Back Home

We arrived safely home after a very smooth flight. It's off to work today (for one of us, anyway.)

It looks like today will be a rainy gray day - very different from italy where it was so sunny and hot. In Cinque Terre we would wash out our laundry and hang it on the terrace (it's OK - there were clotheslines - it's a beach town) and it would bake and dry in the sun in about 2 hours. Also, on the transition fro,m Italy to France we took big roads in order to make good time. We paid over 100 U.S. dollars in tolls on just that one day. The wine in France may be inexpensive but the roads are very costly: Yesterday we had a lot of fun in wine country. While Bob waited for the mustard factory to open up, kelly and i went into an antique store nearby. Lucky for him we found a big old empty magnum wine bottle that had been used in the vineyards of Du Roy and has a nice label. Sure the thing is the size of a two year old child and weighs just as much - but how could we NOT buy it? The look of shock on his face when he saw us walking toward him was worth the cost. Of course, i've got to figure out how to get it home. Then we visited the last private mustard factory in the region, Moutarderie Fallot. You can buy Fallot mustard all over the world. We made our own mustard and sampled about 4 different kinds including gingerbread and black currant. Very tasty: Then we drove through acres and acres of grape vineyards and ate at a local bar where kelly and i and the waitresses were the only women. The food was delicious. Of course the wine was in an unmarked bottle. Then we toured a cassis factory and sampled a lot of liquers. Today we are off to Aboise and touring Chateaus. The team is here to go to breakfast - gotta run.

Back in France

Just quick update. Yesterday we left sunny Italy and the Mediterranean and drove through the Alps - through the long, long Mont Blanc mountain tunnel - tunnel phobes beware - it is very long. We saw lots of snow and a huge glacier and ended up here in Beaune. In Italy people either yelled at their spouses or mumbled to themselves as they walked away from the table: Here in France they love to insult you to your face. A really common retort from the staff is to answer a question with a sneer and an imperious "Of course!!!!" Yesterday it happened twice. The first time was at our snooty hotel (but we have a bathtub so all is forgiven). I asked the front desk clerk if the hotel had internet. She looked at me like I was the snail that had given her indigestion at lunch and she sneered "of course!" and went back to whatever she had been working on. Thank goodness kelly takes no guff. she waited about 5 seconds and said "so where is it?" Then we were touring some wine cave and Bob asked the guide if he had ever eaten at some little restaurant we are going to today. Guess what he said . Of course (you americaine idiot). -ok he did NOT say the last part. But he said it with great condesension. sp. Today we are off to see how they make cassis and maybe ,make our own mustard and then go to that little restaurant. trip is almost over - just 3 more days and then we all retreat into our own cones of silence: please excuse all the typos. the french insist upon using their own keyboard with all the letters in different positions from the rest of the u.s. and italy, anyway.

Food and Flowers

Our Hotel Stena is set in a lovely garden on top of the hill. These photos show you some of the plants right here at our feet. Just outside our terrace we have these lovely trees laden with lemons. There are also lime trees, plum trees, an orange tree and a cherry tree. We have huge rosemary bushes growing and grape vines and olive trees. The owners told me they use the lemons to make their own lemon preserves and limoncello. When you walk through the garden to get to the streets of town (down many stairs) you brush against the sage, mint, and more rosemary and oregano. In the heat of the day you can smell the herbs. We took the boats to see four of the five (cinque) towns of Cinque Terre. Tomorrow Bob hikes a two hour hike to the fifth town. Kelly and I will take the train. Right now Bob is out on a balcony drinking the sciacchetra (a local sweet dessert wine) fueling up for the hike tomorrow. I'll post some pictures of the beautiful area.

To the Sea

Left Volterra early this a.m. and have finally arrived in Monterosso al Mare. A lot of switchbacks and hairpin turns, getting stuck at the foot of a church in some small town because we could go no further on the narrow streets and voila! we are here. We took a stop en route and went to Pisa which is the most crowded tourist stop we've made. We quickly left there and tried to find Cararra. We found the town but not the marble caves so we had to content ourselves by just seeing the marble peaks of the mountains in the distance and the giant blocks of marble piled up looking like giant white sugar cubes at the marble companies along the autostrada. We are at another Wolf-recommended hotel. Like the others it is lovely and located high on a hill in the town. So before you can get into the limited access city you (I) must hike straight up a hill to the hotel office and get an access card. Going to a Wolf hotel is like taking an intense cardio class. The Mediterranean Sea is at our feet. Nice place!

Towers of San Gimignano

Volterra and San Gimignono

We are in the hill countries and prices have just dropped by about one third! Today we drove to San Gimignano, a town that used to have 80medieval towers because everyone needed a place to hide. Now there are about 17 towers and

it was a big medieval festival weekend. So we saw the four "tribes" assemble in the town square to much pomp and circumstance and blessings and rivalry and horses and people in medieval garb. Those were the days!

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.

Tripping through Europe - literally

Thanks to the cobblestone streets and the unmarked, variable height stairs, everywhere you look - people are tripping. At first I thought it was just us being clumsy - as we usually are. But in these old streets even the lithe, beautiful, well dressed and seemingly poised are twisting ankles, falling off steps and tripping or stumbling in their designer shoes. It really is wonderful to see. Now about the bathrooms here. They must have been designed for those ancient Etruscans who were supposedly very tiny people. At our current hotel room you must walk down two step stairs of travertine marble (that is the kind of marble that has no marks to make it stand out visually). So, if you aren't paying close attention you will miss those two big steps and tumble into the actual bathroom. There's no where to roll though because the bathroom is literally 4 foot wide and 7 feet long. Lined along the wall ( side to side - with no space in between) is the sink, the bidet, the toilet and the shower. So, to go to use any facility in the bathroom you must get down those two camoflaged steps. From the bottom of the two steps - you pivot your body 180° and sidle on down to which ever item you want to use. The toilet paper is directly BEHIND the toilet on the left so it is necessary to do some advanced yoga poses to get to the paper. The shower is the size of a small apartment refrigerator - with no freezer. It is in a plastic stall that has 2 hard plastic sliding doors that slide together at a 90° angle. It is necessary to get in and out sideways. If you drop the soap - forget it - there is no room to bend down. Apparently this design was considered the top of the line because it has been most of the hotels where we have stayed. So far in our trip we have had just one room with a bath tub. We were all so excited and just felt that we were living la vida loca that we took a couple baths each day. that hotel (in Orvieto) also had a scarce commodity - an elevator. It's no wonder we LOVED Orvieto. Well, it is a beautiful day outside so Kelly and I need to get off the internet and join bob at the table outside. It is quite odd to be using the internet in a wine bar-internet cafe that is built right over Etruscan ruins. In fact the floor of the bar is glass so that you can see the old silo and ruins that are below. We are at www.webandwine.com - so maybe you can see a picture - if you wish.

View of "The Abbey" from Orvieto

Random Thoughts

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!

Orvieto

Orvieto is our new favorite town. The views of the surrounding land is breathtaking. It is high on a hill and has a huge funicular for those who arrive down at the train station at the bottom. The Cathedral is our favorite because it has the most intricate facade with columns that have gold mosaic and have plants like figs, grapes, acorns carved twisting going up the columns. Kelly and I have quickly adapted the Italian custom of getting out of the afternoon heat and taking a nap in the afternoon. Bob continues to sightsee and brave the weather. This morning he walked down the hill to see a huge well that is a double helix design so that people /donkeys can go up and down at the same time. Kelly and I sat out in the square at a restaurant and had cool drinks while we listened to an old man in front of the cathedral play "Ave Maria" on his violin (for tips) about 20 times. We watched as swallows swooped around the top of the cathedral. This was also an Etruscan town and the Etruscians dug caves under the town. So now, when you buy a house in the city you are also getting any cave that is underneath. It was a fascinating, cool trip, as we walked under the existing city. During WWII the train station at the bottom of town was bombed but the cathedral was spared and the people from the bombout area came up the hill and used the caves for bomb shelters. The Etruscans also used the caves which had little windows in them - to raise pigeons - which they ate. Here is what Bob wrote to a wine buddy: "went to a gelateria\bar before dinner in orvieto. asked waitress for a class of white wine. she says her father makes the wine. it was wonderful. five grapes in it. i go in and ask if it is for sale. no lable on bottle. the father can,t speak english. he offers his grappa and vin santo. both good, but i am not a grappa person. his white was better than the white we got at dinner. i cannot believe how cheap the wines are. the restaurant tonight had a 1998 dal forno romano amarone for 200 euros. cheap but I could not spend the money." The wine is incredible and so is the food - lots of homemade pasta and gelati. We cnàt post pictures from here but we will add some tomorrow. There is no internet cafe in town and we must use the computer at the hotel front desk. We're thinking about all the graduations that we missed and wishing the graduates well.

Umbria - Assisi

Driving from the Tuscan region to the Umbrian region brought a lot of change in the scenery. Here in Umbria everything is lighter, not so dark as in Tuscany. The Tuscan roofs are made of the dark terra cotta and the buildings are of stone that is the Burnt Siena color. However, here in Umbria the stone and clay is much lighter. When we woke up this morning and looked down from our hotel on the hill the whole city looked very light, with creamycolors and light taupe and pale yellow. The roofs are also a very light cream so the city gives a completely different appearance. Last night at sunset the town took on a pale pink glow as the setting sun brought out the pink that is in the rocks. The town of Assisi is getting ready for the pope to visit in 2 or 3 days so work is going on everywhere. At St. Francis basilica they are preparing a huge covered stage and even putting down wood laminate flooring for the temporary event. We toured the basilica this morning and were quite impressed by the frescoes. It is fun to see the Franciscians walking through the town. I forgot to tell that at the Etruscan museum yesterday we learned an interesting fact. We were looking at an exhibit with huge terracotta urns that were used to store grain. The exhibit mentioned that the Etruscans made sure to have urns filled with grain to feed the dormice. When I asked the curator what that meant, he said that they liked to fatten up the mice --- because they ate them. On that note, ciao!

Under the tuscan sun

On the way from Siena to Assisi we took a detour to Cortona which is the town that was the inspiration for the book-movie Under the Tuscan Sun. Well, you can just imagine how many times I have been mistaken for Diane whats-her-name! This area is just loaded with history because the Etruscans were here, the Romans were here, the Italians were here and everybody just kept fighting and building on top of the old city and cemeteries. Everywhere they dig, they come up with artifacts. We had a tour of the beautiful Etruscan museum. This is quite an agricultural belt and we have driven through fields of grapes, and golden wheat and other plants. Then of course, there are lots of olive groves all around. The town is surrounded by a wall because the town was always being attacked. From one of the main squares in town yoou can get a panoamic view of the area. This town is up so high that they have built escalators (not working, of course) to help you walk up from the perimeter.

On another topic - at the beginning of the trip we were horrified to look at the pictures we had taken of ourselves. Now we are quite used to our appearances - so we are getting goofy. For example, we visited the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum in Florence and discovered some priceless paintings that had previously been undiscovered. i believe we had relatives in Italy at the time of Leonardo - take a look at these photos for distinct similarities.

Today in Siena

Today in Siena we knew we were either very safe or very vulnerable. As we walked to the Duomo (yes, there IS a Duomo in every town) we saw lots of police and police dogs and police cars. Streets were blocked off and police cars kept coming through. It turns out the heads of state of Italy and Germany were meeting at the building across from the Duomo. The odd thing is that I was looking around on the rooftops for police but there did not seem to be any. Anyway, they had their party and around lunch time the motorcade whisked everyone through the narrow streets and life went on. Yesterday's drive through the Tuscan countryside was beautiful. I will post photos when we get to a faster, cheaper computer in a cafe that isn't 95°. All these internet places are run by young guys who weigh about 85 lbs. and have never had a hot flash in their lives. Anyway, I digress, we stopped in Greve, a little town in Chianti and they have a wine museum so we spent quite a bit of time there and they also have a debit card system for getting wine tastings. Also, in the town square, there was a book market. Lots of people selling old books AND musical performances throughout the square that day. It was lovely. We got into Siena with no problem and have enjoyed the incredible architecture and the Il Campo, the huge bricked "floored" town square. it slants like an amphitheatre so people just sit around it or lie down and watch the activities. Yesterday there were a bunch of young men waving a huge flag and banners that said "Napoli". They went on with their cheering for hours - which is about the same amount of time that it took to get served a drink at one of the cafes surrounding the square. The town still keeps its medieval traditions and twice a year they have horse races and crowds gathered right in the square. It is a time for the different regions to compete for the Numero Uno bragging rights. Gotta run - Bob and K are probably on their 3rd gelati by now.

Firenze

Today was a crowded day in Florence. Luckily Mr. Organized had already secured reservations for us to see the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia where we saw that great big hunk of man in all his glory: David. After our first tour and a huge lunch of delicious pizzas (we each ordered our own because you never know what size they will be) These pizzas turned out to be huge. Nevertheless, Bob and kelly went to get gelati (we have a minimum daily requirement of at least 2 gelatis a day a piece. While they were getting the dessert I headed into the street market that I had read had the best haggling for prices. After spending some time there I wandered into a big building that is a marketplace. On the first floor were stalls with fresh meat, cheese, wine and fish. There were whole geese with their heads with feathers still on, huge sides of meat, monstrous pieces of tripe. On the second floor was all fresh fruit and vegies. I've never seen so many different kinds of mushrooms - you could smell them as you walked by. It was a mass of humanity and a lot of fun. I guess the locals all come there on Saturdays to get their fresh foods. And of course there were many stalls where people were just standing around drinking coffee. In the evening we headed to McDonald's for dinner because Bob could not face prosciutto one more time. As we walked around town we noticed more and more of the street vendors who , at the sight of a policecar, scatter like cockroaches. They wrap up their "designer" purses and fold up cardboard displays of "designer" sunglasses and flee from the police. Then, as soon as the police are down the street, they emerge from who knows where. it is a constant game of cat and mouse all evening. We also were treated to a street parade through town. The Guiseppe Verde Filomonica de Ligne was made up of men and boys of all ages, and their daughters were majorettes who twirled batons. The band started playing and marched through town and their family members and spectators marched along. It was a real treat. Tomorrow we leave for Sienna. Apparently mapquest says that even though it is just an hour away - it involves about 60 steps.

Dissed at the Duomo

This morning we set out from Venice and we actually arrived in Florence without too much heartache. We only got lost once after we got off the autostrada (big road) and it was on a real road, not even a goat trail. Florence is terribly crowded but our Hotel Casci is in a great location. It is right in the oldest part of town about 2 blocks from the Duomo - a famous church. In Italy church visitors are not allowed to dress provocatively - that USUALLY means no shorts or sleeveless shirts. We decided to take a walk and had on shorts and sleeveless shirts. When we saw there was just a short line at the Duomo we decided to try to go in. You must pass by two male guards who do security and decide if you are proviocatively dressed and need to be covered with these big paper ponchos. The two young women in front of us in line were given the big paper ponches - they had on tank tops. When it was our turn, I stepped up to the guards and apologized for the sleeveless shirts - expecting to be given cover-ups for me and kelly. Well, he had the nerve to say "No Problem" and waved us through! Apparently we were not provocative enough to warrant coverups! How insulting! Ergo, Dissed at the Duomo. Luckily I was able to make myself feel a little happier by buying a Louis Vuitton purse from a street vendor for $60 Euros. He told me it was real and even showed me the label! :) Can you believe my luck? I also tell the vendors that my husband is really mean and mad. And sure enough when he finally finds me in a store or at a vendor, he shows up looking mean and mad and I think he scares them. Anyway, it seems to work for everyone. Luckily the wine continues to be really good and really cheap. We had a bottle at dinner and then went to an outdoor cafe that had music and we had a bottle of local dessert wine - so Bob was pretty easy to convince to ante up the money for the purse. Also, we saw a young woman from Russia singing on the street. she had the most beautiful voice and quite a crowd had gathered around her. We bought her CD. No doubt she doesn't have a visa to work because she had such a beautiful voice that I would have expected her to be singing someplace really special. The streets are full of young people hanging around the Duomo and there are also losts of tourists around.
Our last night in Venice (last night) was incredible. It was the opening night for a major art exhibition (the Venice Bienniale Exhibit) that occurs only every two years. Artists and critics from all over the world come to Venice and it happened that last night was the opening night. So there were parties all over the city. Apparently, anyone who was anyone was going to a gala. We took vaporettos up and down the Grand Canal and we were surrounded by really well dressed people who were on their way to parties. The women were in fantastic designer dresses - none were long gowns but they were made of silk and the most beautiful fabrics. You could just tell they were designer dresses. Along the canal you could look inside the buildings because they were lit up inside and outside after dark. Huge chandeliers hung inside some of the parties. Some rooms were lit by tall candles. Some of the palacios had door men dressed like old Venetian gentlemen or dressed like gondoliers to greet the party goers as they arrived from the canal. Candles or lanterns were along the water and the parties spilled out of the buildings on the entrances from the canal. Other party goers were zipping along the canals in water taxis (very expensive) and some were even in private boats. It was just an incredible evening - even for those of us who were just aimlessly riding on the canals. Venice has been the most fashionable place that we have ever been - even without the big art event. You can imagine how we fit right in with the artsy, well heeled crowd. But, now that I have my own real Louis Vuitton bag I can fit right in!

Venezia

A rainy day in Venice but we took a vaporetto ride to Murano (glass making) island and Burano (lace making) island. We went to a third island to see a really old church (1100s) with beautiful mosaics but it started to pour. So K and I stayed on the boat and met our fellow passengers who also didn't want to drown on a tiny island. Bob went on ahead and came back soaked but that was OK because the the boat was leaking anyway. We had a delicious lunch in Venice and the waiter used great flare to cut up and debone my grilled sole. We drank another bottle of great and cheap wine. Bob then went to the local laundramat to do the laundry while K and I took a little nap. When we went to find him an hour later - HE WAS IN CHARGE AT THE LAUNDRAMAT! We walked in to find him running the machines, directing everyone in what to do. Making change, watching over people's laundry so that they could go grab a cafe latte. He was the GO TO MAN. We were very proud and are hopeful that he will have a future job at home. Yesterday we toured St. Mark's Square and were overwhelmed by the beauty of the mosaics. The Catholic church certainly had a major hand in the development of so much art. Last evening we sat in St. Mark's Sq outside the Hotel florian and listened to a 4 person orchestra and enjoyed the evening. We also got some great pictures of cops kicking an artist out of the square and it was fun watching the people. I have seen some incredible fashions - but not a skort in the whole bunch. Can it be that skorts will be in season NEXT season and we ladies are just ahead of the crowd? I like to think so. Our room in Venice is the 3rd floor but that means you must walk up 4 double flights of steps! We try to consolidate trips. This morning, before the rain, it was laundry day in Venice. Laundry lines were strung across the narrow canals on the back streets and laundry was hanging. The streets are so narrow that sometimes you can only walk in single file. I will post Venice pictures after we get to Florence tomorrow and have a chance to download the files. Until then I will post some more photos from the Lake Como area and the places we saw in Bellagio and Varenna (before we had that run in with the goats). Stop me before I eat again!

A Lost Day

Yesterday, tuesday, we were hopelessly lost - no matter where we tried to go. the GPS system kept going out in the tunnels and we were so confused we didn't know which way we were headed. We left Ravenna early in the morning so that we could arrive in Venice at mid-day. Somehow we got turned around the headed into the hills outside of Ravenna (surrounding the Lake Como) this photo was snapped at a low point in Bob's drive. here is the scene: We are lost on a windy very narrow road that is hairpin turning up the mountain. A truck is riding on our bumper, i have just asked Kelly for a car sickness bag because i was feeling horrible from the twists and turns. We look up ahead on the road and in addition to seeing little shrines (no doubt for the people who have been killed while on this road) we see a family of goats in the middle of the road!

The truck driver laid on his horn when we slowed up to be sure we didn't hit the goats. Also, we saw a man carry a big twig basket on his shoulders. We had temporarily left the 21st century. We did arrive in Venice. but it was about 3 or 4 hours later than we had hoped. We took a v apporetto into town and then we had to pull our luggage all over until we found the hotel. we once again became hopelessly lost - Venice is like a maze of tiny streets and canals. I'm posting photos from Varenna, Bellagio on Lake Como and some from Venice.

Bellagio

We took the passenger ferry from Varenna to Bellagio this morning. We climbed up to the part of town that is on the hill and found an internet cafe/wine bar/restaurant. It has something for everyone in the family. Bob and Kelly are downstairs eating and drinking while I use the internet on the balcony. Yesterday I incorrectly said we had stopped in Turino. I was wrong - it was Lugano. Yesterday we went to the Lion's Club festival that was in the town of Varenna. It is called a Passeggiata Gastronomica. For 15 Euros you get a book of tickets that will give you food at food tents throughout the town. Since it was for charity we bought 3 tickets. At the first stop you had a plate of appetizers and a fruit punch. At stop number 2 (about 10 steps away) you got a plate of antipasti, hard rolls and a glass of wine. At stop number 3 (a climb down steep steps and down to the harbor) you got a huge portion of polenta and salami and a glass of wine. The polenta was being made in what looked like small cement mixers. At Station 4 across the square you got a plate of local cheeses on bread and crackers and guess what! You got another glass of wine! Station 5 was Dolci - a plate of assorted cookies and fruit tarts for everyone - but NO WINE! Station 6 was Glace - ice cream (Kelly was able to eat the glace but by that point Bob and I had had enough.) Station 7 was cafe (coffee) with either grappo or cognac. Since Bob doesn't drink coffee, I had his ticket. So I got a cafe with grappo and one with cognac. Finally station 7 was espresso which I vaguely remember drinking. The walk up the hill and up the inclines to the hotel was harder than it was in the morning. We had a light dinner that night. Today is a beautiful sunny day in Bellagio - we're just enjoying the scenery and the weather.

Italia -the motherland

We left rainy, cloudy Lucerne and drove through the shrouded Alps. We drove through many long tunnels through the mountains and then we went through a 10 mile tunnel (warning to tunnel-phobes : it went on forever) and we emerged into the SUNLIGHT! We could actually see the little houses in the mountains and the water just running down the mountain sides. We stopped in Turnino Switzerland which is on a lake. The water was reflecting the mountain forests so it was the most beautiful forest green. All the lakes are so clean that you can see to the bottom and you can see the fish swimming around. Turino is in Switzerland but the culture is italian. Many well dressed older ladies looked fabulous just to walk into town or walk their dogs. Then we headed to Lake Como and got lost - just couldn't find the ferry to get us across the lake from Menaggio to Revenna where we had booked a room at the Eremo Guadi. Well, from the ferry we saw the hotel perched high up on the steep mountainside. The Wolfs had stayed at the hotel but they forgot that they are very physically fit, they bike, swim, hike. We DeRoy's drink wine and use the computer so the trip up the mountainside to the building with our room was quite a challenge. Bob manuevered the car through the narrow old streets and up the hill to the hotel reception building. From the reception building we took a finicular/incline STRAIGHT UP THE MOUNTAIN! Then we got off the incline and had to take ANOTHER ONE even higher up the mountain to get to our building. We dragged our luggage off the funicular and into the building that used to be a monastery. The manager met us in the building and then led us out the building, down a garden path of rock and down stone stairs to the entrance to our room. We dragged our luggage along in stages and when we arrived at our room we had the most beautiful view of the lake and the towns of Varenna below us, Menaggio across the lake in one direction and Bellagio across the lake in the other direction. This morning, Sunday, we could hear a cuckoo in the trees. We walked into Varenna town square where there is a Lion's Club festival taking place. The club has set up tents all over the little town with antipasti, glace, apertifs and who knows what else for sale (but I plan to find out). There is a band playing and it is a beautiful Sunday morning. We stopped to tour a garden and use the internet at a villa and we'll head back into town to the festival and then go see a falconry exhibit at the castle that is even higher than our hotel on the mountain.
Tomorrow we take the ferry to Bellagio as everything in Varenna is closed on Mondays.

Success on a rainy day

Fueled by Swiss wine, raclette (cheese that is put under a heater on your table and when it melts you scrape it off and put it on bread, cooked vegies, boiled potatoes, pickled onions and gherkins) and chocolate fondue for dessert, we successfully downloaded photos to share. Since it is so rainy we are heading back to the hotel to hunker down for the night. Tomorrow we head to Italy - bright and early!

Swiss Misses

Today is a rainy, gray day in Lucerne. We had a wonderful time in Alsace but couldnät find any place to upload pictures. We will try again here today. Alsace was full of tiny medival towns. Our hotel was outside the walls of the sity of Riquewihr. Our room looked out the back to a hillside of vineyards. there were wineries and vineyrds everywhere. Also strawberry fields and fields of corn starting to grow. we would see castles in the Vosges Mountains. A favorite stop was at Ribeauville where re returned to a couple times. There are storks that live in giant nests perched on the top of the houses. We went to a stork rehabilitation center outside of the town. Apparently in the 70's the storks were becoming endangered. they were being killed in their migrations to Africa. so the center was established to keep the storks from migrating. if they were keep in one place for 3 years they would lose their migratory instinct and stay in place and have babies. when the baby storks hatched they would be born with the migratory instinct. it was quite a fascinating place and just lovely to see giant storks gracefully soaring overhead and landing onto trees that were full of nests. It was in Alsace that Bob could have his beloved Tarte Flambe, a regional favorite of cheese, onion, bacon on a very very thin crust. wash that down with some alsacian wine and your have a lovely meal. cinnamon is unexpectedlz ( to us) used to flavor a lot of food. We bought a bottle of liquer that has the flavor of anise and cinnamon. Kelly ordered a hawaaian pizza at a little rerstaurant in Ribeauville and it had cinnamon sprinked on it.
We have decided that the French must have a screening process to limit the waiters and waitresses to only very voilatile personalities. (similar to the way you check a puppy to see if it is passive or aggressive.) We had stopped at the Autopark for a snack on the way to Lucerne. I walked up to the coffee bar and asked for a cup of tea. When the waitress poured the hot water into a big china cup, I said "no, take away, sil vous plait." You would have thought I had called her mother a horrible name! Her eyes widened - she expelled a lot of air, grabbed a regular coca cola paper cup and dumped the hot water into the paper cup and shoved it at me with great flouish. Luckily the cup didn^'t melt in my hand. Tres interesting. Just when we were starting to minimally function in French, they are speaking German here in Switzerland and we just stare blankly when people start talking.
We were not even stopped at the Swiss border, we were just waved on through. We drove between rolling green hillsides and through long tunnels. the tunnels here have exits or escapes which surprised us. the Alps loomed ahead as we drove into Lucerne. Our lives( and marriage) have been saved by the GPS system that we brought with us. We heard it is 90° in DC It's about 50° and rainy here. We are off to have fondue and raclette for lunch today. K and I will try to uplad pictures - but we canät promise anything.