Monday, November 9, 2009
The 5am wakeup came early, and Davis arrived in the dark and rain at exactly 5:45am to whisk us the airport. The hand-talking was even more pronounced as we sped along the abandoned pre-dawn highways of Rome, now that he was comfortable with us!
We were very early for our 10:20am flight, mainly to allow Davis to get back into Rome before rush hour. Searching for a place to sit for an hour while waiting for the ticket counter to open, we settled upon a row of seats at the end of the Departures area.
Julie first noted the smell. There were several people sleeping on the seats that we initially assumed were weary travellers.....but apparently were actually homeless people with a lot of stuff in large backpacks. The next thing we know the situation descended into chaos.
An American couple had apparently offered food to one of the homeless men when they awoke. He kicked it across the room and started yelling. He was HUGE, with a beard nearly down to his waist and a decidedly sour demeanor. Suddenly this old Italian man appears, half the guy's size and twice his age, and starts yelling back at the man.
Of course, we have no idea what they are saying. The man actually comes to us and attempts to enlist our support.....bu the best I can do is tell him in Italian that we don't speak Italian and don't understand. Next thing we know, they are threatening each other from across a narrow rope line. That's when things got interesting. Julie dubbed it the Roman Bum Fight.
With all of the tourists now huddled in in th corner in fear, the little old man retrieves an umbrella and proceeds to the threaten Man Mountain Transient....who responds in kind by whipping him with a dirty sweater. A pitched melee ensued right in the airport, umbreall vs. sweater, with heate and rapid Italian discourse for punctuation. Eventually (and I mean EVENTUALLY) airport security wandered over, and then the Carabinieri showed up with their submachine guns....but they basically all stood and watched the entire affair!
In the end we carefully walked away, skirting delicately around the fracas, at which point security and the police left too!
By now the ticket counter was opn, so we checked our bags and passed over to the other side, finally getting actual stamps in our passports! We had ample time for some duty-free shopping, securing a cliche bottle of chianti in a wicker basket, along with a gift pack of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
We boarded the plane a little bit late, with some lineup chaos involving several flights from the same general gate area....and then SAT on the plane for nearly two hours. Apparently they pulled someone OFF the plane for security reasons....requiring them to pull off ALL baggage to find this person's ONE bag. Given the delay, they decided to allow 35 unscheduled passengers on board, all missionaries with some international organization. Of cours, these people boarded a nearly full plane and then wanted to all sit together, and began actually negotiating with passengers to move seats!
Once actually IN the air, the 9.5 hour flight was relatively uneventful, though sleep simply did not happen. Luckily they were pouring red wine freely, and feeding us constantly, so we touched down happy in Toronto around 4pm Eastern Standard Time.
One final snag awaited us - after a smooth luggage pickup and shuttle to the park'n'fly, the battery on John and Julie's CRV was dead. We had to flag down other weary travellers to help us out with a boost. Finally, we were on the home stretch.....first to John and Julie's to pick up our car, then home.
Once we arrived in Ilderton, we quickly threw our stuff in our car, and after quick washroom breaks and good-byes, we continued the drive home to Wheatley, walking in the door around 10pm EST to four very annoyed cats. Of course, our bodies thought it was 4am the next morning (Italian time), so we went pretty much straight to bed, our heads filled with two weeks of fond Italian memories.....
Friday, November 20, 2009
BEST of ITALY 2009 - Rome Revisited
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Before the trip, our intended Sunday return flight had been cancelled by Alitalia, and pushed instead to the Monday. Not a terrible thing, says I, for it gave us an extra "free" day in Rome to play after the bus tour was over and done.
Most of the Cosmos group were heading out today, to various destinations - some home, some moving on to other trips and tours. We enjoyed many fond farewells in the hotel lobby as we saw off several groups of new friends.
Preparing to depart Pineta Palace for downtown Rome, we asked about a taxi at the main desk. As luck would have it, a car for hire was just leaving the hotel after dropping off guests, and we managed to secure Davis and his Audi sedan for the equivalent of a crappy cab ride. Davis took us right downtown by the best routes, chattering the entire way in both Italian and English. I had been given the front seat by the others, and attempted to both engage and understand him as he drove with his elbows, hand-talking the entire way to Hotel Montreal....
Davis enjoyed our company so much that he gave us his card, and offered to pick us up at 5:45am the next morning for our trip to the airport. He was a great guy, had a very nice car, and we also favoured this over having to try to get a taxi at that early hour. It was perfect, and we agreed upon a pickup.
Hotel Montreal was surprisingly nice, a big old grand marble building, right near the Termini train station. We dumped our gear and found food, drink, and neighbourhoods to walk. John accidentally ordered tripe, erroneously thinking by the waiter's gestures that it was flank steak. Once ready to explore again, we hopped on the Metro and rode west to within walking distance of the Vatican City.
Unlike our previous visit, when St. Peter's Basilica was closed for the papal mass, this time we were able to go and in and witness the largest church in the world. The place made even the grand Duomos of Florence and Milan seem small. Pictures cannot hope to do it justice, but suffice it to say, "WOW!".
After exploring the Basilica, we wandered out of the Vatican City and back "into" Italy, checking out the Castel Sant'Angelo before crossing back over the Tiber to begin the meandering journey back to the hotel. We even ran into Aussies Bob and Liz from the Cosmos group, what are the odds in a city the size of Rome?!?!?
The circuitous trip back took us through a sudden downpour and even hail at Piazza Navona, where we took shelter for coffee, and then on to the Pantheon, Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle II, Trajan's Column, the Forum, and an evening visit past the Colissuem. Ourt stroll across the heart of Rome ended at Termini station and our hotel, after a very fine yet reasonable meal at Pastarino.
Back at the hotel, the evening that remained was spent on final packing, with special care to get all 12 of my souvenir beer bottles wrapped and packed safely into our travel backpacks to be checked. Before turning in, we requested a 5am wakeup call....
Vatican City from across a bridge over the Tiber
St. Peter's Square and Basilica
Inside St. Peter's - photos cannot capture the sheer scale!
Colisseum at Dusk
Before the trip, our intended Sunday return flight had been cancelled by Alitalia, and pushed instead to the Monday. Not a terrible thing, says I, for it gave us an extra "free" day in Rome to play after the bus tour was over and done.
Most of the Cosmos group were heading out today, to various destinations - some home, some moving on to other trips and tours. We enjoyed many fond farewells in the hotel lobby as we saw off several groups of new friends.
Preparing to depart Pineta Palace for downtown Rome, we asked about a taxi at the main desk. As luck would have it, a car for hire was just leaving the hotel after dropping off guests, and we managed to secure Davis and his Audi sedan for the equivalent of a crappy cab ride. Davis took us right downtown by the best routes, chattering the entire way in both Italian and English. I had been given the front seat by the others, and attempted to both engage and understand him as he drove with his elbows, hand-talking the entire way to Hotel Montreal....
Davis enjoyed our company so much that he gave us his card, and offered to pick us up at 5:45am the next morning for our trip to the airport. He was a great guy, had a very nice car, and we also favoured this over having to try to get a taxi at that early hour. It was perfect, and we agreed upon a pickup.
Hotel Montreal was surprisingly nice, a big old grand marble building, right near the Termini train station. We dumped our gear and found food, drink, and neighbourhoods to walk. John accidentally ordered tripe, erroneously thinking by the waiter's gestures that it was flank steak. Once ready to explore again, we hopped on the Metro and rode west to within walking distance of the Vatican City.
Unlike our previous visit, when St. Peter's Basilica was closed for the papal mass, this time we were able to go and in and witness the largest church in the world. The place made even the grand Duomos of Florence and Milan seem small. Pictures cannot hope to do it justice, but suffice it to say, "WOW!".
After exploring the Basilica, we wandered out of the Vatican City and back "into" Italy, checking out the Castel Sant'Angelo before crossing back over the Tiber to begin the meandering journey back to the hotel. We even ran into Aussies Bob and Liz from the Cosmos group, what are the odds in a city the size of Rome?!?!?
The circuitous trip back took us through a sudden downpour and even hail at Piazza Navona, where we took shelter for coffee, and then on to the Pantheon, Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle II, Trajan's Column, the Forum, and an evening visit past the Colissuem. Ourt stroll across the heart of Rome ended at Termini station and our hotel, after a very fine yet reasonable meal at Pastarino.
Back at the hotel, the evening that remained was spent on final packing, with special care to get all 12 of my souvenir beer bottles wrapped and packed safely into our travel backpacks to be checked. Before turning in, we requested a 5am wakeup call....
Vatican City from across a bridge over the Tiber
St. Peter's Square and Basilica
Inside St. Peter's - photos cannot capture the sheer scale!
Colisseum at DuskBEST of ITALY 2009 - Sorrento and Rome
Saturday, November 7, 2009
We enjoyed our one and only sleep in day as the tour of Italy neared its end. Taking the gut-wrenching sea-road out of Sorrento and back out along the coast, we skirted the Bay of Naples and headed north for Rome. Unlike the previous day of rain and fog, today was absolutely beautiful.
We enjoyed our one and only sleep in day as the tour of Italy neared its end. Taking the gut-wrenching sea-road out of Sorrento and back out along the coast, we skirted the Bay of Naples and headed north for Rome. Unlike the previous day of rain and fog, today was absolutely beautiful.
After quick stops at a cameo factory where coral was carved into jewellery, plus the usual Autogrill rest break, we hammered the motorway towards Rome and another night at the Pineta Palace. Once back at the hotel and our belongings stowed, we walked the neighbourhood in search of final trinkets and a much needed McDonalds. Several amongst us were just plain pizza and pasta'd out. The visit was complete when I ordered a draft beer to go with my meal combo.
Using John's I-Touch and the Rick Steves travel book, we located and secured accomodations for the next night in downtown Rome, ironically at the Hotel Montreal. We whiled away a quiet night of packing and prep, still with one day to go but already sensing the end of the road. We turned in relatively early for the night....
....but a phone call at 1:30am tore us from fitful slumber. It was Julie and she was plainly upset - John was passing a kidney stone and they were hoping we would accompany them to the hospital for my pitiful translation skills. By the time we were up and about, Jane and the concierge had also woken Sabina, so that she would know where we were going, to the nearby hospital just a few blocks walking distance.
By this time John had passed the stone, and was feeling rather sheepish about waking everyone else up, in spite of his agony. We walked the darkened streets towards the hospital anyway just to be sure.....and were treated to some local entertainment as we encountered a case of coitus interruptus, stumbling upon a young couple sharing an affectionate moment in a parked SmartCar at 2am. Those Italian ladies sure are flexible. Just sayin'.
Back at Pineta Palace, we fell back into bed and were quickly asleep.....
Vesuvius from across the Bay of Naples
Sorrento from the bus
The Road between Sea and Cliffs
Cliffs o'er the MediterraneanBEST of ITALY 2009 - Capri
Friday, November 6, 2009
The next morning, we took local buses down to the docks, as our tour bus was too large to fit down the narrow and winding streets of Sorrento. At the wharf, we boarded a jet boat for Capri, a mountainous and beautiful isle just a few miles offshore from the Italian mainland.
A twenty minute ride later, we were across the sea to Capri, where we met our local guide Luigi at the Marina Grande pier. From there, another small bus took us up, up and away, up the snaking, narrow and treacherous mountain roads. On one side of the bus was solid rock towering high above, on the other side of the bus was a sheer drop over a thousand feet down into the azure blue waters of the Mediterranean.
The bus deposited us at Anacapri, meaning "above Capri", a town of 5000 inhabitants perched atop the island. Luigi led us first to Villa San Michele, the former abode of a doctor to the Swedish royal court and now museum and botanical garden. In the dining area, a skeletal mosaic on the floor appeared a tad macabre, but was explained to us in a positive light. The skeleton, with a jug of water in one hand and a jug of wine in the other, implores guests to "seize the day", as we never know which may be our last.
From there we walked back to the chair lift, for one of the highlights of the entire trip. The single-person lift towed us up the mountain, Monte Solaro, or "Sunny Mountain". On this gloomy day, the chair lift took us high above the village and sweeping vantages of the sea and directly up into the clouds that concealed the mountain's peak. There was something oddly relaxing about dangling high above the island and the sea in a tiny wooden chair.
From atop the mountain the view was non-existent, due to the foggy weather. It was, however, an incredible opportunity of a different kind. Standing on top a mountain, surrounded by fog and nothingness, it was like gazing into the abyss when all you can hear is wind and water....needless to say it was quite a moving experience.
After the chair lift ride bakc down the mountain, Luigi led us through medieval back alleys to one of his favourite "secret" places on the island, a spectacular vantage point on the quiet backside of the island, overlooking Marina Piccolo. From there we returned to the main town, Capri, and toured the streets until the jet boat took us back to Sorrento and the mainland.
That evening, we returned to La Taverna Sorrentina for the exquisite food and drink. It turned out it was their last night of the season to be open, as they were closing until March. We even sampled the Limoncella....
Carpe Diem - Seize the Day
Marina Grande from above on Capri
Egyptian sphinx stolen by the Romans watches over Capri
Crazy mountain roads and crazy bus drivers
Monte Solaro shrouded in fog
Going......down?
Capri cliffs and Faragioli islands
Marina Piccolo
The next morning, we took local buses down to the docks, as our tour bus was too large to fit down the narrow and winding streets of Sorrento. At the wharf, we boarded a jet boat for Capri, a mountainous and beautiful isle just a few miles offshore from the Italian mainland.
A twenty minute ride later, we were across the sea to Capri, where we met our local guide Luigi at the Marina Grande pier. From there, another small bus took us up, up and away, up the snaking, narrow and treacherous mountain roads. On one side of the bus was solid rock towering high above, on the other side of the bus was a sheer drop over a thousand feet down into the azure blue waters of the Mediterranean.
The bus deposited us at Anacapri, meaning "above Capri", a town of 5000 inhabitants perched atop the island. Luigi led us first to Villa San Michele, the former abode of a doctor to the Swedish royal court and now museum and botanical garden. In the dining area, a skeletal mosaic on the floor appeared a tad macabre, but was explained to us in a positive light. The skeleton, with a jug of water in one hand and a jug of wine in the other, implores guests to "seize the day", as we never know which may be our last.
From there we walked back to the chair lift, for one of the highlights of the entire trip. The single-person lift towed us up the mountain, Monte Solaro, or "Sunny Mountain". On this gloomy day, the chair lift took us high above the village and sweeping vantages of the sea and directly up into the clouds that concealed the mountain's peak. There was something oddly relaxing about dangling high above the island and the sea in a tiny wooden chair.
From atop the mountain the view was non-existent, due to the foggy weather. It was, however, an incredible opportunity of a different kind. Standing on top a mountain, surrounded by fog and nothingness, it was like gazing into the abyss when all you can hear is wind and water....needless to say it was quite a moving experience.
After the chair lift ride bakc down the mountain, Luigi led us through medieval back alleys to one of his favourite "secret" places on the island, a spectacular vantage point on the quiet backside of the island, overlooking Marina Piccolo. From there we returned to the main town, Capri, and toured the streets until the jet boat took us back to Sorrento and the mainland.
That evening, we returned to La Taverna Sorrentina for the exquisite food and drink. It turned out it was their last night of the season to be open, as they were closing until March. We even sampled the Limoncella....
Carpe Diem - Seize the Day
Marina Grande from above on Capri
Egyptian sphinx stolen by the Romans watches over Capri
Crazy mountain roads and crazy bus drivers
Monte Solaro shrouded in fog
Going......down?
Capri cliffs and Faragioli islands
Marina PiccoloThursday, November 19, 2009
BEST of ITALY 2009 - Pompei
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Early morning saw us underway from Perugia, still heading south. Most of the morning was spent on the bus, with one obligatory rest stop at an Autogrill. We passed out of Umbria region and neared Rome once again, before diverting further south towards Naples.
Along the way the Apennines were constant company, including the old abbey atop Monte Cassino, where a brutal battle for this dominant hilltop position took place during the latter stages of World War II. We also glimped a section of the old Appian Way, the original Roman road running straight and true from Rome to the Adriatic Coast at Brindisi.
Naples was very different than the other cities we had seen, large yet disorganized and seemingly less touristy and more real. The slumbering volcano Mount Vesuvius watched us carefully as we skirted Naples and headed to Pompei for a must-see tour of the ancient ruins.
Our guided tour of the ruins was spectacular, as once we again we walked roads and entered buildings several milennia old. The entire city was buried by volcanic eruption in 79 AD, and as a result preserves the best intact vision of what a city was like back then, without the evolution oassociated with 2000 more years of habitation.
From the ruins it was on to Sorrento, which involved a hairy but scenic drive along the undulating coastal road, the sole connection around the Bay of Naples to the Sorrento Peninsula. Our hotel, Rivage, was perched atop the city, glimpsing the far-off waters of the Mediterranean.
We lucked out and got a blacnoy room on the sea-side. After John and Julie sorted out their issues with a key broken off in their room lock, we set out for dinner. In the side alleys of Sorrento, we discovered La Taverna Sorrentina, a restaurant older than Canada, and enjoyed fine homemade food (the ravioli was life-altering!) and house red, made "out back" with their own grapes.
The convivial proprietor, "William", even tried to trade John a huge bottle of Jack Daniels in exchange for Julie, and offered me 10 litres of Limoncella for Jane!
Monte Cassino abbey
The Appian Way
Mount Vesuvius (on the right) shrouded in cloud
Pompei ruins
A very old street
Wall inscriptions at the ancient brothel in Pompei
Vesuvius looking down upon the ruined city
The view from our balcony in Sorrento
Early morning saw us underway from Perugia, still heading south. Most of the morning was spent on the bus, with one obligatory rest stop at an Autogrill. We passed out of Umbria region and neared Rome once again, before diverting further south towards Naples.
Along the way the Apennines were constant company, including the old abbey atop Monte Cassino, where a brutal battle for this dominant hilltop position took place during the latter stages of World War II. We also glimped a section of the old Appian Way, the original Roman road running straight and true from Rome to the Adriatic Coast at Brindisi.
Naples was very different than the other cities we had seen, large yet disorganized and seemingly less touristy and more real. The slumbering volcano Mount Vesuvius watched us carefully as we skirted Naples and headed to Pompei for a must-see tour of the ancient ruins.
Our guided tour of the ruins was spectacular, as once we again we walked roads and entered buildings several milennia old. The entire city was buried by volcanic eruption in 79 AD, and as a result preserves the best intact vision of what a city was like back then, without the evolution oassociated with 2000 more years of habitation.
From the ruins it was on to Sorrento, which involved a hairy but scenic drive along the undulating coastal road, the sole connection around the Bay of Naples to the Sorrento Peninsula. Our hotel, Rivage, was perched atop the city, glimpsing the far-off waters of the Mediterranean.
We lucked out and got a blacnoy room on the sea-side. After John and Julie sorted out their issues with a key broken off in their room lock, we set out for dinner. In the side alleys of Sorrento, we discovered La Taverna Sorrentina, a restaurant older than Canada, and enjoyed fine homemade food (the ravioli was life-altering!) and house red, made "out back" with their own grapes.
The convivial proprietor, "William", even tried to trade John a huge bottle of Jack Daniels in exchange for Julie, and offered me 10 litres of Limoncella for Jane!
Monte Cassino abbey
The Appian Way
Mount Vesuvius (on the right) shrouded in cloud
Pompei ruins
A very old street
Wall inscriptions at the ancient brothel in Pompei
Vesuvius looking down upon the ruined city
The view from our balcony in SorrentoBEST of ITALY 2009 - Ravenna, Assisi
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
We left Venice and Hotel Poppi behind us early on Wednesday morning, as the journey turned southward. The road took us through the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, at first very flat and marshy and fraught with agriculture. Soon the familiar Apennines loomed ahead once again, as we motored towards our first stop of the day at Ravenna.
It turns out that November 4 is Armed Forces Day in Italy, quite similar to our own Remembrance Day. We witnessed a parade and ceremonies in the main square at Ravenna, and also walked to the tomb of Dante Alighieri, the "father" of modern Italian. Besides his famous works, Dante is revered for being the first known authour to pulblish a work in "low" speech (i.e. Italian) or langauge of the common folk, rather than Latin. We also visited some nearby piazzas to observe two basilicae, San Vitale and San Francesco.
Departing Ravenna, we stopped for lunch at the town of Classe, for homemade fettucine and house red at resto St. Apollinare. Our bellies full, we boarded the bus, and enjoyed a meandering journey through winding mountain passes resplendent with vineyards and fall colours. We passed from Emilia-Romagna, briefly back into Tuscany, and then into Umbria, all within the mountains. A construction detour even saw us re-routed off the "high road" and onto some narrow and sketchy mountain roads. Luckily by now, we all had faith in Angelo's abilities behind the wheel.
We arrived at Assisi just before dusk, which sadly limited the amount of time we had to explore the steep and cobblestone streets of the walled medieval town. The guided tour of the Basilica of St. Frances was breath-taking however, and made up for our tardy arrival. The church consisted of three levels, a new church built on an old church, built in turn upon the buried tomb of St. Frances (San Francesco) and his comrades in an effort to hide their bodies from rival Perugia. Stunning but not as "fabulous" as some of the other grand churches, this one still had the most authentic and hallowed feel about it.
The walls included more frescoes on walls, ceilings and arches, depicting biblical scenes. The "Bible of the Poor" they were called, revealing the secrets of the Bible to the illiterate masses back in the day. We were treated to a grand panorama of the sweeping countryside at night from high atop the walls of Assisi, before heading on to Perugia and a group dinner at the splendid Holiday Inn.
Statue of Garibaldi in Ravenna
The Hills of Umbria
Gateway to Assisi
The Basilica of St. Frances
Medieval Madness!
Umbrian countryside at night from Assisi
We left Venice and Hotel Poppi behind us early on Wednesday morning, as the journey turned southward. The road took us through the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, at first very flat and marshy and fraught with agriculture. Soon the familiar Apennines loomed ahead once again, as we motored towards our first stop of the day at Ravenna.
It turns out that November 4 is Armed Forces Day in Italy, quite similar to our own Remembrance Day. We witnessed a parade and ceremonies in the main square at Ravenna, and also walked to the tomb of Dante Alighieri, the "father" of modern Italian. Besides his famous works, Dante is revered for being the first known authour to pulblish a work in "low" speech (i.e. Italian) or langauge of the common folk, rather than Latin. We also visited some nearby piazzas to observe two basilicae, San Vitale and San Francesco.
Departing Ravenna, we stopped for lunch at the town of Classe, for homemade fettucine and house red at resto St. Apollinare. Our bellies full, we boarded the bus, and enjoyed a meandering journey through winding mountain passes resplendent with vineyards and fall colours. We passed from Emilia-Romagna, briefly back into Tuscany, and then into Umbria, all within the mountains. A construction detour even saw us re-routed off the "high road" and onto some narrow and sketchy mountain roads. Luckily by now, we all had faith in Angelo's abilities behind the wheel.
We arrived at Assisi just before dusk, which sadly limited the amount of time we had to explore the steep and cobblestone streets of the walled medieval town. The guided tour of the Basilica of St. Frances was breath-taking however, and made up for our tardy arrival. The church consisted of three levels, a new church built on an old church, built in turn upon the buried tomb of St. Frances (San Francesco) and his comrades in an effort to hide their bodies from rival Perugia. Stunning but not as "fabulous" as some of the other grand churches, this one still had the most authentic and hallowed feel about it.
The walls included more frescoes on walls, ceilings and arches, depicting biblical scenes. The "Bible of the Poor" they were called, revealing the secrets of the Bible to the illiterate masses back in the day. We were treated to a grand panorama of the sweeping countryside at night from high atop the walls of Assisi, before heading on to Perugia and a group dinner at the splendid Holiday Inn.
Statue of Garibaldi in Ravenna
Armed Forces Day ceremonies
The Hills of Umbria
Gateway to Assisi
The Basilica of St. Frances
Medieval Madness!
Umbrian countryside at night from AssisiThursday, November 12, 2009
BEST of ITALY 2009 - Venice
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
After our late night foray into Venice, we returned the next morning en masse. The Cosmos bus dropped us at Tronchetto Station, where we caught a vaporetto (water taxi) direct to the main lagoon, just east of St. Mark's Square.
In daylight it was clear - Venice was sinking. The city floods about ten days per year, when wind, rain and tides conspire to raise water levels over the canals and into the "streets". We were lucky enough to witness such a day.
St. Mark's Square was actually too flooded to visit early in the morning, so we attended a glass-blowing demonstration at the Laguna Murano Glassblowing Factory, where we purchased some fine red Venetian blown glass tumblers. Following the tour, we wandered the wet streets of Venice, eventually finding delicious gnocchi and the usual house red at a random restaurant.
As the tides subsided, more of the streets and alleys became passable, thanks in part to the omnipresent walking platforms. We strolled to the Rialto Bridge, and shpped various merchants along the narrow lanes. Just across the bridge, we met Franco, a friendly gondolier.
Franco took the four of us out in his gondola, up the Grand Canal for a ways, before taking into some smaller and quieter side canals. He was very funny and extremely knowledgeable, and luckily spoke very good English. After an enchanting tour of the city as it was intended to be seen, from the water, he returned us to the base of the Rialto.
From there we navigated the maze back to St. Mark's Square, where the drying cobblestones allowed us to visit the impressive Basilica and main square. We enjoyed drinks at a canal-side patio before strolling along the lagoon under sunny skies. As all good things must end, we eventually met up again with our tour group and caught a vaporetto back to Tronchetto and the bus.
Back at Hotel Poppi in Mira, we attended a group dinner buffet, followed by an informal and raucous group meeting in the hotel bar with the fun-loving Australians, who comprised roughly half of the Cosmos tour populace on our bus.
Quaint Canal 
"If Venice is Sinking...."
The Grand Canal
View from the Gondola
O Sole Mio.....
The Rialto Bridge
The Venetian Lagoon
After our late night foray into Venice, we returned the next morning en masse. The Cosmos bus dropped us at Tronchetto Station, where we caught a vaporetto (water taxi) direct to the main lagoon, just east of St. Mark's Square.
In daylight it was clear - Venice was sinking. The city floods about ten days per year, when wind, rain and tides conspire to raise water levels over the canals and into the "streets". We were lucky enough to witness such a day.
St. Mark's Square was actually too flooded to visit early in the morning, so we attended a glass-blowing demonstration at the Laguna Murano Glassblowing Factory, where we purchased some fine red Venetian blown glass tumblers. Following the tour, we wandered the wet streets of Venice, eventually finding delicious gnocchi and the usual house red at a random restaurant.
As the tides subsided, more of the streets and alleys became passable, thanks in part to the omnipresent walking platforms. We strolled to the Rialto Bridge, and shpped various merchants along the narrow lanes. Just across the bridge, we met Franco, a friendly gondolier.
Franco took the four of us out in his gondola, up the Grand Canal for a ways, before taking into some smaller and quieter side canals. He was very funny and extremely knowledgeable, and luckily spoke very good English. After an enchanting tour of the city as it was intended to be seen, from the water, he returned us to the base of the Rialto.
From there we navigated the maze back to St. Mark's Square, where the drying cobblestones allowed us to visit the impressive Basilica and main square. We enjoyed drinks at a canal-side patio before strolling along the lagoon under sunny skies. As all good things must end, we eventually met up again with our tour group and caught a vaporetto back to Tronchetto and the bus.
Back at Hotel Poppi in Mira, we attended a group dinner buffet, followed by an informal and raucous group meeting in the hotel bar with the fun-loving Australians, who comprised roughly half of the Cosmos tour populace on our bus.
Quaint Canal 
St. Mark's Square and Basilica under siege
"If Venice is Sinking...."
The Grand Canal
View from the Gondola
O Sole Mio.....
The Rialto Bridge
The Venetian LagoonBEST of ITALY 2009 - Verona
Monday, November 2, 2009
Another early departure found us heading east out of Baveno, back towards Milan and beyond. Our luck with good weather finally gave out, and the morning witnessed the first rainy day of the trip. Once clear of Milan rush hour traffic and an accident on the motorway, we were on our way to the city of Verona. The entire bus was swept up in horse-racing fever as the Aussies organized two sweeps around the Melbourne Cup, a much-heralded annual race taking place later in the day Down Under.
The bus dropped us just inside the old city centre, made famous by Shakespeare as the setting for "Romeo and Juliet". A short walk along the ancient and crumbling city wall led us to the main square, under the watchful eye of Vittorio Emanuelle II, the first true King of Italy. The square also held the city's old arena, third largest in Italy and still in use today.
We set off in the drizzle towards Juliet's Balcony, a popular spot for tourists and lovers alike. Julie and Jane stopped to buy fashionable headgear in a local market, while Mike approached a random woman and asked her in vey poor Italian how to find the famous balcony. Luckily Paola also spoke excellent English as well, and in fact also taught French in Verona and was planning to come to Montreal to study. She took it upon herself to lead us directly to the balcony.
The crowded courtyard contained not only the small balcony rumoured to have inspired Shakespeare and the famous tale, but also messages left by lovers, scrawled on the walls and even applied with sticky notes under a nearby tunnel.
From there we wandered to the other side of the city centre and toured the old fort Castelvecchio and its ancient bridge over the River Adige. Mike even had his full full conversation in Italian, venturing into a tabacchi shop to acquire international stamps for mailing postcards. After a quick lunch under a protective awning, another short walk in the rain had us back on the bus and headed for the Venice area.
Our hotel stop for the night was in Mira, on the Veneto mainland and a little ways removed from Venice itself. Knowing that a full day tour of Venice was planned for the next morning, many travellers were content to ride out the evening rain in the comfort of the hotel.
While most of the group hunkered down at Hotel Poppi for the evening, we bought tickets and caught the local public bus to the train station outside Venice, joined by a few other intrepid adventurers from the group. From there, in the darkness and pouring rain, we ventured into the canals of Venice and gladly lost ourselves in the maze. We were quickly soaked and loving every minute of it.
The experience was nothing short of magical. Unless you have some place to be, getting "lost" in Venice is the best way to find things....including an excellent dinner at Trattoria Alle Colonelle. We eventually stumbled upon St. Mark's Square, amid driving rain and hiwling wind, and watched as the waters of the Venetian lagoon crashed over the breakwall and into the sqaure. Short benches were even erected throughout much of the main public areas to allow people to walk above the intrusion of water.
The darkened maze of alleys and canals eventually deposited us back at the train station, near the Liberty Bridge causeway to the mainland, where the local bus took us back to our hotel to dry out for the night.
.JPG)
Main Square and Arena in Fair Verona.JPG)
Juliet's Balcony
.JPG)
Lovers in an Informative Time
Castelvecchio and Bridge
.JPG)
Castelvecchio on the River Adige
Another early departure found us heading east out of Baveno, back towards Milan and beyond. Our luck with good weather finally gave out, and the morning witnessed the first rainy day of the trip. Once clear of Milan rush hour traffic and an accident on the motorway, we were on our way to the city of Verona. The entire bus was swept up in horse-racing fever as the Aussies organized two sweeps around the Melbourne Cup, a much-heralded annual race taking place later in the day Down Under.
The bus dropped us just inside the old city centre, made famous by Shakespeare as the setting for "Romeo and Juliet". A short walk along the ancient and crumbling city wall led us to the main square, under the watchful eye of Vittorio Emanuelle II, the first true King of Italy. The square also held the city's old arena, third largest in Italy and still in use today.
We set off in the drizzle towards Juliet's Balcony, a popular spot for tourists and lovers alike. Julie and Jane stopped to buy fashionable headgear in a local market, while Mike approached a random woman and asked her in vey poor Italian how to find the famous balcony. Luckily Paola also spoke excellent English as well, and in fact also taught French in Verona and was planning to come to Montreal to study. She took it upon herself to lead us directly to the balcony.
The crowded courtyard contained not only the small balcony rumoured to have inspired Shakespeare and the famous tale, but also messages left by lovers, scrawled on the walls and even applied with sticky notes under a nearby tunnel.
From there we wandered to the other side of the city centre and toured the old fort Castelvecchio and its ancient bridge over the River Adige. Mike even had his full full conversation in Italian, venturing into a tabacchi shop to acquire international stamps for mailing postcards. After a quick lunch under a protective awning, another short walk in the rain had us back on the bus and headed for the Venice area.
Our hotel stop for the night was in Mira, on the Veneto mainland and a little ways removed from Venice itself. Knowing that a full day tour of Venice was planned for the next morning, many travellers were content to ride out the evening rain in the comfort of the hotel.
While most of the group hunkered down at Hotel Poppi for the evening, we bought tickets and caught the local public bus to the train station outside Venice, joined by a few other intrepid adventurers from the group. From there, in the darkness and pouring rain, we ventured into the canals of Venice and gladly lost ourselves in the maze. We were quickly soaked and loving every minute of it.
The experience was nothing short of magical. Unless you have some place to be, getting "lost" in Venice is the best way to find things....including an excellent dinner at Trattoria Alle Colonelle. We eventually stumbled upon St. Mark's Square, amid driving rain and hiwling wind, and watched as the waters of the Venetian lagoon crashed over the breakwall and into the sqaure. Short benches were even erected throughout much of the main public areas to allow people to walk above the intrusion of water.
The darkened maze of alleys and canals eventually deposited us back at the train station, near the Liberty Bridge causeway to the mainland, where the local bus took us back to our hotel to dry out for the night.
.JPG)
Main Square and Arena in Fair Verona.JPG)
Within the Old Walled City
.JPG)
Juliet's Balcony.JPG)
Lovers in an Informative Time
Castelvecchio and Bridge.JPG)
Castelvecchio on the River AdigeWednesday, November 11, 2009
BEST of ITALY 2009 - Lugano, Switzerland
Sunday, November 1, 2009
We awoke to All Saints' Day, a national holiday in Italy. Aside from that, a lot of things are generally not open on Sundays anyway. Luckily, Cosmos had a plan to keep us entertained. An optional tour was offered into nearby Switzerland, an invitation that we readily accepted.
The bus skirted Lake Maggiore and then followed Lake Como north to the Swiss border, where thankfully we were not held up by any sort of inspection. A little ways into Switzerland, we stopped at the city of Lugano, nestled amongst the Alps on Lake Lugano, where we were given the opportunity to wander for a little while.
The city was clean and beautiful, and quiet on a Sunday morning. Besides the lake and mountains, there were many lovely parks, gardens and squares. Hungry after a less-than-satisfying breakfast at Hotel Dino, certainly NOT congruent with the hotel's otherwise grand nature, we ate a second breakfast at the world's nicest McDonald's.
Back aboard the bus, we drove out of town to Monte Tamaro, a nearby mountain recreational area. From there we took a 4-person cable car some 1500m up the side of the mountain, up up and away into the clouds. The view that greeted us at the top was simply stunning, alpine mountain peaks jutting above the clouds on a crisp and sunny morning.
Beyond gaping at the view, we also watched crazy mountain bikers fly down the hills....and even more crazy hang-gliders jump OFF the hill. Encouraged by the daring behaviour, we went 800m even further up the mountain and braved the 2-person bobseld track down the big hill in the open air before enjoying a cafe lunch at the mountain-top lodge. The excursion finished with a quick tour of the cliff-top church, which won its architect an award for building it right into the mountain.
Another jaw-dropping cable-car ride saw us down the mountain and back onto the bus for the ride back to Italy. Nearly one week into the trip, we took the opportunity to do some laundry at a local laundromat, whiling away the time walking the quaint streets and alleys of Baveno. Meeting up again with John and Julie, we enjoyed pasta and Dolcetto at a local establishment before returning to Hotel Dino for another night in the lap of luxury.
Lugano, Switzerland
The Cable Car up the Mountain
Bobsled Run down the mountain
View FROM the cable car - going down???
On Top of the World
We awoke to All Saints' Day, a national holiday in Italy. Aside from that, a lot of things are generally not open on Sundays anyway. Luckily, Cosmos had a plan to keep us entertained. An optional tour was offered into nearby Switzerland, an invitation that we readily accepted.
The bus skirted Lake Maggiore and then followed Lake Como north to the Swiss border, where thankfully we were not held up by any sort of inspection. A little ways into Switzerland, we stopped at the city of Lugano, nestled amongst the Alps on Lake Lugano, where we were given the opportunity to wander for a little while.
The city was clean and beautiful, and quiet on a Sunday morning. Besides the lake and mountains, there were many lovely parks, gardens and squares. Hungry after a less-than-satisfying breakfast at Hotel Dino, certainly NOT congruent with the hotel's otherwise grand nature, we ate a second breakfast at the world's nicest McDonald's.
Back aboard the bus, we drove out of town to Monte Tamaro, a nearby mountain recreational area. From there we took a 4-person cable car some 1500m up the side of the mountain, up up and away into the clouds. The view that greeted us at the top was simply stunning, alpine mountain peaks jutting above the clouds on a crisp and sunny morning.
Beyond gaping at the view, we also watched crazy mountain bikers fly down the hills....and even more crazy hang-gliders jump OFF the hill. Encouraged by the daring behaviour, we went 800m even further up the mountain and braved the 2-person bobseld track down the big hill in the open air before enjoying a cafe lunch at the mountain-top lodge. The excursion finished with a quick tour of the cliff-top church, which won its architect an award for building it right into the mountain.
Another jaw-dropping cable-car ride saw us down the mountain and back onto the bus for the ride back to Italy. Nearly one week into the trip, we took the opportunity to do some laundry at a local laundromat, whiling away the time walking the quaint streets and alleys of Baveno. Meeting up again with John and Julie, we enjoyed pasta and Dolcetto at a local establishment before returning to Hotel Dino for another night in the lap of luxury.
Lugano, Switzerland
Above the clouds on Monte Tamaro
The Cable Car up the Mountain
Bobsled Run down the mountain
View FROM the cable car - going down???
On Top of the World
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