I Remember ... The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Checking out, turning in keys, and settling hotel bills for a group our size all takes time in our morning routine. It gets pretty crowded in the lobby. Once we were settled in our seats many elected to take a nap on the long morning drive.
It's strange to be away from home on the Fourth of July. No red-white-and blue, fireworks, stars -and -stripes. There was only a mention of it on the bus. It makes us a little homesick for family and friends.
Our day's itinerary involved stopping in Pisa with our final destination: Florence.
Last night's storm moved out and it was once again beautiful and sunny. On the road we moved away from the lake area and had a great view of the Alps ... lovely covered in snow. We drove across the Plains of Lombardy and the forested Apennine Mountains. We were making good time but near Genova we encountered traffic problems, slowing us down. It seems like our travels are taking us through tunnel after tunnel.



At 12:15 p.m. we arrived at Pisa and rode a shuttle to the famous Field of Miracles to see the tower. It was nice to see so much green grass ... and there before us stood the the leaning tower, one of Italy's most famous landmarks.
I think I was expecting something much taller. It is nearly 200 feet tall and 55 feet wide, leaning at a five degree angle. Construction started in 1173 and took two centuries and at least three different architects to complete the project. It was a little crooked right from the beginning and each architect tried to correct the problem without success.
The tower was closed in 1990 for repairs and 30 million was spent trying to stabilize it, probably giving it life for several more centuries. We did not climb the tower, but like everyone in the crowd, we took a few crazy poses of each of us trying to hold the tower up. Not so good : (












The heat was intensifying and we knew the perfect cure ... gelato! We boarded the shuttle and headed toward Florence at 1:30.

I Remember ... a Lake Maggiore Afternoon

As soon as we returned to our hotel, we changed in to our swimsuits and headed out to relax by the pool. It was a nice time to read and cool off in the water. Dinner was scheduled at 7:30 p.m. so Walt decided to walk to the nearby town and pick up something for lunch. I dozed in the pool lounger while trying to read my book. I was starting to feel a little fatigued and having an afternoon to rest had been wonderful. Walt was gone quite sometime and I was starting to worry a bit. When he arrived at a local sandwich shop it was filled with soccer fans watching the World Cup game ... Germany was playing. No one took his order or made the sandwich until half-time. Also, during our stay at this resort Walt stopped in a nearby store, the Supermercati Savoini. The staff did not speak English. He was able to describe a few things he was looking for, such as hand cream (Crema Mani) by "playing charades" and using hand gestures. I think he enjoyed his shopping experience there!
Dinner was served at 7:30 p.m. and while we were dining a big thunderstorm moved in. We had front row seats to watch the wind, rain and hear the loud, rolling thunder. Quite an entertaining evening. I remember looking over the menu thinking we were getting scallops ... so looking forward to it -- my favorite. BUT when our server brought it to our table it looked like pork or veal. I guess what we translated as "scallop" was in fact, meat cooked in a sauce. When we asked about this our server rolled her eyes and said, "Mama-mia, Americanos!!!" It made everyone at our table laugh. A little "lost in translation" experience.

We had been looking for another late-night walk but it was still too wet to go out. We were able to buy an internet connection that we could only access from the lobby so I spent the evening posting pictures and emailing family and friends. Walt had an opportunity to watch a soccer game on a big-screen TV and Spain won. Tomorrow morning we leave for Florence.

I Remember ... Lugano, Switzerland

Saturday morning was beautiful, sunny, and warm ... it was hard to leave the paradise of this resort but a road trip was calling us to Switzerland. Passports in hand we boarded the bus for another country. It's somewhat of a long bus ride but filled with winding roads and very pleasant scenery.
Here's a photo of 10-year-old, Jack, a.k.a Mr. Vice President talking to his grandmother. What a trooper! I can only imagine how hard it would be for a boy of this age to sit on a bus for hours at a time. He was amazing ... a delightful guy. We loved getting to know their family ... Mom, Patricia, her three children and grandma.
We crossed the border into Ticino, located in the south of Switzerland and almost entirely surrounded by Italy which lies to its east, west and south. Located at the foothills of the Alps, the atmosphere is very much Italian. It is both alpine and Mediterranean. We were a little disappointed we didn't stop and get out at the border crossing. It would have been nice to have a Switzerland stamp in our passports. We arrived in Lugano at 10:15 a.m. and here's our first glimpse of the area ...

We spent most of the morning on our own at a shopping center. Our brief visit included strolling through the stores, picking up souvenirs and enjoying a few treats. We boarded the bus and headed back to Lake Maggiore at 12:15.





We even found a great place to stay if we ever make a return visit ... Hotel Walter.

I Remember ... Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore (Baveno) will be "home" for the next two days of our tour ... a beautiful lake resort. We arrived at 5:00 p.m. and discovered our tour had been updated to a different hotel, the Grand Hotel Dino located right on the lake. What a gorgeous setting ... a perfect place for restoration and relaxation! So much of the area reminds us of Wallowa Lake ... but much warmer and snazzier.
We walked around the grounds and out by the pools before dinner. On this evening we will celebrate five graduations in our group. We dined by the window and enjoyed a beautiful view of the lake as well as the good company around the table.
After dinner several in our group walked toward town. For the late evening hour there was still a warm breeze reminding us of evenings we've walked on the beach in Hawaii. We walked by a restaurant with live music and people were dancing.







This place just filled my mind with happy memories.

I Remember ... Milan

Here's what our bus seating charts looked like. We progressively moved to the back of the bus and then forward again. We stopped along the way for a quick lunch. We are getting quite fond of the Caprese sandwich at the AutoGrill. It's quite an interesting experience to place an order at this quick-stop cafe. First you stand in a bit of a chaotic line, decide what you want and pay for it. You then get in another line with your receipt at the service counter and wait for your sandwich to be prepared. So different from fast-food back home. One of the gals in our group got me hooked on gummy bears. It seems like the official candy of Italy ... ahhh, what a life at the AutoGrill.
We arrived in Milan at 1:30 p.m. and as bus parked and unloaded passengers I wondered, "Why visit here?" It felt very "big city" and kind of dirty. I would soon find out ... more about that later.
Milan, Italy's capital of commerce, is sophisticated and has urban appeal. Despite this, Milan seems to take a back seat to Tuscany's hills and the canals of Venice. It feels more European than Italian.
Our first stop was in a grassy area near the DaVinci National Science Museum. We had a guide explain the history of Milan using people in our tour group to represent those who invaded and ruled Milan long ago. It made it very interesting and easy to understand. Milan has had quite a complicated history involving France, Spain and Austria.
We were then led through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Walt remembers studying this in college. It is a four-story, glass-domed building built in 1870 and the first in town to have electric lighting. I'm thinking ... the first covered shopping mall. The paintings at the base of the dome represent Europe, Asia, Africa and America and the floor mosaics are beautiful. I'm starting to see why we stopped here.
As we exited the Galleria nothing prepared me for the view of the Duomo ... my jaw dropped and my feet stopped moving. Wow, THIS is why we toured this city. AMAZING! This is the fourth largest church in Europe. It is so large ... there are so many spires, pointed arches and gleaming white marble.

This Gothic structure was built between 1386-1810 and has 52 hundred-foot tall pillars representing the weeks of the year and the liturgical calendar. There are more than 2,000 statues inside and it was built to hold 40,000 worshipers. Our guide continued the tour inside and it was beautiful and fascinating ... large columns, stained glass windows. Even after taking many photos, I don't think any of them will reveal how stunningly beautiful this cathedral is.



We left Milan at 3:00 p.m. to travel to our last destination of the day: Lake Maggiore.

I Remember ... Verona

We packed up, got back on the road early in the morning, and left Venice behind. Our first stop of the day was Verona. The weather was a little hazy and overcast as we left Venice but by the time we arrived in Verona it was sunny again.











Verona is probably best known for its connection with Romeo and Juliet. However, this 2,000-year-old town is rich with genuine history and ruins within an easy walk through the town core near the river. I enjoyed this quaint town and would definitely put it on my list of places to return to in order to spend more time exploring the ancient sites.
Even though you know the House of Juliet is bogus, you still are drawn in to the courtyard to see the balcony, have your picture taken with her statue, and look at all the letters to Juliet posted on the wall.


We had a short time to explore on our own before reboarding the bus at 10:30 a.m. Our next destination: Milan.

I Remember ... Burano

Our optional excursion for today is a 40-minute lagoon cruise from Venice to Burano for lunch. We were taken by private vaporetto to this nearby island. It was a refreshing change to be out on the water and feel a gentle breeze ... cooling us off.




As soon as we docked I fell in love with this island ... the bright, cheerfully painted houses with drying laundry instantly grabbed my attention ... a vintage village feel in this lagoon known for its lacemaking. I was also fascinated by the leaning San Martino church bell tower.
The island is very small and has stayed well protected from tourism. There are no hotel accommodations so tourism is limited to day trips. The only way to get around this island is on foot and the biggest attractions are the Lace Museum and the colorful homes.
We dined outside at Cafe Vecio Trattoria enjoying many seafood dishes and biscuits called Essi, made in the 'S' shape and yellow in color. They were quite light and delicious. It seems each meal is a feast in Italy and served in a different order than in US. Just when you thought the meal was over ... we were served shots of almond amaretto and cappuccino. We could hardly breathe after moving away from the table.
Pictured below: Shrimp Risotto
We enjoyed great conversation with our table "mates" ... the Aussie group. It was fun explaining things we do in the US. They were quite intrigued by my explanation of my monthly Bunco group. The conversation then turned to camping and S'mores. Even something as common to us as graham crackers was new to them. It was a great way to spend an afternoon of leisure!

I Remember ... A Day in Venice

Today was the full group tour and there was no Grand Canal entrance ... we were all in one private boat and docked at St. Mark's Square. It is extremely hot for the early morning hours and it is already crowded.

Listen carefully for Telly's famous, "okey-dokey."
Our first tour was the Murano Glassblowing Factory to witness a demonstration of this ancient art. Of course, there was time to make a purchase ... so many beautiful necklaces and serving pieces ... all very spendy! I had my eye on a necklace but even on sale it was 99 euros ... that "unemployment recording" started playing in my mind and I decided it was something I could live without. Another gal in our group, Derrilee bought it and it looked fabulous on her! I decided to buy a Christmas ornament, a glass angel, instead as this is what we usually buy for our Christmas tree when we travel ... it has become a kind of "travelogue" of our lives.

For most of the day we were on our own until the optional excursion to Burano. We walked through stores and visited the tourist must-sees while enjoying a gelato but it seemed as the temperatures climbed, so did the crowds. I especially wanted to walk over the Bridge of Sighs as I am enjoying a summer read with this title.
We wanted to do a little exploring in the residential area so we started walking away from all the noise and shopping to the peaceful quiet of the side streets. We found it very quaint and enjoyed wandering. We loved walking by the street artists and bought a watercolor of St. Mark's square. It will be the perfect addition on our travel wall in the family room.

Before leaving for Burano Lynn took our picture in St. Mark's Square.

I Remember ... Our First Glimpse of Venice

We were nearing Venice and those who did not sign up for the optional excursion were dropped off at the hotel. The rest of us filled two water taxis, vaporettos and cruised the Grand Canal, Venice's "main street" for an evening of ... "Venetian Magic."




It truly was magic entering this floating city through the canal. The canal is two miles long, nearly 150 feet wide and about 15 feet deep. Our cameras and iPhones were documenting everything ... the palaces, the Rialto Bridge, the boats, the dazzling colors, the people ... it is an amazing place.
We were dropped off near St. Mark's Square to enjoy a Gondola ride through the smaller canals.


We were treated to Italian champagne while musicians and singers entertained us. Seven gondolas awaited our group and we shared the fifth gondola with Bill and his daughter, Marcia. We drifted out to the Grand Canal where they serenaded our group.






Before departing Venice we spent some time in St. Mark's Square. Our first impression was that is was a little dirty and there were so many pigeons ... a little creepy if you aren't fond of them.


We took pictures in the square before leaving and reminded ourselves that we still have an entire day in Venice tomorrow.














We returned to our hotel room (the furnishings reminded us so much of Ikea) and enjoyed a nice dinner. Telly told us we would have an opportunity to sleep in the following morning ... we will not leave until 8:00 a.m. : )
Another exciting and wonderful day!