Greetings from Hawaii!

Checking in from our first stop- Hilo, Hawaii

I’m writing from our stateroom on Wednesday, December 4, 2013.  I probably should have written earlier, but it is vacation and I was veggie out.  I will send this when we get to shore in Hilo tomorrow and have free Wi-Fi (cheapskate that I am).

We left Colorado on Friday morning after Lisa very generously drove us to the airport.  Caitie was with us as she was returning to Stanford from thanksgiving vacation.  Together the three of us few to Dallas airport where she caught her next plane to San Francisco and we left for LAX .  (By the way, my L key isn’t working so if you notice a word that I missed repairing and is beyond your recognition, add an L to it.)   The flights went well with no issues if you count flying backwards to Texas to get to California normal.  We had frequent flyer miles and it is the only routing you can get with American miles.

We carried our huge overloaded cruise bags to the hotel waiting area and grabbed a shuttle to the Renaissance hotel where we spent a comfortable night.  Saturday morning after a good breakfast we rode the shuttle back to the hotel and met up with the Princess staff who took our bags and loaded us onto a bus.  The entire process at the airport took about an hour for those of you wondering.  We had to wait around for the bus for a while and the bag check-in was not well organized, so it took an hour to get on the bus.  The ride from the airport to the pier takes about 40 minutes but then the real waiting happened.  We got off the bus (leaving our bags behind for the Princess people to take to our stateroom) and stood in line to check in.  Apparently the check-in lines were opened about noon, so the lines had plenty of time to grow by our arrival 45 minutes later.  Once we were checked in we were given a boarding pass with a group number on it, and we sat in a large waiting room and waited until our group number was called.  We estimate that the total check in time plus waiting was about an hour.  When we go on our Bubbie trip we ought to arrange to wait together as it will make the time fly by to spend it as a big group.

As unaccustomed to balconies as we usually are, it was gorgeous to see our balcony digs.  After rustling up some lunch and hanging out through the muster drill we spent several hours on the deck enjoying the view as we left the harbor.  The sun was setting and it was such a clear and beautiful evening.  We met our deck neighbors and visited for a bit by yelling around the walls.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a bottle of champagne and an arrangement of flowers in our room compliments of Susan, Lisa and Mom as an anniversary gift.  That champagne made for a very nice round of toasts as we headed out to sea.

We had difficulties figuring out which dinner to sign up for, so we changed our mind and ended up on the wait list for the timed seatings.  In the end, they assigned us to AnyTime dining and after a few days of it we are converts.  It has been four or five years since our last cruise and in that time they changed the dining rooms.  They are all smaller with smaller tables.  The largest tables sit maybe six or eight and there are not many of them.  The smaller dining rooms are themed, such as the Southwestern Santa Fe Room or the dark steakhouse, the Savoy.  With AnyTime dining it feels as if you are eating in a restaurant.  Most meals Mike and I eat at a table by ourselves.  It is very nice to “go out to eat” every night.  I feel spoiled.

To answer your questions about the ship.  This ship doesn’t have juice available all day, Leanne.  The Horizon Court has dispensers for coffee and hot water that can be accessed all day, but not juice.  Juice is served by the wait staff after you sit down, but I did not see any self-service.  If you want juice at lunch (Mike asked for some) they charge you.  Regarding Wi-Fi, it is available at a number of places including the internet café on the 6^th floor .  We actually receive it in our room on the Caribe deck (10).  It is the same price as using their computers though, so there is no cost savings from having your own computer. During the middle of the day it is very slow, and therefore expensive, so if you want to use it the internet café manager told us the best times were before 6AM when no one else is on and it is fast.  There is a price discount offered to buy the minutes before you get on the ship, and they offered the same deal for the first day on board.  We decided none of our news was time sensitive, so we will check our mail and send this at free Wi-Fi when we are in port.

Our first full day was Sunday, also known at this time of the year as football Sunday.  Mike had been concerned about being able to see the games but the concern was for naught.  We grabbed two recliners out by the pool and watched an entire day of football on the theater under the stars, also called the jumbotron at the pool.  We were amply fed (the hamburger and hot dog desk was at one end of the pool deck and the ice cream and popcorn stand at the other).  Jessica wanted to know about the activities on board and I can tell you people were busy, but we were watching football.  And, if it wasn’t enough to do that all day Sunday, it so happens that this week was Monday night Football week for the Seahawks so we spent Monday there too.  With the time change the game began at 4:30 so we were out there plenty early to get good seats.  By the end of the game we were wrapped up in blankets and coats to stay warm but we cheered the Hawks to victory over New Orleans.  You’ll just have to see for yourself about the first few days activities, Jecca…. I only know about football.

The fitness center on this ship is excellent and not only have we toured it but we actually used it once.  We are also enjoying our “anniversary deluxe package” and have had a massage.  I elected a bamboo massage where this little tiny Philippine girl rolled warm pieces of bamboo on my back then massaged all of the knots.  It was heavenly.

So,  we are totally relaxed, well fed and massaged.  Think of us as two happy hunks of Kobe beef.

Love, Deanne and Mike

Well, I thought you figured we were done with traveling....

Nah,  we just took a break from blogging for awhile.  We are back on-line after a long hiatus as we prepare for a 30th anniversary celebration cruise that leaves at the end of this week.  We spent a bunch of time hemming and hawing about how to celebrate this momentous occasion and finally decided to select an inexpensive, "last minute" cruise that popped up on an e-mail advertisement.  So, we leave snowy Colorado on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and fly to Los Angeles, then leave the following day, on a two week cruise to Hawaii and back.  What makes this particularly crazy, is that in just four months we are making the exact same trip, on a sister ship, to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday.  She is hosting her own party and taking twenty of her very best family members on this trip.  So, Mike and I are "previewing" the cruise and updating the log so that the group of twenty can follow along.

Given the cost of on-board Internet, we are likely to send our updates when we hit port rather than along the way.  So, expect to get your reports of how things are going in batches....we will write more often but only post on port days (December 5,6,7,8 and the final day the 15th).  If you have anything you want us to check out for you let us know (Leanne:  your juice accessibility 24/7 question reminds high on the list).  Mike's most pressing question reminds unanswered:  will we be able to see the Seahawks play Monday night football?

Be back soon,  Deanne

We're on our way home

We left Ferrara yesterday afternoon and made the trek across Northern Italy to Milano. Apparently the biggest convention of the year, the Furniture show, has attracted leather couch lovers from around the world and we had a devil of a time finding last minute hotel accomodations. Nevertheless, we did find a place to stay near the ariport at double the normal rate....as Mike says...scalping exists the world over. It is time to get home.

Our flight to NY JFK leaves this morning at 10:30. Then we change planes, go through customs, etc. and fly to Chicago or another plane change to Albuequergue. We will be in around 9:00 PM, which I think means about 20 hours of travel. We left our car there, which we will retrieve before spending the night there and then making the five hour drive back to Mancos, Colorado.

I have a few more photos to post, plus a request to post some photos of the place in Colorado, so don't stop checking in yet. Give me a few more days before we call this trip over.

Love, Deanne

OMG- Have we got a restaurant for you!

Yesterday, Tuesday, Mike and I took it easy (as if any other day is hard, stressful work) almost all day while Caitie was in class nonstop from 9:00 until 5:00 (we're glad she is spending our money wisely). Mike read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as if his life depended on it. In fact, while I was out for my walk, I found a bookstore with a tiny rack of English language books and bought him the sequel so that he doesn't suffer withdrawl when he finishes it. I think he will believe my book recommendations in the future. For those of you who have missed it... you are really missing out.


A little after 5:00 Caitie arrived and we visited for an hour until Pietro came to pick us up. Even after the wonderful meal he had served us the previous night, he and his mother had worked on another surprise meal. One of his mother's patients is from a restaurant family. Dad is the chef, complete with white apron and tall hat, and Mom runs the dining room. Patrizia, Pietro's mother had called them and arranged a meal for us; all as another treat from them. We are forever in their debt for the collective two dinners. This was spectacular.


The evening started with Caitie and I piling into the back seat of Pietro's family car for ride into the countryside. Mike rode shotgun while Pietro chauffered us to the seaside. Ferrara is inland about 70 miles or so from the coast, near Venice. Within minutes of leaving our convent within central Ferrara we were buzzing down country highways on our way to the seaside. We stopped for fuel at one point and Pietro filled the car with GPL (I think I got those initials in the right order), which I think is liquid propane gas. This car is rated "green" because it utilizes this low emission fuel, which allows it to be driven on days in which Ferrara is closed to traffic to control emissions. Pietro says that this happens in the winter usually on weekends when the air quality is poor and they want to clean it up. Police locate on the roads leading into the city and stop all cars. Only public transportation, bikes and cars are allowed into the city on those days. He told us that this city is known for its bike travel (which is obvious to any but the densest observer) because the ancient streets are so narrow that driving, and particularly, parking, are too difficult to make car commuting popular.


Our first stop was the tiny town of Comacchio ( http://www.comacchio.it/) which calls itself "little Venice". This little fishing village has canals and bridges that have earned it that designation. Apparently the people there are primarily fisherman who work with the huge migration of eels that breed there, swim through the canals back out to sea, across the ocean to winter in the Gulf of Mexico, then return to breed in Comacchio. In addition to eels, mussels are farmed here and the fisherman go out to sea to bring in all kinds of fish. We parked and walked across a bridge over the canals- enjoying the fresh sea air with whifts of fish, and the beautiful evening setting sun reflecting on the canals. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera, so the photos I have just posted to the blog for Comacchio are borrowed from Luigi, some generous soul who posted his photos in a public site on Picasa. Thanks for sharing Luigi!


We loaded back into the car for our second stop- a little beach resort nearby (sorry- no name). We were clearly visiting a few weeks before the beginning of the season- most of the establishments along the beach were closed. The lido, or beach, had side-by-side beach clubs, gated areas with dressing rooms, eating areas, playgrounds for children, ping pong tables, and sometimes elaborate carnival type activities. Apparently when you visit this area for the summer, you sign on to one of the clubs and sit on the beach in front of them, the area whose access is controlled by the club, charging your drinks, beach access, toy rental, food, etc. which you pay for at the end of your trip. We found an open gate at one of the clubs and parked. Apparently it was not yet open for the season, but someone was there painting and allowed us to walk around and walk down their path to the beach. It was deserted, windy and cold, but Pietro's descriptions of the summer made it come alive with wall-to-wall towels, people and noise. As Mike said when we turned around to leave, "This place can hold a lot of Speedos (in reference to the European men's affection for lycra swimsuits".


We drove through the resort village, which Pietro said his parent's had visited each summer when he and his sister were young, apparently as a right of passage. When the children outgrew the visits his parents admitted to hating the place. It reminded Mike of Jones beach or Coney Island. Worn and tacky but in a great location. We stopped and had a glass of Prosecco (the wonderful Italian sparkling wine Caitie turned us on to) at a deserted, but open Irish pub.


Our final stop was the Osteria dei Colosi (restaurant of the gluttons) in Mesola. Hidden near the beautiful castle in Mesola, the restaurant is amazing- cozy and inviting.(http://www.osteriadeigolosi.it/ ) We were greeted warmly and shown to a private dining room upstairs above the main dining area. Wth slanted ceilings covered in knotty pine, the dining room felt like we were sitting in a special attic dining room. After bringing us a couple of bottles of drinking water, the chef arrived to discuss the menu with Pietro. They had a comprehensive written menu but it was not consulted at all as they decided on our meal. Caitie followed along and provided the voice of reason in portion control, and even with her suggestions we had an enormous meal. The antipasto, or appetizer course, was composed of a wooden platter with small dishes of olives, pickled onions and pickled pumpkin. There was tender and delicious sliced meats. We had a basket of freshly baked bread and another of deep fried goodies that I have never had before, like a risotto-like soft rice ball, but hope to try again some day. All of this was accompanied by a wonderful wine recommended by the chef.


Our next course was pasta - a dish of ravioli and another of tortolini. The ravioli was filled with a tender meat and served lightly in a cream sauce with crushed pistachios on top.. The tortolini had a radicchio filling and was served in a very light butter sauce with shavings of proschuito. Both were wonderful.


As the empty pasta bowls and scraped clean plates were cleared away, two bowls of roasted potatoes and rosemary and two bowls of salad were delivered; the former for the guys and the later for the girls. Anyone who has ever eaten with Caitie knows that she is passionate about her salads. Once the vegetables hit the table, the chef delivered the most amazing beef. It was sliced entrecote with sea salt and rosemary. It was possibly the best beef any of us had ever eaten. The chef told us that after years of working in restaurants throughout Europe and sourcing his beef from places like Argentina and Tuscany, he had finally settled on the best source he had found so far.... Nebraska!

The chef showed up again after the dinner dishes were cleared away to ask about dessert. He conferred with Pietro about affection for gelato (Mike and Caitie) and chocolate (me) and left only to return with profiteroles (Mike and Pietro), frozen rice custard (Caitie) and decadent choclate torte (me). Additionally, we were served two glass bottles from the freezer, with ice on the sides. One with homemade lemoncello (if you haven't ever had this you have to try it... and freeze the bottle, too) and the other with a homemade black licorice liquor. At this point, a clear devide formed...those that love licorice (Pietro and me) and those that don't (Mike and Caitie). We each had a couple of shots of these sweet and wonderful treats and washed them down with our tiny cups of decaffinated espresso.

After this major impressive meal, we were shown to our car without being able to pay. Pietro's mother had arranged to pay for the meal, but it is not clear whether the proprieters would permit her to pay, as they have treated her family to meals in the past. It was an amazing meal and and amzing gift. I suggest that anyone visiting Venice rent a car for an evening and drive out to try this place. Tell them Patrizia sent you. It worked for us!

So now we have sworn off food for awhile. At least for the next half hour until 12:45 when we meet Caitie and four school friends for pizza.

Love, Deanne

Dinner with the Tebaldi Family

Yesterday: Day of the big Dinner with Pietro's family
Pietro spent the day preparing for dinner, as he is currently on Spring break. Caitie spent part of the day with us, two hours in class and the remaining part of the day at her apartment preparing for her presentation and washing our clothes which she delivered back to us at the end of the day in two wet balls. There are no dryers...you hang your clothes out to dry. Ours are currently stacked up on both the radiator and the bathroom towel rack.

At 7:35 we met Caitie at her apartment, all of us in our better than usual, but still not formal clothes. We drove over to Peitro's home and climbed the steps up to their apartment. Pietro's father met us at the door and escorted us into the living room to sit on the comfortable white leather couches. Along one wall of the home was a library of books and another wall was decorate with photos of the family and fine art photos. The dining table was all set up for dinner for six. We chatted for a few minutes then moved to the dining table.

Pietro's father, Gianni (pronounced the same as our Jonny) speaks English well and kept the conversation going all evening. A civil engineer that works on the public water system, making sure that this city below sea level doesn't flood, he is an engaging host. He has a clever sense of humor and a curiosity about us and life in America. He asked questions about politics and meditation, both of which gave Mike ample leeway to discuss things. He clearly enjoys Caitie, feeling comfortable enough to kid her about her "monster" feet and her passion for salad. Pietro's mother speaks only a few words of English, although she seemed to understand much of the conversation. When she didn't, Caitie or Pietro would explain things in Italian. She is a pediatrician and seemed to enjoy the conversation about the health benefits of meditation.

We brought them each a gift from Colorado; a Hopi Indian necklace and bolo tie. I have no idea if they will ever wear them, but we wanted them to have a piece of the Wild West.

Pietro served a wonderful meal. We started with bruschetta- Italian toast with a tomato salsa on top. Then onto a local specialty that is best described as a family sized pot pie with a sweet tasting pasta and sauce inside. I loved it. Then, the entree was beef with mushroom sauce, potatoes, asparagus, artichokes and fennel. All of it was wonderful. For dessert we had a local cake and strawberries. He sure knows how to put together a meal!

We stayed until about 10:30 then took mercy on these poor folks that had to clean up after us and go to work the next day. All in all, it was a great time and we have new Italian friends!

Deanne

Ferrara- Continued

The three of us, Mike, Caitie and I, are sitting in the breakfast room of our convent at 4:00 PM. Mike is reading, having finally started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I recommended to him, purchased in Seattle, and carried all the way here until it was the final book in his suitcase. Now he is as enthralled with the writing and the story as I was when I read it. Caitie is taking advantage of our free internet to work on some research for a verbal presentation she has to make tomorrow. The assingment is to speak in Italian for fifteen minutes about Sicily, where here class visited recently, or Ferrara where they attend classes. She has chosen to speak about Pietro's family, her offical host family for school, and their ties to this town and region. She has some interesting anecdotes, such as telling the story of Pietro's grandfather who was a prisoner of war during WWII in an American camp. He was made to work on a farm and was paid in American dollars for doing so, which he saved and used to purchase his home here after the war. When he met Caitie, he asked her in English if she was American, which is the only remaining English language he could muster. He apparently has fond memories of his American captors.

In the restaurant adjacent to where we sit, a huge family is celebrating the university graduation of one of their family membors. It is a loud and rowdy party which everyone seems to be enjoying. There is one particular bawdy song that is traditionially sung to the graduate, and they are singing it now. Of course, only Caitie understands it.

We walked around the old town with Caitie today and ate in a small sandwich shop at the base of the castle. It is beautifully maintained as is the wall that surrounds the city. Unlike many of the other walled cities we have visited such as Lucca, this town seems to have many fewer tourists. Unlike such famous cities as Venice which have been more or less turned completely over to tourists and not local housing, the old town homes seem to be lived in by locals here. Only a few places such as our convent are accomodations for tourists. For those of you planning a visit to Italy, this is a wonderful place to see.

Tonight we have been invited to dinner with Pietro's family. I think all of us are looking forward to meeting each other, although perhaps a little worried about how the communication will go. Pietro and Caitie will be under the gun to keep the communication moving along.

Tomorrow Caitie has classes all day so Mike and I will be on our own to tour the city and to write and tell you how the dinner turns out. Stay tuned.

I posted the Lugano photos earlier, and I will post some photos of Ferrara soon.

Ciao,
Deanne

Ferrara- Caitie's home away from home

Yesterday afternoon we drove into the charming town Caitie calls home. Ferrara is home to about 100,000 people, many of whom live within the standing walls of the old city. The castle marks the center of town with tiny 500 year old buildings and homes lining the narrow streets that radiate from the center. We are staying at an old convent San Girolamo dei Gesuati, which you can check out at their website: http://www.sangirolamodeigesuati.com/ It is a charming retreat near the center of the old town. We have old murals on the high walls near the ceilings and free internet!!

Caitie's apartment is about 15 minutes away by foot; a third floor walk up with high ceilings in the living room that permit a loft bed above the living area, and slanted lower ceilings in the kitchen and bathroom that reflect her position on the top floor. She has a fireplace and a washing machine... both charm and luxury. It is a wonderful place for her to live while doing this semester abroad.

We had a picnic dinner in our room last night with Caitie.

Gotta run; will catch up more later. Photos from Lugano are now on-line.

Love, Deanne