Buon Ano! Happy New Year from Roma!

Our new year has come and gone. We have walked so many kilometers today - and every day, but today was more than any other day. Everyone elses's feet are killing them, but not I!! I am wearing Drew "Sophia" boots, thank you Ron-Dad!! He gave me the money to buy these for my birthday and I have broken them in nicely since September, and I can just go and go and go! France 5 years ago was a nightmare...I was wearing Rockports, but they just are not as good. By day 2 and 20 minutes it seemed like a living hell. So, Drew "Sophia" http://www.onlineshoes.com/productpage.asp?type=style&styleid=12&stylecatid=369&gen=w&pcid=35833

This is a picture tonight of the tree at the top of Pincio (The Pincian Hill). It is part of the Borghese Gardens, raised up above Piazza del Popolo, near the Spanish Steps. From here there are spectacular vistas of St. Peter's and the Victor Emanuel monument. Visit the following page to see all the things you can see from this hilltop: http://tesoridiroma.altervista.org/galleria/dalpincio/dalpincio.html

It was quite a walk up to this point. We crossed the Piazza del Popolo http://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi21.htm which was rather nerve wracking since so many people are out and blowing things up. The pedestrians took over the streets and cars didn't stand a chance of getting anywhere. We all had "umbrelli umbrelli" (umbrellas) since the rain came and went, downpour, and then stop. I had picked up a pink umbrella with a duck head handle in Florence, Steve got one today for 5 E. So up and down they went, all night. We had a nice dinner at a place we made reservations at this morning...if we had not, we would have stood in the rain for hours to have dinner. We had gelato again on the way to the park.


The view from Pincio is amazing...but was soon clouded by smoke. We could easily see the Vatican from here (our first sighting) but after midnight the smoke obscured everything. Our friends popped champagne, and we toasted the new year and hugs all around. After about 20 minutes of fireworks (all of the plazas all over the city had fireworks, so there were many explosions to look at) we parted, and we trekked about 30 minutes back to our hotel, among the hordes of people going every which way. Loud explosions happened all around. There were still cafes open, and gelato if you wanted it (but we were full).

Steve is icing his knee, and I decided to post to everyone who might be checking to see how our evening went.

Time for bed! The plan for tomorrow is to see the Coloseum, and other ruins.

Ciao bella!!

Wendy

Our first full day in Roma (Rome)

Dec. 31, 2005 - our anniversary is today. We met our friends at 10:30 AM at the Trevi Fountain and tossed a coin, just like in Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.



Another street performer, this one playing water glasses (think Miss Congeniality)



One of the most famous tea rooms/gelato shops in all of Rome. Coffee, chocolate, and caramel gelato on my chocolate-dipped cone! Pictured here are also our German friends, Karin and Werner.

Half an hour from now we leave our hotel and head for dinner at a restaurant they picked out. At midnight we will be at Piazza del Popolo, there is a park above it, Pincio, where you can see fireworks from all over the city. In an hour we will have been married for 8 years, Seattle time.

Buon Anno! Happy New Year!

Wendy

Some visions of Firenze (Florence)

Be sure to read Steve's blog at www.pensandpixels.com/stephenhj for a good account of our days in Florence. He wrote it while on the train to Roma.

But I have pictures! Here are some photos of our two days in Florence (Wednesday and Thursday)



Wendy has a close encounter of the historical kind - sort of. Street performers dress as statues and if you put some change in their can, you can have photos with them.


The church housing the tombs of Michaelangelo, Galileo Galilei, Dante, etc.


Inside the great Duomo.

Outside the basilica of Santa Maria Novella. Giotto's Bell Tower is behind the picture taker - a girl from Ellensburg.

Thank you for your lovely emails!

It is almost midnight here in Rome, Friday. Our trip here was uneventful - a quick ride on a EuroStar train, snow on the north side of the mountains, sunny in Rome and 10 degrees warmer. It's supposed to rain for the rest of our stay. We'll see.

We had to walk quite a ways to find an open internet cafe since the one by our hotel (very well located I might add!) which was supposed to be open until midnight was closed when we went there at 10:40 PM. We had just come from dinner at an Irish pub with our German friends. It was good to see them again, we had not seen Werner since 1998, and Karin in 2003. They have been here since Monday.

My advice to you is to stick with Italian restaurants when in Italy - much better food and way better service.

So I had to face some real world tonight and get logged onto my bank and mortgage sites and pay bills back home since it was PAY DAY. Never in a million years did I think I could handle finances when on the other side of the world...

I have been getting some great emails - these could have been made as "comments" on my blog, but since they weren't I am going to put them here...

12/26

Wendy
You two sound like you are enjoying the ...FOOD. I would love to be
there with you. Gotta run
Ciao
Charlie

12/27

The architecture is amazing! I have never seen anything like it -except in text books! You are so fortunate to be there. Keep the photos coming!
Kelly

12/27

Wendy
I always knew you were amazing and now I know beyond proof. What a great tour you are having and I am there with you too. Ha.
Love from West
Seattle
Kathy

We hope to get some more pictures posted on Saturday. We'll be visiting some sites and getting some shopping done since everything is supposed to be closed on Sunday. Our friends leave Monday morning. Not sure what we will do that day ' maybe visit the Sistine Chapel.

Hang in there, have a great weekend, and happy new year! We'll be sitting on a hilltop somewhere, watching fireworks all over the city, drinking the champagne that our friends so thoughtfully brought.

Buona Feste!
Ciao
Wendy

Is it starve a cold and feed a fever? I don't know - how about just drowning it in wine instead

Wednesday night...Snow in Florence!

I think this must be unusual since even the locals were taking pictures.

We had a very long day on Wednesday. SHOPPING...finally. I bought some amazing things, including a squeak toy for Sophia, and a clear raincoatr with pink trim. She will look fabulous. I have been looking at all of the dogs here and petting some of them.

I have been trying to get rid of this cold or whatever, yesterday went to a farmacia (pharma-CHEE-ah) and got sore throat drops. Found an English speaker there. Went back this morning for cough syrup and expectorant, the gunk is moving south.

Almost out of time here so must jet for now. Will try to be back and post more. I still must talk about the amazing concert we went to last night, adn walked back in the snow to our hotel. And this morning...it's so beautiful.

Ciao!

Not recommended for people with heart disease

Ah Florence.

This photo is of the duomo...the Santa Maria Novella dome. Giotto°s tower is here, and the Baptistry. Steve didn't rotate most of the pics so can't post them right now. We climbed both the tower and the dome, altho we did not make it to the top of either. I practically passedout on the way up the tower, so when we did the dome not an hour later, I took my time and wasn't rushing to stay ahead of the people behind me.

We also went to the Accademia Galleria and saw Michaelangelo's David.

En Route to Florence; Or: The Misadventures of Wendy and Steve; Or: Eat a good breakfast, it may be your only meal all day

Tuesday, Dec. 27 2005

Well, Tuesday started off fine...had a nice breakfast, took a taxi to the train station. I sent Steve to handle buying the train tickets...not an easy task. We were ultimately going to end up in Florence, but needed to stop in Modena first, to go to nearby Maranello for the Galleria Ferrari (Ferrari Museum). This meant a train from Torino to Milan, then getting off and changing train to get to Modena.

Ok, let me tell you something difficult about the Italian train system. Your ticket will show where you started and where you are going, but it will NOT always show you a train number to get on, and the signs on the tracks only show the END point, not the cities along the way. So, example here then is we wanted to get to Modeno, but didn't know which train to get on in Milan. The train was late and by the time we got some help we missed the train (which the sign said Ancona, no mention of Modena anywhere). Anyway, that gave us 45 minutes to stand in the train station and worry about catching the right one.

Anyway, we finally ended up on the right train. The car we were in (the last one in the train) had no heat and we froze our asses off for the nearly 2 hours it took to get to our next stop. We had to pay attention to know where to get off (watch for the signs as we neared each train station with the city name). Steve had not really done much research before leaving home, so even if we made Modena (MO-deh-nah) we had no idea how we were going to get to Maranello, 15 miles away.

Luckily Modena is pretty civilized - we took a taxi, and even managed to convince the cab driver to come back and get us two hours later. (Have money, will travel). There was nowhere to leave our bags at the Ferrari Museum, so I sat in the cafe and read the Florence guidebook and Steve went and drooled on cars. We had lunch here, at about 3:30. A wrap and a mocha.

We made it back to the train station, and our cabby gave us a little tour of downtown (remember, this is the home of the world's best vinegar). He spoke some English (his girlfriend was a Londoner) and he was retiring in two adys, after 15 years as a cabby and 17 years before that as an auto mechanic. We were off the meter and I am pretty sure he pocketed the entire fare - more power to him.

We got on the train in Modena for Florence - we were told to go to track 16...I started chatting up the lady in the seat next to me who heard us talking and indicated she understood some English, and I was telling her how the train system was frustrating for us. I was showing her the ticket and explaining to her...she figured out we were sitting on the train for Genoa, not Bologna (Bo-LOH-nya). We scrambled off the train and discovered we had cut over to track 17 when we got on, so we grabbed the next train over literally seconds before it pulled away. Our gear was not even stowed completely before the train started moving.

Oh the stress! We had another transfer once we reached Bologna. Altho by this time we had talked to some more Englanders and were starting to figure out...carrezo is car number, posti is seat number (position), treno is train number...when we got off in Bolgona, we had a trani number on our ticket this time so we stayed in the tunnel below the tracks and watched the monitors for the track number. We were paying for primo classo (1st class). The Bologna station actually had monitors on the tracks that pointed with an arrow where you should stand for your car number.

Our last train for Florence (but really headed for Napoli...) was a EuroStar express. It made no stops and we both fell asleep sitting up even tho we were worried about missing our stop.

Tons of people got off in Florence. We found the taxi stand and were standing there in the dark and cold waiting along wtih everyone else, and some guy overhaerd us, came up and plcuked our sleeves and pointed over there, saying "mini bus...mini bus...". He was wearing a badge, but as Steve led me away following this guy to the entrance (it's like he was skimming the line and stealing business from taxi drivers who play by the rules). It was a regular van. The door on the passenger side did not work. There was no meter, and there was no sign on top of the car saying Taxi. I figured we were being hijacked for sure.

I showed him the address and held my breath. He managed to find the address of our B&B. We arrived at 8:05 PM, 5 minutes after she had said in email weeks ago to be there, but I had also told her where we were coming from and we might be a bit late. The place was deserted. No answer at the door. Steve found a fitnses club down the street and he got help using the phone and there was no answer...and there were no lights on in the inn.

Despair almost - no supper, no bed, and luggage sitting on the sidewalk, in the cold and dark.

Steve looked the other way down the street and saw a couple of Hotel signs, so we trudged back down this street and went into Hotel Bologna. There was an old man standing there chatting up the night clerk (both older men really), and he had lived in Massachusetts, or was going to Massachusetts or something, and he managed to help us get a room for the night. We explained we needed a room for three nights, he said no, only one night. This meant moving the next day. At this point we didn't care. We had been on a harrowing road for over 12 hours and were sore, tired, cold...we went to bed without any supper. Oh, and I've been getting sick.

We arrived. Not as planned exactly, but we were here.

Come for the art and architecture, stay for the gelato

Local time, 1:15 AM
I've been experiencing a sore throat so napped from 5 until 9 PM. Headed down for supper (this is normal here, by the way, how late we eat...) and ordered a big pot of hot water, some lemon, and honey, along with my amazing light supper of grilled cheese, vegetables, and tomato, and minestrone soup. I finished it off with a bowl of vanile gelatto, and it was a good thing. It soothed my throat and tasted fantastico!

Tomorrow we head south. We will be taking a train to Modena (home of the most amazing vinegar, and also Mazarati)) because it is near Maranello, the home of Ferrari. There is a museum there we will see, as well as a restaurant Steve knows about from all his car people.

We will get back on the train in Modena and end in Florence around 8 PM. Both train rides are scary since they require a change along the way. Haven't tried a train change yet, I just hope they give enough time!

So I am headed off to bed, will be up in a five hours to pack and get breakfast before we catch a 9:05 AM train to Modena. Steve is packing now while I am writing this.

We've set up an online photo gallery of our days in Torino. You can reach it by clicking here: http://www.pensandpixels.com/Italy2005/TorinoGallery/index.htm
The photos will play as a slide show. You might need to scroll down each page to see the file name, which will give you a clue as to what you are seeing.

Our B&B in Florence does not have internet access, altho we might try to cheat and use the free internet number we got in Milan and plug it into the phone in our room. It's possible we may not be able to post for a couple of days. But we'll be saving it all up for you!

Arrivederci,
Wendy

The Italian Job (1969)

The primary reason we came to Torino is because the original Italian Job movie, starring Michael Caine in 1969, was filmed in Torino. A British couple has emigrated here and runs a tour. Well, a few months ago they stopped running the tour, but they did put together a self-guided tour of sites that were in the movie. We visited many of the sites yesterday to the north, in the center of downtown. Today we headed south on foot.

In the movie, three Mini Coopers and an Alfa Romeo police car chasing them all drove up onto the roof. Only the Minis were able to make it all the way, the police car headed back down, rear first, its engine just didn't have enough oompf.

This building, the Palavela, is now a major Olympic venue, for my favorite sport, figure skating! http://www.torino2006.org/ENG/OlympicGames/vieni_a_torino2006/torino_palavela.html
The building used to have walls, but they were removed in 2002 and a new building was built under the same roof. This was the first building to be completed for the Olympics and was inaugarated by the first performance in February 2004.

The building was originally built as an aircraft musem. The whole area was built 100 years ago as a celebration of Italy's 1761 unification.

We ate at a pizzeria across the street. It was a Cinese Pizzeria - Chinese restaurant that also served pizza. It was a different experience for me to hear a Chinese face speak Italian - I am so used to the native tongue or broken English!

The World Would Be a Better Place If...we all drove smaller cars

I saw more MINI Coopers here in the first two days than I might see in a week in the Puget Sound area. The Europeans know what it's like to have high gas prices and nowhere to park. A small car gives you a better chance of being able to park it somewhere and actually drive it. The Smart cars, which we first saw in Paris in 2000, are everywhere. There are more of them than MINIs actually. But almost every vehicle here is small - even the minivans are small.

Today we visited Il Museo dell'automobile. This is The Automobile Musem in Torino. It was actually within walking distance of our hotel (remember: our hotel is the former Fiat assembly factory). The Turin Automobile Museum is one of the largest in the world and the only one of its kind in Italy. It forms one of the city’s leading national and international attractions. The museum’s present premises were inaugurated in 1960, it is still regarded as one of modern Turin’s most architecturally interesting buildings. A collection of 170 cars offers the visitor an enthralling panorama of the history of the motor-car and its engines from the earliest days down to our own times. http://www.museoauto.it/mambo/

This picture was part of a special display created for the Olympics. It covered 100 years of automobile history and how it has influenced the fabric of cultures and every day life. This MINI Cooper S was covered entirely in black and white mosaic tiles. I want one!!

The gift shop is the first place we've been able to do any shopping. Normally this museum would be closed on Mondays like all the rest. But they were closed yesterday instead. I am glad they had a special openingtoday. So much is closed. Anyway, I bought a mahogany MINI key chain, and also a 2006 Torino Olympics key chain, and two Olympic collector pins: figure skating, and the Torino city pin. You may have heard about the collecting and trading of pins at past Olympics. This is stuff you won't find at home!

It's tough because there is a massive shopping mall attached to our hotel, including a cinema, and another hotel somewhere, and a big convention center. All the stores have been closed! So tantalizingly close, yet completely unattainable. I am SO glad we won't be having this problem in Florence or Rome. The mall is filled with people walking around and around. It seems much colder today than yesterday - I guess we weren't imagining it, it's 0 degrees C now and not even dark yet. http://www.comune.torino.it/canaleturismo/ My throat hurts from the cold. I heard it's humid today, but it's not nearly the humidity we are used to, so I think this is contributing to my sore throat. We were out for about 5 hours today, and part of that was in the museum and also a pizzeria. Yes, we finally had real pizza!! You really can't compare.

Coaster Wisdom

Our hotel has the neatest paper coasters, like two sheets of high-quality paper stitched together all the way around. They have famous quotes on them, all related to beverages.

I am as sober as a judge
Henry Fielding

Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter, sermons and soda water the day after.
Lord Byron

The rapturous, wild and ineffable pleasure of drinking at somebody else's expense.
Henry Sambrooke Leigh

Water is the only drink for a wise man.
Henry David Thoreau

Culture is properly described as the love of perfection.
Matthew Arnold

How to tell if a restaurant is open for lunch

You're walking along an alley way, starting to think about needing to eat. It's past 3 PM, you haven't eaten since 9:30 AM. It's Christmas day and you begin to despair of finding any place open.

Suddenly there is a table with a menu on it...you can't miss it. Yum!

We had a great lunch. It was too late to get pizza (or early? the server did not speak any English), but we had gnocchi and penne pasta dishes and were stuffed wtih good food and wine.

We headed off again, fully recharged and warmed by the repast. We had found Conte Verde. Web site: www.conte_verde.it Didn't work for me right now, maybe the server is down.

The restaurant is located in the Piazza Palazzo di Città. During Roman times, this was the forum of Turin. The piazza today, however, is the work of architect Benedetto Alfieri who restructured the space in the 18th Century. In the center of the piazza stands the monument to the Count Verde di Pelagio Pelagi. Palazzo Municipale (1663) is still the center of municipal administration. On the other side of Palazzo Municipale you’ll find the small and delightful piazza Carpus Domini. Very near via Garibaldi. I found some great photos at http://digilander.libero.it/fotogian/palazzocitta.html

Other fabulous photos of the Torino city and area, http://digilander.libero.it/fotogian/torino.home.html

To See and Be Seen

It was about 4 PM when everyone began to appear to stroll along via Garibaldi.

This street preserves its original design of 1775 when architect Gian Giacomo Plantery decided to create a street departing from Juvarra’s facade of Palazzo Madama in the direction of Porta Susina. At that time – the man who unified Italy was yet to be born – the street was called via Dora Grossa.

Born in Nice to Ligurian parents in 1807, Garibaldi played a fundamental role in the history of Turin in that he was largely responsible for the Unification of Italy. As a young man, he participated in Mazzini’s Giovina Italia and enlisted in the Sardinian navy. He was sentenced to death in 1834 for treason and thus was forced to flee to Rio de Janeiro in 1836. In South America Garibaldi joined the Republican rebels, and he married Anita in 1842 in Montevideo. He returned to Italy in 1848 and offered to fight the Austrians on behalf of the king. Garibaldi was elected a member of parliament, but as a man of action he preferred to work on the battlefield. He therefore organized a legion and went to Rome to support the temporary government set up there, although as general of the troops of the city, he was sent fleeing by the French. After years of exile traveling the world, in 1859 Garlibaldi was appointed general of the “Cacciatori delle alpi” (Hunters of the Alps) by Vittorio Emanuele II. He thus fought in the second war of independence. On March 5 Garibaldi left from Quarto, Sicily, with the famous “spedizione dei Mille”, the 1,000 freedom-fighting soldiers. On November 7 in Teano (Piedmont), this great fighter handed Naples over to Vittorio Emanuele II. In 1864 Garibaldi moved to London, and later, when he returned to Italy, he continued to fight in Trentino against the Austrians. He died in Caprera in 1882.

In 1978 via Garibaldi was made a pedestrian area, and the over 1 KM of street are today a favorite shopping destination for the Turinese (who tend to crowd them especially on Saturday afternoons). Via Garibaldi intersects the Municipio, via della Consolata (which leads to the chiesa della Consolata), the chiesa dei Santi Martiri and the chiesa della Misericordia, the Ancient Cloisters, and numerous other places of interest.

We walked over 1 KM along via Roma to return to the train station and the taxi stand to get back to our hotel. The taxi driver had someone in the passenger seat. Turns out the driver's girlfriend broke up with him, and her boyfriend also broke up with her, so they are cheering each other up. It was nice to try to talk to a local!

The World Would Be a Better Place If...there was a chocolate bar on every corner

Okay, can you say DIVINE?!? They are starting to open chocolate bars in Seattle, and now I know what I have been missing. I had a cup of hot molten "chocolitta extrafandente", which was extra dark chocolate served in an espresso cup, with a small spoon. Steve ordered his "al whisky" but they were out of whisky, so he got "extra latte", milk chocolate. It was fabuloso! And I am convinced if we all had more chocolate there would be less war and other social ills.

An intentional study in contrasts

Superimpose garish, colorful, modern, foil balloons in front of a royal palace that is over 500 years old. We enjoyed immensely our visit to Pallazo Madama, open for free right now to show off the years of restoration. From viewing the remains of the original Roman road thru the floor to gold-leaf doors and amazing paintings, it was fantastico! We thought the sign said no FLASH photography, so we got a lot of pictures before we were told no photos at all. So I guess you can call our photos an exclusive! I will post a few select ones.

Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!

You all haven't even woken up yet, here I am dressed and ready to go, not sure where to go. The shops are closed today, altho the Palazzo Madama has re-opened and we will check it out today for sure. This is a very special occasion, the place has been closed for restoration for years and they have opened to the public for the first time beginning on Friday, in preparation for the Olympics. It will become the seat of the International Olympic Committee as of January 16th. http://www.palazzomadamatorino.it/#
Our initial plan was to take in the shops along via Roma http://www.torino-viaroma.com/index.asp?IDCAT=54&lang=L1 on the way to the Palazzo Madama, but since it is Xmas they will be closed. Tomorrow is St. Stephens Day (more important than Xmas I gather) so the shops may open in the afternoon after 3 PM but the front desk wasn't sure on that either.

I suspect we will be taking cabs again today. We don't think the tobacchinists are open, which is basically the only place you can buy bus tix. Probably on a weird schedule anyway. Not really an excuse, and it costs a lot more, but it sure makes it easier.

Okay it's 11 AM. We had the most wonderful breakfast here included in our hotel rate. There is a machine where you drop an orange in and out comes orange juice. I drank two oranges, had eggs and meat, a croissant, caffe with hot milk, cereal, fruit, and a piece of some sort of cake. Sounds like a lot of food, but you only take small bits of each to try everything and not look like an American pig.

According to the Tourismo Torino web site it is 1 degree C out. That's like 34 degrees or something. Brrr! The picture is the view from our room. Can't see the snowy mountains yet. It got sunny yesterday afternoon. I still think I am going to put on a heavier shirt before heading out...

Check this out - I just found webcams for all over Torino. I was trying to find a link about the Piazza dell Republicca, the outdoor market we went to yesterday.
Webcams: http://www.comune.torino.it/telecamera/

Have a wonderful Xmas day with your family and friends!

Don't blow our cover!

Steve asked me this morning what I was planning on wearing, and I said I thought I would wear my skirt all day instead of just for dinner. I am wearing silk long johns underneath and my boots, so I feel like I am in pants but look tres chic...err, molto bella...no one will ever know. Steve says shoot, he wanted to wear jeans today. I shrugged and said, we have a good thing going here, you're going to blow our cover! So I hope the grey flannel shirt he is wearing with grey slacks, look British enough. I saw another gentleman in a patterned shirt at breakfast...but he was Asian, so I don't know if we are in the clear or not.

Don't get me wrong - I was correcting people at first, Americana (Americano). But now it just seems easier to let it go... 

The World Would Be a Better Place If.....we all had towel warmers in our showers

Why is it that we don't have towel warmers in our showers at home? I don't see why this has to be a Street of Dreams option...it is merely a course of pipes heated by your own hot water on it's way to the shower head. Now Steve had to go get all logical on me and explain about the complexities of additional plumbing required to do this and I am sure American people on a budget cut them out of the system over 100 years ago. But I am telling you, we should revolt! Bring back towel warmers! And I don't mean the electrical appliance that takes up floor space and hogs electricity. This is smart, environmentally friendly, and just common sense!! And entirely delightful. 

The masquerade is total

We have been mistaken as English 3 or 4 times today. The fashionable clothes, polite use of our very limited Italian (since we keep forgetting the phrase book when we go out), and the fact we talk in low voices to each other - or keep our mouthes shut entirely - has cast a spell upon all we meet.

It's a huge compliment, I am sure, to be mistaken as British and not known to be American.

Much better than trying to pass as Canadian, eh?

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, or: Stop this room! I want to get off!

Everytime I stop moving I feel like I still am moving - on a plane, or a train. We managed to make it from Milan to Torino today. We had a wake-up call for 8 AM but I woke up at 6 AM, after 6 hours of sleep. I decided to get up so we showered and had breakfast and the hotel shuttle took us back to the airport where we could catch a bus to the central train station. It didn't go off as smoothly as it sounds, but here we are. Getting on the train was tough, it's completely jammed, and we stood for part of the trip, and when I finally got a seat Steve was still on a fold-out seat in the breezeway. We packed light, but after today, I wish it was still half again what we are carrying.

The automobile comes in as a taxi - we walked a ways down the right street until we walked off the map we had and could figure out by the building numbers that our hotel was not in walking distance. We found a taxi stand and while we were trying to figure out how to call one, one pulled up. Thank god. My arms were in bad shape.

We checked in right at 2 PM and put our stuff in our room and headed down to the Torpedo Restaurant, named after one of the early Fiat cars. The hotel is the former Fiat factory, and boy is this place NICE! Our top floor room overlooks the city with what I think is the Swiss Alps in the background... We had a nice, light lunch, then gathered our things and had them call us a cab so we could make it to Europe's largest outdoor market at Piazza della Repubblica. If we had more time we might have tried by bus, but when you're in a hurry and are tired, 15 bucks to get somewhere is totally fine (even both directions...)

So we picked up some winter scarves (I know one of them says Made in China, but it was purchased in Italy, does it count?) and then decided to find another cab and come back. It's time for a nap. The restaurant will be open for dinner from 7:30-10:30 PM.

We are listening to somafm.com over the TV, internet radio that we listen to when at work. It's almost like home - except there was a 2006 Olympics chocolate coin on my pillow.

Trust In Strangers

Well, our search for dinner came up short when we went downstairs at 9 PM and discovered the restaurant, which was supposed to be open until 11 PM, was closed due to the holiday weekend. I'd eaten nothing but airplane fare (fare, get it?!?) for a long time and needed REAL FOOD. Preferably pasta...

The front desk offered to make a recommendation and call us a cab - the shuttle driver then offered to take us to a nearby restaurant. We had no idea where we were going or what we would find - we just got on board and were left outside La Viscontina. If we were able to come back within the hour the shuttle would come back for us. Knowing the little bit I knew about the Italian way of eating (enjoying and savoring one's food and company), I doubted we would make it back in time.

We went in and were seated on one side of the restaurant. and waited awhile for a menu. An older gentleman came up to us and asked us what we would like - when it became apparent we were from out of town - and having left the hotel suddenly and without our phrasebook!! - we were able to say yes to the Italian salami plate and a first course of pasta (something without fish).

We were served light red wine (Fratelli Biletta Moncucchetto, from Grignolino D'Asti, a nice 2004 Vendemmia), champagne (called spumanti here) and mineral water - we had the most magnificent procession of glassware on our table. It was the first red wine I've liked in years, and I started feeling a bit more relaxed. The salami's also were amazing.

The pasta arrived - fantastic pillowy pasta beauties filled with molten parmigiano and basil, with a cream sauce.

We were in heaven.

My nose started going numb and I cut back on my wine intake. We finished off with Italiano caffe, or espresso. It actually went really well with the red wine! We skipped the segundo (2nds) course and dessert.

Two hours passed by and I started flagging, ready to fall asleep on the table. When we asked for them to call us a cab, our server offered to bring us back to our hotel. Turns out he was the owner of the restaurant. He spoke very little English yet we had managed to communicate
"fantastico" and "grazzii!" all evening. Our bill was reasonable for having drunk almost a whole bottle of wine and enjoyed two courses of amazing food.

What we really appreciated about this gentleman was the cats he fed outside of the restaurant, in the courtyard. Several times over the course of the evening trays and plates went out to the courtyard and about 6 different cats had their fill, and played in the moonlight.

I can't believe I could stay awake to type this, but immediate impressions are more accurate than remembered ones. I felt it was important to get this down.

You don't need to dial 39

Well, we are here in Milan (mee-lan). Luckily we are here Friday evening local time so I can go eat some dinner and then go to bed. I have had very little sleep since Wednesday night at home.

Our first language challenge was learning we needed to call for the shuttle from the Holiday Inn. I had my computer printout of our reservation and hotel location info, including "Local Phone 39-02-52-3663" or something. Rick Steve books says just pick up the phone, stick in your card, and dial the number. We spent half an hour trying to figure it out, getting a recording in Italian that this number does not exist. We finally went for help to the post office asking for a phone book to compare. As soon as I saw the listing I knew what was wrong - you would dial the 39 from the US, but not while in Italy. We were too tired to figure it out with some cross-referencing.

So I think I look more tired in this pic, taken blogging, than I normally look. I am going to bed. Tomorrow willo be a new day - and the realization that we don't know how to get to the train station!

Too Much Information

We've landed in London. I spent most of the flight watching bits of different movies, and also the interactive map. As we were taking off from SeaTac, I could watch on my screen a map, altitude, speed, temperature...everything you don't want to know about what makes a plane stay in the air. Flying at 30,000 feet at 602 miles per hour with negative 68 degrees outside is just a little daunting.

We might try for an earlier flight to Milan instead of sitting here. Happy Friday!!

Where you'll find us over the winter holiday

You can read us and reach us via email while we are away - you can even call us at our phone numbers and leave messages (we can listen to voicemail over the internet). And we would love to see comments and questions on our blogs, let's be interactive!

Meanwhile, I thought it would be fun to share some of our accommodations information! Hotel shopping is a lot of fun for me, and I tried really hard to balance sevice, location, ambiance, and cost.

TURIN (TORINO) 12/24-12/27
Torino hosts the 2006 Winter Olympic Games beginning in February.

Le Meridien Lingotto has been spectacularly converted from the ancient Fiat automobile factory by the renowned architect Renzo Piano - famous for the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Directly connected to the Congress Centre and the Lingotto Exhibition Centre, the hotel is quite simply the perfect business hotel experience.

Guest rooms are furnished in warm tones of cherry wood and feature fantastic design pieces of the 20th century. Glass walls from the original Fiat factory remain creating light and spacious rooms and suites.

The magnificent restaurant ‘Torpedo' is named after the extraordinary vehicle built in the old Lingotto factory. Overlooking luscious tropical gardens, guests can enjoy high quality cuisine which is a blend of Italian regional traditional dishes and avant-garde trends.

Housed in one of Turin's most significant buildings of the 20th Century, Fiat's historic Lingotto car factory, the hotel was originally built in the 1920s. This is where Fiat tested their early production cars and this site has been made famous by its use in ‘The Italian Job' for the car chase scenes. Today, guests can use the former Fiat car testing track on the roof of the building as a unique jogging area.

The Lingotto, a unique building and a symbol of Turin, is also a rare example of restoration of an industrial area on a grand scale. It is home to 8 Gallery, a leisure and shopping centre that is both 'ideal and nearby' and a place to meet, experience fashion and to savour and find inspiration in different cultures.

Inaugurated in September 2002, on the top floor of the Lingotto, the art gallery Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli was offered to the city by the president of Fiat.

Tel: +39 011 664 2000
Fax: +39 011 664 2001
Web site: www.lingotto.lemeridien.com



FLORENCE (FIRENZE) 12/27-12/29
Villino Il Magnifico - A typical Tuscan residence, well-sited in the heart of Florence, nearby the Arno river. A few minutes walk, or by the bus service, and you are in the the historical town center, with the most important museums, exhibitions and monuments and its extraordinary atmosphere.

There are six comfortable rooms furnished in different ancient styles, each one with individual services with bathtub or shower, air-conditioning, direct dial telephone, satellite TV color, refrigerator, safety boxes. In every object and furnishing you can recognize the same atmosphere you live at your home. The rooms are very elegant and functional at the same time, where charms and comfort are arranged together. Every object and detail welcome you as you enter.

Web site: http://www.florenceby.com/magnifico/index.html
Can't seem to find a phone number on their site. Reach us via email during this time period.


ROME (ROMA) 12/31-1/3
Hotel Italia - In the heart of historical Rome next to the Quirinale, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Termini station and the Colosseum, an exclusive and elegant place for a relaxing and confortable stay!

Via Venezia, 18 - 00184 Roma
Tel. +39-064 828 355
Fax. +39-064 745 550
Web site: http://www.hotelitaliaroma.com/en.htm

Lifting holiday spirits

Sophia visits her adoring fans


On Monday we visited the LifeCare Center on Admiral Way for a holiday concert given by the piano-playing husband of Connie, the other therapy dog mom in West Seattle. She brought Andy, her regular therapy dog, and Majik, a white Siberian husky. Supposedly Majik will sing along with the piano - but she evidently was shy and only sings at home.

Sophia has really become a people dog - helped along by associating all of her new friends with something yummy to eat (that mommy carefully brought from home). Altho she is a little manic sometimes, she is able to hold still and also independently go up to people to visit them and let them pet her.

I'll post a couple of other pictures. It was a nice afternoon. Special thanks to my father-in-law (and housesitter) Ron for taking the pictures.

What can I say? Sophia makes people smile. 

Majik yawns instead of singing 

Connie and Andy 

Quote of the Day

Ask yourself, what would you do if you weren't afraid?

And then do it.

You'll have no regrets.

"Microsophist"
http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2005/12/comment-repost-new-hope-part-ii.html

"Turin is, quite simply, the most magnificent baroque city in Europe."

We'll be visiting Torino Dec. 24th thru Dec. 27th. And here's a little bit about why we chose it.

"Turin is, quite simply, the most magnificent baroque city in Europe."
The Sunday Times (January 12, 2004)

Torino (Turin) was the first capital city of Italy (from 1861 to 1864). Situated at the foot of the western Alps it is less than 60 miles from France and 80 miles from Switzerland. The city's impressive architecture dates from the 17th and 18th centuries, with a baroque style that dominates its streets.

Anyone that wishes to really see and experience Italy should not miss Torino, where you will be awed by its fabulous buildings and beautiful surroundings; you'll also be able savour its café and chocolate culture.

Turin is home to one of the best Egyptian museums in the world. The city center iis full of outstanding buildings such as the Mole Antonelliana, the Palazzo Madama and Reale, and the beautiful Valentino Park. It has several majestic piazzas, including Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello. Turin is the birth-place and home to FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino). Turin also houses a number of universities and cultural institutions of international repute. This is thanks to their splendid libraries, collections of rare and ancient books (and priceless documents).

Turin today is a dynamic reality engaged in a modernization process unmatched in Italy. Although it is internationally renowned as an industrial city and a capital of the motor car this (for Turin), is now a stereotype...a vast understatement of what the enchanting city has to offer. Today, its image is different, more diverse: the city is oriented towards the new high-tech and efficient Europe.

"Turin is transforming itself from a faded industrial powerhouse (home to Fiat) into a city capable of impressing the world as host to the 2006 Winter Olympics." - New York Times, 2005

Turin has been the capital of the Savoy Kingdom the capital of the motor car industry, the Alpine peaks and even of the cinema. Precious collections are housed in some of the most important museums in the city. In the rooms of the National Motor Car Museum (Museo "Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia") it is possible to follow the evolution of the motor car, from successful racing cars to the latest products of ecological research.

In particular, four projects are worthy examples: the former Lingotto car factory has been converted to a complex with modern services, cultural venues and a hotel; the old steel and iron industrial area is being transformed into Europe's first environmental technological park (Environment Park) occupying an area of 100 hectars: the Turin Polytechnic is being doubled in size to cover 13 hectares, and has benefited from a major injection of funds into its research and training activities; finally, the city's railway system is being redeveloped and improved with important "passante" (railway link) works (three lines of 15 km placed underground), thus making a radical transformation in the system for the access into the city, and the mobility around it.

Majestic and imposing, the River Po crosses Turin offering an exciting passageway into an entire different feeling part of town.

Discovering Torino means exploring 20 centuries of history. Walking along its streets feels like visiting an open-air museum. Palazzo Carignano was home to the first Italian Parliament. Today it houses the Museum of the Risorgimento and a theater. The Baroque Piazza Carignano is the Galleria Sabauda and the Egyptian Museum, which, founded in 1824, is the world's oldest (and the second most important). It houses more than 30,000 items, including the black granite statue of Ramses II, the tomb of the architect Kha and a large collection of papyruses and objects.

In Piazza Castello, Palazzo Madama houses the Art Museum. Opposite is the church of San Lorenzo, and to the right the Royal Palace. Alongside the cathedral is the chapel of the Holy Shroud with the Dome by Guarini. The Holy Shroud has been conserved and periodically displayed here since 1864: an object of pilgrimage revered as Jesus Christ's funeral shroud, but also an object of historical and scientific interest. Following the new wing of the Royal Palace, one reaches the Palatine Gates, the entrance to Roman Torino. To the right are the Museum of Antiquity and the Royal Gardens. Behind the State Archive and the Teatro Regio is the area of the Cavallerizza, and in the same direction one can admire the Mole Antonelliana, the symbol of the city.

Turin's historical heritage includes the Savoy Residences; buildings of outstanding historical and architectonic interest, some of which offer an unusually lively range of cultural activities and exhibitions, whose interest is not only local.

You can see the original article and some great photos at http://www.ludustours.com/turin.htm
You can find even more information about this fabulous city at http://www.comune.torino.it/canaleturismo/en/

Today I gave away my gloves

I don't know what made me take the 1st Ave South exit from the West Seattle bridge - all week I have been staying in the left lane and following everyone else moronically to the I-5 onramp. I guess I just got tired of it. Or maybe there was another reason.

As I came down the exit ramp, I got into the right hand lane - there were no cars there and 5 in the other lane - and there's always a bum holding a sign begging on the left hand side of the ramp.

As I pulled into position I took a look at the man holding his sign (which I couldn't read, and they all say the same thing anyway), and I could not believe he was bare-handed. It was 30 degrees this morning and I had to scrape the windows to get out of the driveway. I'd been in the car with the heater running for 15 minutes and I was still wearing gloves (my new pink ones).

I was taught to never give a beggar money - instead take him to a restaurant and buy him a meal. Well, I couldn't do that from two lanes away - but I could give him the spare pair of gloves I keep in the car for "just in case". They were nice woolen knit gloves with little leather pads, and they had long cuffs on them so they go up the sleeve to help keep the cold at bay.

The next car over helped me get his attention as I waved the gloves out the window yelling "Sir! Sir!" over traffic on the Spokane Street viaduct overhead. He thanked me as he skedaddled back to the curb.

The man may not be able to hold down a job and obviously chooses to stand by the side of the road holding a cardboard sign. But the man should at least be able to do it in comfort on a cold morning. In all good consciousness I could not just drive by without giving him something he needed which I had to spare.

I am going to buy another pair of gloves for my car, "just in case".

Oh goodie! Seagull poo!

Sophia on the beach at Lincoln Park today.

Sophia was excited to see me when I got home this afternoon, wondering where today's adventure would take us.

Yesterday we found ourselves at the LifeCare Center in the Admiral District, enjoying our first session as "therapy dog". Sophia will be visiting residents at the convalescent center every Monday afternoon. She did SO well, I was really impressed with her. I took lots of little treats for people to give her, and she jumped up on people's beds so they could pet her, and for some people I held her in my arms so they could see her from where they were lying. I'm not much for picking my animals up (Steve has spent years teaching my cats that it's okay to be picked up - I prefer to let them come to me when they want to). I am teaching her a new phrase "lift" as I lift under her front legs and get her rear end on one arm - her long front legs dangle over the other arm and she looks quite elegant. She worked with an Austrialian shepherd/border collie named Andy, who has been going there for a long time. She met him right away and wasn't afraid of him or anything.

Everyone was excited to see a new little dog and one lady came down the hall, using a walker, chanting "Pretty ! Pretty! Pretty!" One gentleman, who was in the lobby when we first arrived, I found about 6 different times, coming down different hallways to pet Sophia, or waiting in the dining room for when we got to that part of the building. And he was by the front door again as we were getting ready to leave, waiting to say goodbye. The staff raved about how adorable she was, and very well behaved. I am proud to say she didn't eat any pills off the floor and mostly ignored the occasionl rubber glove mysteriously lying about.

So today it was some alone time on the beach - after all the stimulation of yesterday I thought some fresh air was in order. Not to mention, it is brightest out on the westward facing beaches, there's no trees causing dusk to come sooner.

Sophia liked walking in the gravel/rocks along the water for the first time - I think it reminded her of the potty area at the doggy daycare we tried (she didn't like being left alone there). She used to not like the rocks. And every single spot of seagull poo - and at the beach that's everywhere - had to be sniffed and admired. I did manage to keep her from rolling in it, which I have not been entirely successful with in the past.

We've come a long way in the nearly 7 months we have been together. She just continues to amaze me with her increased capacity for adventure and interest in the world around her.

The Spirit of Giving

Yesterday I found myself in the toy aisle of a local store, perusing all the bits of colorful plastic and metal that somehow add up to heaven for children. Our friends Erika and Michael Peterson throw a big party every year and hold a toy drive for Toys for Tots - complete with a Marine Corpman who arrives at 10 PM to pick up all the donations to have gift wrapped and given to needy children for Xmas.

Now, we're not loaded, and getting ready for our big trip, but I stood there and had a powerful moment, seeing a lot of things I always wanted as a little girl and never got. I certainly don't want these things now - but I had a brief moment of nostalgia and loss for what might have been.

So here's Wendy's Rule of Shopping for Toy Drives: buy all the things you wanted when you were a kid that no one else would buy for you. Here's the list of toys I compiled - trying to also add boy toys and art toys on Stephen's behalf:

• My Little Pony "Silver Lining" with extra long hair, crown, and barrette and a brush. She has a rhinestone on her flank, and her little story says she burned all of dinner one night and said "Oh well, I like going out to eat!" This will help some other little girl try to put the best face on her own situation.
• Pound Puppies (miniature) - two of them, complete with the little box that is a dog house. Because I have a little dog of my own and want to share the joy.
• A princess tiara, complete with a jeweled ring and bracelet, and the center jewel in the tiara pulses red when you push it.
• Children's makeup compact and nail polish with glitter in it.
• My Secret Diary, with lock and key.
• Lazy Town coloring book WITH SCENTED CRAYONS. The Lazy Town series is all about not being lazy - eating healthy, exercising, and has lots of fun characters (human and animated mixed together).
• Lazy Town paint book with water paints and a brush.
• Batman "Cave of Wonders" coloring book with tattoos
• Spider-Man "Fun Doh" with Spidey on top of the can
• Motor-Cycle 5-piece set, with die cast metal motorcycles and cars, and a tow truck (for when those motorcycles crash, which they always do...)
• Lego "x-pod" - it's a shark, part of a scary animal series that includes dinosaurs. The itty bitty pieces come in a little case.
• Lego "ATV-4" - it's a cool all-terrain vehicle and the pieces come in a little carrying case that looks like a tire.

I had to wrest the Legos away from Stephen, he'll never grow up.

And something else yesterday to get in the holiday spirit - the farmer's market, headed into it's "winter" season, had a decorated wagon being pulled by a pair of draft mules, with bells all over their harnesses. I went for a ride around the Junction (the shopping district in the center of West Seattle), sharing the lap robe with another woman who had two little girls with her. It was very cold and we all were wearing hats and gloves and scarves. It was fun and just the right thing to slow down and enjoy the moment. We waved as we rode down the street, and people waved back and smiled. It was a perfect start to a really pretty day.

Hard-working draft mule. Dad was a mule, mom was a draft horse. Makes for a very tall and strong horse-mule!