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| View up the Eiffel Tower from the 2nd level |
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| Serena in her Paris Pose |
Au Revoir from Paris,
Denise, Paul, Luke and Serena
Monday 23 July 2012
FINAL DAY IN PARIS!
Another lovely day in Paris...the sun was shining, the sky was blue and cloudless. We got up early and headed to the Eiffel Tower to try and beat the crowds but I guess about another 1000 people had the same idea. We bypassed the elevator line, which we estimated to be about three hours long, and went for the stairs...yes we climbed the to the second level (there are only three) which put us up at around 400 feet high. The views were amazing! However our little Serena decided that only going to the top would make her happy. But the line up was again at least 3 hours long. So Serena decided to cry for a good portion of her very highly anticipated Eiffel Tower visit.
After the Eiffel Tower we walked the Champs Elysees but were getting very tired. The 6 weeks of constant walking have taken its toll on our family. We look forward to seeing everyone when we return tomorrow. Can't wait to share more stories with you upon our return. I hope some of your kids are around to play with ours as Luke and Serena have grown very tired of us and each other. 24/7 for 6 weeks can do that ! This will be the final blog for this trip. Thanks for following our adventures...
Au Revoir from Paris,
Denise, Paul, Luke and Serena
Au Revoir from Paris,
Denise, Paul, Luke and Serena
Sunday 22 July 2012
Ok I thought Rome was crazy but Paris has it beat. Everything in Paris is "Grande". So many spectacular , large, and elaborate buildings. You walk by a building and think it is a special historical sight only to find it is just a random building. Today our first adventure was to walk to the Louvre and we did and we only get lost once...not bad. We bought our tickets in advance so we bypassed the lines and went straight for the Grand Gallery and the MONA LISA. Luke snaked his way to the front of the crowd and as I was taking his picture this old granny tries to take me out with her elbows and her camera. I stood my ground but she just about bowled us over. Yikes they can get aggressive around the Mona Lisa.
We then raced off to visit Venus De Milo (she is missing her arms in case you didn't know). The Louvre can be overwhelming and we only spent about 2 hours in the museum before Luke and Serena demanded a change of scenery. Overall the crowds were not bad because ...guess what...they were all lining the streets for the final of the TOUR DE FRANCE. WOOHOO!
Paul is pumped as we did not know the final of the Tour de France was here when we booked our stay. We went to the Tuilleries Garden and hung out at the fair (mini Stampede grounds) and then just before the final riders came in we made our way down the the street just before the Champs Elysees. A kind man gave over some of his space and the kids got to stand right against the rail as the riders flew by. Big Thrill for all. And by luck and by golly I got a shot of the winner in his yellow jersey as he flew by and I mean flew by...those guys ride fast and they were moving it through the streets.
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| The winner "Bradley Wiggins" in the yellow jersey |
This was a real unexpected treat for us all. Lots of firsts on this trip.
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| The race course as viewed from Arc de Triomphe |
Here are some random pictures of Paris we think you might enjoy....
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| Beach on the River Seine |
Tomorrow we take on the Eiffel Tower and the 2-3 hour line ups to get to the top. Yikes...I hope it is worth it.
Bon soir to all,
Denise, Paul, Luke and Serena
Friday 20 July 2012
FRIENDS, FAMILY AND AHHH...VENICE
Our last day in Switzerland was spent with Romano and his lovely family (his wife Susanne and 10 month old daughter Ayanna (spelling??). Romano has been very patient with us as we always seem to get lost and be late for all of our outings. This day was no different as we got lost again and were late for our day. However we spent a lovely afternoon doing a small hike around Lake Lugano and having a wonderful lunch at the lakeside. Many thanks to our friend Romano and Susanne for showing us a wonderful time in Switzerland. It was also on this day that our little Serena decided to have a major temper tantrum and she frightened all the wild life away as well as some tourists. This day marked the day where our best little traveller has now become our worst little traveller. She now has many tantrums a day and refuses to eat most meals. It seems 4 weeks has been the maximum time for her to travel...but alas we are not done our travels.
Back to Bassano
We were welcomed back to Bassano del Grappa with open arms and wonderful food and company. Paul's cousin Fabio and his wife Monica arranged a wonderful lunch, followed by a tour of the town Asiago (the famous cheese is made here). Unfortunately it poured rain while we walked the streets of this beautiful town, perched high in the mountains. There were 15 of us soggy and cold so we stopped at a little cafe to have some caffes, hot chocolates and of course Birre (beer). Did you know that hot chocolate here is actually pure melted chocolate in a mug (no milk or cream)....super yum! It was a nice surprise as I did not know that when I ordered it.
Later that night almost all of Paul's aunts, uncles, cousins and their children (approximately 40 Battistella's in one room) gathered for dinner at a lovely pizzeria. Luke had a great time with his second cousin Nicolo, who is also 9. Although neither could speak the other's language they managed to bond over the time they spent together (one week at the beginning of the holiday and these last few days) playing soccer. Luke has developed quite the passion for the game while over here in Italy. Serena, of course, charmed the relatives with her singing and dancing and her Italian words. A great visit for our family and an opportunity to connect with family they had never met before!
VENICE (VENEZIA)
We leave our car in Bassano and catch a train to Venice. We arrive with 4 suitcases and 3 backpacks and lug them through the streets of Venice to our apartment. We have rented in the district of Dosoduro which is fairly close to the train station but is actually away from a lot of the high tourist traffic of San Marco square. We are in a corner apartment so we have a view down a main canal and a side canal. Our apartment is over 300 years old and used to be a palace at some point. Since Venice is sinking so is our apartment...the kids bedroom floor slopes at least 6- 8 inches from one side to the other. They sleep with their feet higher than their heads (hehe). It is quite large and I keep getting lost as the layout is quite different. We have a very small balcony so we can sit do some great people watching.
Our days here have been filled with sightseeing and getting lost in the back streets of Venice. You can walk for blocks only to find you have wound yourself into a deadend street. Luke keeps worrying that we won't find our way back to the apartment.
Our first day we went to San Marco (Saint Mark's square) so Serena and Luke could watch the pigeons. They did not pay any attention to the Basillica or the Doge Palace...just the pigeons! Go figure. At night we wander the streets just taking in all the beautiful architecture, canals etc. Venice needs to be experienced at night when all the day trippers head home and the streets become more sane.
We made a trip to the island of Murano to see some glass being made and to bring home some real Murano glass souvenirs. It was like a mini Venice except the only shops here are glass shops. I am not so sure I would do that day trip again...
Our final day in Venice and we toured the St. Mark's Basillica and Doge's Palace. We also walked the streets for hours. And the highlight was of course our trip down the Grand Canal and other small canals in a GONDOLA. The kids loved it and it was a wonderful way to see the sights of Venice.
Things about Italy...some Random thoughts.
-the drivers are crazy
-there are no take out coffees (you pay your $1 and stand and drink at the counter)
-no Starbucks anywhere we have been
-eggs are not refrigerated
-all pizzas have thin crust
-tips are included in the bill
-pop is more expensive than wine
-bathrooms can be "interesting"
-pigeons are not our friends
-gelatos are better than ice-cream
-you don't drink water from the tap
-acqua frizzante is Serena's favourite
-Rome was still our favourite city, followed by Venice
-no bagels anywhere
I am sure we will come up with more but that is all we have for now.
Random thoughts about Paul losing things:
-2 credit cards
-our expensive running shoes (forgotten in the trunk of a car)
-set of apartment keys
-one back pack (only to be found again sitting in a restaurant)
So far he hasn't lost us (although I am sure he would like to at times)
TIRED AND IN PARIS!
We have to admit we are ready to come home after 5 weeks of constant travel. But we are now in Paris. Our apartment is not the best so we are a bit disappointed (OK I am a lot disappointed) in our accomodation but on our first night we already had a picnic outside the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the outdoor entertainment in place de Trocodero. We will be seeing the sights of Paris over the next three days and then we will be making our way home on the 24th. Can't wait to see all of you...
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| Lake Lugano |
Back to Bassano
We were welcomed back to Bassano del Grappa with open arms and wonderful food and company. Paul's cousin Fabio and his wife Monica arranged a wonderful lunch, followed by a tour of the town Asiago (the famous cheese is made here). Unfortunately it poured rain while we walked the streets of this beautiful town, perched high in the mountains. There were 15 of us soggy and cold so we stopped at a little cafe to have some caffes, hot chocolates and of course Birre (beer). Did you know that hot chocolate here is actually pure melted chocolate in a mug (no milk or cream)....super yum! It was a nice surprise as I did not know that when I ordered it.
Later that night almost all of Paul's aunts, uncles, cousins and their children (approximately 40 Battistella's in one room) gathered for dinner at a lovely pizzeria. Luke had a great time with his second cousin Nicolo, who is also 9. Although neither could speak the other's language they managed to bond over the time they spent together (one week at the beginning of the holiday and these last few days) playing soccer. Luke has developed quite the passion for the game while over here in Italy. Serena, of course, charmed the relatives with her singing and dancing and her Italian words. A great visit for our family and an opportunity to connect with family they had never met before!
VENICE (VENEZIA)
We leave our car in Bassano and catch a train to Venice. We arrive with 4 suitcases and 3 backpacks and lug them through the streets of Venice to our apartment. We have rented in the district of Dosoduro which is fairly close to the train station but is actually away from a lot of the high tourist traffic of San Marco square. We are in a corner apartment so we have a view down a main canal and a side canal. Our apartment is over 300 years old and used to be a palace at some point. Since Venice is sinking so is our apartment...the kids bedroom floor slopes at least 6- 8 inches from one side to the other. They sleep with their feet higher than their heads (hehe). It is quite large and I keep getting lost as the layout is quite different. We have a very small balcony so we can sit do some great people watching.
Our days here have been filled with sightseeing and getting lost in the back streets of Venice. You can walk for blocks only to find you have wound yourself into a deadend street. Luke keeps worrying that we won't find our way back to the apartment.
Our first day we went to San Marco (Saint Mark's square) so Serena and Luke could watch the pigeons. They did not pay any attention to the Basillica or the Doge Palace...just the pigeons! Go figure. At night we wander the streets just taking in all the beautiful architecture, canals etc. Venice needs to be experienced at night when all the day trippers head home and the streets become more sane.
We made a trip to the island of Murano to see some glass being made and to bring home some real Murano glass souvenirs. It was like a mini Venice except the only shops here are glass shops. I am not so sure I would do that day trip again...
Our final day in Venice and we toured the St. Mark's Basillica and Doge's Palace. We also walked the streets for hours. And the highlight was of course our trip down the Grand Canal and other small canals in a GONDOLA. The kids loved it and it was a wonderful way to see the sights of Venice.
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| The narrow streets of Venice |
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| Our Gondola Ride |
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| View from our apartment balcony |
Things about Italy...some Random thoughts.
-the drivers are crazy
-there are no take out coffees (you pay your $1 and stand and drink at the counter)
-no Starbucks anywhere we have been
-eggs are not refrigerated
-all pizzas have thin crust
-tips are included in the bill
-pop is more expensive than wine
-bathrooms can be "interesting"
-pigeons are not our friends
-gelatos are better than ice-cream
-you don't drink water from the tap
-acqua frizzante is Serena's favourite
-Rome was still our favourite city, followed by Venice
-no bagels anywhere
I am sure we will come up with more but that is all we have for now.
Random thoughts about Paul losing things:
-2 credit cards
-our expensive running shoes (forgotten in the trunk of a car)
-set of apartment keys
-one back pack (only to be found again sitting in a restaurant)
So far he hasn't lost us (although I am sure he would like to at times)
TIRED AND IN PARIS!
We have to admit we are ready to come home after 5 weeks of constant travel. But we are now in Paris. Our apartment is not the best so we are a bit disappointed (OK I am a lot disappointed) in our accomodation but on our first night we already had a picnic outside the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed the outdoor entertainment in place de Trocodero. We will be seeing the sights of Paris over the next three days and then we will be making our way home on the 24th. Can't wait to see all of you...
Friday 13 July 2012
"Lovely" Lake Maggiore and the "Ritzy" Locarno, Switzerland!!
Day 3 we tour another small town across the lake
called Cannabio. Very picturesque and quaint.
The next few days we travel back and forth to Locarno, Switzerland to see Paul's friend, Romano and his family. Romano and his family live in Lichtenstein but they have travelled down to Locarno to meet us for a few days.
Locarno is a small city of about 20,000 situated on the waterfront of Lake Maggiore. It is clean and very picturesque. The city center of Locarno still looks very Italian with its ancient cobblestone streets and buildings that are hundreds of years old
It is interesting to travel from Italy to Switzerland. First of all the border crossings are very different than travelling from Canada to the Us. Here sometimes there are border patrol guards at the border and sometimes they are just closed and you drive through. Sometimes when they are there, they just smile and wave you through without talking to you or looking at your passport. If they do stop you they are friendly and talkative.
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| View of Macaggno, Lake Maggiore |
Hi all, hope everyone is well.
For the last 6 days we have been staying in a small village called Macaggno, on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Lake Maggiore is a large, beautiful lake in northern Italy that also crosses over into Switzerland. We are in a resort called Golfo Gabello, a new resort with nice apartments (it is a great place to stay for families with children). The lake is surrounded by rugged mountains that are filled with deciduous trees, not pine trees, making them very lush and green. There are many ancient towns built right into the mountainside scattered around the shores of this lake.
A Slower Pace
The pace here has been much slower as there really are only a few sites to see. For the first day we wandered the shores of the lake and then hung around at the poolside. On the second day, it looks like rain, so Paul decides to play travel agent and fill our day with "fun" activities on the other side of the border in Switzerland.
First off a chocolate factory to make chocolate bars. I suggest Paul calls in advance to make sure Luke's peanut allergy is not going to be a problem for them - I cannot call as I do not speak Italian. But he does not. Second activity mini golf and finally a trip to an outlet mall so the kids can go to a toy store. Sounds like a great day....but here is how it really goes.
The Chocolate Factory:
First stop chocolate factory...oops we cannot make chocolate bars because we are not a group of 8 or more. Second we cannot have Luke sample any chocolate because there are peanuts all around the facility and in the chocolate. Luke cries, Serena cries and then we leave.
Mini Golf:
Ok so off to mini golf... We do a quick drive by to find an incredibly small, run down, very shoddy mini golf facility that even Luke and Serena exclaim "we are not playing here" plus it is baking in the 35 degree heat.
Ok so we will just have a small lunch at this lakeside, outdoor, very casual cafe. We order our lunch (Luke gets pooped on again by another pigeon), and we have an Ok lunch which costs 100 swiss francs. We can't remember the exchange so we are thinking it is worth half of the Euro (so making lunch around $50) which is expensive considering most dinners in Italy,with wine, are costing only 40 Euros.
The Mall:
So now off to the mall. Luke is saying Paul is fired from the travel agent business as he is 0 for 2. But he is hoping to make up for it by buying the Luke and Serena some toys. We find the mall but it doesn't appear there are any toy stores just some game stores which Paul is really hoping has some Barbies and some Lego...what are the chances. It is in the mall when Paul decides to finally look up the exchange rate on Swiss Francs. OOOOOPPPS...the exchange is $.95 Cdn for every Swiss Franc, hmmm, that makes lunch over $100 cdn and we didn't even have any wine! The day just keeps getting better. After trekking the mall there are no toy stores. 0 for 3. Out of desperation Paul finds another mall and buys Luke and Serena soccer jerseys which makes them happy. Whew!
Day 3 we tour another small town across the lake
called Cannabio. Very picturesque and quaint.
The next few days we travel back and forth to Locarno, Switzerland to see Paul's friend, Romano and his family. Romano and his family live in Lichtenstein but they have travelled down to Locarno to meet us for a few days.
Locarno is a small city of about 20,000 situated on the waterfront of Lake Maggiore. It is clean and very picturesque. The city center of Locarno still looks very Italian with its ancient cobblestone streets and buildings that are hundreds of years old
It is interesting to travel from Italy to Switzerland. First of all the border crossings are very different than travelling from Canada to the Us. Here sometimes there are border patrol guards at the border and sometimes they are just closed and you drive through. Sometimes when they are there, they just smile and wave you through without talking to you or looking at your passport. If they do stop you they are friendly and talkative.
As soon as you cross the border the driving is still fast but it is somehow more polite. The roads have shoulders (which you do not see in Italy even on the major highways). However as soon as you hit Switzerland everything is more expensive. Food is easily double the price, even the gelatos! Clothes, hotels, gas, homes are all more expensive. Everything is also more controlled and even so to speak. Many Italians work in Switzerland but live in Italy. They also speak German and Italian and a little english here. But mostly German and Italian.
They are also more energy effecient here with timed lights in the bathrooms. You have to do your business fast as the lights go out. I have been caught twice doing my business in the pitch black of the bathroom. Only once was I panicked as I could not remember where the light switch was to turn it back on...embarrassing!!!
Fun Filled Days
Our days on Locarno are filled with parks, water slides (the cleanest, most high tech facility we have ever seen...leave it to the Swiss...this ain't Tuscany anymore Toto), trampolines and a tour of a 700 year old castle. We also got a nice surprise one night as we were walking the lakeside in Locarno. There was a music festival in Locarno this week and we got to hear Elton John playing live in the main piazza to an audience of about 8,000. We could not see him as the piazza was open only to ticket holders but it was surreal to be walking down the backstreets of this ancient city being serenaded by Elton John. A highlight for sure. We missed Lenny Kravitz playing the night before...too bad.
Oh I also got pooped on by a pigeon during dinner that night...nice!
We are now off to Bassano del Grappa for some more family time and some eating. My food baby is rather large these days. And then off to Venice for four days and finally 4 more days in Paris.
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| Serena flying high! |
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| Luke thinking about his back flip... |
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| 700 year old castle, Castlegrande!
Ciao for now,
Denise, Paul, Luke and Serena
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Sunday 8 July 2012
Last Days of Tuscany, Gardaland and finally Lake Maggiore
Hello all back home...
For our final days in Tuscany we visit the wine and pecorino cheese producing towns of Montepulciano and Pienza, two typical "hillside" Tuscan towns. These wonderful old towns are built right into Tuscan hillsides which means you huff and puff as you work your way up narrow cobble stone roads, occasionally diving into random doorways to avoid being flattened by on-coming vehicles. Montepulciano has a lovely main street but a really quiet main piazza, not quite what we were expecting after seeing the many hopping piazzas of all the other towns. We tour a real 500 year old winery, Contucci Wines and taste some of their offerings..yum. After Montepulciano we head to the lovely town of Pienza. However Luke and Serena can't stand the smell of the goat cheese wafting down the main street...so they cover their noses and shout out many protests of "how can people eat rotten cheese". They are definitely getting disapproving stares from the Italians who love their "stinky" cheese.
On our last night in Cortona, Tuscany we search out the villa Bramasole, made famous in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. After getting lost a few times we finally find it down a lovely cypress tree lined road. It looks just as it does in the movie...right down to the fresh flowers in the vase. Frances Mayes no longer lives there (tourists became too much) but you can rent it for $23,000 per week. Any takers?? Another couple is there taking pictures as well. When we stay for only 5 minutes or so and Luke chimes in, I mean complains..."all this driving and all we are going to do is stay for two minutes!!??". The gentlemen of the other couple pipes up and says " I have my own psychology practice and your boy is one neat kid"...if only he knew.
We go into town for a lovely dinner (Furfuns Pizzeria) in Cortona and top off the evening with a free opera performance in the town's 400 year old theatre. We have a private box for our family. At one point I look over at Serena who has her eyes closed, arms in the air swaying back and forth and she is singing her own opera performance ...very cute.
To Gardaland and beyond!
Ok, so we have no where to stay on one night of our trip so Paul and I argue about how much we are going to pay for one nights accomodation (he thinks a $100 a night hotel located in a farmers field near Verona is acceptable...while I have learned what $100 bucks gets you in Italy..so I say no way Jose). I upgrade him to about $200 and we stay in a small resort town of Desenzano del Garda, on Lake Garda in Northern Italy. Since we are here Paul suggests we take the kids to Gardaland for the evening. What's Gardaland you ask?? It is the Italian version of Calaway Park meets Disneyland with weird Italian characters (Italian type Mickey Mouse things...not sure what they are).
For five hours we walk the park, ride some rides (get wet on the Colarado river ride...smaller version of Splash mtn..more like Splish mtn) and play some games.
At 10:30 pm I think I have everyone convinced to go home to our $200 per night hotel...but they want to go up this "magic tree". I am thinking it is this tall tree you walk up and look over the park to see the pretty lights...I am wrong!! We go into this giant tree and about 40 people are loaded into this giant elevator...the lights go out and this creepy voice comes on and starts telling a story in Italian of course. The kids seem fine so we are good. Then we get out and I think now we get to see the pretty lights...nope wrong again. We stand in this room and more stories are told and then we are herded into this room and told to sit on these old wooden benches, like church pews. Ok now I think they are going to show us a movie...nope. This lady says something in Italian and everyone raises both of their hands so we do the same and "Bam", a bar comes down and secures us in our seats. Ok this is weird now. We are in this weird story character room with kids scenery on the walls, kinda like Alice in Wonderlandesque. How bad can it get? Well if you suffer from motion sickness like I do (and sometime Luke does too) it is going to get real bad. The whole floor starts to rock kind of like a giant cradle, we are looking down at the floor and then rocked back to look up at the ceiling (Serena is laughing) and then they spin the walls around while rocking us back and forth, instant nauseau sets in...must CLOSE EYES. Serena is laughing, Luke is yelling this is so cool and I am chanting "I will not get sick, I will not get sick" and I think Paul is concerned I will get sick all over him. . No vomitting...good , and off down the giant elevator and finally at 11 pm we get to go home...yeah.
Lake Maggiore
We are now in Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, just a little north and west of Lake Como. Finally we have escaped the intense heat of Tuscany (the day we left it was to be over 40 degrees). We are staying in a wonderful little apartment and a large pool deck that overlooks the lake. We are here for 6 days and will hook up with an old friend of Paul's...Romano. After this it will be off to Bassano del Grappa for 2 more days of family visits, then off to Venice.
Stay Well and Ciao for now,
Denise, Paul, Luke an Serena
Hello all back home...
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| 500 year old Contucci Palace and Winery |
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| BRAMASOLE! |
We go into town for a lovely dinner (Furfuns Pizzeria) in Cortona and top off the evening with a free opera performance in the town's 400 year old theatre. We have a private box for our family. At one point I look over at Serena who has her eyes closed, arms in the air swaying back and forth and she is singing her own opera performance ...very cute.
To Gardaland and beyond!
Ok, so we have no where to stay on one night of our trip so Paul and I argue about how much we are going to pay for one nights accomodation (he thinks a $100 a night hotel located in a farmers field near Verona is acceptable...while I have learned what $100 bucks gets you in Italy..so I say no way Jose). I upgrade him to about $200 and we stay in a small resort town of Desenzano del Garda, on Lake Garda in Northern Italy. Since we are here Paul suggests we take the kids to Gardaland for the evening. What's Gardaland you ask?? It is the Italian version of Calaway Park meets Disneyland with weird Italian characters (Italian type Mickey Mouse things...not sure what they are).
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| Drop of Doom!! |
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| The "Magic" Tree |
Lake Maggiore
We are now in Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, just a little north and west of Lake Como. Finally we have escaped the intense heat of Tuscany (the day we left it was to be over 40 degrees). We are staying in a wonderful little apartment and a large pool deck that overlooks the lake. We are here for 6 days and will hook up with an old friend of Paul's...Romano. After this it will be off to Bassano del Grappa for 2 more days of family visits, then off to Venice.
Stay Well and Ciao for now,
Denise, Paul, Luke an Serena
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Assisi and Val de Chiana (SHOPPING)
Hello all, hope all is well. The last two days have again been very hot, over 35 degrees. I officially have a true tourist tan...a camera strap tan around my neck, looks very attractive.
Assisi
Yesterday we ventured to the town of Assisi, as in St. Francis of Assisi. It is a hillside town that attract thousands of pilgrims every year who come to worship at the Basilica of St. Francis. We all agree that this is the most beautiful town we have ever been to in all of Italy. All the buildings are of a light coloured ancient stone and the residents have taken great pride to take care of their homes and gardens, making it very breathtaking. We walked the town for over 6 hours but all we managed was to find a "Rick Steeves" recommended restaurant (which took us over an hour to find) and see the Basilica and a temple. The restaurant was fantastic, a fabulous meal for only $45...in fact almost every meal we have had here is less than $50, always great food and low prices. We have all consumed A LOT of pasta and our new favourite meal item is WILD BOAR! Luke loves the wild boar!
St. Francis of Assisi Basilica. This is an incredible church constructed over 800 years ago to celebrate the life of St. Francis. This man preached the principles of living a simple life, he had no possessions and lived in poverty. His remains were encased in a tomb and buried under the church. Because we did not join a tour we wandered the Basilica on our own while reading a guide book. We thought we had seen the tomb of St. Francis (remember thousands of pilgrims flock here every year). We sat in the Chapel and stared at the amazing sight. Luke feigns interest (he is getting good at that) and Serena hops from marble mosaic floor design to marble mosaic floor design. We were getting ready to leave and Serena starts running down another flight of stairs off to the side, we tell her we are leaving and Paul goes to get her and he sees the sign saying "stairs to the tomb of St. Francis". Ooops we had been staring at some random altar.
We descend the stairs into this stone encased chapel and there it is the tomb of St. Francis. A group of people rush to the tomb and fall to their knees in silent prayer...they touch the cage surrounding the tomb and continue their prayers. Luke, Serena and I are in the middle of the group so we do the same. Very powerful and moving. We then sit in the chapel and I tell Serena there are four other tombs of St. Francis' friends surrounding his tomb. She bounds off and in a fairly loud voice starts asking " is this a tomb Mommy?". Remember this is a place where silence is demanded. Before I can get to her she runs to the next tomb, "is this another tomb Mommy". She gets a very serious look from the monk in charge and some stares from the worshipping nuns. Me thinks its time to leave! Off we go...
We wander aimlessly trying to find a roman amphitheatre and a castle but instead find a parking lot. It is almost 40 degrees and we are withering under the heat so we settle for gelatos, some souveniers and head home.
Val de Chiana and the Outlet Mall
Yesterday we celebrated the man who lived with nothing and now we travel to the land of excess and shoes, wonderful shoes. Another 4 hour walking day but we celebrate it with outlets stores who are having sales...how good is that. 140 stores in a lovely outdoor mall. A few items were purchased including 3 pairs of lovely Italian leather and suede shoes...lucky me.
We top off the day by travelling to a monastery in the middle of Tuscany tucked way back in the countryside. What an amazing road filled with ancients estates and castles and long driveways lined with those "evil" Italian trees (a line from Under the Tuscan Sun). We arrive at yet another amazing church set in the most beautiful countryside. I smelled pine trees and it reminded me of home...
We can't go inside this church because there is a wedding. We are treated to seeing a bit of the service and watching the wedding party leave the church. Again these Italian women know how to dress and they rock those high heels on those cobble stone streets. Serena could not understand why she wasn't a flower girl in this wedding. I guess since her Auntie Nicole and Uncle Simon's wedding she feels she should be a flower girl to all
Tomorrow is another day of hillside towns. Montepulciano and Pienza. So far Luke and Serena have been great touring the towns and sites. Serena keeps busy by chasing pigeons and Luke watches out for overhead bird bombs. They are enjoying the sites and meals and souveneir shopping. Our days seem to start around 9 am and we eat late here as most restaurants don't open until 7 or 7:30. Kids are in bed no earlier than 10 or 11 pm every night. Serena copies everything, I mean everything Luke does. Right down to the meal she orders and the souveniers she picks out. Luke finds it annoying and we find it adorable. Another three weeks to go...
Ciao,
Denise, Paul, Luke and Serena
Hello all, hope all is well. The last two days have again been very hot, over 35 degrees. I officially have a true tourist tan...a camera strap tan around my neck, looks very attractive.
Assisi
Yesterday we ventured to the town of Assisi, as in St. Francis of Assisi. It is a hillside town that attract thousands of pilgrims every year who come to worship at the Basilica of St. Francis. We all agree that this is the most beautiful town we have ever been to in all of Italy. All the buildings are of a light coloured ancient stone and the residents have taken great pride to take care of their homes and gardens, making it very breathtaking. We walked the town for over 6 hours but all we managed was to find a "Rick Steeves" recommended restaurant (which took us over an hour to find) and see the Basilica and a temple. The restaurant was fantastic, a fabulous meal for only $45...in fact almost every meal we have had here is less than $50, always great food and low prices. We have all consumed A LOT of pasta and our new favourite meal item is WILD BOAR! Luke loves the wild boar!
St. Francis of Assisi Basilica. This is an incredible church constructed over 800 years ago to celebrate the life of St. Francis. This man preached the principles of living a simple life, he had no possessions and lived in poverty. His remains were encased in a tomb and buried under the church. Because we did not join a tour we wandered the Basilica on our own while reading a guide book. We thought we had seen the tomb of St. Francis (remember thousands of pilgrims flock here every year). We sat in the Chapel and stared at the amazing sight. Luke feigns interest (he is getting good at that) and Serena hops from marble mosaic floor design to marble mosaic floor design. We were getting ready to leave and Serena starts running down another flight of stairs off to the side, we tell her we are leaving and Paul goes to get her and he sees the sign saying "stairs to the tomb of St. Francis". Ooops we had been staring at some random altar.
We descend the stairs into this stone encased chapel and there it is the tomb of St. Francis. A group of people rush to the tomb and fall to their knees in silent prayer...they touch the cage surrounding the tomb and continue their prayers. Luke, Serena and I are in the middle of the group so we do the same. Very powerful and moving. We then sit in the chapel and I tell Serena there are four other tombs of St. Francis' friends surrounding his tomb. She bounds off and in a fairly loud voice starts asking " is this a tomb Mommy?". Remember this is a place where silence is demanded. Before I can get to her she runs to the next tomb, "is this another tomb Mommy". She gets a very serious look from the monk in charge and some stares from the worshipping nuns. Me thinks its time to leave! Off we go...
We wander aimlessly trying to find a roman amphitheatre and a castle but instead find a parking lot. It is almost 40 degrees and we are withering under the heat so we settle for gelatos, some souveniers and head home.
Val de Chiana and the Outlet Mall
We top off the day by travelling to a monastery in the middle of Tuscany tucked way back in the countryside. What an amazing road filled with ancients estates and castles and long driveways lined with those "evil" Italian trees (a line from Under the Tuscan Sun). We arrive at yet another amazing church set in the most beautiful countryside. I smelled pine trees and it reminded me of home...
We can't go inside this church because there is a wedding. We are treated to seeing a bit of the service and watching the wedding party leave the church. Again these Italian women know how to dress and they rock those high heels on those cobble stone streets. Serena could not understand why she wasn't a flower girl in this wedding. I guess since her Auntie Nicole and Uncle Simon's wedding she feels she should be a flower girl to all
Tomorrow is another day of hillside towns. Montepulciano and Pienza. So far Luke and Serena have been great touring the towns and sites. Serena keeps busy by chasing pigeons and Luke watches out for overhead bird bombs. They are enjoying the sites and meals and souveneir shopping. Our days seem to start around 9 am and we eat late here as most restaurants don't open until 7 or 7:30. Kids are in bed no earlier than 10 or 11 pm every night. Serena copies everything, I mean everything Luke does. Right down to the meal she orders and the souveniers she picks out. Luke finds it annoying and we find it adorable. Another three weeks to go...
Ciao,
Denise, Paul, Luke and Serena
Monday 2 July 2012
Sorrento and Tuscany
SORRENTO
Another 4 hour stress filled drive on the auto strada and we arrive at the lovely Amalfi Coast. We are staying at the Hotel La Solara. We were greeted by many older Italian men and, the best part is, we were upgraded (at no extra charge...much to Paul's delight) to a junior suite (which just means a large room with a queen and two single beds). The room is older but spotless and the pool and pool side bar were fabulous. The best part of the hotel was we were the youngest adults by at least 20 years and we were not British. Here we come with very loud, singing all the time Serena and Luke and we burst out onto the pool side. Many gray heads lift from reading their books and give us the a quiet look and then return to their books. We jump and splash and have fun while the over 60 crowd looks on. I loved the place because I felt like a young spring chicken at the pool side. Luke and Serena thoroughly enjoyed the pool as it was hot and sunny (30 degrees).
The main town of Sorrento is filled with many wonderful little shops, filled with all sorts of lemon products. Lemon orchards are very popular along this coast. Limoncello is my new favourite liquer (spelling??). You can wander the streets until late in the evening as most shops are open until 11 pm. You can look out onto the ocean down from the top of sheer high cliffs that plunge into the gorgeous blue waters.
The Beach??
After so many long days of walking in Rome we decide to find a local beach. Lets just say this is not Hawaii. We wander down a long road and find a ramshackle little fisherman's village with run down buildings and restaurants. The beach is full of rocks, not sand and it is a little hmm how can I say this...not so clean. But we think we have found a little tucked away beach over a stone wall and down a small cliff. There are very few people on this beach and they are all tucked up against the cliff which we thought meant we could set up our towel closer to the water. Well, we had our backs to the ocean and I hear Paul yell at us but too late...BAM smacked by these huge roller waves (from passing cruise ships) and soaked and almost washed out to sea. Now we know why the locals are against the cliffs. So back to the crowded not so clean local beach. We collect a ton of sea glass, which Luke and Serena love, but you could tell the locals thought we were weird for picking up the "garbage".
Our second day in Sorrento was supposed to be a trip to Capri but I was feeling a little under the weather (lets just say I could not be far from our hotel washroom...if you know what I mean). So a little more pool time and town time.
Our final day their and we set out to find another local beach. This time it was sandy but we were the only tourists among hundreds and hundreds of local Italians. They kept staring at Lukes rash guard shirt like it was a foreign animal. Do they not see how white and red (sunburn) he is?? All those swarthy Italians, even the little ones are tanned and glowing. And what is with all the Italians making out in the water...everywhere you looked young teenagers making out like crazy (I felt like I should cover Luke and Serena's eyes). Our final conclusion is Sorrento just isn't a beach destination.
I asked Paul if we could take a drive down the Amalfi Coast but a look of sheer terror crossed his face. The roads are narrow, tight and twisting back and forth. You need to be quick on the gas, brakes and the wheel if you hope to avoid vespas, pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. So we settled in for another night on the town. We wander down to another fisherman's village where many outdoor restaurants await. I order sea bass ( from Emilio's restaurant) and expect to see it done like it is back home but instead it is the whole fish...head, eyes, tail, fins etc. staring back at me. Now I know what a sea bass really looks like, right down to the colour of its eyes...yikes!
Overall we loved Sorrento (except for the beaches). It is a beautiful little town where you could walk the streets for hours looking into all the quaint little shops and enjoying the awesome views over the ocean. We would definitely go back!
TO TUSCANY
Yet another painful (the power of the gelato has worn off and Luke and Serena bicker for the entire drive even with the threat of no gelato) 4 hour drive brings us to our Cortona farmhouse. It is nice and quaint. It is our home base for seeing the Tuscan country side.
Siena
Our first day in Tuscany and we head to Siena,( a small city of 60,000) to see the preparations for the Palio (a famous horse race around the town square, where 10 different neighbourhoods have a horse entered into the race). Each neighbourhood has a dinner for its residents which you can see set out in the hundreds and hundreds of tables end on end in each of their local squares. Then 60,000 people pack the main Piazza to watch this race. It has been described as Stampede on steroids and is not recommended for little travellers.
While in Siena we climb to the top of the famous 400 year old bell tower . The stairway in encased in stone and steep and narrow. Luke is constantly worried the tower is going to fall over while Serena goes all the way to the top repeating very loudly how she is such a brave girl. At the top of the tower you are treated to the most amazing 360 degree views of Tuscany...breathtaking. We also do the amazing Duomo church, buy some gelato (well just for me as the kids can't seem to get along and have lost their daily gelato) and call it a day as it is over 40 degrees in the town center.
Cortona
We head out to Cortona (the town made famous in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun) that night after dinner to join the crazys watching Italy vs. Spain for the Euro 2012 cup. It is our first trip there and what we are taken with is not the ancient town but the thousands of black birds frantically screaming across the sky above the town center...its like being in Alfred Hitchcock's the "Birds". We barely make it to the town square when Luke shrieks...his eyes are filled with tears and he keeps repeating oh crap, oh crap (not really appropriate language for a 9 year old) but he is right. His whole arm if covered with bird poo...YUCK! Italy loses and the crowd is sad and we head home.
If anyone has seen the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, Sandra Oh refers to the tall cypress tress as evil Italian trees...and there are lots of them around Cortona.
HOT HOT HOT DAYS!
Every day in Tuscany has been between 37 and 40 degrees. Unseasonably warm we have been told. So Paul decides as a treat for the kids we would find a water park. Hmmm....water park in Tuscany, can't wait for this one. But it is 39 degrees and the kids are excited. The waterpark is NOT NICE I am totally out of my cleanliness comfort zone but I grin and bear it for over two hours. The water is this weird colour with clumps of stuff (hair??) floating on the bottom and I was just hoping we could all make it out without getting eye and or ear infections. This place was awful and Paul was shocked I made it the two hours and even he thought it was kind of gross (that tells you how bad it was) but the kids loved it so hopefully it was worth it (I will keep you posted). If you want to know the name of it I can let you know where not to go.
Our next few days are going to be excursions into various hillside towns...Arezzo, Assisi, Montepulciano and to Val di Chiana (where there is an outlet mall Italian Style, open to 11 pm...can you believe my luck over 140 Italian stores...looking forward to that one). Hope all is well with everyone back home. And oh, next week we still do not have any place to stay...OMG!
Ciao for now...
Another 4 hour stress filled drive on the auto strada and we arrive at the lovely Amalfi Coast. We are staying at the Hotel La Solara. We were greeted by many older Italian men and, the best part is, we were upgraded (at no extra charge...much to Paul's delight) to a junior suite (which just means a large room with a queen and two single beds). The room is older but spotless and the pool and pool side bar were fabulous. The best part of the hotel was we were the youngest adults by at least 20 years and we were not British. Here we come with very loud, singing all the time Serena and Luke and we burst out onto the pool side. Many gray heads lift from reading their books and give us the a quiet look and then return to their books. We jump and splash and have fun while the over 60 crowd looks on. I loved the place because I felt like a young spring chicken at the pool side. Luke and Serena thoroughly enjoyed the pool as it was hot and sunny (30 degrees).
The main town of Sorrento is filled with many wonderful little shops, filled with all sorts of lemon products. Lemon orchards are very popular along this coast. Limoncello is my new favourite liquer (spelling??). You can wander the streets until late in the evening as most shops are open until 11 pm. You can look out onto the ocean down from the top of sheer high cliffs that plunge into the gorgeous blue waters.
The Beach??
After so many long days of walking in Rome we decide to find a local beach. Lets just say this is not Hawaii. We wander down a long road and find a ramshackle little fisherman's village with run down buildings and restaurants. The beach is full of rocks, not sand and it is a little hmm how can I say this...not so clean. But we think we have found a little tucked away beach over a stone wall and down a small cliff. There are very few people on this beach and they are all tucked up against the cliff which we thought meant we could set up our towel closer to the water. Well, we had our backs to the ocean and I hear Paul yell at us but too late...BAM smacked by these huge roller waves (from passing cruise ships) and soaked and almost washed out to sea. Now we know why the locals are against the cliffs. So back to the crowded not so clean local beach. We collect a ton of sea glass, which Luke and Serena love, but you could tell the locals thought we were weird for picking up the "garbage".
Our second day in Sorrento was supposed to be a trip to Capri but I was feeling a little under the weather (lets just say I could not be far from our hotel washroom...if you know what I mean). So a little more pool time and town time.
Our final day their and we set out to find another local beach. This time it was sandy but we were the only tourists among hundreds and hundreds of local Italians. They kept staring at Lukes rash guard shirt like it was a foreign animal. Do they not see how white and red (sunburn) he is?? All those swarthy Italians, even the little ones are tanned and glowing. And what is with all the Italians making out in the water...everywhere you looked young teenagers making out like crazy (I felt like I should cover Luke and Serena's eyes). Our final conclusion is Sorrento just isn't a beach destination.
I asked Paul if we could take a drive down the Amalfi Coast but a look of sheer terror crossed his face. The roads are narrow, tight and twisting back and forth. You need to be quick on the gas, brakes and the wheel if you hope to avoid vespas, pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. So we settled in for another night on the town. We wander down to another fisherman's village where many outdoor restaurants await. I order sea bass ( from Emilio's restaurant) and expect to see it done like it is back home but instead it is the whole fish...head, eyes, tail, fins etc. staring back at me. Now I know what a sea bass really looks like, right down to the colour of its eyes...yikes!
Overall we loved Sorrento (except for the beaches). It is a beautiful little town where you could walk the streets for hours looking into all the quaint little shops and enjoying the awesome views over the ocean. We would definitely go back!
TO TUSCANY
Yet another painful (the power of the gelato has worn off and Luke and Serena bicker for the entire drive even with the threat of no gelato) 4 hour drive brings us to our Cortona farmhouse. It is nice and quaint. It is our home base for seeing the Tuscan country side.
Siena
Our first day in Tuscany and we head to Siena,( a small city of 60,000) to see the preparations for the Palio (a famous horse race around the town square, where 10 different neighbourhoods have a horse entered into the race). Each neighbourhood has a dinner for its residents which you can see set out in the hundreds and hundreds of tables end on end in each of their local squares. Then 60,000 people pack the main Piazza to watch this race. It has been described as Stampede on steroids and is not recommended for little travellers.
While in Siena we climb to the top of the famous 400 year old bell tower . The stairway in encased in stone and steep and narrow. Luke is constantly worried the tower is going to fall over while Serena goes all the way to the top repeating very loudly how she is such a brave girl. At the top of the tower you are treated to the most amazing 360 degree views of Tuscany...breathtaking. We also do the amazing Duomo church, buy some gelato (well just for me as the kids can't seem to get along and have lost their daily gelato) and call it a day as it is over 40 degrees in the town center.
Cortona
We head out to Cortona (the town made famous in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun) that night after dinner to join the crazys watching Italy vs. Spain for the Euro 2012 cup. It is our first trip there and what we are taken with is not the ancient town but the thousands of black birds frantically screaming across the sky above the town center...its like being in Alfred Hitchcock's the "Birds". We barely make it to the town square when Luke shrieks...his eyes are filled with tears and he keeps repeating oh crap, oh crap (not really appropriate language for a 9 year old) but he is right. His whole arm if covered with bird poo...YUCK! Italy loses and the crowd is sad and we head home.
If anyone has seen the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, Sandra Oh refers to the tall cypress tress as evil Italian trees...and there are lots of them around Cortona.
HOT HOT HOT DAYS!
Every day in Tuscany has been between 37 and 40 degrees. Unseasonably warm we have been told. So Paul decides as a treat for the kids we would find a water park. Hmmm....water park in Tuscany, can't wait for this one. But it is 39 degrees and the kids are excited. The waterpark is NOT NICE I am totally out of my cleanliness comfort zone but I grin and bear it for over two hours. The water is this weird colour with clumps of stuff (hair??) floating on the bottom and I was just hoping we could all make it out without getting eye and or ear infections. This place was awful and Paul was shocked I made it the two hours and even he thought it was kind of gross (that tells you how bad it was) but the kids loved it so hopefully it was worth it (I will keep you posted). If you want to know the name of it I can let you know where not to go.
Our next few days are going to be excursions into various hillside towns...Arezzo, Assisi, Montepulciano and to Val di Chiana (where there is an outlet mall Italian Style, open to 11 pm...can you believe my luck over 140 Italian stores...looking forward to that one). Hope all is well with everyone back home. And oh, next week we still do not have any place to stay...OMG!
Ciao for now...
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