The missing days

To remind you of what has already happened in Italy - first day - the tomb of the unknown solder, Colosseum, walking, walking, walking, Trevi fountain and dinner -- second day - the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, the Castle of st. Anglo, the Pantheon, more food, more walking. Third day - the Spanish steps, Piazza di Popolo, and the villa Borghese, more walking and more food. Fourth day - Frascati AND MORE WALKING AND MORE FOOD. Now to the missing days -

Fifth day - tour to Pompeii - I hate tours and this one did nothing to change my mind. We paid god awful prices to be taken to Pompeii - we were gone for 11 hours and spent only 2 1/2 HOURS rushing around in Pompeii - actually only two hours walking the ruins and another 30 minutes waiting for people to buy ice cream and take a toilet break or two. The trip from Rome to Pompeii is about 2.5 hours each way - plus the 2.5 hours in Pompeii is a total of 7.5 hours -- that means four hours were wasted picking up and delivering the 'local guide', stopping at junk sales shops and 'touring' the docks of Naples. I hate tours. Day 6 - Camillo, Marissa, Mirella and I drove to Civita (I will have to give you the full name when I am back in Rome and have all my notes with me) - I guess I should say Mirella drove and we rode, making it a very nice trip for us and maybe a little hard on Mirella.

Every time we go to Italy we make a point of visiting the little mountain top village. It is beautifully preserved medieval town with a long and very interesting history.

(Seems Marissa is getting a bit worn out - wonder why?)

yep! that is the walk up to the city. then an hour to walk around all the little side streets, have lunch in anyone of a dozen little bars and restaurants - then back to Rome. This is off the beaten trail, usually not crowded with 'tourists' and very much worth the drive there and back, if Mirella is driving, of course.

Day 7 - a four hour trip by EuroStar to Venice. time for a nap before dinner - more about the train and Venice tomorrow. GingerV

Frascati and other family gatherings

Yesterday, (note that I am behind by several days because it is hard, and expensive to be on Internet) we spent the day with Camillo's family. We visited Frascati where Camillo went to high school, had his first sweetheart (s) and lived through an Allied (USA) bombing of the city. September 8, 1943 the Allied bombers flew over, dropping hundreds of bombs in an attempt to wipe out the local German headquarters - that building still stands today. The rest of the city lay in ruins. Camillo, his little sister, his brother and his parents survived, 6000 other innocents died(total population at the time 12K). I never read about this action in an American History book. Frascati is a charming little town - not overrun with tourists, and of course, no ancient ruins. But bakeries and meat markets still operated by the mothers, fathers, and grandmothers. About 5 KM above the city is Tuscolo - an archaeological site, still being uncovered by students from Rome's universities - for your enjoyment - another photo of my beautiful granddaughter.

Wednesday - Thursday and onward

I now have some sore spots on my feet - I can't imagine how many miles we have walked - though I know I have earned them. Wednesday we walked from the hotel (the train station just as a reference for you) to the Spanish steps to the People's square (Piazza del Popolo) through the Villa Borghese - walking around the Temple of Diana to Borghese to the museum and out the back side - over a hill or two (which mean down and up several times) and back to the hotel. Lets see, we left the hotel before 9:30 and arrived back before 4:30 - six hours? if you take out lunch and a stop for Marissa's power- something- drink. You all realize that Rome was built on 7 hills. and that if you walk down a street you either have to walk up another or take some stairs to change levels.

first day in Rome

The best laid plans can very quickly become a mess. we were to meet Marissa in Paris and finish the trip into Rome together - well that happened but Marissa spent five hours alone at the CDG wondering why we didn't come and find her and I spend nearly two hours running all over the airport asking Air France personnel where they had taken her. They brought her to the connecting flight okay - but what a mess. Air France personnel are either poorly trained or lazy - one woman actually told me - step aside I have others to help - I leaned over her desk and in her face said and I NEED HELP NOW - she just stared at me and refused to talk.... I will send this note into cyber space.... do not fly Air France they are more expensive and have no concept of customer service.! First night - we went to Camillo's sister's for dinner, an eating marathon but all fantastic. Monday morning Marissa, Camillo and I walked down Via Nazionale (the hotel is near the Termini train station) and visited the tomb of the unknown soldier, the Colosseum, and the Trevi Fountain, then walked back to the hotel.... taking photos all the way - about 5 hours of walking while still jet lagged, then a long nap before dinner at 8:00, Today - Marissa and I went to the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, St Angelo's castle, the Pantheon, lunch at a very bad sidewalk cafe and a walk back to the hotel. - today 8 hours.

endings and beginnings

Orchids in the Greenhouse. YES!! I finished my monograph and did the presentation. The paper took hundreds of hours and thousands of worn out or out of use - brain cells. BUT I DID IT. I have to admit that I wanted to quit many times and my support team, Rosemary, Camillo and Bebel (advisor) just ignored my groaning and kept saying how great I would feel if I finished. They, of course, were right.

Now we will go to Rome, Venus and Florence for two weeks. My granddaughter, Marissa will join us there. I am really excited about showing this bright, beautiful young woman (12 but definitely a young woman) one of my favorite countries. I will try to put pictures of the trip as we make our way across Italy - try to check on me once in a while to see how the trip is going.

gingerv