It feels great to be home! The last two days have felt like one long day as the time adjustments have messed us up. I woke up on Friday morning with a horrible sore throat and this morning with my nose running and all stuffy. I’m sure between the trains, the planes and the automobiles I picked up some lovely virus. But sick or not it feels good to be home and it is still better to be sick at home than on vacation!

Let’s start with overall vacation thoughts. All in all, this trip surpassed every high expectation I started out with. The sites were much grander, the people (sans Rome) were much friendlier, and the experiences much richer. Italy is a country that takes great pride in its towns and cities. It was very evident that Italians put love into everything they do - taking care of their homes/businesses, cooking, socializing, etc. They get the most out of everything they do and they don’t rush – their dinners are always long and formal, they take time to chat with their friends on the street, they package every little silly souvenir as if it were something that they made themselves out of a fine valuable material. Even the homeless (very very few) were polite and non-pestering. Italians in general aren’t wealthy individuals.  They take pride in their appearance but they seem to have a contentment more with what they do (socializing, family gatherings, cooking) as opposed to what they have. Something we can all strive for, to be sure!

Summary:

Towns/Cities Visited:
Rome, Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Pompeii, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Bolzano, Venice and Murano.

Favorite Location:
I think it’s far too difficult to try and order the locations in terms of preference as each had their beauty and uniqueness, but I would say that Bolzano sticks out in my mind as being the most memorable. Part of the reason for this is Bolzano is Austrian – not Italian, as I said in my previous posts, so it was simply different than the other locations. Yes, it resides in Italy, but as one of our dinner servers put it “Austria is the motherland.”

Bolzano felt so authentic to us because we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere and as we said before no one spoke much English.  We were able to experience and partake in real events in the town, not those put on for the tourists. We loved walking around the Christmas market and seeing all the teenagers gathering at the big outdoor huts to drink hot chocolate and mulled wine. It was so freezing cold out but it was if no one seemed to notice! People dressed appropriately and continued on their way. The food was also spectacular – wurstel and pretzels galore.

Favorite Site:
The glitz and glamour (ironic really) of the Vatican / Vatican Museum / Sistine Chapel and / St. Peters Basilica really blew me away.  It was definitely one of those places that you could see multiple times and each time discover something new and be awestruck. The detail inside St. Peters was almost hard to take in – every inch of the place was like an art masterpiece and seeing as it’s the biggest church in the world, it was overwhelming.

Food/Wine:
We definitely got our share of Italian food – from both the north and south. We learned that dinner’s out were always expensive, even at places we thought were on the cheap side. Slightly more expensive dinners proved to be the best in terms of taste and variety. Although it is true that even at the ‘less nice’ places the food still tasted fresh, the slightly higher end places far surpassed all the other restaurants.  This could be said for any country I’m sure, including the US, but we thought it was a significant difference.  If doing such a trip again, I’d think we would do an every other day thing – eat at food stands (still awesome food) and panini shops one night and then go to a more refined place on the other nights. On the other hand, the 3 euro sandwiches were hard to beat in terms of cost or taste. Fresh salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, and lettuce – on top of fresh basil and olive oil. Now that was delicious food!

We enjoyed a variety of wine although I must say that we stuck to the house wines for the most part. You can see how Italians drink differently than those in the US. They aren’t big partiers per se; they enjoy a nice bottle of wine with dinner, maybe a digistiv (weird after dinner drink) afterward and call it quits. Wine is definitely viewed as a supplement to a meal and Italians don’t drink for the sake of drinking (on average as we saw it).  Dinner was generally served between 8-9 pm and around 11:00pm the streets were dead – in all the places we visited except Rome.  We were told by one of the Venetians that this was true Italian style – no real nightlife, just a prolonged and enjoyed dinner.

Time of Year:
We were hesitant initially about picking November/December for our trip because we heard it was rainy but it ended up being one of the best times of year to see all of the locations with the least amount of tourists. Sure, we had days of rain, snow, flooding (haha) but truthfully, with the exception of the morning of the flood, none of these things kept us in or away from doing the things we wanted to do. Sure, we weren’t running around in shorts and tank tops but we also weren’t waiting in line for anything: no line for the Vatican (unbelievable really), the Uffizi, the Accademia, St. Mark’s in Venice – etc., etc. We only ended up having one real downpour morning which was in Capri – the rest were showers now and again, but nothing that lasted long.

Travel:
We were very thankful to have flown direct from Dulles to Rome via United. Both flights were on time and without any issues. On our way back the flight was 10.5 hrs and honestly it wasn’t bad at all. The last 30 minutes were torture to me because we kept turning and it made me very nauseated, but still, I can’t complain for the rest of the 10 hours!

While in Italy, the Trenitalia train system was outstanding – and it was really only our huge luggage that caused us any issues. We did have the miscommunication in Bolzano that put us on less-than-stellar trains, but even those trains really didn’t end up being that bad.  It was just such an easy way to travel! We would pack up sandwiches, chips and cookies and enjoy lunch, and watch the scenery. It was great.

Regrets:
I had decided early in the planning stages of our trip that a Gondola ride was going to be overpriced and way to touristy for my liking.  However, on our final day in Venice I decided that it was a charming way to see the city from the canals. Unfortunately, we had a huge lunch and came back to the B&B for a bit and I ended up falling asleep.  When I woke up it was dark outside (and much colder) and seemed too late at that point.  I suppose we saved ourselves the huge cost of riding on one, but I do think it would have been fun. Other than the Gondola ride, I can honestly say I have no other regrets! Oh, except the bringing way too much stuff part (below).

Packing Tips:
When we packed for this trip, I felt like we whittled down our items to a minimal amount. This was not the case. We didn’t end up using 50% or more of our clothing and ended up shipping most of that, along with purchases, back to the US. We had never done a trip like this so learned much! I had read so many packing tips web sites, but until you travel and learn yourself, it’s hard to say what you will/will not use. I suppose each trip would be different as well.

Final Thoughts:
I loved being in a foreign land and loved absorbing a culture other than my own. I enjoyed thinking about our own country in a new way and appreciating all the wonderful things we have in the US and take for granted. I also thought about all of the ways in which we could improve and learn from our European family. I could write forever about the comparisons but I have to end this now, get some rest, post our final photos and get ready for the upcoming work week. Our trip was fantastic and I thank-you all once again for traveling along side of us virtually! It made us feel like you were all there with us. 

Today was a long travel day for us and tomorrow will be even longer.  We paid for 15 minutes of expensive internet so we could print out our boarding passes and had a quick minute to post! I’ll have to wait until we are home to write up my final summary of the trip.  At this point, with no where new to go, I’m ready to be back home!

Thanks again for all of your comments during the trip - we really appreciated the 3 people that read the site now and again.  You made it all worth it!

Bye for now - Salute!

Today was a much more relaxing and slow placed day.  We got up and headed to see St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. St. Mark’s Basilica was so different from the other churches we have seen – it was covered (and I mean covered) in gold mosaics. It was like a church decorated by Liberace– downright gaudy! The mosaics (mini mini little titles put together to make an image) were very impressive however and it must have taken the artists forever to create such works of art. No photos were allowed in the church but I got some in the main entrance way which looked like the inside of the church anyhow.

The Doge’s palace was impressive.  It was basically where the leader of Venice lived and all of the city business took place. In other words, all of DC in one building! Connected to the Palace was the prison which was connected to the Palace by the Bridge of Sighs.  The name of the bridge came from the fact that the prisoners would cross this bridge one last time and look out onto the channel, give one final look at freedom and sigh as they went to prison.  We didn’t rent the audioguide because we’re a bit museum’d out at this point and just wanted to wander a bit – so I don’t know all of the specifics of the Palace.

This afternoon we walked to the neighborhood known as the Jewish Ghetto – which was another unique and beautiful neighborhood.  It was by far the most local neighborhood we encountered and the streets were pretty empty this afternoon. We had lunch off of one of the canals. Here is your history lesson on the ghetto for the day: The ghetto was an area where Jews were forced to live and which they could not leave from sunset to dawn. The area was closed by gates watched by guards and up till now the marks of the hinges are visible there. Jews were allowed to practice only some professions: they were doctors, because they were the most prepared and able to understand Arab writings, money lenders, because Catholic religion forbade this practice, and merchants. The Ghetto existed for more than two and a half centuries, until Napoleon conquered Venice and finally opened and eliminated every gate (1797): Jews were finally free to live in other areas of the city.

This afternoon we wandered around Venice a bit more, took a long nap, and got food to make sandwiches for our big journey back to Rome tomorrow.  If we have internet at our final hotel, then I’ll write up my final report on the trip and if not, I’ll just post it when we get home.

Oh – here is an amusing story from yesterday: Bill had eaten this big cream pastry puff thing and had gotten it all over his hands.  Well, we were in the middle of St. Marks and he said - just get out the water bottle and pour it over my hands and that will clean my hands.  Well, apparently the pigeons though we were pouring food or something because they all flocked over to us out of nowhere.  Two landed on Bill’s arm and one landed on mine. Bill swatted his away but I wasn’t sure what to do with the one on my arm so the Pigeon just kinda was sitting there.  I was looking at him and he was looking at me.  Bill said “ok, let’s go!” and I said “wait, I still have a pigeon on my arm!” I guess I had never dealt with removing a pigeon from my arm and he seemed like a gentle creature.  I threw my arm up and off he went.  It was just amusing that Bill swatted his off and mine was just sorta hanging out.  I’m totally going to be the cat lady and the pigeon lady in the park when I get older!!

Ciao.

We had to make the most of our day today since the flooding hindered a good portion of it yesterday, so we were up earlier than normal and just got in – around 11:00pm.

Venice flooded a bit today but not like yesterday.  I don’t think anything could be like yesterday! Today the water washed over the sidewalks a bit and San Marco flooded (as always) but it was what the Venetians consider ‘normal.’ We still ended up buying rubber boots so we can go to San Marco tomorrow with or without flooding.

After a super great breakfast (this place has the best meat, cheese, bread – YUM!) we headed out to see Sculoa Grande San Rocco – a building holding some of Tintoretto’s most important works.  Tintoretto was one of my favorite artists that we studied in my art history class, although I probably couldn’t tell you much about him. I do know he was Venetian and that he did fantastic art that shows dramatic contrast and shadows. We couldn’t take photos in the museum/building which is a shame because the canvases were enormous and the building spectacular.

From here, we walked all through the Accademia neighborhood which is more traditional and less touristy - more small butcher shops, cheese shops, etc. We also crossed the Accademia bridge which is on the southern most part of the canal. Close by the canal was a small Christmas market (nothing can beat Bolzano on that one) with lights and vendors.  We had lunch at one of the vendor stands and then took off to catch the Vaporetto to Murano.

Murano, the island where all the glass is made, was like a miniature Venice.  It had a small canal running through the center with shops and bridges all around.  The difference is that Murano is mostly just factories and glass shops.  We got a demonstration of glass blowing and glass shaping at one of the workshops which was truly unbelievable.  Bill and I have watched specials on glass making before but to see it first hand was unreal! The glass is unbelievably hot and the Master glass maker-person manipulates the glass like it’s putty. He made a vase by rolling the glass on this special surface then blowing into the glass on a long stick… then used all these tools to add patterns, colors, etc.  I can’t even explain it but I’m sure YouTube has videos! I did a poor job getting photos and video – as everything happened so quickly. Once the demonstration was done, the workers whisk you into their glass shop where they try to sell you enormously overpriced glass! I’m sure not all factories are that way but in this one, I found a glass set with a decanter and cups – and was quoted 800 euro!! At a store on the water front, the same set, certified as Murano glass and coming from a reputable store, was 300 euro. Crazy!

After visiting Murano, Bill and I decided to exit the Vaporetto at a spot just across the water from Murano so we could wind our way back through to the Rialto bridge.  Venice has such a range of neighborhoods and it was nice to walk through yet another part of the city.  Again, this part of the city (north and slightly east of San Marco) was much less touristy. There were kids running and playing with backpacks – that we assumed had just gotten out of school.

We shopped on the way back a little bit, dropped off our purchases, and then headed back out for dinner. I had read about a little traditional Irish Pub in the area and thought we could check it – in hopes of finding some different food, maybe something with ground beef and mashed potatoes.

No luck.  We found the pub but all they had was drinks and snacky food.  We got the snacky food (all Italian sandwiches – but not complaining) but that didn’t fill us up.  Unfortunately, we were on a time constraint so we ended up having dessert at another location and then took off for our nightly entertainment.

The entertainment of the evening was a concert put on by a local Venetian string group performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. It was held in an old church with beautiful paintings on the walls – a perfect place for classical music! Bill and I thought the concert was great and the lead cello player was extremely charismatic and kept the whole crowd entertained with his antics.  I wish I would have gotten some video!

As we were walking back to our place, I noticed a shop on the Rialto bridge that was still open and with 50% off! No joke! So at 10:30pm, I made a final set of purchases for the day and Bill and I got to chat with a local. She explained the problem of the tourist and the tourist market.  She talked about how the real Venice is a slow moving place that takes pride in it’s people, it’s food, and in Venice’s natural beauty.  However, she explained that people outside of Venice with money have now moved in and of course, cater to the tourists and create “tourists menus” and drive all the small business out of town. I suppose everywhere you go it’s more like that today – our home town in Michigan, and here in Venice!

That ends our evening and another adventurous day. Tomorrow we must see San Marco and the Doge’s Palace and do our absolute last minute shopping!

Finito Per Oggi!

Where do I begin. Today Venice flooded. But not in the way the Venetian people are used to, or most definitely, us tourists. (Please Read Article from Reuters) Total, the water rose 6 feet above normal level, which put about 3 feet into San Marco square, and at least a foot of water everywhere else. We could not leave our B&B until 2:30 and still areas were deeply flooded. What an experience! We walked all around the city as soon as we could and shops were in very rough condition. People were mopping the still wet floors and picking up merchandise that was damaged. Trash was floating in the streets and broken souvenirs were scattered on the ground. Most restaurants and shops stayed closed the whole day while they tried to repair damaged items. We saw many places with repair people hanging about fixing motors of machines that were in the shops – including soda machines, heaters, etc. What a huge mess!!

We couldn’t stand being indoors and took off about 2:30pm when much of the water had receded but many areas were still flooded. I had *water resistant* boots which turned out to be great and Bill’s walking/hiking shoes are Gortex (waterproof) so we were able to get through about 2 inches without any problem. We ended up walking to the other side, of our side, of the Grand Canal and were surprised at all the damage that was caused by the flooding. We somewhat assumed this was a normal occurrence and that shops and such would be prepared. Apparently, because of the wind and tide, this was very unusual for this time of year. Of course, with our luck in general, we should have warned everyone!

The locals all had huge water proof waders and the tourists all had these bizarre bag things over their legs (see photos). What made this day more exciting was that all the Vaporreto boats – which are the big water buses that tote everyone around – were on strike today. So basically, if you were arriving to Venice by train, plane, or automobile today – forget it! You’re staying on the main land!

All of our plans today pretty much went out the window. We couldn’t get to Murano because we couldn’t get out the door, and if we got out the door we couldn’t take the water bus because the boats were on strike. Plan B: try to get out of B&B and eat something for lunch and dinner. Plan B: Accomplished! We found a restaurant that had a kitchen on the second floor and had pizza and lasagna (good, not outstanding) for lunch and then went to a nicer, more refined place for dinner. For dinner, Bill had veal and I had raw steak. Haha – one thing we’ve noticed here is you don’t ask for “well-done” or “medium” – they cook it how you’re suppose to eat it and shouldn’t know better than the chef. Nonetheless, it was fantastic, I ate it, and loved it. Salute!

I’d like to share what we’re doing tomorrow but I think at this point I’ll say we plan on getting up and eating breakfast and then determine at that point what we should do. The rumor is that Venice will not flood tomorrow and we will be in fine shape. I tell you – when it poured in Capri, I thought “Uh, I hate heavy rain!” – but when it snowed heavily in Bolzano, I thought “maybe rain would be better!” – and when the whole city of Venice flooded – I thought, I’ll take the cold, and the rain over this! Be careful what you wish for and be thankful for what you have. It can always be worse and most likely; whatever you’re dealing with can be handled. (This was Nicole’s deep thought of the day, please take note.)

Ok, with that said I will end with a funny story from Bolzano. In the last restaurant we ate at, the waiter kept saying please” everytime we would say thank-you. He would take our plates – we would say thank-you and he would say please. When we left, we said “the meal was great, thanks!” and he followed up with “glad you enjoyed it, please!” We thought this was hilarious and so strange, but as we started picking up German words we realized that in German, “bitte” means both *please* and *you’re welcome.* Apparently, he knew the translation for bitter – and just assumed you could swap out please with your welcome. And that was your educational bit for the evening.

Salute!

I’m going to write backwards today because I’m sleepy and I want to write the good stuff first.

Venice is beautiful and I can see why people fall in love with it on first sight. Yes, there are tourists here and there, there are shops galore, and it’s kitschy – but it’s also genuinely charming. It still is a real place with real people, real homes, real history. It’s the best of both worlds!

Our room here is teeny tiny but we have a terrace outside our room that is three times the size of the room itself. Now if it doesn’t rain the whole time, we might get to get out there and enjoy it! The B&B itself is very well taken care of – very elegant and refined and located right on the Grand Canal – a 2 minute walk to the famous Rialto bridge. Nice!

We had some sunshine when we arrived so we decided to just drop off our bags and head out sightseeing. We made it to St. Marks Square just before it got too dark and got a sneak peak of the church and Doge’s palace. We were informed that all water transportation will be on strike tomorrow (an apparently common thing) so we will not be headed to Murano! It will be strange to not see the boats up and down the canal.

Our train ride today was less than stellar but we did get to sit next to a couple from Taiwan, who were in Munich this last week-end to attend a ballroom dancing competition. He had been an engineer and she was a teacher and they decided they wanted to open a ballroom dance studio together and quit their jobs. We had a great conversation with them and learned a bit about Taiwan in the process. Once we got to Venice, everything went smoothly and we found our B&B without any issues.

We ended up eating dinner at one of the very tourist places on the grand canal, but we were unsure if we would have another dry (non-raining that is) evening here, so we wanted to take advantage of the view. Food was pretty good and the view of the Rialto and Grand Canal was great! By the time we left it was raining pretty good so we just headed back and will get to bed early. Apparently Venice floods in the Oct/Nov timeframe not because of rains but because of the tide. The first half of tomorrow St. Mark’s square will be flooded, with high tide at 11. Hum. This should be interesting. We are still looking forward to exploring tomorrow!

Ah, this is La Dolce Vita.

We didn’t end up getting the big snow we were suppose to last night and it warmed up to above 32 today so the snow melted on the road. It felt warm out compared to the last couple of days!

This morning we took off to see Otzi, the Ice Man – discovered around 1991 up in the South Tyrolean mountains nearby. Basically, a couple of hikers discovered a body while hiking and it ended up being a guy that was perfectly preserved from around 3000 BC. They have a big museum dedicated to the findings and to all of the stuff the ice man was carrying. It was pretty remarkable to see how prepared the guy was and what he was wearing, carrying etc. Scientists have been able to use a variety of technologies to see what type of physical condition he was in and also what caused his death. Apparently, he had a fresh arrow wound in his upper should and a wounded hand. A general consensus currently exists that he probably was in a fight of some sort some close to the time of his death. We found it very educational and interesting. No photos were allowed so you’ll just have to look it up!

We spent the afternoon shopping and walking about the town. The town was packed today! Maybe because of the official start of the holiday season or something – but we could barely get down the road. Apparently the cold doesn’t stop the Austrians!

Tonight we pack up and prepare to head to Venice tomorrow. That being said – our ticket purchase up in Austria-land was quite different than our other ticket purchases. The automated ticket machine (one, to be exact) was out of order so we had to talk to a real person who of course spoke 4 words of English –and gave us tickets that aren’t like those of our previous train travel. We also didn’t get reserved 1st class tickets this time around so we have no idea what to expect! Hopefully we won’t end up on something scary.

One thing we’ve noticed throughout the whole trip is the large amount of smokers. You can’t walk anywhere without a big billow of smoke in your face. The law currently does not allow any smoking in restaurants or hotels, but you step outside any of them and you’ll be surrounded by smokers everywhere.

Additionally, Jesus and Mary are everywhere. Today we were in a pharmacy and there was Jesus on the cross in possibly larger than life size. In random alleyways we’ve seen little shrines dedicated to Mary with burning candles in the middle of the day. It’s so dramatically different from the US because we have such a huge range of diversity – both religiously and culturally. Here in Italy, it is assumed you are from here (Italian), you are catholic, and you love and only eat Italian food. I’m not saying this is a negative aspect at all – I’m just saying it is different in the US. With all of the immigrants we’ve had/have, being American is such a combination of so many cultures.

Well a vacation would just be boring if it weren’t for some unknown excitement! Today we got 2 inches of snow and the forecast says we should get “heavy snow” tonight and more snow tomorrow, for a total of up to 6-8 inches! We are surrounded by huge and beautiful mountains that we saw when we came in, and now we can’t see a thing because of the constant snow. That being said, it’s absolutely beautiful here and with the Christmas market going on it is incredibly charming!

We decided to explore this morning and hiked our way out to a local Castle called Castle Roncolo. Bolzano has wonderful walking/biking paths everywhere so we just hopped on one of those and walked out and up to the Castle.

By the time we got to the Castle we were pretty covered in snow and the walk up to the castle was very slippery as the path was all smooth rocks. Fun! We didn’t fall though, so I suppose we get points for that.

The castle itself was not all that big but it was known for its beautiful original frescoes (paintings) that are still in very good condition. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos in any of the inside rooms. They also had an exhibition going on that displayed armor from medieval times and weapons. Very Lord of the Rings like – but all of the descriptions were split between German and Italian so we didn’t learn much there!

Speaking of everything being in German and Italian… we are truly on our own here. English is no where to be found on the menus or in the stores. Tonight I bought some souvenirs and we did it all with smiling, pointing, etc. Phew – this is tough! I feel ignorant to not know any German, where we were fine with the little Italian we picked up in the other areas. We can still get by with some of that here, but I’d say it’s 90% German speaking here. It’s a whole other world that the other places.

Tonight at the markets it was so pretty with the lights and snow. Now that I have all the right gear and am fairly warm, I can enjoy it! We went to one of the outdoor stands and got mulled wine. It was nice and toasty – and the outdoor heating lamps kept the outdoor areas warm. Standing outside drinking wine/hot chocolate is the thing to do. We see huge groups of people huddled around a variety of huts.

We had a big traditional Austrian lunch today (sausage, sausage, and sausage we think) so we were looking to have a smaller dinner. We went by the Wurstel stand and got 2 Frankfurters and then stopped by the grocery store for cheese and salami. Of course, everything is a specialty here, so we then had to go to the bread stand and get fresh bread! Our dinner was a combo of these things – so tasty! I’m going to miss this once we get back to the states. Our “freshness” is not-so-fresh.

Tomorrow we are going to the Ice Man museum and then I have to buy a few things at the Christmas market that I have my eye on. Tomorrow is our last full day up here in Austria-Italia and then we take off to Venice on Sunday. I love it up here but it’s very intimidating to not know any of the language!

Guten Nacht!

Happy Thanksgiving! This was a travel day for us so we got to enjoy ham croissants, Pringles, coke, and pastries for our Thanksgiving lunch. For dinner we had Austrian food but I’ll get to that later.

Today’s travel day was far less hectic than the last few but still a travel day nonetheless. To add to the excitement, we needed to ship a bunch of extra clothes and gifts back home, but the Mail Boxes Etc. place didn’t open until 9:30. With our train leaving at 10:50 and the shop opening 15 minutes late, we were cutting it close! We ended up having 15 minutes to spare but we prefer a bit more padding than that.

The South Tyrol / Dolomites / Bolzano area that we are in is absolutely stunning. We are surrounded by rocky cliffs in every direction and many of them are snow capped. We arrived around 3:00 today so by the time we unpacked it was already dark. Tomorrow we will do our official site seeing. However, this evening we did wander around and heard Christmas music playing in the town center. We watched for a while and then took off but realized a few minutes later that the singing was the precursor to the Christmas tree being lit – as well as the whole town, Christmas market shops, etc. With the beautiful lights and the freezing cold temperatures, it really does feel like Christmastime!

I must make note that this is an Austrian destination. It’s in Italy, but every one we hear talking is speaking German. The buildings look Austrian/German, the food is German… this is a completely different feel than any of the places we have been previously. Our room is super modern and huge – the whole right wing of the place has a sitting area, fridge, desk, etc., the middle a huge double sinked bathroom and then the beds with another sitting area and desk. Unfortunately, they don’t have wi-fi in the room so it’s going to be another trip to find wi-fi. I believe they have it in the lobby area. Up until WWII, the area that we are in was actually part of Austria which is why this is so unlike the other places we visited so far.

Ok, back to exploring. After wandering around the markets a bit we decided to invest in warmer gloves and hats. I tell you – it is frickin freezing up here. Michigan is going to have to seem warm and toasty compared to this. I admit, I don’t miss either climate. I like Virginia’s woosy winters. I’m waiting for the snow to fall because honestly, if I’m going to be miserably cold, I want it to be snowy. And I want Christmas music playing all the time. And I want the smell of roasting chestnuts in the air or something. Come on.

For dinner, we went to a beer house like place and had traditional German food. Bill had Weinerschnitzel (it’s fried up veal, who knew) and I had some rice mushroom combination thing. It was fine – nothing spectacular. We were hungry and it fit the bill! Oh, and the music for the evening was a combo of Miley Cyrus, Cyndi Lauper and George Michael. In a German beer house! Ugh!

Tomorrow we plan to explore the town a bit more and either go to the Ice Man museum or go to the nearby town of Merano. One thing we know is that we will be sleeping in!!

Auf Wiedersehen!
Nicolga and Wilhelm

The last two days have been ultra hectic. Yesterday we got up early and did a million things and today we started out even earlier - running around trying to find the bus/meet up point for our day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. That was a bit of a mess, but we ended up finding it after some phone calls. The bus was great - double decker with huge windows letting us see the Tuscan scenery as we drove by.

Our first stop was in Siena, where we had a guided tour through the city and through the Cathedral. It’s interesting how each place we visit has a similar but unique feel to it. Siena had the old winding brick roads but was much smaller than Florence and had a much greater view of the countryside. We visited the Piazza del Campo where they hold a famous and very dangerous horse race each year determining which neighborhood in Siena will get bragging rights for the year. Siena is a big rival with Florence so it was interesting to hear our tour guide continually point out the positives of Siena and point out the negatives of Florence. I prefer Florence, but I did like Siena too.

The Siena cathedral was beautiful inside - all laid with white and green marble and decorated like a mini-St. Peters almost. Huge frescoes on the wall - gold leaf everywhere you looked, exquisitely carved marble, etc. The library of the church had original illuminated Bibles about 3 feet tall - with beautiful illustrations and lettering. I cannot imagine how long it would take to replicate one of those - but they were works for art themselves. The frescoes in the library were originals and had breathtaking color, as though they were freshly painted. Supposedly the room was closed off for 400 years or so after the frescoes were done so they deteriorated very little.

We ate lunch in a little cafe and then rejoined our group and headed off to San Gimignano. On the way we got a beautiful view of the Tuscany and Chianti countryside - beautiful green rolling hills and tall awkward shaped trees/bushes, like the ones in all the famous Italy paintings.

San Gimignano was a treasure in itself - this walled in city was once a little successful village during Medieval times and is still well preserved today. Each family wanted to show their importance and wealth by building the tallest tower in the city - so from a distance all you see is a whole handful of towers racing to the sky. Did anyone consider that the tallest house had the most steps? Yuck. We got some local Chianti wine and did a little more shopping and then headed back with the group to Florence.

Tomorrow we depart Florence and head to the freezing, but probably pretty beautiful town of Bolzano, up in the Dolomites. It’s a 4 hour train ride up there! I’m not sure if I didn’t know this… or if I didn’t care… but that seems like a long ways for a place that’s freezing cold. Ha.

Ok - we have to run off to dinner now. Photos will have to come later! In the meantime, we did add some videos to the left under Italy Videos.

Ciao!