Basta (enough)

The Italian 6 are done. We all have a glazed look in our eyes, and a little panic sets in when anyone mentions yet another great museum, church, restaurant to see. nooooo not another site nooooo more beautiful things to look at!!! But it was wonderful, our cheer and grace at meals is "gratitudine", we are grateful.
ciao bellas, see you soon
Laurie

Last day in Florence

This morning Ray and I went to the San Marco cloister, the little rooms with frescoes in that were painted by Frangelico. Then to the oldest botanica gardens in the world, established by Cosmo Medici.After a nap we are on our way to Michealangelo's house.We'll say hi to him for you.

Hot and tired

Hi everybody, from hot, hot Florence. Sorry to tell you that. I think it is 28 today.

I guess I kind of wore out yesterday. I am tired today. This morning, I went to a big market (both food and shopping, lots of leather and silk stuff). I met Brian after getting lost (again) and we went to the Medici Chapels. Again, another amazing place. It's the momument and tomb for many of the Medici family, and much of the work in the sacristy (where they are buried) was Michelangelo's. We were going to go in the church there too, but I am at the 'it's just another church' stage.

Brian went to go the Bargello Sculpture museum, and I went off shopping. We met back at the apartment after lunch. I had mostly a nice walk, not too much shopping, and I sat on the steps at the Piazza de le Signoria (sp?), and stared at the copy of David in the square, and listened to some fine acoustic guitar player, playing in the square. It was lovely.

After a nap, I went out of my own again, and once again, got lost. I was supposed to meet Brian but I was late again, because I turned the wrong way. We went to the Baptistery with the Ghiberti Doors and looked at all the Biblical stories they told.

Tomorrow, I am going to a fine palace that I have been at before (the Pitti Palace). It's full of art too, but it is also pretty much in it's original form, with furniture, etc. It has an attached costume gallery, silver museum, and beautiful gardens, so I will be there so quite a while I think. I am not sure if I will do anything else. I am getting pretty tired, and pretty saturated with art, and history. Brian and Ray are going to go by bus to a little town called Fiesole, they think, outside of Florence, and are thinking of walking back. Today, Mike and Laurie went to Cinque Terre (five towns) to hike them. It's supposed to be amazing. Ray and Judy wanted to go too, but it's going to be a long day. Mike and Laurie left at 7am, and won't be back until about 10pm.

We leave for Ostia (just outside of Rome, near the airport) travelling by the 'fast' train, on Wednesday morning. We'll stay overnight there and leave on Thursday morning. Our flight from Rome to Toronto is longer than coming here, something to do with the jet stream. It's about 10 1-2 hours, and then a couple hours wait before we come home.

Time to get back. All these moms (Laurie, Judy and I) miss our children and grandbabies. Even with all this art, history, and beauty, there is nothing like our families.

We're only human after all...

So Ray and I were trying to cram a last day trip in to Cinque Terre and another day to Assissi,but realised that we wouldn't see Florence the way we wanted to if we did that. The only solution is to plan a trip back to Italy to see those places. Florence has its own flavor(and smell-yikes!) The people who work here are a little crabbier than in Rome,generally it seems, or maybe Ray and I are bringing the worst out in them.We saw the Pitti Palace art today and the Acadamie with the famous David, which was worth the trip to Italy on its own, and before that we went to mass at the Duomo. A full day, but not over yet. Happy Mothers Day to all you Moms out there.

Firenza

What a change from the country to Florence.Busy,closed-in, and sensory overload. We got here this morning in our Ducat, dropped it off at the rental place and were in the process of putting our baggage in the cab when-BAM-the sky fell! The arm of the blocker-thing on the car park exit hit me on the head! Thankfully I am fine, except for my pride(could I have done anything more goofy?) and off we went. Ray and I stood in line for over an hour and saw the Uffizzi Gallery. Wow! But talk about sesory overload! The Birth of Venus was good to see, along with several hundred other things.We met some nice Australians in the line-up, which was fun. Tomorrow we go to the Galleria del'Accademia, to see David his own self in all his splendor.

We are in Florence!

One of our continuing issues-jokes is over the hours places keep. It's all completely random, and even though they say certain hours, it's hit and miss whether or not they actually keep them. Our internet place in Castelnuovo was closed yesterday, even though they said it was open. So that's why no one got emails yesterday.

Our apartment here in Florence is small, but it is so pretty. We are on the 4th floor of a 13th century building, but our apartment has been fixed up nicely. There are four sleeping spaces, but one is in the kitchen so we won't be using that one. Ray and Judy have the bedroom in one wing of the apartment, and Mike and Laurie let us have the nicest room with a bathroom. Pretty generous. they said it was because we did so much work to find the places, and Brian drove.


Yesterday, we took a trip in the morning to a beautiful town named Pienza, which Pope Pius II tried to make into a memorial for himself. He had a summer place there. The view was spectacular. After we got home, and had a nap, Brian and I took off for about an hour in the car, and then we all went out for supper. Our little town was really small, so the menu wasn't in English and Brian had to translate everything. We had some good laughs over the food, especially when they set a plate of very, very rare meat in front of Laurie. She doesn't eat meat and thought she was getting a pasta dish. We did some trading and everything turned out fine.

After we got a bit settled in our apartment today, we all went off in our separate directions. Brian and I booked tickets for the Accademia for 4pm today (that's where David is), and tomorrow at 11:00am I am going to the Uffizi ALONE. That's the best way to do art, I think.

I have just been wandering around, looking in shops. The shopping is unreal here, but way beyond my budget. The stores are all ones you would see advertised in Vogue. Dolce and Gabbana, etc. Really high end.

Now I have found the internet cafe, I'll be in touch more and I will see you all soon!

Market day

It's market day in the little town next to ours. Ray and I walked here down a beautiful country road in the lovely sunshine,watching the farmers out with their little tractors tending to their grapes and olives. Lots of birds chirping,lots of wild flowers,wild roses,poppies,buttercups,etc. I bought 4 tablecloths at the market, with the tuscan colors and designs. Laurie bought leather boots for herself which we had to oooh and aaah over,over and over again(she's pretty pumped about her boots and after you say 'nice boots' 40 or 50 times, there's really nothing else to say) I,however, love tablecloths. And dishes, which is why I am so excited about the alabaster bowl I bought a few days ago, and these tablecloths. There's lots you could say about my tablecloths. And I expect lots of adjectives. They're so nice!! I am feeling better, cold-wise. It's nice not to have to go in a store and say"Halls!" while clutching at my throat and pretending to cough.

an adventure

Ciao bellas!
one morning as we were driving off in our van, Brain said: "Don Quixote and his faithful companion Sancho Panchez set out on something which if not an adventure, was uncommonly like one." I love that, and that's how it feels every morning as we pile into the van for yet another day in Italy. First thing we like to do (some a little more desperately than others) is find a place for coffee. Then with someone reading a map, someone else watching signs, Brain at the helm off we go. I'm the other driver, which is rather limiting...the other day just the girls came into town for groceries and email and I took a wrong turn down way too narrow streets and of course right into the town square with all the local old fellows watching as i lurched along (its a standard)and 'exclaimed' that sh..this is exactly where i did not want to be!!! but with some laughs and encouragement we made it out ok.
Just got back form Sienna, we leave at 8:00ish and get back 7:00ish, Ray is making supper, mike a fire and Brian drinking many well deserved drinks! Sienna is a city built on many many levels of other cities. one medieval honkin' church built on yet another older medieval church and so on. Great museums, but I said to Mike that I cannot look at one more dying Jesus in Mary's arms or one more fat cherub with little privates!! (no offense anyone).
Italians have a very different sense of store openings... we are never sure when anything is open for fear that it is a holiday, a Monday, a weekend, a Tuesday, the hours between 12:30 and 4:30, between 2 and 5 except on the third Sunday of the month or on days with even amount of letters, or year that end in...you get the idea.
Judy had finished getting groceries that Ray needs for his creation so gotta go.
ciao ciao
Francesca Luisa Maria Donatello (Laurie)

Sienna

Okay, so here we are in Sienna. The Duomo(which is under repair) and about six other places, had Ray and I exhausted, so we took a nap in the shade on a ledge. That's all I have to say, except the gelato is good here. A more intelligent post to follow, hopefully.

Monday II

I haven't learned much Italian, but I'm getting better at the Roman numerals on everything. Had to think waaay back to grade school for that info. Your comments have been highly entertaining-almost worth going to Italy for. Keep up the good work. Brian is at home now drinking wine after a grueling day of driving the straight-up hairpin roads.Joanne is shopping for supper,Laurie and I are glogging, Ray says he and Brian and Mike are going to drink wine and then try to fix the door of the rental van which seems to have gone off its rails.

In Tuscany

Buon Gioro from Tuscany. Brian got us here safely in our mini bus on Saturday. We can't even stand it, the countryside it so awesome.

The house we are staying in is just beautiful. I am going to take pictures of every room. The first night, we had a fire, and Judy made supper. We just walked around and admired the beauty of the place.Yesterday, we went to a freezing small church in our town for Mass. Then we went into the closeby town, and Brian and I walked back, about 5 km. I bet I took 100 pictures on the way. In the afternoon, we napped and then all of us went for a drive. Our hosts, Annunziata and Mario invited us all for a Tuscan supper last night. It was amazing. We had bread with liver pate when we got there ( and Mario's wine of course), homemade ravioli with tomatoes and meat, chicken scallopini, lamb, artichokes prepared two ways, asparagus, salad, bread, I can't remember if anything else. It was amazing. Oh yeah, 2 desserts. Certainly the best meal we have had. They were wonderful hosts, but they don't speak English and Brian was pretty tired translating the whole night. Mario is interesting, He loves to 'touch' if you get my drift, and asked us all if we 'slept in love' the first night we were there. Brian told him that we don't talk about those things in Canada.

Today, we are at San Gimingnano, where Brian and I stayed before. I found this internet place and now I am going shopping. We are in bigger centers most days this week. I'll try to stay in touch.

Judy is sick and I feel bad for her. We are all sleeping well, from exhaustion, I think (oh yeah, and for some, the wine). But it's a long time to be away from home and on the go and we are all starting to miss the families, especially those babies.

Beautiful Tuscany

So wonderful. Everything you think Tuscany would be like times ten.Tonight we are invited to the home of the people who own our 'villa' for a lamb supper. Olive groves and vineyards and the beautiful ochre houses...Ray and I feel as if we are living in a calendar.

Fr Richard

So this morning we walked to the Oblate house to tour it and visit our friend Fr.Richard Wolak, who we met in Saskatoon.He is a lovely man, and the perfect host, and we wandered through the beautiful and peaceful house and grounds with pleasure. It was the first time I had picked an orange off a tree and eaten it. It was the perfect orange flavour,as far as I was concerned, and it smelled sooo good. I picked a lemon too and brought it home with me. I just like to smell it-wonderful. We had lunch with the oblates too, in their dining room. Wow! A feast-pasta and grilled and breaded egg plant and zucchini and tomatoes, and risotto, and pork, and sausages, and a cheese platter and breads, and a salad counter with more veggies, grilled or salad.So good. Wine on the tables, and then we had champagne for someone's birthday. Then a visit in the rec room in big comfy chairs, and wonderful conversations with a few of the men there. So hospitable and kind. We walked home, and I went to bed. Not feeling great,I have a cold. Tomorrow we head to Tuscany. I can hardly believe how lucky we are.

Friday aready

Yesterday was a trip to St.Agnes and the catacombs containing her body. She died when she was twelve, defending her vitue,as they say. Google it,it's a great story. Anyway, her body is entombed under the altar of the church, and we walked through the creepy, narrow tunnel that was ,not a hiding place for Christians, like on the movies, but burial places for the believers.There's another Google project for you.In the afternoon Ray and I went to the church St.John Lateran, the Pope's home church in Rome. Beautiful beyond words.The pipe organ had been played by Handel. The next place we went was St. Peter in Chains, the church with the chains that held Peter. They are on display in a glass box. I lit a candle for you,Peter Hudec, and your family there. Got to go. More later