Killer Travel Shorts

I scored a killer pair of travel shorts from R's mom (thanks JR) and they're perfect for travel. They're really heavyweight to withstand the rigors of being on the road, and best of all, they're stylish and Euro, without being too stylish (i.e., sissy-pants). The neutral gray color hides dirt while also projecting a manly and adventurous image (how's that for a plug?). We have to keep up our real-man appearances while also embracing a little Euro style.

I've been wearing them for days on end, and they're holding up nicely. Plus, they have lots of pockets to hold Euros, Kunos (Croatian currency), and whatever else a world traveler needs, or real-man in training in Vermont.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

AWOL in Europe

Sorry for my absence, as you can imagine, when you're on the road, it's not always easy to find an internet connection. However, that said, it amazes me who actually does have WiFi in the most remote places, so much so that in this day and age, for a business to not have internet is inexcusable. Such was the case at our last hotel in Italy, even though we really loved the place. Small town life in Italy, much more simple and grounded.

In light of this, I need to make this fast and then add more details later. We are currently in Croatia, and believe me when I tell you it's beautiful here. Very reminiscent of the Greek Islands, only filled to the brim with young college students looking to party. It's like Dayton Beach, only European style. It's a bit too much of a big frat party for our tastes, though I could imagine that if you were 21 and single, you'd be having the time of your life. Beautiful people everywhere and plenty of alcohol and skin. Just what every college grad is looking for in life.

Before we caught the ferry, our last two nights in Italy were so interesting, we really enjoyed them. Since we didn't really know the area, it was a bit of a crap-shoot finding a place, R literally had to work in the dark in deciding on a place. She chose two tiny towns to stay in, Saltara and another one that was so small that we were the first American tourists that she'd had. I can't even remember the name, and I can't find it on the map. Either way, nobody spoke English, but everyone was really friendly and warm, I can't stress this enough. It was quite the experience, but the real deal. No fast food or Sponge Bob in sight.

After two really enjoyable days in small town Italy, we drove to the coastal town of Fano, where we caught the coastal route to the port city of Ancona, which was about 1.5 hundred kilometers. We had to catch an overnight ferry there, but it was leaving at 9:00PM, and we arrived in the early afternoon. The way it worked was we had to find a tiny airport near Ancona to return the car, then figure out how to get from the airport to the port. Kudos to R for doing an amazing job at navigation. We found the airport no problem, returned the car (it was Hertz), and then caught a cab to the port. People were very friendly, and at the airport, there were numerous tourists just beginning their Italian vacations, and I actually had a conversation with the chatty French gentleman standing in line next to me, in French, no less. He sort of cut in front of me in line, and from there, a conversation ensued. It was cool.

We caught a cab from the airport to the port, which like most port towns, was a little dicey. There are just unsavory elements to be had in ports, no way around it. If anything, ports in Europe are not as scary (at least to me) as ports in the US. We had several hours to kill, so we wandered about Ancona, first in the old section, then in the more modern part, which was really nice. Very bustling and filled with tourists. We had pizza for lunch, then gelato (most importantly), then it was time to get on the ferrry.

It was an overnight ride, and had a sleeper cabin, but we slept terribly. I've taken several ferries and found them to be just okay, not luxurious in any way, but clean and adequate. Definitely not good for sleeping, but R found it impossible to get a flight directly from Italy to Croatia, so went for the overnight ferry. I now know what a submarine crew goes through. I think the cabin was located near the engine, because it was so loud we had to practically yell to communicate. When we landed in Split, Croatia, we were exhausted.

That did not, however, dampen our spirits in Croatia. The port town was simply lovely, nothing like Ancona. The reason is that Split is a tourist port, whereas Ancona is a shipping port, huge difference. It's a beautiful beach community, though more Euro style, with a lot of history and older, more classic architecture, with buildings dating back to Medieval times.

We landed in Split around 7:00AM, and had to catch another ferry to Hvar around 11:00, so we had time to kill. We toured Split, and it was such a cool town. There is so much going on, and we even found a farmer's market and got fresh peaches. The main square used to be the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian, and there are Roman ruins all over town.

From Split, we caught another ferry to Hvar, and let me tell you, it's Spring Break city over here. Throngs of young, beautiful people ready to party. We're a bit out of our element, but it makes for a happening scene. It seems as if the main two demographics here are older people, and the young and hip. There are tons of yachts and sailboats in the harbor, so you get a sense of some money out here.

Our flat is lovely, located off the main drag, so it's quieter. We're spending our time just relaxing and swimming in the Adriatic. The water is crystal clear and just the right temp.

For now, I'll sign off. More details later, so stay tuned. Until then, thanks for reading.

Adventures (and Lessons) in Tuscany

As usual, I haven't been able to keep this blog current, there's just never enough time, and when we wake up, we pretty much hit the ground running and eat breakfast and start our day. With this in mind, I'm going to summarize Tuscany and move on from there. I don't know what else to do.

First off, Tuscany was beautiful, we really enjoyed it there. It helps that our hotel/villa (Tenuto Santo Pietro) was amazing. The service was excellent, they had a pool, the grounds were stellar with fabulous orchards (olives, grapes, figs, apples, pears, almonds) that we could walk through, and best of all (in my opinion) was that it was centrally located so that we could make easy day trips to the small hill towns in the area. My personal favorite was Siena, Italy. Now I just learned all this, but Siena was apparently in competition with Florence to be the center of Renaissance, with Florence eventually winning out. However, Florence became a big metropolis, and Siena remained a beautiful medieval town high up on a hill, complete with narrow cobblestone streets that are perfect for walking. It is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it also has great restaurants, all sorts of shops, and of course, fabulous and historic cathedrals, churches, and museums, the kind the kids just love.

Either way, we went to Siena on our second day in Tuscany, and though it was a bit of a trek, it was well worth it. The city is old and picturesque, and I overheard that it has half the real estate, it has twice the historically relevant artifacts. Whatever be the case, I thought it was more interesting and manageable than Florence. Plus, we had our beautiful Tuscan villa to return to. We wandered throughout the city, hanging out in the Piazzas and having lunch in the cafes. We had heard of several restaurants within the city walls and couldn’t find any of them, and then, while we were searching for the best gelato, we just happened upon the one restaurant that we wanted to eat at the most, called Zest. How cool is that? It scored a high ranking on TripAdvisor.

We had an awesome day in Siena. On our third day, we tried walking to the town of Montepulciano, but have to give up, but not before walking about 3 miles, one way. The kids were incensed, and we almost had a mutiny on our hands. We trekked back to the villa for a swim, and then after a rest, we drove out to Pienza, another medieval town, for a wonderful supper followed by killer gelato.

Our last day, we checked out and drove out to Montepulciano, where we stopped for lunch, and then headed out of Tuscany for Umbria and the east coast of Italy. The drive over was a bit long, but we got to see a lot of the interior of the country, and again, got to stop and visit some more small medieval towns, including Gubbio, which was really cool. Apparently it escaped destruction from WWII and is one of the most well-preserved medieval town in Italy. It was really cool.

We are now in Saltara, which is not nearly as nice as Tuscany, but still quaint. We are staying here for a couple of days before we have to catch a ferry across the Adriatic to Croatia. This should be interesting.

Until then, thanks for reading.

,

The Word

I don’t recall if we’re on day 6 or 7, and you know when you’ve lost track of the days, you’re in good shape when you’re on vacation. One directive that has come down from above (i.e., A&N) is no more visiting churches and looking at statues, which when you really get down to it, is kind of hard to do when you’re in Italy (a uber-Roman Catholic country) and learning about the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which is basically all about Christianity and the power of the Church. Plus, pretty much 99.9% of the images you see involve either the Bambino, Mary, or the crucifixion. Very powerful imagery, but when you’re 8-10 years old, it can get old quickly.

Either way, we’ve left our beloved Tuscany and are on the eastern coast of Italy. I have to say, it’s not as picturesque in my opinion, but we are at the sea, and there’s something to be said for that.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

and thanks to jillianriley for the pic.

Travels in Italy - Day 4 - Leaving the Big City

As much as I love the big city and all the excitement it entails, I have to admit that what I love best about being in Europe is being in the countryside. I felt this way in France and Spain, and on the Greek Isles, if that counts. Of all the cities that we’ve been to, I liked Paris the best, maybe because I’ve been there the most and feel the most comfortable speaking French. Even still, one of the best trips we ever took was in the South of France, in Provence. I just loved visiting all the small towns throughout the countryside. They were so beautiful and filled with history, and the people have always been so nice. I’ve mentioned this before, but the small towns in Europe are nothing like the small towns in the US, they are just so much more cosmopolitan and not backwards in any way. I guess we’re just visiting the right ones, but the small towns in Europe seem to be more welcoming of outsiders.

Either way, on Day 4 in Italy, it was time to catch the train out of Dodge and hit the countryside. Once we were out of town, our plan was to rent a care and head deep into the heart of Tuscany. Our eventual goal was to get to Venice, but in between we are going to stop in Siena, the other heart of the Renaissance, and maybe Umbria.

The train was an adventure in and of itself, as you might imagine. Florence is a pretty big town and a big tourist attraction, so there are a lot of people coming and going. The train station was bustling, though nothing compared to Penn Station or Gare de Lyon. What made it tricky was that we had to get our tickets at the automated kiosks, and of course we ran into problems. For whatever reason the machine wouldn’t take our card, and we had to try about a dozen times until it worked. Meanwhile, half of Florence is standing in line behind us.

The train system in Europe is simply amazing, and something I wish we had in the US, because it sure beats driving. The trains were clean and comfortable, and it’s just fun riding in a train, especially for kids. R picked up some sandwiches and pastries, and we had a nice lunch en route. What’s also nice about being on the train is that everybody takes it, so you get a good cross section of locals and tourists, which makes it fun.

It took us about 2 hours to get to a small town called Chiusi, which of course I’d never heard of, and rent a car. Even though this town was tiny and in the middle of nowhere, again, it was charming and neat, with all sorts of restaurants and boutiques. I thought it would be nice to even stay there a night. In Italy, not unlike Spain, they seem to shut down for a couple of hours in the afternoon to have their siesta, so when we arrived in Chiusi, the rental car place was closed, so we sat and waited, but not for long.

We got into our car and headed into the countryside. The Tuscan countryside is beautiful, very reminiscent of Provence, and for that matter, Spain. I guess it makes sense. It’s actually more hilly than I expected, with beautiful farms dotting the countryside and olive and grape vineyards everywhere. This region is famous for its wines, so there is ample opportunity to have a glass or two.

Now I’m not a fast driver (I just play one on TV), especially when the roads are windy and unfamiliar, and I’ve noticed that drivers in Europe are not only fast, but aggressive. They don’t give a second thought to riding you and then passing around blind turns. Crazy. I was glad to make it to our B&B.

We are currently staying at the Tenuta Santo Pietro near Pienza, and I think it’s one of the nicest, if not the nicest, places we’ve ever stayed in Europe. It’s so beautiful, and I now realize that to truly experience the beauty of Tuscany, you have to park the car or get off the train and spend some time here. We arrived in the afternoon, were show to our room, and we spent some time just wandering around. The place is a 13^th century farmhouse that has been renovated into a B&B, and the place is incredible. Just beautiful everywhere you go, and best of all, there’s a pool, which is key when traveling with kids. There are acres of plum, olive, and grape orchards on the property, and we at fresh figs right off the tree.

The owner is Italian but speaks perfect English, which makes me think he’s spent time in the States. Whatever be the case, it’s really beautiful here, and it’s nice to be out in the countryside.

More later, but until then, thanks for reading.

Travels In Italy - Day 3

Our last day in Florence was perhaps our best, not only because we’ve adjusted to our jet lag, but also because we’re finding our Euro groove, waking up relaxed and rested, and enjoying the food and good vibes of Italy - La Dolce Vita, as they say.

The hotel we’re staying at is really nice, and we’ll be staying here on our last day in Italy on our return home. The place is clean and the people are very friendly, and though it’s not fancy, it’s comfortable and in a great location, which is key to most things in life. It is very centrally located near the Duomo and all the other great sites. Then again, everything here is within walking distance. The family that runs the Inn is very friendly, I’m guessing several generations making things work. The elder grandmother is incredibly friendly, and she kept telling us how nice our family is, mainly because I think A&N are well mannered and polite. Plus, they’re cute and stylish enough to pass as Euro kids, especially A.

One of my favorite things about traveling in Europe is staying at Inn or B&Bs and heading into the dining area for breakfast. It’s always a wonderful mix of cultures, and you hear all sorts of languages being spoken. There are even a fair number of Americans staying in this hotel. I also love trying out the different foods that at least seem typical of a Euro breakfast, though I’m sure they cater to tourists and gear the food to what they think they want. Either way, I love going and have a cappuccino and croissant, then some fresh fruit, finished with some muesli. I have to confess, in classic American style, I like to engorge myself on all you can eat breakfast foods, but it’s so counter to how the Europeans eat. In lieu of all that food just waiting to be eaten, they seem to get by with a croissant and a cup of espresso. Then they’re off to face the day. I feel like such a pig, but such is life.

On our last day in Florence, we went to an exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci, who wasn’t born here, but really thrived here since he was such an integral figure in the Renaissance. The exhibit had all sorts of information about the man, not to mention dozens of hands-on exhibits of his inventions. The guy was amazing, especially considering the time. Just goes to show you what happens when you don’t spend all your time watching TV and playing video games.

Naturally, since the show involved gadgets and playing with them, A&N were right at home, especially N. They both had engineer in their blood, but that’s especially true for N. The boy loves machines. There was also a documentary on Leonardo that was very informative about the Dark Ages and the Renaissance, which was nice - a good homeschool lesson.

After the Leonardo show, we headed over to the Basilica di Santa Croce, which is a cathedral where numerous notable Italian people are buried, including Michelangelo, Dante, and Machiavelli. The cathedral was magnificent as usual, incredible amounts of opulence and wealth. It’s striking how prominent Italy was during this time in history.

From there, we stopped at a really nice restaurant called Cantinetta dei Verrazzano and had what I think was our nicest meal in Florence, though we were a little taken by surprise, which I never like. We made the mistake of asking the waiter for suggestions, and he brought us more food than we would normally eat, though it was an excellent variety of breads (bruschetta, focaccia), local cheeses, and meats. It came out a little pricey, as well, but what a nice meal. I need to lighten up when it comes to money, but I can’t.

After a big lunch, we finished our day over that Medici House, which is one of the houses owned by the Medici family who controlled much of Italy, and all of Florence, during the Renaissance. They were the bankers who controlled all the money and their wealth was unfathomable. Their home was bigger than most castles, and their lifestyles reflected it. Just these incredible rooms filled with masterpieces. I believe Napoleon moved into this house when he conquered Italy.

By the end of the Medici House, we were pretty worn out, and it was getting late. Time to get back to our hotel and get ready for our big trip to the Tuscan countryside.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Sick and Traveling

In terms of preparing for this trip, we certainly had our work cut out for us. Any time you travel across the Atlantic with kids, it presents all sorts of challenges that are daunting enough to discourage even the most adventurous soul. I completely understand why people prefer to stay at home, and even I at times need a little prodding to make it out the door. Thankfully, we have R, who is in the intrepid traveler, and I say this because all of our trips are memorable, we always have a great time, and we come back with the best memories and experiences. However, even in light of these positives, I still find it hard to motivate.

This trip was no different. There is so much to be dealt with on the home front, I could find a million reasons to stay at home. I need to transport, split and stack the firewood, I need to deal with the barn, I need to arrange school things, I need to arrange our propane delivery, etc. We were also all dealing with colds, some more than others, and there were logistical issues to cover before we left. We had to ask for help from several of our friends to make this trip work, including cat care, getting rides to and from the bus station, finding a cell phone to use in Europe (most cell phone plans in the US won’t work here), and finally, the hardest part, planning the itinerary in Europe. The last one is where R really flourishes, she really thrives in planning and getting excited about travel.

Either way, everything worked out beautifully. I have to get over feeling like a burdern and a nuisance, because friends want to help out where they can. I know I do, and for whatever reason, I can’t project that feeling onto other people. People like to do nice things for you, just like you like to do nice things for other people. That’s what makes the world a great place to live.

Anyway, just a thought on overcoming challenges when traveling. The reality is, nothing is that insurmountable, so you just have to go for it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to allison.johnston for the pic.