We have reached the easternmost point in our trip here in Amorgos. We traveled here by ferry from Santorini (it takes about an hour or so). We were both pretty nervous on the way as we hadn't booked any place to stay and we couldn't find much on the Internet. Yet, as it often happened to us on this trip, the things we couldn't control became the most fun. When we arrived at 11:00pm we met a group of locals holding pension signs along the port. After deliberating in front of a couple of different people offering us accommodations, we decided on one and rode with the lady who was representing it in her car a short distance to Pension Maria.
At night we thought Katapola, the small port town we are staying at on Amorgos, was a bustling city, like Fira, or any of the other places we have stayed. The next morning we woke up to the sounds of roosters and doves and not scooters, quads, cars, or loud voices. We walked up the hillside of Katapola and were done in about 10 minutes. It is wonderfully quaint here, a nice break before heading home.
Yesterday, we had decided on renting a scooter, but faltered on that when we witnessed a young girl slide and scrape up her legs pretty badly about two feet away from us as we sat along the shore. So we rented a quad instead. We traveled up to the small town of Aigialis on the northern part of the island (20km) and beach-hopped a bit. In the evening, we had dinner at a place along the port here in Katapola and warded off stray cats as we ate. There are dozens here. Some are nice looking, while others are more scruffy.
Today we traveled to the cliff-side monastery of Chosoviotissa on the eastern side of the island before turning in our quad. The monastery clings to the rock, much like the Anasazi dwellings in the US Southwest. It holds the famous (?) Mary icon, which supposedly performs miracles. Better yet is the treasury, which holds old vestments from the 1100s and later, and the water, brandy, and Turkish delight they give as a refreshment to those who make the hike up.
Tomorrow, we start the long journey home: ferry to Athens, depart Athens at 3:00am, and a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam. This may be the last you'll hear from us before we get back. Thanks for reading and sharing the trip with us!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
We've Washed Up on Santorini
We are currently on the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea. This is island paradise with its white washed houses, blue domed Greek Orthodox Churches and warm beaches. The common way to get around is to rent a scooter or quad. We will do likewise tommorow. We have our own room at Pension George. It is very nice as far as pensions go: pool, marble floors, AC, TV, pleasant service.
Our trip from Rome to Athens took two days of traveling. We rode the train from Rome to Bari and then got aboard a Ferry at 8:00 pm. We were both suprised when we only had to pay 30 euros each to stay in a couchette with our Eurail pass--well worth it since the other alternatives are buying an expensive cabin or sleeping (or more likely not sleeping) on the deck in a sun chair. The Ferry was very much like a cruise with Internet access, a pool, a disco, a restaurant and a few cafes. The ship arrived at the port of Patras on the western side of Greece the following day at noon. From there we rode a train to Athens (that took about 5-6 hours). We laughed a bit at the end of the train ride because some Greek men were all to accomodating in helping a couple of pretty girls from Toronto find their way to their hostel. One man even inquired where they were staying and physically walked them to the Metro.
Athens was stupidly hot...around 45C, which is about 113F. We spent the first evening on the roof top of the hostel our studio apartment was affiliated with taking in the view of the Acropolis lit up at night. The insane heat, plus our weariness of traveling slowed us down quite a bit. We managed to see the Parthenon and other amazing buildings commisioned by Pericles during the Golden Age of Athens, the Ancient and Roman Agoras, and the bazzar-like shopping district of Monastraki. The other parts of our two day stay there were spent hiding from the heat in our studio apartment. We also tried to go out of our way to obtain our Ferry tickets in advance. We made a four hour trek outside of Athens in search of the Ferry office in Glyfada, only to meet some nice men at the end of the Metro line who with a map told us at 7:00pm that we were still too far from the office and too late. Frustrated, we returned back to our hostel hungry and worried about our departure the next morning at 8:00 am.
That morning we got up around 4:45am, having slept little, and got on the Metro when it opened at 5:30. We rode to the port of Piraeus and found an office that sold tickets for Aegean Speed, our Ferry to Santorini. When the sleepy attendant took our confirmation number and easily printed us out tickets our jaws nearly dropped. As we walked out, Amy's eyes got a bit teary. Probably just the diesel from the Ferrys ;o).
We have had lots of great food for very reasonable prices. We have mainly been eating in our hostels/pensions, buying tomatos, cucumbers, and feta for salads and honey and yogurt for sweet breakfasts. In Athens, we ate gyros, Amy's without the Pita, for a good price. The souvlaki meat, as Jerry had told us, is very good (if you like salty and greasy like I do). I have published some photos from Greece to Fotopic. You can view them once they are approved at this location http://rustyandamygoeuro.fotopic.net/c1333355.html
This afternoon we are off to the beach, Amy wants to swim in the warm water and lay on the beach. She has been getting tan with little effort...I am just trying not to get a sunburn, I've been lucky thus far, although I am getting sick of putting on sunscreen. We miss you guys and will see you soon. Be rest assured though, we are taking it E A S Y.
Our trip from Rome to Athens took two days of traveling. We rode the train from Rome to Bari and then got aboard a Ferry at 8:00 pm. We were both suprised when we only had to pay 30 euros each to stay in a couchette with our Eurail pass--well worth it since the other alternatives are buying an expensive cabin or sleeping (or more likely not sleeping) on the deck in a sun chair. The Ferry was very much like a cruise with Internet access, a pool, a disco, a restaurant and a few cafes. The ship arrived at the port of Patras on the western side of Greece the following day at noon. From there we rode a train to Athens (that took about 5-6 hours). We laughed a bit at the end of the train ride because some Greek men were all to accomodating in helping a couple of pretty girls from Toronto find their way to their hostel. One man even inquired where they were staying and physically walked them to the Metro.
Athens was stupidly hot...around 45C, which is about 113F. We spent the first evening on the roof top of the hostel our studio apartment was affiliated with taking in the view of the Acropolis lit up at night. The insane heat, plus our weariness of traveling slowed us down quite a bit. We managed to see the Parthenon and other amazing buildings commisioned by Pericles during the Golden Age of Athens, the Ancient and Roman Agoras, and the bazzar-like shopping district of Monastraki. The other parts of our two day stay there were spent hiding from the heat in our studio apartment. We also tried to go out of our way to obtain our Ferry tickets in advance. We made a four hour trek outside of Athens in search of the Ferry office in Glyfada, only to meet some nice men at the end of the Metro line who with a map told us at 7:00pm that we were still too far from the office and too late. Frustrated, we returned back to our hostel hungry and worried about our departure the next morning at 8:00 am.
That morning we got up around 4:45am, having slept little, and got on the Metro when it opened at 5:30. We rode to the port of Piraeus and found an office that sold tickets for Aegean Speed, our Ferry to Santorini. When the sleepy attendant took our confirmation number and easily printed us out tickets our jaws nearly dropped. As we walked out, Amy's eyes got a bit teary. Probably just the diesel from the Ferrys ;o).
We have had lots of great food for very reasonable prices. We have mainly been eating in our hostels/pensions, buying tomatos, cucumbers, and feta for salads and honey and yogurt for sweet breakfasts. In Athens, we ate gyros, Amy's without the Pita, for a good price. The souvlaki meat, as Jerry had told us, is very good (if you like salty and greasy like I do). I have published some photos from Greece to Fotopic. You can view them once they are approved at this location http://rustyandamygoeuro.fotopic.net/c1333355.html
This afternoon we are off to the beach, Amy wants to swim in the warm water and lay on the beach. She has been getting tan with little effort...I am just trying not to get a sunburn, I've been lucky thus far, although I am getting sick of putting on sunscreen. We miss you guys and will see you soon. Be rest assured though, we are taking it E A S Y.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
From Italy to Greece
Tomorrow we leave Italy for Greece. We have an almost 6-hour train ride from Rome to Bari (on the coast of Italy), then about a 16-hour ferry ride from Bari to Patras (in Greece), then a 3- or 4-hour train ride from Patras to Athens. In short, we're getting on the train at 9 am on Friday and should be in Athens somewhere around 6 pm on Saturday (for those of you who are adding as you're reading, yes, there are some gaps between arrivals and departures :o). Woo-hoo!
Italy has been great and hot. While Rusty's complexion prefers the cloudy drizzly Swiss Alps, Amy's skin really enjoys the Italian sun. Nearly everyone in Italy has treated us very warmly, with the exception of the bus drivers. I don't know if it's us or if they're just generally unhappy, but they haven't gone out of their way to help us. Oh well...it's been kind of a fun game trying to get what we need from them.
Today we started by seeing the mosaics in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore--Rusty loves those mosaics. After buying a postcard since we couldn't take a picture (clever business move), we hopped on the metro and then a regional train to Ostia Antica, which looked like the boondocks upon arrival. Ostia Antica used to be the main port for Rome, but became neglected when the Tiber River shifted. We heard about it from a few guide books, one of which said that if we couldn't make it to Pompeii (we decided it was too far away), we should go to Ostia Antica. It was well worth it. We walked in, on, and around ruins dating back to around the time of Christ (the curious should check out http://www.ostia-antica.org/). We saw and trod lightly upon ancient mosaics (guess who got a big kick out of that!) and got an up-close-and-personal view of the old potties. Those guys were geniuses!
Having spent the morning and early afternoon in the blazing sun, we thought we'd head for the catacombs, so we caught a bus out there...well, most of the way out there. We stopped where there was a sign that said "entrance," but we soon discovered that the entrance was a 900m walk along a sunny road. We did make it to the catacombs, where we found relief from the heat in the cool, damp (98% humidity!) tunnels. Without a guide, it would have been extremely easy to get lost.
We strolled along Appia Antica (old Roman main road) for a bit and saw a few more ruins, but quickly decided we'd had enough walking in the sun when we saw a bus bound for our "home" approaching.
Even though we have spent five days here, it would be nice to have more time in Rome. There are more things we both want to see, but I guess we'll have to save them for next time! :o)
When you next hear from us, we'll be in Greece. Our trip is drawing to a close...we leave Greece on July 31!!
Italy has been great and hot. While Rusty's complexion prefers the cloudy drizzly Swiss Alps, Amy's skin really enjoys the Italian sun. Nearly everyone in Italy has treated us very warmly, with the exception of the bus drivers. I don't know if it's us or if they're just generally unhappy, but they haven't gone out of their way to help us. Oh well...it's been kind of a fun game trying to get what we need from them.
Today we started by seeing the mosaics in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore--Rusty loves those mosaics. After buying a postcard since we couldn't take a picture (clever business move), we hopped on the metro and then a regional train to Ostia Antica, which looked like the boondocks upon arrival. Ostia Antica used to be the main port for Rome, but became neglected when the Tiber River shifted. We heard about it from a few guide books, one of which said that if we couldn't make it to Pompeii (we decided it was too far away), we should go to Ostia Antica. It was well worth it. We walked in, on, and around ruins dating back to around the time of Christ (the curious should check out http://www.ostia-antica.org/). We saw and trod lightly upon ancient mosaics (guess who got a big kick out of that!) and got an up-close-and-personal view of the old potties. Those guys were geniuses!
Having spent the morning and early afternoon in the blazing sun, we thought we'd head for the catacombs, so we caught a bus out there...well, most of the way out there. We stopped where there was a sign that said "entrance," but we soon discovered that the entrance was a 900m walk along a sunny road. We did make it to the catacombs, where we found relief from the heat in the cool, damp (98% humidity!) tunnels. Without a guide, it would have been extremely easy to get lost.
We strolled along Appia Antica (old Roman main road) for a bit and saw a few more ruins, but quickly decided we'd had enough walking in the sun when we saw a bus bound for our "home" approaching.
Even though we have spent five days here, it would be nice to have more time in Rome. There are more things we both want to see, but I guess we'll have to save them for next time! :o)
When you next hear from us, we'll be in Greece. Our trip is drawing to a close...we leave Greece on July 31!!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Things have been pretty busy here in Rome. The temperature hit 100F today, or at least that is what we heard. Still, the city is a relic and much of its past is laid bare, unlike other parts of Europe which have confined their past in a hermetically sealed museum. The Roman Forum, the heart of ancient Rome, is the best example of this. We have enjoyed looking at the ruins and imagining what it looked like. Only a quarter of the stones still reside in the Forum. The area was heavily quarried to build churches like St. Peter's and monuments during the Renaissance. The past three days here have been packed. We met Emily and Laura, who stayed only a block away, on Saturday. On Sunday, we checked out the Forum, the Colosseum, Palatine Hill (where Rome's rich and famous lived), and several gelato places along the way.
Monday was the Vatican. We got up early and arrived in the wrong line at 8:00am. We quickly realized we were in the line for guided tour groups and 15 minutes later were in the appropriate line. At 10:00am the Museums opened and we got in at around 10:40. And we were the lucky ones. Even after we had got in the right line, hundreds of other people queued up behind us along the walls of Vatican City. Inside we thought we would beat the crowds by skipping the first part and heading quickly to the Sistine chapel...boy were we wrong. It was already crowded at the chapel and the tours are one-way. After the Sistine chapel we made our way through the crowds back up through part of the tour only to be stopped by a guard who insisted that going back through the tour was "impossible." After arguing with him for about a minute (hey its Italy, I thought it was appropriate :o) he let us up the staircase to enjoy the Raphael room, Map room and Hall of Constantine at a better pace. The four of us visited the prison that supposedly held Peter and Paul (Mamertine) before heading back home tired and exhausted. As we played Skip-Bo in our room, the four of us relaxed, shared our miseries of the day, and said our "good-byes."
Today, Amy and I visited the Capitoline Museums, which house a lot of Roman antiquities (the famous head from the statue of Constantine and the statue of Marcus Aurelius on his steed), the beautiful mosaics at St. Maria in Trastevere, the amazingly constructed Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, and the crowded and, as we thought overrated, Spanish steps. With the exception of the Trastevere region, we have seen crowds everywhere. WARNING: the beautiful pictures you see at home are taken either in the mid of winter or very early in the morning. Most places here are packed with people. Still, it is amazing to walk across the same stones as soldiers and emperors of a past but not forgotten empire.
Monday was the Vatican. We got up early and arrived in the wrong line at 8:00am. We quickly realized we were in the line for guided tour groups and 15 minutes later were in the appropriate line. At 10:00am the Museums opened and we got in at around 10:40. And we were the lucky ones. Even after we had got in the right line, hundreds of other people queued up behind us along the walls of Vatican City. Inside we thought we would beat the crowds by skipping the first part and heading quickly to the Sistine chapel...boy were we wrong. It was already crowded at the chapel and the tours are one-way. After the Sistine chapel we made our way through the crowds back up through part of the tour only to be stopped by a guard who insisted that going back through the tour was "impossible." After arguing with him for about a minute (hey its Italy, I thought it was appropriate :o) he let us up the staircase to enjoy the Raphael room, Map room and Hall of Constantine at a better pace. The four of us visited the prison that supposedly held Peter and Paul (Mamertine) before heading back home tired and exhausted. As we played Skip-Bo in our room, the four of us relaxed, shared our miseries of the day, and said our "good-byes."
Today, Amy and I visited the Capitoline Museums, which house a lot of Roman antiquities (the famous head from the statue of Constantine and the statue of Marcus Aurelius on his steed), the beautiful mosaics at St. Maria in Trastevere, the amazingly constructed Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, and the crowded and, as we thought overrated, Spanish steps. With the exception of the Trastevere region, we have seen crowds everywhere. WARNING: the beautiful pictures you see at home are taken either in the mid of winter or very early in the morning. Most places here are packed with people. Still, it is amazing to walk across the same stones as soldiers and emperors of a past but not forgotten empire.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Venice and Florence
We are back in the cities again. We left serene and peaceful Malcesine (known only to English and German tourists) for Venice for a day. Venice, architecturally, is a stupid idea...but very cool. I imagined it being built off of the shore, but it was more like an Island of which every inch of land has been developed. With only a few hours to spend there (it was a few hours or nothing) we walked along the streets from the train station to St. Marcos square. The streets are very confusing and riddled with dead ends and turnarounds due to the limited number of bridges crossing the Grand Canal. San Marcos cathedral and square were a sight to see and nice, but like the island that Venice is built upon there is hardly any free space that is not occupied by tourists or pigeons. Amy and I about threw up when we saw people feeding pigeons out of their hands. That night we took yet another train to Florence, where we have been staying at Pensionato Pio X, a former convent turned into a hostel; at least it looks that way, replete with a single painting of Mary and the baby Jesus on the wall.
Yesterday, we bought advance tickets for the Uffizi gallery (where famous Renaissance paintings are held--The Birth of Venus http://images.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Sandro/images/img59.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Sandro/44venusprintemps_english.html&h=251&w=400&sz=58&hl=it&start=29&um=1&tbnid=DeIEcN07OMnvYM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvenus%2Bsea%2Bshell%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dit%26sa%3DN ) and the Accademia (where Michelangelo's David stands) and headed off to the Duomo. I realized that I made the mistake of wearing shorts and sandals while waiting in line for the top of the Duomo. So, while Amy held our place, I ran back to our hostel and changed only to find out later that it didn't matter and that the church only restricts scantily clad women with bare shoulders. The top of the Dome was amazing. From that vantage point you can see all of Florence. I joked with Amy: "Try to find a roof that's not covered in red tile." She of course did...but that is a matter of opinion. :o) The climb to the top was the best part. Near the end of the climb we went up a very narrow space that had stairs that arched straight up the side of the dome. Claustrophobia!
Following the Duomo, we headed for the Basilica d' San Lorenzo, where we found that it cost non-residents something like 2€ to get in and see the inside. Usury!!! We of course didn't pay and instead walked through the street markets near by. We picked up some souvenirs, Amy bought new shoes and a matching dress...yes, in that order; she is good. The highlight of my day was getting a haircut. The barbershop near San Lorenzo was tended by a old man who spoke no English, but was very happy to serve us. I picked up one of the clipper settings that read 1/4" and the equivalent in milimeters and said, "this one...all around." He nodded and rubbed my head a bit as he thought about where to start. After about 5 minutes his clippers started giving up on him due to the thickness of my hair and I heard him mutter to himself, "mama mia!" I bet he doesn't see too many red devils with thick hair. A friend or neighbor stopped in to chat with the barber for a few minutes and left with an emphatic "Ciao!" As a remedy for my thick hair, he used the scissors to cut it down before returning again to the clippers. To finish, he used a straight edge razor to clean up my sideburns, neck and area around the ears. I have never had a more pristine hair cut. We tipped him 2€ for his troubles and job well done (still unsure of the whole tipping business in Europe...). We finished the evening with a nice meal at a small restaurant.
Today, we visited the Accademia and saw how huge David is...we overheard one tour guide say 16 feet. We saw some nice Renaissance paintings and some unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo. They had a nice collection of old Italian musical instruments...some we have never even seen before, and a small collection of Gothic art, which we are both beginning to loathe--we usually try to find something funny about it to make it more interesting. Tomorrow we visit the Uffizi. Ciao!
Yesterday, we bought advance tickets for the Uffizi gallery (where famous Renaissance paintings are held--The Birth of Venus http://images.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Sandro/images/img59.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Sandro/44venusprintemps_english.html&h=251&w=400&sz=58&hl=it&start=29&um=1&tbnid=DeIEcN07OMnvYM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvenus%2Bsea%2Bshell%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dit%26sa%3DN ) and the Accademia (where Michelangelo's David stands) and headed off to the Duomo. I realized that I made the mistake of wearing shorts and sandals while waiting in line for the top of the Duomo. So, while Amy held our place, I ran back to our hostel and changed only to find out later that it didn't matter and that the church only restricts scantily clad women with bare shoulders. The top of the Dome was amazing. From that vantage point you can see all of Florence. I joked with Amy: "Try to find a roof that's not covered in red tile." She of course did...but that is a matter of opinion. :o) The climb to the top was the best part. Near the end of the climb we went up a very narrow space that had stairs that arched straight up the side of the dome. Claustrophobia!
Following the Duomo, we headed for the Basilica d' San Lorenzo, where we found that it cost non-residents something like 2€ to get in and see the inside. Usury!!! We of course didn't pay and instead walked through the street markets near by. We picked up some souvenirs, Amy bought new shoes and a matching dress...yes, in that order; she is good. The highlight of my day was getting a haircut. The barbershop near San Lorenzo was tended by a old man who spoke no English, but was very happy to serve us. I picked up one of the clipper settings that read 1/4" and the equivalent in milimeters and said, "this one...all around." He nodded and rubbed my head a bit as he thought about where to start. After about 5 minutes his clippers started giving up on him due to the thickness of my hair and I heard him mutter to himself, "mama mia!" I bet he doesn't see too many red devils with thick hair. A friend or neighbor stopped in to chat with the barber for a few minutes and left with an emphatic "Ciao!" As a remedy for my thick hair, he used the scissors to cut it down before returning again to the clippers. To finish, he used a straight edge razor to clean up my sideburns, neck and area around the ears. I have never had a more pristine hair cut. We tipped him 2€ for his troubles and job well done (still unsure of the whole tipping business in Europe...). We finished the evening with a nice meal at a small restaurant.
Today, we visited the Accademia and saw how huge David is...we overheard one tour guide say 16 feet. We saw some nice Renaissance paintings and some unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo. They had a nice collection of old Italian musical instruments...some we have never even seen before, and a small collection of Gothic art, which we are both beginning to loathe--we usually try to find something funny about it to make it more interesting. Tomorrow we visit the Uffizi. Ciao!
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Gluten Free in Italy!
Hello from Italy!
After saying "goodbye" to Emily and Laura (we'll see you again in Rome!), we arrived in Verona. We had directions to take the bus to Malcesine ("Mal-chez-ih-neh" we were corrected) to our gluten free bed and breakfast Domus Alessandra. Little did we know the bus ride would take close to two hours, stop rarely at unmarked stops, and be driven by a driver who didn't want to be interrupted during his cell phone conversation :o). It was a bit nerve-racking, but after a while, I just kept asking, "this stop?" until he nodded affirmatively. We then got directions to walk in the wrong direction, but we knew better, so we didn't listen and got to Domus Alessandra just fine!
Fabio is our host at Domus Alessandra. He has celiac disease just like I do and rents out a room in his house for people like me! Even though we got there late (8:30 pm), he whipped us up a delicious pile of spaghetti with homemade egg noodles--yum! When we had finished, he asked, "Afterwards, would you like to have a fish?" which we both took to mean "go fishing"...you know, "have a fish." We thought that sounded like fun, so we both said, "that sounds good!" A few minutes later, we each had a lovely piece of fried cod and some steamed eggplant. Rusty thought it was so good that he didn't chew very thoroughly and got a bone stuck in his throat! That was a bit scary, but after a little alone-time in the bathroom, he came back and chewed more carefully for the rest of the meal. Breakfast included the first croissant I've had in at least six years! It was greasy, flaky, and delicious!
The house is separated from Lake Garda by beach and a garden. We walk through the private garden to get to the beach. It's fantastic! We leave the window open at night so that we can hear the waves. The weather has been fantastic--sunny and in the 70s.
Tomorrow, we'll head over to Venice for a few hours, then on to Florence.
After saying "goodbye" to Emily and Laura (we'll see you again in Rome!), we arrived in Verona. We had directions to take the bus to Malcesine ("Mal-chez-ih-neh" we were corrected) to our gluten free bed and breakfast Domus Alessandra. Little did we know the bus ride would take close to two hours, stop rarely at unmarked stops, and be driven by a driver who didn't want to be interrupted during his cell phone conversation :o). It was a bit nerve-racking, but after a while, I just kept asking, "this stop?" until he nodded affirmatively. We then got directions to walk in the wrong direction, but we knew better, so we didn't listen and got to Domus Alessandra just fine!
Fabio is our host at Domus Alessandra. He has celiac disease just like I do and rents out a room in his house for people like me! Even though we got there late (8:30 pm), he whipped us up a delicious pile of spaghetti with homemade egg noodles--yum! When we had finished, he asked, "Afterwards, would you like to have a fish?" which we both took to mean "go fishing"...you know, "have a fish." We thought that sounded like fun, so we both said, "that sounds good!" A few minutes later, we each had a lovely piece of fried cod and some steamed eggplant. Rusty thought it was so good that he didn't chew very thoroughly and got a bone stuck in his throat! That was a bit scary, but after a little alone-time in the bathroom, he came back and chewed more carefully for the rest of the meal. Breakfast included the first croissant I've had in at least six years! It was greasy, flaky, and delicious!
The house is separated from Lake Garda by beach and a garden. We walk through the private garden to get to the beach. It's fantastic! We leave the window open at night so that we can hear the waves. The weather has been fantastic--sunny and in the 70s.
Tomorrow, we'll head over to Venice for a few hours, then on to Florence.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Grüezi from the Swiss Alps
We got here yesterday after spending some time in Bern at the Archives des Cantons Bern, the Burgerbibliotek and stopping by in Steffisburg outside of Thun for lunch. The archive and the library in Bern were neat and filled in the missing link I have been looking for in my genealogical research. Steffisburg was quaint and beautiful with wood shingled houses, lots of flowers and trees and small narrow streets. Supposedly, some of my ancestors lived there.
When we got to Interlaken, the connection to Gimmelwald, we took a private rail up to Lauterbrunnen and met Emily and Laura! Laura says "whoot!" We laughed and giggled the whole way up. The best part of the ride was climbing up a sheer cliff face on a gondola.
Gimmelwald, well described by Rick Steves, is on a ledge and has been slated as unavailable for development and is and perhaps forever will be stuck in a semi-village state. Thus far, there has not been much to see other than fog. The four of us are hoping to go for a hike in the Alps this afternoon, although if the weather is not much better we may stay in the hostel and play another round of Phase 10.
We will post some pictures to the fotopic site soon. Check back on that site in a day or so.
When we got to Interlaken, the connection to Gimmelwald, we took a private rail up to Lauterbrunnen and met Emily and Laura! Laura says "whoot!" We laughed and giggled the whole way up. The best part of the ride was climbing up a sheer cliff face on a gondola.
Gimmelwald, well described by Rick Steves, is on a ledge and has been slated as unavailable for development and is and perhaps forever will be stuck in a semi-village state. Thus far, there has not been much to see other than fog. The four of us are hoping to go for a hike in the Alps this afternoon, although if the weather is not much better we may stay in the hostel and play another round of Phase 10.
We will post some pictures to the fotopic site soon. Check back on that site in a day or so.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
