi Coast. Well, it turned out to be 2 out of 3. We were rained out for our Amalfi Coast boat adventure. We’ll be back in better weather to enjoy the Amalfi.

Pompeii is an archeological wonder. It was fascinating to see the excavation. Turns out the people of Pompeii in 79 AD were quite the party people. Life was short and they knew how to have a good time. The public baths were very popular hang outs. There was even a Red Light District – as many as 25 bordellos. Seems they also considered the penis as a symbol of good luck. The archeologists have found the symbol carved in stone all over town. See pic below.

Now those are some stones! Gives a whole new meaning to rock hard. [I just couldn’t resist.]

Vesuvius was quite the climb! No, we didn’t start at the very bottom but it sure felt like it. Our coach took us to the start of the hiking trail. We huffed & puffed about a mile, zigzagging our way up into the clouds. Arriving at the crater, that’s exactly what we saw – clouds & fog.

Well that’s enough for now. We’re ‘fast-training ‘to Florence as I type. And that’s a whole ‘other Oprah – a story for another day.

We hope all is well in your worlds – we still can’t believe we’re really here…