Coming Home!

"I'm coming home!"  That's what I texted my family last night before going to bed. I woke up early this morning, around 5:30 and decided I could use another hour or so before getting up so I pulled my eye mask back over my eyes and curled up.  6:42 I work up again and got up to greet the cool morning air of Nice, saying "good morning" to our last day in Europe.

Diane and I got ready and were picked up, again, by our favorite guy in the French Riviera, Yves!  He is so generous to offer to get us to and from the airport in this busy city.  We soooo appreciate his time and thoughtful attitude.

Checked in for our plane and then had to wait...  in line for security... in line to get our passport reviewed and stamped... in line to get a coffee and croissant...  in line to get on the plane...  in line ON the plane to get to our assigned seats... Yep, it was all about the lines this morning.

We leave Nice at 11:30 a.m. and are expected to arrive in New York City around 2:20 p.m. (9 n hours of travel time).  We have a 1 1/2 hour layover in NY, ugh.  But I KNOW I am going to have a BIG OLE HAMBURGER when I get there!  lol.  Our flight from NY leaves at 3:55 p.m. and arrives back home to Phoenix at 6:16 p.m.  (travel time of 5 hrs. 40 min. with the time change of 3 hours factored in).   This means we will be traveling, all together from the time we leave Nice til the time we arrive in Phoenix, 18 HOURS!  And that doesn't count the time waiting at the airport before.  Yep, we are going to be some worn out puppies by the time WE get home.

Flight from Nice to New York was FABULOUS!  They fed us every other hour, snacks, lunch, more snacks, and all the while providing free beverages ...  your choice.  Diane and I were very happy when we landed in NY.  Our NEXT flight was totally the opposite...  same company, Delta, but the 4 1/2 hour flight had only 2 services for water or soda, and you had to BUY the food if you were hungry.  Not a fun last flight.

Diane and I arrived home safely to HOT Arizona (OK, 100 is not too bad for AZ, but it is really hot compared to where we have been for the past 21 days!) and Brian picked us up on the curb.  It is surreal to think that we are really home, but even more so to realize that our once in a lifetime vacation is over.  But we will cherish our time together and the memories we created along the way.

Until the NEXT time I travel...
Good bye, adios, au revoir, ciao, auf wiedersehen, slan,bye for noo, cheerio, and see ya!

Back to Nice

Diane and I were up late last night, finishing our packing, catching up on blogging, and ensuring that we had everything ready to catch our 6 a.m. pickup to the airport.  We were downstairs at 5:59... talk about being ON TIME!  :)  Quick trip to the aeropuerto as traffic was nil.  Checked in our luggage, grabbed a quick sandwich and a cappuccino for me and an espresso for Diane.  Then we had a 2 1/2 hour wait...

Flight to Nice was 1 hour 15 minutes.  Sat next to a funny gal from Chile named Andrea.  She just got married last week, and was a bubbly and outgoing person who just talked and talked with Diane and I the entire trip!  We treated her to a glass of Prosecco to celebrate her marriage and our quick friendship!  We were being picked up by our favorite taxi guy, Yves.  He took us safely through the streets of Nice and up a windy road to our last Airbnb host, Yolanda.

Our plans for today, our last day in Europe are.... NOTHING!!  We are going to get on our bathing suits and walk down to the closest beach we can find and sit on our cabooties and enjoy a relaxing day in the sun.  Diane and I are both VERY tired, as it is very stressful trying to navigate a new city every other day, learning the area, figuring out the language, which Metro? What street?  How much time to we have?  So, incredible as our journey has been it has definitely been a "trip" and NOT a vacation.  Our new friend Sara explained the difference yesterday...  a trip is where you have things planned, and are always on the go, go, go.  A vacation is where you plan to relax...  Europe was almost ALL a "trip".  We are going to need a vacation after our trip.  lol.

The place we are staying is located at least 30 minutes fast walking time from the nearest beach.  So Diane and I got on our walking shoes (flip flops) and headed out towards the gorgeous coast of the French Riviera. What was the first thing we came to??  STAIRS!  Of course...  if I don't see another stair for about a year, it will be too soon!  Enjoyed our trek through the city of Nice, which is actually the 5th largest city in France. A lot of cars and motorcycles, but NOT NEAR the crazy drivers that are in Rome!  We passed shops, at least a twenty patisseries (bakeries).  We were hungry as we walked, as breakfast was a loooonnngg time ago, so we stopped at a quaint sandwich stop  and ate a tuna sandwich that was packed with small cut up veggies. WHAT?  No picture of our food?  Sorry, we were too hungry I guess. We got one sandwich to eat right then and one to have at the beach. Then  we continued our walk.  We did a good job navigating our way to the Port of Nice and our beach. The weather was absolutely glorious and a cool breeze accompanied us as we walked past the rocky areas and to the beach.

We found a beach!  Did I mention before that there are no shell beaches in France?  They are all rock beaches.  And there were some BIG rocks.  We had no beach towels so we had to sit right on the rocks.  So weird and funny trying to get comfortable enough to l
ay down on rocks...  moving
the sharp ones, trying to find flat ones to put where you were laying, but surprisingly
 enough, it worked!  But when you got up, you had the imprint of the rocks all over
your body!  Hysterical!  The day was a bit warm and it got to the point when Diane and I had to go get in the chilly Mediterranean Sea and cool off.  Walking over the rocks was NOT a fun experience and we saw quite a few people "biff" it!  I got smart and just kept my flip flops on as I walked to the water, then threw them back to the shore.  :)  Thank God I'm smarter than a rock!

Spent about 4 hours just on the beach, soaking up the sun and enjoying watching all of the people that surrounded us.  The beach was like a revolving door...  some people there early, and then leaving a few hours later, constantly replaced by other people, and then they leave, and replaced again.  We had a delicious sandwich that we had purchased before that we ate for our late lunch.  When our butts were tired of sitting on the rocky beach, Diane and I went in search of a pasta dinner that we could take home and eat later.  But...  the restaurants do not even OPEN for dinner until 6:30 or 7 pm!  They literally are open for lunch for a few hours, then CLOSE until it is dinner time (late!) We finally found one that was ready about 6 p.m. but they would not do "take away" (Take out).  So we ended up at a deli of sorts... artichoke hearts, couscous with chopped up veggies, and a meat and olive dish that looked good.  Made it home, showered, repacked our bags (for the last time!) and watched the sunset as we ate our gourmet dinner and drank a glass of wine.

Diane and I can hardly believe that it is the end of our 3 week adventure, but at the same time, can hardly believe that we have done everything that we have in the last 21 days!!!  We have been excellent travel partners, and so appreciate that as sisters, we can still be best friends.  To bed early (like 10:30 or 11!) and then hopefully a sound sleep and NOT getting up early.

Tuscan Wine Country

After our beyond incredible tour to the Coliseum (where we met some great people from the states, Sara and Daniel) we decided to go to lunch together before the next part of our tour.  We took the Metro to the stop we needed then walked around the square (which was really a circle) and found a great looking place for lunch.  Oh my...  we were NOT disappointed.  DELICIOUS pasta dishes.  Diane and I had a gnocchi with red sauce and then a paccheri pasta with squash blossoms.  That pasta was buttery and absolutely to die for.  The gnocchi was creamy and just wonderful, too.




Did I mention that our tour had a part 2??  Well, it did.  Part 2 was to go into the Tuscan country side and visit a winery and have a wine tasting.  We visited Principe Pallavicini Winery just 30 minutes outside of Rome.  We got to go via a fancy tour bus, which was wonderful because all we did in the morning tour was walk, walk, walk!

Nice drive out to the location through green fields and windy roads.  The winery was beautifully set up on a hill and the grounds were quaint and lovely.  Our guide walked us through the finer points of Italian wine making, and walked us through cellars and rooms that held the oak barrels full of precious wine.   After we finished that part of the tour, we had to reload on to our tour bus and drive 5 minutes away to the tasting.  We were privy to taste a lovely, fresh white wine, followed by a medium bodied red, and then their best wine, the Casa Roma red, which was AWESOME, then a dessert wine that actually was not too awfully sweet.  Wonderful tastes, combined with some bread and olive oil and some other treats.

This was definitely a great way to end our day, because the first part of the tour, with the sun shining brightly for most of the time that we were walking, made us hot, sweaty and tired.  So to relax and sit back in a luxury bus, tour cool rooms full of my favorite beverage, and then get to taste fruits of someone else's labors was exactly what the doctor ordered.  We were back by 6:45 p.m.  Diane and I hit one more place before heading home.  We ate cold pizza left over from last night and downed it with a glass of Casa Roma wine.  Then made sure we were all ready for tomorrow, as we have to LEAVE by 6 a.m. to catch our flight back to Nice.
Ciao Roma, it has been a truly unforgettable trip!!

Buongiorno Roma!

Good morning Rome!  I always wake up when the sun comes up, and here in Italy it is early.  I even had my eye mask on. Our room is by a busy street, and Rome stays up late and gets started early as well.  Tried to go back to sleep but to no avail.  Diane and I got up and got ready for our busy but exciting day!  I have a few minutes before we set out, so I might as well use them wisely!  We will go down to a little street-side cafe for breakfast this morning.

After we ate, we are setting off to explore the city.  As I blogged last night, Diane mapped out what wonderful sights we will see today (before our tour) and where and how to get there.  We LOVE the Metro (subway).  We are able to get from place to place quickly and efficiently.  Today we will start off to the Pantheon, NOT to be confused with the Parthenon which is in Greece!  Within blocks of each other we saw the Parliment Building, the Fountain of Trevi, and literally countless other sights that just are truly surreal to be viewing.

We have to check in for our tour today at 9:45.  The actual tour starts at 10:00 and lasts for 3 hours. We will visit the Colosseo (Coliseum) and the Roman Forum and the surrounding area.  We had an amazing tour guide and the history lesson he gave us was the best one I have ever had in my life.  I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how it felt to be walking up to the Coliseum.  Diane and I were meandering up the street towards our tour meeting place, and then suddenly, I looked up and there it was.  I LITERALLY almost started crying.  Such a powerful emotion hit me I just shook my head in wonder.  I mean, I have been teaching about Ancient Rome, and to actually be viewing this ancient structure, or walking on the stone path that was laid down in the 1st century B.C., or looking at a building that was built by Romulus...was unreal.  Over and over the stories that our guide told us so matched what I had learned and taught my third graders.  I just couldn't believe that I was now WHERE it all started.  So, because our day included more amazing things than I could EVER describe and do any just to on this blog, I am just going to post as many pictures as I can and let them do the talking.

   

 Ancient structural remains

Stones that were laid back in the1st century A.D.!!








Pillars remaining from a structure in the Roman Forum


                   
                     

Arch di Triomphe!

 Unknown cool structure


Fresh water from spigots that have been around since ancient times.

Trevi

Ciao to Rome!!

Did you know that ciao means hello AND goodbye in Italian?!  Well, it does!  lol.  Diane and I really researched Rome before we got here and were confident in our ability to navigate the city.  We have the Metro down pat, and can easily get from place to place.  We DID have a little bit of a hard time finding the address for our Rome Airbnb, but we made it!  Met our hostess, Daniela and her husband, too.  They gave us the layout of the room we rented and the keys to the house.  Diane and I plotted on what we would do this afternoon, and what we would do tomorrow.  We only had less than 2 hours, as the sun was getting low, and we did not feel comfortable traveling around the city of Rome with just the two of us AND not a good sense of direction and location, yet!

Decided to go see the Spanish Steps (or the Scalina Spagna) and took the Metro to do so. We wanted to get a "feel for the land" so tomorrow we are very productive in all of the traversing we plan to do!  It is reassuring to Diane and me that we see armed forces at every entrance

and exit of the subway.  Anyway, it was a beautiful evening, and we walked (NO!) a lot, again.  In the same plaza and surrounding areas there were many sites to see that were ancient and interesting.  We also saw the Fontana della Barcaccia which is a Baroque fresh water fountain in the shape of a ship and was completed in 1627.  It was packed in the square, with many people sitting around it.

Diane and I have realized that graffiti is an international phenomenon.  We have seen it in almost every country since we first started.  What is it about these stifled artistic abilities of youth that needs to come out, even when the medium and location may not be exactly the correct way to show it?  No other city had as much as we have seen in Rome. Not only was it on the deserted buildings along the railway, but also on the Metro trains as well.

We were pretty excited with what we had accomplished before it got dark tonight, and decided that now it was time to get something to eat, and close to our room for the night.  Our hosts suggested a couple of different places to eat, and we decided on pizza.  We had a great shop less than a block from our place.  We stopped in and ordered two different kinds of pizza.  We chose rosemary potato, and a tomato, basil, mozzarella pie.  Interestingly, they sold it by the WEIGHT!  :)  We also got a bottle of beer to split, because we were hot and tired from roaming around the city.  DELICIOUS pizza, very crispy bottom.  Did you know that pizza was invented in Italy?  Well, it was!!  Good night from Roma!!

Ciao to Venice!

Up early this morning, showered and ready for the day.  I tried to finish up the blog I could NOT do last night, but Internet was slow, and the downloading of photos was challenging.  Did not get much accomplished.  Breakfast was served from 8-9:30 a.m. at our home, and Diane and I were the first ones out there.  Imagine that!  The breakfast spread that Luigi had laid out was unlike any one I had ever seen, even at the best restaurants!  There were a plethora of fruits, such as pears, apples, tangerines, bananas, grapes, apricots, prunes, dates, and even figs!  There were also croissants, rolls, bread, rice cakes, and a couple of different breakfast cereals.  The condiment selection was unlike anything I had ever seen...  honey, butter, peanut butter, Nutella, cappuccino flavored spread, and on and on.  Luigi made both Diane and I a coffee as we sat down to a feast.

After we ate, we had a bit of time before our 10 a.m. checkout and decided to blog (me) and check emails, Facebook, etc. (Di).  Again, didn't get too much done, but it was better than nothing.  We had to check out of our room by 10, and our train wasn't until 1:30, so Luigi said we could leave our bags at his house while we checked out the city.  Diane and I set out in a direction (no idea WHICH direction!) and walked.  Of course we walked and walked.  This part of Venice was definitely NOT as interesting and pretty as the one we spent time in last night.  But, we had a nice walk, the sun was hidden by clouds which made for a cool walk.  Since it was Sunday, the streets were quiet, but the bells in the churches were not.  At the end of each mass, the bells would toll and toll.  So beautiful to hear them ring out into the still morning.

Not a whole lot to see here, and after an hour or so, we decided to to find a place for lunch and check the train station to ensure that our ticket would work there.  We found a nice place right across from the train station and decided (after we saw the WiFi sign) that it would do nicely.  Diane and I walked back up to Luigi's and picked up our luggage.  As we started to walk down the sidewalk towards our restaurant (and our later train) it started to rain.  Just some sprinkles, but steady enough that Di got her sweater on.  We plopped ourselves down at the cafe and ordered a lunch of meat lasagne, grilled vegetables, and a huge mixed salad.

Had a wonderful lunch and due to WiFi I was even able to get a little bit more on my blog done.  :)  Then it was time to cat a train...  our LAST train for this vacation.  It's hard to believe that we are getting close to the end of this dream vacation.  Train arrived exactly on time and we boarded.  First class, first car, seats 3 and 4.  Our seats were facing each other with a nice table in between.  This is the best seats that we have had the entire trip.  It's a 3 1/2 hour trip to Rome. Another short night leaves me the hope to try and get a quick power nap if I can.

Countryside was beautiful, but different than the surrounding countries.  Started to see more vineyards and more fields that had already been cultivated.  I worked on typing my blog, trying to catch up.  Diane was finishing a Danielle Steele book.  We got a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, which was very nice and unexpected.  The first class trains definitely range in what you get, or don't get.  This was our last train ride for our fabulous holiday, and it is amazing that our time is coming to an end.  Every day seems to hold something more spectacular and surreal than the day before.  Diane and I are excited to finally be in Rome and see what that ancient city holds for us to see.

Rocky Start to Venice

Yves (Eve) picked us up at exactly 12:00.  What a great ride Isabelle prepared for us.  We raced through the city of Nice, Yves safely transported us to the EasyJet airlines. I want to do the same sort of convenience for anyone who has a Tempe Sister City connection and contact. Anyways, we got off fine. as Yves dropped us off in the KISS and FLY lane..lol!)..We had to stand in a long line but once they opened another line, we got through it quickly enough.   We boarded and once there we ordered a beer and some nice dry snacks. The flight was short and easy but as we got ready to land, all of a sudden the pilot quickly pulled up and he as SKYBOUND again!  He said there was a WIND SHEER that he was trying to avoid. We were all a little confused, as we just missed our correct landing time, until the pilot announced what had happened.  I guess we are ALL thankful that the pilot decided to do whatever it took to av
oid that problem. So, we went completely around the island another time and then landed finally about an hour later.

It was raining as we were circling the airport but when we finally landed safely, the sun came out to greet us!  Unbelievable how the sunshine has followed us everywhere for the last 3 weeks.  We boarded a bus and were transported to the terminal and picked up our bags.  Then and went across in search of a bus.  We were a bit frantic because since the plane was so late, it really made it challenging for us to get to our scheduled tour of Venice!  The bus situation was confusing, as there were 2 different bus lines, and Diane thought it was one bus and I thought it was another bus. Well, Diane was right and because we faltered with our decision for a moment, the bus took off.  So we had to buy tickets for the OTHER bus and jumped on.  It was a little bit sketchy to say the least...  a few of the people who boarded made us a tad uncomfortable.  But, we reached our destination rather quickly, jumped off the bus and literally ran down the street towards our Airbnb vacation home.

Ended up at 122 Via Piave, which was our final destination. Luigi answered the door to his incredible home and let us in.  We quickly explained our problem about being so late, and how should we get to the bridge for our tour and asked if he would call us a taxi... and Luigi immediately said, "I will take you!"  And so we jumped in his car, ran over and  Diane and I got off and went looking for the bus transportation (or water boat). Luigi warned us that it would take 30 minutes on the water boat to get to our destination of the Academia Bridge.


 It was already after 6 when we got to the water taxi terminal to purchase our tickets, and we missed the first water bus.  It looked like time was slipping away from us, and there was no way we would make our tour.  I called the Viator company and explained our dilemma and he said he would TRY to get a hold of the tour director.  If not...  we could get a refund.  Well, luck was with us again, because, against all odds, we made it!  It was EXACTLY 6:30 pm as we were pulling up to the Accademia Bridge, and I saw groups of people ready for a tour.  We RAN off the boat and up to our tour guide, and she counted us in!  Absolutely amazing that we made it.  But it NEVER would have happened without the help of our host, Luigi.  Thanks so much Luigi!!

Our tour guide handed out earphones and a portable system that we wore around out neck that amplified her voice.  We went on about a 90 minute tour around some of the more secluded and less traveled byways of Venice.  Diane and I were in awe as we took in the city complete surrounded by water.  Every "street" was water up to the doorsteps.  Colorful houses and beautiful greenery and flowers complimented the watery streets.  As we walked we were given interesting facts and also folklore about the people and history of Venice.  Most fascinating!  We walked all around the city, traversing over a few of the over 400 bridges that are in Venice.  We viewed churches, public buildings, homes, historical sites, and many, many gondolas and boats.

Because we were in such a rush from the airport, and then straight to our tour, Diane and I had not eated in HOURS!  We were starving as we walked along with the tour, trying to keep our mind on what our guide was saying, and NOT on our growling stomachs.  Lol.  After the walking tour part was complete, we still had a 35 minute gondola ride.  It was delightful to be sitting in this unique type of watercraft.  Did you know that gondolas are made asymetrical and custom made to the specific gondola driver?  Well, they are!  Another interesting fact is that they cost from 30-40 THOUSAND euros!! When our relaxing ride was over, we docked and Diane and I immediately found the first restaurant we could and sat down to get some food.  We were sooooo hungry!

We chose wisely, and had an incredible meal of shrimp, avocado and green apple salad, and home made pasta with a oil and pesto sauce with small langistinos (lobster).  Wine was only sold by the bottle, so....  well, what else could we do?  We spent over an hour resting and enjoying our dinner meal.

Then it was time to try to find a way back to the home we were staying in.  We went to the nearest vaporetto, or water taxi port and waited for a boat.  We could not find where to purchase a ticket and figured we would just buy one on board. The first boat was NOT the right one, so we continued to wait.  The second boat that came was right, and we clamored aboard with a few others. The sun was set by then and it was beginning to get dark.  As we rode along, no one came to ask us for tickets.

So, we just didn't have to get one.  We counted off the drop offs until it was our stop.  We got off with no altercations.

Then, off to the bus.  again...  no ticket booth, no ticket to be had...  We found someone on board who knew our exact exit, and followed his advice (for the most part...) lol.  The most important thing is that we arrived home safely by about 11 p.m.

I tried to blog, but it had been a long and stressful day, so I just bagged it and said, "I'll do it tomorrow!" Ciao and goodnight from Venice.  OK...  Done!  Enjoy our fabulous day.