Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

I thought I'd better blog and capture all the travelling I've been doing lately before I forget all the interesting (and unusual) things I've seen and done in my past month of globetrotting (well - not really globetrotting, since I haven't crossed any borders, but close enough).

Just coincidentally, I've been to Chicago, Washington D.C., and Dallas in the past 3 weeks for both work and play. Chicago, of course, is fabulous and even more so, when a 40 mph ass-bitingly cold wind ISN'T blowing off of Lake Michigan in mid-January, which is when I usually seem to be there. It's much more enjoyable in June when the weather cooperates. Highlights of this enjoyable girlie weekend included a great Asian-fusion meal at the Red Light on RAndolph Street (complete with several big buddhas for good luck!); that funky custom handbag store on Halstead (Lill); draft beer and popcorn on the 3rd baseline at the White Sox game (in spite of the cloning fraternity boys in front of us); the particularly strong martinis (and particularly annoying bartender) at the China Grill; and the Chicago night skyline from the John Hancock building.

Washington was totally different and a big hit of American-ism at its finest - you know you've arrived in the nation's capital from the minute you're warned against moving out of your seat 30 minutes before landing or takeoff.

It was extremely hot and muggy while I was there, but fortunately, this time (unlike my first visit) I realized that the distance between the White House and the Lincoln Memorial was unwalkable in flip flops in 97 degree heat. THe highlight this trip was definitely the Holocaust Memorial Museum, in the Smithsonian - I spent about 3 hours there on the weekend and it was extremely well done, but very unsettling. When you first enter you're given an identification card of a real person who lived during the Holocaust - and their biographical profile- which really hits home. I got the ID of a girl named Flora Mendelovicz, who was 7 at the time of the Holocaust. Fortunately she was one of the survivors, hidden in a convent in Belgium and then immigrated to the US. There were many ID cards that were not so positive though. The inside of the museum is designed to look like a concentration camp yard, with brick and metal everywhere.. it's very ominous. The most impacting part of the entire museum is the final video, which concludes with eyewitness testimonies from survivors about their rescue, resistance and experiences in the camps. It's unbelievable, but very powerful.

Also got to the Kennedy Center one evening for a swanky cocktail party, the Lincoln Memorial at night, Vietnam War Memorial and Georgetown. We also had a reception at the Mansion on O street, this very eclectic group of old brownstones that line "O" Street and have been joined together - it's a dining room, restaurant, B&B, and antique store/flea market - you can buy anything in entire house, which is filled to the rafters with stuff, plus there are 25 B&B suites available. It's the most interesting and unusual spot - definitely worth a second look. More later..

Fun, Sun and Observations from the Sunshine State

Not wanting to chance the notoriously crap weather in Michigan over Memorial Day, I headed south for the long weekend, this time to Florida... I went with some friends down to Delray Beach, which is sandwiched between Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, on the lower east coast of the state - quite a scenic spot. My friends have a place overlooking Highland Beach, which is gorgeous and remarkably, still quite untouched. At this time of the year, the snowbirds have all flown home, so it's a good time to go, if you don't mind the humidity and warmer temps (which, of course, I don't!) I was surprised at how few people were ever on the beach or in the water. I loved it though - you can walk for miles without ever seeing another person - and it's especially nice first thing in the early morning calm, when the ocean's surface is like glass.. very peaceful.

Delray Beach is about 10 minutes down the road and quite a happening place - complete with it's own Elvis Impersonator, which is something to boast about, I would guess. It's a lively town with a good variety of decent bars and restaurants and pretty affordable, compared to the rest of southeastern Florida. Of course, you can't really escape your fair share of Lawng Islanders, who either live here or just like to hang out and complain here, but there are fewer at this time of the year, than during the winter months, which is a good thing. I always think that the "What not to Wear" team needs to move their show down to Florida and do a little helpful intervention on some of the fashion disasters roaming the streets down there. First of all, there is a huge trend of wearing velour or lame track suits with gold or silver visors and too much bling... then, there is the whole boob fetish, that is really unavoidable - too much boob and not enough clothing, in most cases.. particularly on the ones who paid for theirs..

We did go to this really great bar one night, featuring duelling pianos - I guess it's quite famous in this area - Hugh Jorgans is the name of the place and you can work out your own play on words, because it seems to be the theme of the place once the show starts. I guess if you donate your bra to the bar, you get a free t-shirt, so the entire ceiling of the place is covered with hundreds of bras hanging down. Interesting decor.. and more than a few willing bra donors that evening... Anyway, there are a trio of musicians, who play mainly the two pianos, but also other instruments, and they sing - everything under the sun - it's a really great time and by the end of the evening, things get pretty wild - let's just say we had seen more than we ever wanted or needed to of this out-of-control birthday girl in the front row... she apparently thought she was a stripper that night.. all 300 lbs of her!

Anyway, it was a good trip, but I always think Florida is a bit of an odd place to visit - and maybe it's just because I only ever go there for a quick vacation and really never experience "FLorida" It seems like the place you go to Walt Disney World and to golf and that no one actually lives down there, everyone is from somewhere else and just hanging out, driving Cadillacs and playing bridge.

However, I'll take the sunshine and warm weather any day... I got my yearly dose of Vitamin D - I'll just have to bottle a little for those 268 cloudy days in Michigan the rest of the year.

5 Reasons to Love Returning to Michigan After Your Vacation

1. Guaranteed snowstorms scheduled to coincide with your return from exotic hot holidays (even in April & May) ensure you really appreciate your time away and immediately start planning your next trip.

2. Michigan drivers have perfected the art of tailgating so much that they actually push your car along for you, saving you tons of money on gas (very helpful, when gas is $2.40/gallon) This is especially useful in gale force blizzards, driving winds and other treacherous driving conditions.

3. Since everyone in Michigan drives an SUV, there is always help on the highway during the above gale force blizzard, to rescue the pathetic drivers of smaller, fuel efficient cars not equipped with 4-wheel drive and hunting lights (or to drive right by..)

4. The sun only shines an avg. of 97 days a year, which is very helpful in preventing skin cancer, but perhaps outweighed by the increase in the number of cases of seasonal affective disorder

5. Better stop before I get myself into trouble..


Don't worry - I'm home safe and sound...

Nosara Sunset

Last Day in Paradise

After hearing the latest weather report for Michigan, I'm officially NOT looking forward to returning home. It's bad enough that Midland is nowhere NEAR a rainforest or a nice sunset, but going home to snow and cold temperatures in April is not my idea of a welcome back to spring. Maybe I should just stay and see where the tide takes me... the idea is very tempting...

Yesterday Hayley and I and the kiddies went to a stunning beach a little further down the coast, called Playa Ostional - it's only about a half hour drive away, but the beach is totally different than the others along this coast - the sand is mostly comprised of volcanic rock so it's very black (and very hot when it's 34 degrees out), but thick and so soft your feet disappear as soon as you step into it. THis beach is now a nature preserve because every full moon during the spring (actually it will be tonight), the big sea turtles come up to lay their eggs on the beach - they dig a hole in the sand and lay all their eggs, cover them up and a couple days later they all hatch, leaving the beach covered with the fragile white shells... it's very cool...I'd love to actually see the turtles when they come ashore.

We went to another smaller beach after that, called Playa Palada, which is a more protected beach with interesting tidal pools filled with all sorts of small sea creatures - the waves were still huge though and we got completely bowled over a few times by the force of the water. I still marvel at the fact that the sea is the temperature of a lukewarm bath.. no holding your breath to get in!

I've also been enjoying the great Costa Rica dining fare while I've been here - we've eaten at a fabulous Italian place, called La Dolce Vita, which could have been in Italy, the food was so good (owned by a jovial Italian guy named BoBo). We ate one night at a great "Tico" restaurant and tasted some local fare - arrozo con pollo (rice w/ chicken) and gallo pinto (rice & beans) - and of course, as per most tropical countries, the fruit is delicious and mouthwatering-ly sweet - papayas, mangoes, watermelon, you name it.. no chance of getting scurvy here!

I also went to an early morning yoga class one morning at the Nosara Yoga Institute it was a very unique experience - the class starts at 8 a.m. and is held in the middle of the jungle, in this outdoor studio, so you meditate on the singing birds and monkeys.. it's great.

I leave today, but will definitely be back to this spectacular spot again soon.

Adios

Hold onto your hats - the Gunacaste winds are blowin'

Apparently, I am experiencing a bit of an unusual weather anomaly this week during my stay... the famed Gunacaste winds, which usually blow during the winter months of Jan/Feb (and which draw surfers to Costa Rica) are making a rare appearance this week - just for me! So, the winds have been blowing like crazy - up to 75 km/hr at some points... and with Hayley's place at the top of the rainforest, it's great for cooling off, but at night it sounds like a jet engine roaring through the house.. However, they are very warm, temperatures are still close to 100... they make for great waves in the ocean though - Oceanna (Hayley's 5-year old) and I spent some of the day yesterday jumping through the surf and dodging jellyfish and other interesting sea creatures.

We spent most of the afternoon at a close friend of Hayley's, who just built this stunning house (I use the term loosely, more like a villa) with an infinity edge pool (those kind that look like they are falling off the side of the patio) way up in the trees - views galore. it's a good routine - morning in the ocean, afternoon lounging by the pool - it's like being on an all-inclusive (except free) vacation - without the tourists..

We went down to the beach for sunset last night, where most of the Nosara community gathers every night to watch the sunset together... it sets really early, and is completely dark by 6:00, which is actually ok, because after 12 hours of blazing sun, it's a bit of a relief for some shade. Anyway, the beach was unbelievably beautiful last night - there was this thick humid mist rolling along the shore that gave the whole thing this kind of dreamlike quality - then there were tons of surfers catching their last minute wave against the brilliant sun, lots of dogs running loose and playing in the surf, plus all the onlookers just chilling out waiting for the inevitable setting of the sun... it was amazing... there's definitely something to be said for this type of lifestyle, let me tell you - no cell phones blaring or rush hour traffic.

And, in spite of the crazy wind, I've been sleeping like a baby every night and waking up early to sometimes catch the sunrise or just listening to the parrots and monkeys sounding their morning alarm. There is a flock of parrots living in the treetops nearby so I'm starting to recognize their calls. It still seems very strange to see this flurry of colour while they all take flight right outside the window.

Anyway, another day in paradise beckons, so I'm off..

Adios

Holy Hotness Batman!

Okay - so maybe I don't need the long pants and the jean jacket I threw in at the last minute... I hate packing for warm weather destinations from cold ones, b/c you always forget how hot hot can be!

I landed at the Liberia airport in northern Costa Rica, to temperatures of 39 degrees (105F) and hot tropical winds - the airport was a one room hangar with the world's largest ceiling fan and no walls! Must be in the tropics now... It was a bit of a hot dusty drive from Liberia down the Nicoya Peninsula to Nosara - the roads leave much to be desired - most of them are not paved and are mainly washboard rock and clay so the vehicles here take a major beating... all you Michiganders would be well prepared here with your big 4 wheel drives, that are so useful in the cornfields of mid-Michigan...

My friend lives in the most gorgeous spot imaginable - her house is way up in this amazing rainforest at the top of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the entire rainforest canopy. There are monkeys in the trees, snakes threading their way through the jungle and we even killed a scorpion last night in the house (very exciting!) The view is really to die for though - last night we watched the sunset from her balcony, and it was this huge red fireball sinking into the water, following by brilliant pink, blue and orange skies..

This is a big mecca for surfers, as well - and although it is now low season so there aren't many people around, the surfers are a constant at various times during the day. The beach here, Playa Giuones, is massive - and deserted - it's a sort of black sand beach, not sandy and white, but very flat and hard, but reminds me of the west coast of Canada - sort of like Tofino, except a thousand times hotter... all I know is the 5 year old I'm staying with can probably surf better than I can, but hopefully I'll remedy this before I leave.

Anyway, the day is calling... so I must sign off... stay tuned for more...
Nancy

Journey to the Rainforest - Ola Costa Rica!

One more week and I'm off to the jewel of Central America - Costa Rica. Sandwiched between Nicaragua to the north and by Panama in the southeast Costa Rica has both a Caribbean and a Pacific coast, so any trip there ensures plenty of beach time.

I'm headed to the Pacific coast, to a fabulous spot on the southwest coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, called Nosara, where my friend Hayley and her husband have a house high up in the rainforest. Coincidentally, I have already had the good fortune to have visited Nosara in the past. In 2000, my sister and I travelled for several weeks in CR, mainly the Nicoya Peninsula, and Nosara was our favourite spot on the entire coast - how lucky that my friends keep having the good sense to set up house in the best locations!

My plan isn't too ambitious - I feel the need for serious chill-time, I'm in winter recovery mode and Costa Rica is just the pace I'm looking for at the moment.

Stay tuned for more about my adventures with the Ticos..and visits with the monkeys.

Mojitos and more...

After a delay in Toronto, we arrived in Varadero quite late and to the aftermath of a torrential downpour, so everything was a bit damp, but still very warm. It was still about 25 degrees at 11:00 at night, which worked for me!

Our hotel was located along the Varadero Peninsula, a narrow strip of land with about 50 all-inclusive resorts along the shoreline. Brisas di Caribe, our hotel, was this coral coloured, very festive looking place, with a big bar and seating area at the entrance, 4 large pools and a great beach. I forgot that we were actually on the north side of Cuba though, so rather than facing the Caribbean Sea, we were on the Atlantic, so the water was quite a bit cooler than it would have been were we on the south side of the country. It's all relative though - compared to the Atlantic or the Pacific in Canada, it was still like bathtub water! Because of the time of year though, the nor'westers blow in from the sea, so it was quite windy the entire trip, which is apparently common at this during the winter months.

The whole Cuba experience is a very interesting one. It's sort of a catch-22, because it's very sad and a bit depressing to see how the Cubans live under their 46th year of the embargo - (they call it the Triumph of the Revolution, but you really don't see much to be triumphant about), but on the flip side, the embargo is also what makes the country quite interesting. When we landed, the pilot reminded everyone to set their watches back 50 years, and that's exactly what it was like. Although tourists are definitely insulated a bit from the experience, the minute you step outside your resort, you see the injustice everywhere. The Cubans themselves live in crumbling stone or cinder-block homes that are desperate for a coat of paint, and very few individuals have cars it seems, particularly outside of Havana.

One of the first things you notice, of course, are the cars - lost of vintage Fords and Chevs from the 50s - I generally saw most of the them with their hoods up or burning oil, but everywhere you look there are lots of old vehicles. I guess it's quite the feat trying to keep them running, with no access to AMerican parts - lots of creative auto maintenance going on I think.

We spent a day in Havana (or Habana as they spell it) and it was amazing.. the city really must have been something in its heydey because it has this elegant undercurrent, in spite of the decaying buildings and abandoned streets. The government has been making a big effort to rejuvenate the touristy areas, in order to keep attracting visitors, so there are a few parts of the city that are quite spectacular - sort of a cross between Spain and Morocco - very old-world looking, with old cathedrals and narrow cobblestone alleys. We visited the hotel and the pub where Ernest Hemingway spent the better part of 20 years drinking mojitos and writing "The Old Man & the Sea". ON the other end of the spectrum, we also visited Revolution Square, a huge open space where Castro gathers the people when he wants to communicate with them. There are several monuments dedicated to the revolution, plus a huge 10 story picture of Che Guevera - in fact, there are pictures of Che everywhere you look in Havana.

More later

Cuba Bound!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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.

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!

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!