We have each approached the trip from a different viewpoint. Kelly loves to find the animals in each place. There was the myna bird in the store in Cortona, the cat that could jump up on shelves and not knock anything over in the ceramics shop in Orvieto. Also in Orvieto was the cage with the blue and yellow parakeets - we would look out of our hotel window and it would just appear in the second story window across from the courtyard garden. After a few hours the birds were taken back inside. Since she loves cats, Kelly has notcied cats wherever we go. She has seen black kittens in yards, the big black and white cats just lazing behind the counter with the old lady clerk at the book store at the Accademia in Florence or the cat noisily meowing behind the posters. At Bar Duomo in Orvieto we sat outside and the cafe cat wandered among tables just waiting for food to drop on the ground. Of course, in Venice there were those pesky pigeons that she and Bob insisted on feeding. The pigeons landed on B &K anyplace they could alight ...their shoulders, their backs, their arms, their heads. The pigeons divebombed me while I took pictures. They left little scratch marks on Kelly's arm and on Bob's head. (Of course, I immediately took the sanitizing wipes and gave them both a good going over!). In France it was dogs that we saw everywhere. In Paris cafes the dogs were curled up beside their owners and walking everywhere with their owners. Some dogs were leashed, others would walk slightly in front of their person and constantly check back to make sure their person was still there. In Ribeauville , the storks in giant nests on the buildings in town and then at the animal rehab park kept K's interest. They were joined by peguins, otters, and little birds that we saw at the amphitheater just before we left the park.
I, on the other hand, love to sit and people-watch. Nothing makes me more content that finding a table in an outdoor cafe, getting a latte, and watching the people go by. I enjoy going into the weekly town markets and seeing the different sections where there are the fresh flowers and colorful vegies, the golden honey from local hives, the cheeses. The fresh meat booths are pretty gross, but interesting. Then there are the sections of the town market that are like a dollar store that has been brought outside. So much effort for such a short selling day for the vendors. Women are going through stalls filled with underwear or kids cloths, people try on clothes, there are rows and rows of purses. it is fascinating. I also like to see the local flora and have stopped many times to get photos of flowers. And my other weakness is the local crafts.
Bob is our most purpose driven and energetic tourist. He has come to see all the major sites. K and I have learned that we just must let him go ahead because he has walked miles in preparation for this trip and he is not to be stopped. He will climb any tower, ride any funicular,
go over any hill, down any narrow street to experience the town. And of course, sampling the local wines and talking to the people who grow the grapes and make the wine is a real highlight for him.
Food has been the unifying element for the three of us. We have had 'melt in your mouth' bufalo mozzarella with homegrown tomatoes and basil for unparalleled caprese salad. I make gnocchi but they never melted in your mouth or were as tiny as baroque pearls. But here in Italy, we've had them with spinach, a little truffle, and cubes of pancetta just cooked in butter and olive oil and they were incredible. We eat a lot of lamb cooked various ways and Kelly always gets a pasta (taglione, stringola, or any other form unknown to us) with duck or beef and it is delicious. The coca cola's are outrageously expensive in restaurants (sometimes 5 euros for a can - that is about 7 dollars). Conversely, the wine is outrageously cheap (sometimes 5 euros for a whole bottle) and so far everything we have tasted has been delicious. Here in Orvieto we have enjoyed the local wines of Vin Santo - a sweet, amber colored dessert wine, the Ovieto whites has been great and cheap, and we keep buying Sangiovese grape local wines and they have been wonderful. Everyday is gelati day whether we are in Venice, Florence, Riquewhir, or Paris. Today we are off to Banfi to a castle / winery where we have reservations for lunch. No wonder our clothese are shrinking!
So far it's been a lucky trip for us. After years of begging, Paula finally got to the Liberace Museum. It was quite an experience. That Liberace was a one of a kind! Kelly, won $69.40 at the penny slots and tonight we go see Cirque de Soliel Beatle's show "Love." Bob has lost at the tables but he lucked out to see the PETA demonstration at the M&Ms store.
It was a relief to leave Houston this morning (at 4:30 a.m.) and get on the open road. In the time since we had lived in Houston (in 1977) it has become very big (just like us!) and very crowded (just like us in the car). Our old apartments were torn down and the Galleria where we used to spend our time is now a mega mall with 3 Gallerias and lots of designer stores. It always had an indoor ice skating rink in the mall but now on two weekends in December the mall has "ice skating in the snow" indoors sponsored by the Emirates. We saw the big fans that blow the snow down onto the rink from the 3rd or 4th level of the mall. As we drive, I like to listen to local radio stations and music and eat at local dives. (an affinity not shared by my companions who love McDonald's and oldies). In the interest of family harmony we take turns irritating each other. So driving through Louisiana we listened to the Cajun station and heard lots of music with accordians and fiddles and the DJ spoke in english and creole. At the Alabama Mexican restaurant we had the biggest and best frozen margaritas. To quote a country music song heard on the car radio this morning "the beer is good but the liquor is quicker." Anyway, back on the road on I-10 we stopped in a little town, Boerne, for breakfast at Guadalajara's Diner, a two person operation that probably used to be a filling station. A lot of these west Texas towns are very stark - but this one had lots and lots of charm on its main street. My huevos rancheros were covered in a wonderful salsa just brimming with jalapenos. Spicy and delish. The tortillas were so fresh. In New Orleans we decided to detour into town and had coffee and warm beignets at Cafe Du Monde - excellent. Tonight in El Paso we ate at a family retaurant that is near the University of Texas at El Paso. I guess that people don't tip much around here. As we were leaving the waiter came to shake Bob hand and thank him (for the 20% tip.). Driving through west Texas the road is straight and flat. If there was a big hill, the engineers just cut right through it and continued the road on the same flat and straight plane. The landscape is empty for as far as you can see and mountain ranges rise up and fall. The hills are covered with scrub and cactuses and the sky was big and blue with a few white clouds. It was hard to believe that the Rio Grande was just parallel (but out of sight from) the road. At sunset the mountains just glowed. No wonder Texas thinks it is a sovreign country unto itself. It is so different from anyplace else in the US.
Greetings from the balmy south. It is so warm here in Mobile Alabama that people were dining out on the patio of the restaurant where we had dinner. We opted to stay inside with the mariachi band and our giant margaritas. Today we arrived in time to tour Bellingrath Gardens. On the way to the gardens we saw an actual field of cotton. I don't know why that seems so remarkable - but to someone from the north, it is always surprising to see cotton fields and cotton plants. Anyway, Mr. Bellingrath was one of the 10 original Coca Cola bottlers - and boy did he do well during the depression! The home was built on the Fowl River and it has a little lake. (That's the reflection (at the Japanese garden) in the lake that you see in the picture.The gardens have a special light show for Christmas - and it is gorgeous. We arrived early (surprise!) but as we were leaving the gardens there was a steady stream of cars going to this garden that is in the middle of nowhere. Bob remarked that there wasn't a child left in Mobile because they were all at the garden with their parents and grandparents. We'll post a few pictures. So far we've driven 15 hours. Today there were torrential rains and lots of people (mostly trucks) on the roads. We have so much electronic equipment in the car (portable dvd, 2 digital cameras, laptop, sleep apnea machine, GPS system) that we are probably showing up on radar as a supernova glowing blip of electromagnet radiation fields. The wires from the equipment to the cigarette lighter are constantly getting tangled into a cat's cradle at our feet and Bob, who likes to keep his car meticulous, has not yet been pushed over the edge. But it is just a matter of time.........
Here in Volterra we have also lucked out and been here for the 4th Alabaster festival and exhibition. So we have watched as about 16 young sculptors work outside. I'll post more pictures and save on the writing. 
