Fifty Shades of Blue

We dusted the flour off our shoes and headed to Naples the next day, on the train.  In Naples, we rented a car and drove to Sorrento which only made us appreciate the train more.  On the way we stopped to see Herculaneum, another victim of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD similar to Pompeii but apparently a wealthier seaside city of around 5000 people.  It was well worth the stop and easy to access. Very well preserved and so amazing to see a slice of life long ago.  TJ and I have always wanted to stay in an Agriturismo on our travels and Rachel found this one for our stay.  It was amazing! I am ready to add this area to my Italian retreat.  The working olive and lemon farm and accommodation was run by a fellow, his wife (who was pregnant with #2) and his mother.  His parents ran it his entire life and now it is his.  We were their first guests of the season.  We were treated to a full breakfast each day and three course dinner each night.  Everything was delicious and he was so accommodating to our needs and wants, even as far as sharing his 3-year-old daughter's breakfast cereal with one of the boys.  I can't say enough about this experience.  The grounds, the rooms, the views...it was all too perfect.

The view was worth the climb!

One happy customer!

The lemon grove

Perfection!

What a special place!

Pretty sure the view of Capri in the window was not an accident!

Our private sitting area and a view of Capri.

Our main activity here was our boat ride to Capri.  We were blessed with blue skies and smooth water.  I had no idea what a boat person my son-in-law was, but this was his happy place.  It was definitely still the off season, as many/most shops were closed and there was a flurry of activity all over this island preparing shops, hotels and restaurants for the coming tourists.  I can only imagine what it is like in summer.  Idyllic is how I would describe Capri.  It is everything you imagine it to be, personified.  Breathtaking.  I could share hundreds of photos and still not do it justice.  Every cove provided another jaw dropping shade of blue.  I would have loved to swim in those waters, but wrapped in a sweater, a vest and a jacket left me feeling inappropriately dressed.  Someday.  Capri was a bucket list item I never thought I would have the chance to see and can say it lived up to its reputation.

All along the coast

How many colors of blue can you see?

Happiness is...a boat ride

Simply amazing

Coming into the marina

Capri

Why walk when you can all ride in a convertible taxi?

Note to self...come back in April or May.

Faraglioni, iconic Capri rock formations

We spent much too little time in Sorrento and the surrounding area.  Our goal was to show the boys some highlights of Italy and with so much history, scenery, geography it is hard to do an in-depth exploration of it all.  Shoot, I have been to Italy 4 times and still have so much more to explore!  Each time we go we vow to return and so far, we have.  Our hope is that after this trip the boys will too vow to return to Italy or some other equally fascinating country.  

It all seems so long ago, and honestly...it was!  A lot of water has passed under the bridge of life since this trip happened at the end of March.  Yes, I am a bit back logged on the blog.  Hang in there with me, I felt like I needed to close this chapter before starting a new one.  

Rome, Ruins and Rooftops

 Time to take a little vacation!  After over 2 weeks mostly spent in my house, I need to get out...even if it is virtually!  I have been saving our trip to Italy for just this purpose and I'm going to spread it out over several posts to make it last even longer.  Come along with us if you like, the pizza and gelato were excellent.  We spent 9 days in Italy at the end of March (and it is very hard to imagine that was a month ago!) with our daughter, her husband and their three sons on their spring break.  I think I can safely say, "A good time was had by all!".

How much do I love this?
I could end the blog right here and feel like all the bases have been covered!
Being up there with Capri, David and candy is high praise!

TJ and I arrived in Rome a day earlier than my daughter's family because we have more time these days and wanted an extra day to acclimate...so we could keep up with the youngsters.  We arrived at 7 a.m. and could not check into our Airbnb until 4 p.m.  A minor inconvenience which resulted in us dragging our luggage back and forth over cobblestones for several blocks to the Luggage Storage facility.  That is one way to stay awake after 4 hours of airplane sleep, but I don't recommend it.  

Back and forth, clackety clack went the wheels.

We stayed in the Navona area, which is near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon with narrow, cobblestone streets.  It is probably considered one of the more "touristy" neighborhoods which was perfect for our multi-generational trip. Very picturesque and historic, full of small restaurants with sidewalk seating, cute shops, little food stores, near many major "thing to see and do" and peaceful enough at night to sleep well.  It was a perfect place to expose three young men to Italy.  "Cobblestones be damned!" said the lady with the torn ACL wearing the knee brace.  Our arrival day went as most arrival days go.  We just put one foot in front of the other and kept moving until we checked in, showered, went to dinner and collapsed!  

Here we sit with our cobblestone weary bags waiting to meet our host.

Dinner at Taverna Angelica
 We celebrated our 30th anniversary here, with good friends, many moons ago.

Traveling abroad after over 2 years of "lockdown" was so exciting.  We felt like our dreams for retirement actually may come true someday.  We were exhausted and giddy all at the same time.  There is something about ancient walls, beautiful historic buildings, sidewalk cafes, rooftop bars, something new around every corner and being surrounded by history that draws us in and keeps us wanting more.  It only took us a few hours and a good lunch to get our travel gears moving.  I pinched myself and smiled, because we were here!  One...or two things about dinner.  Being married to a sentimental pack-rat has its advantages at times.  TJ found the business card for Taverna Angelica, from a trip in 2008, and made reservations for arrival night.  Always good to have a plan for the first night because thinking and decision making are always compromised after a long travel day.  One advantage of being the first customers of the night (earliest available reservation in anticipation of jet lag) is that we received much personal attention from the owner.  She was super hospitable and we were treated to all the bells and whistles!  After dinner we strolled along the river and collapsed in bed when we made it back.

Amuse-bouche
the little taco looking one (duck pate) was AMAZING!!!

The walk home is always enchanting.

The rest of the crew arrived the next day and we treated them to our "first day survival system".  The day was not without dragging suitcases along cobblestones again...so glad I didn't buy a new suitcase for this trip.  There was pizza, lots of walking (10 miles), ancient ruins, great views, gelato, and a surprising dinner.  We found ourselves in the Jewish Ghetto neighborhood on our way "home" and ate dinner at a kosher...vegetarian restaurant.  Never saw that coming.  Luckily for John, Margherita pizza was on the menu.  Focaccia, artichokes, gnocchi, fish and pasta were enjoyed by all.

I must say, on this trip we lucked out on accommodations.  TJ and I stayed in a small Airbnb our first night and moved to the 4 bedroom house we rented for the entire group the next day.  They were across the street from each other...convenient, unless of course you count the 4 hours between check out and check in with no early...or late bag storage provided.  Luggage Storage and cobblestones again.  The Airbnb in Rome was large and light with its own courtyard and sauna.  Yeah...everyone needs a sauna, right?  The seven of us slept comfortably and we had 3 bathrooms...key.

"I didn't sleep much on the plane...you?"
"Nope"

Our days in Rome consisted of Arrival Days one and two, spent putting one foot in front of the other.  Day 3 was Ancient Rome Day when we visited the Coliseum, the Forum and the Trevi Fountain to name a few.  Day 4 was Vatican Day when we toured the Vatican gardens, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.  The adults in the group had seen some of these and so we geared activities towards the boys and their Roman education.  We all saw and learned new things in the process too!  They really liked Ancient Rome day, no surprise.  

Roman Holiday!

We really enjoyed the food in Rome!  Seriously, who doesn't love the food in Italy?  One entertaining lunch happened after our Coliseum visit.  We sought out a Rick Steves recommendation for lunch.  All the outside tables were occupied, so we sat inside.  The place was small and intimate...and the waiter unamused.  I felt like he belonged in NYC (no offense to anyone in NYC) but he had this "I don't have time for you people" attitude.  The place has been in business since 1945!  We managed to order lunch and drinks quick enough for our surly waiter, who little by little warmed up to us.  He was, after all, the only waiter working the tables, so I'll give him a little latitude.  The beer was cold, the food was authentic, the patrons were Italian, and the place did Rick proud.  One patron stopped and chatted with us as he paid his bill and said he lived right across the street and had been coming here for over 20 years.  Gotta love surly waiters, good food and local patrons.

4e 4'Otto
That's our table on the right!

TJ and I have now visited Rome three times.  Each time I like it more.  The first time was in 2008 with a large group of friends from Georgia.  We had a guide and our pastor, who was very familiar with Rome.  I remember being overwhelmed and awed at the same time with Rome on that trip.  We saw all of the "must-see" places, but it was such a short stop it left me feeling like we had only scratched the surface.  Our next trip was in 2018, with our "anniversary friends".  This time I felt like we really got to know Rome on our own terms.  We planned it ourselves and followed our noses where they led us and were rewarded.  After that trip, I felt like I finally experienced Rome.  This time we wanted to see Rome for the first time again, through our grandsons' eyes.  

Everyone knows how much I love a good sunset so it will come as no surprise that the place we went not once but twice for late afternoon cocktails was on the rooftop of the Hotel Atlante Star near the Vatican.  Roof Garden Les Etoiles is worth two visits!  We were not exactly blessed with the perfect sunset but the 360 view from the top and the amazing flowers are worth a repeat visit in my book.  We went on our first night, alone and had to share the experience with the rest of the family.  The boys really appreciated the "free" snacks provided with drinks on the terrace.

The entire terrace is surrounded by this amazingness!

It was very chilly up top....somebody had to borrow my sweater!

Worth a repeat visit!

The view is always the best at the top!

I could post hundreds of photos from our time in Rome, and probably did on FB and Instagram, so no need here.  Suffice it to say, the time in Rome was well spent and after the first three days, the boys are embracing their Italian Spring Break.  Arrivederci Roma.

Italy....Ciao

I have postponed blogging about the last part of our trip to Italy because.....
-I hate Italy and never want to think about it again
-we didn't do anything interesting
-the food and wine were horrible and not even worth mentioning
-if I blog about it then I don't get to think about it any more and then it will be over.

You probably guessed it...I just don't want it to be over. That lingering Italian "gioia di vita" will be gone once I put this chapter into the blog sphere. I won't stop every day at five and think about an outdoor cafe, a glass of Italian wine and a little snack of olives or chips and have to rest my weary feet until it is time to walk around and find someplace to eat dinner. I will have to swallow the harsh reality that I'm not in Italy and there is no outdoor cafe and my feet are only tired if it was my running day and the only dinner I will be eating is the one I cook. Reality is a harsh pill to swallow when you come home from a wonderful trip.

So here it is...the final chapter of Italy.



For the most part our entire trip was absolutely perfect except for that one day.....
Have you ever had one of those days when you had an idea of how it would all go and you set off in hot pursuit of that day and hit road block after road block? We had a day similar to that. I know...hard to believe but it happened, much to Rick's dismay.

Plan- drive around Lake Garda from the west side, heading north and then as we head south on the east side of the lake we will taste some fantastic valpolicella wines and then we only have a short distance to drive back to our hotel after tasting delicious wines. It all looked good on paper, do all the driving before we do all the drinking, right? After all, we are responsible adults.

We started driving, after the night of much wine, grappa and limoncello and I had the pleasure of riding in the backseat. I am prone to car sickness on winding hilly roads in the best of conditions, and believe me, these were not the best of conditions. Off we go! The scenery was lovely in spite of the dreary skies.



We drove and drove and drove. The road curved and twisted and climbed. TJ did a great job keeping us between the lines with his white knuckle steering. There were many tunnels and scenic vistas to enjoy. TJ saw very few of them. This is what he saw....



After many near misses with oncoming trucks in one lane tunnels we made it to the northern tip of Lake Garda, safely. Ahhhh, lunch time!!! And not a moment too soon if you ask me!



After lunch it was time for a little wine tasting. First thing, look for the tourist information center and get a map of the wineries in the area. Great idea! We found the information center.... it closed at 1pm, we arrived at 2:30! Oops! We decided to go it on our own, there are signs posted, just follow the signs. Easier said than done. We tried to use the GPS to find wineries but either we can't follow directions or the GPS does not know wineries. We found wineries that were open but did not offer tastings, we found wineries that were closed, but we found no wineries that were both open and offered tastings. We were very tired and getting thirsty and it was getting close to 5 and it was time to find an outdoor cafe and have a glass of wine, so we headed back to our hotel, unfulfilled.

The next day we had it all figured out...we found this


The day proved to be much more successful! We found wineries that were both open and offered tastings. A good time was had by all!




We found ancient olive trees.



We found a wine museum.



It was harvest time!

Patty and I scoped out the town on our bikes that afternoon and found a perfect place for our final dinner together.


I loved biking in Europe....


Seafood platter, Italian style!



We had to have one final gelato to seal the evening. Hey, we rode our bikes....I am sure we burned off those calories!

TJ and I spent our final day in Italy with each other....in Milan....and a few other people.


The duomo in Milan and thousands of people.

After our relatively peaceful and crowd free, Italian vacation, we were met with millions of people in Milan. This was not the high point of our trip. It only hit me me midway through the day that it was Saturday and must be the day EVERYONE goes to Milan. We did manage to navigate our way to the hotel and the rental car return at the train station with the expert direction from the GPS! We ditched the car and hopped on the metro and saw the city. Not an easy task. Did I mention that everyone else in Italy went to Milan that day too? We managed to see The Last Supper , the duomo and the shopping streets. I have no idea who buys the stuff in those stores...I saw many exclusive shops with no customers in them, only sales people with pursed lips staring blankly out at the common folk, however there were many people walking around conspicuously carrying bags bearing the names of some of those shops. I did a lot of window shopping, along with a few other people.


Louis Vuitton and Prada....and


directly across the walkway.....McDonald's! Finally, something I can afford.

We managed a lovely dinner with the expert direction of the concierge at a nice hotel. Milan was huge and crowded but after reading some of the travel books upon my return home(I guess it might have helped to read those books before the trip!), I find that my initial impressions are commonly felt. Don't waste too much of your time here....move on!

And as they say....the rest is history. We wiped the dust of Milan off our feet as we boarded the plane, but the rest of Italy will remain in our memories until we meet again....Ciao!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Budapest and Italy, Part 2.
This turned out to be very long, I recommend getting a great glass of Italian wine before you read this!

After 4 days in Budapest it was time for us to have a little vacation. Budapest was great, but for TJ, it was work. A nice venue for work but still work. Time for a little recreational wine tasting and sightseeing with friends.

We got out of Budapest a day before the sludge arrived. We were heading to Desenzano del Garda, Italy. There is no easy way to get there from Budapest. First, take a plane to Frankfurt, our 2nd time at the Frankfurt airport on this trip, then take a plane to Venice where we rent a car and drive for 2 hours to Desenzano. Just picture TJ and I driving along the autostrad with no Euro and wondering how we will be able to pay the toll at the end of the road. We decide to risk it and carry on.....FYI, they take credit cards! We thought they might, but you can't be too sure.



Italy! Sunshine! Finally! We even had a view of the water.....see? It's there, keep looking! Ok, it's not the Danube and Buda Castle but the sun is shining!

Lake Garda was beautiful. The water was beautiful blue with the mountains in the background. The small towns all along the lake were quaint and picturesque without being too touristy. I can only imagine how it would be in the summer though, full of tourists! Glad we were there for the off season.


Lake Garda as seen from Sirmione.


Sirmione

Then the fun began! The fun is in Verona....think Romeo and Juliet meet the soup Nazi meets the Amazing Race.


This is not Juliet's balcony, just a lovely building in Verona.

First, Romeo and Juliet. We did the typical Verona tourist thing and went to Juliet's balcony, but no one rubbed the statue of Juliet, we also made a stop by Romeo's door.

Juliet in all her bronze glory.

On to the soup Nazi....dinner was one of a kind. A true, authentic, no English spoken or written, Italian restaurant, Il Ropeton. Our waiter, Ropeton himself, recited the entire menu in rapid fire Italian and then looked at us with that "what would you like?" look. We deferred to the Italian speakers at our table and managed to order an amazing meal, plenty of wine,a little grappa for everyone and limoncello for the perfect end. By the end of the night we had befriended Ropeton and had him posing for pictures with our table! That's him at the end of the table!




Time for the Amazing Race! We had responsibly taken the train to Verona and planned to catch the 11:45 train back to Desenzano. We had to make tracks! The four of us walked the 2 miles to the train station as fast as we could. We got close to the station and TJ told Rick, who is ahead of all of us, to go ahead inside and buy the tickets. As Patty and I caught up to Rick who was trying to buy tickets at the machine, we see the next train to Desenzano leaves at 5a.m.!!!! at which point Patty bursts out laughing! We all burst out laughing in the deserted train station, it must have been the grappa, or the limoncello, or the wine, pick one. Turns out the last train left at 10:45, oops. We all walked out of the train station, laughing and carrying on, and looking for a way to Desenzano. Turns out the only way to get home at midnight was taxi....90 EU worth of taxi. We laughed the entire way home, all 30 minutes of it, poor taxi driver! We just could not believe our expert planning backfired. That's what we get for being so responsible!

The rest of Italy will have to wait for another post, it was just too much fun for one post. I will leave you with a few more pictures of Verona and Sirmione.


Soccer practice carpool


View across the river in Verona


Winery near Sirmione, beautiful place!


More of Sirmione