So at dinner Denise says to me...."Pete did you notice the tour guides today kinda spoke directly to me?"......
"yes honey I did" as I try to ignore this line of questioning and eat my ravioli......".I think it's on account of ....you look a little bored...."
No kidding right? 15 churches in 5 hours....I almost stuck a pencil in my ear...
Anyone who knows me understands.....sitting in the piazza eating, drinking a beer and people watching is much more interesting.
Interestingly enough, I actually took some pictures..(OK I took 2)..another things I despise doing.... on account of how cool this one church was. I will post later on that one.
Ciao
Friday, September 30, 2016
MT Etna
While in Taormina we took an excursion to Mount Etna. Mount Etna. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe rising to 11,00 feet. We drove there; it took us about an hour or so.
Strike 2 with mountains....first it was Switzerland....now Italy. By the time we got to the top of MT Etna the clouds have come in. It was so thick you could not see 15 feet in front of you. Of course that does not stop Denise and I....nope we take the vernacular up a 1,000 feet and than take this really industrial looking 4 wheel moon bus up another 2 or 3 thousand until we get to about 9,000 feet. We than hiked up the 1,000 feet with the guide......OK if you have done the math and have been paying attention.....we only got to 10,000 feet. They were not taking anybody up to the peak....could be a safety issue, not being able to see and 10,000 degree lava...
Anyway, great information and it one thing made it worthwhile.
In 2002 Mt Etna had the largest eruption for the past 50 years. The guide told us that it takes over 20 years for the lave to fully cool....sure sure......Than he scrapes the ground....I don't mean digs a hole....just scrapes 2-3 inches of the surface. I pick up the dirt....which looked like moon rocks....and it was really warm. This felt really good on account it was about 30 degrees there. We walked on the edge of the craters caused by the eruptions. Crazy it was only 10-15 feet wide and went straight down ...I am assuming because we could not see a thing.
It was a desolute place that looked like pictures of the moon. Miles and miles of waste land.
Cool place....worth the trip!
Strike 2 with mountains....first it was Switzerland....now Italy. By the time we got to the top of MT Etna the clouds have come in. It was so thick you could not see 15 feet in front of you. Of course that does not stop Denise and I....nope we take the vernacular up a 1,000 feet and than take this really industrial looking 4 wheel moon bus up another 2 or 3 thousand until we get to about 9,000 feet. We than hiked up the 1,000 feet with the guide......OK if you have done the math and have been paying attention.....we only got to 10,000 feet. They were not taking anybody up to the peak....could be a safety issue, not being able to see and 10,000 degree lava...
Anyway, great information and it one thing made it worthwhile.
In 2002 Mt Etna had the largest eruption for the past 50 years. The guide told us that it takes over 20 years for the lave to fully cool....sure sure......Than he scrapes the ground....I don't mean digs a hole....just scrapes 2-3 inches of the surface. I pick up the dirt....which looked like moon rocks....and it was really warm. This felt really good on account it was about 30 degrees there. We walked on the edge of the craters caused by the eruptions. Crazy it was only 10-15 feet wide and went straight down ...I am assuming because we could not see a thing.
It was a desolute place that looked like pictures of the moon. Miles and miles of waste land.
Cool place....worth the trip!
Taormina Italy
Taormina is beautiful. As beautiful as Assisi but a different beauty. Looks like Italy at Epcot center.
We saw a little town at the top of a mountain. It was above everything else for miles. We decided to hike up to Castelmola. A couple of miles straight up hill. It was probably the steepest climb we have had. It was worth the trek. (This was the walk that Denise sat on the cactus pear.).
On the way we stopped and had a beer/soda at this old Italian couple's little bar that overlooked the hike we just completed. Sat and enjoyed some politics with some Brits. We have met a bunch of nice people throughout our travels. Casteloma was just as nice as Taurmina. Same sort of town.
Great food, in fact Denise was so impressed with the eggplant dish, we went back the next day and had it again. The hotel was excellent. Great views of the Sea from breakfast. Great service. In fact when we left they made up a special breakfast for us before normal opening hours.
The leg muscles have now healed and the 10+ miles we do everyday are not as painful or as stiff.
We spent three nights in Taormina and than drove....yes I said drove to Syracuse.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
1st impression of Sicily is not good
So we fly into Catania. We rent a car....yes rent a car. Most reviews said the easiest way around Sicily is to drive your self. OK...So the car rental is 50 bucks for the week. Good Start, except that they are incompetent and do not have a GPS as I rented. No way I am leaving without a GPS....id you are a reader you will remember my journey to Prague without a GPS. I don't have to touch the stove twice to remember it's hot.
So in the end $90 bucks....no matter.
As we are waiting for the car there is a huge sign that says
"NEVER LEAVE YOUR LUGGAGE IN YOUR CAR"
Whe we stop by the info offive before leavng ....the guy gives us directions to the center of Catania...and tells us.....BTW NEVER LEAVE YOUR LUGGAGE IN YOUR CAR.
We have a hatch back and try to cover up our luggage the best we can.
Didn't need to.....there was no way I was letting Denise out of the car in this dump. Catania is a slum. I'm driving a standard.....though winding street of 15-20 feet wide....cars parked every where.....through what I would say would make Bridgeport look like a garden. We drove around for an hour...and finally looked at each other and said let's bail.
Took us 40 minutes to Taormina.....now your talking......What a gem.
So in the end $90 bucks....no matter.
As we are waiting for the car there is a huge sign that says
"NEVER LEAVE YOUR LUGGAGE IN YOUR CAR"
Whe we stop by the info offive before leavng ....the guy gives us directions to the center of Catania...and tells us.....BTW NEVER LEAVE YOUR LUGGAGE IN YOUR CAR.
We have a hatch back and try to cover up our luggage the best we can.
Didn't need to.....there was no way I was letting Denise out of the car in this dump. Catania is a slum. I'm driving a standard.....though winding street of 15-20 feet wide....cars parked every where.....through what I would say would make Bridgeport look like a garden. We drove around for an hour...and finally looked at each other and said let's bail.
Took us 40 minutes to Taormina.....now your talking......What a gem.
Denise's Follies
I am sure we will have a few Pete and Denise stories....but most have been Denise stories so far. This is unusual because most of stories that have to do with idiot issues.....come from me. It's a little refreshing to see Denise take the stage.....
Denise has gotten a little friendly with the locals.....we are headed back to our hotel.....down a long shallow flight of stairs....too busy looking at the gardens and the people when she does a header down the stairs. OK that was not funny....She is fine....but it's always funny looking back, especially if you know Denise...she comes up with that big smile and laughing at herself.
Funny part is that as she does a header down the stairs, she tucks and rolls as not to break an arm....she is wearing a dress and I think no underwear......no she had underwear.....but not any of those granny pants....Dress goes flying over her head, gives everyone a show.....funny thing. by the time she hit the ground she had grabbed her dress and covered herself.....again she was fine, The sambuca helped.
Next while we were hiking up to Casteloma, straight up hill for an hour, She need to take a break. So she sits down on the stairs only to sit right on a cactus pear. You would think she would of felt this baseball sized pear....but no...didn't feel the squishing? no didn't feel the juice and pulp squish through to your butt? Nope
So she gets up and all I see on her white dress back side is this bright red stain right on her butt. First thought was a women accident....really I know its gross. She waited to get to a bathroom to clean the pulp and red juice off her dress. Said, I don't care what the other hikers think, If I just wipe it off it will stain. So for the next hour she hiked up the hill with this stuff hanging on her backside.
Denise has gotten a little friendly with the locals.....we are headed back to our hotel.....down a long shallow flight of stairs....too busy looking at the gardens and the people when she does a header down the stairs. OK that was not funny....She is fine....but it's always funny looking back, especially if you know Denise...she comes up with that big smile and laughing at herself.
Funny part is that as she does a header down the stairs, she tucks and rolls as not to break an arm....she is wearing a dress and I think no underwear......no she had underwear.....but not any of those granny pants....Dress goes flying over her head, gives everyone a show.....funny thing. by the time she hit the ground she had grabbed her dress and covered herself.....again she was fine, The sambuca helped.
Next while we were hiking up to Casteloma, straight up hill for an hour, She need to take a break. So she sits down on the stairs only to sit right on a cactus pear. You would think she would of felt this baseball sized pear....but no...didn't feel the squishing? no didn't feel the juice and pulp squish through to your butt? Nope
So she gets up and all I see on her white dress back side is this bright red stain right on her butt. First thought was a women accident....really I know its gross. She waited to get to a bathroom to clean the pulp and red juice off her dress. Said, I don't care what the other hikers think, If I just wipe it off it will stain. So for the next hour she hiked up the hill with this stuff hanging on her backside.
Hiking....and more Hihiking
You may be asking what have we been doing all day and in the evenings.....
Hiking....and mostly up hill it seems. From when we started in Cinque Terre to our first days in Sicily, we hike.
I'm not the biggest fan of hiking....but Denise is and actually it has been pretty great. We walk/hike at least 10 miles a day it seems. I think our biggest day was miles. I will say, I may play basket ball 2 times a week and than run another 3 days a week....and my legs are still killing me. I guess I should of worked out on a stair master ......because my thighs are burning!
Hiking....and mostly up hill it seems. From when we started in Cinque Terre to our first days in Sicily, we hike.
I'm not the biggest fan of hiking....but Denise is and actually it has been pretty great. We walk/hike at least 10 miles a day it seems. I think our biggest day was miles. I will say, I may play basket ball 2 times a week and than run another 3 days a week....and my legs are still killing me. I guess I should of worked out on a stair master ......because my thighs are burning!
Off To Sicily
Ciao-
Well we ended our quick Switzerland stay with a night in Zurich before the flight out. Zurich is right on a river and the expectation is that it would be beautiful, but it was just OK to good. There is not much color to the city. It's actually nicer at night with the lights. We took a walking tour and crusied around and of course ate.
I am done with hash brown dinners and sausage for awhile.
Again we took a venicular, trolley, trains and a plane to get back to Rome where we than took a flight to Sicily. We said our goodbyes to Shelby. She told us that it would be hard to top Murren. She and Denise really enjoyed the beauty of the Alps. Not a hard goodbye.....she is coming to see us in Positano in a week with her friends.
Pretty uneventful for all this travel. We have not missed a train, got on the wrong trolley or been delayed to long on a plane or car. What has surprised us is how quickly and happy people are to help us with directions to here or there.
Ont Sicily
Well we ended our quick Switzerland stay with a night in Zurich before the flight out. Zurich is right on a river and the expectation is that it would be beautiful, but it was just OK to good. There is not much color to the city. It's actually nicer at night with the lights. We took a walking tour and crusied around and of course ate.
I am done with hash brown dinners and sausage for awhile.
Again we took a venicular, trolley, trains and a plane to get back to Rome where we than took a flight to Sicily. We said our goodbyes to Shelby. She told us that it would be hard to top Murren. She and Denise really enjoyed the beauty of the Alps. Not a hard goodbye.....she is coming to see us in Positano in a week with her friends.
Pretty uneventful for all this travel. We have not missed a train, got on the wrong trolley or been delayed to long on a plane or car. What has surprised us is how quickly and happy people are to help us with directions to here or there.
Ont Sicily
Saturday, September 24, 2016
More Murren
Today we went on the Via Ferratta course in Murren. A blog cannot do it justice. You will need to see Denise's pictures.
They do no even do the beauty the justice.
Generally it's a wire cable that goes all over the outside of a mountain. You put on a harness and clip in and walk the course. I should say Hike. Great views and you are standing on a cliff 2,000 feet above the ground. No issue if you let go and fall...that is if you are worried about dying, unless you do not follow the rules.
The basic rule and only instructions from our guide is : You have two clips that hold you onto the cable. NEVER EVER un-clip both at the same time. That's it....now lets go walk the ledge . BTW, if you do slip and fall into the 2,000 foot abyss, no worries, you have listened to the guide, so you will just fall 5-10 feet and swing into the jagged rocks. Don't slip. We made it it without injury. It was GREAT.
They do no even do the beauty the justice.
Generally it's a wire cable that goes all over the outside of a mountain. You put on a harness and clip in and walk the course. I should say Hike. Great views and you are standing on a cliff 2,000 feet above the ground. No issue if you let go and fall...that is if you are worried about dying, unless you do not follow the rules.
The basic rule and only instructions from our guide is : You have two clips that hold you onto the cable. NEVER EVER un-clip both at the same time. That's it....now lets go walk the ledge . BTW, if you do slip and fall into the 2,000 foot abyss, no worries, you have listened to the guide, so you will just fall 5-10 feet and swing into the jagged rocks. Don't slip. We made it it without injury. It was GREAT.
Murren Switzerland
Shelby is studying in Rome this semester so for an extra bonus, we get to spend a weekend with her. We decided to take her to Switzerland. I thought it would be great. The flights were so cheap...less than 300 bucks round trip for all of us. That's when that dream ended. Buckle up people, Switzerland is ....expensive. No other way around this issue. Cripes, no wonder kids don't spend a lot of time here.
Murren is this little town in the Alps. Crazy beautiful. The alps surround you. There is snow on all the peaks. GREAT food. I love Swiss food....cheese, cheeses more cheese and a Swiss Favorite Rosri. Its basically hash browns with stuff on them. Last night it was ham, cheese (of course) tomatoes, bacon and Shelby had cream and veal. Denise went with the Fried Cheese and pickles...yup, pickles. She loved it.
These tows in the fall are like ski towns in the US in the summer. They are Quiet...and I mena quiet. Bed by 10!
More on Murren later.
Murren is this little town in the Alps. Crazy beautiful. The alps surround you. There is snow on all the peaks. GREAT food. I love Swiss food....cheese, cheeses more cheese and a Swiss Favorite Rosri. Its basically hash browns with stuff on them. Last night it was ham, cheese (of course) tomatoes, bacon and Shelby had cream and veal. Denise went with the Fried Cheese and pickles...yup, pickles. She loved it.
These tows in the fall are like ski towns in the US in the summer. They are Quiet...and I mena quiet. Bed by 10!
More on Murren later.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Really More Bells
We left Assisi and are now in Murren Switzerland....more about that in another post...but today we hiked through the mountains.....cripes that seems to becoming a habit on this trip.....Anyway. I thought I just traveled for 8 hours to get away from bells....
Murren is this little town in the Alps...Alps? I'm guessing.... I guess these are the alps...cripes I m such an American. Anyway...this town is full of cows....and yes you guessed it every single one of them have a bell on them and they ring constantly as these guys eat and move around. It's like 7 am in Assisi all day long.
They must think its a their thing.....the souvenir shop sold little cow bells.
Funny...
Murren is this little town in the Alps...Alps? I'm guessing.... I guess these are the alps...cripes I m such an American. Anyway...this town is full of cows....and yes you guessed it every single one of them have a bell on them and they ring constantly as these guys eat and move around. It's like 7 am in Assisi all day long.
They must think its a their thing.....the souvenir shop sold little cow bells.
Funny...
Bells Bells Bells
I get it…..Assisi is a catholic town, and I mean a Catholic town. Every other store is like the Family Christian stores back home. No issue for us...we’re big Catholics so we are eating this up….but enough with the bells.
So we stayed in the middle of the city. Slept with the windows wide open, beautiful 60 degree nights. However, if it is your plan to sleep past 7 a.m. forgetaboutit (That’s not a typo)
There must be 4-5 churches right around our hotel. They all feel a duty to ring the bells at 7 am 7 rings for each hour. The issue is, none of them know when exactly 7 a.m. is…….Yes they all ring within the first 5 minutes ….so you get to hear 30-40 bell rings.
Nice for night or two...but I would be killing Quasimodo if I lived there.
Off To Assisi
Well we left Cinque Terre and took the 4 hour train to Assisi. We arrived at around midnight. Assisi is up on a hill and it was a beautiful ride up the mountain through the lights.
I had not mentioned before, but Cinque Terre in my mind looked like a run down beach town I guess most people would call it quaint….but if you had that type of housing in the US some of it would be condemned. But’s irts a beach town and the surroundings are spectacular. On the other hand Assisi is CRAZY cool. It is a medieval town. There is no concrete, no black top and no grass….not a blade. The city is cobblestone to stone wall to stone roofs. Interweaving streets that are at best 15 feet wide. It was like being in a fairy tale. Unbelievable city.
So Denise is making the plans for the trip and our first activity is to hike up to The Hermitage. This is where St Francis ran to when he fled his family. When we go down to the front desk to get some directions...of course we have no maps….and he says, with a eyebrow raised, “you are going to walk there”? That should of been the first clue. But no….what does he know...he only grew up here. So we start out 1 mile down through the town….fantastic. Than we get to the start of the “driveway” and start walking up….and up and up….we must of been about 1.5 miles in when we start to question our judgment. There is NO One else hiking….no one….this as a bad idea. Denise starts hitch hiking and thank St Frances some new friends bring us to the top. By the way only 1 or 2 cars has passed us in the last 1/ hour. It took another 10 minutes of driving to get to the top… At the top we found a taxi stand and paid dearly for a ride down when we were done.
All in All a great place to visit.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Cinque Terra
Ciao-
We are just leaving Cinque Terra. A northern Italy chain of 5 very small beach towns. We stayed in Monotrosa. It is still high season for vacationers here so it was rather busy. We stayed at the Baia hotel which is right on the beach. When I reserved the room, it was one of the only rooms in town left. I now know why. It was barely big enough to hold the bed and the window looked into a wall. Denise and I both were fine with it., I knew ahead of time that we were getting a garden view…..there was no garden below. Just the kitchen’s back door.
Crazy thing….I go into this tiny bathroom to take a shower. The faucets are on the floor outside the shower. So of course I get in and than have Denise turn the knobs. It takes about 10 minutes before the water becomes cool enough not to leave 3rd degree burns. I leave it running so Denise can shower. The next day I get in...forget the issue and now I’m soaking wet and straddling the doorway down on my knees with my hand reaching back into the boiling water. Of course I am turning with my left hand and of course I am not sure which way makes it hotter or colder due to the left hand issue. Before flooding the bathroom I finally figure out…...cripes sake...those are the shut off valves and not the shower valves. What an idiot.
Some of the great things: Local beer was very good, the local limoncello was even better. Had great Pizza, both regular and Gluten free. Great hiking with unbelievable views. The credit card and bank cards are working. Unbelievable as it seems….all is going without a hitch so far.
More Tomorrow….Ciao
Monday, September 19, 2016
Travel Day
Well I’m a little rusty and started to blog only to read back a boring diatribe of details that most people could care less about. Know your reader...yes I know most people here are interested in Pete and Denise stories. The stories that would screw up most people’s vacation….but of course not ours. Crazy as it may seem ...there has been few instances ...but of course there were a few.
Yes, unbelievably we were able to upgrade to business class at the airport, we were on a wait list. Well let’s start with me being so excited with the service that I woke Denise us twice to tell her how excited I was. OK that is not the best thing to do to Denise. The women who never sleeps should not be woken up to let her know her hot minted scented towel might go cold……
I was like a 10 year old. I took advantage of everything they had... the totally reclining seat, the drinks, the warm nuts, the hot towel...should I go on? Yes I should it was that good. The food and the breakfast...oh yeah the water bottle left for me while I slept by my personal customer care person Alex. I truly believe If I asked for a massage I would of gotten it.
All seems to be going great until Denise forgets her binder with all her details of our trip’s activities on the plane. I as the good husband sit and wait with the luggage while the athlete of the family sprints from the train station back to the airport to save the day. OK to save her day. I would of griped about her losing it all vacation….no such luck.
It took us 24 hours from our driveway to our hotel in Cinque Terre Italy. A car ride, two plane rides, three train rides and we are here. Very cool place. But of course I will point out every crazy issue in my next posting. Two beers and a limoncello shot to start the night off.
CIAO
Saturday, September 17, 2016
The beginning of a new stage of life.....Empty Nesting!
Ciao
Good Morning-
Yes, I am back to blogging.....at least for the next 5 weeks or so. Things have changed.
The title and URL of the blog has been changed along with our lives.
A few weeks ago Denise and I became empty nesters after 24 years. It has overall been a fantastic experience. It of course had it's ups and downs, but in the end we are blessed to have raised four fantastic kids who are making their way in the world. So what to do......
Take a trip! Today we leave for Italy. We will be there until Oct 22nd! Crazy.....sounds like a long time, but in reality....just like those 24 years ....it will be gone in an instant. Let me first answer one of the questions I always get....How can you leave for this long? what about that cable place? Yes SMC, my other child.....well, again I am blessed to have a fantastic crew of employees along with my business partner John. .......OK let's start with that.....About a year ago I started calling John my business partner....for the decade before I just called him my partner. My kids thought it was inappropriate and that it made John and I look like we were "partners" cripes sake....really? So I changed....I noticed John did the same....
OK so I am up at 4 am after going to bed at midnight. Anyone that knows me knows that this is crazy behavior for Mr. Sleep 7-8 hours every night. I am trying to ready my body to go to sleep at 5 pm tonight when we take off. The flight is like 7-8 hours...yup I really don't know....anyone who has followed me on my travels knows that I am not the biggest planner and do not over do knowing all the facts. All I know is that Italy is 7 hours ahead..... I think, We leave at 4:45 pm and we land 9 am in the morning on Sunday. It does not take a math whiz to figure out that I will need to sleep the entire flight. The hard part for me is not to fall asleep on the 1 hour flight to Chicago.
So again, Welcome....or welcome back. I write this blog mostly for my family, who for some reason wants to read this dribble. So, buckle up and enjoy the ride. I am sure there will be plenty of Pete and Denise stories to keep you entertained.
Pete
Good Morning-
Yes, I am back to blogging.....at least for the next 5 weeks or so. Things have changed.
The title and URL of the blog has been changed along with our lives.
A few weeks ago Denise and I became empty nesters after 24 years. It has overall been a fantastic experience. It of course had it's ups and downs, but in the end we are blessed to have raised four fantastic kids who are making their way in the world. So what to do......
Take a trip! Today we leave for Italy. We will be there until Oct 22nd! Crazy.....sounds like a long time, but in reality....just like those 24 years ....it will be gone in an instant. Let me first answer one of the questions I always get....How can you leave for this long? what about that cable place? Yes SMC, my other child.....well, again I am blessed to have a fantastic crew of employees along with my business partner John. .......OK let's start with that.....About a year ago I started calling John my business partner....for the decade before I just called him my partner. My kids thought it was inappropriate and that it made John and I look like we were "partners" cripes sake....really? So I changed....I noticed John did the same....
OK so I am up at 4 am after going to bed at midnight. Anyone that knows me knows that this is crazy behavior for Mr. Sleep 7-8 hours every night. I am trying to ready my body to go to sleep at 5 pm tonight when we take off. The flight is like 7-8 hours...yup I really don't know....anyone who has followed me on my travels knows that I am not the biggest planner and do not over do knowing all the facts. All I know is that Italy is 7 hours ahead..... I think, We leave at 4:45 pm and we land 9 am in the morning on Sunday. It does not take a math whiz to figure out that I will need to sleep the entire flight. The hard part for me is not to fall asleep on the 1 hour flight to Chicago.
So again, Welcome....or welcome back. I write this blog mostly for my family, who for some reason wants to read this dribble. So, buckle up and enjoy the ride. I am sure there will be plenty of Pete and Denise stories to keep you entertained.
Pete
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