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
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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!
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
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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
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
Monday, April 12, 2010
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
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
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
Friday, April 9, 2010
Enjoying Lugano
Today has been a great day. The four of us met for breakfast at 10:00 again (why rush things? We are on vacation and RETIRED so there is no need to hurry things). After learning how things work at the breakfast buffet, we each pounced on our favorites. Caitie got the last whole wheat croissant after losing out yesterday. Pietro got his Swiss hot chocolate made from melted chocolate chunks before they ran out like they did yesterday. Mike and I got our cappacinos right away. We were having such a great time drinking coffee, munching on fruit and enjoying each other's company that we were the last to leave the dining room at 11:10.
We followed up breakfast with a walk down to the lake. On the way we stopped in the plaza to watch two Swiss men play chess on an outdoor board beside the Burger King. I should have the photos posted at about the same time this is posted on the blog so you can see the chess players and Caitie and Pietro watching. Then we wondered down to the lakefront before splitting up for individual activities. Caitie and Pietro went for a walk and rented a motor boat to see the lake. Mike and I sat and people watched and read our books. I went for a walk around the lake and took the Lugano photos of poeple's backs. I know it is impolite to take photos of people without asking, and being language deficient and shy, it was much easier to take photos of people that weren't aware that they were the subject of a tourist's photographic artistry. Enjoy them! The front side of these people were even better.
We are tucked in for nap time (it is 6:00 PM and dinner is not for an hour and a half) then we are off to have pizza for dinner. No $400 dinners tonight! The pizza is wonderful here... thin crust and delicious toppings. Given the company, I think we will have as much fun as we did last night.
Tomorrow we leave for Ferrara, Italy. We will be able to see where Caitie lives (if we can get up four huge flights of stairs), where she goes to school and also meet Pietro's family while we are there. After breakfast here, of course!
Love, Deanne
We followed up breakfast with a walk down to the lake. On the way we stopped in the plaza to watch two Swiss men play chess on an outdoor board beside the Burger King. I should have the photos posted at about the same time this is posted on the blog so you can see the chess players and Caitie and Pietro watching. Then we wondered down to the lakefront before splitting up for individual activities. Caitie and Pietro went for a walk and rented a motor boat to see the lake. Mike and I sat and people watched and read our books. I went for a walk around the lake and took the Lugano photos of poeple's backs. I know it is impolite to take photos of people without asking, and being language deficient and shy, it was much easier to take photos of people that weren't aware that they were the subject of a tourist's photographic artistry. Enjoy them! The front side of these people were even better.
We are tucked in for nap time (it is 6:00 PM and dinner is not for an hour and a half) then we are off to have pizza for dinner. No $400 dinners tonight! The pizza is wonderful here... thin crust and delicious toppings. Given the company, I think we will have as much fun as we did last night.
Tomorrow we leave for Ferrara, Italy. We will be able to see where Caitie lives (if we can get up four huge flights of stairs), where she goes to school and also meet Pietro's family while we are there. After breakfast here, of course!
Love, Deanne
Wow, was that a dinner!
When I last left you hanging, we were off to dinner at Lugano's best restaurant with Caitie and Pietro. We have just returned. What a meal.
To describe the setting: Although Mike was hosting the meal, language proficiency thrust Pietro into the role of working with the restaurant staff. This place doesn't have a written menu. The waiters describe the offerings verbally in Italian, so poor Pietro had to translate to us plus add editorials to explain to us which offerings were likely entrees and which were starters. He was materful, turning us on to such things as champagne risotto which was a shared starter that we all loved. We ate our meal over a three hour stretch of time and three bottles of wine. Everyone enjoyed the food and the company. Pietro did a wonderful job of recommending the best choices to us and all of us ended the meal happy.
So, It is 11:15 pm and Mike and I are tucked in for the night. Caitie has poor Pietro out walking laps of the city until she feels that she has sufficiently worked off that meal. Hopefully they will be back in time to meet us for the 10:00 breakfast buffet. :+)
Love,
Deanne
To describe the setting: Although Mike was hosting the meal, language proficiency thrust Pietro into the role of working with the restaurant staff. This place doesn't have a written menu. The waiters describe the offerings verbally in Italian, so poor Pietro had to translate to us plus add editorials to explain to us which offerings were likely entrees and which were starters. He was materful, turning us on to such things as champagne risotto which was a shared starter that we all loved. We ate our meal over a three hour stretch of time and three bottles of wine. Everyone enjoyed the food and the company. Pietro did a wonderful job of recommending the best choices to us and all of us ended the meal happy.
So, It is 11:15 pm and Mike and I are tucked in for the night. Caitie has poor Pietro out walking laps of the city until she feels that she has sufficiently worked off that meal. Hopefully they will be back in time to meet us for the 10:00 breakfast buffet. :+)
Love,
Deanne
Soaking up our visit
Pietro joined us yesterday afternoon after finishing two tough midterms- game theory (very difficult) and business law (not as hard). We tried to get into a restaurant highly recommended in the guide book but they were stuffed full, so we made a reservation for tonight and went to the same place where we ate dinner. The guys had filet mignon with grilled vegetables and the girls had salad and minnestrone soup. Of course, we all shared a couple bottles of wine which our Italian wine specialist, Pietro found for us. It was a great dinner, with the waitress joking along with us...she wouldn't let Mike pour the wine....it was her job and she put me in charge of guarding the bottle to prevent anyone from touching it except her.
This morning we all met up at 10:00 for Swiss breakfast, although this hotel serves a much greater menu than our previous hotels. One table has beverages; coffee, hot chocolate (made up of chunks of chocolate that are dropped into the heated serving pot to melt), tea and hot white chocolate. Another table is loaded down with breads; sandwich bread with a toaster, croissant (both white and wheat); rolls and sweet breads. A third table has plates of cut up fruit and a giant tiered fruit bowl with whole fruit. Finally, a table with cheeses, meats, eggs (scrambled and boiled) and grilled vegetables. There is also a self service juicer for carrot juice with a pile of carrots and a citrus juicer with a bowl or halved oranges. We all ate well and committed to deny ourselves a lunch (who needs it!) in order to really appreciate this wonderful place we are eating dinner.
After eating we all went in different directions; Mike to do e-mail (we have free internet here!!), Caitie and Pietro to explore the city and me to take a walk. We have plans to gather together this evening.
This morning we all met up at 10:00 for Swiss breakfast, although this hotel serves a much greater menu than our previous hotels. One table has beverages; coffee, hot chocolate (made up of chunks of chocolate that are dropped into the heated serving pot to melt), tea and hot white chocolate. Another table is loaded down with breads; sandwich bread with a toaster, croissant (both white and wheat); rolls and sweet breads. A third table has plates of cut up fruit and a giant tiered fruit bowl with whole fruit. Finally, a table with cheeses, meats, eggs (scrambled and boiled) and grilled vegetables. There is also a self service juicer for carrot juice with a pile of carrots and a citrus juicer with a bowl or halved oranges. We all ate well and committed to deny ourselves a lunch (who needs it!) in order to really appreciate this wonderful place we are eating dinner.
After eating we all went in different directions; Mike to do e-mail (we have free internet here!!), Caitie and Pietro to explore the city and me to take a walk. We have plans to gather together this evening.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Swiss Trifecta
We are now in our third and final city on our 6 day trip to Switzerland. This morning we left Interlaken and drove the two hour trip to Lugano. After perfect weather for the past few days we hit fog here; sort of a haze hanging over the hills. It is still warm and dry enough to walk around and enjoy the shops and the lake, although the first order to business was food. We checked in to the Dante Hotel where we stayed on our previous trip and walked across the piazza to the nearby restaurant where they practically named a table after us on our last visit.
One of the joys of traveling with Caitie is she loves to share meals with me. One of us usually orders a big salad and the other a main dish and we share them while Mike, who doesn't like to mix tastes, orders whatever hits his fancy. He had a Daviola pizza, his favorite. Think pepperoni and olives on a paper this crust. Caitie and I had a similar pizza with mushrooms instead of olives. She had a small green salad and I had a huge Caprese salad. It was a great meal.
All in all, Switzerland is wonderful although hugely expensive. For example:
Check our photos of Switzerland...
Deanne
One of the joys of traveling with Caitie is she loves to share meals with me. One of us usually orders a big salad and the other a main dish and we share them while Mike, who doesn't like to mix tastes, orders whatever hits his fancy. He had a Daviola pizza, his favorite. Think pepperoni and olives on a paper this crust. Caitie and I had a similar pizza with mushrooms instead of olives. She had a small green salad and I had a huge Caprese salad. It was a great meal.
All in all, Switzerland is wonderful although hugely expensive. For example:
- 1/2 hour of internet $8
- hotel night $200-250
- pizza for one $17
- Big Mac $11.30
- 3 small Starbucks lattes $19.85
- bottle of wine in the store $7- 15
You can see why our motto has been to eat light and drink wine instead!
After lunch Mike worked on e-mail and Caitie and I wondered around town. Pietro, Caitie's boyfriend meets up with us tonight, so we are all excited to see himCheck our photos of Switzerland...
Deanne
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Another blog entry down the drain
It is getting very frustrating.... another blog entry disappeared. This time it was because the computer shut down without saving it. Big bummer. So, I will write again, kicking and screaming that I lost what I already wrote.
We are enjoying Interlaken. This is a gorgeous town in the Alps. Mike and I spent a week here two years ago and he was excited to show it to Caitie. The weather has been perfect- sunny and sparkly and the crowds are small and easily avoided. All in all, it has been a great two days.
We are back in the routine of small Swiss breakfasts, followed by long walks (made much longer by the energy Caitie is putting in to getting her cruise-plumped parents in shape) then shower, lunch in a restaurant, another walk/shopping, picnic dinner on the twin beds in our hotel room, and an evening of talking, watching tv such as Italian game shows or BBC soap operas. Today Caitie and I walked around a park that is largely a giant hill that we climbed.
I will post the Swiss photos so you can all share the beautiful day with us. As I hear about the earthquakes (Mom felt the Mexican earthquake in Palm Springs), snow (poor Susan in Colorado) and rain in Seattle I am happy to be here enjoying a wonderful Swiss Spring day.
Love to all,
Deanne
We are enjoying Interlaken. This is a gorgeous town in the Alps. Mike and I spent a week here two years ago and he was excited to show it to Caitie. The weather has been perfect- sunny and sparkly and the crowds are small and easily avoided. All in all, it has been a great two days.
We are back in the routine of small Swiss breakfasts, followed by long walks (made much longer by the energy Caitie is putting in to getting her cruise-plumped parents in shape) then shower, lunch in a restaurant, another walk/shopping, picnic dinner on the twin beds in our hotel room, and an evening of talking, watching tv such as Italian game shows or BBC soap operas. Today Caitie and I walked around a park that is largely a giant hill that we climbed.
I will post the Swiss photos so you can all share the beautiful day with us. As I hear about the earthquakes (Mom felt the Mexican earthquake in Palm Springs), snow (poor Susan in Colorado) and rain in Seattle I am happy to be here enjoying a wonderful Swiss Spring day.
Love to all,
Deanne
Monday, April 5, 2010
@Mickey D's in Switzerland Again
If you wanted to scroll back through this blog to an entry a few years ago, you would find your hard working blogger sitting in this very same McDonalds in Interlaken, Switzerland availing myself of the free one hour of internet time. For the price of a coffee we get an hour of internet, a big discount over the prices at our hotel.
We met up with Caitie on Monday at the Milan airport. Our meeting place was a little vague and a bus driver sent me to the wrong place to locate her, but after an hour of pacing the airport we found each other and hit the road to Switzerland. She looks happy and beautiful and she entertained us as we navigated the roads towards Milan and north into Switzerland. Pietro, Catie's boyfriend wisely recommended that we get GPS with our car and it performed beautifully in helping us navigate the roads. We hit lots of traffic in the spot going north where the two lanes of traffic merge to become one for traveling through a 17 km tunnel through the mountains. We sat in traffic for an hour crawling to the tunnel entrance, yet the rest of the trip was trouble-free.
Our first Swiss night was spent in Lucerne. We found a triple room that looked like a dorm room; Pergo floor, three twin beds pushed up against the walls with duvets folded in half on each, a tiny table and a sink. The toilet and shower were down the hall; one set for men and the other for women. All this plush living for only $150 per night. Parking was another $5. No internet and no window shades. We went to bed with the bright lights of street lamps shining in our windows.
Caitie and I went for a long walk through the beautiful old town. I will download the photos tonight. The river was sparkling in the sunset as we walking across the wooden bridge that is the trademark of this charming city. After walking for a few hours we stopped at the grocery beneath the trainstation to buy the elements of a picnic dinner. At 8:15 in the evening on a holiday (Easter Monday) that was the only shop open. The three of us sat on our individual twin beds and eat our wonderful meals, a roast beef sandwich for Mike and salads for Caitie and me, which was composed of a bag of lettuce each with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. A giant come down from those cruise ship feasts.
Breakfast this morning was typical Swiss hotel food- musseli, cornflakes, toast and hard boiled eggs. We are going through withdrawls from the cruise.
After breakfast we packed up the car and headed out to Interlaken, one of our favorite Swiss cities. As we headed up into the mountains we passed a sign which I interpreted as saying the mountain pass was closed, so we had to turn around and head in another direction. Nevertheless, with a 9:00 departure we arrived in Interlaken at 10:30, checked into the hotel we stayed in last time (the good old Tuscana) and walked to a favorite restaurant for lunch. After salads and minnestrone we walked around the shops and found the greatest cold weather hat for Caitie (a woolen knitted red cap with the Swiss cross on each side) and a necessary Swiss hat for Mike who lost his hat a week or two back and needed something to defend agains the warm Swiss sun. It was a beautiful sunny day all day.
So, tonight we are tucked in for the night, with picnic supplies in the frig (ham, cheese, bread, fruit and more bags of lettuce, with the treats from the nearby chocolate shop for desert).
Good night. Love to all.
Deanne
We met up with Caitie on Monday at the Milan airport. Our meeting place was a little vague and a bus driver sent me to the wrong place to locate her, but after an hour of pacing the airport we found each other and hit the road to Switzerland. She looks happy and beautiful and she entertained us as we navigated the roads towards Milan and north into Switzerland. Pietro, Catie's boyfriend wisely recommended that we get GPS with our car and it performed beautifully in helping us navigate the roads. We hit lots of traffic in the spot going north where the two lanes of traffic merge to become one for traveling through a 17 km tunnel through the mountains. We sat in traffic for an hour crawling to the tunnel entrance, yet the rest of the trip was trouble-free.
Our first Swiss night was spent in Lucerne. We found a triple room that looked like a dorm room; Pergo floor, three twin beds pushed up against the walls with duvets folded in half on each, a tiny table and a sink. The toilet and shower were down the hall; one set for men and the other for women. All this plush living for only $150 per night. Parking was another $5. No internet and no window shades. We went to bed with the bright lights of street lamps shining in our windows.
Caitie and I went for a long walk through the beautiful old town. I will download the photos tonight. The river was sparkling in the sunset as we walking across the wooden bridge that is the trademark of this charming city. After walking for a few hours we stopped at the grocery beneath the trainstation to buy the elements of a picnic dinner. At 8:15 in the evening on a holiday (Easter Monday) that was the only shop open. The three of us sat on our individual twin beds and eat our wonderful meals, a roast beef sandwich for Mike and salads for Caitie and me, which was composed of a bag of lettuce each with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. A giant come down from those cruise ship feasts.
Breakfast this morning was typical Swiss hotel food- musseli, cornflakes, toast and hard boiled eggs. We are going through withdrawls from the cruise.
After breakfast we packed up the car and headed out to Interlaken, one of our favorite Swiss cities. As we headed up into the mountains we passed a sign which I interpreted as saying the mountain pass was closed, so we had to turn around and head in another direction. Nevertheless, with a 9:00 departure we arrived in Interlaken at 10:30, checked into the hotel we stayed in last time (the good old Tuscana) and walked to a favorite restaurant for lunch. After salads and minnestrone we walked around the shops and found the greatest cold weather hat for Caitie (a woolen knitted red cap with the Swiss cross on each side) and a necessary Swiss hat for Mike who lost his hat a week or two back and needed something to defend agains the warm Swiss sun. It was a beautiful sunny day all day.
So, tonight we are tucked in for the night, with picnic supplies in the frig (ham, cheese, bread, fruit and more bags of lettuce, with the treats from the nearby chocolate shop for desert).
Good night. Love to all.
Deanne
A sparkling new Day for Switzerland
After that dark and dreary day yesterday, what a pleasure it was to wake up to a shiny and sprakly new day. It is gorgeous outside and just the right temperature. We took off from the Holiday Inn to pick up our car, a BMW hatchback model that we don't have in the US, at the airport at the appointed time and then to return to the hotel to wait until noon when Caitie is due in. It took about an hour and a half to get the car, which included taking the long way through the airport and the neighborhood to find our way back to the hotel. We rented a GPS at Caitie's recommendation to help us navigate the little one way streets of the towns but apparently this hotel is so close to the airport it was not helpful. So much for that expenditure!
Apparently the weather is good in Switzerland and we are set to have a great day. Can't wait to see our little girl!
Thanks for the appreciation note about the photos, MaryAnn. I am still working on figuring out the caption thing, but for anyone that wants to read the photos captions before I figure out how to get them on the blog you can always follow the link at the bottom of the column of photos to the Picasa website where the entire library of photos exist, including the ones that I have taken off to enable the blog to open on your computers. The Picasa site includes captions.
Chaio,
Deanne
Apparently the weather is good in Switzerland and we are set to have a great day. Can't wait to see our little girl!
Thanks for the appreciation note about the photos, MaryAnn. I am still working on figuring out the caption thing, but for anyone that wants to read the photos captions before I figure out how to get them on the blog you can always follow the link at the bottom of the column of photos to the Picasa website where the entire library of photos exist, including the ones that I have taken off to enable the blog to open on your computers. The Picasa site includes captions.
Chaio,
Deanne
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter Part 2
We had a quiet, rainy day today and used it for housekeeping. The bathroom is hung with wet laundry, but we have the added benefit of a wonderful European towel warmer that is currently being used instead as a drying rack for undies. Why waste all those watts of electricity on a towel that we won't need until tomorrow when it could be drying the clothes that we need to pack tomorrow?
In addition to washing clothes, we checked in with the kids via text, e-mail, etc. We made plans to meet Caitie around noon tomorrow at the Milan airport. We spoke to my Mom who is celebrating her 76th birthday today. Happy Birthday, Mom! We did our best to find decent food to eat, although in all of Italy we had probably the worst meals possible. Easter is a family day, our hotel is deserted and the food was not very good. At lunch time we caught the interhotel shuttle between our hotel and its sister, the Crowne Plaza. They have a restaurant, we have only a snack bar. For the first half of our lunch we were the only diners in the dark restaurant, sitting alongside the garden windows looking out at the wet patio as the rain poured down. Lunch was a choice of four meals; beef, fish, chicken or lamb. Mike had Braised Beef in gravy with potatoes while I had Poached chicken with potatoes. For dinner, we had "boca Dias" or sandwich of the day (which is the same every day- a roll with a single slice of ham and a single slice of cheese heated up and served in a paper bag). Meals will be better starting tomorrow when we hit the road, and we are working off the reserves from the cruise so today's meals hardly mattered to us.
You will notice that with the luxury of free internet I made significant progress on the blog today. Not only the entries you see, but the photos! They must be downloaded from the camera to the computer harddrive, then uploaded from there to Picaso, where they are then uploaded to the blog. It is a time consuming procress that is just not cost effective when using the expensive internet on the ship. So, if you look to the right you can see the photos we took on the trip so far. As soon as I remember how to add captions I will label them so you know what you are looking at. I also added a subscription feed for those of you who want to have our new blog entries appear on your i google page, yahoo page, etc.
We are off tomorrow to Switzerland. Weather is drizzly and 50 in Interlaken, which is our target, but we have to cross a mountain range to get there and we have no idea how to use our free internet to look up the conditions of the roads! We will keep in touch.
Love to you all,
Deanne
Happy Easter
We woke up in our Milan hotel to a rainy day. It was raining yesterday and we had hoped for a break today, but alas, it is cold, wet and rainy. You could definately call this a Seattle day.
We went down to breakfast and found that the Easter Bunny had left a jar of chocolate easter eggs (kraft is strong here too!) on the front desk counter. So little grandchildren....Athena and Ricky... Grandma and Grandpa got a visit from the Easter Bunny this morning!
Breakfast in Italy is always skimpy by American standards, but side-by-side with a cruise breakfast it was nothing! We remember how it was on our previous trip... you wander into a bar or cafe and order your coffee and pastry at the county. If you eat standing at the counter it is cheap but if you sit down at a table the price rises. The Holiday Inn serves a free breakfast with the room (even our room was free thanks to Holiday Inn points) so we expected coffee, pastry and maybe a table. Instead it was a little more elaborate...more European business hotel breakfast.... 3 or 4 cold cereals in large bowls that you spoon into your serving bowl; two bowls of hard white rolls, one shaped in rounds the other in cylinders; a plate of thinly sliced cheese, salami and ham; cups of yogurt sitting in a bowl of melted ice, and a toaster with white bread. This is accompanied by coffee from a Nescafe machine... your choice of instant coffee served espresso style, cappacino style or Americano style. This is Italian living! Of course, an Italian visiting the US and only eating in a Holiday Inn would also think we did not know what good food tastes like.
We talked to Caitie briefly last night. She was busy with preparations for dinner so we only made arrangements for meeting up tomorrow when she will take the train from Ferrara to Milan, then on to the Milan airport to meet us. We told her of our plans to tour around Milan today, although the rainy weather may have slowed us down. She was celebrating Easter with Pietro's fathers family last night, folks that she has met with previously. Today they were celebrating with his mother's family, people she has not met yet. Then on Monday, she gets her own family!
We have 24 hours of internet at no charge so we will write again later today. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great Easter. Love you,
Deanne
We went down to breakfast and found that the Easter Bunny had left a jar of chocolate easter eggs (kraft is strong here too!) on the front desk counter. So little grandchildren....Athena and Ricky... Grandma and Grandpa got a visit from the Easter Bunny this morning!
Breakfast in Italy is always skimpy by American standards, but side-by-side with a cruise breakfast it was nothing! We remember how it was on our previous trip... you wander into a bar or cafe and order your coffee and pastry at the county. If you eat standing at the counter it is cheap but if you sit down at a table the price rises. The Holiday Inn serves a free breakfast with the room (even our room was free thanks to Holiday Inn points) so we expected coffee, pastry and maybe a table. Instead it was a little more elaborate...more European business hotel breakfast.... 3 or 4 cold cereals in large bowls that you spoon into your serving bowl; two bowls of hard white rolls, one shaped in rounds the other in cylinders; a plate of thinly sliced cheese, salami and ham; cups of yogurt sitting in a bowl of melted ice, and a toaster with white bread. This is accompanied by coffee from a Nescafe machine... your choice of instant coffee served espresso style, cappacino style or Americano style. This is Italian living! Of course, an Italian visiting the US and only eating in a Holiday Inn would also think we did not know what good food tastes like.
We talked to Caitie briefly last night. She was busy with preparations for dinner so we only made arrangements for meeting up tomorrow when she will take the train from Ferrara to Milan, then on to the Milan airport to meet us. We told her of our plans to tour around Milan today, although the rainy weather may have slowed us down. She was celebrating Easter with Pietro's fathers family last night, folks that she has met with previously. Today they were celebrating with his mother's family, people she has not met yet. Then on Monday, she gets her own family!
We have 24 hours of internet at no charge so we will write again later today. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great Easter. Love you,
Deanne
Friday, April 2, 2010
We made it to Milan without a hitch
The morning started early. I couldn't sleep last night... too many things to think about. I am excited about seeing Caitie and missing the rest of the kids back home. Worried about missing connections.... etc. So, at 3:00 this morning Mike found me in the bathroom wide awake reading. I went to bed at 3:00 and slept until 6:15 when we both woke up, probably wakened by all the noises in the hallway. That was the start of a long day.
Getting off the ship was very quick and efficient although they sent us on a goose chase for awhile. The night before we were invited to wait for our departure call in a special Platinum and diamond lounge which we tried to find, but no amount of wondering around located it. When we finally found it it turned out to be an abandoned conference room with a plate of muffins and a jug of juice! Nevertheless, the departure happened on time, we boarded our bus on time, waited for one hour for everyone else to board the bus, then we took off for a four hour tour of Barcelona. What a great city! Easter weekend is a big holiday weekend here so the crowds were minimal, the weather was perfect and the city was beautiful. The Gaudi cathedral, which I loved so much on my last trip to Barcelona was just as spectacular today. We had a wonderful tour then were dropped off at the airport in time for our 3:00 flight to Milan. Also pleasant and uneventful.
Milan airport reminded us that things in Italy don't necessarily run efficiently. We selected an airport hotel so as to have an easy time of tucking in for the night. The Holiday Inn Express was supposed to have a shuttle running continuously between the hotel and the airport but it didn't show. Finally, a fellow waiting traveler, a World Airways pilot, called the hotel and they promised to rush over. Half an hour later they showed up and mysteriously two families full of children loaded into our van. We drove over to the hotel, two weary travelers and a pilot in the second row of seats and at least ten laughing little Italians in the back row of the van. Welcome of Italy!
Love, Deanne
Getting off the ship was very quick and efficient although they sent us on a goose chase for awhile. The night before we were invited to wait for our departure call in a special Platinum and diamond lounge which we tried to find, but no amount of wondering around located it. When we finally found it it turned out to be an abandoned conference room with a plate of muffins and a jug of juice! Nevertheless, the departure happened on time, we boarded our bus on time, waited for one hour for everyone else to board the bus, then we took off for a four hour tour of Barcelona. What a great city! Easter weekend is a big holiday weekend here so the crowds were minimal, the weather was perfect and the city was beautiful. The Gaudi cathedral, which I loved so much on my last trip to Barcelona was just as spectacular today. We had a wonderful tour then were dropped off at the airport in time for our 3:00 flight to Milan. Also pleasant and uneventful.
Milan airport reminded us that things in Italy don't necessarily run efficiently. We selected an airport hotel so as to have an easy time of tucking in for the night. The Holiday Inn Express was supposed to have a shuttle running continuously between the hotel and the airport but it didn't show. Finally, a fellow waiting traveler, a World Airways pilot, called the hotel and they promised to rush over. Half an hour later they showed up and mysteriously two families full of children loaded into our van. We drove over to the hotel, two weary travelers and a pilot in the second row of seats and at least ten laughing little Italians in the back row of the van. Welcome of Italy!
Love, Deanne
The Ether Dog
The Ether ate yesterday's posting. It really did! As I do everyday, I log out leaving a blank blog entry form on which I write my draft the following day. Then, after it is drafted, I upload it to the blog. This saves valuable time on-line, providing cheap off-line time for writing, and using the valuable on-line time for uploads and downloads. Yesterday, I tried to upload and everything disappeared and an error message was returned to me. I was so disheartened I skipped a day. So, you aren't going to hear about our adoption by the African American gang of girls traveling together. They have invited us on future trips with them. Personally, I think they would fit right in with our family, or vice versa. They keep us laughing.
Today is our final day on board. We are sailing by Cadiz right now, in the early afternoon, so Spain is in sight. The sea, which was calm during most the crossing with a tiny rougher patch after our final stop at Madeira. After coming into the protected waters of the Mediterranean it has been very calm. The wehater is noticably cooler... today's high is 62. But, after reading that it is snowing in Colorado, the traveling gypsies are not complaining about having to wear a sweater.
Tomorrow we are taking a short tour of Barcelona, then we are being dropped off by the tour bus at the airport. We have a 3:00 PM flight tomorrow afternoon from Barcelona to Milan, then we spend the night at an airport hotel. Easter Sunday will probably be a laundry day, then on Monday we take off with Caitie to Switzerland. She is probably meeting us at our hotel on Sunday night or Monday morning. We are very excited to see her.
We expect to have cheaper internet access once we get to our hotel tomorrow night, so look for more from us then. We will tell you all about beautiful Barcelona.
Love you all,
Deanne
Today is our final day on board. We are sailing by Cadiz right now, in the early afternoon, so Spain is in sight. The sea, which was calm during most the crossing with a tiny rougher patch after our final stop at Madeira. After coming into the protected waters of the Mediterranean it has been very calm. The wehater is noticably cooler... today's high is 62. But, after reading that it is snowing in Colorado, the traveling gypsies are not complaining about having to wear a sweater.
Tomorrow we are taking a short tour of Barcelona, then we are being dropped off by the tour bus at the airport. We have a 3:00 PM flight tomorrow afternoon from Barcelona to Milan, then we spend the night at an airport hotel. Easter Sunday will probably be a laundry day, then on Monday we take off with Caitie to Switzerland. She is probably meeting us at our hotel on Sunday night or Monday morning. We are very excited to see her.
We expect to have cheaper internet access once we get to our hotel tomorrow night, so look for more from us then. We will tell you all about beautiful Barcelona.
Love you all,
Deanne
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Madeira- like Tenerife but Portuguese
We spent the day today touring Madeira, an island very similiar to yesterday's visit to the Canary Islands. They share volcanic origin, so both islands are mountainous, with the towns built on the slopes of jagged mountains and the hillsides terraced for planting of crops. Both island economies are built around tourism, with 70% of the income derived from visitors, and the islands look prosperous. If you remember the news from several months back, Madeira had a rugged winter, with horrible flooding. The North side of the island is the wet side, and for five hundred years a system of aquaducts has carried the water to the dryer, more inhabited part of the island. That system was overwhelmed during the torrential rains and the canals through the largest city, Funchal were overflowing into the city streets. Homes built on hillsides slid off, trees were uprooted, it was apparently a mess. It has been cleaned up quickly and we only have their word on the horror they experienced during the storms.
Our buddies from yesterday's cruise, the three beautiful black ladies (about my age) and the single man they travel with (the husband of one of them). I am not sure how the kidding started, but we have had an ongoing roll over laughing relationship, mostly centered around the compliments Mike pays the guy for being surrounded by these dolled up women. I think it may have started when we shared an elevator and Mike looked around and told the gent that he was very impressed with him, his hero. Passing him in the Windjammer was soon after, looking to see what he was eating (hero food), etc. So, for two days in a row we have entertained ourselves with jokes back and forth. From LA, this group is fun and we have enjoyed our laughs together.
The only other dull boring factoid of our day to share is the broken pipe in our hallway that caused a flood. We walked out of our door yesterday to soak to our knees in water. We reported in promptly, and our cabin guy told us today that it was a broken pipe. They had fans going immediately, but now we walk out our door to a retched wet carpet smell. That's our day!
Deanne
Our buddies from yesterday's cruise, the three beautiful black ladies (about my age) and the single man they travel with (the husband of one of them). I am not sure how the kidding started, but we have had an ongoing roll over laughing relationship, mostly centered around the compliments Mike pays the guy for being surrounded by these dolled up women. I think it may have started when we shared an elevator and Mike looked around and told the gent that he was very impressed with him, his hero. Passing him in the Windjammer was soon after, looking to see what he was eating (hero food), etc. So, for two days in a row we have entertained ourselves with jokes back and forth. From LA, this group is fun and we have enjoyed our laughs together.
The only other dull boring factoid of our day to share is the broken pipe in our hallway that caused a flood. We walked out of our door yesterday to soak to our knees in water. We reported in promptly, and our cabin guy told us today that it was a broken pipe. They had fans going immediately, but now we walk out our door to a retched wet carpet smell. That's our day!
Deanne
Second post of the Day
At almost 40 cents per minute for internet, I have a routine that minimizes the time I am on-line. First, I write the blog entry of the day off-line. Then I quickly get on-line, set Mike's e-mail to download, up-load the blog entry I just wrote off-line, check to see if anyone left us blog comments which I open into spearate pages, check my own webmail, then log off. Today that took me 9 minutes on-line, or $3.78. It took over an hour to do though.
The disadvantage to doing it this way is that I am already off-line when I settle back to read the crazy and wonderful comments you have left for me. Too late to respond. But, Susan asked a legitimate question.... what do the other cruisers think of us? So, to answer her properly I am writing the second blog entry of the day.
How to answer:
The disadvantage to doing it this way is that I am already off-line when I settle back to read the crazy and wonderful comments you have left for me. Too late to respond. But, Susan asked a legitimate question.... what do the other cruisers think of us? So, to answer her properly I am writing the second blog entry of the day.
How to answer:
- I could tell you how the Israeli comedian described Americans in his mime skit about watching all of us at the mid-night buffet. If you remember back, that is the night Mike and I danced but did not partake of the buffet, so his mockery didn't hurt personally, although it did ring a bell. He started his skit by telling us that he camped out next to the buffet the night before and watched us. The French saunter up to the buffet with their noses in the air and look at the offerings with disdain and walk away without taking anything. The Germans walk back and forth several times analyzing their choices before circling back and taking several. The Brazilains (he was pandering to his audience) rumba past the buffet laughing and having a good time, while the Americans camp in front of the table and take four or five of each loading up their plate good and high. That is one perspective.
- The staff on the ship, who know how to win friends and encourage tips, like the Americans. Many of them live substantially on their tips with little base pay. Roderick tells us that the Brazilian passengers are forced to tip by the cruise-line, with an automatic billing for tips at the time of booking the cruise. He said the Europeans are notorious for not tipping, as they don't trypically do it in their home countries and don't seem to know or care that it is the standard on ships. Only the Americans understand the system and share their largesse with the crew at the recommended tip levels. Of course, after Roderick explained all of this he earned a little extra in this enveolpe from the magnanomous Handrons.
- The Brazilian passengers seem to like us. Maybe it is just politeness that leads the Grandma and Grandpa to stop at our table every night upon their late arrival at dinner for a very polite "Bom Noite", of good evening. We, of course, follow suit, with a stop at their table (we sit side by side afterall) each evening for another round of "Bom Noites". It could be the sheer size of his grief that caused the Brazilain with the lost camera (see my earlier entry) to spend two elevator cycles (press the button, wait, doors open, they close because you are still listening to the moans) telling us of his loss, but I like to think of it as his reocgnition of our humanity.
- Brazilian crew members enjoy us. We order wine each night, but never cocktails. Nevertheless, Carol, the Brazialian cocktail waitress spends time with us everynight as she circulates the floor. No chance we are going to tip someone for visiting us, but still she comes by. In fact, when she was in Rio earlier in the trip he Dad visited her with a box of her favorite candies. She brought some to us a few days later so that we could try them. Plus, if that doesn't prove kinship, she also compliments us daily on our barely improving Portuguese. She quizes us with toughies such as, "Todo Bem?", the informal way to ask "what's up?". Fortunately for us, the answer only needs to be "Todo bem", "it goes okay" which isn't that hard to parrot back to her without the question mark. Most days we do our hour or two of computer work in the coffee lounge (they serve Seattle's Best Coffee here on board!!) with a cool Brazilian barista. She is also working on our Portuguese. But, she gets tips.
- Other Americans seem to enjoy our company. As a minority, we have learned to spot each other now and a quick peak at each other now and again confirms the brotherhood of shared minority status.
So, all in all, I think they like us. THEY REALLY LIKE US!
Love, me
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tenerife - were only 180 miles from Africa!
We hit land again today, and after six days everyone on board is bit giddy with excitement. So, you have to put up with/ or you get treated to a travelogue today, depending upon your point of view. Mike and I took our first formal excursion today and what a pleasant surprise. On previous trips we have detested the mad and messy gathering in the theater to trade your tour tickets for tour stickers, then lining up and following the activities staffer through the underbelly of the ship to make your way out on to the crowded dock and stuffed bus. Imagine how nice it was to show up 15 minutes prior to our tour departure time and find a very short line of five or six people and a small crowd sitting orderly around their tour numbers which were set up in various locations throughout the theater. All we could guess was that the orderly Germans and Americans had arrived early to organize as instructed, and after the designated times, the always late Brazilians, 70% of our group, would arrive late (like they do for dinner) and screw up our departure. We were half way correct. The people in the theater were largely American, German and Australian, but the Brazilians did not sign up for the shore excursions. Instead, they seem to have found their own way into town. One distraught man we saw after the ship left the harbor after our day in Tenerife was mourning the loss of his photos which he had accidentally left (along with the camera housing them) in a cab that he took to the car rental office. So, I guess the Brazilians are more independent in their travels and opt for advanced shore excursions rather than Shore Excursion 101- "plant your butt on bus and go where it takes you." Our bus was only a third full, so we had a nice, relaxed tour of the island.
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. While attacked and/or conquered by almost all of the big European nations, Spain was the winner. Now an independent territory of Spain with their own president, the islanders speak Spanish with a Castilian accent, which sounds as if they are lisping compared to the Spanish we learn in school. 80% of the economy in the Canary islands is based on tourism and the remainder is largely agricultural, so many of the population are multi-lingual making it easy to navigate with English/ Spanglish.
After our four hour tour of the island during which we saw the banana plantations (the largest crop), the extinct volcano marking the highest point in spain (12,000 feet), an ancient monastary now serving as a restaurant where we had coffee and pastry (just what we needed after 11 days on board!) and the waterfront. All in all, it is clean and safe and a nice vacation spot for the Europeans that flock here to beat the winter weather (the Northerners such as the Scandinavians) and the summer heat (the Spaniards and Italians). The climate is apparently great here year around, and if today is representative, I would agree. It was shirt sleeve comfortable today.
Most everything we saw is modern and clean. Apparently the Canarians (I did not invent that name, that is what they call themselves) have as much regard for their old buildings as we do. I visited an old church, but everything around it was modern. The aboriginal people here are notable for being blond and blue eyed, living in caves, having no written language and mummifying their dead. Sound like a cool group of people. I guess their homes didn't survive being conquered. They didn't survive it either.
I know we raved about dinners those first few days, but in order to spare you the whining we have been doing ever since, we have left out those days with horrible meals. Last night, as we dined alone with Roderick (the Brazilians didn't show until we were almost done so we had him to ourselves) we were greeted with something you don't often experience. As he handed us the menus he apologized and said that it was a bad day for eating. They were trying their hand at a Russian menu- a Russian hard boiled egg was the appetizer Roderick recommended. He advised skipping the Latvian soup, etc. Main courses such as chicken kiev (breaded then fired, two wonderful healthy ways to serve chicken combined! OMG) were the best of the lot. We ended up selecting the pasta marinera (Mike) and the grilled chicken breast (me) from the everyday menu. Roderick did offer to bring us cheese pizza from the kid's menu.
Entertainment has been pretty good, although tonight is the second night in which the big entertainment of the night is a movie. The first movie was described to be a Brazilian movie (in Portuguese) with English subtitles about some period in their history. In the beginning fifteen minutes it showed some queen in Spain marrying some king in some other country. Neither of them spoke Portuguese, so to help their primary audience, the subtitles from Spanish or whatever language it was in, translated the verbal dialog into poruguese. Apparently sometime into the movie when the queen and king were married and moved to Brazil they must have learned Portuguese and the subtiltes switched to English, but by then we were back in our room grumbling. Tonight's flick Tango, is supposed to have English subtitles. But, because they are only showing it once to both seatings it doesn't start until 10:30. Forget it. We had to get up at 7:00 am today for our shore trip, and again tomorrow to see Madeira, Portugal, so there is no way we are going to try and figure out subtitles tonight!
Love you all, Deanne
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. While attacked and/or conquered by almost all of the big European nations, Spain was the winner. Now an independent territory of Spain with their own president, the islanders speak Spanish with a Castilian accent, which sounds as if they are lisping compared to the Spanish we learn in school. 80% of the economy in the Canary islands is based on tourism and the remainder is largely agricultural, so many of the population are multi-lingual making it easy to navigate with English/ Spanglish.
After our four hour tour of the island during which we saw the banana plantations (the largest crop), the extinct volcano marking the highest point in spain (12,000 feet), an ancient monastary now serving as a restaurant where we had coffee and pastry (just what we needed after 11 days on board!) and the waterfront. All in all, it is clean and safe and a nice vacation spot for the Europeans that flock here to beat the winter weather (the Northerners such as the Scandinavians) and the summer heat (the Spaniards and Italians). The climate is apparently great here year around, and if today is representative, I would agree. It was shirt sleeve comfortable today.
Most everything we saw is modern and clean. Apparently the Canarians (I did not invent that name, that is what they call themselves) have as much regard for their old buildings as we do. I visited an old church, but everything around it was modern. The aboriginal people here are notable for being blond and blue eyed, living in caves, having no written language and mummifying their dead. Sound like a cool group of people. I guess their homes didn't survive being conquered. They didn't survive it either.
I know we raved about dinners those first few days, but in order to spare you the whining we have been doing ever since, we have left out those days with horrible meals. Last night, as we dined alone with Roderick (the Brazilians didn't show until we were almost done so we had him to ourselves) we were greeted with something you don't often experience. As he handed us the menus he apologized and said that it was a bad day for eating. They were trying their hand at a Russian menu- a Russian hard boiled egg was the appetizer Roderick recommended. He advised skipping the Latvian soup, etc. Main courses such as chicken kiev (breaded then fired, two wonderful healthy ways to serve chicken combined! OMG) were the best of the lot. We ended up selecting the pasta marinera (Mike) and the grilled chicken breast (me) from the everyday menu. Roderick did offer to bring us cheese pizza from the kid's menu.
Entertainment has been pretty good, although tonight is the second night in which the big entertainment of the night is a movie. The first movie was described to be a Brazilian movie (in Portuguese) with English subtitles about some period in their history. In the beginning fifteen minutes it showed some queen in Spain marrying some king in some other country. Neither of them spoke Portuguese, so to help their primary audience, the subtitles from Spanish or whatever language it was in, translated the verbal dialog into poruguese. Apparently sometime into the movie when the queen and king were married and moved to Brazil they must have learned Portuguese and the subtiltes switched to English, but by then we were back in our room grumbling. Tonight's flick Tango, is supposed to have English subtitles. But, because they are only showing it once to both seatings it doesn't start until 10:30. Forget it. We had to get up at 7:00 am today for our shore trip, and again tomorrow to see Madeira, Portugal, so there is no way we are going to try and figure out subtitles tonight!
Love you all, Deanne
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Cruise Entertainment
As you know, loyal fans, our favorite entertainment aboard the ship is dishing on our fellow travellers. For those that prefer the cruise-line provided entertainment such as the giggly-jello-bummed Helvis, I provide the following review of the acts we have been following.
Last night we had an Israeli comedian, Yocov Noy. Because the audience is so multicultural finding a common language for comedy is nearly impossible. Much of Yucov's act uses physical comedy without words. He mimes various daily activities such as a woman getting ready for a party. As he performed his act I wispered into Mike's ear what the actions represented...after all how is my husband supposed to recognize shaving your legs, putting on pantyhouse, spraying hairspray or pumping a mascara tube before putting it on? Those are retired routines that went the way of paychecks five years ago. Yucov was very entertaining. I especially enjoyed the portion of his act in which he squeezes past the other airplane passengers in his row to fumble his way to the bathroom, do his thing as the plane dips and bumps, then clean up the seat, floor walls and ceiling with make-believe toilet paper before wending his way back to his seat. Very funny....what man ever cleans the bathroom?
Our previous night we saw a Chilean born flutist trained at Julliard who currently lives in our old hometown of 5,000 people, Half Moon Bay, California. She brought about ten flutes from around the world out onto the stage and played beautiful music from around the world.
We tried attending an educational lecture today. Some dufus with what appeared to be rigorous credentials (he told us during his rambles that he is a former fitness trainer and has one year of grade school teaching) provided a lecture on the US healthcare system. Thankfully most of the audience was not American, as the entire lecture was drafted with the sure-fire approach to piss off every single American aboard. For those that were not American, he assured them that our health system was the most expensive, least productive, most crooked enterprise ever invented and when combined with the demonic FDA, most Americans were destined to be poisoned by bad drugs and bad food on top of our choice to be the laziest and most obese people in the history of evolution. No matter where you stand on Obamacare, his lecture had enough in it that you were sure to walk out annoyed. Thankfully we were sitting near the back (having forecasted a boring time) so Mike's outbursts of anger were only noticable to the scattered people in the back twenty rows or so. So much for education at seas! We have heard interesting lectures in the past about the geography and history of where we were (previous South American cruise) or the first OJ trial by some of the attorneys involved, but this one did not come close. Apparently this imposter does this for a living now, referencing the fact that he lives aboard ships now. OMG avoid him if you have a chance.
As I started writing this, it was approaching noon, and the captain is currently on the public address system advising us to once again turn our clocks forward an hour. He says that apparently changing you watches at noon is less intrusive to your body clock then doing at night so we are avoiding jet lag. Of course, based on the sleeping Handrons track record, we seem to be doing fine with jet lag. This morning, to train our bodies to get up on time so as not to miss tomorrow and the next day's shore excursions at 8:15, we got out of bed at 8:00. I can feel a nap coming soon.
Love you all,
Deanne and Mike
Last night we had an Israeli comedian, Yocov Noy. Because the audience is so multicultural finding a common language for comedy is nearly impossible. Much of Yucov's act uses physical comedy without words. He mimes various daily activities such as a woman getting ready for a party. As he performed his act I wispered into Mike's ear what the actions represented...after all how is my husband supposed to recognize shaving your legs, putting on pantyhouse, spraying hairspray or pumping a mascara tube before putting it on? Those are retired routines that went the way of paychecks five years ago. Yucov was very entertaining. I especially enjoyed the portion of his act in which he squeezes past the other airplane passengers in his row to fumble his way to the bathroom, do his thing as the plane dips and bumps, then clean up the seat, floor walls and ceiling with make-believe toilet paper before wending his way back to his seat. Very funny....what man ever cleans the bathroom?
Our previous night we saw a Chilean born flutist trained at Julliard who currently lives in our old hometown of 5,000 people, Half Moon Bay, California. She brought about ten flutes from around the world out onto the stage and played beautiful music from around the world.
We tried attending an educational lecture today. Some dufus with what appeared to be rigorous credentials (he told us during his rambles that he is a former fitness trainer and has one year of grade school teaching) provided a lecture on the US healthcare system. Thankfully most of the audience was not American, as the entire lecture was drafted with the sure-fire approach to piss off every single American aboard. For those that were not American, he assured them that our health system was the most expensive, least productive, most crooked enterprise ever invented and when combined with the demonic FDA, most Americans were destined to be poisoned by bad drugs and bad food on top of our choice to be the laziest and most obese people in the history of evolution. No matter where you stand on Obamacare, his lecture had enough in it that you were sure to walk out annoyed. Thankfully we were sitting near the back (having forecasted a boring time) so Mike's outbursts of anger were only noticable to the scattered people in the back twenty rows or so. So much for education at seas! We have heard interesting lectures in the past about the geography and history of where we were (previous South American cruise) or the first OJ trial by some of the attorneys involved, but this one did not come close. Apparently this imposter does this for a living now, referencing the fact that he lives aboard ships now. OMG avoid him if you have a chance.
As I started writing this, it was approaching noon, and the captain is currently on the public address system advising us to once again turn our clocks forward an hour. He says that apparently changing you watches at noon is less intrusive to your body clock then doing at night so we are avoiding jet lag. Of course, based on the sleeping Handrons track record, we seem to be doing fine with jet lag. This morning, to train our bodies to get up on time so as not to miss tomorrow and the next day's shore excursions at 8:15, we got out of bed at 8:00. I can feel a nap coming soon.
Love you all,
Deanne and Mike
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Politics and Religion
Americans are so polite with strangers or new acquaintances. We don't discuss politics or religion. Everyone else loves to discuss politics though. Especially American politics. For example, yesterday as we were lounging on the pool deck in the shade, a tall older man came and towered over me to introduce himself as a citizen of a "horrible"(to Americans) socialized country, Sweden. Then, he asked us about healthcare. He wanted to know, as others on the ship have inquired previously, what the hold up was in the US about passing health care reform. He wanted specifics about our own insurance situation and what we felt about the new legislation. He was a retired Swedish university professor (researcher in Humanistics) that had lived for a year in Palo Alto while working at Stanford. He currently lives in France where his European union card is sufficient to get him free healthcare at great clinics and hospitals and his pension is not taxed (as it would be in Sweden). He would prefer to live in the US again, but he would have to pay taxes on his pension and pay an extravagant (his words) premium on health insurance, neither of which he can afford on his pension. A discussion on health care led to a discussion about Obama, then as it frequently does, the conversation rolls on into immigration and other issues facing wealthy nations. We could discuss these things constantly if we wanted, as there is no end to the number of people interested in American politics. So, topics we would not discuss with strangers in the US out of politeness and would only discuss with people that we knew to be like-minded, are fair game for multinational conversations.
Religion does not come up often on these trips, although yesterday's brunch was an exception. We were seated at a full table, alongside a slobby (i.e. food dribbling down his chin) single man dressed in a pressed shirt with a huge pattern with a musical motif. Think John Malkovitch with a double chin covered in egg yolk droppings. Across from us was a cheerful couple about our age dressed as if they were headed out to the golf course. Turns out they are retirees from Rotterdam in the Netherlands who winter in Curacao, the Dutch island in the Carribbean. They were returning home via ship at the end of their island stay. Finally, there were two couples traveling together from Israel. An English speaking table! The single man, a grouchy curmudgen was telling us about all of his cruise experience, with complaints about how single people are treated, breakfast service, the fact that he had to summon the head waiter to get orange juice (only guava and passionfruit were offered this morning), and so on...... We were all talking about trips we had made to each other's countries (the Israelis win the contest for best traveled hands-down.... they knew where we all lived and had stories to prove it). Someone in the Israeli camp made a comment about one of the two women being a Jewish mother. I laughed and said that I understood, I had a Jewish mother too. Then, assuming I wasn't too smart about these things, they went on to explain that I was therefore a jewish mother also. Mike, in the meantime is nudging me to be quiet before I get in a discussion that I can't handle. One question about jewish holidays or hanging out at the temple and I am a gonner. I was sure though, that I could explain my situation if pressed: that my jewish mother has two jewish daughters (my sisters) and two non-jewish daughters (Susan and me) and that if I explained furthermore that we had two jewish brothers, one of whom we acknowledge and the other, well.... By then I am sure I would have lost them totally.
Aside from heated discussions about politics and religion, we are experiencing a "cool down". The tropical weather that we had in Brazil and that has followed us across the Equator has abated and we are now surrounded in cool fog. We are loving it. It may still be frizzy-hair-producing, but it isn't hot!
Love you lots,
Deanne
Religion does not come up often on these trips, although yesterday's brunch was an exception. We were seated at a full table, alongside a slobby (i.e. food dribbling down his chin) single man dressed in a pressed shirt with a huge pattern with a musical motif. Think John Malkovitch with a double chin covered in egg yolk droppings. Across from us was a cheerful couple about our age dressed as if they were headed out to the golf course. Turns out they are retirees from Rotterdam in the Netherlands who winter in Curacao, the Dutch island in the Carribbean. They were returning home via ship at the end of their island stay. Finally, there were two couples traveling together from Israel. An English speaking table! The single man, a grouchy curmudgen was telling us about all of his cruise experience, with complaints about how single people are treated, breakfast service, the fact that he had to summon the head waiter to get orange juice (only guava and passionfruit were offered this morning), and so on...... We were all talking about trips we had made to each other's countries (the Israelis win the contest for best traveled hands-down.... they knew where we all lived and had stories to prove it). Someone in the Israeli camp made a comment about one of the two women being a Jewish mother. I laughed and said that I understood, I had a Jewish mother too. Then, assuming I wasn't too smart about these things, they went on to explain that I was therefore a jewish mother also. Mike, in the meantime is nudging me to be quiet before I get in a discussion that I can't handle. One question about jewish holidays or hanging out at the temple and I am a gonner. I was sure though, that I could explain my situation if pressed: that my jewish mother has two jewish daughters (my sisters) and two non-jewish daughters (Susan and me) and that if I explained furthermore that we had two jewish brothers, one of whom we acknowledge and the other, well.... By then I am sure I would have lost them totally.
Aside from heated discussions about politics and religion, we are experiencing a "cool down". The tropical weather that we had in Brazil and that has followed us across the Equator has abated and we are now surrounded in cool fog. We are loving it. It may still be frizzy-hair-producing, but it isn't hot!
Love you lots,
Deanne
OTB @ SEA
I bet you think this is going to be about those stupid horseracing contests they have poolside in which you bet on and root for a wooden horse to win the race. But, guess again.
We have a much better betting system going here aboard the Splendour of the Seas (fondly referred to by us locals as SOS). Mike and our waiter, Roderick bet each night about what time the Brazilians that sit at the large table along side us will arrive. Near as we can figure after a week of sitting beside them there is Grandma and Grandpa who arrive first each night, dressed in their finest. They are short in stature but big in heart, stopping each night on their way in to wish us "Bom Noit" or good evening. Sometime later the next group to arrive at their table is a thrityish woman and one yer old son, Romeo, although pronounced Homio. (That took us awhile to figure out, but someone explained to us why they kept calling the little dude Homeo, a name we couldn't fathom). Most nights she is accompanied by a man we assume to be her husband, who always sits beside Grandma and is the spitting image of the old lady minus twenty-five years and adding about half a foot to her petite little stature. We have always assumed he was her son and the woman and child were his family. Finally, always last to the table, sometimes by even an hour or so, another Grandma aged woman and a younger version of her. These two we have wagered were the mother and sister of Homeo's mother. With me so far?
They sit at a table for ten, but it is only the seven of them. Given that Brazilians do not eat at the horrid hour of 7:00 PM this group had to have it explained the first few nights that 7:00 meant 7:00, and if they could not arrive on time their meal selection would be limited to entree and dessert. Well, from then on it has been a running bet between Roderick and Mike about what time they would arrive to dinner.
Take for instance tonight. We arrived fashionably late at 7:10 to find Roderick working the dining room door, greeting guests as they arrived and making sure they knew where they were going. When we showed up (his first guests) he walked us to our table and pulled out our chairs to help us get seated. Then, the bets were placed. Mike bet 7:20 for the grandparents. 7:40 for the parents and 8:10 for the in-laws - all bets that have served him favorably on previous nights. But, as 7:20 came and went and the table sat empty, Roderick was serving us starters and feeling pretty confident. One point for Rederick, zero for Mike. Just as my watch showed 7:40 I let Mike know he was losing a second point, and who should show up but the grandparents and the parents.... point Mike. Roderick acknowledged that it was a one-one tie as he left to help them into their seats. They discussed the possiblity of a shoot-out or other tie breaking methodology. Of course by then, we were eating our entrees. Roederick came over to talk to Mike about dessert and Mike, who has a clear view to the doorway, told him he expected the in-laws within the next minute. Roderick was surprised that Mike could guess that accurately. Wise to Mike's tricks, I knew that meant they were coming in at that very second, and called the point a "cheat", which with a quick confirmation, broke us all up into fits of laughter. So, we ended tonight a tie, although Mike still feels that Roderick owes him four or five dessers. Hard to believe he could owe us more when he brings three or four a night.
So, as we left the dining room they placed their bets for tomorrow. They discusssed mitigating factors such as whether the clocks were going to be moved forward again as they have been for the past two days (definately makes it harder to get up for an early dinner when the clock lurches forward an hour at noon), whether tomrrow was a brunch day or breakfast day (brunch allowing you to skip one meal out of fourteen offered that day and increasing the liklihood that you might be hungry at 7:00 PM), etc. So, we have something to look forward to for tomorrow....will Mike win extra desserts for us or not!
BTW, the chocolate hazelnut torte, catalan brulee and sugarfree apple flan with a side of vanilla ice cream we had today were awesome. Go Mike, go!
Love you,
Deanne
We have a much better betting system going here aboard the Splendour of the Seas (fondly referred to by us locals as SOS). Mike and our waiter, Roderick bet each night about what time the Brazilians that sit at the large table along side us will arrive. Near as we can figure after a week of sitting beside them there is Grandma and Grandpa who arrive first each night, dressed in their finest. They are short in stature but big in heart, stopping each night on their way in to wish us "Bom Noit" or good evening. Sometime later the next group to arrive at their table is a thrityish woman and one yer old son, Romeo, although pronounced Homio. (That took us awhile to figure out, but someone explained to us why they kept calling the little dude Homeo, a name we couldn't fathom). Most nights she is accompanied by a man we assume to be her husband, who always sits beside Grandma and is the spitting image of the old lady minus twenty-five years and adding about half a foot to her petite little stature. We have always assumed he was her son and the woman and child were his family. Finally, always last to the table, sometimes by even an hour or so, another Grandma aged woman and a younger version of her. These two we have wagered were the mother and sister of Homeo's mother. With me so far?
They sit at a table for ten, but it is only the seven of them. Given that Brazilians do not eat at the horrid hour of 7:00 PM this group had to have it explained the first few nights that 7:00 meant 7:00, and if they could not arrive on time their meal selection would be limited to entree and dessert. Well, from then on it has been a running bet between Roderick and Mike about what time they would arrive to dinner.
Take for instance tonight. We arrived fashionably late at 7:10 to find Roderick working the dining room door, greeting guests as they arrived and making sure they knew where they were going. When we showed up (his first guests) he walked us to our table and pulled out our chairs to help us get seated. Then, the bets were placed. Mike bet 7:20 for the grandparents. 7:40 for the parents and 8:10 for the in-laws - all bets that have served him favorably on previous nights. But, as 7:20 came and went and the table sat empty, Roderick was serving us starters and feeling pretty confident. One point for Rederick, zero for Mike. Just as my watch showed 7:40 I let Mike know he was losing a second point, and who should show up but the grandparents and the parents.... point Mike. Roderick acknowledged that it was a one-one tie as he left to help them into their seats. They discussed the possiblity of a shoot-out or other tie breaking methodology. Of course by then, we were eating our entrees. Roederick came over to talk to Mike about dessert and Mike, who has a clear view to the doorway, told him he expected the in-laws within the next minute. Roderick was surprised that Mike could guess that accurately. Wise to Mike's tricks, I knew that meant they were coming in at that very second, and called the point a "cheat", which with a quick confirmation, broke us all up into fits of laughter. So, we ended tonight a tie, although Mike still feels that Roderick owes him four or five dessers. Hard to believe he could owe us more when he brings three or four a night.
So, as we left the dining room they placed their bets for tomorrow. They discusssed mitigating factors such as whether the clocks were going to be moved forward again as they have been for the past two days (definately makes it harder to get up for an early dinner when the clock lurches forward an hour at noon), whether tomrrow was a brunch day or breakfast day (brunch allowing you to skip one meal out of fourteen offered that day and increasing the liklihood that you might be hungry at 7:00 PM), etc. So, we have something to look forward to for tomorrow....will Mike win extra desserts for us or not!
BTW, the chocolate hazelnut torte, catalan brulee and sugarfree apple flan with a side of vanilla ice cream we had today were awesome. Go Mike, go!
Love you,
Deanne
Dancing under the Stars (and the dress code)
Just so that you don't think we only eat and sleep..... (I did read that smart a__ comment about bed sores) I will tell you about dancing under the stars. Yesterday was toga party night. You were supposed to wear a toga to dinner (as if I remembered to pack my toga or if I remembered, it would have priority in my suitcase over my spare pair of lederhosen). After dinner was a dancing party in which you could borrow a ship's toga to dance (even better, someone else's sweaty old toga). I am happy to report that even party loving Brazilians won't don a toga for a party, and all of us showed up in street clothes.
Speaking of clothes.... the Brazilians are our type of cruisers. We had our first formal night a few nights ago. Mike donned his kahkis, untucked shirt and jacket (along with his walking boots it forms the wardrobe combination we have termed his zippered pants look as opposed to the typical daily garb of athletic pants and shirts with tennis shoes that are comfortably zipper free) and I put on my one dress and we went to dinner. The women around the room were dressed to show... glitter everywhere. The men, however, were ranging from tuxes (only a couple) to suits (again only a couple) to zipper-free and everywhere in between. That made showing up for last night's "smart casual" meal in jeans much easier. We had lots of company.
After dinner we changed back into our zipper-frees and went dancing. The midnight buffet was served on the pool deck about three hours after our meal, so we took photos but didn't partake. These were my first trip photos (lazy me!) and I am going to try today to figure out how to upload them to Mike's computer- the only one we have with us for uploading to the blog.
The Brazilian dance band, playing a combination of old familiar songs and Brazilian songs that we had never heard previously was blasting away alongside the pool, so we "shake, shake, shaked our boodies" for an hour or so. Although the dance floor was crowded, we danced alongside folks we have met on the trip- Ralph and Faye from Cincinnati who we met at the Marriott in Sao Paulo, the Norwegian family that travel every year from Norway to Chile (for ten years) to visit the married child/sibling that lives there, this year traveling with a family gathering of 7. It was the first time I remember us staying up late enough to dance, but given the sleep in til 10:00, it is not out of line to stay up until midnight! We did have to sleep til 10:00 again this morning to recuperate for the late night, though. But who knows, maybe we can stay awake that late again tonight!
Love to all our adoring fans, (all three of you)
Deanne (and Mike)
Speaking of clothes.... the Brazilians are our type of cruisers. We had our first formal night a few nights ago. Mike donned his kahkis, untucked shirt and jacket (along with his walking boots it forms the wardrobe combination we have termed his zippered pants look as opposed to the typical daily garb of athletic pants and shirts with tennis shoes that are comfortably zipper free) and I put on my one dress and we went to dinner. The women around the room were dressed to show... glitter everywhere. The men, however, were ranging from tuxes (only a couple) to suits (again only a couple) to zipper-free and everywhere in between. That made showing up for last night's "smart casual" meal in jeans much easier. We had lots of company.
After dinner we changed back into our zipper-frees and went dancing. The midnight buffet was served on the pool deck about three hours after our meal, so we took photos but didn't partake. These were my first trip photos (lazy me!) and I am going to try today to figure out how to upload them to Mike's computer- the only one we have with us for uploading to the blog.
The Brazilian dance band, playing a combination of old familiar songs and Brazilian songs that we had never heard previously was blasting away alongside the pool, so we "shake, shake, shaked our boodies" for an hour or so. Although the dance floor was crowded, we danced alongside folks we have met on the trip- Ralph and Faye from Cincinnati who we met at the Marriott in Sao Paulo, the Norwegian family that travel every year from Norway to Chile (for ten years) to visit the married child/sibling that lives there, this year traveling with a family gathering of 7. It was the first time I remember us staying up late enough to dance, but given the sleep in til 10:00, it is not out of line to stay up until midnight! We did have to sleep til 10:00 again this morning to recuperate for the late night, though. But who knows, maybe we can stay awake that late again tonight!
Love to all our adoring fans, (all three of you)
Deanne (and Mike)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Mid-Cruise Update
We are half way through the cruise. It is our third of six days doing the transatlantic portion of the cruise. If you can believe it, we slept ten hours last night instead of our now routine nine. What does that say about us aside from the fact that sleeping conditions (a cool room!!!, darkness of the deepest kind, a constant and consistent gentle rocking) are ideal?
When you have six days at sea, you see the pattern for entertainment after the second night. The first and second nights are acts that get on board at the last port before departing. The third night is the dance group that stays with the ship. Then the whole thing repeats. So, tonight will be dancers, followed by the wonderful pianst. The final night will be the Frank Sinatra wanta be that we had last night. He is British and speaks fluent Portuguese in what I assume is a humble way based on his gesturing. He would unleash a load of Portuguese then put a question mark at the end with his body as if to say, "Did I say it correctly?" Then the crowd would roar approval and he would bow. I can only assume I understood what he was saying, as the words were far above our limited language skills which include greetings and politenesses such as please and thank you. If you are fluent in Spanish you probably have an advantage with the Portuguese language which resembles a Spanish with hard edges. Buenos Dias, the greeting in Spanish becomes Bom Dia in Portuguese. Many of the Portugese say Bon Gia instead. I asked a bilingual passenger about the difference, and discovered that the Southerners and Northerners in Brazil have the same accent differences that we have North to South. I wonder if it is their Southerners marry their sisters too.
We have been reading like crazy. Mike brought a book about politics with him, "Game Change" about the 2008 preseidential election. He roared through it, loving the inside/backstories about the various characters. Now it is my turn... the politics skeptic. The two writers, one from Time Magazine and the other from New York Magazine covered the year leading up to the election then interviewed over 200 people to gain the insights for the book. Not very flattering pictures of either Elizabeth (crazy wacko) or John Edwards (philandering egomanic), confirmation of public images of Clinton (driven with poor people skills) and Obama (brilliant deep thinker family man) and more to come when I get to the McCain and Palin chapters. As I read it I can't help thinkiing it is like an in-depth People article about the players from the election.
Meals have started to slip. Two days in a row we have sat down at dinner, scanned the menu and wondered what we could want that would be good. Last night Mike tried some slow cooked beef shoulder in wine reduction which turned out to be a decent rare sliced roast beef. Not much of a pasta fan, I nevertheless ordered penne with shrimp and mussels (canned) as the least objectionable meal. Let's hope it improves.
I'll end now before I bore you to death. Love, Deanne
When you have six days at sea, you see the pattern for entertainment after the second night. The first and second nights are acts that get on board at the last port before departing. The third night is the dance group that stays with the ship. Then the whole thing repeats. So, tonight will be dancers, followed by the wonderful pianst. The final night will be the Frank Sinatra wanta be that we had last night. He is British and speaks fluent Portuguese in what I assume is a humble way based on his gesturing. He would unleash a load of Portuguese then put a question mark at the end with his body as if to say, "Did I say it correctly?" Then the crowd would roar approval and he would bow. I can only assume I understood what he was saying, as the words were far above our limited language skills which include greetings and politenesses such as please and thank you. If you are fluent in Spanish you probably have an advantage with the Portuguese language which resembles a Spanish with hard edges. Buenos Dias, the greeting in Spanish becomes Bom Dia in Portuguese. Many of the Portugese say Bon Gia instead. I asked a bilingual passenger about the difference, and discovered that the Southerners and Northerners in Brazil have the same accent differences that we have North to South. I wonder if it is their Southerners marry their sisters too.
We have been reading like crazy. Mike brought a book about politics with him, "Game Change" about the 2008 preseidential election. He roared through it, loving the inside/backstories about the various characters. Now it is my turn... the politics skeptic. The two writers, one from Time Magazine and the other from New York Magazine covered the year leading up to the election then interviewed over 200 people to gain the insights for the book. Not very flattering pictures of either Elizabeth (crazy wacko) or John Edwards (philandering egomanic), confirmation of public images of Clinton (driven with poor people skills) and Obama (brilliant deep thinker family man) and more to come when I get to the McCain and Palin chapters. As I read it I can't help thinkiing it is like an in-depth People article about the players from the election.
Meals have started to slip. Two days in a row we have sat down at dinner, scanned the menu and wondered what we could want that would be good. Last night Mike tried some slow cooked beef shoulder in wine reduction which turned out to be a decent rare sliced roast beef. Not much of a pasta fan, I nevertheless ordered penne with shrimp and mussels (canned) as the least objectionable meal. Let's hope it improves.
I'll end now before I bore you to death. Love, Deanne
Settling in for the long haul
It is day 6 of the 14 day cruise and we are settling into a routine. We sleep in until 8:30 or so (eat your heart out fellow old people that have trouble sleeping), shower in our tiny stall and go off to breakfast. For variety we alternate between eating at a large table where we are waited on and sit with whoever turns up for the meal, with the more intimate table for two amidst the crowds of the buffet line. Each of course, has it virtues. You can choose between food that comes served on thousands of little plates with coffee poured for you as soon as you finish a sip but you take your chances with table mates. Today we had an English speaking table of three couples. With us in the middle, we conversed with an older couple of Norwegians who have lived all over the world and currently reside in Malmo, Sweden and a couple of middle-aged newlywed Canadians from Ontario. Chatty folks. We ended up shutting down the dining room and being asked politely to leave. Lucky for us, the Canadians were happy to continue the discussion outside the dining room until finally, after Mike feared that we had heard so much about her children and schools that we might be forced to talk about other compelling topics such as her garden or washing her car, he excused us. Yesterday we ate breakfast at the buffet, where you are able to select your own food including a custom made omelet, serve it up all on one plate, and sit at a table for two. Unfortunately sometimes the table has not been cleaned up after the previous tenants, but it is more intimate. I vaguely recollect days in which we had a tray to load up with food, but now it is a single plate. We probably are eating more appropriately for people now, whereas the tray did encourage eating appropriately for large mammals such as gorillas or elephants.
After breakfast we usually tuck away somewhere to read. Today we went to a deserted bar on the highest floor and sat facing the pool. From our high level perch we watched the bikini-clad women and speedo clad men compete in some contest which was narrated entirely inb Portuguese. Mike paid more attention than I did, periodically telling me the highlights such as, "the first team is completely finished with the race before the first woman on the other team even got in gear." Today I ventured out during reading time for a few laps of the track. After a mile and a quarter I was so hot (noon at the Equator is just not the time to walk!) I retreated back to the look-out perch to spy on the other sweaty people walking around the track in their bikinis.
After lunch (again involving the deicision: to buffet or not to buffet) it is laundry time. Mike has polished is ingenious skills at hanging a line for drying our clothes that meets multiple goals: 1) drying clothes don't drip on, or ruin carpets, 2) the lines don't risk our lives when we get up in the dark to use the bathroom, and 3) they don't jeopardize the goodwill of the cabin attendant who has to enter our quarters every day to make the bed and clean up after us. The fancy arrangement he has sorted out for us in this room has about six feet of line available in total, made up of a high and low line across the formica surfaced desk. Socks, the bane of in-room laundry because they can take days to dry, fit across the bottom line with shirts and pants on hangers hanging above them. Traveling cheaply isn't so bad....
Roderick, our dinner waiter takes good care of us when we show up for dinner. He has strong recommendations about the menu, providing subtle movements such as a pursing of his lips and a slight shake of his head when you start to order something he does not recommend. In this trial and error method, I am able to start with what I think I want, and end up with what Roderick thinks I will like. In this way, I have enjoyed the things he brings me, and wondered about the things I was dissuaded from ordering such as the crab cake which I thought I wanted until the pursed lips and quick intake of breath like a backward sigh assured me I didn't want to go near this "gluey in the center" attempt at crab cake. If you ignore the facial tics that signal a bad choice not all is lost. Roderick brings the substandard dish you ordered, but he accompanies it with a "better" dish. In this way, we have enjoyed a table for two with food for three. The third dish has allowed us to enjoy such things as cheesecake, ravioli, etc.
Entertainment begins at 9:30. Helvis has been the best act so far. Although not viewed as comedy, it would get my vote.
Tomorrow is Megan's and Dana's birthday. It is also Mike and Dana's anniversary. Furthermore, it is the day Megan and Matt move their family into their new home. Our love to you all. We are thinking of you. Mike and Dana will we "staycationing" in our Seattle house this week while Mike is off between quarters and Dana takes a reprieve from a very busy office. We hope they enjoy themselves.
Love, Deanne
After breakfast we usually tuck away somewhere to read. Today we went to a deserted bar on the highest floor and sat facing the pool. From our high level perch we watched the bikini-clad women and speedo clad men compete in some contest which was narrated entirely inb Portuguese. Mike paid more attention than I did, periodically telling me the highlights such as, "the first team is completely finished with the race before the first woman on the other team even got in gear." Today I ventured out during reading time for a few laps of the track. After a mile and a quarter I was so hot (noon at the Equator is just not the time to walk!) I retreated back to the look-out perch to spy on the other sweaty people walking around the track in their bikinis.
After lunch (again involving the deicision: to buffet or not to buffet) it is laundry time. Mike has polished is ingenious skills at hanging a line for drying our clothes that meets multiple goals: 1) drying clothes don't drip on, or ruin carpets, 2) the lines don't risk our lives when we get up in the dark to use the bathroom, and 3) they don't jeopardize the goodwill of the cabin attendant who has to enter our quarters every day to make the bed and clean up after us. The fancy arrangement he has sorted out for us in this room has about six feet of line available in total, made up of a high and low line across the formica surfaced desk. Socks, the bane of in-room laundry because they can take days to dry, fit across the bottom line with shirts and pants on hangers hanging above them. Traveling cheaply isn't so bad....
Roderick, our dinner waiter takes good care of us when we show up for dinner. He has strong recommendations about the menu, providing subtle movements such as a pursing of his lips and a slight shake of his head when you start to order something he does not recommend. In this trial and error method, I am able to start with what I think I want, and end up with what Roderick thinks I will like. In this way, I have enjoyed the things he brings me, and wondered about the things I was dissuaded from ordering such as the crab cake which I thought I wanted until the pursed lips and quick intake of breath like a backward sigh assured me I didn't want to go near this "gluey in the center" attempt at crab cake. If you ignore the facial tics that signal a bad choice not all is lost. Roderick brings the substandard dish you ordered, but he accompanies it with a "better" dish. In this way, we have enjoyed a table for two with food for three. The third dish has allowed us to enjoy such things as cheesecake, ravioli, etc.
Entertainment begins at 9:30. Helvis has been the best act so far. Although not viewed as comedy, it would get my vote.
Tomorrow is Megan's and Dana's birthday. It is also Mike and Dana's anniversary. Furthermore, it is the day Megan and Matt move their family into their new home. Our love to you all. We are thinking of you. Mike and Dana will we "staycationing" in our Seattle house this week while Mike is off between quarters and Dana takes a reprieve from a very busy office. We hope they enjoy themselves.
Love, Deanne
Brazilain Skin Show
Well, one thing we can say after a week with a ship full of Brazilians. They aren't shy about a skin show! On our previous trip we saw several beautiful barely dressed Brazilian dancers that were part of the hoopla surrounding Carnivale. They met us at the dock where our ship came in, dancing in magnificent plumage on their heads, stilts on their legs to raise them up above crowd level and virtually nothing else but a skimpy bikini bottom. Even after spending a few days at famous Cocacobana Beach we still thought the carnivale girls were the exception to the rule. After all, regular Brazilians dress for work similarly, if not identically to people all over the world.
Vacationing Brazilians, however, don the skin like it is meant to show. No matter what age and what size the model, the skin is on parade on this ship. We cross the Equator tonight, so there is plenty of sunshine and heat still, perfect for laying out beside the pool in bikinis and speedos. I even saw one very nice looking young guy out today dressed in his Ralph Lauren boxers. It is a riot. These are not gorgeous Carnivale bodies. Many of these folks could be considered for modeling jobs on the ubiqitous e-mails showing off the beauty of Walmart shoppers. Large, wrinkly and hairy seem to be the universally applied adjectives for many, but not all of these folks. There are, of course, the beautiful. A sleek looking woman with long black hair and a skinny little body with a disporportionately sized front end (i.e. chest) sits at the dinner table next to us, providing Mike with lots of entertainment. Somehow it is much more interesting to watch her eat her dessert than it is anyone else in the dining room.
So, for those of us who gave up the idea of wearing a bikini to sunbathe in years ago, and certainly after the third time round at childbirth, or age 50, or skin cancer scares, or whatever rational criteria made you think conservatively about skin exposure, take heart.... there is a place for you to bare it all with complete confidence that you fit in perfectly!
Putting up with cute guys in boxers (somebody has to),
Deanne
Vacationing Brazilians, however, don the skin like it is meant to show. No matter what age and what size the model, the skin is on parade on this ship. We cross the Equator tonight, so there is plenty of sunshine and heat still, perfect for laying out beside the pool in bikinis and speedos. I even saw one very nice looking young guy out today dressed in his Ralph Lauren boxers. It is a riot. These are not gorgeous Carnivale bodies. Many of these folks could be considered for modeling jobs on the ubiqitous e-mails showing off the beauty of Walmart shoppers. Large, wrinkly and hairy seem to be the universally applied adjectives for many, but not all of these folks. There are, of course, the beautiful. A sleek looking woman with long black hair and a skinny little body with a disporportionately sized front end (i.e. chest) sits at the dinner table next to us, providing Mike with lots of entertainment. Somehow it is much more interesting to watch her eat her dessert than it is anyone else in the dining room.
So, for those of us who gave up the idea of wearing a bikini to sunbathe in years ago, and certainly after the third time round at childbirth, or age 50, or skin cancer scares, or whatever rational criteria made you think conservatively about skin exposure, take heart.... there is a place for you to bare it all with complete confidence that you fit in perfectly!
Putting up with cute guys in boxers (somebody has to),
Deanne
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
At Sea for a Week
Well, last night we set sail for the "Old World". Six days at sea until we see Portugal. We left port in Salvador (a dirty, scary Brazilian city that I would not recommend to anyone) at 5:00 PM. It was warm and continues to be warm, although we expect it to get colder after we cross the Equator and draw closer to Europe. The young crowd aboard ship (limited in numbers) have to make themselves happy with sunning themselves at the pool, deck parties and loud contests like today's "Mr and Mrs Splendour" in which the winning couple does the fastest job of smashing a blown up ballon between their bellies as they hug. The rest of us jocky for spots out of the sun and noise where we can read our books, talk quietly to kindred souls and enjoy passing our time in the quiet pursuits the young find BORING.
We selected late dinner when we booked this trip but after receiving our confirmation and finding out that it begines at 10:00 PM, we reversed our decision and now eat at the 7:00 PM old people and kid seating. For the first time, we requested a table to ourselves which has turned out to be delightful. We have fine dining with all of the wait staff's attention that you would find in a world class restaraunt. Most nights the dinners are tremendous, although last night was an exception (Chicken madeira for me and Atlantic farmed salmon for Mike). Our filopino waiter, Roderick and his Brazilian side kick spent most of the first night hanging with us, because their other table was absent. It turns out that the Brazilians took several nights with lectures from the head waiters before they understood the concept of showing up at dinner at the prescribed reservation time. They just assumed they could come whenever the spirit moved them. Even after four nights they still wander in during the first hour of the meal, expecting to have their appetizers as the wait staff is cleaning up our entrees.
Our waiter rooms with one of the four head waiters that divide the dining room up. Roderick introduced us to Rolly, his filopino roommate on the second night and now he is a regular at our table. Our own head waiter, Marvin, a tall black man from Costa Rica looks as if approaching a table full of Brazilians is more than he can tackle, so he has adopted us. He comes and stands next to our table for at least two visits of ten minutes a night, and we crane our necks up to try and make eye contact with this gentle giant, and to try and read his lips as his quiet voice barely makes it to us over the din of dining Brazilians.
I think I have commented previously about the meals. We have enjoyed the dinners so much that we have taken to eating two meals a day...breakfast and dinner, with a snack of fresh fruit or beans and rice for lunch. We have been sleeping outrageously long hours for people who's day is taxed with only walking from lounge chair to breakfast, to coffee room, to library, to dining room. The dark interior cabin has been lit by only a tiny bit of light slipping in around the edges of the hall door and the blinking light of my toothbrush charger. Now we unplug the charger and we have total darkness. Enough to sleep nine or ten decadent hours a night. That means breakfast at a respectable 10:00, snack at 2:00 and dinner at 7:00. The late night entertainment, such as Helvis, starts at 9:30 and goes for an hour. Easy to make it to bed by 11:00 or 12:00 for another ten hours of sleep!
Sorry about the typos, but when you use google blogspot from a foreign country spell checker doesn't work, and you know how we all are in the post-spellchecker era.....we can's spell for beans!
Love you all,
Deanne
We selected late dinner when we booked this trip but after receiving our confirmation and finding out that it begines at 10:00 PM, we reversed our decision and now eat at the 7:00 PM old people and kid seating. For the first time, we requested a table to ourselves which has turned out to be delightful. We have fine dining with all of the wait staff's attention that you would find in a world class restaraunt. Most nights the dinners are tremendous, although last night was an exception (Chicken madeira for me and Atlantic farmed salmon for Mike). Our filopino waiter, Roderick and his Brazilian side kick spent most of the first night hanging with us, because their other table was absent. It turns out that the Brazilians took several nights with lectures from the head waiters before they understood the concept of showing up at dinner at the prescribed reservation time. They just assumed they could come whenever the spirit moved them. Even after four nights they still wander in during the first hour of the meal, expecting to have their appetizers as the wait staff is cleaning up our entrees.
Our waiter rooms with one of the four head waiters that divide the dining room up. Roderick introduced us to Rolly, his filopino roommate on the second night and now he is a regular at our table. Our own head waiter, Marvin, a tall black man from Costa Rica looks as if approaching a table full of Brazilians is more than he can tackle, so he has adopted us. He comes and stands next to our table for at least two visits of ten minutes a night, and we crane our necks up to try and make eye contact with this gentle giant, and to try and read his lips as his quiet voice barely makes it to us over the din of dining Brazilians.
I think I have commented previously about the meals. We have enjoyed the dinners so much that we have taken to eating two meals a day...breakfast and dinner, with a snack of fresh fruit or beans and rice for lunch. We have been sleeping outrageously long hours for people who's day is taxed with only walking from lounge chair to breakfast, to coffee room, to library, to dining room. The dark interior cabin has been lit by only a tiny bit of light slipping in around the edges of the hall door and the blinking light of my toothbrush charger. Now we unplug the charger and we have total darkness. Enough to sleep nine or ten decadent hours a night. That means breakfast at a respectable 10:00, snack at 2:00 and dinner at 7:00. The late night entertainment, such as Helvis, starts at 9:30 and goes for an hour. Easy to make it to bed by 11:00 or 12:00 for another ten hours of sleep!
Sorry about the typos, but when you use google blogspot from a foreign country spell checker doesn't work, and you know how we all are in the post-spellchecker era.....we can's spell for beans!
Love you all,
Deanne
Apparently I understated the virtues of Helvis
In discussions with Mike last night, he says I did not appropriately detail the Helvis experience. For example, I missed:
- At one point in the production he turns his back to the audience and "shakes it". And shaking it was. That butt was jello. It made my cellulite hurt to watch his shake. Jello butt.
- As he ran up and down the stage steps to get into the audience, he huffed and puffed, which holding onto his microphone, was very dramatic. Think dying animal with a microphone and you would be close.
I hope that gives you a better idea of how great the Helvis act was!
Deanne
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Visiting Brazilian cities
This ship has about 75% Brazilian passengers and crew. We english speakers are a minority. Here are some the differences we have noticed so far:
- The beef at dinner is outragously delicious! On our previous discount cruise we went transatlantic from the other direction. The cruise ship loaded up with European food at European prices. The beef, in particular is so amazing in South America, and the ship took advantage of this. Mike has been eating it every night after vegetarian lunches (fruit mostly) and last night I tried the sirloin which was wonderful.
- At every port we are warned about safety in the city. The Brazilians warn us, the crew warns us, etc. This matches our experience of Rio from a few years ago. We can't imagine why the Olympics were granted to Rio (although the Brazilians are so proud and excited) with the dangers lurking in the cities. Many of the passengers (us included) just viewed Rio from the deck of the ship.
- Brazilian people are wonderfully outgoing and friendly. Yesterday we particpated in a wine tasting class led by the ship's sommelier, a jolly, portly Indian named Joseph. There were a dozen participants (we counted multiple times waiting to hit the class minimum size of ten) of which only one other couple were native English speakers (UK accents). As the Indian did not speak the required Portuguese to address the largely Brazilian class, he utilized the services of a wildly enthusiastic Portuguese speaking man who told us all his life story in a mixture of Portuguese and English while he was trasnlating to the single class member who denied having English skills. Occasionally one of the other Brazilian class members who jump in to help him translate, although none of the others spoke English to us. The translater was charming in his enthusiasms, gesturing with hand signals and "okay, okay cool it" to the instructor when he needed the teacher to stop talking so that he could translate. Sometimes his translation would include an English language story not covered by the teacher, but added by the translater about his experience living in the wine country in South Africa, for example. Then he would catch himslef elaborating on the instruction (in English) and remind himself that he was supposed to translate, then switch to Brazilian and speak to the lone man needing translation. In the meantime, he would have been talking so much he would miss the pouring of the next wine and have to call over a waiter for the wine, who in embarrassment for missing him would pour a double dose, making our translater more distracted and talkative. It was worth the $10 admission to the class to watch him.
Helvis....rock star of the ages
Sorry about that last post.... we are having technical difficulties.
Last night we were treated to a Brazilian rock star... Helvis. Check him out at www.helvis.com.br This is an entertainer that has been doing Elvis imitations for twenty years. Like the real Elvis, he has been gaining a little weight over the years and he huffs and puffs a bit as he travels up and down the stairs into the audience and back on stage. His double knit jumpsuits, complete with cut outs for the bell bottoms and a cape are not to miss. As women in the audience went up to the edge of the stage for a Helvis kiss and scarf, Mike and I sat in our seats far removed from the stage and rolled in laughter. It really was a sight to see. He has a great voice, deep and passionate, complete with a Brazilain accident. When he broke into "A Breeedge over troubled water" (I always thought that was Simon and Garfunkle not Elvis), and the words and traveling ball appeared on the side screens, Mike and I were working hard not to laugh out loud. It is an entertaining cruise!
Love, Deanne
Last night we were treated to a Brazilian rock star... Helvis. Check him out at www.helvis.com.br This is an entertainer that has been doing Elvis imitations for twenty years. Like the real Elvis, he has been gaining a little weight over the years and he huffs and puffs a bit as he travels up and down the stairs into the audience and back on stage. His double knit jumpsuits, complete with cut outs for the bell bottoms and a cape are not to miss. As women in the audience went up to the edge of the stage for a Helvis kiss and scarf, Mike and I sat in our seats far removed from the stage and rolled in laughter. It really was a sight to see. He has a great voice, deep and passionate, complete with a Brazilain accident. When he broke into "A Breeedge over troubled water" (I always thought that was Simon and Garfunkle not Elvis), and the words and traveling ball appeared on the side screens, Mike and I were working hard not to laugh out loud. It is an entertaining cruise!
Love, Deanne
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sending Word From Splendour of the Seas
As we rode on the Cruise-line provided bus from the airport to the ship docked at the Santos port two hours away we recognized another Handron best practice for future bargain vacations. Mike, who is typically wiped out from lack of sleep after overnight flights, usually requires a day or two to relax and nap prior to moving on. In the heat, he has even less energy. By staying at an airport hotel we had a no-hassle trip from the airport to our resting place, a day or two to relax, then a non hassle trip back to the airport for cruise-line provided transportation to the ship. It worked perfectly with the exception of getting bumped off the airport shuttle by the flight attendants. Now that we are rested we realize we could take them next time, acing them out for the shuttle and making them wait for the next one.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Rested, Mellow and Ready to Roll
After a day of feeling tired and loggy yesterday, we had room service last night. Room service menus are pretty much the same world over, although traditional items such as club sandwiches always have their unique country touches such as avocado here which is on virtually every sandwich offering. Hambugers are offered only one way- weel done. Yes, that is truely what the note says: hamburgers are only served weel done. Yum. Our experience with steaks was so good in South America last trip that we opted for the filets in red wine sauce (gravy is what I'd call it...sure made Mike happy as he covered his bread in both of our sauces). That and a bottle of Brazilian Merlot made for a nice meal. We watched a little television- three stations with American tv (1- movies, 2- CNN world edition, 3- sitcoms) all with Portuguese subtitles. I can't understand why they would be interested in House, but they have it running. I can't tell whether the sarcasm comes through in the subtitles. It is hard to believe one of his nasty comments can translate into a 6 word subtitle. I read while Mike watched an old science fiction movie starring Clooney (never even heard of it at home).
Lights out at 10:00 and we were asleep before the arm that turned off the light was back in the sheets. Finally, eleven hours later we got up and took showers...adjusted to the time zone and recovered from the all night flying. And mellow enough that site seeing didn't sound that intriquing. We joined the other late breakfasters and muched down on more of that wonderful fruit. Summer time in the Southern Hemishpere... wonderful. That is when we decided to sit outside in the sun for several hours (under the shade of a patio umbrella). We saw giant dragonflies and swarms of swallows eating the little bugs. Such fun. Two Americans with iPods and books sitting by the pool....how prototypical!
Tomorrow we catch the shuttle back to the airport at 9:00 to meet the cruise line bus that will take us to the port for boarding our ship. Hopefully then we will have something less mundane to write about!
Love you (Susan) and if there is anyone else out there reading...you too!
Deanne
Lights out at 10:00 and we were asleep before the arm that turned off the light was back in the sheets. Finally, eleven hours later we got up and took showers...adjusted to the time zone and recovered from the all night flying. And mellow enough that site seeing didn't sound that intriquing. We joined the other late breakfasters and muched down on more of that wonderful fruit. Summer time in the Southern Hemishpere... wonderful. That is when we decided to sit outside in the sun for several hours (under the shade of a patio umbrella). We saw giant dragonflies and swarms of swallows eating the little bugs. Such fun. Two Americans with iPods and books sitting by the pool....how prototypical!
Tomorrow we catch the shuttle back to the airport at 9:00 to meet the cruise line bus that will take us to the port for boarding our ship. Hopefully then we will have something less mundane to write about!
Love you (Susan) and if there is anyone else out there reading...you too!
Deanne
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sleepy in Brazil
We made it successfully to Sao Paulo. We are two hours ahead of Colorado time, three ahead of the Pacific Coast, so as I start this posting it is just past noon on Thursday here. We arrived on time at 7:45 am after nine hours of flight time from Dallas. Our flight started with a decent dinner of lasagna (me) and chicken (Mike) followed by lights out for the next severn hours. If we can't get side-by-side seats on a two person aisle, we always opt for aisle seats across an aisle from each other. That's what we had for this flight. Mike had the aisle seat on the two person side, while I had the aisle on the center, five person section. Lucky for me, there was only one other person in my 5 seat section. So, I spread out over three seats, lying in a crunched up manner while Mike had to sit up all the way beside a soundly sleeping young Brazilian man. After rolling around all night like a hot dog in a fast food restaurant, I consider myself fairly well rested and not too stiff. Mike, on the other hand, had no sleep. He watched Blind Side for the second time enjoying it just as much as when we saw it in the theater, then as he was more tired he watched that stupid Vince Vaughn movie about couples on vacation. His review: Don't even bother renting it. He said he didn't sleep at all, and if that wasn't bad enough, he had to shake me to wake me up for breakfast. Talk about rubbing it in that I had a decent sleep!
Imagine the worst baggage claim crowd you have ever encountered and you will be ready for the arrivals hall in Sao Paulo. Luggage carts are free, and everyone has one or two surrounding them as they crush to the luggage delivery belt. I am not sure why, but the American Airlines luggage allowance is universal for all countries except Brazil, where you are allowed up to 70 pound bags. We were all heaving these huge bags around. When you see your bag (yeah for those yellow bands we put around ours that make them stick out) you have to crush through the people and carts to grab it, then turn around and force your way back through the crowd that has swallowed up the path you created to make your way in to the belt. No complaints though, our bags were there just as they were supposed to be.
We made a strong impression on the beautiful Brazilian Federale that examined and stamped our passports as we went through immigration control. We demonstrated that not all Americans are rude, uni-ligual tourists by showcasing our command of the Portuguese language. "Bon Dia" got us a smile and a return "Bon dia" when we walked up to the counter. After our passports were stamped and we were ready to leave, "abrigado" the Portuguese word for "thank you" got a "You're welcome" in response. As Caitie told us when she first was learning Spanish in Spain, "when they answer you in English it is a sure sign that you are butchering their language". Oh well, we tried.
Becuase we anticipated correctly that Mike (who never sleeps on planes) would be tired after the flight, we booked a room at the airport Marriott, only a shuttle ride away from the airport. Like airports the world over, the shuttles all collect passengers somewhere along the driveways in front. We made our way outside, found someone to direct us to the hotel waiting area, and settled in to wait along with the crews from the United and American flights that arrived from the US at the same time. Fifteen minutes later, along came a small shuttle bus with the Marriott logo. I flagged it down and carried the first of our two big bags(so much for packing light) out to the shuttle steps. The non-English speaking driver kindly blocked my way into the shuttle. Figuring he was going to assist with my bags and I should therefore drop the heavy bag and return for another, that's what I did. Turns out that this shuttle was "reserved for flight crews" (I was told by a bilingual Portuguese United airlines flight attendant). He assured me that the driver was calling another shuttle for us which would pick us up momentarily. It took about twenty minutes more, but finally we had a private shuttle ride to our hotel.
All Marriotts looke remarkably similar and the Sao Paulo airport property is no exception. It sits near a highway exit (yes, we can sure hear that traffic) in the airport suburb. A breakfast buffet is included in our fare, so we had lots of fresh fruit and buffet bacon and eggs. The pineapple was wonderful as was the deep orange colored papaya. Good enough that I look forward to tomorrow's breakfast. The highlight of breakfast was the recommendation (by the very same flight attendant that denied us access to the first shuttle bus) for which of the six juices to try.... coconut water which pours from the coconut when it is opened. I love anything coconut, and this water was very refreshing.
We feel fortunate that the heat spell in Brazil at Carnivale time last month that killed many people seems to have been replaced with mild fall weather. It is a bit humid here, which accounts for the gorgeous greenery and my exceptionally frizzy hair, but it isn't hot today.
If we are properly rested up tomorrow we will head out to see the city and tell you all about it. If it is a sleepless night, expect to hear about our experiences reading and washing our laundry.
Until then, ciao!
Deanne
Imagine the worst baggage claim crowd you have ever encountered and you will be ready for the arrivals hall in Sao Paulo. Luggage carts are free, and everyone has one or two surrounding them as they crush to the luggage delivery belt. I am not sure why, but the American Airlines luggage allowance is universal for all countries except Brazil, where you are allowed up to 70 pound bags. We were all heaving these huge bags around. When you see your bag (yeah for those yellow bands we put around ours that make them stick out) you have to crush through the people and carts to grab it, then turn around and force your way back through the crowd that has swallowed up the path you created to make your way in to the belt. No complaints though, our bags were there just as they were supposed to be.
We made a strong impression on the beautiful Brazilian Federale that examined and stamped our passports as we went through immigration control. We demonstrated that not all Americans are rude, uni-ligual tourists by showcasing our command of the Portuguese language. "Bon Dia" got us a smile and a return "Bon dia" when we walked up to the counter. After our passports were stamped and we were ready to leave, "abrigado" the Portuguese word for "thank you" got a "You're welcome" in response. As Caitie told us when she first was learning Spanish in Spain, "when they answer you in English it is a sure sign that you are butchering their language". Oh well, we tried.
Becuase we anticipated correctly that Mike (who never sleeps on planes) would be tired after the flight, we booked a room at the airport Marriott, only a shuttle ride away from the airport. Like airports the world over, the shuttles all collect passengers somewhere along the driveways in front. We made our way outside, found someone to direct us to the hotel waiting area, and settled in to wait along with the crews from the United and American flights that arrived from the US at the same time. Fifteen minutes later, along came a small shuttle bus with the Marriott logo. I flagged it down and carried the first of our two big bags(so much for packing light) out to the shuttle steps. The non-English speaking driver kindly blocked my way into the shuttle. Figuring he was going to assist with my bags and I should therefore drop the heavy bag and return for another, that's what I did. Turns out that this shuttle was "reserved for flight crews" (I was told by a bilingual Portuguese United airlines flight attendant). He assured me that the driver was calling another shuttle for us which would pick us up momentarily. It took about twenty minutes more, but finally we had a private shuttle ride to our hotel.
All Marriotts looke remarkably similar and the Sao Paulo airport property is no exception. It sits near a highway exit (yes, we can sure hear that traffic) in the airport suburb. A breakfast buffet is included in our fare, so we had lots of fresh fruit and buffet bacon and eggs. The pineapple was wonderful as was the deep orange colored papaya. Good enough that I look forward to tomorrow's breakfast. The highlight of breakfast was the recommendation (by the very same flight attendant that denied us access to the first shuttle bus) for which of the six juices to try.... coconut water which pours from the coconut when it is opened. I love anything coconut, and this water was very refreshing.
We feel fortunate that the heat spell in Brazil at Carnivale time last month that killed many people seems to have been replaced with mild fall weather. It is a bit humid here, which accounts for the gorgeous greenery and my exceptionally frizzy hair, but it isn't hot today.
If we are properly rested up tomorrow we will head out to see the city and tell you all about it. If it is a sleepless night, expect to hear about our experiences reading and washing our laundry.
Until then, ciao!
Deanne
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
On the Road Again!
We are sitting in the Sleep Inn in Albuquerque watching television and catching up on our computer work...an auspicious start to our trip. This is a discount trip.... a $500 cruise, frequent-flier airfare, etc. and this little $49 hotel fits the bill. Our Colorado neighbor recommended this place, because in addition to the spiffy room, free Internet and hot breakfast, we can park in their lot for the month we are gone for $2 a day. A bargain.
The most expensive aspect of today was the speeding ticket Mike received after the county sheriff going the other direction on the highway did a u-turn to chase us down. Crime: traveling at 83 mph in a 70 zone. Thankfully New Mexico doesn't charge big city rates and this infraction only set us back $65.
We left our Colorado home this morning at 10:30, after completing our packing, loading the car, sweeping the house, cleaning the frig and throwing out everything that wouldn't survive five weeks of absence, paying the final bills and all of those finalities. I maintain a checklist of things that we have to do when we move from one house to the other (forward/stop/hold mail, stop newspapers and garbage delivery, change netlfix delivery, change the phone so that it knows where we are, etc.) We got birthday cards in the mail for our daughter and daughter-in-law who share a March birthday and my mother who celebrates her birthday on Easter this year. We stopped at the post office to mail a big box of library books back to Seattle. They traveled with us to Colorado a few weeks ago and now it is time for them to return home.
Breakfast was out of the question with all the running around we were doing this morning, so on our way we stopped for lunch at our favorite Durango restaurant- Kennebek's. Mike had his usual: Beef Bourgnone and I had the soup of the day- seafood (yum!!) and a salad. A wonderful start for the trip.
Tomorrow we catch a shuttle to the airport at noon. We're on the move!
With love, Deanne
The most expensive aspect of today was the speeding ticket Mike received after the county sheriff going the other direction on the highway did a u-turn to chase us down. Crime: traveling at 83 mph in a 70 zone. Thankfully New Mexico doesn't charge big city rates and this infraction only set us back $65.
We left our Colorado home this morning at 10:30, after completing our packing, loading the car, sweeping the house, cleaning the frig and throwing out everything that wouldn't survive five weeks of absence, paying the final bills and all of those finalities. I maintain a checklist of things that we have to do when we move from one house to the other (forward/stop/hold mail, stop newspapers and garbage delivery, change netlfix delivery, change the phone so that it knows where we are, etc.) We got birthday cards in the mail for our daughter and daughter-in-law who share a March birthday and my mother who celebrates her birthday on Easter this year. We stopped at the post office to mail a big box of library books back to Seattle. They traveled with us to Colorado a few weeks ago and now it is time for them to return home.
Breakfast was out of the question with all the running around we were doing this morning, so on our way we stopped for lunch at our favorite Durango restaurant- Kennebek's. Mike had his usual: Beef Bourgnone and I had the soup of the day- seafood (yum!!) and a salad. A wonderful start for the trip.
Tomorrow we catch a shuttle to the airport at noon. We're on the move!
With love, Deanne
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
WE ARE OFF AGAIN !!!!
Has it been this long since we last communicated?? So much has occurred over the past few years I will attempt to bring you up to date in two minutes or less!! Family--Mike is in college knocking out 4.0's left and right, Dana has a great job in Bellingham and continues to amaze us with her baking abilities every holiday--Megan and Matt are buying their first home, Athena and Ricky continue to be a credit to their parents parenting--Matt graduated from Western Washington with a degree in Finance--he is now a consultant and Fantasy Football guru extraordinaire--Jonny graduated from Central Washington with a degree in Sociology, he has a small online company while he continues to search in this horrendous economy--Caitie went from NYU back to UW in Seattle because of the great international program there, she is now in Ferrara Italy majoring in Italian and Psychology.
It seems like when Caitie travels so do we!! So when she decided to go to Italy we weren't far behind! It's a great excuse to take a vacation from our vacation. But before I get into our plans let finish the update on our stateside adventures. When we returned in May of 2008 to our spotless floating home in which our tenants had kept impeccably we decided it was time to build a home on this beautiful piece of land we have in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. So after a fantastic summer on Lake Union in Seattle we plunged into the wonderful world of home building. We were blessed with the best builder you can imagine who came up with creative ideas and kept to a time line while not sacrificing quality and expertise. In May 2009, our second Dream Home was complete. We have been sharing time in Colorado and Seattle ever since. We love country living while we are here and love city living while in Seattle.
Now as I was saying when Caitie goes international so do we. She has been in Italy since 12/26/09 and on 12/27/09 we started making plans. Caitie asked if we could meet her in Switzerland on her spring break and who could refuse such a request! She has never been to Suisse and it is one of our favorite countries so of course we began an intensive search for planes, trains and more trains and ultimately boats. We are flying from Albuquerque to Dallas to Sao Paulo where we board the Splendor of the Seas for Barcelona with stops in Rio, Canary Islands, Portugal and finally Barcelona, fly to Milan, meet Caitie and take train to Lugano. Then trains all over Switzerland!!. We will go to Ferrara to see this beautiful walled city and see Caitie's fairytale apartment on a small winding cobblestone road in the city across from
the castle. After a week or so we will get out of her hair and continue our adventure through Northern Italy.
We have decided that this is the perfect life for us, two great homes, and a lot of travel... I guess that would be a perfect life for a lot of people:)We have many exceptional moments over the past few years, meeting new people, getting reacquainted with old friends from childhood and of course our many new friends. So family and friends your Gypsy couple are back at it with future plans for New Zealand
Australia, Chile, Argentina and Scandinavian countries, the UK and Ireland.
Stay Tuned!
Slainte'
Mike
It seems like when Caitie travels so do we!! So when she decided to go to Italy we weren't far behind! It's a great excuse to take a vacation from our vacation. But before I get into our plans let finish the update on our stateside adventures. When we returned in May of 2008 to our spotless floating home in which our tenants had kept impeccably we decided it was time to build a home on this beautiful piece of land we have in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. So after a fantastic summer on Lake Union in Seattle we plunged into the wonderful world of home building. We were blessed with the best builder you can imagine who came up with creative ideas and kept to a time line while not sacrificing quality and expertise. In May 2009, our second Dream Home was complete. We have been sharing time in Colorado and Seattle ever since. We love country living while we are here and love city living while in Seattle.
Now as I was saying when Caitie goes international so do we. She has been in Italy since 12/26/09 and on 12/27/09 we started making plans. Caitie asked if we could meet her in Switzerland on her spring break and who could refuse such a request! She has never been to Suisse and it is one of our favorite countries so of course we began an intensive search for planes, trains and more trains and ultimately boats. We are flying from Albuquerque to Dallas to Sao Paulo where we board the Splendor of the Seas for Barcelona with stops in Rio, Canary Islands, Portugal and finally Barcelona, fly to Milan, meet Caitie and take train to Lugano. Then trains all over Switzerland!!. We will go to Ferrara to see this beautiful walled city and see Caitie's fairytale apartment on a small winding cobblestone road in the city across from
the castle. After a week or so we will get out of her hair and continue our adventure through Northern Italy.
We have decided that this is the perfect life for us, two great homes, and a lot of travel... I guess that would be a perfect life for a lot of people:)We have many exceptional moments over the past few years, meeting new people, getting reacquainted with old friends from childhood and of course our many new friends. So family and friends your Gypsy couple are back at it with future plans for New Zealand
Australia, Chile, Argentina and Scandinavian countries, the UK and Ireland.
Stay Tuned!
Slainte'
Mike
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