Florence

Florence has such a rich history and culture, it is impossible to experience it all in the short time I have.  It is here that I see Michelangelo’s David. It is so beautiful. This 17-foot magnificent sculpture occupies a prominent place under a domed ceiling in a small museum. This alone is worth the trip. Florence was once the home of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and the masters they studied with and the artists who studied under them. This is where serious art students come to study art and some never leave. Like our local guide, Cynthia, who first came to Florence from California to study, she fell in love with Florence then with an Italian. She has lived here since. She guides us through the Uffizi gallery. After our group activity finished, I  sit and admire, “The birth of Venus” and “Spring,” my favorites in this museum.  

I exhaust myself trying to see as much as I can during my free morning and free evening (along with a group activity in-between.) Florentines are just a kind as Venetians. Many times I stop and ask for directions. They are always helpful and I understand what they mean even if I don‘t understand what they say. Many Italians speak English even if only a bit, especially in  tourist areas. Being a foreigner in these countries really gives me an appreciation for all the people who speak English as a second language in their own country. I find myself taking the easy way out and using English whenever possible, throwing in an Italian word here and there, and grazie, grazie, grazie a lot. Mile grazie!

By evening my feet hurt but, I keep going because I want to see the view from the bridge over the Arno river. Finally, Irene and I stop to have a  quick meal at one of the many “bars” in Italy. A bar is a little like a Starbucks but all are small, independent, and each has something different to offer. After a slice of pizza we proceed to a cafe with free wi-fi and sit outside for a bit before calling it a night.  

The Tuscany countryside is beautiful. Traveling from Florence to Rome there are many hillside towns, vineyards and fields of sunflowers. It is all so Beautiful. Now it is time for Roma. Ciao!

Venice

Italia
It is love at first sight! As I cross the border from Austria.  I have my first meal in Italy in a tiny town along the way to Venice, pizza and wine. I’m in love. Even in this first encounter, Italians are joyful and their passion is palpable. They are so different from the Dutch, Germans, and Austrians. They are friendlier, they smile more freely and they joke. There is a lightness in their energy. 

Venice greets me with sweltering heat but I don’t care because I am in Italy. This city has always existed on tourism and it is high season which means the narrow streets are packed with tourists. My first evening in Venice I enjoy a most fabulous meal. The restaurant manager hears our travel guide’s request for dinner and dessert but he is sure he knows better and makes changes to our order. Of course, he is right and dinner is more fabulous because of it,  including the most amazing tiramisu ever. As we stroll back to our hotel the water has begun to rise onto St. Mark’s Square, this will be worse over the next couple days because there will be a full moon (the next night shoes must come off to cross parts of the square.)

Our hotel has excellent air conditioning, after a day of walking and taking in the history, architecture, and art, it is a welcomed retreat. Once we have cooled Irene and I meet our new friends at Harry’s Bar. Harry’s Bar is famous because Ernest Hemingway spent two years at this bar drinking bellini’s and writing. A bellini is similar to a mimosa but is made with peach juice and sparkling wine. Yum, it is delicious and overpriced like everything in Venice. I think that Venice is the most beautiful at dusk as the lights begin to come on and by evening as we cruise the canals in a gondola the city is magical. At this time I miss my honey because this is a very romantic setting. Honey thanks for working so that I can be in Italy. I love my husband.

Germany & Austria

Traveling with a group of seventeen other people from the U.S. and Canada has many advantages. One advantage is we don’t wait in lines at museums or other must see and do activities. I love that! Because it is summer there are several teachers in the group. Teachers are the nicest people! We get to hear from local people about their history and current life in their country. As I listen to the local people I am reminded that governments make policies and wars but that all people want the same things in life. That is to meet their basic needs and to enjoy life.

I have heard first hand accounts from, Herr Jung, an energetic, 81 year-old man who experienced WWII as a 10 year old boy in Bacharach Germany. At ten years old and now at 81 years old he could not make sense of any of it. As he speaks he pauses because the pain of his experience is still there and I feel it too. However, he is not a sad man but rather a man who fully appreciates all that is good in life. He wants children today to know that if they have food and clothes they have everything! He wants kids to know that killing is not a game and would like them to not play video games in which they kill people. 

In Germany I saw castles, cruised on the Rhine river, stayed in a hotel in a 700 year old tower. I am currently staying in a small hotel in a village near Reutte Austria. The Austrian alps surround this tiny town.  The hills are alive la la la... I admire the pristine towns and beautiful green landscape in both Germany and Austria but meeting and listening to Herr Jung and to locals in other locations is the most enriching part of my travels thus far.

There has been much attention paid to WWII on this part of the trip but now I look forward to art and food in Italy.
Auf Wiedersehen!

Haarlem and Amsterdam

Coffee shops, Cafes, Art, and Bicycles

Amsterdam is to the Netherlands what New York is to the U.S. with a few differences. Coffee shops are where you go if you are looking for marijuana rolled, in a tea, or in a brownie, etc. Cafes are where you go for coffee. The Rijks museum is where they display the creme de la creme of Dutch artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer. And bicycles - well just watch out! Bicycles are a main mode of transportation, pedestrians beware. I have been on trains, planes, buses and boats in the first two days. There are several options for public transportation and they are quite efficient. 

A short train ride from our hotel in Haarlem and we arrived at the Anne Frank house. I stood at the original entrance knowing that this was where Nazi soldiers entered and arrested Anne and her family. I read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was about twelve or thirteen years old, the age Anne was when she started writing in her diary. At that time I could relate to her young adolescent emotions. But as I stood in the rooms they hid in for two years and tried to imagine what that might have been like, I found myself looking at it from a parents perspective. I found myself admiring her parents and their courage in deciding to go into hiding to protect their family.

They say that Amsterdam is known for their live and let live attitude. That they are known for their tolerance. Tolerance for things like drugs, prostitution, and gay rights. More recently their tolerance is being tested. With an increase in immigration and multiculturalism there are some who are of extreme opinions about what this means to their tidy, well organized lifestyle (especially in the current world economy.)  Amsterdam has a history of great wealth and success. But what happens when you are presented with new and different people and lifestyles? Hmm, we are still navigating much of this in the U.S.

So far I have enjoyed a lovely Indonesian feast and dutch pancakes served in three courses for lunch. The dutch love their waffles and french fries with mayonaise. Next stop Germany.
Tot ziens!

Seven days to take off!

Seven days to take off! I have always been fascinated by everything Italian. The book Eat, Pray, Love described the joy of Italy that I always imagined. Like the simple joy of saying a word in Italian because you love the way it sounds, in the book the main character loves the word “attraversiamo” meaning let’s cross over, she also identifies with this word for what is happening in her life. My favorite phrase is “Tutto va bene”, everything is fine. I believe everything in my life is as it should be. That’s not to say it’s perfect but that every experience gives me an opportunity for growth and makes me who I am at this moment. 

I’ve known I wanted to go to Italy and I thought I would do it sometime soon. Last fall, out of the blue, Irene called and wanted to see Europe, so we booked a trip taking us through the best of Europe with a third of it in Italy, yay! We didn’t want to rough it (no hostels for us, we’ll leave that experience to our 20-something-year-old children) so we are taking a Rick Steve’s tour. It will give us just the guidance we want with an equal amount of freedom to explore on our own, every other day is guided and the second day in each city is completely up to us. 
Blogging sounded like a fun idea. I really enjoyed Celina’s blog when she traveled. This blog is experimental. I don’t know if I will actually get around to posting regularly but here goes. 

Arrivederci for now.