Well, it's been nearly 4 months since I had a real vacation - which means a little too much working and not enough playing... So, much to the shock of all my American friends, I'm heading to Cuba right after X-mas,(where apparently Fidel is the greeter at the airport).
I'm meeting friends in Varadero along the south coast of Cuba, about 1.5 hours from Havana. I've heard great things about Cuba and Havana, so am really looking forward to the trip - although the one bad thing I heard was that the food sucks...we'll see..
I'm looking forward even more to escaping this ASS-BITING cold Michigan weather.. I thought I might be able to hold out on buying a snowblower and stick it out another winter, but it's only December and we've already had an entire winter's worth of snow, so I might be changing my tune before long. Apparently, all potential snow-shovelling kids in Midland are too busy playing X-Box to be interested in earning a quick $10...
Anyway, it won't take much to improve upon December in Midland, so Cuba, here I come.
Stay tuned for more details!
Ola!
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Friday, October 01, 2004
Arrivederci Roma
I leave Roma tomorrow and what can I say... a fabulous way to end the trip. Yesterday I visited the Colosseo, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, all the amazing piazzos, including the Fontana Trevi and the Spanish Steps... this city has way too much to see...its a bit overwhelming..
Today, I visited il Basilica di San Pietro and the Vatican Museum and saw la Cappella Sistina, impossible to describe without seeing it... its breathtaking..
Anyway, one more day and its arrivederci for me..
il es una molti bella paese, italia
Ciao
Nancy
Today, I visited il Basilica di San Pietro and the Vatican Museum and saw la Cappella Sistina, impossible to describe without seeing it... its breathtaking..
Anyway, one more day and its arrivederci for me..
il es una molti bella paese, italia
Ciao
Nancy
Monday, September 27, 2004
Off to Sardegna
Ciao..
The theme of the past few days has been "the Amazing Race", because we have been travelling a ton.. by land and sea.. we finally arrived in Sardegna at 2 a.m. Sat evening, after an 8 hour ferry crossing with our group that left from Rome... and have had a couple of free days, that everyone really needed, to just relax and enjoy the sun... it's fantastic here.. Sardegna is the vacation spot of Italy I guess and I see why.. we are staying at this fabulous hotel, just outside of Cagliari (the capital), called Nora - it's this tiny little place with one church and a few restaurants, but our hotel is right on the beach and we each have little bungalows that open up onto it.. it's wonderful! (no trace of the Sopranos) I have been appointed the evening entertainment, as all of our hotels have pianos, so with a little after dinner "grappa" I've been entertaining the troops most nights.. Volare is the most popular, althoguh on the ferry over, the waiter in the dining room made me play "I Did it My Way", while he sang in broken English...
We spent the day on Friday last week touring around another smaller island off the coast of Napoli, called Ischia... it was lovely and just enough for a day - we took the ferry over there as well and toured perimeter of the island for the morning and then had a free afternoon - we did a little limoncello tasting (as there are millions of lemon groves in this region) and I managed to find myself a gorgeous Italian leather purse (rosso!) I felt totally justified given my own having been stolen (at least that's what I'm telling myself)
Anyway, back to the food.. the food at our hotel is unbelievable.. all sorts of fresh seafood, plus one of the specialties of Sardegna is peccorino cheese (made from sheep's milk) and it is just about the best cheese i've ever tasted!
Today we spent the day exploring la costa del sud (the south coast) of Sardegna, which was very interesting - we went to some ancient ruin way up on the hillside, which had all kinds of stone tombs (Noracian) dating back 2500 BC. Then we went to this amazing grotto (massive cave) and spent the afternoon about 130 feet below the surface checking out all the caves and rock formations... I wasn't too keen on it at first, but it was amazing and well worth the trip.
The Italian is coming along well. I think I mentioned that my roommate (Marisa) and I have befriended our driver, Emilio, who speaks un piccolo anglese, but not much, so if we want to speak with him we pretty much have to do it in Italian. It's been great though, b/c we have spent a couple free days with him (he's our age) and the whole day is spent speaking Italian (I asked him whether he thought my accent was good or bad, and he said is was very entertaining.. gives you an idea of his sense of humour anyway!
Can't believe this is the last week, so I'm making the most of it.. we've got a couple more days of exploring, including a live mercato in Pula tomorrow and apparently we're having lunch with the shepards (like real sheep shepards) somewhere up in the hills on Wed - we have to take Land Rovers up there... and apparently they haven't seen women in about 10 years or something like that.. should be interesting.
I'm heading to Rome Thursday and have a packed agenda of things to see there and then home... and I'm just starting to get into vacation mode now.. this is not good.
So, if you don't hear from me again, don't be surprised - I might just decide to stay..
Ciao! a presto
Nancy
The theme of the past few days has been "the Amazing Race", because we have been travelling a ton.. by land and sea.. we finally arrived in Sardegna at 2 a.m. Sat evening, after an 8 hour ferry crossing with our group that left from Rome... and have had a couple of free days, that everyone really needed, to just relax and enjoy the sun... it's fantastic here.. Sardegna is the vacation spot of Italy I guess and I see why.. we are staying at this fabulous hotel, just outside of Cagliari (the capital), called Nora - it's this tiny little place with one church and a few restaurants, but our hotel is right on the beach and we each have little bungalows that open up onto it.. it's wonderful! (no trace of the Sopranos) I have been appointed the evening entertainment, as all of our hotels have pianos, so with a little after dinner "grappa" I've been entertaining the troops most nights.. Volare is the most popular, althoguh on the ferry over, the waiter in the dining room made me play "I Did it My Way", while he sang in broken English...
We spent the day on Friday last week touring around another smaller island off the coast of Napoli, called Ischia... it was lovely and just enough for a day - we took the ferry over there as well and toured perimeter of the island for the morning and then had a free afternoon - we did a little limoncello tasting (as there are millions of lemon groves in this region) and I managed to find myself a gorgeous Italian leather purse (rosso!) I felt totally justified given my own having been stolen (at least that's what I'm telling myself)
Anyway, back to the food.. the food at our hotel is unbelievable.. all sorts of fresh seafood, plus one of the specialties of Sardegna is peccorino cheese (made from sheep's milk) and it is just about the best cheese i've ever tasted!
Today we spent the day exploring la costa del sud (the south coast) of Sardegna, which was very interesting - we went to some ancient ruin way up on the hillside, which had all kinds of stone tombs (Noracian) dating back 2500 BC. Then we went to this amazing grotto (massive cave) and spent the afternoon about 130 feet below the surface checking out all the caves and rock formations... I wasn't too keen on it at first, but it was amazing and well worth the trip.
The Italian is coming along well. I think I mentioned that my roommate (Marisa) and I have befriended our driver, Emilio, who speaks un piccolo anglese, but not much, so if we want to speak with him we pretty much have to do it in Italian. It's been great though, b/c we have spent a couple free days with him (he's our age) and the whole day is spent speaking Italian (I asked him whether he thought my accent was good or bad, and he said is was very entertaining.. gives you an idea of his sense of humour anyway!
Can't believe this is the last week, so I'm making the most of it.. we've got a couple more days of exploring, including a live mercato in Pula tomorrow and apparently we're having lunch with the shepards (like real sheep shepards) somewhere up in the hills on Wed - we have to take Land Rovers up there... and apparently they haven't seen women in about 10 years or something like that.. should be interesting.
I'm heading to Rome Thursday and have a packed agenda of things to see there and then home... and I'm just starting to get into vacation mode now.. this is not good.
So, if you don't hear from me again, don't be surprised - I might just decide to stay..
Ciao! a presto
Nancy
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Tomatoes and Mozzarella... Life in Campania....
Ciao from Campania..
After a fabulous week in Umbria we had to move on, so we headed south and west via
Rome and Napoli to the southwest coast of Italy, the region called Campania – there is definitely a very different feeling in this part of Italy, because it is much more densely populated and is generally more commercialization, tourism, etc. However, there is just as much to explore here as in the other two regions we’ve been to, so we’re still seeing a ton. (Dad, I’ve decided that you & mom definitely need to add Italy to your list of places to visit – you would love the regions we’ve been to… especially Umbria and Trentino)
Spent the last two days exploring ancient Italy – a day in Paestum, which is one of the best preserved ancient greek cities in the world – even better preserved than those in Athens… they date back to the 6th century BC and were only excavated in the 20th century so are remarkable well preserved… Yesterday we spent the entire day at Ercolano and Pompeii, which are both amazing, and very different in the way they were impacted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD… in Ercolano the city was totally preserved under 35 m of mud and small rock pellets, unlike Pompeii which was buried in lava – it was amazing to see the houses and even mosaic tiled floors and frescos after 2000 years being buried. We’ve continued to have amazing guides who seem to know everything about Italy and its history.
Today was the highlight though, as we spent the entire day on the stunning Amalfi coastline, which runs between Napoli and Sorrento (south of Napoli) – It’s impossible to describe the beauty in writing – there is a 50 km stretch of road that bends and winds along the cliff tops that drop into crystal clear blue water – we the small coastal towns of Positano, Maiori, Almalfi, and Minori which are all tucked in along the rocks – it’s been roasting hot – in the upper 80s/90s (28-30) and gorgeous and sunny.. we spent the day gawking over one amazing panorama after another… you really have to see it to believe it. We visited two neat shops – one small family owned place that made handmade limoncello (liqueur) and the other was a restaurant where we watched the owner hand roll the pasta – then stayed for a 5 course lunch of fresh gnocchi (say know-kee) and sea bass that was caught this morning… Needless to say, it was siesta time for a hour after that, which was ok b/c everything closes for a couple hours in the afternoon anyway…
We’re staying in a very interesting hotel – supposedly 5 star, but more like 3-4, about 50 m from the Mediterranean (which is still bathtub temp like at the moment)… The hotel is like something straight out of the Sopranos, with big Italian weddings every night – we’re all convinced that it’s a mafia stronghold, since we’re so close to Naples!
I’m up to 16 different flavours of gelato to date – we all eat at least one or two a day… it’s so good… the gelato, mozzarella and tomatoes are worth the visit alone!
Arrivederci amice!
Nancy
After a fabulous week in Umbria we had to move on, so we headed south and west via
Rome and Napoli to the southwest coast of Italy, the region called Campania – there is definitely a very different feeling in this part of Italy, because it is much more densely populated and is generally more commercialization, tourism, etc. However, there is just as much to explore here as in the other two regions we’ve been to, so we’re still seeing a ton. (Dad, I’ve decided that you & mom definitely need to add Italy to your list of places to visit – you would love the regions we’ve been to… especially Umbria and Trentino)
Spent the last two days exploring ancient Italy – a day in Paestum, which is one of the best preserved ancient greek cities in the world – even better preserved than those in Athens… they date back to the 6th century BC and were only excavated in the 20th century so are remarkable well preserved… Yesterday we spent the entire day at Ercolano and Pompeii, which are both amazing, and very different in the way they were impacted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD… in Ercolano the city was totally preserved under 35 m of mud and small rock pellets, unlike Pompeii which was buried in lava – it was amazing to see the houses and even mosaic tiled floors and frescos after 2000 years being buried. We’ve continued to have amazing guides who seem to know everything about Italy and its history.
Today was the highlight though, as we spent the entire day on the stunning Amalfi coastline, which runs between Napoli and Sorrento (south of Napoli) – It’s impossible to describe the beauty in writing – there is a 50 km stretch of road that bends and winds along the cliff tops that drop into crystal clear blue water – we the small coastal towns of Positano, Maiori, Almalfi, and Minori which are all tucked in along the rocks – it’s been roasting hot – in the upper 80s/90s (28-30) and gorgeous and sunny.. we spent the day gawking over one amazing panorama after another… you really have to see it to believe it. We visited two neat shops – one small family owned place that made handmade limoncello (liqueur) and the other was a restaurant where we watched the owner hand roll the pasta – then stayed for a 5 course lunch of fresh gnocchi (say know-kee) and sea bass that was caught this morning… Needless to say, it was siesta time for a hour after that, which was ok b/c everything closes for a couple hours in the afternoon anyway…
We’re staying in a very interesting hotel – supposedly 5 star, but more like 3-4, about 50 m from the Mediterranean (which is still bathtub temp like at the moment)… The hotel is like something straight out of the Sopranos, with big Italian weddings every night – we’re all convinced that it’s a mafia stronghold, since we’re so close to Naples!
I’m up to 16 different flavours of gelato to date – we all eat at least one or two a day… it’s so good… the gelato, mozzarella and tomatoes are worth the visit alone!
Arrivederci amice!
Nancy
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Exploring the hill towns of Umbria
Well, it's day 4 in Umbria, and we've seen a TON. My professor, Antonella, is very organized and every day is a cultural and educational experience, to say the least. Our fabulous guide, Eduardo (who is 65, with 9 children, and two masters degrees) is like travelling with a book - he knows everything about this region, every stroke of every fresco in every church or building, so we've been getting a thorough education on many of the famous works in this region.
During the past 4 days, we've visited many of the small hill towns in this area, which are all within a couple hours of where we are staying, outside Perugia. They are all amazing, in that they are all built into the sides of steep cliffs and now are all ancient cities which are perfectly preserved - it's like stepping back in time, climbing through their narrow cobblestone streets. And every time we reach somewhere that we think is the most beautiful place ever, the next city is even more spectacular than the last! It really is unbelievable..
We've visited Gubbio, Todi, Orvieto (where we tasted wines in the old Etruscan wine cellars that were built in 1290) and visited an ancient Etruscan burial ground (Necropoli) outside of Orvieto, from 700 B.C., Spello and Montefalco..
Yesterday was a highlight, as we spent most of the day in Assisi, visiting the Basilica of San Francesco (St. Francis of Assesi), with its amazing walls and walls of frescos and artwork - there are two huge churches, built one on top of the other, plus many other important oratorios with more frescos... it is amazing how old and well preserved it all is. It's a bit overwhelming though, there is so much... we were all on cultural overload yesterday.. affectionately known as ABC (another bloody church?)
Of course, to balance the historical element, I am doing my fair sharing of wine tasting, which is definitely helping to give me perspective.. and a very important task!
Tomorrow is our free day and everyone is heading to Perugia for a day of shopping...also a important element of any good vacation!
Ciao!
During the past 4 days, we've visited many of the small hill towns in this area, which are all within a couple hours of where we are staying, outside Perugia. They are all amazing, in that they are all built into the sides of steep cliffs and now are all ancient cities which are perfectly preserved - it's like stepping back in time, climbing through their narrow cobblestone streets. And every time we reach somewhere that we think is the most beautiful place ever, the next city is even more spectacular than the last! It really is unbelievable..
We've visited Gubbio, Todi, Orvieto (where we tasted wines in the old Etruscan wine cellars that were built in 1290) and visited an ancient Etruscan burial ground (Necropoli) outside of Orvieto, from 700 B.C., Spello and Montefalco..
Yesterday was a highlight, as we spent most of the day in Assisi, visiting the Basilica of San Francesco (St. Francis of Assesi), with its amazing walls and walls of frescos and artwork - there are two huge churches, built one on top of the other, plus many other important oratorios with more frescos... it is amazing how old and well preserved it all is. It's a bit overwhelming though, there is so much... we were all on cultural overload yesterday.. affectionately known as ABC (another bloody church?)
Of course, to balance the historical element, I am doing my fair sharing of wine tasting, which is definitely helping to give me perspective.. and a very important task!
Tomorrow is our free day and everyone is heading to Perugia for a day of shopping...also a important element of any good vacation!
Ciao!
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Il cuore verde dell Italia
Hi all,
Well, weve arrived in the "green heart of Italy" - Umbria- in the the middle east part of Italy, about 700 km from Milano. The landscape has changed dramatically as we moved south, becoming much more arid and dry, yet still rolling green landscapes and gorgeous big trees like cypress - and lots of fruit trees... it's the only province in Italy that is entirely landlocked with no water bordering it.
We are staying at this lovely renovated monastery, called the Relais San Clemente, which is a true country albergo, about 15km outside of Perugia, the capital of Umbria - complete with our own crowing rooster, right outside our window! It's a bit like a page out of Under the Tuscan Sun, except in Umbria. Anyway, its gorgeous here, the weather is very warm but not unbearable and there is a ton to see. There is an olive tree right outside my window! Oh, and the food continues to be fabulous... this mediterranean diet is definitely the best (Im up to 8 different flavours of gelato, and counting)
We headed out this morning with our guide, Eduardo, a retired professor from the University of Roma, who also has a Master of Art History and knows everything about this area - he lives in Assisi... we are spending the week exploring the small hill towns in the area - Assisi, Gubbio, Spello, Todi...
Today we visited Gubbio, a tiny village built in a steep mountainside - its not hard to imagine that you have stepped back into the middle ages as you wander the steep, narrow laneways of the town - Gubbio is know for its famous collection of Etruscan tablets, which date from the 3rd century BC and are the best existing examples of ancient Umbrian script - it's very interesting, kind of like reading a code - reminded me a bit of the DaVinci Code... The tablets were found buried in a farmer's yard and were this amazing discovery I guess..
We spent the afternoon in Perugia, the province's capital, which has a lively and bloody past of reglious wars. An interesting fact the guide shared with us is that Pope Paul III imposed a stiff tax on salt in 1538 and so the entire region boycotted using salt in their bread, so to this day, bread in Perugia is made without salt.. it also explains the invention of bruscetta, which was created to give bread without salt more flavour (just a little trivia there for you..)
We spent part of the afternoon at the Mueseo Nationalize, which had a lot of catholic and papal art (unfortunately I don't have a huge appreciation and could have used a siesta!) The upside is that we finished off at Perugina.. the maker of the famous Baci chocolates... nothing like a sugar-rush mid-afternoon..
Anyway, am using my Italian a lot b/c most local folks don't speak English and they really appreciate (and try to understand) us anglophones... so it's good practice... hopefully I'm getting better.
Passport situation is getting sorted out nicely and looks like it'll be all managed en route home. Still have not received my bank card or visa though... so continue to be the freeloading sponger... hopefully they'll arrive soon!
Ciao for now my friends.. A presto!
Nancy
Well, weve arrived in the "green heart of Italy" - Umbria- in the the middle east part of Italy, about 700 km from Milano. The landscape has changed dramatically as we moved south, becoming much more arid and dry, yet still rolling green landscapes and gorgeous big trees like cypress - and lots of fruit trees... it's the only province in Italy that is entirely landlocked with no water bordering it.
We are staying at this lovely renovated monastery, called the Relais San Clemente, which is a true country albergo, about 15km outside of Perugia, the capital of Umbria - complete with our own crowing rooster, right outside our window! It's a bit like a page out of Under the Tuscan Sun, except in Umbria. Anyway, its gorgeous here, the weather is very warm but not unbearable and there is a ton to see. There is an olive tree right outside my window! Oh, and the food continues to be fabulous... this mediterranean diet is definitely the best (Im up to 8 different flavours of gelato, and counting)
We headed out this morning with our guide, Eduardo, a retired professor from the University of Roma, who also has a Master of Art History and knows everything about this area - he lives in Assisi... we are spending the week exploring the small hill towns in the area - Assisi, Gubbio, Spello, Todi...
Today we visited Gubbio, a tiny village built in a steep mountainside - its not hard to imagine that you have stepped back into the middle ages as you wander the steep, narrow laneways of the town - Gubbio is know for its famous collection of Etruscan tablets, which date from the 3rd century BC and are the best existing examples of ancient Umbrian script - it's very interesting, kind of like reading a code - reminded me a bit of the DaVinci Code... The tablets were found buried in a farmer's yard and were this amazing discovery I guess..
We spent the afternoon in Perugia, the province's capital, which has a lively and bloody past of reglious wars. An interesting fact the guide shared with us is that Pope Paul III imposed a stiff tax on salt in 1538 and so the entire region boycotted using salt in their bread, so to this day, bread in Perugia is made without salt.. it also explains the invention of bruscetta, which was created to give bread without salt more flavour (just a little trivia there for you..)
We spent part of the afternoon at the Mueseo Nationalize, which had a lot of catholic and papal art (unfortunately I don't have a huge appreciation and could have used a siesta!) The upside is that we finished off at Perugina.. the maker of the famous Baci chocolates... nothing like a sugar-rush mid-afternoon..
Anyway, am using my Italian a lot b/c most local folks don't speak English and they really appreciate (and try to understand) us anglophones... so it's good practice... hopefully I'm getting better.
Passport situation is getting sorted out nicely and looks like it'll be all managed en route home. Still have not received my bank card or visa though... so continue to be the freeloading sponger... hopefully they'll arrive soon!
Ciao for now my friends.. A presto!
Nancy
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Adventures in Milan and the start of my "vacation"
Well, I've officially kicked off my Italian vacation and it has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start. My 6 a.m. train ride to the airport to meet my Italian group turned into getting my purse stolen right from under my arm, in an absolutely deserted train station as I tried to load my bags onto the train... so, after recovering from the shock, I tried to explain in my stellar Italian, to the local polizie what had happened - and apparently at that time of morning and me being a single traveller with luggage, I was a prime target. I am definitely careful about this kind of thing and I literally did not even see anyone near me.. anyway, definitely a new experience and NOT a good one... not to mention that I'm sure everyone in the train station thought I was a homeless person rifling through all the garbage cans looking for my bag!
However, the timing was not too bad, because I met my group at the airport anyway, and proceeded to head to northern Italy to Bolzano - in Trentino-Alto Adige - in the Dolomites region and have been wined and dined for two days already. So, for someone with no money, no credit and no passport, I'm actually surviving quite well!
(new bank card and visa are en route as of today and I'm sorting out the immigration stuff, so all in all, it's a hassle, but not the end of the world) And the thief only ended up with about 40 Euros after all that - the purse was worth more!
Anyway, onto more interesting topics than my adventures in petty crime. We are staying in this lovely hotel in the city square in Bolzano - my window views out over the square and it's gorgeous and hot (about 29 degrees) and there is a huge cathedral where the bells chime in the morning. This region is very Austrian and German more than Italian and all the signage is in both languages and most people speak German. They also speak a third language, that is only spoken and not written, called Ladino, which is a Latin language and sort of a combo of Portugese, German and Italian.
Today we went to a couple of old churches and looked at some amazing old frescos that were painted thousands of years ago (1232) and drove way up into the Alps to view the Dolomites (kind of look like the hoodoos in Drumheller actually. We did an amazing walk into the mountains - the landscapes are incredible.
We also went to this interesting museum in Bolzano (and I'm not really crazed about museums)but this was really good, where we visited the "Ice Man" - remember that ancient man they found buried in the glacier in 1991 - they call him Otzi here and he is perfectly preserved and dated to 5300 years ago - even his skin is mostly intact - and his eyes and fingernails were even preserved in the ice. He's not exactly human looking, but definitely interesting. They keep him in a freezer to preserve him and it's really quite amazing that they found him way up here..
After that we visited these two wonderful little ski villas (think Heidi - I'm sure she lives there) way up in the mountains, one called Bressonone and the other Ortesi - they were seriously like a picture out of the Sound of Music or something... almost as scenic as Midland, really.... ha
Anyway, we've got another full day tomorrow, so I'm outta here, but be sure to tune in for more soon.. I'm well on my way to sampling every flavour of Italian gelato produced and it's a very worthwhile experiment!
Ciao amici!
KellyGirl - by the way, there is a woman on the trip who is your body double - she is 6'2" and older than you, towers over her husband and hates to shop... she could be you! Still lots to do for the anti-shopping person over here, believe me!
Monday, September 06, 2004
Bevenuto a Milano - home of the famous Milanese risotto and great shoes...
Buon giorno gli amici
Io arrivo in Milano oggi.. where apparently shopping is defined as almost a religious experience and an intrinsic part of Milanese life... judging from the number of shoe stores (no comment Dad) I've seen, this is true.
Also true, the model-thin obsession has carried over from Spain and everyone in Milan is gorgeous - of course, it makes sense - eating only risotto, pasta and tiramisu equals the ultimate in thinness (what?)
I had a personal guided tour today (after realizing halfway through the day that it was actually a holiday in NA so I didn't need to feel guilty about not working) from a friend of a friend of mine in Midland, Maura (oh elegant Milanese woman). She drove me around the city and I got great view of the Castello (the castle), the Chiesa de Santa Maria delle Grazie - it's the church where the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is hung - it's called Cenacolo Vinciano - and hopefully I can get into see it before I leave - it's quite difficult, but amazing apparently.
I have already put my italian to good usage, and the locals appreciate anyone trying to manage their language so hopefully I'll continue to get some practice, even though I know I sound like a total idiot (this is probably very satisfying to some of you, picturing me at a loss for words, I know..)
Anyway, I'm here and you're not, so laugh away!
Ciao, a pronto,
Nancy
ps: uhh, yes I slightly figured out that note was from you Budwinksi.. are you having a few nostalgic moments remembering the kid free travel days?
pps: Vera, if you dreamed up the name buddy jr. I'll be forced to shoot you - what kiind of address is that? And yes, I've been eating plenty of chocolate, don't you worry.
Io arrivo in Milano oggi.. where apparently shopping is defined as almost a religious experience and an intrinsic part of Milanese life... judging from the number of shoe stores (no comment Dad) I've seen, this is true.
Also true, the model-thin obsession has carried over from Spain and everyone in Milan is gorgeous - of course, it makes sense - eating only risotto, pasta and tiramisu equals the ultimate in thinness (what?)
I had a personal guided tour today (after realizing halfway through the day that it was actually a holiday in NA so I didn't need to feel guilty about not working) from a friend of a friend of mine in Midland, Maura (oh elegant Milanese woman). She drove me around the city and I got great view of the Castello (the castle), the Chiesa de Santa Maria delle Grazie - it's the church where the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is hung - it's called Cenacolo Vinciano - and hopefully I can get into see it before I leave - it's quite difficult, but amazing apparently.
I have already put my italian to good usage, and the locals appreciate anyone trying to manage their language so hopefully I'll continue to get some practice, even though I know I sound like a total idiot (this is probably very satisfying to some of you, picturing me at a loss for words, I know..)
Anyway, I'm here and you're not, so laugh away!
Ciao, a pronto,
Nancy
ps: uhh, yes I slightly figured out that note was from you Budwinksi.. are you having a few nostalgic moments remembering the kid free travel days?
pps: Vera, if you dreamed up the name buddy jr. I'll be forced to shoot you - what kiind of address is that? And yes, I've been eating plenty of chocolate, don't you worry.
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Welcome to Barcelona my friends...
Hola!
I don't understand why everyone in Spain (the men AND the women) all look like models... it's 29 degrees and about 80% humidity - I'm sweating my ass off and they all look like they stepped out of the pages of Vogue - what's up with that? I stopped at Cafe Salambo for some lunch today and these two girls beside me each ordered TWO desserts, plus some cup of this chocolate syrup and fried bread that you dip into the cup (called xurro am xocolata) - they were seriously about 90 pounds... Vanity sizing would be a problem over here, b/c the women are already size 2!!
Barcelona is a very cool city though - there is a ton of stuff to see, including many architectural works by Antonio Gaudi, the most interesting is the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral that he (long dead) has been working on for almost 100 years and it's still not finished...
Lots of great tapas and mojitos (sorry gang, but it makes American/Canadian food look totally boring)
I'm still stumbling along in my broken Spanish, only to discover that they speak Catalan in this region... (think sort of like Acadian in Canada), however, it's a lot like Italian so they understand that, which has worked out well..
Visited the Barcelona Olympic site and venues - way up on the mountain, plus loads of other cool areas - the city is a great walking city - so, hopefully I am burning off the churros... (maybe the model-thin thing will rub off before I leave... NOT)
Off to Milan domani (tomorrow), so adios for now.
Cheers everyone...
Rhoda - I did get your message, but had already left - good name by the way!
I don't understand why everyone in Spain (the men AND the women) all look like models... it's 29 degrees and about 80% humidity - I'm sweating my ass off and they all look like they stepped out of the pages of Vogue - what's up with that? I stopped at Cafe Salambo for some lunch today and these two girls beside me each ordered TWO desserts, plus some cup of this chocolate syrup and fried bread that you dip into the cup (called xurro am xocolata) - they were seriously about 90 pounds... Vanity sizing would be a problem over here, b/c the women are already size 2!!
Barcelona is a very cool city though - there is a ton of stuff to see, including many architectural works by Antonio Gaudi, the most interesting is the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral that he (long dead) has been working on for almost 100 years and it's still not finished...
Lots of great tapas and mojitos (sorry gang, but it makes American/Canadian food look totally boring)
I'm still stumbling along in my broken Spanish, only to discover that they speak Catalan in this region... (think sort of like Acadian in Canada), however, it's a lot like Italian so they understand that, which has worked out well..
Visited the Barcelona Olympic site and venues - way up on the mountain, plus loads of other cool areas - the city is a great walking city - so, hopefully I am burning off the churros... (maybe the model-thin thing will rub off before I leave... NOT)
Off to Milan domani (tomorrow), so adios for now.
Cheers everyone...
Rhoda - I did get your message, but had already left - good name by the way!
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Zurich - sunny & warm with a touch of the Alps
Looks like the blog is getting pretty good feedback so far from all my travel voyeur friends and I haven't even started my vacation yet... I have had an opportunity to use both my French and my Italian in the past 24 hours though - I'm not sure I was understood, but my intentions were good...
I'm in Zurich (working unfortunately) today and the office I'm in looks out over Lake Zurich and the mountains - it's a pretty sweet location - all I know is the Dow cafeteria here offers 3 different types of Swiss chocolate and a full cappucino bar (I'm definitely working in the wrong location!)
I've yet to see one SUV or mini van either... small cars are the name of the game over here - do you think North Americans will ever catch on?
Anyway, I am off to Barcelona this afternoon - Adios!
I'm in Zurich (working unfortunately) today and the office I'm in looks out over Lake Zurich and the mountains - it's a pretty sweet location - all I know is the Dow cafeteria here offers 3 different types of Swiss chocolate and a full cappucino bar (I'm definitely working in the wrong location!)
I've yet to see one SUV or mini van either... small cars are the name of the game over here - do you think North Americans will ever catch on?
Anyway, I am off to Barcelona this afternoon - Adios!
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