Roamin' Holiday

My feelings about Rome are all over the map (no pun intended). It is a city of great beauty and yet it has a gritty feel. St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistene Chapel, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Step, and the Colosseum are all beautiful in their art, architecture and history but underlying everything is the feeling that it is every man (and woman) for themselves. Now... my perception might be slightly clouded as I had my wallet lifted while riding a very crowded bus and the rose coloured glasses were removed. Maybe I'm feeling this way because Rome has always been on my 'go to' list of places to see.

On the up side, I did get to retrace the steps of Audrey Hepburn in the movie 'Roman Holiday' and loved having that movie come to life in a new way. My fave... the Mouth Of Truth... legend says that the hand of a liar will be bitten off when placed in its mouth. (Is this the time to tell you that it is hard to type with only one hand?)

More importantly though I got to share Rome with my brother Brian and my friend Linne. We all tossed our coins into Trevi Fountain (ala another old movie 'Three Coins In The Fountain') and even though my initial visit included some bumps, I'm keeping my fingers crossed to come back another time.

Under The Tuscan Sun

What can I say about Tuscany that hasn't already been said? To be able to spend two weeks exploring the back roads and hill towns was a total delight. I don't really know if I knew what to expect but I certainly was not disappointed. Every curve in the highway and every town along the way provided us with another photo op... good thing cameras are now digital! We really felt like we had found a home away from home thanks to our wonderful host Annamaria. A highlight of our stay at Casa Gabriella was the annual olive harvest. We helped our host family 'rake' the olives from the trees onto the netting on the ground. From here the olives will be taken to be pressed and every family will have oil for the whole year. We were also invited to share a meal with the family and treated to real homemade Italian cuisine. It was an experience we will never forget!

Italy: Family Style

Memories of Italy will forever be wrapped around the arrival of my brother Brian and my dear friend Linne who joined us for a month of sightseeing, exploring, visiting, and shopping... okay, it was Linne who shopped and we watched. Who knew shopping was a spectator sport?

Milan was great (I got to release my inner Maria Callas and what's this thing about grinding your heel into the bull's you-know-what?), Lake Como was fantastic (no George Clooney sightings though... sigh...), Venice was amazing and dry (!), and the Cinque Terre was breathtaking in beauty and character. Northern Italy is a fantastic place to spend time and to spend it with family.

It Wasn't That Nice In Nice

Nice, Monaco, yachts, casinos, and fantastic views of villas don't account for much when one third of the group is sick.  If you read Bernie's blog you will know by now that he was ill during our time on the Cote d'Azur and that severely hampered our days of sightseeing.  Instead Matthew and I learned how to hail the French police at 3 AM and ask for assistance which came in the form of an ambulance.  We looked a motely and somewhat suspicious crew standing on a darkened street corner flagging down a police car; a ten year old boy, a stooped and hooded man, and a woman waving with all her might to attract the gendarmes' attention.  The French police were most courteous but I was a little taken aback when all three of them got out of the car and 'assumed the position' around the street while waiting for the ambulance. (How many spy novels have you read that include Nice?)  We were treated well by everyone at the Nice Hospital but I can't help but think that Boundary Trails is the Cadillac of hospitals, waiting rooms, and equipment.  We did spend one day riding the bus to Monaco and it was a treat to see this amazing playground of a city but in the grand scheme of things, it's just another city and some things need to be saved for another day.

Ramblin' the Las Ramblas

"It's raining again..."  Yup, we started off our days in Barcelona with more rain.  And remember my handy, dandy multipurpose hair dryer?  Well, one too many days of rain and my dryer blew a fuse and so I began my visit to Barcelona by dropping a few euros in my new favourite department store... El Cortes Ingles.  Not only did I need to replace my hair dryer but I also purchased a new pair of runners.  I told you my dogs were barking!

Back to Barcelona... besides rambling along the Las Ramblas, we saw the city sites via a hop on/hop off bus that circled the city (anything to give my feet a rest).  We wandered around (and up) the Sagrada Familia, the unfinished cathedral by Gaudi.  Again, I am no connoisseur of modern art... but I will say this, I like the inside more than I do the outside.

And now back to the Las Ramblas... imagine if you will Broadway Avenue in Winnipeg.  Picture the centre strip paved over and lined with kiosks of every variety, newstands, florists, vendors selling small animals like turtles, ducks, guinea pigs,etc.  Now picture the street having only two lanes of traffic, one in each direction and the buildings lining the street are also filled with more shops and cafes.  And to round out the picture, there are people leisurely walking along the centre strip of kiosks and street shops stopping to admire the merchandise or having a coffee or a glass of wine... another day in paradise.  I'm going to miss this when we get home.