European vacations

I was in Pisa in March 2000, with a tour group of my uncles former parishioners which was led by him and a tour guide from Gate 1 travel (Vanni Martinelli, THE BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER). Anyhow, as one typically arrives in Pisa via tour buses which park a short distance from the leaning tower, one usually takes a small local bus from the parking area to reach the tower. As we got off the small bus at the end of the roadway which passes under a arch and continues on to border the green area with the tower, a church and the baptistery, our guide told us to wait. He instructed us not to walk directly under the arch to the green, but to follow him. We followed him on about a 5-6 minute walk on around the edge of the walled part of the town the landmarks are in. As we reached the next portal in the wall, we proceeded through it, and then on for maybe another 100 feet until we reached the first intersection, at which point he stopped us. He then had us get our cameras ready and such and then proceed into the intersection. And BAM! there the tower! His point for having us do this was that by taking the few minutes to walk around to the other entrance, we were presented with a very sudden and dramatic view of the complete tower. If we had walked through the main entrance through the walls, the tower comes into view farther away, and you see more of it gradually. This way was MUCH more pleasing.

A sun-filled sky greeted us in the morning and we set off for Siena, taking only 40 minutes to get there from our Castello di Gargonza (See “Day Tips From Castello Di Gargonza” at http://www.epinions.com/content_23620128388) and find the free underground parking at the train station. We had to walk a few blocks up the hill to get inside the walls of old town Siena, but the exercise was good.

People competed with motorcycles and cars on the narrow cobblestone streets and before long we came to an opening where we saw a huge piazza, Il Campo, with the Town Hall and Torre (tower)del Mangia next to it. It was a great photo opportunity!

By suggestion, my wife and I hit Cinque Terre last summer on a European excursion I’m sure I’ll write more about, but first I want to mention the most magical part of our trip: our days at Cinque Terre. First, do a Yahoo search on the word "cinque terre" to see pictures of this amazing place, as nothing I can write will aptly describe these perfect villages nestled into the Italian seaside. Then picture yourself starting at Monterroso and hiking through the hills (if you’re fit, otherwise take the train or boat), through the vineyards and carved hillsides, seeing little pieces of Old World Italy in the cliffside farming, and then walking down into a pastel colored fishing village built into the rocks and hills, over an emerald green-blue sea. Now imagine doing this four times in a day. Because you can, you can walk to all five in a day and it will be one of the most magical experiences of your life. You see, "cinque" means five and "terre" means land and these "five lands" are right out of a storybook. This is the place Italy has been in your dreams, and it delivers in every way without feeling touristy. Although, we did "hear" a lot of English there. But even in July, it wasn’t crowded.

Tuscany, one of the most favorite destinations for travelers around the world and especially Germany. With the season starting in July, I managed to get there just before — avoiding Italians becoming a minority just a few days after my departure. Well it’s not that bad, but I found it very pleasant to travel Tuscany for 2 weeks in July.

If you want to know details about all the specific sights and attractions … get a book. (just kidding) But in all honesty, I don’t want to bore you with details that you probably read way too often already. So this was supposed to be a budget trip and camping worked very well the year before in France, and was the ‘accommodation of choice’ again.

My wife and I were in Italy two summers ago. We stayed in Rome for a week before renting a car and traveling through Tuscany for a few days. We then stayed in Florence and then continued to Venice. There is so much to tell about this trip. I will start with one of Italy’s most famous sites of ancient history, the Colosseum.

GETTING AROUND

Floernce was my second favorite city on my tour of Italy. But I did literally get lost there. Lots to see and lots to do, why don’t you read about my adventures in Florence?

I loved the Hotel Kraft

4/18/94. …It took another 3 hours to get to Florence. And it took us another hour to get to our hotel. The roads were too narrow for the bus, so we drove by the same buildings three times each. We finally decided to run over the poles on the side of the street by the Arno. And then it took another 10 minutes to straighten the bus out to fit it between the cars. Everyone was packed in the aisles, waiting to get out.

I traveled to Italy August 1998 using Archers www.archerstours.co.uk to navigate a tour across Italy and translate for us English speakers. Archers only book directly, they do not work through travel agents and they are cheap.

One of the most exciting things about Rome was not knowing what was around the corner. Yes, when we were touring we knew what was on our itinerary. The thing is, however, as you make your way to a destination there are so many little surprises that are encountered.

MAKING OUR WAY TO THE PANTHEON

Ahh…..the sights…the sound…the -food-!

Most people would automatically assume that Italy would of course, be a fantastic place to eat some really good Italian food. This is partially true. We (I am of course speaking for most Americans) poor Yankees have been tainted by the American amalgamation of Italian food. Which is good and bad in and of itself.

My trip through Italy was done during a guided tour. Guided tours are always a lot of fun because at least half of the memories you’ll have will be of the group you’ve travelled with, and of the friends you have made within them.

Having a week to discover Rome my wife and I spent one evening in Trastevere. It is on the “other side” of the river from most of Rome’s attractions. The word means “across the river”. It is within a walking distance of the Jewish Ghetto and would be a good day trip seeing all that is available in both sections.

Trastevere is the name of the neighborhood of what is one of the oldest living areas of Rome. The people who live on those streets consider themselves to be descendants of Romes elite. It is an area of very small streets that make up a maze.